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Sterling inquired, puzzled.
    But the young scientist-inventor wagged his head. "No, Hank, although I’d guess such a field may be keeping it in place."
    "Then what?"
    "Antimatter."
    "Huh?" Bud was aghast at the thought. "Like the matter-eating gas from the taboo mountain?"
    Tom’s exploration of Mount Goaba in Africa, by means of his terrasphere vehicle, had revealed an astounding phenomenon taking place in the caves of nuclear fire far beneath the surface. By means of some complex, inexplicable atomic reaction, a mineral-like substance was releasing a gas, termed Exploron, that in turn emitted antiprotons. These subatomic particles, bearing electrical charges opposite those of the nuclei of ordinary matter, caused such matter to disintegrate in a violent flare of radiation. Bud knew that reversed-charge substances, which had previously only appeared in minute quantities in experimental settings, were called antimatter by physicists.
    But Bud’s comment was not quite on the mark. "No, pal," Tom corrected his friend. "What we’re dealing with here is a whole lot worse than Exploron."
    Hank nodded slowly. "You mean—true antimatter."
    "That’s what I think. Look," he continued, "the phenomenon isn’t fully understood yet, but the researchers at the Goaba installation think they’ve cracked the basic sequence of reactions. Exploron gas emits antiprotons, but it isn’t true antimatter. It’s one of the two main byproducts of the reaction of an anomalous substance, which they’ve named Diracinium, with certain catalysts."
    Bud observed, "Catalysts like saltwater. You’re talking about that mineral deposit at the bottom of the cavern."
    "That’s it. Catalysis induces a sort of ‘nuclear combustion’—the nuclear fire—with its own ‘smoke,’ namely vaporous Exploron and granules of Inertite. But there’s one more thing that happens. The surface of the Diracinium, the part directly exposed to the catalyst, converts to a molecule-thick coating of Diracinium in antimatter form —actual antimatter molecules. It’s only the interspersed presence of Inertite particles in the film that damps-down the reaction. Otherwise a big chunk of Africa would be history!"
    "If particles of anti-Diracinium could be dispersed in space around Little Luna," noted Hank, "the cloud might be too dilute to be detectible, but more than dense enough to destroy ― "
    " Anything !" concluded Tom Swift. "The space friends are trying to warn us—twice now. The reference in that first message to ‘ opposed force matter ’ was their attempt to convey the idea of antimatter. Whoever caused the barrier," he went on, "may have figured I’d take off for Nestria to investigate the base’s silence, and that my ship would meet the same fate as the cargo rocket."
    Bob Jeffers shuddered. "What a devilish scheme! Which happens to be Li Ching’s stock in trade."
    "But wait a second," Bud suddenly objected. "Like you just said, Tom—Inertite blocks off the reaction. Wouldn’t the Challenger ’s coating protect us?"
    It was Hank who answered Bud. "The cargo rocket was also coated, Bud. Inertite is effective against most radiation, and protects against the sort of fine spray of antiprotons produced by Exploron. But in the case of something like this barrier, you’re dealing with massive grains of the anti-stuff. Evidently a little works its way through—and when you’re dealing with antimatter, little things mean a lot !"
    Bud nodded, grasping the dreadful situation the Nestria team was in—totally cut-off from their world! He said to Tom: " Whee-oh , genius boy, your brain’s got quite a lump to chew over this time!"
    Tom didn’t answer, but Bud could see that the young inventor’s brain had already taken up the task.
    Soon the control readouts announced that the ship’s repelatrons were again humming with power. Tom had directed Hannah Morgensteiff to reorient the dish-shaped radiator antennas to brake the ship and send it on its long,