a moment. In the first place it is an absolute
impossibility with the means at our command, or even with every
appliance, to melt the face of the whole Northern Glacier. In the
second place, even if we could, the whole world would be overwhelmed,
and then where would we be?"

* * * * *

Keston looked at me a trifle scornfully. "Who said we were going to
melt the entire glacier? Remember I spoke only of the place of the
overhang. Set that in motion, and we don't have to worry about the
problem any further."

"Why not?" I inquired incredulously. "Suppose you _do_ wipe out all
the machines in this particular vicinity, won't there be tremendous
numbers left all through the Equatorial Belt?"

"Of course," he explained patiently, "and what if they are? What are
all these machines but inanimate mechanisms, things of metal and
rubber and quartz. What makes them the monsters they have become?"

I smote my forehead in anger. "What a fool! Now I see it. It's the
master machine you're after."

"Exactly," he smilingly agreed. "Overwhelm, destroy this devilish
creature of mine, with its unhuman intelligence, and the machines are
what they were before: merely obedient slaves."

I pondered that a moment. "And how, may I ask, are you going to force
this old Glacier to move."

His face clouded. "That's the trouble. Up on the ice I was working on
that problem, and had managed secretly to rig up a contrivance that
would have done the trick. But we can't go back for it. That way is
blocked." He mused, half to himself. "If only we could lay our hands
on a solar disintegrating machine, the difficulty would be solved."

At the name, Abud's face, that had been a study in blank
incomprehension, lit up.

"Solar disintegrating machine?" he inquired. "Why there's one
stationed not more than a few hundred yards away from here. This area,
2-RX, was my sector, you know."

"Of course, of course," shouted Keston, "I'd quite forgotten. The very
thing. You're not half bad, Abud, if you'd only stop trying to rely on
brute strength instead of brains," he concluded.

Abud said nothing, but I noticed a quick flash of hatred that passed
in an instant, leaving a blank countenance. I thought to myself,
"You'll bear watching, my fine fellow. I don't trust you at all."

* * * * *

Keston was speaking. "We'll have to wait until nightfall. The master
machine won't expect us down at the