The Metal Monster

on me. The twilight was stealing upon the close-clustered peaks. Another hour, and their amethyst-and

e little metal mysteries had fled. And to what myriads, it might be, of their kind? And t

e - the little four-rayed print in the great dust of the crumbli

h the shattered portal and l

eyes; then leaped to th

e of the shattered heaps and had flo

ves across the valley, scolding and gossiping; a ha

under the ambering light, smili

ut an hour or so before we had struggled so desperately; paced fart

nished the whirlpool of despair that

w in the hills. I looked back. Even the ruins had lost their

on the ledge and beckon me; mad

I shouted. "The pl

p the side;

t Martin and Chiu–Ming qui

nd another. From the portal scampered Chi

he gasped.

nche of men. I caught the glint of helmets and corselets. Those in the van were mounted, gallo

est of shining points and dully gleaming pikes

ders went down; another stumbled over him, fell. The

mouth. We'll follow. We can hold them there. I'

de the Chinaman and I ran back through the gateway. I p

"We can get through the hollow. Ruth and Drake are

Just a minut

ne-gun quickness. There was a short pause, and d

me toward the portal. "All

aking care of

were Ruth and Drake, running straight to the green tunnel's

-mile from where the road swept past the fortress. I saw that with their swords the h

ch yourself, Walter. There's a surprise co

ruined way; race

"YOU beat it after the rest. I'll try to hold 'em until

rowing labored, "WE'LL hold the

wouldn't have asked you.

ed, irritated. "But

d out, to

nned. "It does - seem - like c

attering crash. A cloud of smoke and dust hung

its fragments. Scattered prone among these were men and horses; others staggered, screaming. On the

em for a while. Fuses and dynamite. Blew ou

a mile from the opening of the green tunnel. I saw Drake stop, raise his rif

which we had come, through which we had thought lay

or he changed his course to the crevice at whose

own over the lip of the bowl, leaped the soldiers. We dropped upon our knees, s

check, but once more w

s from the crevice. I saw him stop, push

m its back a rifle. Then into the mass of their pursuers Drake a

!" gasped

pack had re-formed; had crossed the barricad

covering guns. Close were we now to the mouth of the fissure. If we coul

can't make it. Meet 'em from

every reserve to meet that peril, my eyes took them in with photographic nicety - the linked mail, lacquered blue and scarlet, of the horsemen; brown, padded armor of the footmen; their bows and javeli

less, world-conquering hordes; the lustful, ravening wolves of Darius whom A

berately, heedless of their fallen. Their arrows had ceased to fly. I wondered why, for now we

ten cartridges left

o be able to hold that hole in the wall. He's got

houting; down

ets into them; stood ready, rifles clubbe

d? What was it at which they were glaring over our heads? An

eously w

sure stood a shape, an apparition, a w

sent through me the thrill of awe, of half incredulous terror which, relaxing my grip, let my smoking rifle drop to earth; nor was it that about her proud he

one from her white face - not phosphorescent, not merely lucent and light reflecting, but as though the

could distinguish nothing but the

red Ventnor.

ere Ruth and Drake and Chiu–Ming, their rigid attitudes revea

rd her, Chiu–Ming hang back. The great eyes fell upon Vent

emen, spearsmen, pikemen - a full thousand of them. At my right were the sc

n silence, like automatons, only their fierc

breathe

hecked death even while its

ost; a wild shouting, a clanging of swords on shields. I shot a glance behind. They were in motion, advancing slowly,

e paid no heed to me, nor did Ruth - th

ted me. She had thrown up her head. The cloudy ME

eirdly disquieting, golden and sweet - and laden with the eery,

dible swiftness out of the crevice score upon sco

shapes all of four feet high, dully lustrous, and deep within that lu

formed a barricade betwee

e soldiers. I heard the shouts of their captains

oman's cry - gol

umn. Eight feet in width and twenty feet high, it shaped itself. Out from its left side, from right side, sprang arms - fearful arms that grew and grew a

ning angled pillar that, though rigid, immobile, seemed to cr

- like the heads of some two-

in grotesque imitation of a boxer. And at the end of each of the six arms the spheres were clustered thick, studded with th

e - a chimera, amorphous yet weirdly symmetric - under the darkening

n - it

appalling force. They sliced into the close-packed forward

at the end of another, became a hundred-foot chain which swirled like a flail through the huddling mass. Down up

ord, spear, and pike; fled shrieking. The horsemen spurred the

eemed to watch them

wailing sounds - then behind the fleeing men, close behind them, rose the angle

he valley. They were like rats scampering in panic over the bottom of a great

legs alternate globe and cube and upon its apex a wide and spinning ring of sparkling spheres. Out from the middle o

e long prongs of this trident the thing struck, swiftly, with fearful precision - JO

miting Thing, that sent my dry tongue to the roof of my terror-parched mou

ever was it swifter than they, teeter

h the darting snake

my gaze from the hollow; turned.

d with an unearthly tranquillity - viewing it, it came to me, with eyes impersonal, cold, indiff

by fear, driven by despair, determined to slay before they themselves were slain? I do

m. They had no bows, these men. They moved swiftly

straining out like a rigid, racing serpent, flying to c

throw up his hands, cover his ey

shouted. "Chiu–

y me, revolver spitting. I saw a spear thrown. It struck the Chi

them like a scythe through ripe grain. It threw them, broken and torn, far toward

; I dropped beside him. There w

s about to slay us," he wh

d; his body qui

crevice stood the woman, her gaze resting upon Drake

- save for the huddle

but a little before had streamed down to take us captive or to slay. High up in the dar

oward her, stood before her. The great clear eyes searched us - but