t will be better if we return to the tower at once. It would
go hard with me should you escape."

Tara of Helium saw her last chance fading into oblivion. There would
never be another after today. She cast about for some pretext to lure
him even a little nearer to the hills.

"It is very little that I ask," she said. "Tonight you will want me to
sing to you. It will be the last time, if you do not let me go and see
what those kaldanes are doing I shall never sing to you again."

Ghek hesitated. "I will hold you by the arm all the time, then," he
said.

"Why, of course, if you wish," she assented. "Come!"

The two moved toward the workers and the hills. The little party was
digging tubers from the ground. She had noted this and that nearly
always they were stooped low over their work, the hideous eyes bent
upon the upturned soil. She led Ghek quite close to them, pretending
that she wished to see exactly how they did the work, and all the time
he held her tightly by her left wrist.

"It is very interesting," she said, with a sigh, and then, suddenly;
"Look, Ghek!" and pointed quickly back in the direction of the tower.
The kaldane, still holding her turned half away from her to look in the
direction she had indicated and simultaneously, with the quickness of a
banth, she struck him with her right fist, backed by every ounce of
strength she possessed--struck the back of the pulpy head just above
the collar. The blow was sufficient to accomplish her design,
dislodging the kaldane from its rykor and tumbling it to the ground.
Instantly the grasp upon her wrist relaxed as the body, no longer
controlled by the brain of Ghek, stumbled aimlessly about for an
instant before it sank to its knees and then rolled over on its back;
but Tara of Helium waited not to note the full results of her act. The
instant the fingers loosened upon her wrist she broke away and dashed
toward the hills. Simultaneously a warning whistle broke from Ghek's
lips and in instant response the workers leaped to their feet, one
almost in the girl's path. She dodged the outstretched arms and was
away again toward the hills and freedom, when her foot caught in one of
the hoe-like instruments with which the soil had been upturned and
which had been left, half imbedded in the ground. For an instant she
ran on, stumbling, in a mad effort to regain her equilibrium, but the
upturned furrows caught her feet--again she stumbled and this time went
down, and as