Latest / Classic Science Fiction Audiobooks: Free Public Domain Sci-Fi Stories / 🟡 Giants on the Earth (Full Audiobook) | Captain S. P. Meek

Transcript

🟡 Giants on the Earth (Full Audiobook) | Captain S. P. Meek · Classic Science Fiction Audiobooks: Free Public Domain Sci-Fi Stories

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter one of Giants on the Earth. This is a
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: librevox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: For more information nor to volunteer, please visit librevox dot org.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Recording by Phil shinever Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This story was
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: first published in Astounding Stories nineteen thirty one and thirty
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: two Giants on the Earth by Captain S. P. Meek.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Chapter one. The Jovian tyrant Glavore, Jovian Viceroy of the Earth,
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: looked arrogantly about as he lay at ease on the
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: cushions of the ornate chariot which bore him through the
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: streets of his capital city. Like all the Jovians, he
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: was cast in a heroic mold. Compared to his earth
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: born subjects. Even for a Jovian, glavour was large. He
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: measured a good eight feet from the soles of his
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: huge splayed feet to the crown of his enormous head,
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: crested with stiff black hair, which even the best efforts
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: of Tonsom the court barber, failed to make lie in order.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: His keen black eyes glittered as they swept over the
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: scene before him, where only a few years before had
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: been only tangled tropical jungle on the narrow neck of
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: land separating the two great oceans now rose row after
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: row of stately buildings. Suddenly, Glavour's attention was attracted by
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: a girlish form in a passing chariot. Stop. He cried.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Obedient to the driver's touch on a lever, the tiny
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: radium motor of the chariot ceased to revolve, and the
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: equippage stopped its forward motion. Glavour turned to an equerry
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: at his side, Havanaur, He exclaimed, did you note that
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: maiden who passed us? I? Did your excellency bring her
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: before me? The equerry sprang lightly to the ground and
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: called out in a stentorian voice. At the sound, every
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: vehicle on the street ceased its movement until the will
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: of the Viceroy, the ruler of the sons of God,
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: should be made known. In a few steps, his powerful
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: Jovian muscles carrying his huge body forward at a rate
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: impossible to persons born of earthly parentage who had not
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: inherited the power needed to overcome the enormous gravity of
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: Jupiter Heaven, he reached the equipage containing the girl. He
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: gave a curt order, and the girl's driver turned his
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: vehicle and brought it alongside the viceroys. Glamorous eyes rested
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: on the slim lit some figure of the earth girl.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: She was just emerging from the grace of girlhood into
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: the full dignity of young womanhood, and the soft, clinging
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: garb she wore accentuated rather than concealed the curves of
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: her body. As glaborous gaze fell on her, she cast
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: down her eyes, and a flush crept slowly over her
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: pretty face to the mass of coppery gold hair which
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: crowned her head. An expression of brutal lust came into
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: the Viceroy's eyes. Daughter of men, he said, slowly, How
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: are you named? And what is your family? My name
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: is Laura, your excellency, she faltered, and I am the
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: daughter of Turgan, the kildare of this province. You please me, girl,
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: said the Viceroy. Dismiss your chariot and join me in mine.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: There is room in my seraglio for you. Laura stared
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: with horror at the huge Jovian and sank back from
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: his sensual gaze. Glavore gazed at her in astonishment, and
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: a deep scowl spread over his face. The prospect does
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: not seem to please you, daughter of men, he said slowly.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: Perhaps the company of the Viceroy of Toubane, ruler of
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: the universe, is too lowly to please you, and you
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: desire more exalted company. Hm h, be careful that I
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: do not have you stripped and given to the palace
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: guards for their sport. Join me in my chariot, he
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: half rose and leaned forward to clasp her. Laura gave
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: a cry of horror and sprang from her chariot to
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: the ground on the side far this from the vehicle
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: of the Viceroy. Glavour leaped to his feet with a
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: roar of rage, and lunged after her. Before he had
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: left his chariot, the hand of his equerry fell reshe
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: trainingly on his shoulder. The viceroy turned a rage maddened
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: face toward his minion. See slat maiden, heavener, he cried,
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: as I live, she shall be sacrificed at the next games.
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: The equery made no move to obey his superior's orders,
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: and Glavorou's face grew purple with rage. Obey my orders,
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: or you shall join her as a sacrifice, he roared.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: The Equery's face paled slightly and grew grim at the
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: Viceroy's words, but no trace of fear appeared on his
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: heavy countenance. Save your broth, glavour, he said, sharply, but
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: in so quiet a voice that no one but the
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: Viceroy heard him. You may be head of the sons
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: of God on this planet, but your power does not
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: extend to life and death over me, who am of
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: the same blood that you are. I have the right
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: to appeal to turbuying from such a sentence. Before you
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: strive to haul that girl away to your already crowded
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: seraglio against her, will listen to me. Do you realize
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: who she is? The Viceroy's face was a study for
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: a moment. Rage predominated, and he raised a mighty fist
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: to strike heaven her down, But the Equery looked him
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: fearlessly in the eye. Slowly, the hot rage faded, and
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: a deathly ferocity took its place. You try me for
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: having her, he said, in a quiet voice, yet with
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: a hint of steel in his tones. Yet your loyalty
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: is above suspicion. Heard you not the girl say she
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: is the daughter of the killed? Are of this province.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: I heard, your excellency, replied the Equery. But beyond that,
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: she is someone else. She is the affianced bride of Damus,
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: the son of Hortan, who is viceroy before you a naphthalime,
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: exclaimed the Viceroy, scornfully. What matters that are the desires
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: of a half breed bastard to stand above the wishes
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: of the ruler of the planet. It is true that
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: the mother of Damos was a daughter of man, said
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: the Eppery quietly. Yet Heartan married her in honor. Damis
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: is a man of great influence, and it would be
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: well to reflect before you rob him of his chosen bride.
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: There is a wide discontent with our rule, which needs
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: only a leader to flare up. Remember that we are
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: few and Jupiter is far away. Haavner, you talk like
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: a frightened woman, sneered the Viceroy. Let him join the
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: ranks of the malcontents. For my part, I hope they revolt.
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: They need to be taught a lesson. Stand aside while
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: I seized the maiden. The Equerry stood aside with the
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: shrug of his shoulders, and the Viceroy sprang to the ground.
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: The girl had run as rapidly as her clinging robes
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: would allow toward one of the beautiful buildings which lined
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: the thoroughfare. She had almost reached the doorway when Glabour
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: reached the ground and raced after her. His Jovian muscles
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: carried his body forward at a pace which no terrestrial
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: could equal. It was evident to the watchers that he
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: would seize Laura before she could reach the sanctuary she sought.
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: A mingled chorus of cries of rage and hisses came
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: from the earthmen who witnessed the scene. The Jovian guards
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: strove to suppress the outcries, until a word from Heavener
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: made them seize their efforts and closed and around the
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: vice regal chariot. The cries rose to a tumult, but
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: as yet none of the earthmen did to raise a
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: hand against the person of the representative of Tubain, the
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: far off Jovian whom they had been forced to acknowledge
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: as God, and whom many of the ignorant believed was God.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: The Viceroy rapidly overtook his victim, and his hand was
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: outstretched to grasp her when there came an interruption from
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: the doorway which the girl had been striving to reach.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: A man burst forth and leaped between her and her pursuer.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: Glamoru stopped and glowered at the new obstacle in the
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: path of his sensuality. The newcomer stood five inches over
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: six feet in his flat sandals, but it was only
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: in his unusual height and his enormous strength that he
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: showed the blood of his Jovian father. His feet were
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: small and shapely, with a high arched instant, and his
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: whole form was graceful and symmetrical. Crisply curling yellow hair
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: surm mounted a head which Praxithiales would have reveled in
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: as a muddel for his youthful hermes. As he faced
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: the Viceroy, and his usual pleasant smile was gone, and
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: his face was set in grim lines, his clear blue
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: eyes as cold as the ice brought from the polar
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: regions to cool the Viceroy's drink. The two stood and
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: stared at one another, the black eyes of the Jovian
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: burning like fire in strange contrast to the cold glare
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: of the blue ones. Then tension in the street grew taut.
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: The Earthmen gradually closed in about them. At a word
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: from Heavener, the Jovian guards closed up and drew from
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: their garments long black tubes. Presently, Glamor broke the silence.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: Make way, son of Horten, for the Viceroy of God,
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: he rumbled in his deep toned voice. Damus made no reply,
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: nor did he move a muscle. The rage deepened on
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: the Viceroy's face, and he strode forward, his hand raised
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: to strike down this puny assailant who had interposed his
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: slight form between the massive limbs of the Jovian and
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: the object of his desires. With a quiet rage, he
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: brought down his huge hand, and then Damos moved so
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: swiftly that the eye could hardly follow his movements. He
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: leaped to one side, and his own hand shot up.
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: Fingers of steel, circled the hairy wrist of the Viceroy,
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: and stopped his hand in midair. For a moment. Glavor
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: was too astonished at the idea of physical resistance to move. Damis,
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: with an almost contemptuous air, tossed aside the hand he
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: held and made as if to turn his back. With
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: an inarticulate rule of rage, the Jovian charged again. Dams
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: sprang to one side, and his hand moved in a
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: long arc. His clenched fist shot up and caught Glavour
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: on the chin and rocked the four hundred pounds of
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: bone and muscle that made up the viceroy. For a moment.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: Glavore staggered, and then his hand fell on Damis's shoulder.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: Exerting all his huge strength, he pulled his opponent toward
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: him and threw his massive arms about him. Damus made
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: no attempt to wriggle out of the bone crushing grip,
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: but instead threw his arms about the Jovian and matched
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: muscle against muscle. The Jovian guards, who had witnessed the
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: feats of strength which were the viceroy's boast, expected only
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: one outcome. But to Heavener, who recalled that Hortan, the
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: father of Damus, had been one of the mightiest men
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: of Jupiter, the issue was not a foregone conclusion. Stealthily
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: as a cat, he crept forward, a long black tube
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: clenched in his hand. Mightily the two strove. The face
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: of the Jovian grew dark red and then almost purple,
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: as he put forth his last ounce of strength to
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: crush the opponent, whom he topped a good eighteen inches.
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: For all of his effort, not an inch did Damus yield.
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: His face grew as pale as the Jovians grew red,
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: and his breath came whistling through his lips. But the
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: strength he had inherited from his mighty sire stood him
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: in good stead. Inch by inch, he bent the huge
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: form of his opponent backward. With a sudden effort, the
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: Jovian raised one of his huge, misshapen feet and strove
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: to bring his mighty thighs to aid him in thrusting
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: away his enemy. Damis's knee came up, and the Jovian
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: dropped his foot with a howl of pain. His breath
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: came in gasps, and he stared into the implacable blue
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: eyes before him with a sudden spasm of fear. At last,
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: Glavor had met his match. He opened his lips to
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: call to his guards for help, but shame held back
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: the cry. Once he admitted defeat, the fear in which
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: the earthmen held him would be shaken. With an effort.
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: He bent forward his head and buried his huge fangs
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: in Damis's shoulder. There was a cry from the watching
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: earthmen as they surged forward. The Jovian guards ran to
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: their ruler's assistance, but they were too far away. Havner
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: was close, and he sprang forward, thrusting the black tube,
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: which he carried toward Damis. A cry advised Damis of
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: his danger. With a Hercules effort, he lifted the huge
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: Jovian from his feet and swung him around until the
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: massive body was between him and the threatening weapon of
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: the Epiry. As swiftly as striking snakes, his arms uncoiled
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: from around Glabur's body and grasped him by the shoulders.
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: With one mighty heave, he tore the Jovian's mouth from
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: his shoulder, although the flesh had been torn and lacerated
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: by the action. One arm went under Glavore's arm and
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: back around until the head rested on the back of
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: his neck. The other arm caught the Viceroy's arm and
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: twisted it behind his back. Glavog gave a cry of
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: pain as the punishing hold was applied. Holding his captive
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: before him, Damus turned to the Epiry. Put up your tube,
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: he said, One hostile move and your ruler dies. Disintegrate
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: him heavner gasped the Viceroy. The equery hesitated a moment,
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: but aide was at hand. The Jovian guards had come
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: up to the scene of the struggle and surrounded the pair,
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: black tubes in their hands. The sight of reinforcements roused
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: the Viceroy's lagging courage. Capture him alive, He gasped, he
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: will be sacrificed at the next games. With a roar,
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: the guards closed in on the struggling pair. As harry
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: arms grasped his shoulders, Damis lunged back with all his shreadth.
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: There was the crack of a breaking bone, and the
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: Viceroy's arm hung dangling and useless. Damos whirled on the guards,
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: shaking himself loose for a moment from their grasp, and
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: his fists flew out. Two of the giants went down
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: before well aimed blows, but no one man, no matter
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: what his might, could fight against a score of the
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: huge Jovians, and Dams was born to the ground. Even
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: as he fell, a roar went up from the watching terrestrials,
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: and with one accord they closed into attack. The Jovian guards,
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: who were nearest whirled about and raised the black tubes threateningly.
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: For a moment, the Earthmen hesitated, and then came on
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: with a rush. From the tubes came rays of intensely
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: violent light. As they fell on the front ranks of
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: the charging terrestrials. The form on which the rays impinged
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: grew suddenly tenuous. The sunlight penetrated through the bodies for
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: a moment, and then there was nothing but a group
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: of dancing motes of light to mark where they had stood.
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: Undaunted by the fate of their leaders, the balance of
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: the mobs surged forward, uttering cries of hate and rage.
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: From all the doorways. Fresh hordes of Earthmen came, rushing
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: to join the fray. Again and again, the terrible rays
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: of the Jovian Guards blasted scores of their assailants into nothingness,
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: but more came. Presently, the tubes of the Jovians began
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: to lose their power, and the violet light became lighter
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: in shade. With a roar, the earthmen swept forward, and
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: the huge guards went down under the on rushing waves
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: of humanity. Half a dozen of them were dragged down
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: and hurled back into the milling crowd, where they were
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: torn limb from limb. The balance of the guards, guided
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: by heaven Earth's stentorian shouts, closed in around Glabre and
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: the prisoner, and battered their way by sheer brute force
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: toward the vice regal chariot. They had reached it and
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: climbed in when a feminine shout pierced the din of conflict, Damus.
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: They have damus prisoner, rescue him. With a roar, the
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: mob charged again mightily the Jovian strove, but they were
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: outnumbered by hundreds to one. One after another was torn
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: from the chariot, until Damus freed himself by a mighty
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: effort and leaped to the ground. As he did so,
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: the driver's hand found the controlling lever, and the chariot
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: shot forward, crushing under its wheels several luckless Earthmen who
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: stood in its path. A roar of triumph rose from
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: the crowd, and Damis was hastily lifted to their shoulders.
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: He looked down on his rescuers with an anguished face. Laura,
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: he gasped, is she safe? One of the terrestrials shouted
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: something unintelligible and pointed up. Damos's gaze followed the direction
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: in which he pointed from an upper window of the
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: building into which he had fled. Laura's face, wreathed with smiles,
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: looked down on him. He smiled and waved in triumph
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: to her. There was a stir on the outskirts of
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: the crowd, and an elderly man, tall for an earthman,
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: and with dignity and authority written large on his countenance,
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: made his way through the crowd. At a word from him,
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: Damus was lowered to his feet to face the newcomer.
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: Gamus said the elderly man, I never thought to grasp
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: the hand of a nephth Leam, or of any one
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: with Jovian blood in his veins and friendship. Yet I
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: can do no less than offer my hand. It is
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: the thanks of a father to the savior of his daughter.
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: Damus met the outstretched hand with a grip that bade
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: the elderly man. Whence it is an honor and a
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: pleasure to grasp in friendship the hand of turgon the
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: kildare of this province, he said, the hand of one
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: who was born to be ruler in fact, instead of
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: an underling under a Jovian master. It is true that
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: my father was king of this country before the Jovians
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: came forty years ago, said Torgon gravely. Yet now there
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: is no honor or merit in it. Even the rank
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: of Kildare, which is but that of a slave ruling
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: other more unfortunate slaves, could not have prevented my only
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: daughter from being dragged away to the seraglio of that monster.
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: To such a pass one has been brought whose birth
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: made him the peer of any. But now we must plan,
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: and plan swiftly, else we are undone. Glabor will return
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: with his minions safely, will be found only in flight,
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: for mere numbers cannot oppose the weapons they will turn
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: against us. Damus, so far you have been one with
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: our Jobian masters, as of all the Nephthalim. Now it
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: is war to the death between them and us. On
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: Which side do you stand? Damus, hesitated as the kildeer's
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: keen gray eyes bored into his own. My father was
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: viceroy of the Earth in the days gone by, he
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: said slowly, and he planned that I should take his place.
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: His dream was a peaceful union of the strength and
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: science of Jupiter with the beauty and humanity of the Earth.
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: True to his dream, I have cleaved to his people
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: and striven to bring it about. But I can now
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: see the folly of his ambition. In stature and mental power,
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: he was a Jovian. In all else he was a terrestrial.
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: Since his death, I have seen you stripped bit by
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: bit of what he left you, until now you are
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: lower than the slaves on Jupiter. Who can appeal to
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: Tubaine against a cruel master. Even I, a Nephthalim, the
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: son of a viceroy, am forced to revolt to save
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: the maiden I love. Henceforth, I give up my father's
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: dream of peace and do what my heart tells me
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: is right. It is war to the death between the
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: sons of God and the sons of man, and I,
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: who am descended from a son of God and a
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: daughter of men, cleave to my mother's people. A shout
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: of joy came from all who heard his ringing voice
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: announce his new allegiance. Damus had ever a reputation as
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: a humane man, and he was guilty of none of
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: the brutalities which made the Jovians so detested, and which
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: were bettered by those of the Nephthalim who had the power.
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: It was only the influence which Damus had wielded with
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: the earthmen, which had prevented many an outbreak which would
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: have been ruthlessly crushed by the Jovian overlords. To know
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: that a son of a viceroy, reputed one of the
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: most brilliant as well as one of the strongest of
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: Jovian blood, was one with them made them hope that
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: they might make some headway against their oppressors, and ring
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: from them some small measure of liberty. Turgan's face was
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: wreathed with smiles. Again. I offer you my hand, Damis,
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: he said. Before it was as a father thanking you
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: for the rescue of his daughter. Now it is a
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: father welcoming the son he has always longed for and
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: whom he feared he would never have. My consent to
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: your union with Laura, which was grudgingly given only to
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: save her from the dishonor of being dragged a slave
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: to glaborous uraglio, is withdrawn, and in its place I
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: give you a happy father's joyous consent to the marriage.
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: There were tears in the old Tildeer's eyes as he
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: grasped the hand of the young blonde giant. For a moment,
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: they stood with clasped hands two strong men, taking the
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: measure of one another, and each found the other good.
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: The Kildare dropped Damis's hand and turned to the crowd.
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: Do your homes, he cried sharply. The sons of God
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: will return with new weapons, and it is my wish
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: that none be found to oppose them. All within the
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: sound of my voice, who are members of the Inner Council,
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: will join me in the palace, Damis, come with me.
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: Followed by Damis and a score of earthmen, the Kildare
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: led the way into a building. As they entered, Damis
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: cast a swift glance around and looked questioningly at Turgon Laura.
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: He asked, hesitantly, will join us in the council room,
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: said Turgon, with a smile endo Chapter one, Chapter two
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: of Giants on the Earth by Captain S. P. Meek.
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter two
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: Turgan's plan. Content with the Kildare's answer, Damis followed him
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: down a corridor and into a large room set around
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: with benches. The Kildare did not pause, but moved to
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: the far end of the room and manipulated a hidden switch.
