nge
into the earth and annihilate the planet and every vestige of life upon
it. But then it drew slowly to a stop high up in the atmosphere, where
it remained motionless, glowing white and incandescent against the
Stygian background of the overcast skies.

In shape it resembled a Zeppelin, but its dimensions very apparently
exceeded by far those of any flying craft that ever had been fabricated
by the hand of man.

As it hung poised high up in the air it gradually lost its dazzling glow
and became scarlet instead of white. Then, as it continued to cool, the
color swiftly drained from it and, in a few minutes, it shone only with
the dull and ugly crimson of an expiring ember. In a half-hour after it
first had appeared its effulgence had vanished completely and it was
barely visible to the millions who were staring up toward it from the
earth.

It seemed to be suspended directly above Manhattan, and the inhabitants
of New York were thrown into a feverish excitement by the strange and
unprecedented phenomenon.

* * * * *

For it scarcely had come to a stop, and certainly it had not been poised
aloft for more than a few minutes, when most of those who had not
actually witnessed its sensational appearance were apprised of the
inexplicable occurrence by the radiovision, which were scattered
throughout the vast metropolis. In theaters and restaurants and other
gathering places, as well as in millions of homes, a voice from the
Worldwide Broadcasting Tower announced the weird visitant. And its
image, as it glowed in the night, was everywhere transmitted to the
public.

Only a short time after it first had been observed people were thronging
roof-tops, terraces, and streets, and gazing with awe and wonder at the
great luminous object that was floating high above them.

There were those who thought that the world was coming to an end, and
they either were dumb with fright or strident with hysteria. People with
more judgment, and a smattering of scientific knowledge, dismissed the
thing as some harmless meteorological manifestation that, while
interesting, was not necessarily dangerous. And there were many,
inclined to incredulity and skepticism, who believed that they were
witnessing a hoax or an advertising scheme of some new sort.

But as the moments went by the world commenced to become stirred and
alarmed by the reports which came over the radiovisors.

For powerful planes and metal-