side passage into the
hall and clawed desperately for fungus bombs and retortii. Evidently
they had not expected to come upon the invaders so abruptly.

"_Storr!_" Like a brazen trumpet's call, the voice of Hero Giles rang
out the order to fire--which was instantly drowned out in the furious
hissing of the retortii of his followers.

Ever watchful, Nelson fired at a gigantic officer who, avoiding the
first steam jets, flung back his arms to hurl one of the deadly fungus
bombs among the rescuers. Shattering the bronze helmet, the American's
bullet struck the Atlantean squarely between the eyes, but
nevertheless the stricken officer's grenade rolled forward and burst
among the hindermost of Hero Giles' followers. Instantly, the deadly
green mold flung itself upon the nearest hoplites and in a moment they
crashed to the smooth granite floor, the yellowish growths already
sprouting from nose, mouth and ears.

In the corridor reigned chaos, for Hero Giles' followers were now
turning the full fury of their retortii upon the rank of men barring
further flight. With dreadful ease, the scalding steam struck dead the
opposing warriors, stripping the flesh from their bones as easily as a
boy peels a banana.

Amid the swirling white clouds, Nelson had ghastly visions of yellow
skulls, of steaming accoutrement, of limp heaps of disintegrating
bodies; then silence fell, and, before he quite realized it, he,
together with Alden and three hoplites who had survived the disastrous
fungus grenade, were bounding along after Hero Giles' glittering
figure as he led the way down one passage after another.

* * * * *

Louder than ever rang the fierce cry from the rear. Behind him Nelson
could see dozens upon dozens of yelling pursuers, and knew that if he
were to live he must run as never before.

Into a succession of spacious rooms dashed the fugitives; on through
deserted armories where hundreds of bronze helmets dangled in orderly
rows; and across silent barrack halls.

Closer and closer sounded the pursuing feet, spurring the runners to
an even more headlong gait.

All at once a door loomed to the right; into this darted Hero Giles
and after him pounded the two Americans and three hoplites. In an
instant the six men set their shoulder to the ponderous bronze door
and swung it to, just as the hiss of a retortii on the other side rose
above the mad, blood-hungry clamor of the momentarily baffled rebe