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: A portion of the paneled walls swung inward and through
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: the doorway thus opened, Turgan led the way. The corridor
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: in which they found themselves was dimly lighted by radium bulbs,
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: which Damis shrewdly suspected had been stolen from the palace
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: of the Viceroy by earthmen employed there. It sloped steeply downward,
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: and Damis estimated that they were fifty feet below the
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: level of the ground before another door opened to Turgan's
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: manipulation of hidden catches, and admitted them to a large room,
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: equipped with tables and chairs, and well lighted by other
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: radium bulbs. Damis turned to the Kildare. For years there
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: have been rumors among the sons of God of the
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: existence of this place, he exclaimed, Yet every effort to
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: find it has been futile. Glavore and his council have
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: at last decided that it is merely a myth, and
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: that the underground council chamber does not exist. You have
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: kept your secret well, for never has a breath of
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: suspicion reached him that Turgan was one of the conspirators
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: who plotted to overthrow the reign of the Sons of God.
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: Let that Damus be a sample of the earnestness and
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: loyalty of your new brethren, said Kildare. There are hundreds
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: of earthmen who know where this place is and what
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: secrets it holds, yet none have ever betrayed it. Scores
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: have gone to torture and to the sacrifice of the
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: games without sealing their lips. Would a Jovian have done
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: likewise to give them due credit? I think they would have,
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: replied Damis thoughtfully. Yet their motive would not have been loyalty,
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: but stubbornness and a refusal to subordinate their will to another's.
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: I thought you said that Laura would join us here.
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: As Damis spoke, a door on the forest side of
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: the chamber opened, and a half dozen women entered. Laura
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: was among them, and with a cry of joy, she
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: ran lightly forward and threw herself into Damis's outstretched arms.
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: Turgan smiled paternally at them for a moment, and then
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: touched his daughter lightly on the shoulder. I have freely
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: and gladly given my blessing to your union with Damis,
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: he said. He is now one with us. His presence
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: makes victory possible and enables us to act at once.
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: Instead of planning for you years, Damis, you can operate
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: a space flyer, can you not? Certainly? That is knowledge
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: which all Nepthalim possess. A suppressed cheer greeted his words,
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: and the Earthmen crowded around him, vibrant with excitement. The
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: time is at hand, cried a stern faced man in
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: the crimson robe, which marked him an a killed air
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: and under officer of the Earthmen. Before I can operate
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: a space flyer, I will have to have one to operate. Objected, Damis,
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: that will be supplied, cried a dozen voices. Turgan's voice
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: rose above the hubbub of sound. Let us proceed in
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: orderly fashion, he cried. The noise died down to silence,
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: and at a gesture from their ruler, the Earthmen took seats.
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: Turkan stood beside Damis. For the enlightenment of our newfound
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: brother I will recite what has happened and what we
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: have done, although most of you know it, and many
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: of you have done your part in bringing it. About
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: forty years ago, the Earth was prosperous, peopled with free
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: men and happy, while we knew little of science and
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: lived in mere huts. Yet we worshiped beauty and Him
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: who ruled all and loved his children. It was to
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: such a world that the Jovians came. When the first spaceflyer,
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: with a load of these inhuman monsters arrived on the earth,
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: we foolishly took them for the angels, whom we had
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: been taught to believe, spent eternity and glorifying him. We
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: welcomed them with our best and humbly obeyed when they spoke.
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: This solusion was fostered by the name. The Jovians gave
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: themselves the Sons of God. Heartan their leader, and the
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: father of our new brother was a just and kindly man,
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: and he ruled the earth work wisely and well. We
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: learned from them, and they learned from us. That was
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: the Golden Age. And the sons of God saw that
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: the daughters of man were fair, and took them for
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: their wives such as they chose, and sons were born
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: to them. The nephthalame the mighty men of the Earth.
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: In time, other fliers came from the heavens above and
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: brought more sons of the God to rule over us.
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: Then Hortan the Viceroy died, and Damus know you how
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: he died. You were a babe at the time, and
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: you know nothing. Your father and your mother, who was
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: my distant kinswoman, died under the knives of assassins. It
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: was given out that they had gone to Jupiter. Yet
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: there were some who knew the truth. You the killers sought,
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: But one of the earth men, whose heart bled for
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: your dead mother, spirited you away. When you had grown
• 32:01
  Speaker 1: to boyhood, he announced your name and lineage, although his
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: life paid for his indiscretion. The same hand which struck
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: down your father and your mother struck at him, and
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: struck not unavailingly. You sensaul knew your name in lineage.
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: He dared not strike, lest those who love him not
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: would appeal to Tubaine. Know you the name of the monster,
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: the traitor to his ruler, and the murderer of your parents.
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: Dames's face had paled during their recital, and when the
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: old Kildare turned to him, he silently shook his head.
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: It was the monster who now rules over us as viceroy,
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: and who profanes the name of God by conferring it
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: on his master, And who would, if he dared, assume
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: the name for himself. It was Glavore viceroy of the Earth.
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: The blood surged back into Damis's face, and he raised
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: a hand in a dramatic gesture. Now, I vow that
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: I will never rest until he lies low in death,
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: and this be the hand that brings him there. A
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: murmur of applause greeted Damis's announcement, and Turgan went on
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: with his tail. With the kind and just, hortand dead,
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: Glavore assumed the throne of power, for none dared to
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: pose him. Once secure, he gave way to every brutal
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: lust and vice. Your mother was Hortan's only wife, and
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: he honored her as such, and meant that the Nephthalim
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: should in time rule the earth. But Glavore had no
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: such ideas. To him, the daughters of man will playthings
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: to satisfy his brutal lusts. By dozens and by scores,
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: he swept the fairest of them into his seraglio, heeding
• 34:02
  Speaker 1: not the bonds of matrimony nor the wishes of his victims,
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: only the fact that my daughter has been kept from
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: his sight until today has spared her. The earthmen, who
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: had been content to live under Hortan's rule, rebelled against
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: the Glavore, but the rebellion was crushed in blood. Time
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: and again they rose, but each time the mighty weapons
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: of the Jovians stamped out resistance. At last we realized
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: that craft and not force, must win the battle. This
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: chamber had been built when Hortan erected his new capital,
• 34:40
  Speaker 1: and none of the Jovians knew of its location, so
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: it was chosen as our meeting place today, damis, I
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: have twenty thousand men sworn to do my bidding and
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: to rise when I give the word. Many thousands more
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: will rise when they see others in arms, and know
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: that again the sons of man stand in arms against
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: the sons of God. There are less than a thousand Jovians,
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: and perhaps twice that number of Nephthalim on the earth,
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: Yet that handful would stand victorious against all the earthmen living,
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: said Dams thoughtfully. Even I, and I am a Nephthalim,
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: do not know the secret weapons and the arsenal of Glavore.
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: But I know that they are more powerful than anything
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: we have ever seen. Forget not, too that a radio
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: message to Jupiter will bring down ships with hundreds and
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: eight thousands of her fighting men with weapons to overwhelm
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: all opposition. Such was the case, but it is so
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: no longer, since we number you among us, replied the
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: killed air Earthmen are employed in the communications net which
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: the Jovians have thrown around the Earth, and it is
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: but a step from those machines to the huge one
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: with which they talked to their mother planet. My spies
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: have been busy for years, and our plans are all laid.
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: There is one planet which all the forces of Jupiter
• 36:15
  Speaker 1: have never been able to conquer, from which their ships
• 36:18
  Speaker 1: have ever retreated in defeat. Mars exclaimed, Damis exactly, replied Turgan.
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: The Martians are a peaceful and justice loving people, yet
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: they know that peace is given only to those who
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: are ready and able to fight for it. Ages ago
• 36:37
  Speaker 1: they perfected weapons before which the Jovians fly if they
• 36:41
  Speaker 1: are not destroyed. I have communicated with the Grand Magnac
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: of Mars and laid our plight before him. He has
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: pledged his aid and has promised us enough of his
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: weapons to not only destroy the Jovians and the nephthalame
• 36:56
  Speaker 1: of the Earth, but also to prevent other Jovians ships
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: from ever landing. The only problem has been how to
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: get them here. The Martians, not desiring conquest and content
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: with their own planet, have never perfected space flyers. They
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: have promised us the weapons, but we must go to
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: Mars and bring them here. Enough can be transported on
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: one of the Jovian ships. How will we get a ship,
• 37:25
  Speaker 1: asked Damis. That also has been solved. There are two
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: Jovian ships kept on the Earth, ready for instant flight
• 37:33
  Speaker 1: to Jupiter. They are loosely guarded for the sons of
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: God believe that we have no idea of how to
• 37:39
  Speaker 1: operate them. We can capture one of them whenever we desire,
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: but so far such action would have been useless. Little
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: by little we have gathered bits of information about the flyers,
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: but we had expected to wait for years before our
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: venture would have a chance of success. We dared not
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: try prematurely, for one attempt will be all that we'll
• 38:03
  Speaker 1: ever get. Now we are ready to strike. You can
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: fly the ship to Morrison back, and with the Martian
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: weapons we can sweep the Jovians from the Earth. Damus's
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: eyes lighted as Turgan spoke. Your plans are good, he cried,
• 38:23
  Speaker 1: and I will fly the ship for you. In return,
• 38:27
  Speaker 1: I asked, But one thing. Let mine be the hand
• 38:31
  Speaker 1: which strikes glave Ore down. If it can be so done,
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: yours shall be the hand, Oh Nephthalim, cried the a Kildare,
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: who had first spoken of the ship. Turgan bowed his head,
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: and a murmur of assent came from the assembled council.
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: And now for action, cried Turgen. There is no need
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: to talk longer years ago. Our plans were perfected for
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: the capture of the spaceship, and each know the part
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: assigned to him. Tonez the akel Dare will rule during
• 39:05
  Speaker 1: my absence, for I will command the ship under Damus.
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: Twelve of our men, who know all that we have
• 39:11
  Speaker 1: been able to learn, will make up the crew. None
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: of them will take part in the capture of the ship,
• 39:17
  Speaker 1: for many lives may be lost in that venture, and
• 39:20
  Speaker 1: we will need the instructed men to operate the ship
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: after we capture it. Damis, have you any addition to
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: make to our plans? Only one Turgan Glavore will ransack
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: the earth rather than be cheated of one he has
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: marked for his prey. Laura will be safe nowhere on Earth.
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: Her capture by the sons of God will discourage the
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: timid who will say that if Turgan cannot protect his
• 39:46
  Speaker 1: own daughter, how can he free the earth? She must
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: go with us. Your point is well taken, Damos replied
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: the killed Air. She shall go now to action. Monail
• 39:59
  Speaker 1: or your men ready, they will assemble at my signal.
• 40:02
  Speaker 1: O Kildare, give the signal, for nothing will be gained
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: by delay. We will follow behind while you capture the ship.
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: Monail bowed before the kill d Air and hastened from
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: the council room. In a few words, Turgan gave to
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: Toness the final orders for the conduct of the conspiracy
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: during his absence. Followed by Laura, Damis and three of
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: the council, he made his way to a hidden doorway
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: along an underground passage. They made their way for a
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: quarter of a mile. A group of figures was seen
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: dimly ahead of them, and nine men joined the party.
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: Turgan identified them to Damis, as the balance of the crew.
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: Has Monail passed this way? He asked? He passed with
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: his band a few moments ago, O Kildare replied. One
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: of the men. See there is the light which summons
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: us to follow. He pointed to a tiny light which
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: had suddenly flashed into brilliance. Turgan nodded and led the
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: way forward. At another doorway, which opened to Turgan's touch
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: on a hidden lever, the party paused. An instant later,
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: there came from a few hundred yards ahead of them
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: a hoarse cry of alarm, followed by the roar of
• 41:24
  Speaker 1: a huge whistle. The battle has joined, cried Turgen. The
• 41:29
  Speaker 1: others crouched tense and motionless. From ahead came the sound
• 41:34
  Speaker 1: of battle. Violet light showed in sharp, intense flashes. It
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: was evident that the Jovian guard of the spaceship was
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: fighting valiantly to protect it. Shaking aside Turkan's restraining hand,
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: Damis crept slowly forward two hundred yards from the spot
• 41:53
  Speaker 1: where he left Turkan. He came to a bend in
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: the passage. The sound of battle came from just ahead.
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: He crept forward and peered around the corner. The passage
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: emerged from the ground and gave way to a huge
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: open space, which he recognized as part of the grounds
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: of the Viceregal Palace. Standing on a launching platform was
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: a Jovian spaceship, around which a battle raged. Five of
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: the huge Jovians were battling furiously with a score of Earthmen,
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: three dead Jovians, and a dozen crushed forms of Terrestrials
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: testified to the bitterness of the fight. The terrible black
• 42:35
  Speaker 1: tubes of the Jovians were exhausted, and the battle was
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: now being waged hand to hand Jovian acts against earthly sword.
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: The Terrestrials were being gradually pressed back. A shout from
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: the distance, and Damos could see a dozen Jovian guards
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: hastening toward the scene of the fight, brandishing in their
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: hands the terrible black tubes. He turned back and shouted
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: to Turk in hasten. He cried in a moment, monail
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: and his men will be overthrown. With a shout, the
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: crouching group of Terrestrials rushed toward him, but Damos did
• 43:13
  Speaker 1: not wait. The oncoming Jovians were several hundred yards away
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: when he threw himself into the fray. At his appearance,
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: a cry of dismay went up from the Earthman, which
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: was changed to one of mingle, wonder and triumph as
• 43:28
  Speaker 1: Damus seized the nearest Jovian and bore the fellow down.
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: Despite his struggles, it was a matter of seconds for
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: him to break the bull neck of the huge guard,
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: and he turned to grasp another. The four remaining Jovians
• 43:44
  Speaker 1: backed away, but Damos was not to be denied. He
• 43:48
  Speaker 1: rushed in and grasped another about the waist, avoiding the
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: swing of the forty pound axe, and dragged him back.
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: The swords of the Terrestrials pierced the struggling guard from
• 43:59
  Speaker 1: the rear, and Damis rushed toward the three survivors. Heartened
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: by his aid, the remnants of Monail's band charged with him.
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: Two of the Jovians fell before the swords of the Earthmen,
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: and the third went down before a blow of Damis's fist.
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: As he turned back to the ship, Turkan, followed by
• 44:20
  Speaker 1: the crew of the ship, dashed up into the ship,
• 44:24
  Speaker 1: cried Damos. A glance showed him that the Jovian guards
• 44:28
  Speaker 1: were less than two hundred yards away and were coming
• 44:30
  Speaker 1: on in huge leaps. The door of the spaceship was
• 44:34
  Speaker 1: opened and the band of Terrestrials clambered in quick Damos
• 44:38
  Speaker 1: came Laura's voice. The naphthalimb turned to enter, but his
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: gaze fell on the six survivors of Monail's band. In
• 44:46
  Speaker 1: with you, he cried, sharply. The terrestrials hesitated, but Damos
• 44:52
  Speaker 1: grasped the nearest of them by the belt and threw
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: him bodily into the ship. The others hesitated no longer,
• 44:58
  Speaker 1: but clambered in. The Jovians were less than fifty yards away,
• 45:03
  Speaker 1: and already deep violet flashes began to come from the
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: tubes they carried. Damus stooped and grasped one of the
• 45:10
  Speaker 1: dead Jovians. With an effort possible to only two men
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: on Earth, himself and Glamour. He raised the body above
• 45:18
  Speaker 1: his head and hurled it straight at the oncoming Jovians.
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: His aim was true, and three of them were swept
• 45:26
  Speaker 1: from their feet. With a mighty bound Damus sprang through
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: the door of the spaceship, and the airlock clanged shut
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: behind him. The crew of the ship were already in place,
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: awaiting orders. There was no time for instruction, and Damus
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: leaped to the control board. He pulled a lever far down,
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: and in an instant the entire crew was flat on
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: the floor, as though an enormous weight had pressed them down.
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: With a superhuman effort, Damos raised himself enough to cut
• 45:59
  Speaker 1: off the power. The ship shot on through the rapidly
• 46:03
  Speaker 1: thinning air, its sides glowing a dull red. The heat
• 46:08
  Speaker 1: inside the ship was almost intolerable. As the pressure of
• 46:13
  Speaker 1: the enormous acceleration ceased, the bruised terrestrials struggled to their feet.
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: Damis turned to another lever, and a breath of icy
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: air swept through the ship. This will help for an instant,
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: he gasped, and the cold of space will soon cool
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: us down. I had to give the ship a tremendous start.
• 46:34
  Speaker 1: The tubes of the sons of God would have reduced
• 46:36
  Speaker 1: us to elemental atoms. Keep away from the walls, and
• 46:40
  Speaker 1: don't exert yourselves. I can handle the ship alone for
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: the present. For half an hour, the ship charged on
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: through space. Damus presently pulled the control lever down and
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: placed the ship under power. The walls changed from dull
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: red to blackre of the ship grew noticeably lower. Damis
• 47:03
  Speaker 1: made his way to one of the walls and tested
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: it with a moistened finger. It's cool enough to touch,
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: he announced. Fortunately, the insulating vacuum between the entner and
• 47:14
  Speaker 1: the outer skins was at its maximum, Otherwise we would
• 47:18
  Speaker 1: have been roasted alive. The external wall was almost at
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: the fusing point. We can move around now. He posted
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: lookouts at the observing instruments with which the ship was equipped,
• 47:31
  Speaker 1: and instructed them in their duties and the manipulation of
• 47:34
  Speaker 1: the instruments. He placed one man at the control lever
• 47:38
  Speaker 1: of the stern rocket motors. As he turned away from
• 47:41
  Speaker 1: the control board, he saw Laura standing quietly in the corner.
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: He opened his arms and she ran to them with
• 47:49
  Speaker 1: a cry of joy. Oh, Damis, I was so afraid
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: for you, she gasped. And I wanted to hug you
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: when you jumped in and Father closed the door behind you.
• 47:59
  Speaker 1: But I knew that you had to take care of
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: the ship. Were you hurt at all? Not a bit, darling,
• 48:05
  Speaker 1: he assured her. But it was touch and go for
• 48:08
  Speaker 1: a moment. I didn't know whether the guards would dare
• 48:11
  Speaker 1: to disintegrate the ship without orders from Glavore. In any event,
• 48:15
  Speaker 1: the blasts of the stern motors must have hurled them
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: half a mile. No strength could stand the blast of
• 48:20
  Speaker 1: gas to which they were subjected. Are you all right, perfectly,
• 48:25
  Speaker 1: she replied, I never was in any danger. I was
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: the first one in the ship, and the only chance
• 48:30
  Speaker 1: I had to be hurt was to have you overcome
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: and the ship recaptured. In that case, I had this.
• 48:36
  Speaker 1: She displayed a small dagger, which she drew from the
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: bosom of her robe. Damis shuddered and took the weapon
• 48:43
  Speaker 1: from her. Poisoned, he exclaimed, as he glanced at its tip,
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: you had better let me take care of it. You
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: might fall and prick yourself with it. She surrendered the
• 48:53
  Speaker 1: weapon to him with a smile, and Damus placed it
• 48:56
  Speaker 1: in a cabinet built against the wall of the flier.
• 49:00
  Speaker 1: Now go in and lie down, he told her. I've
• 49:02
  Speaker 1: got to start plotting a course to Mars and teaching
• 49:05
  Speaker 1: my crew how to operate the ship. Can't I learn too?
• 49:09
  Speaker 1: She objected, If anything should happen, it might be quite
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: a useful bit of knowledge. Besides, I already understand celestial
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: geography quite well, and I may be able to help
• 49:19
  Speaker 1: in the navigation. Damos looked at her in surprise. You
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: a celestial geographer, he asked, in astonishment. Where did you
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: learn it from? My father? He was a famous heaven
• 49:32
  Speaker 1: master before the Jovians came, and he taught me. That's excellent,
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: cried Damos. I didn't realize we had so much knowledge
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: at our command. Tur again, will you take charge of
• 49:45
  Speaker 1: the navigation after I plot a course. Laura can assist you.
