k tent had been the feeding cry of a Shining One--of Layroh. Then,
his horrible feast ended, Layroh had blasted what remained of his victim
into nothingness with the black ray.

* * * * *

Foster was abruptly startled into action as Layroh turned from watching
the central case. Picking up the black ray projector, he started toward
the pit-room door. Foster scrambled down. With Garrigan he joined the
tensely waiting group beside the door.

There was the sound of the mechanism unlocking. The door opened and
Layroh came striding in. In a concerted rush the men were upon him.
Foster's hurtling dive for the black ray projector knocked the apparatus
out of Layroh's hands. It crashed to the floor with a violence that left
it shattered and useless. Swept off his feet by the savage fury of the
unexpected attack, Layroh went to the floor beneath the writhing group
of men.

The metal sinews of his magnificent body brought him to his knees in one
mighty effort, but the numbers of his assailants were too great. Again
he was beaten down while powerful hands tore at his limbs. The metal of
the ingenious machine that was Layroh's body began twisting and giving
way before the savagery of the assault.

He staggered to his feet, flinging the men aside in one last mad surge
of power, and lurched toward the cavern. His effort to slam the door
closed behind him was blocked by the swift leap of two of the men.
Layroh staggered on into the cavern. Then suddenly the torn framework of
his legs collapsed completely, and he fell heavily on his back.

The men surged forward with a shout of triumph. But before they could
reach Layroh's prostrate figure one of his hands reached up and opened
his skull as one opens the hinged halves of a box. From within the skull
there rolled a great shining slug, a sinisterly beautiful figure of
glowing opalescence, with a scarlet nucleus! For one breath-taken
instant it rose to its full height of four feet, hesitated, as if warily
regarding the horror-struck men, then with tendrils pressed into its
body until it was nearly spherical, the slug that had been Layroh rolled
like a ball of living fire across the cavern toward the cluster of
machines. Foster snatched up one of the discarded pistols from the floor
and fired twice at that hurtling globe of flame, but both shots missed.

A moment later the slug reached the machines. It fled swiftly past a
group of smaller mechanisms and