icial matter tools set to
work at Arcot's bidding, and cut pieces from his huge masses of raw
materials, and literally, quick as thought, built a great framework of
them, anchored in the solid rock of the planetoid.

Then a tremendous plane of matter formed, and neatly bisected the
planetoid, two great flat pieces of rock were left where one had
been--miles across, miles thick--planetary chips.

On the great framework that had been constructed, four tall shafts of
cosmium appeared, and each was a hollow tube, up the center of which ran
a huge cable of relux. At the peak of each mile-high shaft was a great
globe. Now in the framework below things were materializing as Arcot's
flying thoughts arranged them--great tubes of cosmium with relux
element--huge coils of relux conductors, insulated with microscopic but
impenetrable layers of cosmium.

Still, for all his swiftness of mind and accuracy of thought, he had to
correct two mistakes in all his work. It was nearly an hour before the
thing was finished. Then, two hundred feet long, a hundred wide, and
fifty in height, the great mechanism was completed, the tall columns
rising from four corners of the greater framework that supported it.

Then, into it, Arcot turned the powers of the cosmos. The stars in the
airless space wavered and danced as though seen through a thick
atmosphere. Tingling power ran through them as it flowed into the
tremendous coils. For thirty seconds--then the heavens were as before.

At last Arcot spoke. Through the radio communicators, and through the
thought-channels, his ideas came as he took off the headpiece. "It's
done now, and we can rest." There was a tremendous crash from within the
apparatus. The heavens reeled before them, and shifted, then were still,
but the stars were changed. The sun shone weirdly, and the stars were
altered.

"That is a time shifting apparatus on a slightly larger scale," replied
Arcot to Torlos' question, "and is designed to give us a chance to work.
Come on, let's sleep. A week here should be a few minutes of Earthtime."

"You sleep, Arcot. I'll prepare the materials for you," suggested Morey.
So Arcot and Wade went to sleep, while Morey and the Talsonian and
Torlos worked. First Morey bound the _Ancient Mariner_ to the frame of
the time apparatus, safely away from the four luminous balls,
broadcasters of the time field. Then he shut off the attractive ray, and
bound himself in the operator's seat of the appa