e it!"

Baldy convulsed with laughter. Ursi jabbered fiercely, but Baldy raised
a thin claw. He spoke softly, and Ursi's eyes brightened. Ursi nodded,
but whatever he had agreed to still left him looking doubtful and
uncertain.

Baldy smiled warmly. "Keep it," he said, "and keep your promise. Ursi
doesn't trust you, but I do. I know you won't abuse this power."

* * * * *

Clark felt his body freeze rigid as a statue again. They pushed their
way out of the clearing and disappeared. Overhead a bird chirped in
loneliness, and the sky slowly turned pearly hued as the paralysis left
him. Flexing his muscles, he shook his head. The creepy little men were
all part of a crazy hallucination. His mad rabbit hunt and the deafening
roar of his gunfire had temporarily unhinged his mind.

A low humming sound interrupted his moody pondering. Suddenly he reeled
as the ground shuddered beneath him and he staggered blindly in pitch
darkness. He opened his eyes to look around, dazed. His shotgun was
missing, but the shiny cylinder was clutched tightly in his hand.

Clark trembled as he examined it. Along its length were etched a row of
queer symbols. Probably directions for its operation or servicing, he
decided. He aimed the knob at some rocks a few yards away and pressed
the button. But they didn't explode or disintegrate under a lethal
"ray." Then discovering that a narrow center section of the cylinder
revolved by slow, even degrees, he tried again impatiently.

A loud clatter made him look up, gaping. A cluster of rocks hung
motionless in the air. When his finger lifted, they fell to earth. The
mechanism neutralized gravitational pull--objects could float!

Breathing excitedly, Clark twisted the center section further. The
stones shot up into the sky and disappeared. Quickly he adjusted the
mechanism's control and brought them flashing back. He stared at the
cylinder in unbelieving awe. Power men dreamed of surged inside it like
an eager magic genie.

He experimented carefully, floating the rocks at different angles and
then hurtling them skyward. When he cut off the strange power, they
crashed heavily to the ground. The possibilities were tremendous! And
aside from the natural hazards of collision, how could it imperil
mankind? Then as a thin cloud of dust billowed up from the fallen rocks,
a vision of its war potential burst upon him. Clumsy, costly rockets
with a single payload were obsole