centuries, could flush from the warm hearts of men the love of conflict!

Sarka smiled wanly, his face very pale. He had spoken, his people were
busy with preparations, and now there could be no turning back. The
world, when he spoke the word, would rush outward to glorious
conflict--or to destruction!

A buzzer sounded near the Exit Dome. Sarka raced to give the "Enter"
Signal--and Dalis, he of the hawk-eyes, the sharp nose and sharper
tongue, entered the presence of the man who, in a twinkling, had made
himself master of the world.

"Well," he said harshly, "I am here! What do you wish of me?"

"We Sarkas," said Sarka easily, "wish to assure ourselves that you will
do nothing to obstruct our plans! Dalis, of the Gens of Dalis, you are
prisoner of the Sarkas until you have passed your word!"

"That I will never do!" said Dalis calmly. "I have passed my word to go
forward with you; but I meant, and you knew I meant, to go forward only
as far as to me seemed right and reasonable!"

CHAPTER V

_The Betrayal of Dalis_

And until the arrival of the other two Sarkas, Dalis said nothing. His
face flushed an angry red as Sarka the First received the "Enter" Signal
and stepped into the laboratory which had once been his--which he had
delivered into the capable hands of Sarka the Second, in order to find
new channels for his genius, as a worker for the betterment of the
world's people. This he had found in organization, so that the people
worked and labored, despite their personal quarrels, in closer harmony
than they ever had before. But now Sarka the Third had called, and the
two Sarkas responded. Dalis snarled at his ancient enemy, who looked to
be the image of Sarka the Third and not one whit older, though one had
preceded the other into the world by many centuries.

"Still the pleasant, congenial Dalis, I see!" smiled Sarka the First.

* * * * *

For the moment it seemed that Dalis would die there of his seething
anger; but he answered no word for all of a minute. Then:

"This mad grandson of yours has made me a prisoner, until such time as I
concur in all his plans!"

"If he says you are a prisoner, that you are!" snapped the elder Sarka
angrily. "Son, what is this thing you plan?"

"For almost a century," replied Sarka, "I have been planning this. I
knew, when father told me that Dalis had sworn he was able to halt for a
moment the headlong flight of the Earth in its orbi