Nathan had never been in the part of the cavern which they were entering. He knew the narrow passage must have been covered by a thin shell of rock in his time.
They came at last into a chamber that was the equal in size of the main one. There was daylight visible and the pink radiance from Firebird began to die. When it was gone she seemed smaller and more fragile than ever. Only the little blue lights in her eyes seemed hard and unyielding.
Within the chamber Nathan stopped and gasped. There was the glistening, silver hull of a space cruiser. And high on the nose of it was the dread name: Corsair.
Corsair—the famed pirate vessel that had outrun every ship that had ever pursued it. In a hundred acts of piracy, the Firebird had escaped without leaving a trace by means of the Corsair.
She watched as he admired the ship. "Like it?"
"So this is the famous Corsair," he said, "—and your hideout. You must be sure of your ability to win me as an ally or to kill me."
"I am—sure of both. But I need you more as an ally. Shall we go in?"
The needle-like hull housed a long, spiral catway that led to the cabins and control room. Halfway to the nose Firebird showed Nathan a tiny cabin which he could use.
"You'll find a supply of clothing," she said. "I find it necessary to prepare for occasional guests who forget to bring luggage."
Guests taken from space liners in the midst of interplanetary space, Nathan thought. He wondered what had become of the many that the Firebird had kidnapped that way.