My ear discs remained silent.
"Deering and I remain here until they land and debark. Stand by and keep alert."
Rapidly and easily the largest of the Han ships settled to the earth. Three scouted sharply to the south, rising to a higher level. The others floated motionless about a thousand feet above.
Peeping through a small fissure between two plates, I saw the vast hulk of the ship come to rest full on the line of our prospective ring barrage. A door clanged open a couple of feet from the ground, and one by one the crew emerged.
CHAPTER VI
The "Wyoming Massacre"
"They're coming out of the ship." I spoke quietly, with my hand over my mouth, for fear they might hear me. "One—two—three—four, five—six—seven—eight—nine. That seems to be all. Who knows how many men a ship like that is likely to carry?"
"About ten, if there are no passengers," replied one of my men, probably one of those on the hillside.
"How are they armed?" I asked.