riving home the
first screw brought a cold chill over him. The pliers! It was a
chance!

He twisted a little, and keeping his eyes on the giant's back, he
inched toward them. His hands, tied at the wrists behind him, clutched
for them; found them. The jaws were open, and there were two sharp
cutting edges. He could not hope to manipulate the whole implement
with his bound hands, but he located one edge, painfully brought the
rope to it and sawed rapidly.

The steel sliced his flesh, and he felt the warm stickiness of blood.
But he disregarded this and kept on. Hagendorff was still working, all
unconscious--but the last screw was going in. And then some strands of
the rope snapped, and it loosened.

The next second, Garth had wrenched his hands free.

Then, throwing caution to the winds, he sat up, grabbed the great tool
and sliced the rope at his feet.

At that moment, Hagendorff finished his job and turned around.

* * * * *

Their eyes met. For a breathless instant nothing happened, save that
the smile on the titan's face changed to surprise and then fury. Garth
scrambled to his feet. The movement brought a bellow of rage, and the
manikin saw two enormous hands converging on him in a sweep that bade
fair to crush every bone in his dwarfed body.

Leaping backwards instinctively, he hurled the pliers at the giant's
head.

They were well aimed, and he saw them strike the temple, stopping the
man in his tracks. He thundered, more from anger than pain. His heart
pounding wildly, Garth ran back to a position behind a rack of test
tubes. It was from there that he saw Hagendorff, cursing crazily, grab
up a machinist's hammer and advance upon him.

All sanity had apparently left the giant. His great face was flushed
and distorted, and a growing welt showed where the pliers had clipped
him. Garth suddenly knew that if he were captured again, death would
not come in the chamber, but from those powerful hands, or the weapon
they clutched.

The hammer swung back for a crushing blow. But in the instant it hung
poised, Garth lifted a half-filled test tube from the rack before him
and swished its contents forward.

The tube held sulphuric acid, and it sprayed over Hagendorff's face.
The hammer pitched from his hand; he clutched at his eyes and stumbled
back, shrieking in agony.

Garth at once ran to the edge of the table, swung himself over and
slid down the leg to the floor. The labor