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: Now the rest of you attend to my words, and
• 49:51
  Speaker 1: I'll teach you how to operate the rocket motors. The
• 49:55
  Speaker 1: Jovian ship was built along very simple lines, batteries of
• 49:59
  Speaker 1: rocket motor at the bow and stern, and on each
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: of the sides furnished both motive and steering power. The
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: terrestrials were all chosen men, and in three hours Damis
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: announced himself as satisfied with their ability to operate the
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: ship under any normal conditions. With Turgan and Laura watching
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: and checking his calculations, he plotted a course which would
• 50:22
  Speaker 1: intercept Mars on its orbit. Luckily, Mors is approaching us now,
• 50:26
  Speaker 1: he said, and we won't have a stern chase, which
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: is always a long one. We will be able to
• 50:32
  Speaker 1: reach Mars, spend several days on it, and return to
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: Earth before ships can reach the Earth from Jupiter, even
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: if they are already on the way, which is highly probable.
• 50:42
  Speaker 1: I'll turn the ship a little. Under his direction, the
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: crew turned the ship in its course until it was
• 50:49
  Speaker 1: headed for the point in space where Damis planned to
• 50:51
  Speaker 1: intercept the red planet. With the course set to his satisfaction,
• 50:56
  Speaker 1: he gave orders for the stern motors to be operated
• 50:58
  Speaker 1: at such a power as to give the highest acceleration
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: consistent with comfort for the crew. There were no windows
• 51:06
  Speaker 1: in the ship, but two observers seated at instruments kept
• 51:09
  Speaker 1: the entire heavens under constant observation. Damis motioned one of
• 51:14
  Speaker 1: them to stand aside and told Laura to take his place.
• 51:18
  Speaker 1: She sat down before a box in which were set
• 51:21
  Speaker 1: two lenses i distance apart. She looked through the lenses
• 51:26
  Speaker 1: and gave a cry of astonishment. Before her appeared the
• 51:31
  Speaker 1: heavens and miniature, with the entire galaxy of stars displayed
• 51:35
  Speaker 1: to her gaze. In the center of the screen was
• 51:38
  Speaker 1: a large disc thickly marked with pucks. The Moon, explained Damis,
• 51:43
  Speaker 1: we are headed directly toward it now, but we'll shift
• 51:46
  Speaker 1: and go around it. We'll pass only a few hundred
• 51:50
  Speaker 1: miles from its surface, but unfortunately it will be between
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: us and the Sun, and you'll be able to see nothing.
• 51:57
  Speaker 1: Look in the other observer, Laura turned to the second instrument.
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: A large part of the hemisphere was blotted out by
• 52:05
  Speaker 1: the Earth, which was still only a few thousand miles away.
• 52:09
  Speaker 1: The Sun showed to one side of the Earth, but
• 52:12
  Speaker 1: a movable disc was arranged in the instrument by means
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: of which it could be shut off from the gaze
• 52:17
  Speaker 1: of the observer. Despite the presence of the sun, the
• 52:22
  Speaker 1: stars shone brilliantly in the intense black of space. How
• 52:27
  Speaker 1: fast are we traveling, asked Laura. It is impossible to
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: tell exactly, he replied. I can approximate our speed by
• 52:36
  Speaker 1: a study of the power consumed in our stern motors,
• 52:39
  Speaker 1: and again I can approximate it by a series of
• 52:41
  Speaker 1: celestial observations, provided we do not have to change our
• 52:45
  Speaker 1: course while I am doing so. Isn't there some sort
• 52:49
  Speaker 1: of instrument which would tell you how fast we are going,
• 52:52
  Speaker 1: she asked in astonishment. Unfortunately not, We are traveling through
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: no medium which is dense enough to register on an instrument.
• 53:02
  Speaker 1: Our course is not straight, but is necessarily an erratic one,
• 53:06
  Speaker 1: as we are subject to the gravimetric pull of all
• 53:08
  Speaker 1: the celestial bodies. Just now, the Earth supplies most of
• 53:13
  Speaker 1: the pull on us, but as soon as we approach
• 53:15
  Speaker 1: the Moon, we will tend to fall on it and
• 53:18
  Speaker 1: frequent side blasts will be needed to keep us away
• 53:21
  Speaker 1: from it. Once we get up some speed that is
• 53:24
  Speaker 1: comparable with light, we can measure by direct comparison, but
• 53:28
  Speaker 1: our speed is too low for that. Now I saw
• 53:31
  Speaker 1: you lay out your course, But how are we steering.
• 53:35
  Speaker 1: The observer who works on the front instrument, keeps a
• 53:38
  Speaker 1: cross hair on a fixed star. When the curving of
• 53:42
  Speaker 1: the ship deviates us more than five degrees from our course,
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: a side motor is turned on until we straightened out again.
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: It is quite a simple matter, and I'll take the
• 53:52
  Speaker 1: ship byself when we near Morris. There is no need
• 53:55
  Speaker 1: to be frightened. I'm not frightened, said Laura quickly. I
• 53:59
  Speaker 1: was just curious. Is there any danger of hitting a
• 54:02
  Speaker 1: wandering body? Not much in this zone, and at this speed.
• 54:07
  Speaker 1: When our speed picks up, there will be a slight
• 54:09
  Speaker 1: danger because the higher our rate of speed, the more
• 54:13
  Speaker 1: crowded space becomes. If we were going to Jupiter, we
• 54:18
  Speaker 1: would have to use much more caution. The asteroid belt
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: lying between Mars and Jupiter is really crowded with small bodies,
• 54:25
  Speaker 1: but comparatively few are in the zone between Earth and Mars.
• 54:30
  Speaker 1: That is one thing I figured on when I said
• 54:32
  Speaker 1: that we would have plenty of time to go to
• 54:34
  Speaker 1: Mars and back before ships could come from Jupiter. Ships
• 54:38
  Speaker 1: from Jupiter would be able to develop a much higher
• 54:41
  Speaker 1: speed than we will attain were it not for the
• 54:43
  Speaker 1: asteroid belt. They will have to travel quite slowly through it,
• 54:48
  Speaker 1: in portions, not over a few thousand miles per minute,
• 54:51
  Speaker 1: while we are not held down that way. Now that
• 54:54
  Speaker 1: we are really started, it will be best to set
• 54:57
  Speaker 1: regular watches. I will assign you you is navigator for
• 55:01
  Speaker 1: one watch if you wish. I certainly do want to
• 55:04
  Speaker 1: do my share, all right, We'll let it go that way.
• 55:08
  Speaker 1: Turgan and I will take the other two watches until
• 55:11
  Speaker 1: we get there. How soon will that be? About seventeen days?
• 55:16
  Speaker 1: Morris happens to be only about forty million miles away.
• 55:20
  Speaker 1: Just now. Now, I'll set the watches and divide the crew.
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: A short examination showed Damis that his crew were intelligent
• 55:29
  Speaker 1: and that his instruction had been good. Every member knew
• 55:33
  Speaker 1: his duties. Instead of the two twelve hour watches, which
• 55:37
  Speaker 1: was usual on space flyers, the additional members of the
• 55:40
  Speaker 1: crew who had been part of Moneo's band enabled Damos
• 55:44
  Speaker 1: to set only eight hour shifts. Each member of the
• 55:47
  Speaker 1: crew was taught to operate the offensive ray projectors with
• 55:50
  Speaker 1: which the flyer was equipped. Things soon settled down to routine.
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: No wondering celestial bodies came close enough to cause them
• 56:00
  Speaker 1: any real alarm. Once the novelty of hurtling through space
• 56:04
  Speaker 1: had passed away, the ship became monotonus. The Earth, which
• 56:08
  Speaker 1: had at first filled the field of one of the observers,
• 56:11
  Speaker 1: dwindled until it became merely a brilliant green star. The
• 56:16
  Speaker 1: red speck, which was Mars, grew constantly more prominent as
• 56:20
  Speaker 1: the hours went by, and Damis gave the word to
• 56:23
  Speaker 1: turn on the bow motors and retard the speed of
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: the flier. Several of the crew had worked in the
• 56:29
  Speaker 1: communications at which Glavore had thrown around the Earth, and
• 56:33
  Speaker 1: under orders from Turgen, they began to call the Red
• 56:36
  Speaker 1: planet on the ship's communicator. It is well to let
• 56:40
  Speaker 1: them know who we are, he said to Damis when
• 56:42
  Speaker 1: he gave the order. We are flying a Jovian ship,
• 56:46
  Speaker 1: and since we have come so far successfully, I have
• 56:49
  Speaker 1: no desire to be blasted out of space by their
• 56:52
  Speaker 1: powerful weapons of defense. Damis agreed heartily, and for twelve hours,
• 56:57
  Speaker 1: continual attempts were made to communicate with him their destination.
• 57:02
  Speaker 1: At last, their signals were answered. Despite the differences in language,
• 57:07
  Speaker 1: they had no trouble in understanding the messages. A system
• 57:11
  Speaker 1: of communication based not on words or sound forms, but
• 57:15
  Speaker 1: on thought forms had been introduced to the Earth by
• 57:18
  Speaker 1: the Jovians, and both Damus and Turgan were quite familiar
• 57:22
  Speaker 1: with it. The Martians informed them that the approaching ship
• 57:26
  Speaker 1: had been sighted and carefully watched for several days. As
• 57:29
  Speaker 1: soon as he learned who the occupants were, the Grand
• 57:33
  Speaker 1: Magnak of Mars set a matchage of welcome and instructed
• 57:37
  Speaker 1: them on what part of the planet to land. He
• 57:40
  Speaker 1: promised that a deputation would meet them with transportation to
• 57:44
  Speaker 1: his capital city, where he would welcome them in person
• 57:47
  Speaker 1: and supply them with the weapons they sought. End of
• 57:52
  Speaker 1: Chapter two three of Giants on the Earth by Captain S. P. Meeks.
• 58:02
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter three,
• 58:08
  Speaker 1: The Doom on Mars. Two days later, Damis dropped the
• 58:14
  Speaker 1: ship gently to the ground in a wide and deep depression,
• 58:17
  Speaker 1: which had been designated as their landing place. The Grand
• 58:21
  Speaker 1: Magnac had assured them that the depression held enough atmosphere
• 58:25
  Speaker 1: to enable them to breathe with comfort. There was no
• 58:29
  Speaker 1: one in sight when they landed, and after a short consultation,
• 58:32
  Speaker 1: Damis and Turgan entered the airlock. In a few moments
• 58:37
  Speaker 1: they stood on the surface of Mars. They had landed
• 58:41
  Speaker 1: in a desert without even a trace of the most
• 58:43
  Speaker 1: rudimentary vegetation. Barren slate colored mountains shut off their view
• 58:49
  Speaker 1: at a distance of a few miles. When they strove
• 58:53
  Speaker 1: to move, they found that the conditions which had confronted
• 58:56
  Speaker 1: the Jovians in their first landing on the Earth were duplicated.
• 59:01
  Speaker 1: The lesser gravity of the smaller planet made their strength
• 59:04
  Speaker 1: too great for easy control, and the slightest effort sent
• 59:08
  Speaker 1: them yards into the air. This condition had been anticipated,
• 59:13
  Speaker 1: and at a word from Damus led weights made to
• 59:16
  Speaker 1: clamp on the soles of their sandals were passed out
• 59:18
  Speaker 1: from the spaceship. Although this enabled them to keep their
• 59:22
  Speaker 1: footing when moving over the dry surface of Mars, the
• 59:25
  Speaker 1: slightest exertion in the thin air caused them acute distress.
• 59:30
  Speaker 1: We had better save our strength until the messengers of
• 59:33
  Speaker 1: the Grand Mugnak arrived, said Damis, at lynth. We may
• 59:37
  Speaker 1: have quite a trip before us. Turkan agreed, and they
• 59:41
  Speaker 1: sat down by the side of the ship, where its
• 59:43
  Speaker 1: shadow would shield them from the fierce solar rays which
• 59:46
  Speaker 1: beat down on them. The Sun looked curiously small, yet
• 59:51
  Speaker 1: its rays penetrated the thin air with a heat and
• 59:54
  Speaker 1: fierceness stranged them. Laura and a half dozen of the
• 59:58
  Speaker 1: crew were passed through the airline and joined them. I
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 1: am surprised that the Martians have not arrived, said Damis. Presently,
• 1:00:07
  Speaker 1: I am interested to see what their appearance is. Hardly
• 1:00:11
  Speaker 1: had he spoken than the air before them seemed to
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 1: thicken in a curious fashion. Laura gave a cry of
• 1:00:18
  Speaker 1: alarm and pressed close to Damus. The Sun's rays penetrated
• 1:00:23
  Speaker 1: with difficulty through a patch of air directly before them. Gradually,
• 1:00:27
  Speaker 1: the mistiness began to assume a nebulous, uncertain outline and
• 1:00:32
  Speaker 1: separated itself into four distinct patches. The thickening air took
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 1: on a silvery metallic gleam, and four metallic cylinders made
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 1: their appearance. Two of them were about eight feet in
• 1:00:45
  Speaker 1: height and three feet in diameter. The other two were
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 1: fully thirty feet in length and about the same diameter.
• 1:00:52
  Speaker 1: On the top of each one was a projecting cap
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 1: shaped like a mushroom, and from it, long tenuous streamers
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 1: of metal ran the full length of each cylinder. From
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 1: the ether came a thought wave which registered on the
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 1: brains of all the terrestrials. The Grand Magnac of Mars
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 1: sends his greeting and a welcome to the visitors from Earth.
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 1: The message ran before his envoys make their appearance before you.
• 1:01:21
  Speaker 1: We wish to warn you to be prepared for a
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 1: severe shock, for their physical appearance is not that of
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 1: the life with which you are familiar. I would suggest
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 1: that you turn your heads while we emerge from our transporters. Obediently,
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 1: the Earthmen turned their gaze toward their ship, until another
• 1:01:39
  Speaker 1: thought wave ordered them to turn. Laura gave a cry
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 1: of horror, and Damus instinctively raised one of the Jovian
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 1: ray tubes. Before them were huge figures which seemed to
• 1:01:54
  Speaker 1: have stepped out of a nightmare, so grotesque were their forms.
• 1:02:00
  Speaker 1: The Martians had long, slug like bodies twenty five feet
• 1:02:04
  Speaker 1: in lith from which projected a multiplicity of short legs.
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 1: The legs on the rear portions of the bodies terminated
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 1: in sucker like discs on which they stood on the
• 1:02:14
  Speaker 1: surface of the planet. The upper part of the body
• 1:02:18
  Speaker 1: was raised from the ground, and the legs terminated in
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 1: forked appendages like hands. Stiff, coarse hair brown in color,
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 1: protruded from between brilliant green scales edged with crimson. The
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 1: heads were huge and misshapen, and consisted mostly of eyes
• 1:02:36
  Speaker 1: with a multitude of facets, and huge jaws which worked incessantly,
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 1: as though the slugs were continually chewing on something. Nothing
• 1:02:46
  Speaker 1: that the Earth could show resembled those monstrosities, although it
• 1:02:51
  Speaker 1: flashed across Nemus's mind that a hugely enlarged caricature of
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 1: an intelligent caterpillar would bear some resemblance to the Martians.
• 1:03:01
  Speaker 1: Another thought wave impinged on the consciousness of the terrestrials.
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 1: Mars is much older than your planet, and evolution has
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 1: gone much further here than it has on Earth. At
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 1: one time, there were forms of life similar to yours,
• 1:03:16
  Speaker 1: which ruled this planet. But as air and water became scarce,
• 1:03:21
  Speaker 1: these forms gave way to others, which were better suited
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 1: to conditions as they existed. I would be pleased to
• 1:03:28
  Speaker 1: explain further, but the Grand Magnac anxiously awaits his guests.
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 1: His orders are that two of you shall visit him
• 1:03:36
  Speaker 1: in his city, the two whom he desires to come,
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 1: or Turgan, the leader of the expedition, and Damus, the Nephthalim.
• 1:03:44
  Speaker 1: Fear nothing. You are among friends. Damus hesitated and cast
• 1:03:50
  Speaker 1: a glance at Laura. By all means, Damus, do as
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 1: the Grand Magnac bids you. She exclaimed, I will stay
• 1:03:57
  Speaker 1: here with the ship until you return. I am not
• 1:03:59
  Speaker 1: at all from and for the whole crew will be
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 1: here with me. Damus kissed her, and after a word
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 1: with Turgen, he announced their readiness to proceed. He inquired
• 1:04:09
  Speaker 1: the direction in which they should travel, but another thought
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 1: wave interrupted him. We have brought transportation for you, it said.
• 1:04:19
  Speaker 1: Each of you will enter one of the smaller transporters,
• 1:04:23
  Speaker 1: which were especially prepared for your use. When you enter them,
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 1: seal them tightly and place your feet in the stirrups
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 1: you will find in them. Grasp the handles which will
• 1:04:35
  Speaker 1: be before you firmly in your hands. In an instant
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 1: you will be dissolved into elemental atoms and carried on
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 1: a beam of force to the receiving focus, where you
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 1: will again be materialized. There is no danger and no pain.
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 1: It is our usual means of transportation. With a final
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 1: word of farewell to Laura and the crew, turg Damus
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 1: unfastened and entered the two smaller cylinders before the astonished
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 1: eyes of the terrestrials. The cylinders grew thin and vanished
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 1: like a puff of smoke, dissipating in a wind. Laura
• 1:05:13
  Speaker 1: turned to Castner, whom Turgan had left in command. What
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 1: were my father's orders, she asked, merely that we wait
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 1: here until his return. He replied, since we are among friends,
• 1:05:25
  Speaker 1: there is no need to keep the ray projector's manned,
• 1:05:28
  Speaker 1: and I am anxious to let all of the crew
• 1:05:30
  Speaker 1: have the experience of setting foot on a new planet.
• 1:05:33
  Speaker 1: I am a little tired, said Laura. I will return
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 1: to the ship and rest while you let the crew
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 1: try their footing on Mars. She entered the airlock and
• 1:05:43
  Speaker 1: in a few moments was again inside the ship. At
• 1:05:47
  Speaker 1: a word from Castner, the balance of the crew passed
• 1:05:50
  Speaker 1: through the lock and began to amuse themselves by trying
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 1: to keep their footing on the surface of Mars. Damos
• 1:05:57
  Speaker 1: and Turgan, having entered the transport, slipped their feet in
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 1: place as the Martians had directed. They grasped firmly the
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 1: handles which projected from the inside of the cylinders. There
• 1:06:10
  Speaker 1: was a momentary sensation of slight nausea, and then a
• 1:06:14
  Speaker 1: thought wave reached them. You have arrived. Unfasten your cylinders
• 1:06:19
  Speaker 1: and emerge. They stepped out of the transporters and rubbed
• 1:06:24
  Speaker 1: their eyes in astonishment. Two of the huge slugs had
• 1:06:28
  Speaker 1: been amazing, but the effect of half a hundred grouped
• 1:06:31
  Speaker 1: about them was more than the mind could for a
• 1:06:34
  Speaker 1: moment grasp. They were in a huge room, composed apparently
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 1: of the same silvery material of which the transporters were made.
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 1: It rose above them in a huge dome with no
• 1:06:47
  Speaker 1: signs of windows or openings. It was lighted by a
• 1:06:51
  Speaker 1: soft glow which seemed to emanate from the material of
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 1: the dome itself, for it cast no shadows. On a
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 1: raised platform before them rested one of the huge slugs,
• 1:07:04
  Speaker 1: a broad band of silvery metal set with flashing, coruscating
• 1:07:08
  Speaker 1: jewels clasped about its body. From the ornament and the
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 1: exalted position, they judged that they were before the Grand
• 1:07:16
  Speaker 1: Magnac of Mars, with a muttered word to Turgen to
• 1:07:20
  Speaker 1: follow him. Damus advanced to the foot of the platform
• 1:07:23
  Speaker 1: and bowed deeply. I thank you for that mark of respect.
• 1:07:30
  Speaker 1: Nephthalim came a thought way from the Grand Magnac, but
• 1:07:35
  Speaker 1: such forms are obsolete on Mars. Here all living intelligences
• 1:07:40
  Speaker 1: are equal. Only the accident of superior mental power is
• 1:07:45
  Speaker 1: allowed to differentiate between us, and this added power brings
• 1:07:49
  Speaker 1: only added and more arduous duties. You came here to
• 1:07:54
  Speaker 1: get weapons which will free you from the dominance of
• 1:07:57
  Speaker 1: the Jovians who rule you. Did you not we did, oh,
• 1:08:01
  Speaker 1: Grand Mognaik replied Damis. Your prayers shall be answered if
• 1:08:06
  Speaker 1: you are found worthy. Relate to me now all that
• 1:08:10
  Speaker 1: has passed since the Jovians first landed on your planet.
