minutes.... Incoherently he told Reubens of what had
happened in Arizona since his disappearance, of his own misadventure.

"Aye," said the Professor, "I knew as much. Nor do these inhuman birds
intend stopping with the use of seed globes. More devilish weapons than
that they plan using against earth. Oh, they are fiends, fiends!
Already have they wiped out civilization and intelligent life on other
planets in this sub-atomic system and introduced their own."

He stopped, shuddering. "Nor is it to be wondered at that no birds were
seen after the first attack on Oracle," he went on. "They do not fight
in person, as do we ourselves, but through proxy, directing machines
from centers of control. In powers of destruction, they are
immeasurably ahead of man. Thank God you discovered their headquarters
in the deserted mine and have spread the gas for its destruction. But
the rage of the birds at such a defeat will be terrible. They will
undoubtedly torture me in an effort to make me reveal the basis of my
invention so that they can resume the attack on earth. So we must
escape."

"But how--where?"

"I have thought that out. It is one chance in a thousand. Undoubtedly
we will be killed. But that is better than being tortured or living in
this world. Look."

He held up a pearl-handled pen-knife. "The birds are smart, all right,
but they don't quite understand clothes, wearing none themselves. They
found your revolver, but overlooked this."

"Of what good is it?"

"To cut our way out of this cell."

Talbot laughed incredulously. The walls of the room were smooth, and
hard to the touch. "They're as solid as concrete," he said.

"But cut like cheese under a steel blade. I found that out. Watch."

To Talbot's amazement the point of the penknife sank into the wall and
in a moment a section of it was gouged out. The professor said tensely,
"I've been months in this place, been taken back and forth, and know
the lay of the land. This room is in a great building that houses the
laboratory from which the attack against earth is being launched. Would
you believe it, only the great scientist who picked up my messages and
helped me perfect my invention, and a few of his assistants, are
concerned in that attack, and they will be congregated at the machines.
Follow me, and whatever I command, do it promptly."

The Professor had been working feverishly as he spoke, and now he and
Talbot crawled through the hole he had made i