For a moment he seemed to glow as if illuminated from within by a powerful white flame. Then he flew through the air and crashed to the floor. The Martians fairly riddled his fallen form with their bullets. Neil slipped into insensibility, and the last thing he was conscious of was that the cable's loop had been parted, its two frayed ends protruding from the hole in the pillar, fully six inches of space between them.
The mission of the trio had been accomplished.
When he regained his senses at last he could not open his eyes. He moved his hands, and it was as if they were sheathed in massy lead. His very breathing was a distinct effort.
"Bull Mike!" he called. "Sukune!"—but then he remembered that Bull Mike and Sukune had been killed.
"Lie still," said a female voice. "You're all right."
"Where am I?" he asked.
"In a hospital," answered the voice.
"A hospital? Where? On Earth?"
"Of course," the voice laughed. "You're in Base Hospital Number 61-X, at Delhi. I'm your nurse."