The Onslaught from Rigel by Fletcher Pratt

Author:Fletcher Pratt
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-10-26T20:56:46+00:00

CHAPTER XIII

THE LASSAN

WHEN the car next called for him it took a much longer course—one steadily downward and around a good many curves as he could judge from the way in which it swayed and gained and lost speed. It was fully a twenty-minute ride and when he stepped out it was not into a room of any kind but in what appeared to be a tunnel cut in the living rock, at least six feet wide and fully twice as high. The rock on all sides had been beautifully smoothed by some unknown hand, except underfoot, where it had been left rough enough to give a grip to the feet.

At his side were two of the apemen, who had been released from the car at the same time. The tunnel led them straight ahead for a distance, then dipped and turned to the right. As he rounded the corner he could see that it ended below and before him in a room where machinery whirred.

The ape-men went straight on, looking neither to the right nor the left. As they reached the door that gave into the machine-room they encountered another ape-man, wearing the same kind of helmet with its attached tube that Sherman's instructor had worn.

The ape-men who came with him stopped. The helmeted one looked at them stupidly for a moment and then, as though obeying some unspoken command, took him by the arm and led him across the room to the front of a machine and there thrust one of the ubiquitous helmets on his head.

The machine, as nearly as Sherman could make out, was a duplicate of that on which he had injured his fingers. As the helmet was buckled on the ape-man who stood before it he immediately began to watch the ground-glass panels and put his fingers in the holes below.

The process was repeated with the second ape-man, and then the sentinel returned to Sherman.

Taking him by the arm the mechanical beast led him past the row of machines—(there seemed to be only four in the room)—and to a door at one side, giving him a gentle push. It was the opening of another tunnel, down which Sherman walked for some forty or fifty yards before encountering a second door and a second helmeted ape-man sentry.

This one did exactly as the first had done—stared at him for a moment, then took him by the arm and led him across the room to a machine, where it left him. Sherman perceived that he was supposed to care for it and with a sigh bent to his task.

It was some moments before the rapid flashing of lights gave him a respite. Then he had an opportunity to look aholt him and observed that, as in the other room, there were four machines. Two of them were untenanted but at the one next to his there was someone working. When he glanced again he was sure it was a mechanized human like himself—and a girl!

"What is this

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