.

Once free from the ropes, she had seized a heavy bronze vase and, at
just the critical moment of danger, had hurled it at the hypnotist's
head, striking him a terrific blow that had felled him and left him
unconscious on the floor before he could spring the trap. She had then
set the mechanical hypnotic machine in motion, and, standing behind it,
was herself practically invisible. It all happened so quickly that it
seemed like a miracle.

Locke, his hope revived, swiftly grasped the one chance for life that
was left to him. By contracting his muscles he was able to slip out of
the ropes which bound his arms. But since the noosed rope around his
neck held him so that his toes barely touched the floor of the trap, he
could not, try as he might, manage to get the noose free.

Suddenly a plan flashed across his mind. Hanging from the ceiling a few
feet in front of him he could see an enormous chandelier. Throwing his
hands above his head, he grasped the rope, thus relieving the strain on
his neck. Then, snapping his body backward, his feet came in contact
with the wall. With tremendous force he kicked out, causing his body to
swing in an arc toward the chandelier.

It was not until he had wrapped his legs about the branches of the
chandelier that the emissaries noticed what he was doing, so fascinated
were they by the revolving mirrors. Even then they could scarcely resist
the auto-hypnotic powers of the contrivance. Finally, however, with a
shout they came to the attack.

Locke was now hanging head downward. With one hand he succeeded in
loosening the noose from about his neck, while with the other he struck
out, hitting an emissary a fearful swinging blow that sent the fellow
staggering backward, to fall against the lever controlling the
trap-door.

With a crash the trap was sprung, with the pit yawning beneath it.
Struggling, striking, grappling with his assailants, Locke managed to
hurl three of them to their deaths in the underground river below.

Horror-stricken at the fate of their companions, the other emissaries
stepped back, when, to add to their confusion, Zita, with remarkable
strength for so frail a girl, lifted the stand of mirrors and hurled it
among them.

Locke somersaulted to the floor and, seizing the broken stand, used it
as a weapon with deadly effect.

The emissaries turned and fled.

An instant later Locke started to the panel through which Eva had been
dragged, when he heard steps fro