cles? Is Dalis arranging a treacherous
truce with the Moon-men?"

"I have been wondering about that," said Sarka softly, "for it is my
belief that nothing not conducive to his own selfish interests would
have forced Dalis to leave this place and take command of his Gens, as
I had first ordered, unless he had schemes planned of which father and
I could know nothing. Now that I think of it, Jaska, how did Dalis
know our secret code of fingers?"

Jaska started, and turned a blanched face to Sarka.

"_Did_ he know?" she cried. "Did he? If he did that proves a suspicion
that I have entertained since the first moment when Dalis swept into
the fight, and I sensed that alien signals were being flashed back and
forth!"

"Flashed back and forth!" ejaculated Sarka. "How do you mean? That
Dalis was somehow able to communicate with the Moon-men in their own
language, or through their own signals?"

* * * * *

"Why not? He knew our secret code, did he not? I never gave it to him,
and I know that you did not. No, Dalis has some means, never
discovered or suspected by you Sarkas, whereby he is able to
understand alien tongues and alien sign manuals!"

"That means," said Sarka the Elder in a dead voice, "that by forcing
Dalis to go out at the head of his Gens...."

"We have," interrupted Sarka the Younger, "placed a new weapon of
treason in his hands! Dalis, at the very moment of contact with the
aircars, loaded with Moon-men, broke in on their signals--they must
have had some means of signalling one another--and communicated with
them in their own way! Do you think it possible that, with all his
Gens, he may go over to the Moon-men, form an alliance with them?"

For many moments no one dared to answer the question; yet, from what
the Sarkas knew of him, it was not impossible at all. For Dalis was
the master egotist always, and never overlooked opportunity to gain
something for himself.

It was Jaska who broke the silence.

"Did you note carefully," she said, "those aircars which were
partially destroyed by our ray directors and atom-disintegrators?"

The Sarkas nodded.

"Did you note that no men, formed like our own, no creatures of any
sort whatever, fell from the cars?"

* * * * *

Again the awesome silence, and the keen brains of the Sarkas wrestled
with this vague hint of the uncanny.

"You mean, Jaska ... you mean...."

"That the occupants of airc