against
us, and has brought them to destroy us for him. Here, Ivana, give me a
rifle! Everyone for herself!"

The next moment he had a Mannlicher at his shoulder.

* * * * *

As the thing kicked, an ape who would have reached him in two more jumps
crashed over with his heart torn out, the temple echoed with sound which
threatened to rip its solid walls apart, and bright flashes at Kirby's
right and left told him that other rifles were getting under way.

He fired again, twice more, slaughtering an ape with each shot. The five
other rifles were creating havoc.

Blocked by a dozen torn and bleeding bodies on the floor, the
reenforcements which still poured from the corridor, began to mill
around amongst themselves, and the forward charge slowed down. All the
panic which had sent the ape-men scuttling from the beach at their first
experience of gunfire, seemed ready to break loose again now.

Kirby felt it was good enough for the work of a minute.

"Get into line as I showed you how!" he shouted. "Rifles in the front
rank, the others behind them. We're all right now! Keep firing!"

"Keep behind me!" he ordered Naida, still unarmed.

Then he placed a shell in the chest of one brute who was broader and
heavier than the others--a leader--and saw that he had increased the
demoralization; and from the hastily-formed front rank a volley leaped
hot and jagged.

Then the rout which had threatened broke loose. As eight ape-men slumped
into blubbering, bleeding heaps, the milling remainder of the horde
turned, and in a fighting, scrambling frenzy attempted to get back to
the corridor.

Kirby let his triumph take the form of thoughts about what he would do
to the Duca when that personage could be rounded up.

"Follow after them!" he ordered. "Don't stop until we have located the
Duca. He is the one we must settle--"

* * * * *

But he never finished.

As he himself, holding fire for a second, prepared to follow up the
retreat, he found himself confronted by the utterly unexpected.

A voice unquestionably the Duca's began to shout orders at the ape-men
from somewhere down the corridor! And, riot or no riot, the tones of
that voice seemed to inspire the creatures with more fear than the rifle
fire.

So suddenly the change came, that by the time Kirby flung his rifle
again to his shoulder, the crazy retreat had been halted, and as he
fired again, the ap