ring in the air
directly above, robbed of the power broadcast and their repeller beams
disappearing, crashed down into the ruins.

But out in the escape tunnels, we continued our explorations, now sure
that no warnings could be broadcast to the tunnel exits, and mowed down
contingent after contingent of the hated yellow men.

My register showed seventy-five miles before I came to the end of the
tunnel, and drove my ball out into a vast underground city of great,
brilliantly illuminated corridors, some of them hundreds of feet high
and wide. The architectural scheme was one of lace-like structures of
curving lines and of indescribable beauty.

Word had reached us now of the destruction of the city itself, so that
no necessity existed for destroying the escape tunnels. In consequence,
I ordered the two operators, who were following me, to send their balls
out into this underground city, seeking the shaft which the Hans were
sure to have as a secret exit to the surface of the earth above.

But at this juncture events of transcending importance interrupted my
plans for a thorough exploration of these new subterranean cities of the
Hans. I detonated my projectile at once and ordered all of the operators
to do so, and to tune in instantly on new ones. That we wrecked most of
these new cities I now know, but of course at the time we were in the
dark as to how much damage we caused, since our viewplates naturally
went dead when we detonated our projectiles.

CHAPTER XV

The Counter-Attack

The news which caused me to change my plans was grave enough. As I have
explained, the American lines lay roughly to the east and the south of
the city in the mountains. My own Gang held the northern flank of the
east line. To the south of us was the Colorado Union, a force of 5,000
men and about 2,000 girls recruited from about fifteen Gangs. They were
a splendid organization, well disciplined and equipped. Their posts,
rather widely distributed, occupied the mountain tops and other points
of advantage to a distance of about a hundred and fifty miles to the
south. There the line turned east, and was held by the Gangs which had
come up from the south. Now, simultaneously with the reports from my
scouts that a large Han land force was working its way down on us from
the north, and threatening to outflank us, came word from Jim Hallwell,
Big Boss of the Colorado Union and the commander in chief of our army,
that another large Ha