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“I know! I know!” groaned Tipene. “But I can’t make them understand that. They can’t appreciate the meaning of such discipline.”

“I believe that,” put in Brady. “Their state of society is still low in the scale. You shouldn’t have come, Commander. Better the two of us than the whole group.”

“It may not be so simple as they think. Mr. Correy, shall we make a dash for it?”

“I’d be in favor of that, sir!” he grinned.

“Very well, you take three of the enlisted men, Mr. Correy, and give us a brisk rear-guard action when we get into the main passage—if we do. Use the grenades if you have to, but throw them as fast as possible, or we’ll have the roof coming down on us.

“The two ray operators and myself will try to open a way, backed up by Inverness and Brady. Understand, everybody?” The men took the places I had indicated, nodding, and we stood at the mouth of the side tunnel, facing the main passage which intersected it at a right angle. The mouth of the passage was blocked by a crowded mass of the spider creatures, evidently eager to pounce on us, but afraid to start an action in those narrow quarters.