ith the
weight of my body pressing them down.

Then the Robot was moving; coming forward; holding the light upon us.
I thought I heard its voice--and a horrible, hollow, rasping laugh.

My brain was chilling. I had confused thoughts; impressions, vague and
dreamlike. As though in a dream I felt myself standing there with
Mary clinging to me. Both of us were frozen inert upon our feet.

I tried to shout, but my tongue was too thick; my throat seemed
swelling inside. I heard Alten's revolver clatter to the stone
pavement of the yard. And saw him fall forward--out.

* * * * *

I felt that in another instant I too would fall. This damnable,
chilling light! Then the beam turned partly away, and fell more fully
upon Larry. With his youth and greater strength than Alten's or mine,
he had resisted its first blast. His weapon had fallen; now he stooped
and tried to seize it; but he lost his balance and staggered backward
against the house wall.

And then the Robot was upon him. It sprang--this mechanism!--this
machine in human form! And, with whatever pseudo-human intelligence
actuated its giant metal body, it reached under Larry for his rifle!
Its great mailed hand swept the ground, seized the rifle and flung it
away. And as Larry twisted sidewise, the Robot's arm with a sweep
caught him and rolled him across the yard. When he stopped, he lay
motionless.

I heard myself thickly calling to Mary, and the light flashed again
upon us. And then we fell forward. Clinging together, we fell....

I did not quite lose consciousness. It seemed that I was frozen, and
drifting off half into a nightmare sleep. Great metal arms were
gathering Mary and me from the ground. Lifting us; carrying us....

We were in the cage. I felt myself lying on the grid of a metal floor.
I could vaguely see the crossed bars of the ceiling overhead, and the
latticed walls around me....

* * * * *

Then the dull-red light was gone. The chill was gone. I was warming.
The blessed warm blood again was coursing through my veins, reviving
me, bringing back my strength.

I turned over, and found Mary lying beside me. I heard her softly
murmur:

"George! George Rankin!"

The giant mechanism clanked the door closed, and came with stiff,
stilted steps back into the center of the cage. I heard the hollow
rumble of its voice, chuckling, as its hand pulled a switch.

At once the cage-room seeme