and
returned to me, while they hovered overhead. Her face was clouded with
anxiety as she alighted beside me.

"They were near the Water City a short time ago. And they say the
light-ray is being used there. They saw it flashing up, and dared not go
closer."

The light-ray in the Water City! My heart sunk with dismay. The cylinder I
held in my hand I had thought the only one in use in all the Light
Country. With it I felt supreme. And now they had it also in the Water
City!

One of the girls flung up her hand suddenly and called to Miela.

"See, Alan--a boat!"

I looked down to where Miela pointed. The sea was still rough from the
storm, but no longer lashed into fury. Coming toward us, close inshore and
from the direction of the Water City, I saw a boat speeding along over the
spent waves. And as I looked, a narrow beam of light, green, shading into
red, shot up from the boat and hung wavering in the air like a little
search-light striving to pierce the gray mist of the sky!

CHAPTER XXII.

THE THEFT OF THE LIGHT-RAY.

The touch of soft, cool hands on his face brought Mercer back to sudden
consciousness. He opened his eyes; Anina was sitting beside him, regarding
him gravely.

"Wake up, my friend Ollie. Time now to wake up."

He sat up, rubbing his eyes. The same dim twilight obscured everything
around. For an instant he was confused.

"Why, I've been asleep." He got to his feet. "Do you think it's been long,
Anina? Maybe the men have started off. Let's go see."

Anina had already been to see; she had awakened some little time before
and, leaving Mercer asleep, had flown up ahead over the treetops.

The men were just then breaking camp, and she had returned to wake up
Mercer. They ate their last remaining pieces of bread, drank from the
little pool of water, and were soon ready to start on after their quarry.

"How long will it take them to reach the gorge, Anina?"

"Not very long--four times farther reach Lone City."

By which Mercer inferred that within three or four hours, perhaps, they
would be at the place where they hoped to turn the men back.

They started off slowly up the trail, Mercer carrying the folded blanket,
and Anina wearing the fur jacket. They soon came upon the smoldering fire
that marked the other party's night encampment. The men were, Mercer
judged, perhaps a mile or so ahead of them.

They continued on, walking slowly, for they did not want to overtake the
slow-trav