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“I don’t know,” I confessed. “If we had two ray machines, we could make it. But if I remember correctly, it’s seven hundred yards, yet, to the first of the tunnels leading to the surface—and that means several hundred side passages from which they can attack. We can’t make it.”

“Well, we can try again, anyway, sir,” Correy replied stoutly. “Better to go down fighting than stay here and starve, eh?”

“If you’ll pardon me, gentlemen,” put in Inverness, “I’d like to make a suggestion. We can’t return the way we came in; I’m convinced of that. It was the sheerest luck that Commander Hanson wasn’t brought down a moment ago—luck, and excellent work on the part of the two ray operators.

“But an analysis of our problem shows that our real objective is to reach the surface, and that need not be done the most obvious way, by returning over the course by which we entered.”

“How, then?” I asked sharply.

“The disintegrator ray you have there should be able to cut a passage for us,” said Inverness. “Then all we need do is protect our rear while the operators are working. Once on the surface, we’ll be able to fight our way to the ship, will we not?”