eplied.

"Then there is every reason to hope that it will not trouble us,"
remarked Bickley with a suspicion of mockery in his voice.

"Do you think so, you learned Bickley?" asked Oro. "If so, I do not.
Unless my skill has failed me and my calculations have gone awry, that
Traveller of which I tell should presently be with us. Hearken now! What
is that sound we hear?"

As he spoke there reached our ears the first, far-off murmurs of
a dreadful music. I cannot describe it in words because that is
impossible, but it was something like to the buzz of a thousand
humming-tops such as are loved by children because of their weird song.

"Back to the wall!" cried Oro triumphantly. "The time is short!"

So back we went, Oro pausing a while behind and overtaking us with long,
determined strides. Yva led us, gliding at my side and, as I thought,
now and again glanced at my face with a look that was half anxious and
half pitiful. Also twice she stooped and patted Tommy.

We reached the wall, though not quite at the spot whence we had started
to examine the grooved roads. At least I think this was so, since now
for the first time I observed a kind of little window in its rocky
face. It stood about five feet from its floor level, and was perhaps ten
inches square, not more. In short, except for its shape it resembled a
ship's porthole rather than a window. Its substance appeared to be talc,
or some such material, and inches thick, yet through it, after Oro
had cast aside some sort of covering, came a glare like that of a
search-light. In fact it was a search-light so far as concerned one of
its purposes.

By this window or porthole lay a pile of cloaks, also four objects which
looked like Zulu battle shields cut in some unknown metal or material.
Very deftly, very quietly, Yva lifted these cloaks and wrapped one of
them about each of us, and while she was thus employed I noticed that
they were of a substance very similar to that of the gown she wore,
which I have described, but harder. Next she gave one of the metal-like
shields to each of us, bidding us hold them in front of our bodies and
heads, and only to look through certain slits in them in which were
eyepieces that appeared to be of the same horny stuff as the searchlight
window. Further, she commanded us to stand in a row with our backs
against the rock wall, at certain spots which she indicated with great
precision, and whatever we saw or heard on no account to move.