side
glance I saw Drake's head nodding--nodding in time to the movement of
the black hands. I jumped to my feet, shaking with an intensity of rage
unfamiliar to me; thrust my pistol into the wrinkled face.

"Damn you!" I cried. "Stop that. Stop it and turn your back."

The corded muscles of the arms contracted, the claws of the slithering
paws drew in as though he were about to clutch me; the ebon pools of
eyes were covered with a frozen film of hate.

He could not have known what was this tube with which I menaced him,
but its threat he certainly sensed and was afraid to meet. He squattered
about, wrapped his arms around his knees, crouched with back toward us.

"What's the matter?" asked Drake drowsily.

"He tried to hypnotize us," I answered shortly. "And pretty nearly did."

"So that's what it was." He was now wide awake. "I watched those hands
of his and got sleepier and sleepier--I guess we'd better tie Mr. Yuruk
up." He jumped to his feet.

"No," I said, restraining him. "No. He's safe enough as long as we're on
the alert. I don't want to use any force on him yet. Wait until we know
we can get something worth while by doing it."

"All right," he nodded, grimly. "But when the time comes I'm telling you
straight, Doc, I'm going the limit. There's something about that human
spider that makes me itch to squash him--slowly."

"I'll have no compunction--when it's worth while," I answered as grimly.

We sank down again against the saddlebags; Drake brought out a black
pipe, looked at it sorrowfully; at me appealingly.

"All mine was on that pony that bolted," I answered his wistfulness.

"All mine was on my beast, too," he sighed. "And I lost my pouch in that
spurt from the ruins."

He sighed again, clamped white teeth down upon the stem.

"Of course," he said at last, "if Ventnor was right in that--that
disembodied analysis of his, it's rather--well, terrifying, isn't it?"

"It's all of that," I replied, "and considerably more."

"Metal, he said," Drake mused. "Things of metal with brains of thinking
crystal and their blood the lightnings. You accept that?"

"So far as my own observation has gone--yes," I said. "Metallic yet
mobile. Inorganic but with all the quantities we have hitherto thought
only those of the organic and with others added. Crystalline, of course,
in structure and highly complex. Activated by magnetic-electric forces
consciously exerted and as much a part of their life as brain ener