ched the city a long time through the telescope. It
seemed similar to the others in all respects. The same type of
needle-like ships floated in the air above it, and the same type of cone
ray projectors nestled in the base of the city's invisible protection.

"We may as well take a chance," said Arcot. He shot the ship forward
until they were within a mile of the city, in plain sight of the
inhabitants.

Suddenly, without any warning signal, apparently, all the air traffic
went wild--then it was gone. Every ship seemed to have ducked into some
unseen place of refuge.

Within a few minutes, a fleet of battleships was winging its way toward
the invisible barrier. Then it was out, and, in a great semi-cylinder a
quarter of a mile high, and a quarter of a mile in radius, they advanced
toward the _Ancient Mariner_.

Arcot kept the ship motionless. He knew that their only weapon was the
magnetic ray; otherwise they would have won the war long ago. And he
knew he could cope with magnetism.

Slowly the ships advanced. At last, they halted a quarter of a mile from
the Earth ship. A single ship detached itself from the mass and
advanced to within a few hundred feet of the _Ancient Mariner_.

Quickly, Arcot jumped to his feet. "Morey, take the controls. Evidently
they want to parley, not fight. I'm going over there."

He ran the length of the corridor to his room and put on his power suit.
A moment later, he left the airlock and launched himself into space,
flying swiftly toward the ship. He had come alone, but armed as he was,
he was probably more than a match for anything they could bring to bear
on him.

He went directly toward the broad expanse of glass that marked the
control room of the alien ship and looked in curiously.

The pilot was a man much like Arcot; quite tall, and of tremendous
girth, with a huge chest and great powerful arms. His hands, like those
of the Venerians, had two thumbs.

With equal curiosity, the man stared at Arcot, floating in the air
without apparent means of support.

Arcot hung there a moment, then motioned that he wished to enter. The
giant alien motioned him around to the side of the ship. Halfway down
the length of the ship, Arcot saw a port suddenly open. He flew swiftly
forward and entered.

The man who stood there was a giant as tall as Wade and even more
magnificently muscled, with tremendous shoulders and giant chest. His
thighs, rounded under a close-fitting gray uniform, w