Lieutenant Riley hung limply in his harness, a stream of blood trickling from his nose. Slowly he opened his eyes.
"We're alive!" he gasped.
Then he fainted again.
The craft slowed down. A startled fishing craft off the Central American coast almost capsized in the wash of the monster from the skies.
Ahead of them land reared its head above the horizon. Captain Bonnet wondered if the ship would stop in time, but he did not realize how quickly the craft was coming to a standstill. He turned the rudders and steered for shore. A cry came from Lieutenant Riley.
It was the Golden Gate.
A patrol boat met them in the harbor as the space ship, floating in boiling water, came to a stop.
Captain Bonnet opened the locks and climbed out on the top of the craft. He wore an asbestos space suit to protect himself from the heat of the sides.
"Have you a wireless aboard?" he called to the patrol.