o was the possible danger
into which Mercer might have blundered. In Lua's case there did not seem
much I could do personally at that moment. Before starting I arranged with
the aged councilors to call a meeting the following morning of all
government officials.

"Could we get Fuero to come, Miela?"

She shook her head positively. "His oath would forbid it."

"Well, tell the councilors to call also any of the city's prominent men.
I've got to get some good men with me. I can't do it all alone."

Miela smiled at me quizzically as I said this: "You have forgotten our
women and their help, my husband?"

I had, in very truth, for the moment.

"We'll need them, too," I said. "Tell these girls who carry us to-night to
call all those who went with us to the mountains--a meeting to-morrow at
this time--here on the castle roof."

"To the Water City we must go," Miela said. "There Tao's men are very
strong, our girls report. And to-day there was a fight among the people,
and several were killed."

"But we must go armed, Miela, with more than one light-ray. I shall see
this Fuero to-morrow. After all, he's the key-note to the whole thing."

We started from the castle roof, Miela sitting with me this time on the
platform. Flying low, we passed over the maze of bayous, and in what
seemed an incredibly short time we were out over the sea. I had now no
idea what we might be called upon to do, or how long we would be gone, for
all my specific plans for the next day; so we started as well prepared as
possible.

The precious light-ray cylinder I held in my hand. We had a number of
blankets, enough food for us all for two days of careful rationing, a
knife or two, and a heavy, sharp-edged metal implement like an ax.

It seemed hardly more than half an hour before a great black cloud had
spread over the whole sky, and we ran into the worst storm I have ever
encountered. The wind came up suddenly, and we fought our way directly
into it. Lightning flashed about us, and then came the rain, slanting down
in great sheets.

We were still flying low. The mirror surface of the sea was now lashed
with waves, extraordinarily high, whose white tops blew away in long
streaks of scud. The girls fought sturdily against the wind and rain,
carrying us steadily up until after a while I could not see the water
below.

We were in the storm perhaps an hour altogether. Then we passed up and
beyond it; and emerged again into that gray vacancy, w