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Haljan, that you keep your eye especially upon him. Your duties on the Planetara leave you comparatively free, don't they?"
"Yes," I agreed. With the first and second officers on duty, and the captain aboard, my routine was more or less that of an understudy.
I said, "George Prince! Who is he?"
"A mechanical engineer," said Halsey. "An under-official of the Earth Federated Radium Corporation. But he associates with bad companions—particularly Martians."
I had never heard of this George Prince, though I was familiar with the Federated Radium Corporation, of course. A semi-government trust, which controlled virtually the entire Earth supply of radium.
"He was in the Automotive Department," Carter put in. "You've heard of the Federated Radium Motor?"
WE had, of course. A recent Earth invention which promised to revolutionize the automotive industry. An engine of a new type, using radium as its fuel.
Snap demanded, "What in the stars has this got to do with Johnny Grantline?"
"Much," said Halaey quietly, "or perhaps nothing. But George Prince some years ago mixed in rather unethical transactions. We had him in custody once. He is known now as unusually friendly with several Martians in New York of bad reputation."
"Well—" began Snap.
"What you don't know," Halsey went on quietly, "is that Grantline expects to find radium on the Moon."
We gasped.
"Exactly," said Halsey. "The ill-fated Ballon Expedition thought they had found it on the Moon some years ago. A new type of ore, as rich in radium, as our gold-bearing sands are rich in gold. Ballon's first samples gave uranium, atoms with a fair representation of ionium and thorium. A richly radioactive ore. A lode of the pure radium is there somewhere, without doubt."
HE added vehemently, "Do you understand now why we should be suspicious of this George Prince? He has a criminal record. He has a thorough technical knowledge of radium ores. He associates with Martians of bad reputation. A large Martian Company has recently developed a radium engine to compete with our Earth motor. You know that? You know that there is very little radium available on Mars, and our government will not allow our own radium supply to be exported. That Martian Company needs radium. It will do anything to get radium. What do you suppose it would pay for a few tons of really rich radioactive ore—such as Grantline may have found on the Moon?"
"But," I objected, "that is a reputable Martian company. It's backed by the government of the Martian Union. The government of Mars would not dare—"
"Of course not!" Captain Carter exclaimed sardonically. "Not openly! But if Martian brigands had a supply of radium—I don't imagine where it came from would make much difference. That Martian Company would buy it."
Halsey added, "And George Prince, my agents inform me, seems to know that Grantline is on the Moon. Put it all together, lads. Little sparks show the hidden current.
"More than that: George Prince knows that we have arranged to have the Planetara stop, at the Moon and bring back Grantline's radium-ore. This is your last voyage this year. You'll hear from Grantline this time, we're convinced. He'll probably give you the signal as you pass the Moon on your way out. Coming back, you'll stop at the Moon and transport whatever radium-ore Grantline has ready. The Grantline Flyer is too small for ore transportation."
HALSEY'S voice turned grimly sarcastic. "Doesn't it seem queer that George Prince and a few of his