hoked stairways and came on--dying at the
entrances and falling back and blocking the stairs again.

* * * * *

At the last they unbuckled their belts and their weapons and threw them
aside. Then they plunged through the entrances in a flood, armed with only
knives and clubs.

Meanwhile, Ato's guns were going out. The last became a white torch when
a magnesium blob struck it.

The side-arms were all gone.

They fought now with sword and knife.

Jack Odin felt a heavy hand upon his arm. Gunnar was at his side. "It
is even as I foretold you, Nors-King. The weapons are all gone. Stay
close by Gunnar's side now. We will fight together, as we fought before.
Eh, they are coming up from underground like ants. I think we have lost
the advantage. Hagen's dead lie thick, though. And now it is our turn.
The old swords and the swinging chant. Ah, Old Blood-Drinker will not be
thirsty tonight. Brace yourself. Here comes the first assault."

And with his huge short legs spread wide apart, Gunnar swung his
broadsword. The first wave of attackers went down like ripe wheat.
Gunnar and Odin cut their way through them, and came out against a
smoking hedge. Behind them, Ato and his Lorens strewed the streets
with dead.

Gunnar and Odin went through a hole in the hedge. A defender was making
for it from the other side, and Gunnar broke the man's neck. Clinging to
the thin shadow of the hedge they moved forward, killing as they went.

CHAPTER 16

Gunnar and Odin followed the hedge for a long way, until they came out
against the far side of the dome. The noise of fighting still continued.
It was back of them, but drawing nearer. Odin guessed--or hoped--that Ato
and Val were driving the defenders before them.

They came out upon a lane that was flanked by the beautiful colonnades.
Near them was one of the entrances to the tunnels below, and beside it was
one of the stone cressets with a high-flaring flame. At the end of the lane
was a dais. Upon this dais stood Grim Hagen, shouting instructions to a
crew of white-skinned, soldiers below him who were trying to set up a
strange machine. It looked like a model of Saturn balanced upon a tripod.
Except that it had three concentric rings about it.

Grim Hagen's shirt was scorched and tattered. It was falling from his lean
shoulders. His face was seamed and lined. The muscles upon his neck stood
out in cords. His hair was gray now. His left arm was