et him eat all the food he desired, and let him lie
around as much as he wished, regaining his health and strength. This
was a pleasant surprise for him: he took full advantage of his
privileges.

Then, one day when Parkinson had fully recovered from the effects of
his grueling labors, the leader of the Venerians approached him from
behind, and before he could raise a hand in defense, had rendered him
helplessly paralyzed.

"You will now be given a second opportunity to help the cause of Venus
on Earth," he said in his expressionless voice. And so saying, he
lifted Parkinson, and bore him into one of the rooms.

CHAPTER III

At no time while he was held captive by the Venerians was Parkinson as
hopeless, or as completely filled with despair as when he was carried
into this room. There was something depressing about the chamber,
something that gripped his heart with the chill hand of dread. He had
a feeling of impending evil.

The few momentary glimpses of the chamber that he had gotten while he
was being carried, sufficed to convince Parkinson that this was a
laboratory, or--he shuddered at the thought--an operating room. The
walls, floor and ceiling were composed of a white porcelainlike
substance: from these walls, strangely, streamed the same coppery
light that filled the entire meteor.

Entirely concealing one wall was a long, glass case, constructed to
form countless little niches, each of which held a small, transparent
vessel. At the back of the room was a high table, covered with
transparent cases which were filled with complex instruments of every
description, some similar to those on Earth; others entirely
different.

The thing that brought the thought of an operating room to Parkinson's
mind was the long, white slab that rested on metal uprights in the
room's center--an operating table. A moment after they entered the
room, he had his theory substantiated: the Venerian leader placed him
on the white slab, stretching him to full length. It was an operating
table--and he was to be the subject of their operation!

He had lain there but a moment when two of the Venerians approached,
one on either side, and began removing his clothing. It was nor long
before he lay on the cold slab, entirely nude.

* * * * *

While he was being stripped, he heard the leader of the Venerians
moving about, heard the click of glass, the rasp of metal upon metal.
But, unable to move his e