althy red. At
one time his eyes had been nearly round, and, in proportion, very
large. Now they were but shadowy pockets, mercifully covered by
shrunken, wrinkled lids that twitched but did not lift.

* * * * *

He moved as we entered, and from a reclining position, propped up on
the double elbows of one spidery arm, he changed to a sitting position
that brought his head nearly to the ceiling. He smiled sickeningly,
and a queer, sibilant whispering came from the bluish lips.

"That is his way of talking," explained Bori Tulber. "His eyes, you
will note, have been gouged out. They cannot stand the light; they
prepared their messenger carefully for his work, you'll see."

He placed his menore upon his head, and motioned me to do likewise.
The creature searched the floor with one white, leathery hand, and
finally located his menore, which he adjusted clumsily.

"You will have to be very attentive," explained my companion. "He
expresses himself in terms of pictures only, of course, and his is not
a highly developed mind. I shall try to get him to go over the entire
story for us again, if I can make him understand. Emanate nothing
yourself; he is easily confused."

I nodded silently, my eyes fixed with a sort of fascination upon the
creature from the darkness, and waited.

* * * * *

Back on the _Ertak_ again. I called all my officers together for a
conference.

"Gentlemen," I said, "we are confronted with a problem of such gravity
that I doubt my ability to describe it clearly.

"Briefly, this civilized, beautiful portion of Antri is menaced by a
terrible fate. In the dark portion of this unhappy world there live a
people who have the lust of conquest in their hearts--and the means at
hand with which to wreck this world of perpetual sunlight.

"I have the ultimatum of this people direct from their messenger. They
want a terrible tribute in the form of slaves. These slaves would have
to live in perpetual darkness, and wait upon the whims of the most
monstrous beings these eyes of mine have ever seen. And the number of
slaves demanded would--as nearly as I could gather, mean about a third
of the entire population. Further tribute in the form of sufficient
food to support these slaves is also demanded."

"But, in God's name, sir," burst forth Croy, his eyes blazing, "by
what means do they, propose to inforce their infamous demands?"

"By the power of