• 1:08:15
  Speaker 1: If you can form thoughts without speaking, you may save
• 1:08:18
  Speaker 1: the effort of speech. The air has become so thin
• 1:08:22
  Speaker 1: on moors that sound will not carry over large portions
• 1:08:26
  Speaker 1: of it. As a result, we have no organs for hearing,
• 1:08:31
  Speaker 1: for they have been atrophied from ages of disuse. We
• 1:08:35
  Speaker 1: use thought as our only means of communication. Rapidly, Damis
• 1:08:40
  Speaker 1: marshaled his thoughts in order. Slowly and carefully, he pictured
• 1:08:44
  Speaker 1: in his mind the landing of the Jovians as he
• 1:08:47
  Speaker 1: had heard it described, and then the event leading up
• 1:08:50
  Speaker 1: to their trip. The Grand Mognac frequently interrupted him and
• 1:08:55
  Speaker 1: caused him to amplify in detail some of the mental pictures,
• 1:08:58
  Speaker 1: and at times turned to Turgen and requested him to
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 1: picture the same events. When Damus had finished, the Grand
• 1:09:06
  Speaker 1: Magnak was motionless for ten minutes. Pardon me for sealing
• 1:09:11
  Speaker 1: my thoughts from you, he said at length. But my
• 1:09:15
  Speaker 1: consultation with my counselors was not a matter for those
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 1: from another planet to know, no matter how friendly they
• 1:09:21
  Speaker 1: may be. My counsel have agreed with me that your
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 1: tale is a true one and has been fairly pictured.
• 1:09:30
  Speaker 1: We have no interest in the fate of your planet,
• 1:09:32
  Speaker 1: except that we desire to help the form best adapted
• 1:09:36
  Speaker 1: to bring about the day we will await with anxiety
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 1: when all the planets will be united in bonds of
• 1:09:42
  Speaker 1: love and justice. We believe that the form which developed
• 1:09:47
  Speaker 1: on the Earth is better adapted to this than the
• 1:09:50
  Speaker 1: form which developed on Jupiter, and we will give you
• 1:09:53
  Speaker 1: weapons which will enable you to free yourselves and to
• 1:09:57
  Speaker 1: protect your planet against future invasions. My scientists are now
• 1:10:02
  Speaker 1: busy preparing for you weapons which we will deliver to
• 1:10:06
  Speaker 1: your ship. Meanwhile, you are our honored guests. You will
• 1:10:11
  Speaker 1: be interested in seeing life as it exists here, and Ottomanus,
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 1: one of my counsel, will be your guide and will
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 1: answer your questions. The Grand Magnak dropped the upper portion
• 1:10:24
  Speaker 1: of his body to the Dais as a sign that
• 1:10:27
  Speaker 1: the interview was ended. Damis and Turgan hurriedly tried to
• 1:10:31
  Speaker 1: form appropriate expressions of gratitude in their minds, but a
• 1:10:35
  Speaker 1: powerful thought wave took possession of their minds. Follow me,
• 1:10:40
  Speaker 1: it said. One of the caterpillars crawled forward and beckoned
• 1:10:45
  Speaker 1: to them with a backward glance at the Grand Magnak,
• 1:10:49
  Speaker 1: who seemed unaware of their existence. Damus and Turgan followed
• 1:10:53
  Speaker 1: their guide. He led the way to a platform upon
• 1:10:56
  Speaker 1: which he slowly crawled in answer to a thought command.
• 1:11:00
  Speaker 1: Turgan and Damis climbed upon it, and in an instant
• 1:11:04
  Speaker 1: they were skimming at high speed over the ground. The
• 1:11:09
  Speaker 1: platform came to a stop near the outer edge of
• 1:11:11
  Speaker 1: the huge dome. They followed their guide from the platform
• 1:11:16
  Speaker 1: to a box like contrivance built against the dome. It
• 1:11:20
  Speaker 1: had lenses similar in appearance to the observers on the
• 1:11:23
  Speaker 1: Jovian spaceship, but built on a larger scale. Ottomnus removed
• 1:11:29
  Speaker 1: the lenses from the instrument and substituted two smaller pairs,
• 1:11:33
  Speaker 1: through which he motioned Turgan and Damis to look. Before
• 1:11:38
  Speaker 1: them lay a huge plane across which ran a belt
• 1:11:42
  Speaker 1: of green foliage. The vegetation forms were like nothing the
• 1:11:47
  Speaker 1: Earth could show. There were no true leaves, but huge
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 1: pulpy branches ran up into the air a hundred feet
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 1: and divided and subdivided until they became no larger around
• 1:11:58
  Speaker 1: than hares. At places on the plant were huge crimson
• 1:12:03
  Speaker 1: maub and blue flowers ten feet across. As they watched,
• 1:12:08
  Speaker 1: a monstrous form flitted into view. It was that of
• 1:12:12
  Speaker 1: a butterfly, but such a butterfly as they had never imagined.
• 1:12:17
  Speaker 1: The spread of the huge wings was fully a hundred
• 1:12:21
  Speaker 1: feet across, and its swollen body was larger by far
• 1:12:25
  Speaker 1: than the huge slug which stood beside them. The butterfly
• 1:12:29
  Speaker 1: waved its thirty foot tentacles and approached one of the
• 1:12:32
  Speaker 1: blue flowers. A long curled sucker fifty feet in length
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 1: unrolled and was plunged down into the heart of the
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 1: trumpet shaped flower. Gradually the blue color faded to mauve
• 1:12:46
  Speaker 1: and then to a brilliant crimson. The butterfly abandoned it
• 1:12:51
  Speaker 1: when the change of color was completed, and flitted away
• 1:12:54
  Speaker 1: to another of the blue blooms. What manner of thing
• 1:12:58
  Speaker 1: is that demanded? Damis that was a member of the council,
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 1: replied Etomanus. She was chosen to be one of those
• 1:13:08
  Speaker 1: to perpetuate our race. Evolution has gone farther with us
• 1:13:13
  Speaker 1: than on your planet, but it will show you what
• 1:13:16
  Speaker 1: in time you may expect. Life started with an amieba
• 1:13:20
  Speaker 1: on Mars as it did on Earth, and the slow
• 1:13:23
  Speaker 1: process of evolution followed similar lines. At one time, forms
• 1:13:28
  Speaker 1: like yours were the ruling and guiding intelligences of Mars.
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 1: They were, however, a highly specialized form. As conditions changed,
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 1: the form changed. The head and chest grew larger as
• 1:13:42
  Speaker 1: the air grew thinner, until the enfeebled trunk and limbs
• 1:13:46
  Speaker 1: could no longer support their weight. Gradually, the form died
• 1:13:50
  Speaker 1: out and was replaced by others. The forms which you
• 1:13:54
  Speaker 1: call insects on your Earth were more primitive and hardier forms,
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 1: and more readily adaptable, They increased in size and in
• 1:14:02
  Speaker 1: intelligence until they were ready to supplant all other forms.
• 1:14:07
  Speaker 1: The last vestiges of the bipads were carefully nurtured and
• 1:14:11
  Speaker 1: guarded by our forefathers until the vanishing atmosphere made their
• 1:14:15
  Speaker 1: survival impossible. The insect form became supreme. We multiplied with
• 1:14:22
  Speaker 1: extreme rapidity and would have overcrowded the planet had we
• 1:14:26
  Speaker 1: not learned several things. Our present form of life is
• 1:14:30
  Speaker 1: immature in many ways. For example, we are totally unable
• 1:14:35
  Speaker 1: to reproduce our kind, that is the function of the
• 1:14:38
  Speaker 1: next phase. In this form, however, the intelligence reaches its maximum.
• 1:14:45
  Speaker 1: As a result, all living creatures, except selected ones, have
• 1:14:50
  Speaker 1: their growth arrested at the lauval stage and passed their
• 1:14:53
  Speaker 1: entire life in this form. Certain ones, at long intervals
• 1:14:57
  Speaker 1: of time as the population diminishes, are allowed to spin
• 1:15:01
  Speaker 1: cocoons and hatch out in the form you have witnessed.
• 1:15:05
  Speaker 1: This form is almost brainless, the securing of nourishment from
• 1:15:09
  Speaker 1: flowers and reproducing their kind being the limits of their intelligence.
• 1:15:14
  Speaker 1: The eggs are matured in the body of the one
• 1:15:16
  Speaker 1: you saw. Soon she will lay many thousands of them,
• 1:15:20
  Speaker 1: and then our life mission accomplished, she will die. We
• 1:15:25
  Speaker 1: will gather these eggs and tend them until they hatch.
• 1:15:29
  Speaker 1: All defective ones will be destroyed, and the balance will
• 1:15:32
  Speaker 1: be instructed until they are ready to take their place
• 1:15:35
  Speaker 1: in the community and carry on the work of the planet.
• 1:15:39
  Speaker 1: That is extremely interesting, exclaimed damis. Will our Earth in
• 1:15:44
  Speaker 1: time support the same forms of life as does Mars.
• 1:15:47
  Speaker 1: Now I can see no reason why evolutions should follow
• 1:15:52
  Speaker 1: a different path there than it has here, replied Atomanus.
• 1:15:57
  Speaker 1: But millions of years will pass before you you lose
• 1:16:00
  Speaker 1: your atmosphere to such an extent as we have. All
• 1:16:05
  Speaker 1: our water is gathered at the polar ice caps from windce.
• 1:16:08
  Speaker 1: We lead it as it melts, through underground pipes hundreds
• 1:16:12
  Speaker 1: of miles to the spot where we desire vegetation to grow.
• 1:16:16
  Speaker 1: There we deliver it directly to the roots of the plants,
• 1:16:20
  Speaker 1: so there is no waste. Great bands of cultivated area
• 1:16:24
  Speaker 1: criss cross the planet. Where the soil is of unusual fertility.
• 1:16:29
  Speaker 1: A certain number of plants are allowed to flower and
• 1:16:32
  Speaker 1: to bear fruit for the sustenance of the reproductive form
• 1:16:36
  Speaker 1: of life, and to replace themselves the others we devour
• 1:16:40
  Speaker 1: while they are young and tender, Do you always live
• 1:16:43
  Speaker 1: in these sealed cities always? There are hundreds of them
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 1: scattered over the planet. As you have noticed, they are
• 1:16:52
  Speaker 1: composed of demazonium, the same substance as is used in
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 1: making the transporters. The city is but a large transporter.
• 1:17:03
  Speaker 1: When we desire to feed, the city is disintegrated and
• 1:17:06
  Speaker 1: materialized over a patch of vegetation, which we eat. When
• 1:17:11
  Speaker 1: the supply is for a time exhausted, the city is moved.
• 1:17:16
  Speaker 1: This is one way in which we can serve the
• 1:17:18
  Speaker 1: small supply of atmosphere which is left Atomanas suddenly paused
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 1: and held up one hand for silence. In a moment,
• 1:17:26
  Speaker 1: the thought waves again beat in on the consciousness of
• 1:17:29
  Speaker 1: Damos and Turgan. The weapons which were promised you are ready,
• 1:17:35
  Speaker 1: he said. We will return to the throne of the
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 1: Grand Magnac and you will receive instructions in their use.
• 1:17:43
  Speaker 1: He again mounted the platform, and Damos and Turgan took
• 1:17:47
  Speaker 1: their places beside him. Rapidly they were borne over the
• 1:17:51
  Speaker 1: ground until they came to a stop before the dais
• 1:17:53
  Speaker 1: on which the Grand Magnac rested, beside the four cylinders
• 1:17:58
  Speaker 1: in which they and the Grand Moggas next messengers had
• 1:18:01
  Speaker 1: traveled from the spaceship to the city. Another of huge
• 1:18:04
  Speaker 1: proportions stood before the platform. Beside it were two instruments
• 1:18:10
  Speaker 1: from a mass of coils and tubes. A long rod
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 1: projected up. It was pivoted so that it could be
• 1:18:17
  Speaker 1: directed toward any point. The rod on one of the
• 1:18:20
  Speaker 1: instruments was blue, while the other was a fiery scarlet.
• 1:18:25
  Speaker 1: These are the weapons which will enable you to destroy
• 1:18:28
  Speaker 1: your oppressors and prevent more from ever landing, said the
• 1:18:32
  Speaker 1: Grand Magnak. I must caution you, however, regarding their use.
• 1:18:38
  Speaker 1: They generate a ray of almost infinite frequency, much higher
• 1:18:42
  Speaker 1: than the disintegrating ray the Jovians use. Instead of resolving
• 1:18:47
  Speaker 1: materials into light and energy, these devices will absolutely destroy
• 1:18:52
  Speaker 1: the ether, that imponderable substance which permeates and fills all space.
• 1:18:58
  Speaker 1: Heat and light travel in waves through the ether. When
• 1:19:02
  Speaker 1: it is destroyed, only blackness and entire absence of heat remain.
• 1:19:08
  Speaker 1: Nothing can bear the cold of interstellar space, and yet
• 1:19:11
  Speaker 1: it is warm compared to the absolute cold which the
• 1:19:15
  Speaker 1: absence of ether produces. When you direct one of these
• 1:19:19
  Speaker 1: rays toward a Jovian ship, the ether in the ship
• 1:19:22
  Speaker 1: is destroyed. No insulation against the cold of space will interfere.
• 1:19:28
  Speaker 1: For the ether penetrates and permeates all substance. The cold
• 1:19:33
  Speaker 1: of absolute nothingness will destroy all life in the twinkling
• 1:19:36
  Speaker 1: of an eye, and the ship will be reduced to
• 1:19:39
  Speaker 1: a puff of powder. At such a temperature, even stellarium
• 1:19:45
  Speaker 1: has less strength than the most brittle substance. There are
• 1:19:49
  Speaker 1: two of these devices set to different powers. The one
• 1:19:54
  Speaker 1: with the blue rod is for use against space ships,
• 1:19:57
  Speaker 1: either before or after they enter the ACA atmosphere envelope.
• 1:20:02
  Speaker 1: Beware of using it except when it points in a
• 1:20:05
  Speaker 1: direction almost normal to the surface of your planet. These
• 1:20:09
  Speaker 1: devices tap and use the enormous force of gravity itself,
• 1:20:14
  Speaker 1: and when they are locked to your planet, they are
• 1:20:17
  Speaker 1: anchored to the center of gravity of the planet. Unless
• 1:20:20
  Speaker 1: it were normal to the planet's surface, its reactive force
• 1:20:24
  Speaker 1: is so great that it would disrupt the balance which
• 1:20:26
  Speaker 1: holds the planet in place where the beams set off
• 1:20:29
  Speaker 1: on a tangential line. The other, whose projecting rod is
• 1:20:34
  Speaker 1: painted red, can be used at any angle, as its
• 1:20:39
  Speaker 1: force is only a minute fraction of that of the other.
• 1:20:43
  Speaker 1: It also must be locked to the center of gravity
• 1:20:46
  Speaker 1: of the Earth before it is used by means of
• 1:20:49
  Speaker 1: the switch on the front. This instrument will give you
• 1:20:53
  Speaker 1: power to annihilate your oppressors on Earth, for while it
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 1: has not the terrible force of the other, it will
• 1:21:01
  Speaker 1: penetrate any protective screen which the science of Jupiter can erect.
• 1:21:07
  Speaker 1: Use it only against the Jovians, and when you have
• 1:21:10
  Speaker 1: finished with it, destroy it that it may not fall
• 1:21:14
  Speaker 1: into the hands of those who would misuse it. The
• 1:21:17
  Speaker 1: other may be left intact to repel other Jovian attacks.
• 1:21:22
  Speaker 1: But I think you need fear none. Once they learn
• 1:21:26
  Speaker 1: you have it, they will be content with their conquests
• 1:21:29
  Speaker 1: of Venus and Mercury and give you a wide berth.
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 1: The Jovians have had a taste of it already, and
• 1:21:37
  Speaker 1: they leave Mars alone. Each instrument is set in action
• 1:21:41
  Speaker 1: by closing the switch on top. After closing the gravity
• 1:21:45
  Speaker 1: anchor switch to stop them, open the top switch. Under
• 1:21:51
  Speaker 1: the direction of the Grand Magnak. The Martians place the
• 1:21:53
  Speaker 1: terrible weapons in the transporter prepare for them. Turgan and
• 1:21:57
  Speaker 1: Damis strove to thank the Grand mugg Neck for his gift,
• 1:22:01
  Speaker 1: but he interrupted them promptly. No thanks are due us,
• 1:22:05
  Speaker 1: he said, we have done that which we believe is
• 1:22:08
  Speaker 1: the best for the orderly development of this galaxy of planets,
• 1:22:12
  Speaker 1: and there is no reason why we should be thanked.
• 1:22:16
  Speaker 1: Now enter the transporters and you will be returned to
• 1:22:20
  Speaker 1: your spaceship. Destroy your oppressors, and work for the day
• 1:22:25
  Speaker 1: when Mores and Earth will march in peace toward the
• 1:22:28
  Speaker 1: final goal of all life. Accompanied by two Martian invoys,
• 1:22:33
  Speaker 1: Damis Center again entered the cylinders and fastened them closely.
• 1:22:38
  Speaker 1: They set their feet in place and grasped the handles.
• 1:22:41
  Speaker 1: Before them. Again came the feeling of nausea, and then
• 1:22:44
  Speaker 1: a thought ordered them to emerge from the transporters. They
• 1:22:49
  Speaker 1: emerged almost at the same instant. Before them lay the
• 1:22:53
  Speaker 1: spaceship with its airlock wide open. Not a living soul
• 1:22:57
  Speaker 1: was in sight. Damus lee toward the ship, but his
• 1:23:01
  Speaker 1: foot struck an obstruction which sent him sprawling. He glanced down,
• 1:23:06
  Speaker 1: and a hoarse cry of alarm broke from his lips.
• 1:23:09
  Speaker 1: He had stumbled over the body of Castner. The body
• 1:23:13
  Speaker 1: had been horribly mutilated by some heavy instrument, one arm
• 1:23:17
  Speaker 1: hanging to the torso by a mere shud of flesh
• 1:23:21
  Speaker 1: scattered around on the ground lay other mutilated bodies. With
• 1:23:25
  Speaker 1: a shout of anguish, Turgen sped toward the open spaceship. Damis,
• 1:23:30
  Speaker 1: with a pale face, haistily examined the dead bodies. Eighteen
• 1:23:35
  Speaker 1: of the Terrestrials lay stiff in death, while the bodies
• 1:23:39
  Speaker 1: of two huge Jovians in the uniform of Glabor's personal
• 1:23:43
  Speaker 1: guard told the cause of their death. Damis, struck by
• 1:23:47
  Speaker 1: a sudden apprehension, ran from one body to the next,
• 1:23:51
  Speaker 1: and in a little while he straightened up with a
• 1:23:54
  Speaker 1: momentary breath of relief. Laura's body was not among them.
• 1:23:59
  Speaker 1: He turned to the ship in time to see Turgan
• 1:24:01
  Speaker 1: appear in the door of the airlock, his face distorted
• 1:24:05
  Speaker 1: by grief and his tall body swaying. Damis hurriedly ran
• 1:24:09
  Speaker 1: to him, is Laura dead? He brought out the last
• 1:24:14
  Speaker 1: word with an effort. Turgan's face worked for a moment
• 1:24:17
  Speaker 1: before he could reply. Through the thin air of Mars
• 1:24:21
  Speaker 1: came his choking voice. Worse, he muttered, she is gone.
