Part 2 (1/2)

Blair shook his head Then he caory's ar boats are out now, Captain Everything is being done, I can assure you It would be no use”

”Are there no other boats here than Lang's?”

”Only the alien fleet”

The et one of them Will you shohere they are?”

”It would be no use They wouldn't go You see----”

”Let's try”

With so along any too ith Mascola's outfit lately,” he explained as they walked along ”I'll stop at Lang's wharf first Maybe so on to a small wharf they walked in silence over the loose boards down the lane of ill-sway led doard to a s swells thrown up by a passing fishi+ng-boat Close by, another wharf jutted out into the bay Upon it were a nu nets Blair stopped abruptly at the head of the gangway, his eyes searching the water The fishi+ng-boat inging up into the tide and edging closer

”Is that one of the Lang boats?” he heard Gregory ask

A paroxys officer looked eagerly at the approaching craft, upon the bohich a dark-skinned ainst the wire-stays He noticed that the audy red cap rested with a rakish air His eyes were upon the Lang dock as he stood with folded arms and waited for the boat to nose up to the near-by wharf

Gregory ad er, at the same time, repellent The crowd of aliens moreover, he noticed, fell away respectfully The newcoory, watching him as he stepped from the launch, instinctively disliked hiely

Gregory surveyed the newcoo over and get it”

Blair put out a restraining hand

”There would be no use,” he said ”Mascola wouldn't let us have that boat to save our lives”

Gregory was already on his way to the Italian dock Blair started to overtake hihtened

”Wait,” he called ”Here co”

With the approach of the second fishi+ng-boat ca folk of all nationalities Men, women and children clustered about the dock, imbued with a lust for excitement and a morbid desire to learn the worst from the latest -boat as it swung about and drew near the float

Blair shoved his way through the crowd and led Gregory down the gangway

Upon the covered hatch of the launch Blair's eye caught sight of two rolls of canvas, fashi+oned bundle-like Nets erly at the fisher craft Their faces caused hiain at the canvas bundles Then he turned quickly to the man by his side