seeming to seek in that mad rush to make even more
complete the already total destruction of the city. The raging torrents
poured into that yawning cavern, filled it, and piled mountainously
above it; receding and piling up, again and again, causing tidal waves
which swept a full half of Nevia's mighty, watery globe.

The city forever silenced, Rodebush again directed his weapons upon
Nerado's vessel, but the Nevian was no longer fighting. For the first
time in that long and bitter engagement, not a Nevian beam was in
operation. His screens, however, were as capable as ever, and after a
few fruitless attempts to make an impression upon them, Rodebush cut off
his own offensive and turned to Costigan.

"What do you make of it, Conway? You know these people better than we
do; what are they up to?"

"I wish to talk to you," Nerado's voice came from the speaker, "and I
could not do so while the beams were operating. You are, I now perceive,
a much higher form of life than any of us had thought possible; a form
perhaps as high in evolution as our own. It is a pity that we did not
meet you when we first neared your planet, so that much life, both
Tellurian and Nevian, might have been spared. But what is past cannot be
recalled. As reasoning beings, however, you will see the futility of
continuing a contest in which neither of us is capable of injuring the
other. You may, of course, destroy more of our Nevian cities, in which
case I should be compelled to go and destroy similarly upon your earth;
but, to reasoning minds, such a course of procedure is sheerest folly."

Rodebush cut the communicator beam.

"Does he mean it?" he demanded of Costigan. "It sounds reasonable,
but...."

"But fishy," broke in Cleveland. "Altogether too reasonable for a...."

"Yes, he means it; every word of it," interrupted Costigan in turn.
"That's the way they are. Reasonable, passionless. Funny--they lack a
lot of things we have, but they've got a lot of things that I wish more
of us Tellurians had too. Give me the plate--I'll talk for
Triplanetary," and the beam was restored.

"Captain Nerado." he greeted the Nevian commander. "Having been with you
and among your people, I know that you mean what you say and that you
speak for your race. Similarly, I believe that I can speak for the
Triplanetary Council--the government of three of the planets of our
solar system--in saying that there need be no more conflict between our
peoples. I also wa