• 1:24:28
  Speaker 1: End of chapter three, Chapter four of Giants on the
• 1:24:36
  Speaker 1: Earth by Captain S. P. Meek. This liebvox recording is
• 1:24:41
  Speaker 1: in the public domain. Chapter four Damis's decision. Damas stared
• 1:24:48
  Speaker 1: at Turgan for a moment as though unable to comprimand
• 1:24:52
  Speaker 1: the old man's words gone, he repeated, stupidly, she has
• 1:24:58
  Speaker 1: slain herself, no, replied the kildare his face still working
• 1:25:02
  Speaker 1: in grief. She is gone from us. She has been
• 1:25:06
  Speaker 1: captured by Glavor's minions, her dagger asked, Damis hesitatingly, is
• 1:25:13
  Speaker 1: gone with her, replied Turgan. The Nephthalims started toward the spaceship,
• 1:25:19
  Speaker 1: but a thought way from one of the Martian invoys
• 1:25:22
  Speaker 1: stopped him in mid stride. Weight Man of Earth came
• 1:25:27
  Speaker 1: the message, the heavens are eternally watched by our people,
• 1:25:32
  Speaker 1: and none can enter or leave the vicinity of Mars
• 1:25:35
  Speaker 1: unknown to us. My comrade is now inquiring of each
• 1:25:40
  Speaker 1: of the observers. Whence came the Jovians and where they
• 1:25:43
  Speaker 1: have gone? Turgan and Damis waited impatiently. Presently, the second
• 1:25:49
  Speaker 1: Martians sent a thought wave to their minds. The Jovian
• 1:25:53
  Speaker 1: ship approached Mars, using Phobus, one of our moons, as
• 1:25:57
  Speaker 1: a screen to its movements. It was close to the
• 1:26:00
  Speaker 1: planet before it was seen. When challenged, the ship since
• 1:26:04
  Speaker 1: a message saying that it was captained by Tones and
• 1:26:08
  Speaker 1: Akil Dare of Earth and an enemy of the Jovians.
• 1:26:12
  Speaker 1: The Grand Monak was engaged and the matter was referred
• 1:26:16
  Speaker 1: to the Mozar of Gimamonaut, the nearest city. Thinking they
• 1:26:20
  Speaker 1: were your followers, he directed them to land here. The
• 1:26:24
  Speaker 1: Grand Monak is enraged beyond measure that, after so many
• 1:26:29
  Speaker 1: ages of failure, the Jovians have made a successful raid
• 1:26:33
  Speaker 1: on our planet. The Mozar will pay for his indiscretion
• 1:26:37
  Speaker 1: with his life. A groan burst from Turgan's lips. Damus
• 1:26:42
  Speaker 1: stood for a moment, stricken with grief, and then sprang
• 1:26:45
  Speaker 1: in giant leaves toward the spaceflyer. Come on, Turgan, he cried,
• 1:26:50
  Speaker 1: We may overtake them, yet that least we can avenge
• 1:26:53
  Speaker 1: if we cannot save the Kildare followed him more slowly.
• 1:26:58
  Speaker 1: Where o Nephileim? He asked, Will we find them in
• 1:27:01
  Speaker 1: the trackless waste of space? Damus paused at the words.
• 1:27:07
  Speaker 1: Why between here and Earth? He replied, And as he
• 1:27:10
  Speaker 1: did so, a thought crossed his mind, which was revealed
• 1:27:13
  Speaker 1: by the sudden expression of dismay which clouded his features. Earth, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Jupiter,
• 1:27:22
  Speaker 1: all are under the rule of the sons of God,
• 1:27:24
  Speaker 1: he cried, And to any of them Glavoy's ship may
• 1:27:28
  Speaker 1: have fled, replied the killed air. Before we start in pursuit,
• 1:27:33
  Speaker 1: it is best to find, if we can, in what
• 1:27:35
  Speaker 1: direction the ship went. Frantically, Damus strove to muster his
• 1:27:40
  Speaker 1: thoughts and hurl a question or two with the Martians
• 1:27:43
  Speaker 1: who stood beside the transporter cylinders. Before the thought had
• 1:27:48
  Speaker 1: been fully formed, an answer reached him. I have been inquiring, Nephthalm,
• 1:27:53
  Speaker 1: why when our observers saw that ship contained Jovians they
• 1:27:57
  Speaker 1: were not destroyed. One of the absorer who watched them
• 1:28:01
  Speaker 1: tells me that their ship landed between your ship and
• 1:28:04
  Speaker 1: the only instruments of destruction which could be brought to
• 1:28:07
  Speaker 1: bear on them. The Jovians poured out and attacked your crew,
• 1:28:12
  Speaker 1: who were all out of the ship. They were so
• 1:28:15
  Speaker 1: mingled that it would have been impossible to destroy them
• 1:28:18
  Speaker 1: without encompassing the destruction of your men as well, and
• 1:28:22
  Speaker 1: we could not blast their ship into nothingness without also
• 1:28:26
  Speaker 1: destroying yours. When they rose again, they carried one of
• 1:28:31
  Speaker 1: your crew a prisoner, and so they were not blasted
• 1:28:34
  Speaker 1: out of the heavens. They took a course which carried
• 1:28:37
  Speaker 1: them behind Phoebus, where they were shielded. When next scene.
• 1:28:42
  Speaker 1: They were headed away from your planet. If Glavore came
• 1:28:46
  Speaker 1: to Mars, Laura is dead by now, said Turgan, sorrowfully,
• 1:28:51
  Speaker 1: tears coming down his cheeks. Glovore is not one to
• 1:28:54
  Speaker 1: await the fulfillment of his desires, and Laura had her
• 1:28:58
  Speaker 1: dagger her. So Rul is now with him, whom we
• 1:29:01
  Speaker 1: are taught to glorify. His will be done, if it
• 1:29:08
  Speaker 1: be his will, replied Damos, don't give up, Turgan, we
• 1:29:12
  Speaker 1: may save her. Yet he turned to the Martians and
• 1:29:15
  Speaker 1: formed a thought message in his mind, as your science
• 1:29:19
  Speaker 1: any way of telling us who was in command of
• 1:29:22
  Speaker 1: the Jovian ship. He asked, were your men who lie
• 1:29:26
  Speaker 1: dead familiar with the features of the Jovian viceroy? Yes,
• 1:29:31
  Speaker 1: all of them. Then we will search the brains of
• 1:29:34
  Speaker 1: the dead. The pictures that are in the living brain
• 1:29:38
  Speaker 1: fade rapidly when death comes. But the last impression of
• 1:29:42
  Speaker 1: these men was a powerful one of fighting and hatred,
• 1:29:45
  Speaker 1: and some traces may remain. I will search. The huge
• 1:29:52
  Speaker 1: slug crawled over the ground to the body of the
• 1:29:54
  Speaker 1: nearest dead terrestrial. In one of his many hands, he
• 1:29:58
  Speaker 1: carried a shiny metal tube from which Crimson rays flickered
• 1:30:02
  Speaker 1: and played over the head of the dead man. The
• 1:30:06
  Speaker 1: skull disintegrated under the influence of the strange instrument, until
• 1:30:10
  Speaker 1: the brain lay naked and exposed to the fierce glare
• 1:30:14
  Speaker 1: of the Martian sun. The Martian delicately connected two wires
• 1:30:19
  Speaker 1: terminating in metal plates to the tissue of the brain,
• 1:30:23
  Speaker 1: and attached the other ends of the wires to a
• 1:30:25
  Speaker 1: metal circlet, which he clamped about his middle. For some moments,
• 1:30:30
  Speaker 1: he remained motionless, and then crawled to the body of
• 1:30:33
  Speaker 1: the neck second dead earthman. One after another, he examined
• 1:30:37
  Speaker 1: each of the eighteen dead bodies. When he had completed,
• 1:30:41
  Speaker 1: he crawled over to Damis and Turgan. Put these bands
• 1:30:46
  Speaker 1: about your brows, he commanded in thought language, as he
• 1:30:49
  Speaker 1: handed to each of them a metallic band similar to
• 1:30:52
  Speaker 1: the one clasped about him. The two earthmen quickly adjusted
• 1:30:57
  Speaker 1: the bands. Let your minds remain a blank, and in
• 1:31:01
  Speaker 1: them will be reproduced the impressions I have gathered from
• 1:31:04
  Speaker 1: the brains of your dead followers. Damas sprang suddenly upward
• 1:31:09
  Speaker 1: and smote with all of his force at the air.
• 1:31:13
  Speaker 1: Out of nothingness had materialized the form of a huge
• 1:31:17
  Speaker 1: Jovian clad in the uniform of Glavor's guards. His blow
• 1:31:22
  Speaker 1: went harmlessly through the thin air, and the Jovian swung
• 1:31:25
  Speaker 1: a massive ax. Just before the blow landed. The Jovian disappeared,
• 1:31:31
  Speaker 1: and a thought way from the Martian impinged on Demas's brain.
• 1:31:36
  Speaker 1: Spare your energies in Ephthalm, the message said, what you
• 1:31:40
  Speaker 1: saw was not a Jovian, but was the last impression
• 1:31:44
  Speaker 1: stored in the brain of the man who met his
• 1:31:46
  Speaker 1: death under a blow of the axe which seemed to
• 1:31:49
  Speaker 1: be striking at you. I am merely reproducing in you
• 1:31:53
  Speaker 1: the emotions and experiences that man felt had I allowed
• 1:31:58
  Speaker 1: the phantom blow to land, and you would now be
• 1:32:01
  Speaker 1: cold in death, so great was the strength of the impression.
• 1:32:06
  Speaker 1: Now make your mind again blank, and I will reveal
• 1:32:10
  Speaker 1: to you what was in the mind of another at
• 1:32:12
  Speaker 1: the instant that his death came upon him. Before the
• 1:32:17
  Speaker 1: Nephthalamee startled gaze, another Jovian appeared heaven. He cried as
• 1:32:23
  Speaker 1: he recognized the principal officer of Glabour. The equerry came
• 1:32:28
  Speaker 1: forward slowly, blood dripping from a wound in his leg.
• 1:32:32
  Speaker 1: He swung his axe, but it went wide of the mark. Again,
• 1:32:36
  Speaker 1: he struck, but two Terrestrials attacked him from the rear,
• 1:32:39
  Speaker 1: and he whirled. For a moment, Dams had a chance
• 1:32:44
  Speaker 1: to watch the conflict which was raging about him. Nine
• 1:32:48
  Speaker 1: of the huge Jovians were engaged in deadly combat with
• 1:32:52
  Speaker 1: a dozen of the Terrestrials, who still remained on their feet.
• 1:32:56
  Speaker 1: In the door of the spaceship stood Laura, watching the
• 1:32:59
  Speaker 1: conflict with frightened eyes. One after another of the Earthmen
• 1:33:04
  Speaker 1: were stricken down. Suddenly a Jovian rushed at Damos, but
• 1:33:09
  Speaker 1: the scene went blank before the raised acts could strike
• 1:33:12
  Speaker 1: him down. Have you seen enough, or shall I show
• 1:33:16
  Speaker 1: you the scenes in the brains of the others, asked
• 1:33:19
  Speaker 1: the Martian. I have seen and recognized nine of the Jovians,
• 1:33:24
  Speaker 1: replied Damos. Yet among them was not the one I feared.
• 1:33:29
  Speaker 1: Let me see into the brains of the others that
• 1:33:31
  Speaker 1: I may be sure that Glavor was not among them.
• 1:33:35
  Speaker 1: Another scene materialized before him. It was merely a variation
• 1:33:40
  Speaker 1: of those he had already seen in the brain of
• 1:33:42
  Speaker 1: one of the Terrestrials. He saw a landing of the
• 1:33:45
  Speaker 1: Jovian ship and the sudden onrush of the sons of God,
• 1:33:49
  Speaker 1: armed only with the forty pound axes they used at
• 1:33:52
  Speaker 1: close quarters. In none of the scenes did he see
• 1:33:56
  Speaker 1: the huge form of Glavour. He removed the band, and
• 1:34:00
  Speaker 1: with a sigh of relief, I broke Gleverer's arms a
• 1:34:04
  Speaker 1: few days back, he said to Turkan, And it is
• 1:34:07
  Speaker 1: probable that that prevented him from following us, even if
• 1:34:10
  Speaker 1: he felt that he could leave the Earth in the
• 1:34:12
  Speaker 1: turmoil which Tonas has undoubtedly raised. It means that Laura
• 1:34:18
  Speaker 1: is safe for the present, for Haavener would not dare
• 1:34:21
  Speaker 1: to do other than to bring her to the Viceroy.
• 1:34:24
  Speaker 1: We must follow them and endeavor to rescue her. I
• 1:34:27
  Speaker 1: will ask our friends if they can plot her course
• 1:34:30
  Speaker 1: for us. I have inquired as to that, replied the
• 1:34:35
  Speaker 1: Martian to Damis's unspoken question, and find we cannot. Soon
• 1:34:41
  Speaker 1: after the ship left the surface of Mars, our observers
• 1:34:44
  Speaker 1: sighted a Jovian fleet of a hundred fliers in the
• 1:34:47
  Speaker 1: asteroid belt between here and Jupiter. They are nearly through
• 1:34:52
  Speaker 1: the belt now and are headed toward your planet. Their
• 1:34:55
  Speaker 1: path will bring them within a few thousand miles of Mars,
• 1:35:00
  Speaker 1: and every instrument on the planet is trained on them.
• 1:35:04
  Speaker 1: While the Grand Maganak believes that Earth is their destination.
• 1:35:09
  Speaker 1: Never before have the Jovians approached us in such force,
• 1:35:13
  Speaker 1: and it may be that Turbane will try to avenge
• 1:35:17
  Speaker 1: his former defeats by an attack in force. We have
• 1:35:21
  Speaker 1: no instruments to spare to keep track of a lone
• 1:35:24
  Speaker 1: flier unless it changes its course and approaches us. There
• 1:35:28
  Speaker 1: is one more source of information. I will examine the
• 1:35:31
  Speaker 1: brains of the dead Jovians. Perhaps they know their leader's
• 1:35:36
  Speaker 1: plans from the first Jovian. The Martian turned away with
• 1:35:40
  Speaker 1: an expression of disappointment. There is nothing in his brain
• 1:35:44
  Speaker 1: but a scene of the fight with your followers. Yet
• 1:35:48
  Speaker 1: it may cheer you to know that at the last
• 1:35:50
  Speaker 1: he felt fear. The emotion the Jovian's boast is foreign
• 1:35:54
  Speaker 1: to them, said the Martian. I will examine the other
• 1:35:58
  Speaker 1: with his crimson ray. He removed the covering from the
• 1:36:01
  Speaker 1: brain of the second Jovian and connected his wires. For
• 1:36:06
  Speaker 1: a few moments he was motionless, and then he removed
• 1:36:10
  Speaker 1: the wires and crawled rapidly toward Damis Naphthalim. Here is
• 1:36:16
  Speaker 1: what you wish, came his thoughts jumbled in a chaotic
• 1:36:20
  Speaker 1: state of excitement. This man had a wonderful brain, and
• 1:36:24
  Speaker 1: the impressions of the last month are clear and distinct.
• 1:36:28
  Speaker 1: Attend carefully and leave your mind a blank. On the
• 1:36:33
  Speaker 1: Martian plain, building suddenly materialized before the Nephthalim's gaze. With
• 1:36:39
  Speaker 1: a cry of astonishment, he saw himself facing Glavore in defiance. Laura,
• 1:36:45
  Speaker 1: who had been crouching behind him, ran into one of
• 1:36:48
  Speaker 1: the buildings. Act by act, Damos saw the fight between
• 1:36:53
  Speaker 1: himself and the Jovian viceroy. Repeated the viceroy. One arm,
• 1:36:59
  Speaker 1: dangling use uselessly, was whisked away in his chariot. The
• 1:37:04
  Speaker 1: scene faded, and another took its place. The vice Regal
• 1:37:08
  Speaker 1: Palace was beleaguered by thousands and scores of thousands of
• 1:37:12
  Speaker 1: shouting terrestrials. Jovians sought with rays and with atomic bombs
• 1:37:17
  Speaker 1: to disperse them, but where a score were blasted into
• 1:37:21
  Speaker 1: nothingness or torn into fragments, a hundred fresh men took
• 1:37:25
  Speaker 1: their place. Suddenly the Jovian rays began to fail. The
• 1:37:29
  Speaker 1: earthmen had found the secret source of power which supplied
• 1:37:33
  Speaker 1: the palace, and had cut it again. The scene faded,
• 1:37:38
  Speaker 1: and he was on a spaceship with Haavaner talking to
• 1:37:41
  Speaker 1: him the words he could not hear, for the Martian
• 1:37:44
  Speaker 1: could not comprehend a record of a sound. The pictures
• 1:37:47
  Speaker 1: conjured up by the words were easy to comprehend, and
• 1:37:50
  Speaker 1: in picture forms, the Martian conveyed to him the sense
• 1:37:54
  Speaker 1: of the conversation Haavener was telling him of their destination.
• 1:37:59
  Speaker 1: First came out a scene which he recognized as a
• 1:38:02
  Speaker 1: Martian landscape. The Jovians swarmed from their spaceship and struck
• 1:38:07
  Speaker 1: down the Earthmen without exertion. Three were made captive, himself, Turgan,
• 1:38:13
  Speaker 1: and Laura. The Jovians re entered the ship and sped
• 1:38:16
  Speaker 1: away into space. Damis wondered what this last picture signified.
• 1:38:22
  Speaker 1: Another scene materialized, and they were on another planet. It
• 1:38:27
  Speaker 1: was not Mars, and it was not Earth. For a
• 1:38:30
  Speaker 1: moment he was puzzled. The sun, when it shone, was
• 1:38:34
  Speaker 1: larger and fiercer than he had ever seen it, But
• 1:38:37
  Speaker 1: it shone only for an instant. Blankets of cloud and
• 1:38:42
  Speaker 1: fog hid it from view. Rain fell incessantly, lush, rank
• 1:38:48
  Speaker 1: vegetation covered the ground and rose in a tangle far overhead.
• 1:38:53
  Speaker 1: The Jovians emerged from the spaceship, the prisoners in their
• 1:38:56
  Speaker 1: midst a huge lizard, one hundred feet long rushed at them,
• 1:39:01
  Speaker 1: but a flash of the discinegrating tubes dissolved it into
• 1:39:05
  Speaker 1: dancing motes of light. The Jovians made their way through
• 1:39:10
  Speaker 1: the steaming jungle until a huge city, roofed with a
• 1:39:14
  Speaker 1: crystal dome which covered it and arched high into the air,
• 1:39:18
  Speaker 1: appeared before them. Toward this city, the Jovians marched the
• 1:39:23
  Speaker 1: Crystal Cities of Venus, cried Turgen. Damus nodded innocent again.
• 1:39:30
  Speaker 1: The scene changed and the Martian plane was before them.
• 1:39:35
  Speaker 1: From the spaceship, the Jovians emerged, but instead of the
• 1:39:39
  Speaker 1: easy victory they had had in the earlier scene, they
• 1:39:43
  Speaker 1: found the task a difficult one from all sides. The
• 1:39:47
  Speaker 1: terrestrials charged at them, and Damus found himself fighting against
• 1:39:51
  Speaker 1: his compatriots. A sword flashed before his eyes, and the
• 1:39:55
  Speaker 1: scene was gone. Learned that which you sought came a
• 1:40:02
  Speaker 1: Martian thought inquiry. Damus hastily formed his thoughts into an
• 1:40:06
  Speaker 1: affirmative message of thanks and turned to Turgan. We know
• 1:40:12
  Speaker 1: now where to go, he cried, exultantly. Laura is safe
• 1:40:16
  Speaker 1: until they land on Venus and enter the Crystal Cities.
