glittering ramp when Jerry seized
him. Holding him in his arms, he leaped outward, to land rolling on
the floor. He was on his feet in an instant. He dragged Winslow to a
standing posture.

"Wake up, man," he was shouting. "Winslow--wake up!"

* * * * *

The onrushing horde was upon them while the tall man was still
brushing his hand over weary eyes, and Jerry, for the moment, had the
fighting to himself.

No time for anything but parry and strike. He caught one white face on
the jaw; the man went bodily through the air. Jerry landed again and
again. His weapons were his fists, and they did fearful execution. And
he knew, at length, that he was not alone.

The long arms of the inventor tore a sword from an upraised hand. Its
owner was thrown, as Jerry had thrown one previously, to catapult
among its fellows.

They were clear for an instant. "Back to the wall!" shouted Jerry. He
had time and room to reach for his pistol, and drew it quickly from
its holster. They backed hastily to the protection of the stone wall.
There were scores upon scores of copper-clad figures that followed
them held out of reach. With a flashing of gold, the head priest
himself sprang to urge on his men.

"Ready!" said Jerry. "I wish you had a gun! Here! Take this!" He
handed his companion a long-bladed knife, then turned to aim his
pistol with steady hand at the oncoming figure in golden robes.

The priest stopped for a brief scrutiny of this new menace, then
screamed out an order and hurled himself into the sheltering press of
men.

Jerry fired into the whirl of bodies. The roar of the forty-five tore
like a battery of siege guns throughout the great room. But the
creatures before them were fighting now in an insane frenzy. Their
bodies pressed the two men to the wall. Jerry fired again, and the
fall of a limp, gold-robed body gave him a thrill of delight.

* * * * *

The inventor was holding a white body as a shield, while he thrust
past it incessantly with a red blade. There were huddled figures
before them that lay quiet or crept painfully away. The body of the
head priest was being carried off.

The dark mouth of a passage had impressed itself upon Jerry; he
remembered it now. It offered a means of escape.

"Off to your right," he said. "Work off to your right. There's a hole
in the wall--"

They fought off the struggling eruption of bodies that drove at them.