sir?"

"Only if you tell me what you did with Professor Sykes," replied Hardy
angrily.

"You have not asked us, sir," said Tom coolly, "to tell our side of
the story. You are accusing us of a crime and have already assumed that
we are guilty. We are not."

[Illustration: _Bush pulled a paralo-ray gun from his belt and said,
"All right, march!"_]

"Do you deny it?" asked Hardy.

"We deny everything," said Tom flatly.

Hardy whirled around to face the colonists, Vidac, and Bush. "I want it
clearly understood by everyone here that Space Cadets Tom Corbett, Roger
Manning, and Astro, in the face of testimony given by eyewitnesses as to
their argument with Professor Sykes, and their later abduction of the
professor, do now conspire to withhold information which might help save
the professor's life!" He turned to Vidac. "I want them arrested and
held for investigation of their activities last night. Confine them to
their quarters."

Vidac stood up and nodded his head to Bush. "Take them away. Keep a
guard outside their quarters at all times."

"Yes, sir," said Bush. He pulled a paralo-ray gun from his belt and
cocked it. "All right, march!"