• 1:40:20
  Speaker 1: For Haavenor would not dare to do otherwise than carry
• 1:40:23
  Speaker 1: out the orders of Glavore. The Martian weapons which we
• 1:40:27
  Speaker 1: have will insure us an easy victory. Come let us
• 1:40:31
  Speaker 1: hasten a thought message from the Martians stopped him. Those
• 1:40:35
  Speaker 1: weapons on which you are planning, Nephthalim, were given to
• 1:40:40
  Speaker 1: you by our Grand Magnac, for the purpose of ridding
• 1:40:44
  Speaker 1: your planet of your oppressors and of defending your planet
• 1:40:48
  Speaker 1: against further Jovian attacks, not for the purpose of invading
• 1:40:52
  Speaker 1: another planet with which we have no quarrel. If you
• 1:40:57
  Speaker 1: will use them for the purpose for which they were
• 1:41:00
  Speaker 1: given you, you may depart with them in peace. If
• 1:41:04
  Speaker 1: you plan to go to Venus, the weapons will remain
• 1:41:08
  Speaker 1: on Mars. We will go to the Earth and rid
• 1:41:12
  Speaker 1: her of our oppressors, replied Damis. But first we must
• 1:41:16
  Speaker 1: go to Venus and rescue Laura. Venus lies beyond the sun,
• 1:41:21
  Speaker 1: was the Martian answer. While your planet and Mars are
• 1:41:25
  Speaker 1: on the same side. It will take you five times
• 1:41:28
  Speaker 1: as long to go to Venus as to go to Earth. Meanwhile,
• 1:41:33
  Speaker 1: the Jovian fleet will have landed, and your efforts will
• 1:41:36
  Speaker 1: be in vain to dislodge them. Even now, you must
• 1:41:40
  Speaker 1: fly at your best speed to reach your planet before them.
• 1:41:45
  Speaker 1: But we cannot abandon Laura. She is the only daughter
• 1:41:48
  Speaker 1: of my comrade, and she is my affianced bride. She
• 1:41:52
  Speaker 1: means more to us than does the fate of our planet.
• 1:41:55
  Speaker 1: Then go to Venus after her nephthalm but go oh
• 1:42:00
  Speaker 1: without Martian aid. Only to save you from your oppressors,
• 1:42:04
  Speaker 1: will we help you. Never has Mars attempted conquest of
• 1:42:09
  Speaker 1: another celestial body, although not even Jupiter could stand against
• 1:42:14
  Speaker 1: our might if we chose to attack it. You cannot
• 1:42:18
  Speaker 1: understand her relationship to us, Mortian, No, I cannot. We
• 1:42:24
  Speaker 1: are sexless, and sex exists on Mars only for the
• 1:42:29
  Speaker 1: purpose for that which it was intended, the perpetuation of
• 1:42:33
  Speaker 1: our species. It may be that we have been mistaken.
• 1:42:38
  Speaker 1: If the fate of one member of your species means
• 1:42:41
  Speaker 1: more to you than the rescue of your whole race,
• 1:42:45
  Speaker 1: it is perhaps well that you be eliminated by the Jovians.
• 1:42:50
  Speaker 1: In any event, our decision is final. Make your choice
• 1:42:54
  Speaker 1: of whether you depart with the weapons or as you came.
• 1:42:59
  Speaker 1: Then I will go to Venus cried damis. If necessary,
• 1:43:03
  Speaker 1: I will fight the Jovians with bare hands, but I
• 1:43:07
  Speaker 1: will rescue Laura or die in the attempt. And what
• 1:43:11
  Speaker 1: are the earthmen who trusted you, Nephthalim asked Turken? Dozens
• 1:43:16
  Speaker 1: gave their lives gladly to capture the spaceship in which
• 1:43:19
  Speaker 1: we came here, and thousands have gone cheerfully to annihilation
• 1:43:23
  Speaker 1: to keep the sons of God belieguered in the vice
• 1:43:26
  Speaker 1: Regal palace until we return with the weapons which will
• 1:43:28
  Speaker 1: bring them victory. Think you that they would choose the
• 1:43:32
  Speaker 1: destruction of enslaving of the whole race to the possible
• 1:43:36
  Speaker 1: chance of rescuing one person from the grasp of Glavorou's minions. Turkan,
• 1:43:42
  Speaker 1: you are mad, cried, Damos, have you forgotten that Laura
• 1:43:46
  Speaker 1: is your only child? Since the days of Hortan, Glavoor
• 1:43:50
  Speaker 1: has sought information as to the sacred Assembly room. Hundreds
• 1:43:55
  Speaker 1: of men have gone to torture and death with their
• 1:43:57
  Speaker 1: lips sealed, when they could have bought life and freedom
• 1:44:01
  Speaker 1: by speaking. Were my own life, turk In, I would
• 1:44:04
  Speaker 1: not hesitate. Think you that never before has an earthman
• 1:44:09
  Speaker 1: been faced with the choice of betraying his countrymen or
• 1:44:12
  Speaker 1: seeing his wife or daughter violated and sacrificed. In the games,
• 1:44:18
  Speaker 1: all have been true to the last, and yet they
• 1:44:21
  Speaker 1: could have done little harm had they spoken. You have
• 1:44:25
  Speaker 1: the fate of the earth in your hand, yet you hesitate.
• 1:44:30
  Speaker 1: I am Laura's father, and I know her better, it seems,
• 1:44:33
  Speaker 1: than do you. If you abandon her countrymen, she will
• 1:44:38
  Speaker 1: despise you for a coward. It is better that one
• 1:44:42
  Speaker 1: or that many be lost, than that all be lost.
• 1:44:48
  Speaker 1: Da must spout his head in silence. Raised by the Jovians,
• 1:44:52
  Speaker 1: whose only ideal of life was their own selfish pleasure.
• 1:44:57
  Speaker 1: The thought that the fate of thousands, whom he did
• 1:44:59
  Speaker 1: not and in whom he felt little interest, could be
• 1:45:02
  Speaker 1: of more importance than the fate of the one whose
• 1:45:05
  Speaker 1: safety meant more than life to him was a novel one.
• 1:45:09
  Speaker 1: The lifelong training he had received from the sons of
• 1:45:12
  Speaker 1: God struggled and struggled in vain against the ideals he
• 1:45:17
  Speaker 1: had inherited from his earthly mother and his loved sire.
• 1:45:22
  Speaker 1: With a face drawn with anguish, he raised his head.
• 1:45:26
  Speaker 1: We will take your weapons, Martian, and with them go
• 1:45:30
  Speaker 1: to the earth. If it be his will that Laura
• 1:45:35
  Speaker 1: be safe. Safe she shall be, although the whole force
• 1:45:38
  Speaker 1: of Jupiter threatened her. If not his will be done
• 1:45:44
  Speaker 1: one promise I exact of you, Turgan. When we have
• 1:45:48
  Speaker 1: reached Earth and I have taught your followers to use
• 1:45:51
  Speaker 1: the Martian weapon, you will give me a crew and
• 1:45:55
  Speaker 1: let me depart to Venus to find her gladly? Will
• 1:45:59
  Speaker 1: I promise, and if I be spared, I will go
• 1:46:01
  Speaker 1: with you, Damus, said Turgen. Do not think that Laura
• 1:46:05
  Speaker 1: is not dear to me. She is dearer than all
• 1:46:08
  Speaker 1: else in the universe, save only the keeping bright the
• 1:46:12
  Speaker 1: ideal of loyalty that has been the guiding light of
• 1:46:15
  Speaker 1: the terrestrials for untold ages. Your decision is well made, Nephthalim,
• 1:46:22
  Speaker 1: said the Martian, and word of it shall be given
• 1:46:25
  Speaker 1: to the Grand Magnac that he made no mistake when
• 1:46:29
  Speaker 1: he entrusted you with the weapons of Mars. Now for
• 1:46:33
  Speaker 1: your course, when you rise, direct your ship toward Daphos.
• 1:46:38
  Speaker 1: The Jovian fleet is now at an ascension of forty
• 1:46:42
  Speaker 1: two degrees and at an angle of one hundred and
• 1:46:45
  Speaker 1: sixty degrees from the sun. Daphos will hide you from
• 1:46:49
  Speaker 1: their instruments. Once you reach it, our observers will plot
• 1:46:54
  Speaker 1: your course and send you a bearing which will take
• 1:46:57
  Speaker 1: you as far from the Jovian fleet as possible. They
• 1:47:02
  Speaker 1: are now passing series and will soon be out of
• 1:47:05
  Speaker 1: the asteroid belt. They are larger and more powerful than
• 1:47:09
  Speaker 1: the ship you are flying, and they will make better speed. However,
• 1:47:15
  Speaker 1: if you use your maximum power, you will easily arrive
• 1:47:19
  Speaker 1: on your planet before them. Have you fuel enough for
• 1:47:23
  Speaker 1: your trip at full speed? Damus hastily inspected the fuel
• 1:47:27
  Speaker 1: supply of the ship and made some rapid calculations. We
• 1:47:31
  Speaker 1: have enough to carry us at maximum speed to Earth
• 1:47:34
  Speaker 1: and to retard us to a safe landing, but very
• 1:47:37
  Speaker 1: little to spare. Can you give us some There is
• 1:47:41
  Speaker 1: no tontulum on Mars, except a little scattered through tons
• 1:47:45
  Speaker 1: of rock. It would take us days to extract enough
• 1:47:49
  Speaker 1: to do you any good. It is well that you
• 1:47:53
  Speaker 1: did not plan to fly to Venus, for you could
• 1:47:56
  Speaker 1: have made little speed, and the Jovian flyer with every
• 1:48:00
  Speaker 1: there long before you did. Now go, and may our
• 1:48:04
  Speaker 1: best wishes aid you in your flight. Damus turned and
• 1:48:09
  Speaker 1: instinctively held out his hand. A trace of expression flickered
• 1:48:13
  Speaker 1: over the face of the nearest Martian slug, and he
• 1:48:16
  Speaker 1: bent forward and clasped the proffered hand in one of
• 1:48:19
  Speaker 1: the many hands with which he was provided. No further
• 1:48:24
  Speaker 1: message came to Damis from the Martians, and he entered
• 1:48:27
  Speaker 1: the airlock, with Turgan following him. As the lock clang shut,
• 1:48:32
  Speaker 1: he turned to his companion, opened the reserve air tanks
• 1:48:36
  Speaker 1: and restore the atmosphere gradually to the pressure of Earth.
• 1:48:39
  Speaker 1: He directed, Unless you do that, we will be unable
• 1:48:43
  Speaker 1: to function efficiently. While Turgan opened the valve which allowed
• 1:48:48
  Speaker 1: the reserved supply of compressed air to gradually enter the ship,
• 1:48:51
  Speaker 1: Damis pulled down the starting lever of the ship with
• 1:48:55
  Speaker 1: a terrific lurch. The flier left the surface of Mars
• 1:48:58
  Speaker 1: and shot up into the trackless realms of space. Abandoning
• 1:49:04
  Speaker 1: his controls for an instant, Damis looked into one of
• 1:49:07
  Speaker 1: the observers. The plane below them was empty of Martians,
• 1:49:13
  Speaker 1: but in the distance he could dimly see two of
• 1:49:16
  Speaker 1: the silvery domes which marked their cities. He made some
• 1:49:21
  Speaker 1: sharp calculations and turned on a side motor. For a moment,
• 1:49:26
  Speaker 1: the ship swerved and headed for the Martian satellite to
• 1:49:29
  Speaker 1: which he had been directed. In an hour, he was
• 1:49:33
  Speaker 1: holding the ship less than a thousand miles from Dephos
• 1:49:37
  Speaker 1: while he received a message from the Grand Magnac as
• 1:49:40
  Speaker 1: to the location of the Jovian fleet, their speed and course,
• 1:49:44
  Speaker 1: and the course which he should fly to reach the
• 1:49:46
  Speaker 1: Earth ahead of them. He noted down the directions and
• 1:49:50
  Speaker 1: set the crosshairs of his forward observer on Alpha Centauri.
• 1:49:55
  Speaker 1: His hands sought the controlling lever, and the ship rapidly
• 1:49:58
  Speaker 1: gathered momentum the trip to Earth end of chapter four,
• 1:50:09
  Speaker 1: Chapter five of Giants on the Earth by Captain S. P. Meek.
• 1:50:13
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter five
• 1:50:19
  Speaker 1: a desperate plan. Flying the spaceship with a crew of
• 1:50:24
  Speaker 1: two men instead of the normal nine, threw a heavy
• 1:50:27
  Speaker 1: strain on Damus. Turgan proved to be almost tireless. But
• 1:50:32
  Speaker 1: while he could act as an observer, Damis devoutly hoped
• 1:50:35
  Speaker 1: that no wondering celestial body would approach within the danger
• 1:50:39
  Speaker 1: zone while he was alone on duty. Nothing of the
• 1:50:42
  Speaker 1: sort happened. The days passed with monotonous slowness, yet daily,
• 1:50:47
  Speaker 1: and indeed hourly, the planet Mars faded to a red star,
• 1:50:52
  Speaker 1: and the green point of light which marked their destination
• 1:50:55
  Speaker 1: grew larger. Damis cast many a longing glance, said Venus,
• 1:51:00
  Speaker 1: but he remained steadfast to the faith which Turgan had
• 1:51:04
  Speaker 1: engendered in him. During the long hours, Turgan had opportunity
• 1:51:08
  Speaker 1: to tell the Nephthalim of some of the sacrifices made
• 1:51:12
  Speaker 1: by terrestrials for the cause of liberty. They filled NamUs
• 1:51:16
  Speaker 1: with amazement and moved him to awe to think of
• 1:51:19
  Speaker 1: the loyalty and bravery displayed by those whom he had
• 1:51:22
  Speaker 1: been taught from childhood to regard as a race of
• 1:51:25
  Speaker 1: slaves created solely to minister to their overlords. Damus pushed
• 1:51:31
  Speaker 1: the ship to the greatest acceleration which he dared to use,
• 1:51:35
  Speaker 1: and as they approached the Earth, he cast many an
• 1:51:37
  Speaker 1: anxious glance at the diminishing fuel supply. For thirteen days,
• 1:51:41
  Speaker 1: he drove at high speed until the Earth seemed almost
• 1:51:45
  Speaker 1: at hand, Using almost the full power of his bow motors,
• 1:51:50
  Speaker 1: he checked its speed for a time. He thought he
• 1:51:53
  Speaker 1: had overestimated the power of his motors, and that it
• 1:51:57
  Speaker 1: would be necessary to avoid the atmosphere belt run past
• 1:52:00
  Speaker 1: the Earth. In return. At the middle of the fifteenth day,
• 1:52:03
  Speaker 1: with the Earth less than a thousand miles away, he
• 1:52:06
  Speaker 1: threw in his last notch of power. The deceleration pressed
• 1:52:12
  Speaker 1: them so tightly to the nose of the ship that
• 1:52:14
  Speaker 1: they could hardly breathe. Damus lay with his hand on
• 1:52:18
  Speaker 1: a side motor to throw them out of danger. Gradually,
• 1:52:22
  Speaker 1: the forward motion of the ship ceased, and at last
• 1:52:26
  Speaker 1: Damus rose with an effort and shut off the bow motors.
• 1:52:31
  Speaker 1: We are falling under the influence of terrestrial gravity, he announced.
• 1:52:35
  Speaker 1: In another three hours, we will land. He was as
• 1:52:39
  Speaker 1: good as his word. Three hours later he dropped the
• 1:52:42
  Speaker 1: space ship to a landing at a spot half a
• 1:52:45
  Speaker 1: dozen miles distant from the beleaguered capital of the Sons
• 1:52:48
  Speaker 1: of God. As he landed, the sun was just peeping
• 1:52:51
  Speaker 1: over the eastern horizon. Their approach had been seen, and
• 1:52:56
  Speaker 1: the ship was surrounded by hundreds of terrestrial swordsmen. As
• 1:53:00
  Speaker 1: the airlock opened and Damis and Turgan appeared, there was
• 1:53:04
  Speaker 1: silence for a moment, and then a thunderous shout of
• 1:53:08
  Speaker 1: joy rose to the heavens. From the forefront of the crowd,
• 1:53:12
  Speaker 1: a crimson robed man ran toward the ship. Turgan, my lord,
• 1:53:17
  Speaker 1: he cried, as he fell on his knees and strove
• 1:53:20
  Speaker 1: to kiss the Kildare's hand. You are spared to us,
• 1:53:23
  Speaker 1: who had given you up for lost our spies reported
• 1:53:27
  Speaker 1: that the Sons of God had followed you to Mars
• 1:53:30
  Speaker 1: and had slain you all. Heavener reported to Glamor that
• 1:53:33
  Speaker 1: you had made such a resistance that it was impossible
• 1:53:36
  Speaker 1: to follow his orders and bring you back alive. Heavener cried, Damis.
• 1:53:41
  Speaker 1: Heavener is on Venus with Laura. The ship of the
• 1:53:44
  Speaker 1: Sons of God returned last night, replied the a Kildair,
• 1:53:48
  Speaker 1: with a loss of two men of its crew, and
• 1:53:50
  Speaker 1: with the princess Laura a prisoner. Tears of joy sprang
• 1:53:54
  Speaker 1: into Damis's eyes and ran unrestrained down his face. And
• 1:54:00
  Speaker 1: she is safe, he cried. One of our spies saw
• 1:54:03
  Speaker 1: her and reports that she is well, although in poor spirits.
• 1:54:08
  Speaker 1: She is confined to the palace and will not be harmed.
• 1:54:11
  Speaker 1: A Jovian fleet of a hundred ships is expected hourly,
• 1:54:14
  Speaker 1: with Tubaine himself in command. A message to Glavor has
• 1:54:18
  Speaker 1: ordered that Laura beheld for Tubain's arrival, when he will
• 1:54:22
  Speaker 1: dispose of her. What is the situation here, tones interrupted Turgen.
• 1:54:28
  Speaker 1: I rejoice with Nemus that my daughter is safe. Yet
• 1:54:31
  Speaker 1: unless we are victorious, her presence safely will avail. Her
• 1:54:34
  Speaker 1: little things have gone neither well nor ill since your departure.
• 1:54:39
  Speaker 1: Killed there, replied Toness, I have followed out the great
• 1:54:43
  Speaker 1: conspiracy as it was planned many years ago. Although we
• 1:54:47
  Speaker 1: have lost thousands of our bravest men. We have the
• 1:54:50
  Speaker 1: Sons of God besieged in the vice regial palace, and
• 1:54:54
  Speaker 1: we have tapped and cut the secret source of power
• 1:54:56
  Speaker 1: which timor the akhld there found years ago. They have
• 1:55:00
  Speaker 1: no weapons save some hand tubes that are not yet exhausted,
• 1:55:04
  Speaker 1: and their axes, their most powerful weapons of offense, are crippled.
• 1:55:09
  Speaker 1: Yet we cannot storm the palace in the face of
• 1:55:11
  Speaker 1: the defenses they have left. Have you brought us any
• 1:55:15
  Speaker 1: hope from Mars? We have brought weapons against which all
• 1:55:19
  Speaker 1: the power and science of the Sons of God are
• 1:55:22
  Speaker 1: as helpless as is our feeble strength against their might,
• 1:55:26
  Speaker 1: replied Turgan. Send me men to transport these weapons, and
• 1:55:31
  Speaker 1: in two hours not a Jovian will remain on the planet.
• 1:55:36
  Speaker 1: A wild cheer of joy from the assembled terrestrials answered
• 1:55:40
  Speaker 1: the words of the Kildare. A score of men ran
• 1:55:43
  Speaker 1: forward and entered the spaceship on the heels of Turkan.
• 1:55:47
  Speaker 1: They reappeared in a few minutes carrying with the greatest
• 1:55:50
  Speaker 1: of care the two terrible weapons, which were the gift
• 1:55:54
  Speaker 1: of the Grand Magnac. Damus suddenly looked up from a
• 1:55:57
  Speaker 1: reverie in which he had been plunged. I have just
• 1:56:02
  Speaker 1: figured it out, he exclaimed. Despite his report to Glavor,
• 1:56:07
  Speaker 1: Heavener knew that Turgan and I lived. He started away
• 1:56:12
  Speaker 1: from Mars toward Venus, a destination which he had already
• 1:56:16
  Speaker 1: informed his crew that they would make for. He feared
• 1:56:19
  Speaker 1: the Martian weapons, and he strove to draw us away
• 1:56:22
  Speaker 1: toward Venus so that he would be safe. Once the
• 1:56:25
  Speaker 1: Martian instruments had ceased to watch him, he altered his
• 1:56:29
  Speaker 1: course and made for Earth. With his greater supply of
• 1:56:31
  Speaker 1: fuel and more powerful ship, he was able to make
• 1:56:34
  Speaker 1: a higher speed, and despite the additional million or two
• 1:56:38
  Speaker 1: of miles, he was able to land before us. The
• 1:56:42
  Speaker 1: thing that puzzles me is why we were not seen
• 1:56:45
  Speaker 1: by the Jovians as we approached. You came from a
• 1:56:48
  Speaker 1: different direction than heaven or oh Nephthalem replied tons. All
• 1:56:53
  Speaker 1: their instruments were either watching Heavener or the Jovian fleet,
• 1:56:57
  Speaker 1: but for an accident, your approach would not be noted
• 1:57:00
  Speaker 1: by us. I am confident that the sons of God
• 1:57:03
  Speaker 1: have no idea that you have returned, especially since Heavna
• 1:57:08
  Speaker 1: reported that he had slain you. We will take them
• 1:57:11
  Speaker 1: by surprise. Where else where shall we take the weapons?
