“Slow down, Toplinsky!” Epworth growled. “Not a move or your snake-like queen is going to begin to cry out loud.”
Toplinsky sneered a little. By this time he had regained his composure, and was preparing to leap on Epworth. When he noticed the glare in the young American’s eyes he slumped back. Epworth did not realize it but many thoughts were racing through the giant’s mind. Suppose Epworth should strangle the queen? He shivered. He really did not think that Epworth would commit such an act but if he did he would be in more danger than Epworth and his friends. With Queen Carza to aid him he would soon be in complete control of the moon-world; without her the crickets and pigmies would kill him instantly. He had lorded it over them quite harshly during the few days he had been at liberty and in power, and he had escaped death at their hands only recently. Now he realized that the crickets and pigmies did not like him. He had ruthlessly killed too many of them. True they did not understand what death was but they knew enough to realize that this big giant did not hesitate to wipe them out.
“Go easy, Epworth,” he said soberly. “You are standing on dynamite. Perhaps we can ar——”
He was temporizing, preparing for a treacherous attack, and Epworth knew it.
“I am going easy as long as you keep off your dogs of war but you are not going to act funny.”
“So far so good,” Billy called out, “but where are we going—and how?”
It was a problem. For the moment they seemed to be on top—they had their enemies tied. But this could not last. They were still in the center of the great Crater Agrippa, buried alive amid thousands of crickets that would eat them if they got a chance, with every avenue of escape seemingly closed, and long, dark, terrifying tunnels between them and the open air.
Joan breathed a breath of despair. Escape seemed impossible. They could not march the queen through phalanx after phalanx of armed crickets and intelligent pigmy men. Any second a number could sneak up in their rear, or drop upon them out of one of the dark holes over their heads. Yet this seemed to be the only way out.
But in what direction was out?
Epworth was asking himself that question fearfully. There were four directions, and innumerable caverns penetrating the lighted chambers. Only one of these passageways would lead back to their gliders.