rtilagenous lump of flesh dropped to
the floor of the shell--half the monster's hand, sheared off between
the sharp edge of the door and the metal hull.

Joyce threw in the generator switch. With a soft roar the water-motor
exploded into action, sending the shell far into the sky.

"When we return," said Joyce, adding a final thousand miles an hour to
their speed before they should fly free of the atmosphere of Zeud, "I
think we'd better come at the head of an army, equipped with air-guns
and explosive bombs."

"And with glasses," added the professor, taking off his spectacles and
gazing at them as though seeing them for the first time.

Four Miles Within

A COMPLETE NOVELETTE

_By Anthony Gilmore_

CHAPTER I

_The Monster of Metal_

[Illustration: The man hurled the empty gun at the monster.]

[Sidenote: Far down into the earth goes a gleaming metal sphere whose
passengers are deadly enemies.]

A strange spherical monster stood in the moonlight on the silent
Mojave Desert. In the ghostly gray of the sand and sage and joshua
trees its metal hide glimmered dully--an amazing object to be found on
that lonely spot. But there was only pride and anticipation in the
eyes of the three people who stood a little way off, looking at it.
For they had constructed the strange sphere, and were soon going to
entrust their lives to it.

"Professor," said one of them, a young man with a cheerful face and a
likable grin, "let's go down now! There's no use waiting till
to-morrow. It's always dark down there, whether it's day or night up
here. Everything is ready."

The white-haired Professor David Guinness smiled tolerantly at the
speaker, his partner, Phil Holmes. "I'm kind of eager to be off,
myself," he admitted. He turned to the third person in the little
group, a dark-haired girl. "What do you say, Sue?"

"Oh, let's, Father!" came the quick reply. "We'd never be able to
sleep to-night, anyway. As Phil says, everything is ready."

"Well, I guess that settles it," Professor Guinness said to the eager
young man.

Phil Holmes' face went aglow with anticipation. "Good!" he cried.
"Good! I'll skip over and get some water. It's barely possible that
it'll be hot down there, in spite of your eloquent logic to the
contrary!" And with the words he caught up a large jug standing
nearby, waved his hand, said: "I'll be right back!" and set out for
the water-hole, situated nearly a mile away from their little camp.
Th