• 1:57:16
  Speaker 1: Take the one with the blue rod to the top
• 1:57:18
  Speaker 1: of the mountain which overlooks the palace, and set it
• 1:57:21
  Speaker 1: so that the red points in the direction from which
• 1:57:24
  Speaker 1: the two mains fleet is approaching. That hill is less
• 1:57:27
  Speaker 1: than two miles from the palace, so you had better
• 1:57:30
  Speaker 1: take them both there. Point the red rod toward the palace.
• 1:57:36
  Speaker 1: At a word from Tonis, the terrestrials started off with
• 1:57:40
  Speaker 1: the weapons for the point indicated by Damis. The Nephthalime
• 1:57:44
  Speaker 1: and Turgan followed them, relating their adventure on the Red
• 1:57:47
  Speaker 1: planet as they walked along. The shutting off of the
• 1:57:52
  Speaker 1: Jovian source of power had effectually crippled all of the
• 1:57:55
  Speaker 1: power driven chariots which certain of the higher officials among
• 1:57:59
  Speaker 1: the Earthmen had been allowed to maintain. On the top
• 1:58:03
  Speaker 1: of the hill overlooking the palace grounds, the two Martian
• 1:58:06
  Speaker 1: weapons were placed on the ground side by side. Damis
• 1:58:10
  Speaker 1: carefully aligned the red rod on the viceregal palace when
• 1:58:15
  Speaker 1: he had it set with a word of warning, he
• 1:58:18
  Speaker 1: closed the gravity anchor switch. The instrument settled a trifle
• 1:58:23
  Speaker 1: on the solid rock on which it was bedded, and
• 1:58:25
  Speaker 1: then was motionless. At a word from Damus, as many
• 1:58:30
  Speaker 1: of the terrestrials as could find a handrest pushed against it.
• 1:58:35
  Speaker 1: It was as though they were pressing against the mountain itself.
• 1:58:39
  Speaker 1: Damus sighted along the rod and adjusted it until it
• 1:58:42
  Speaker 1: pointed at the center of the building. So much for
• 1:58:46
  Speaker 1: that one, he said. It is the less powerful of
• 1:58:49
  Speaker 1: the two, but it will be enough to destroy the
• 1:58:51
  Speaker 1: sons of God and the Nephthalim who are in the palace.
• 1:58:55
  Speaker 1: The few who are scattered over the earth we can
• 1:58:57
  Speaker 1: dispose of at our leisure. If the Jovian fleet approaches
• 1:59:01
  Speaker 1: the Earth from directly above us, we will be able
• 1:59:04
  Speaker 1: to destroy it easily. In any event, this weapon is
• 1:59:08
  Speaker 1: to be used only when it is approximately normal to
• 1:59:12
  Speaker 1: the surface of the Earth. We must have it almost
• 1:59:15
  Speaker 1: under the point from which the Jovians are approaching. That
• 1:59:19
  Speaker 1: may be the opposite side of the Earth. I think not, Nepthalim,
• 1:59:23
  Speaker 1: said Tonis. We know that Glavore and Turbane have been
• 1:59:27
  Speaker 1: in constant communication since the Jovian fleet passed mors, and
• 1:59:31
  Speaker 1: he expects them to land here. There would be no
• 1:59:35
  Speaker 1: object in their taking a circuitous route, so they will
• 1:59:38
  Speaker 1: probably drop directly down in the palace grounds. Let us
• 1:59:42
  Speaker 1: hope so, Tonis. In any event, we might as well
• 1:59:46
  Speaker 1: anchor the weapon here as elsewhere. He set the weapon
• 1:59:50
  Speaker 1: with the blue rod on another patch of bare rock
• 1:59:53
  Speaker 1: and tested the rod to make sure that it revolved
• 1:59:56
  Speaker 1: freely and could be made to cover the entire heavens
• 1:59:58
  Speaker 1: from horizon to her. He closed the gravity anchor switch,
• 2:00:03
  Speaker 1: and again the efforts of a dozen terrestrials were futile
• 2:00:06
  Speaker 1: to move it. Now we are ready for their attack,
• 2:00:10
  Speaker 1: he said to Turgen. You are as familiar with these
• 2:00:14
  Speaker 1: weapons as I am, but I will instruct a dozen
• 2:00:17
  Speaker 1: of your followers in using them. It is possible that
• 2:00:20
  Speaker 1: we may not be able to operate the weapons ourselves.
• 2:00:24
  Speaker 1: I can operate one weapon while you manipulate the other,
• 2:00:27
  Speaker 1: Damus replied the Kildare. However, no harm will be done
• 2:00:30
  Speaker 1: in instructing others. I may not be here, said Damis briefly,
• 2:00:37
  Speaker 1: without replying to the questions of Turgan and Tonus. He
• 2:00:40
  Speaker 1: proceeded to instruct a dozen of the earthmen in the
• 2:00:43
  Speaker 1: use of the terrible Mortian weapons. When he was certain
• 2:00:47
  Speaker 1: that he had a half dozen men capable of attending
• 2:00:50
  Speaker 1: to each of the weapons, he turned to Turgen. I
• 2:00:54
  Speaker 1: may not be here when the weapons are used, he said.
• 2:00:57
  Speaker 1: When I thought that Lauro had gone to Venus, I
• 2:01:00
  Speaker 1: gave her up and sacrificed both her and my heart
• 2:01:03
  Speaker 1: on the altar of our cause, for it is which
• 2:01:06
  Speaker 1: she would have chosen. Now I have accomplished a sacrifice
• 2:01:10
  Speaker 1: and returned with the Martian weapons to find that she
• 2:01:14
  Speaker 1: is a captive in the Viceroy's palace. We can turn
• 2:01:17
  Speaker 1: on the rays and reduce the building and all in
• 2:01:20
  Speaker 1: it to a pinch of dust and a few seconds,
• 2:01:23
  Speaker 1: but Laura would be immolated with the sons of God.
• 2:01:27
  Speaker 1: The weapons are here, our men know how to use them,
• 2:01:30
  Speaker 1: and my usefulness is at an end. Now I stand
• 2:01:35
  Speaker 1: here with no more responsibility for our success than the
• 2:01:38
  Speaker 1: humblest swordsman. Since I am no longer needed, I will
• 2:01:43
  Speaker 1: leave the fate of the earth to you and follow
• 2:01:45
  Speaker 1: out my private designs. Where are you going, nephthelem cried
• 2:01:50
  Speaker 1: tonas the question was echoed by all within the sound
• 2:01:53
  Speaker 1: of his voice. Only Turgan smiled as though he knew
• 2:01:57
  Speaker 1: Damus's answer. Where could I go? A killed there? But
• 2:02:02
  Speaker 1: to one place, replied the Nephthalim, I go to Glavor's palace.
• 2:02:08
  Speaker 1: I have two errands there. One is to rescue Laura,
• 2:02:12
  Speaker 1: and the other is to meet out to Glavore the
• 2:02:14
  Speaker 1: death which I swore that I would accomplish. The rays
• 2:02:18
  Speaker 1: can be turned on and the palace demolished at any time,
• 2:02:21
  Speaker 1: but I ask that you wait until I return with Laura,
• 2:02:25
  Speaker 1: or until you know that we are dead. But if
• 2:02:28
  Speaker 1: the Jovian fleet arrives before that time, Nephthalim demanded Tonus,
• 2:02:33
  Speaker 1: then give the word for the use of the weapons.
• 2:02:36
  Speaker 1: A killed there, and Laura's soul and mine will join
• 2:02:39
  Speaker 1: the thousands of others whose lives are but a part
• 2:02:42
  Speaker 1: of the price the race of Earthmen have had to
• 2:02:44
  Speaker 1: pay to rid their planet of the sons of God.
• 2:02:49
  Speaker 1: It grieves me, Dams, to see you go to certain death,
• 2:02:52
  Speaker 1: said Turgan sadly to the blonde giant. Yet I will
• 2:02:56
  Speaker 1: say nothing to stop you. Were it not that my
• 2:02:59
  Speaker 1: presence would hinder you in your attempt, I would accompany you.
• 2:03:03
  Speaker 1: Your place killed there is at the head of your
• 2:03:06
  Speaker 1: men whom you were born to rule. I can hope
• 2:03:09
  Speaker 1: to succeed only by stealth, else a thousand men would
• 2:03:14
  Speaker 1: come with me. Now, call from the ranks one who
• 2:03:17
  Speaker 1: is a barber, that he may change the color of
• 2:03:19
  Speaker 1: my hair and alter my face, that I shall not
• 2:03:22
  Speaker 1: be known. At the kildare's word. Three men stepped forward
• 2:03:27
  Speaker 1: from the ranks of swordsmen and announced themselves adepts in
• 2:03:30
  Speaker 1: the art of disguise. Swift runners were sent to bring supplies,
• 2:03:35
  Speaker 1: and the three labored over Damus. When they had finished
• 2:03:39
  Speaker 1: their ministrations. Only a close observer would have known him
• 2:03:43
  Speaker 1: under the bushy black beard which covered his face. End
• 2:03:47
  Speaker 1: of chapter five, Chapter six of Giants on the Earth
• 2:03:56
  Speaker 1: by Captain S. P. Meek. This Librivokrak guarding is in
• 2:04:00
  Speaker 1: the public domain. Chapter six in the Seraglio. With a
• 2:04:08
  Speaker 1: parting word to Turgan and his followers, Damis made his
• 2:04:11
  Speaker 1: way alone down the hill and into the thick tropical
• 2:04:14
  Speaker 1: jungle which grew up almost to the gates of the
• 2:04:17
  Speaker 1: vice regal palace. He was well acquainted with a secret
• 2:04:20
  Speaker 1: entrance into the building. It was a matter of minutes
• 2:04:23
  Speaker 1: for him to locate the outer end and open it.
• 2:04:26
  Speaker 1: For half a mile. He made his way underground until
• 2:04:29
  Speaker 1: a huge stone door barred his way. He felt for
• 2:04:33
  Speaker 1: the hidden catches, and the slab of rock rose before him.
• 2:04:38
  Speaker 1: As he turned toward the doorway, he found himself looking
• 2:04:41
  Speaker 1: into the muzzle of a black ray tube in the
• 2:04:43
  Speaker 1: hands of a gigantic Jovian in the uniform of the
• 2:04:46
  Speaker 1: Viceroy's guards. Whence came you, Nephthalimb demanded the guard, a
• 2:04:52
  Speaker 1: cold note of suspicion in his voice from four Torna,
• 2:04:57
  Speaker 1: replied Damis readily. I am Dormino, Comar of the province
• 2:05:02
  Speaker 1: of Cupriez. The slaves rose on us, and all were
• 2:05:06
  Speaker 1: slain except me. I've had to travel by night and
• 2:05:09
  Speaker 1: hide by day to each year. I knew not whether
• 2:05:12
  Speaker 1: the slaves had conquered or not. But when I found
• 2:05:15
  Speaker 1: them lying by thousands about Glavorous Palace, I knew that
• 2:05:18
  Speaker 1: the reign of the sons of God was safe. What
• 2:05:21
  Speaker 1: news from Tubane the face of the Jovian god cleared
• 2:05:25
  Speaker 1: as Damus spoke, Dormino, a son of Glavore by one
• 2:05:30
  Speaker 1: of his terrestrial concubines, was comar of Capriez, a fact
• 2:05:35
  Speaker 1: well known to Damus. There was nothing in the newcomer
• 2:05:38
  Speaker 1: story to excite suspicion. The fleet of the ruler of
• 2:05:42
  Speaker 1: the universe is approaching, the Guard replied. In two hours
• 2:05:47
  Speaker 1: it will be hovering above us. We would have needed
• 2:05:50
  Speaker 1: no aid had not the dogs of Earth been found
• 2:05:53
  Speaker 1: our source of power and managed to destroy it with
• 2:05:56
  Speaker 1: stolen ray tubes. We have been cooped up here like rats,
• 2:06:00
  Speaker 1: waiting for Tubain to arrive. When he comes, our vengeance
• 2:06:04
  Speaker 1: will be heavy. The heavier the better, growled Damis with
• 2:06:09
  Speaker 1: an oath. The dogs have been getting surly for a generation.
• 2:06:13
  Speaker 1: I hope that Toubain will teach them a lesson that
• 2:06:16
  Speaker 1: will not be forgotten for ages to come. He will
• 2:06:21
  Speaker 1: never fear, laughed the Guard. Already Glavour has made his plans.
• 2:06:28
  Speaker 1: I am not a member of the council, yet I
• 2:06:31
  Speaker 1: have heard enough to realize why Glavour is our ruler.
• 2:06:35
  Speaker 1: My brain could not conceive us such a stupendous plan.
• 2:06:41
  Speaker 1: I will go to my father now, said Damis. What
• 2:06:44
  Speaker 1: is the word for passing the inner gate? I wish
• 2:06:46
  Speaker 1: to surprise my sire, for he doubtless mourns me is dead.
• 2:06:51
  Speaker 1: He thinks you are dead, replied the Guard. Yet I
• 2:06:54
  Speaker 1: never heard of Glavour mourning for any loss which did
• 2:06:57
  Speaker 1: not affect his pleasures. He has plenty of bestars to
• 2:07:01
  Speaker 1: take your place. The word is Toobane. I thank you,
• 2:07:06
  Speaker 1: son of God, said Damis, and I will inform my
• 2:07:10
  Speaker 1: sire of the great respect and high regard which you
• 2:07:12
  Speaker 1: have for him. Fear not, your words shall be truthfully
• 2:07:16
  Speaker 1: reported to him. Leaving the Jovian Guard hastily reviewing the
• 2:07:22
  Speaker 1: conversation with the supposed Dormino, Damus made his way toward
• 2:07:26
  Speaker 1: the palace. Since he knew that he would not reach
• 2:07:29
  Speaker 1: another door until after several of the underground passages with
• 2:07:33
  Speaker 1: which the foundations of the palace were honeycombed, had joined,
• 2:07:36
  Speaker 1: he had little doubt of his ability to make his
• 2:07:38
  Speaker 1: way unsuspected into the citadel. He debated for a moment
• 2:07:43
  Speaker 1: on the advisability of killing the Jovian guard and taking
• 2:07:46
  Speaker 1: his weapons, but caution prevailed, and empty handed, save for
• 2:07:50
  Speaker 1: a dagger concealed under his robes, he strode forward. His
• 2:07:55
  Speaker 1: knowledge of the password enabled him to pass the various
• 2:07:58
  Speaker 1: guards he met without difficulty. There were many of the
• 2:08:02
  Speaker 1: Nephthalim who held subordinate positions in the outlying provinces, and
• 2:08:06
  Speaker 1: who were seldom at court, and the Jovian guards, who
• 2:08:09
  Speaker 1: in their hearts regarded the Nephthalim as little better than
• 2:08:12
  Speaker 1: the terrestrials, paid small attention to him. He passed several
• 2:08:17
  Speaker 1: guarded points before the path rose steeply, and he passed
• 2:08:21
  Speaker 1: through the final gate into the palace itself. A Nephthalim
• 2:08:25
  Speaker 1: passed him hurriedly, and Davis plucked at his robe. I
• 2:08:29
  Speaker 1: am just from outpost, he said, what news of Tubain.
• 2:08:32
  Speaker 1: The fleet has entered the atmosphere belt a thousand miles
• 2:08:35
  Speaker 1: east of here, replied the Nephthalim. They are dropping to
• 2:08:39
  Speaker 1: an altitude of five miles and weel then approach. They
• 2:08:43
  Speaker 1: should arrive in an hour. It is well that they hurry.
• 2:08:46
  Speaker 1: What rush is there, asked Damos in surprise. We may
• 2:08:50
  Speaker 1: not be able to leave here, But at the same time,
• 2:08:52
  Speaker 1: all the forces the slaves can muster would never force
• 2:08:55
  Speaker 1: an entrance. You have not heard, then, exclaimed the other
• 2:08:59
  Speaker 1: in surprise. No, certainly, not if you have been on outpost,
• 2:09:04
  Speaker 1: for I just learned it myself. There is a rumor
• 2:09:07
  Speaker 1: that Heavener lied when he said that he killed Turgan
• 2:09:11
  Speaker 1: the killed here and Damos the renegade. The curse of
• 2:09:13
  Speaker 1: Turban rest on him on Mars. It is said that
• 2:09:17
  Speaker 1: they not only escaped death, but have returned to Earth
• 2:09:20
  Speaker 1: armed with the weapons of the Red planet. Havner is
• 2:09:23
  Speaker 1: with Glavron now, and no one knows what the outcome
• 2:09:27
  Speaker 1: will be. Since Tubain is at hand, doubtless nothing will
• 2:09:31
  Speaker 1: be done until he arrives. That is the reason why
• 2:09:34
  Speaker 1: Tubain altered his course and came down so far away
• 2:09:37
  Speaker 1: instead of directly overhead. He hopes thus to elude the
• 2:09:41
  Speaker 1: Martian weapons if the Earthmen really have them, Surely that
• 2:09:45
  Speaker 1: is a lie, cried Damis. We hope that it is.
• 2:09:49
  Speaker 1: Yet Haner would have been slain without mercy had he
• 2:09:53
  Speaker 1: admitted that he left Mars without slaying or capturing Turgan
• 2:09:56
  Speaker 1: and Damus. Many believe that it is true. Is Glabour
• 2:10:01
  Speaker 1: in the council room, asked Damos, I have a message.
• 2:10:04
  Speaker 1: It would be better for you to defer the message
• 2:10:07
  Speaker 1: if it be ill news until two Main arrives. Brother,
• 2:10:11
  Speaker 1: for Glavor is enraged beyond measure at all of us.
• 2:10:15
  Speaker 1: He threatens to sacrifice us at the next games, and
• 2:10:18
  Speaker 1: he may do so unless too Main alters the decree.
• 2:10:22
  Speaker 1: He has not loved us since Damos broke his arm
• 2:10:25
  Speaker 1: a month ago. Nevertheless, I will deliver my message, replied Damis.
• 2:10:30
  Speaker 1: While it may not please him, it is essential that
• 2:10:32
  Speaker 1: he get it before two main arrives. Good luck go
• 2:10:36
  Speaker 1: with you, brother, replied the Nephthalim, with a shrug of
• 2:10:39
  Speaker 1: his shoulders. The temper of the Viceroy of God is
• 2:10:42
  Speaker 1: an uncertain quality. At best, he is in his seraglio.
• 2:10:48
  Speaker 1: Damis saluted the messenger and made his way toward the
• 2:10:50
  Speaker 1: inner portion of the palace, where the women whom the
• 2:10:53
  Speaker 1: lustful viceroy had dragged into his harem were kept. He
• 2:10:58
  Speaker 1: had no plausible excuse for passing the guards into this
• 2:11:01
  Speaker 1: forbidden portion of the palace, but that was a matter
• 2:11:04
  Speaker 1: which caused him small worry. There were few of the
• 2:11:08
  Speaker 1: secrets of the palace which were not well known to Damus,
• 2:11:11
  Speaker 1: who had at one time been Majordomo of the building.
