circling pool of mercury; power that was changed and modified by
the other equipment.

Here was the heart and the secret of the magic of this island; here even
time was set aside.

Ulnar poked at Effra, grunted harshly. "I know," the girl said quickly.
"In just a minute."

Ulnar grunted again. He hovered over her like some massive brooding
spirit. He was eager to get his hands on the control board but his old
fingers were no longer sufficiently flexible to play on that key board
the tune that had to be played.

"_Pater noster_--Our Father--" In the silence came Rozeno's voice as he
knelt in prayer. Bewildered and hurt and horrified, Rozeno and Ulnar had
come back into the room to find Parker and Effra and Mercedes already
there. Mercedes knelt beside him.

Pedro thrust his head through the opening behind them. "Him two more
men, him man that kill Jezbro, him still coming up ledge."

"That's Johnny Retch," Parker said. "He's still coming. And there are
probably others already inside here, looking for us in the rooms and
corridors. We've got to move, Effra."

"I know, Bill." Her fingers started toward the control board, drew back.
"I called you Bill. Is that your name?"

"Yes."

"It's a nice name."

"But now we must hurry," Parker said. As he spoke, Ulnar grunted a
single sound that set the girl into motion.

Her fingers went to one of the little statuettes, an eagle, a perfect
thing in its way, a marvelous representation of the bird of prey. Effra
had told Parker, in hasty sentences, how these images were made, deep
down in the mountain, of a particular kind of metal that was almost
weightless. He watched her slip the eagle into a slot, held his breath
as her fingers darted across the key board.

A soft hum sounded--currents moving--a glow sprang into existence
surrounding the little image. Slowly, the statuette began to glow with a
silver light. The glow played over it, it shifted, changed, was one
thing this instant, was something else the next instant. It looked like
a moth emerging from a cocoon and becoming a butterfly. The tiny wings
came free, the head moved.

The cheeping of a sleepy bird was in the room.

At the sound, a wave of cold from the deepest depths of space seemed to
sweep over Parker. Here was magic beyond the comprehension of the mind.
Only it wasn't magic, it was a scientific achievement of the highest
caliber.

* * * * *

At the cheeping sound, Ef