ear me?" I asked.

Would it respond? My heart sent a fervent prayer that this mechanical
thing--the product of man's inventive genius through a thousand
years--would have a last grasp of energy to answer my appeal.

"Migul, can you--"

It spoke. "I hear you." They were thin, jangled tones, crackling and
hissing with interference.

"What happened, Migul? Where is the girl?" I asked.

"Tugh--did this--to me. He took the girl."

"Where? Migul, where did he take her? Do you know?"

"Yes. I--have it recorded that he said--they were going to the
Time-cage--overhead in the laboratory. He said--they--he and the girl
were leaving forever!"

CHAPTER XXII

_The Chase to the End of the World_

The giant mechanism, fashioned in the guise of a man, lay dying. Yet
not that, for it never had had life. It lay deranged; out of order;
its intricate cycle was still operating, but faintly, laboriously.
Jangling out of tune.

Every moment its internal energy was lessening. It seemed to want to
talk. The beams of its eyes rolled wildly. It said:

"Tugh--did this--to me. I came back here frightened because I knew
that Tugh still controlled me. You--hear me...."

There was a muffled, rumbling blur, then its voice clicked on again.

"When Tugh came I opened the door to him, even though the girl tried
to stop me.... And I was humble before Tugh.... But he was angry
because I had released you. He--deranged me. I tried to fight him, and
he ripped open my side porte...."

I thought the mechanism had gone inert. From within it was complete
silence. Larry murmured, "Good Lord, this is gruesome!"

Then the faint, rasping voice started again.

"Deranged me.... And about Tugh, he--" A blur. Then again, "Tugh--he
is--Tugh, he is--"

It went into a dull repetition of the three words, ending in a rumble
which died into complete silence. The red radiance from the
eye-sockets faded and vanished.

The thing we had called Migul seemed gone. There was only this metal
shell, cast to represent a giant human figure, lying here with its
operating mechanisms out of order--smashed.

* * * * *

I stood up. "That's the end of it. Mary Atwood's gone--"

"With Tugh in the Time-cage!" Larry exclaimed. "Tina, can't we--"

"Follow them?" Tina interrupted. "Come on! No--you two wait here. I
will go upstairs and verify if the Time-cage is gone."

She came back in a moment. The laboratory overhead was fortunately