dle-ray fell to the ground. Mich'l leaped after him, picked him
up, held him. The riot-ray was turned full on him, and a soldier's
hand trembled on the lever. But it did not pull.

"You'll kill him!" Mich'l shouted. And then he ventured to turn his
head to look at the Gate. He saw the first of the fugitives struggle
into the narrow crack. The gate seemed to have stuck, and there was
barely room to pass. Ilgen, half conscious, was trying to rain blows
on Mich'l's back, compelling him to stop and pass the officer's hands
through the belt of his tunic and to manacle them with a pair of
bracelets which he found in his pocket. As he staggered toward the
Gate with his burden, he saw Gobet beside him, the stolen riot-ray
menacing the soldiers, who would otherwise have rushed in.

* * * * *

Suddenly Ilgen struggled upright.

"Fire," he commanded in stentorian tones.

"They'll kill you too, you fool!" Mich'l exclaimed angrily.

"I am a soldier!" Ilgen answered with contempt. His legs barely
supported his weight, and he was struggling to free his manacled
hands. He threw himself into the narrow crevice of the Gate, to
obstruct the stream of fugitives. He started to shout again:

"Fi--" Crack! Again Mich'l's fist caught him. He hooked the officer's
elbows over two of the bosses, so that he was supported in plain sight
of his men, and turned to urge haste. The last two stragglers were
hurrying through, and with relief Mich'l turned to follow. But he set
the closing mechanism in motion before he leaped for the narrow
opening that was becoming still narrower, though very slowly. Now for
that green crescent of light, and hope!

He felt a wave of heat. Glancing back, he saw the irresolute guards
scattered by the enraged charge of a square, blocky man in civilian
robe--the usually smiling Provisional President, Senator Mollon.
Mollon himself was fumbling with the lever of the riot-ray. Ilgen had
evidently reported where he was going before starting in pursuit of
the technies.

Again that withering flash of heat, and Mich'l saw Captain Ilgen,
still semi-conscious, suddenly turn red-faced. Mollon would burn him
up without compunction, in the hope of catching one of the fugitive
technies. And now a figure in uniform leaped forward at Mollon's angry
gesture, and bent purposefully to the sighting tube.

The crescent was now so slender that Mich'l had to turn sideways to
squeeze back into the corrid