fed by the high-backed chairs in which they
sat. They listened with grave attention to Gerry's account of what he
had seen of conditions on Venus, but their austere faces showed no sign
of animation when he again suggested that they should intervene in the
planet's affairs.

"We are not interested," Gool said listlessly.

Suddenly the short-wave alarm in Gerry's helmet buzzed loudly. He
pressed the receiving switch.

"Listen, Chief!" Steve Brent's voice was tense and excited as it came
from the ear-phones, "I just got a message from Tanda back in Larr.
There's hell to pay back there! The Scaly Ones have in some way managed
to storm one of the barrier forts, and now they're pouring over the
borders of Savissa in great hordes. They're armed with supode rays,
too!"

Gerry switched off the radio, and leaned forward with his hands on the
carved table.

"Now is the time for you to act!" he snapped. "Lansa is a mad-man. He
plans to overrun all Venus. If you come to the aid of the Amazons at
this time, it will...."

"Our isolation of centuries is not to be broken," Gool interrupted.
Watching the emotionless faces of the Council of Elders, he felt as
though he were wading through mud. He was getting nowhere! The inertia
of these gray-beards was a leaden and tangible thing.

"But if Lansa wins he may come after you!" he urged. "Your walls are
invisible, but they're there. I could feel them with my hands. Now that
Lansa has the equipment to project the supode ray, he may bring them
down and...."

"We take no part in what goes on outside our walls," Gool repeated
firmly. "We will give you the metal to repair your own ship. If you and
some of your men wish to return quickly to the mainland in the meantime,
we will send you across in our flying cars. That is the most that we can
do."

* * * * *

Half a dozen flying cars rested on a broad platform on top of one of the
walls of the city of Moorn. Many bells were tolling the noonday chimes
as Gerry Norton led his armored men from the _Viking_ aboard the compact
little flying machines. There was room for six men in each car, the
pilot and five passengers. Only Angus and the necessary assistants had
remained behind to repair the space-ship with the materials supplied by
the men of Moorn. Gerry leaned from his car to shake hands with Gool,
who was leaning on his gold-tipped staff.

"Thanks for this much help," Gerry said. "Next time we meet I'l