d man went back to his seat and picked up the gnawed bit of
meat again. The dispute had ceased. The chattering group of men
dispersed.

* * * * *

Tommy was about to leave the eyepiece of the instrument when a
movement nearby caught his eye. A head peered cautiously toward the
encampment. A second rose beside it. Denham and his daughter Evelyn.
They were apparently no more than thirty feet from the dimensoscope.
Tommy could see them talking cautiously, saw Denham lift and examine a
metal truncheon like the bearded man's, and force his daughter to
accept it. He clutched a club, himself, with a grim satisfaction.

Moments later they vanished quietly in the thick fern foliage, and
though Tommy swung the dimensoscope around in every direction, he
could see nothing of their retreat.

He rose from that instrument with something approaching hopefulness.
He'd seen Evelyn very near and very closely. She did not look happy,
but she did look alert rather than worn. And Denham was displaying a
form of competence in the face of danger which was really more than
would have been expected in a Ph.D., a M.A., and other academic
distinctions running to most of the letters of the alphabet.

"I've just seen Denham and Evelyn again," said Tommy crisply. "They're
safe so far. And I've seen one of the weapons of the Ragged Men in
use. If we can get a couple of automatics and some cartridges to
Denham, he'll be safe until we can repair the big solenoid."

"There was the small catapult," said Von Holtz bitterly, "but it was
dismantled. The Herr Professor saw me examining it, and he dismantled
it. So that I did not learn how to calculate the way of changing the
position--"

* * * * *

Tommy's eyes rested queerly on Von Holtz for a moment.

"You know how to make the metal required," he said suddenly. "You'd
better get busy making it. Plenty of it. We'll need it."

Von Holtz stared at him, his weak eyes almost frightened.

"You _know_? You know how to combine the right angles?"

"I think so," said Tommy. "I've got to find out if I'm right. Will you
make the metal?"

Von Holtz bit at his too-red lips.

"But Herr Reames!" he said stridently, "I wish to know the equation!
Tell me the method of pointing a body in a fourth or a fifth
direction. It is only fair--"

"Denham didn't tell you," said Tommy.

Von Holtz's arms jerked wildly.

"But I will not make the metal! I i