eady worn them against the rough post, and now he
began to struggle violently. If he could only get his hands loose, he
could wave....

The thongs cut into his flesh, but his wrists were numb and swollen,
and he did not mind the pain. His muscles stood out hard and sharp,
and with a supreme effort, aided by the growing brittleness of the
rawhide in the dry atmosphere, he snapped his bonds.

The ship was now quite near, and he waved frantically. He fancied he
saw movement back of the pilot ports. Faintly he heard the hum of the
levitators. Now it turned--no! It yawed, now toward him, now away,
purposelessly, like a ship in distress. It made an abrupt downward
plunge that scraped a crag, and just missed a canyon wall.

Again it twisted, came down with a long, twisting motion, struck a
rock upside down, slitting a long gash in its skin, clattered to the
rocks so close to the fortress that Sime could not see it. Now
desperation gave the prisoner superhuman strength. Regardless of the
pain, he burst the thongs about his ankles, tottered to the edge of
the roof.

There was a battle going on below. Men seemed to be running, shouting.
Someone, using a massive plate of metal as a partial shield against
the neuro-pistols, was creating havoc. Sime tried to focus his giddy
eyes on the scene. It seemed always to be turning to the left, to be
circling around him. With tottering steps he tried to follow it,
keeping to the brink of that lofty tower--uselessly. Now it was
rocking, flying straight toward him, and, gratefully, Sime gave up the
struggle, closed his eyes.

CHAPTER V

_The Wrath of Tolto_

Tolto awoke from his drugged sleep in the cargo room of a pleasure
ship. He was thoroughly trussed up, for Prince Joro's servants had a
wholesome respect for the giant's strength. Even in his supine
position power was evident in every line of his great torso, revealed
through great rents in his blouse. His thighs were as big around as an
ordinary man's body, and the smooth pink skin of his mighty arms and
shoulders rippled with every movement that brought into play the
broad, flat bands of muscle underneath.

A chain of beryllium steel was passed around Tolto's waist, and close
in front of him the smooth, shining cuffs of steel around his wrist
were locked to the chain. Short lengths of chain led to cargo
ringbolts in the floor, holding fast Tolto's cuffed ankles.

To anyone looking at Tolto, just then, these extreme pr