y, and hold him in suspended animation during the
ensuing millions of years. Suppose he should really die--destroying his
own brain? What lay beyond real death? Would it be a better plane of
existence than the Zoromes could offer him? Would he rediscover
humanity, or had they long since arisen to higher planes of existence or
reincarnation? Did time exist beyond the mysterious portals of death? If
not, then it was possible for him to join the souls of the human race.
Had he really been dead all this time? If so, he knew what to expect in
case he really destroyed his own brain. Oblivion!

Again the intense feeling of loneliness surged over him and held him
within its melancholy grasp. Desperately, he decided to find the nearest
cliff and jump from it--head-first! Humanity called; no man lived to
companion him. His four metal limbs carried him swiftly to the summit of
a nearby precipice. Why not gamble on the hereafter? 25X-987,
understanding his trend of thought, did not attempt to restrain him.
Instead, the machine man of Zor waited patiently.

As Professor Jameson stood there meditating upon the jump which would
hurl him now into a new plane of existence--or into oblivion, the
thought transference of 25X-987 reached him. It was laden with the
wisdom born of many planets and thousands of centuries' experience.

"Why jump?" asked the machine man. "The dying world holds your
imagination within a morbid clutch. It is all a matter of mental
condition. Free your mind of this fascinating influence and come with us
to visit other worlds, many of them are both beautiful and new. You will
then feel a great difference.

"Will you come?"

The professor considered for a moment as he resisted the impulse to dive
off the declivity to the enticing rocks far below. An inspiration seized
him. Backing away from the edge of the cliff, he joined 25X-987 once
more.

"I shall come," he stated.

He would become an immortal after all and join the Zoromes in their
never-ending adventures from world to world. They hastened to the space
ship to escape the depressing, dreary influence of the dying world,
which had nearly driven Professor Jameson to take the fatal leap to
oblivion.

THE END

Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from _Amazing Stories_ April 1956 and was
first published in _Amazing Stories_ July 1931. Extensive research
did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this
publicat