opened, an indignant
and slightly oversized cat bounded through, leaped from the table with
a squawled oath of hatred and streaked into the front room of the
cabin.

* * * * *

Garth turned and faced Hagendorff, a smile on his lips and a gleam in
his eyes. He ran his fingers through his black hair.

"Well," he said, "now it's time for the final experiment. Who shall it
be?"

Hagendorff did not answer at once, and the American went on:

"I think it'd better be me. There's a slight risk, of course, and I,
as the inventor, could never ask an assistant to do anything I
wouldn't. Is it all right with you?"

Hagendorff nodded quickly in answer. Garth stood reflecting for a
moment.

"Guinea pigs, rabbits and insects have survived reduction to
one-twentieth normal size," he said slowly. "It should be safe for the
human body to descend just as far. But stop me at about two feet this
first time. I'm not taking any chances; I want to be alive and kicking
when I announce the success of my experiments to the scientific
world."

His assistant said nothing.

"Well, here goes," Garth added. "I'd better take off my clothes if I
don't want to be buried in them. They're not affected by the process.
Must be because of the lack of organic connection between their fibers
and the human body."

A few minutes later, nude, he jumped onto the laboratory table. He
presented a perfect specimen of well-developed manhood as he stood
before the door of the chamber. His smooth skin, under which the
rounded muscles rolled easily, gleamed white beneath the glare of the
floodlight. His gray eyes glanced at the stolid assistant, who already
had one hand on the switchboard's lever. Garth saw that the hand was
trembling slightly, and smiled as he realized Hagendorff was as
excited as he. He said:

"I'll leave the door ajar, so you can more easily watch every phase of
the reduction. If it's painful--well, I guess I can stand anything a
cat can!"

Then, stooping slightly, Garth stepped in and drew the door almost
shut.

* * * * *

He relaxed as much as possible from the tremendous excitement that
filled him, and nodded at Hagendorff.

"I'm ready," he said. "Go ahead!"

The ray came to his body as the crash of thunder comes to the ear. His
nerves leaped as it struck and enveloped him. He felt as if he were
entombed in ice, and yet his veins were aflame. Fiery shafts fanged
h