ay slipped hurriedly
away, while the green forest of antennae was still growing up from the
water about the girl.

I waited above the beach, enchanted by the haunting, wordless melody
of the gongs. It seemed that only a few minutes had passed, though it
may have been an hour or more, when Ray was by my side again. He
flourished the rifle.

"I've got it! In good shape, too. Hasn't even been fired, though it
looks like they have opened a box of cartridges, and cut open one or
two. Maybe they didn't understand the outfit--or it may be such a
primitive weapon that they aren't interested in it."

We hurried up to the building of blue cylinders and carefully hid the
gun and ammunition, as well as a sun compass, a pair of prism
binoculars, and a few other articles Ray had recovered.

In a few minutes Mildred, having seen Ray's return, finished her song
and ran up to join us. We arranged our packs, and waited the next call
of the throbbing brazen gong to make the attempt for freedom.

We slept twice again before the clang of the great gong. Ray and
Mildred were always together; I could not see that they were at all
impatient.

The bell note came, the awful brazen vibration of it ringing on the
black cavern roof. It came when we were eating, in the liquid
turquoise radiance of the lofty cylinder. We sprang out. Ray gave his
last directions to Mildred.

"Give us time to get to the top of the cliff by the shining fall. Then
swim ashore and run. They may not notice. And if they do, we give 'em
a taste of lead!"

I was not very much surprised when he took the girl in his arms and
put a burning kiss on her red lips. She gasped, but her struggles
subsided very quickly; she clung to him as he freed her.

She paused a moment in the door, before she ran down across the beach.
A radiant light of joy was burning in her great blue eyes, even though
tears were glistening there.

* * * * *

Ray and I waited, to give time for the giant crabs that guarded the
ladder to get away. In about ten more minutes the second brazen gong
sounded, and presently the third. We gathered up the heavy packs of
food. Ray took the rifle and I the binoculars, and we slipped out into
the brilliant mushroom forest.

I stepped confidently out of the jungle into the clearing below the
splendid opalescent fall of fire--and threw myself backward in
trembling panic. A flaming crimson ray cut hissing into the towering
mushro