bodies of those fishermen. They--they've been
experimenting on them...."

* * * * *

Was he, too, Wells wondered, to be experimented on? The sight of that
stacked pile of bodies chilled him with horror. He kept his eyes from
them, till the octopus with the golden bands swung him through a
hinged door in the farther wall.

He found himself in a side room, smaller than the outer chamber, the
whole center of which was occupied by a huge glass bell jar, some
thirty feet in diameter. Inside it was much strange-looking apparatus
on tables, and trays of operating instruments--knives like those in
the outer room, and the same thin prongs. The great jar was empty of
water, and on one side was an entrance port.

The king tossed Keith into a corner and quickly donned a metal-scaled
water-suit. When he had it all on, and the glass body-container
fastened into place, he picked up his captive again and advanced
through the bell jar's entrance port into a small water chamber. A
moment later Wells felt his body grow heavy as the water of the
compartment ran out, and then there was a click and he found himself
inside the jar, still held in the merciless grip of a tentacle.

He twisted around to find the cold eyes of the octopus staring at him
only a foot away. And as he wondered what was going to happen next,
the king unfastened the glass face-shield of the commander's sea-suit
with a quick flip of the tip of a tentacle.

Keith's arms were pinned to his sides; he could not move to try to
refasten the face-shield. Fearful, he held his breath; held it until
his face was purple and his lungs were near to bursting. But at last
the limit was reached, and with a great wrench he sucked in a full
breath.

It was clean, fresh air!

* * * * *

The air was like a breath of his own world brought down to this cold
realm of octopi. Once he had caught up with his breathing it poured
new life into his limbs, jaded from the artificial air of the
sea-suit. Keith felt his muscles respond, felt his whole body glow
with new strength and life. Twelve inches away the king was watching
his every reaction closely through the huge helmet of glass. The
thought passed through the commander's mind that he was not only king,
but chief scientist of this strange water civilization.

Then, while his lungs swallowed hungrily the good, fresh air, several
tentacles began to feel around him in an a