rmed an inspiring accompaniment to the music
that rang upon the sunlit air.

Here, fifty miles above the white city beneath, both armies closed
upon each other. There was a fearful yell of "Bhoolmakar!" answered by
as loud a shout of "Lyone!"

Our army was literally buried in the centre of the enemy. The
impetuous priests of Egyplosis and the no less eager priestesses
performed prodigies of valor.

Our mitrailleuses were a complete surprise to the enemy. Thousands of
their wayleals were killed ere they could deliver a blow with their
spears.

There was considerable slaughter on both sides, but the enemy depended
largely on their magnic spears and shields, while we handled our guns
with terrible effect.

The volunteer army under Hushnoly suffered greatly by the
demoralization caused by the enemy's bockhockids under Grasnagallipas.
The terrible legs of those machines destroyed the military formation
of our wayleals, producing a continuous panic, and permitting the
enemy's wayleals to work a ghastly slaughter in their broken ranks. In
revenge our bockhockids with their more deadly weapons literally tore
their globes to pieces. Notwithstanding our superior arms, the greater
numbers of the enemy made them a match for us.

The rushing of wings, the explosions of the machine guns, the clashing
of spears and the yells of the combatants made a scene of infernal
horror. As the focus of battle swayed hither and thither, it left
behind a trail of blood, dead and wounded bodies, broken wings, spears
and revolvers. The _debris_ of the battle simply floated out on the
air, veritable clouds of disaster. Irregular masses of dead and
wounded wayleals and broken bockhockids floated in heaps amid pools of
blood.

The enemy could only succeed by stabbing, whereas our wayleals were
scorpions whose guns were fatal. With the points of their spears they
made great havoc in our battalions. But as long as our ammunition
lasted their formations were immediately shrivelled up.

Coltonobory began to mass his army in the form of an immense
outspreading hemisphere of the form of an open umbrella. His intention
was to enclose us on all sides, and so if possible devour us. I at
once ordered the army to take the form of a cone, each legion being a
segment thereof, whose apex was formed of bockhockids, and whose base
was wide circles of wayleals. With a blast of the trumpet I drove the
entire army like an enormous javelin right through the hear