nd sent three long flashes,
followed in turn by three short and three more long to the south and
watched eagerly for an answer. He waited five minutes and repeated the
signal, but no answering flashes came from the empty hills. With a
grunt which might have meant anything, he turned and made his way
toward the opposite side of the hollow where the globe had
disappeared. Here he met with more luck. He had marked the location
with extreme care and he had not spent over twenty minutes feeling
over the ground before his hand encountered a bit of metal. As he
pulled on it his eyes sought the side of the hill.

The dawn had grown sufficiently bright for him to see the result of
his action. A portion of the hill folded back and the faintly glowing
ship became visible. With a muttered exclamation of triumph he
approached it.

The globe was about nine feet in diameter and was without visible
doors or windows. Around and around it the doctor went, searching for
an entrance. The ship now rested solidly on the ground. He failed to
find what he sought and his sensitive hands began to go over it
searching for an irregularity. He had covered nearly half of it before
his finger found a hidden button and pressed it. Silently a door in
the side of the craft opened and he advanced to enter.

"Keep them up!" said a sharp voice behind him.

Dr. Bird froze into instant immobility and the voice spoke again.

"Turn around!"

Dr. Bird turned and looked full into the eye of a revolver held by the
man the dwarf had addressed as Frink. Behind Frink stood the dwarf and
three other men.

As his eye fell on Dr. Bird, Frink turned momentarily pale and
staggered back, the revolver wavering as he did so. Dr. Bird made a
lightning-like grab for his own weapon, but before he could draw it
Frink had recovered and the revolver was again steady.

"Dr. Bird!" gasped Slavatsky. "Impossible!"

"Get his gun, Harris," said Frink.

* * * * *

One of the men stepped forward and dextrously removed the doctor's
automatic and frisked him expertly to insure himself that he had no
other weapon concealed.

"Bring him to the cave," directed Slavatsky, who, though obviously
still shaken, had just as obviously recovered enough to be a very
dangerous man. Two of the men grasped the doctor and led him along
toward the entrance to the laboratory cave which stood wide open in
the gathering daylight. Frink paused long enough to shut