e. Here is the way out. It is
a hundred-foot drop; they think we are safe; but they have been
unintentionally kind."

"Yes," his companion agreed, "they don't know that we know of the torture.
We will wait ... and when I am sure that--Althora--is--gone ... when there
is nothing I can do to help--"

"Help?" queried the professor gently. "There is nothing now of help,
nor anyone who can help us. We must face it, my boy; _c'est fini_. Our
little journey is approaching its end."

* * * * *

There was no reply, and McGuire stood throughout the day to stare with
eyes of smouldering hatred where the scurrying swarms of living things
made ready to invade and infest the earth.

Food and water was pushed through the doorway, but he ate sparingly of
the odd-colored fruits; the only thing that could hold his thoughts
from the hopeless repetition of unanswerable "whys" was the sight of
the fleet. And every bale and huge drum was tallied mentally as it
passed before his eyes. The ships were being loaded, and with their
sailing--But, no! He must not let himself think of that!

Throughout the day ships came and departed, and one leviathan, ablaze
in scarlet color; sailed in to settle down where great steel arms
enfolded it, not far from the watching men. Scarlet creatures in
authority directed operations, and workmen swarmed about the great
ship. Once McGuire swore softly and viciously under his breath, for he
had seen a figure that could be only that of Torg, and the crowd
saluted with upraised arms as the scarlet figure passed into the
scarlet ship. This, McGuire knew, was the flagship that should carry
Torg himself. Torg and ----. He paled at the thought of the other
name.

The only break in the long day came with the arrival of a squad of
guards, who hustled the two men out into a passageway and drove them
to another room, where certain measurements were taken. The muscular
figures of the two were different from these red ones, but it was a
moment before McGuire realized the sinister significance of the
proceedings. Their breadth of shoulders, the thickness of their
chests--what had these figures to do with their captivity? And then
the flyer saw the measures compared with the dimensions of a steel
cage. Its latticed shape could be endlessly compressed, and within, he
saw, were lancet points that lined the ghastly thing throughout. Long
enough to torture, but not to kill; a thousand delicate