oth
expanse of the lava flow. Some ancient eruption from the distant peaks
that hemmed in the valley had sent out this flood of molten rock; it was
hard and black now. But, to the right, where the valley went on and up,
and rose gently and widened as it rose, a myriad of red flames and jets
of steam told of the inner fires that still raged.

These were the fumeroles where only a month before he and Harkness and
Diane had found clustering savages who were more apes than men; they had
been roasting meat at these flames. And below, where the lava stopped,
was the open glade where the little stream splashed and sparkled: in the
high rock walls that hemmed the glade the caves showed black. And,
beyond the open ground, was the weird forest, where tree-trunks of
ghostly white were laced with a network of red veining. They grew close,
those spectral columns, in a shadow-world beneath the high roof of
greenery they supported.

Here was the scene of an earlier adventure. Chet was swept up in the
flood of recollections born of familiar sights and scents. Herr
Schwartzmann, cursing steadily in a guttural tongue, came from the ship
to bring Chet's thoughts back to the more immediate problem.

* * * * *

There were five others who followed--the pilot and Schwartzmann's four
men. There had been another, but his body lay huddled upon the bare
lava. He had followed his master far--and here, for him, was the end.

Kreiss' pistol was still in his hand as he came after. Harkness and
Diane were last.

Harkness pointed with his gun. "Over there!" he ordered. "Get them away
from the ship, Chet. Line them up down below there; all the ape-men have
cleared out since we had our last fight. Get them down by the stream.
Diane and I will bring them some supplies, and then we can send them off
for good."

Chet sent Kreiss down first, where an easy slope made the descent a
simple matter; it had been the bow-wave of the molten lava--here was the
end of that inundation of another age--and the slope was wrinkled and
creased. Schwartzmann followed; then the others. The last man was ready
to descend when Diane and Walt came back.

They had packages of compressed foods. This was all right with Chet, but
he raised his eyebrows inquiringly at sight of several boxes of
ammunition and an extra gun. Harkness smiled good-naturedly.

"I will give them one pistol," Walt told him, "and a good supply of
shells. We don't need