nd their pistons beat loud and steady. The world
outside seen through the open end of the shed seemed incredibly dim
and remote. It seemed absolutely silent, too, since the riot of
the machinery drowned every external sound. Far away was the black
fence of the yard with grey shadowy houses behind, and above was
the deep blue sky and the pale little stars. Azuma-zi suddenly
walked across the centre of the shed above which the leather bands
were running, and went into the shadow by the big dynamo. Holroyd
heard a click, and the spin of the armature changed.

"What are you dewin' with that switch?" he bawled in surprise.
"Han't I told you--"

Then he saw the set expression of Azuma-zi's eyes as the
Asiatic came out of the shadow towards him.

In another moment the two men were grappling fiercely in front
of the great dynamo.

"You coffee-headed fool!" gasped Holroyd, with a brown hand at
his throat. "Keep off those contact rings." In another moment he
was tripped and reeling back upon the Lord of the Dynamos. He
instinctively loosened his grip upon his antagonist to save himself
from the machine.

The messenger, sent in furious haste from the station to find
out what had happened in the dynamo shed, met Azuma-zi at the
porter's lodge by the gate. Azuma-zi tried to explain something,
but the messenger could make nothing of the black's incoherent
English, and hurried on to the shed. The machines were all noisily
at work, and nothing seemed to be disarranged. There was, however,
a queer smell of singed hair. Then he saw an odd-looking crumpled
mass clinging to the front of the big dynamo, and, approaching,
recognised the distorted remains of Holroyd.

The man stared and hesitated a moment. Then he saw the face,
and shut his eyes convulsively. He turned on his heel before he
opened them, so that he should not see Holroyd again, and went out
of the shed to get advice and help.

When Azuma-zi saw Holroyd die in the grip of the Great Dynamo
he had been a little scared about the consequences of his act. Yet
he felt strangely elated, and knew that the favour of the Lord
Dynamo was upon him. His plan was already settled when he met the
man coming from the station, and the scientific manager who
speedily arrived on the scene jumped at the obvious conclusion of
suicide. This expert scarcely noticed Azuma-zi, except to ask a
few questions. Did he see Holroyd kill himself? Azuma-zi
explained that he had bee