o
through her as though she were made of mush. They are made of metal that
is harder than diamond and tougher than rubber, and when they strike
they bore in like drill-bits. If they are out to get us they'll do it
anyway, whether we're here or there, so we may as well be guests. But
there's no danger, Mart. You know I swapped brains with him, and I know
him as well as I know myself. He's a good, square man--one of our kind
of folks."

Convinced, Crane nodded his head and the Skylark dropped toward the
dock. While they were still high in air, Dunark took an instrument from
his belt and rapidly manipulated a small lever. The others felt the air
vibrate--a peculiar, pulsating wave, which, to the surprise of the
Earthly visitors, they could read without difficulty. It was a message
from the Kofedix to the entire city, telling of the escape of his party
and giving the news that he was accompanied by two great Karfedo from
another world. Then the pulsations became unintelligible, and all knew
that he had tuned his instrument away from the "general" key into the
individual key of some one person.

"I just let my father, the Karfedix, know that we are coming," he
explained, as the vibrations ceased.

From the city beneath them hundreds of great guns roared forth a
welcome, banners and streamers hung from every possible point, and the
air became tinted and perfumed with a bewildering variety of colors and
scents and quivered with the rush of messages of welcome. The Skylark
was soon surrounded by a majestic fleet of giant warships, who escorted
her with impressive ceremony to the landing dock, while around them
flitted great numbers of other aircraft. The tiny one-man helicopters
darted hither and thither, apparently always in imminent danger of
colliding with some of their larger neighbors, but always escaping as
though by a miracle. Beautiful pleasure-planes soared and dipped and
wheeled like giant gulls; and, cleaving their stately way through the
numberless lesser craft; immense multiplane passenger liners partially
supported by helicopter screws turned aside from their scheduled courses
to pay homage to the Kofedix of Kondal.

As the Skylark approached the top of the dock, all the escorting vessels
dropped away and Crane saw that instead of the brilliant assemblage he
had expected to see upon the landing-place there was only a small group
of persons, as completely unadorned as were those in the car. In answer
to his lo