r cliff of black rock, without
top or bottom. Halfway up it Krag, suspended in midair, was dealing
terrific blows at a blood-red spot with a huge hammer. The rhythmical,
clanging sounds were hideous.

Presently Maskull made out that these sounds were the familiar drum
beats. "What are you doing, Krag?" he asked.

Krag suspended his work, and turned around.

"Beating on Your heart, Maskull," was his grinning response.

The cliff and Krag vanished. Maskull saw Gangnet struggling in the
air--but it was not Gangnet--it was Crystalman. He seemed to be trying
to escape from the Muspel-fire, which kept surrounding and licking him,
whichever way he turned. He was screaming.... The fire caught him. He
shrieked horribly. Maskull caught one glimpse of a vulgar, slobbering
face--and then that too disappeared.

He opened his eyes. The floating island was still faintly illuminated by
Alppain. Krag was standing by his side, but Gangnet was no longer there.

"What is this Ocean called?" asked Maskull, bringing out the words with
difficulty.

"Surtur's Ocean."

Maskull nodded, and kept quiet for some time. He rested his face on his
arm. "Where's Nightspore?" he asked suddenly.

Krag bent over him with a grave expression. "You are Nightspore."

The dying man closed his eyes, and smiled.

Opening them again, a few moments later, with an effort, he murmured,
"Who are you?"

Krag maintained a gloomy silence.

Shortly afterward a frightful pang passed through Maskull's heart, and
he died immediately.

Krag turned his head around. "The night is really past at last,
Nightspore.... The day is here."

Nightspore gazed long and earnestly at Maskull's body. "Why was all this
necessary?"

"Ask Crystalman," replied Krag sternly. "His world is no joke. He has a
strong clutch--but I have a stronger... Maskull was his, but Nightspore
is mine."

Chapter 21. MUSPEL

The fog thickened so that the two suns wholly disappeared, and all grew
as black as night. Nightspore could no longer see his companion. The
water lapped gently against the side of the island raft.

"You say the night is past," said Nightspore. "But the night is still
here. Am I dead, or alive?"

"You are still in Crystalman's world, but you belong to it no more. We
are approaching Muspel."

Nightspore felt a strong, silent throbbing of the air--a rhythmical
pulsation, in four-four time. "There is the drumming," he exclaimed.

"Do you understand it, or have y