ve us!

Without a word, with hardly a sound, we trundled the disintegrator
into a natural niche we found in the icy surface. It was almost
completely hidden; only the funnel with its lens protruded into the
open. The nozzle orifice was pointing directly at the interior of the
ice pack.

"Now everything is set properly," Keston remarked with satisfaction as
he straightened up from adjusting the various controls on the machine.
"When the first ray of the morning sun strikes the lens, the
disintegrator will start working. It will shear through a layer of ice
over a radius of at least a mile. That huge crevasse, coupled with the
terrific heat and the pressure from the mountain of ice above, will
start the whole Glacier moving, or I'll be very much mistaken."

"Come, let us get back to our shelter before the alarm is given."

* * * * *

As he started to move, a dark bulk loomed ominously in front of
us--Abud. His voice was harsh, forbidding.

"Do you mean to say nothing further is to be done here--that the
disintegrator will work without any attention?"

"That is just what I said," Keston replied, somewhat surprised. "Step
aside, Abud, and let us go. It is dangerous to remain here."

But Abud made no move to comply. Instead he thrust back his great
shaggy head and gave vent to a resounding laugh.

"Ho-ho, my fine friends! So you were the brainy ones, eh? And Abud,
the obedient dull-wit again? How nicely you've been fooled! I waited
until you accommodatingly evolved the plan to reconquer the world, and
put it into effect.

"Now that you've done so, I've no further need for you." The voice
that heavily tried to be mocking, now snarled. "You poor fools, don't
you know that with you out of the way, I, Abud, will be the Lord of
the World. Those prolats up there know better than to disobey me."

"Do you mean you intend to kill us?" Keston asked incredulously.

"So you've actually grasped the idea!" was the sarcastic retort.

Meanwhile I was gradually edging to the side, my hand reaching for the
bone knife in my bosom.

* * * * *

Abud saw my movement. "No, you don't!" he roared, and sprang for me,
his long gleaming knife uplifted. I tugged desperately at my weapon,
but it was entangled in the ragged furs. In a moment he was on top of
me. Involuntarily I raised my arm to ward off the threatened blow,
raging despair in my heart.

The point fell, but Ke