• 2:11:15
  Speaker 1: There was some well known to him, the existence of
• 2:11:18
  Speaker 1: which was not even suspected by the majority of the
• 2:11:22
  Speaker 1: sons of God. As he neared thee seraglio, he turned
• 2:11:27
  Speaker 1: off to his right and passed through a maze of
• 2:11:29
  Speaker 1: little used passages until he halted before what was apparently
• 2:11:33
  Speaker 1: a blank wall casting a rapid glance around to insure
• 2:11:38
  Speaker 1: himself that there was no one in sight. He touched
• 2:11:41
  Speaker 1: a hidden catch, and a portion of the wall swung inward,
• 2:11:44
  Speaker 1: opening a way before him. He entered a passage built
• 2:11:48
  Speaker 1: in the thickness of the wall and lighted with radium bulbs.
• 2:11:52
  Speaker 1: The door closed softly behind him. He removed his sandals,
• 2:11:57
  Speaker 1: lest even their quiet tread should betray him, and on
• 2:12:00
  Speaker 1: bare feet he crept forward. The passage bent and twisted
• 2:12:05
  Speaker 1: as it followed the walls, until Damus knew that he
• 2:12:08
  Speaker 1: was in one of the walls of the seraglio. Praying
• 2:12:13
  Speaker 1: that it would work noiselessly, he slid open a panel
• 2:12:17
  Speaker 1: of stone and found himself looking through a semi transparent
• 2:12:21
  Speaker 1: hanging into the sacred precincts of the seraglio itself. Glavour
• 2:12:26
  Speaker 1: stood facing him, his heavy face drawn up in a
• 2:12:29
  Speaker 1: scowl of rage. Damus noted with satisfaction that one of
• 2:12:35
  Speaker 1: the viceroy's arms was supported by a silk scarf, and
• 2:12:38
  Speaker 1: that he made no attempt to use it. With a
• 2:12:41
  Speaker 1: pale face, Havner stood before his ruler. The word has
• 2:12:48
  Speaker 1: been brought to me from a source which I trust
• 2:12:51
  Speaker 1: as much as I do your own word, Havnor, Glaverer
• 2:12:55
  Speaker 1: was saying, I tell you, I do not believe your story.
• 2:13:00
  Speaker 1: If Damus s and Turgan were dead, the terrestrials would
• 2:13:04
  Speaker 1: not see them alive again on Earth. Neither would they
• 2:13:07
  Speaker 1: have weapons of which we know nothing. One of our
• 2:13:11
  Speaker 1: observers admits that he saw a spaceship land a few
• 2:13:14
  Speaker 1: hours ago, coming from the direction of Mars. You failed
• 2:13:19
  Speaker 1: in your mission, Heavener, and on you I pronounce the doom.
• 2:13:25
  Speaker 1: I sentence you to the twilight of the gods. I
• 2:13:30
  Speaker 1: appeal too, too, baine from that sentence, cried the equerry
• 2:13:34
  Speaker 1: with dry lips. Your appeal shall be noted and laid
• 2:13:38
  Speaker 1: before him at the proper time, replied the Viceroy savagely.
• 2:13:43
  Speaker 1: Yet by the time he arrives, it will be too late.
• 2:13:46
  Speaker 1: Ho guards take him away. Heaven returned as though to resist,
• 2:13:51
  Speaker 1: but six of the huge Jovians answered the Viceroy's call.
• 2:13:56
  Speaker 1: Two of them grasped him by the arms and started
• 2:13:59
  Speaker 1: to lead him from the room. I appeal, cried Heavener again.
• 2:14:04
  Speaker 1: I brought back the maiden whom I was sent to fetch,
• 2:14:07
  Speaker 1: and for that reason I made no failure to bring
• 2:14:11
  Speaker 1: her was the principal item of my orders. Glavorous face
• 2:14:15
  Speaker 1: grew purple with rage. And who sent the message to
• 2:14:20
  Speaker 1: Turbane which resulted in the orders which he sent me?
• 2:14:24
  Speaker 1: He demanded savagely. It was sent by one of your henchmen,
• 2:14:29
  Speaker 1: and by your orders. You slew the sender before I
• 2:14:33
  Speaker 1: could question him. But I know whose orders he obeyed.
• 2:14:38
  Speaker 1: Take him away. The guard started to drag the luckless
• 2:14:42
  Speaker 1: equerry from the presence of the Viceroy, but Haavener made
• 2:14:46
  Speaker 1: a final appeal for his life. I will confess, Viceroy
• 2:14:50
  Speaker 1: of God, he cried, no message was sent to Turbane.
• 2:14:54
  Speaker 1: I dared not send such a message lest such orders
• 2:14:57
  Speaker 1: would be returned as caused to be given to you.
• 2:15:01
  Speaker 1: I coveted the maiden for myself, and I took this
• 2:15:04
  Speaker 1: means of getting her. I had a false message delivered
• 2:15:08
  Speaker 1: to you which would prevent you from taking her before
• 2:15:11
  Speaker 1: Tubain arrived. In reward for my services a spy on you,
• 2:15:15
  Speaker 1: I planned to ask that she'd be given to me.
• 2:15:18
  Speaker 1: I surrender all claims to her, glave or to spare
• 2:15:21
  Speaker 1: my life, and you may have her. For a moment,
• 2:15:25
  Speaker 1: glavour could not speak for rage, So you have been
• 2:15:32
  Speaker 1: the spy who has reported my every doing and my
• 2:15:35
  Speaker 1: every secret council to Tubaine. He gasped, But for you,
• 2:15:41
  Speaker 1: I would long ago have conquered Venus and Mercury and
• 2:15:46
  Speaker 1: declared myself independent of the Jovian overlord. In time I
• 2:15:51
  Speaker 1: might have even overthrown him, But every move was known
• 2:15:55
  Speaker 1: to him before I made it, not once, but a
• 2:15:58
  Speaker 1: dozen times. Would you go through the twilight where too
• 2:16:02
  Speaker 1: may not? At hand, Niton, it is my order that
• 2:16:06
  Speaker 1: the twilight be as slow as our instruments will allow.
• 2:16:11
  Speaker 1: Give him time to learn, to suffer, and to pray
• 2:16:15
  Speaker 1: for the blessing of death in my hand. Take him away.
• 2:16:21
  Speaker 1: The struggling Heavener was removed by the guards, despite his
• 2:16:24
  Speaker 1: efforts at resistance and his cries for mercy. Glavor stared
• 2:16:28
  Speaker 1: after him for a moment, and an evil gleam came
• 2:16:32
  Speaker 1: into his eyes. So Nom, he called, sharply. A guard
• 2:16:38
  Speaker 1: entered the room and saluted, So Nom, bring me the
• 2:16:42
  Speaker 1: daughter of man, Laura, cried the Viceroy. When you have
• 2:16:47
  Speaker 1: brought her here, post guards at all doors, and see
• 2:16:51
  Speaker 1: that no one is admitted under any circumstances, until too
• 2:16:56
  Speaker 1: Bain himself arrives and demands admittance. The Guard hesitated, your excellency,
• 2:17:04
  Speaker 1: he faltered. The orders from Tubain were false rumors given
• 2:17:08
  Speaker 1: out by the traitor Haviner, who has by now gone
• 2:17:12
  Speaker 1: to the twilight of the gods. Interrupted the Viceroy by
• 2:17:16
  Speaker 1: the crown of Tubane. Do I need to repeat my orders?
• 2:17:20
  Speaker 1: I am Viceroy of the Earth and am supreme until
• 2:17:23
  Speaker 1: Tubain revokes my rank. Obey my orders. The guard saluted
• 2:17:30
  Speaker 1: and withdrew. Glamora licked his thick lips in anticipation, and
• 2:17:35
  Speaker 1: strode restlessly back and forth across the room. Inside the hangings,
• 2:17:41
  Speaker 1: Damis's face hardened, and he drew his dagger from under
• 2:17:44
  Speaker 1: his robe. The door opened, and son On returned, dragging
• 2:17:49
  Speaker 1: Laura after him. The face of the earth Girl was
• 2:17:53
  Speaker 1: pale and drawn, yet when she saw Glavore, her head
• 2:17:57
  Speaker 1: rose in an expression of defiance. Sonam saluted the Viceroy
• 2:18:02
  Speaker 1: and left the room, the massive door clanging shut behind him.
• 2:18:08
  Speaker 1: Glavore stared at the girl with an evil leer on
• 2:18:11
  Speaker 1: his heavy countenance. I have learned, daughter of man, he said, slowly,
• 2:18:18
  Speaker 1: of how you seduced one of my servants from his
• 2:18:21
  Speaker 1: duty to me, and caused him to forge an order
• 2:18:25
  Speaker 1: from the Great Tubane in order that he might keep
• 2:18:28
  Speaker 1: you for his own pleasure for a time. The stratagem succeeded.
• 2:18:33
  Speaker 1: But now my eyes are open. When I first looked
• 2:18:38
  Speaker 1: upon your face and form, I swore to myself that
• 2:18:42
  Speaker 1: you should be the solace of my leisure hours. Now
• 2:18:47
  Speaker 1: the time has come. I was minded once to honor
• 2:18:51
  Speaker 1: you as Hortan once undered a terrestrial, and let you
• 2:18:55
  Speaker 1: amuse yourself by sitting on a throne. But your trek
• 2:19:00
  Speaker 1: has changed my intention. Not even as an accredited concubine
• 2:19:06
  Speaker 1: shall you rank, but only as a slave, to be
• 2:19:10
  Speaker 1: used as a toy and tossed to one of my guards.
• 2:19:13
  Speaker 1: When I am tired of you, come hither. Laura may
• 2:19:17
  Speaker 1: no move to obey the order, and Glavore, with an oath,
• 2:19:21
  Speaker 1: stepped toward her, his one good arm outstretched in a
• 2:19:24
  Speaker 1: grasping gesture. Laura did not move until his hand almost
• 2:19:30
  Speaker 1: closed on her arm, and then she sprang back her hands,
• 2:19:35
  Speaker 1: sought the bosom of her robe, and the Viceroy recoiled
• 2:19:38
  Speaker 1: as a glittering dagger flashed in the air. Back. Jovian
• 2:19:43
  Speaker 1: cried Laura in ringing tones, think you that the daughter
• 2:19:47
  Speaker 1: of a king of men is to be a toy
• 2:19:49
  Speaker 1: for your base Jovian passions. The point of this dagger
• 2:19:54
  Speaker 1: is poisoned so that one touch through your skin will
• 2:19:58
  Speaker 1: mean death. One step nearer and I will strike The
• 2:20:03
  Speaker 1: Viceroy hesitated for a moment, and then drew from his
• 2:20:06
  Speaker 1: robe a short, thick tube. Laura correctly interpreted the gesture.
• 2:20:12
  Speaker 1: Raise that tube, and I will bury the blade in
• 2:20:15
  Speaker 1: my own body, she cried. I know that you have
• 2:20:19
  Speaker 1: the power to clasp me in your arms, but it
• 2:20:22
  Speaker 1: will be a corpse which you clasp. She lowered the
• 2:20:26
  Speaker 1: knife until the point rested against the skin of her throat.
• 2:20:30
  Speaker 1: The slightest pressure we caused it to penetrate her skin
• 2:20:34
  Speaker 1: and bring about her almost instant death. Glaverer watched her
• 2:20:39
  Speaker 1: like a cat, the tube ready in his hand. With
• 2:20:42
  Speaker 1: a grim laugh, he threw the tube from him and
• 2:20:45
  Speaker 1: walked a few steps away. Laura lowered the knife. As
• 2:20:50
  Speaker 1: she did so, glaver turned with a movement so swift
• 2:20:55
  Speaker 1: that the eye could hardly follow it. His eyes caught Laura,
• 2:20:59
  Speaker 1: and she straight and back, her head, powerless against his will.
• 2:21:03
  Speaker 1: Caught as she was momentarily off her guard throw down
• 2:21:08
  Speaker 1: your knife, said glavorous voice. Slowly, Laura struggled to raise
• 2:21:13
  Speaker 1: the weapon against herself, but she could not. Slowly, her
• 2:21:17
  Speaker 1: fingers relaxed and the weapon clattered on the floor. Still
• 2:21:22
  Speaker 1: holding her eyes with his own, Glavoor stepped forward until
• 2:21:26
  Speaker 1: his huge splayed foot rested on the weapon. He averted
• 2:21:32
  Speaker 1: his gaze and swiftly picked it up. Laura gave a
• 2:21:36
  Speaker 1: scream of horror and strove to fly, but the heavy
• 2:21:39
  Speaker 1: door was barred against her. Glavour placed the weapon in
• 2:21:43
  Speaker 1: a cabinet on the wall, which he locked, and then
• 2:21:45
  Speaker 1: turned to her, an expression of triumph on his face.
• 2:21:51
  Speaker 1: It is useless, daughter of man, to struggle against the
• 2:21:55
  Speaker 1: will of the sons of God, he said, mockingly. What
• 2:21:59
  Speaker 1: we desire is ours. Come to me. Laura's face showed
• 2:22:05
  Speaker 1: an expression of loathing as she looked at the huge,
• 2:22:09
  Speaker 1: misshapen monstrosity before her. The Viceroy forgot the momentary satisfaction
• 2:22:15
  Speaker 1: of his triumph and his rage at her attitude. With
• 2:22:17
  Speaker 1: a growl of anger, he grasped at her. Laura avoided
• 2:22:22
  Speaker 1: his rush and ran along the side of the room.
• 2:22:24
  Speaker 1: Glaver in pursuit. He cornered her. At last, and she
• 2:22:28
  Speaker 1: stopped with her back to the tapestry with which the
• 2:22:31
  Speaker 1: room was hung. Glowering in his triumph, Glabor approached and
• 2:22:36
  Speaker 1: reached out his hand to seize her. His huge paw descended,
• 2:22:42
  Speaker 1: but before it touched her shoulder, a hand with fingers
• 2:22:45
  Speaker 1: of steel reached through the hangings and grasped his wrist.
• 2:22:51
  Speaker 1: When Sonam had dragged Laura into the room, Damis inserted
• 2:22:55
  Speaker 1: the point of his dagger into the tapestry and started
• 2:22:58
  Speaker 1: to cut a slit to which he could into the room.
• 2:23:01
  Speaker 1: The keen knifed blade cut for a few inches readily enough,
• 2:23:04
  Speaker 1: and then stopped. Damis withdrew the blade and examined the
• 2:23:08
  Speaker 1: stuff before him. An expression of dismay crossed his face,
• 2:23:14
  Speaker 1: for the material was crisscrossed with stellonium wires set six
• 2:23:18
  Speaker 1: inches apart. Each juncture was brazed together, and the hole
• 2:23:23
  Speaker 1: made a web through which he could not force his way. Cautiously,
• 2:23:28
  Speaker 1: he exerted his strength. The keen blade hewed through the
• 2:23:32
  Speaker 1: first of the stellanium's strands, but Damis held his breath
• 2:23:36
  Speaker 1: as the wire parted. It seemed impossible that the tinge
• 2:23:40
  Speaker 1: of porting metal, which sounded like a thunderclap in his
• 2:23:43
  Speaker 1: ears would not be heard by the Viceroy. He knew
• 2:23:47
  Speaker 1: that there must be an entrance into the room through
• 2:23:50
  Speaker 1: the hangings, and he made his way cautiously forward, testing
• 2:23:54
  Speaker 1: the draperies from time to time with his knife. When
• 2:23:58
  Speaker 1: Laura laid her dagger against her breast and threatened to
• 2:24:01
  Speaker 1: enter her life, it took all of Damis's self control
• 2:24:05
  Speaker 1: to keep from crying out and striving to force his
• 2:24:08
  Speaker 1: way into the room by sheer strength. He knew the
• 2:24:12
  Speaker 1: toughness of Stelnia well enough realized the impossibility of even
• 2:24:17
  Speaker 1: his enormous strength tearing apart a webbing of it. The
• 2:24:22
  Speaker 1: certainty that glaborer would not push matters far enough to
• 2:24:25
  Speaker 1: rob himself of his prey aided him to restrain his
• 2:24:28
  Speaker 1: order and to pursue his systematic search. He came at
• 2:24:33
  Speaker 1: last to a corner where his knife met with no
• 2:24:35
  Speaker 1: resistance as it made its way through the silken stuff
• 2:24:38
  Speaker 1: on the walls. Swiftly, he caught a slit through which
• 2:24:41
  Speaker 1: he could rush. As he parted the material, Laura rushed
• 2:24:46
  Speaker 1: past him and stood with her back to the wall
• 2:24:48
  Speaker 1: to await the oncoming Viceroary. Damis raised his hand and
• 2:24:53
  Speaker 1: stood ready as Glaborour's a huge paw descended on Laura's shoulder.
• 2:25:00
  Speaker 1: Damis's hand shot out, still holding the wrist of the
• 2:25:04
  Speaker 1: Viceroy in a grip of steel. He emerged from his
• 2:25:07
  Speaker 1: hiding place, tearing off the black wig and beard which
• 2:25:11
  Speaker 1: disguised him. Damus cried Laura in wonder and delight as
• 2:25:16
  Speaker 1: she saw him. Glavoor stared with unbelieving eyes for a moment,
• 2:25:21
  Speaker 1: and then a hoarse cry of alarm burst from his lips. Desperately,
• 2:25:26
  Speaker 1: he strove to release his wrist from the nephthalim's scrip,
• 2:25:29
  Speaker 1: but to no avail. He disengaged his crippled arm from
• 2:25:34
  Speaker 1: the scarf which supported it and groped under his robe
• 2:25:37
  Speaker 1: for a weapon. Laura cried out in warning, but Damis
• 2:25:41
  Speaker 1: had anticipated such a move. With a quick effort. He
• 2:25:45
  Speaker 1: whirled about and drew the Viceroy's arm over his shoulder.
• 2:25:49
  Speaker 1: He bent forward and exerted his full strength. The huge
• 2:25:53
  Speaker 1: bulk of Glavour rose in the air and pitched forward
• 2:25:57
  Speaker 1: over Damis's shoulder. There was a rash as he landed
• 2:26:01
  Speaker 1: on the marble floor. Quick as a cat, Damus sprang
• 2:26:05
  Speaker 1: on him and pinioned down his arms, take his weapons, Laura,
• 2:26:09
  Speaker 1: he cried. Laura bent over the prostrate form of the
• 2:26:13
  Speaker 1: Jovian to take from his belt to tubes, which he
• 2:26:15
  Speaker 1: habitually carried there. As she stooped, Glabor raised one of
• 2:26:20
  Speaker 1: his huge feet and struck her with all the force
• 2:26:23
  Speaker 1: of his mighty thighs. Behind the blow, with a cry
• 2:26:27
  Speaker 1: of pain, Laura flew half way across the room. Damus
• 2:26:31
  Speaker 1: leaped to her assistance, forgetting for a moment the potentialities
• 2:26:35
  Speaker 1: for destruction which the Viceroy bore on his person, A
• 2:26:39
  Speaker 1: sudden sound made him whirl about. He bent over Laura
• 2:26:43
  Speaker 1: and picked her from the floor. With her in his arms,
• 2:26:47
  Speaker 1: he leaped to one side just as a flash of
• 2:26:50
  Speaker 1: violet light stabbed through the air. It missed them by inches.
• 2:26:55
  Speaker 1: He dropped Laura on a rug and turned to face Glabour.
• 2:26:59
  Speaker 1: On the Jovian's face was an expression of fiendish triumph,
• 2:27:03
  Speaker 1: and his hand was a sharp black tube, which he
• 2:27:06
  Speaker 1: aimed with deliberate slowness at the crouching Nephthalim. Damus shifted
• 2:27:12
  Speaker 1: his gaze from the Viceroy's eyes and concentrating it on
• 2:27:15
  Speaker 1: the muscles of his wrist. Glavour's grip tightened and Damus
• 2:27:20
  Speaker 1: leaped to one side as the violet light again stabbed
• 2:27:24
  Speaker 1: the air with an oath. Glavour swung the deadly ray
• 2:27:28
  Speaker 1: in an arc, trying to reach the Nephthalim, but Damus
• 2:27:32
  Speaker 1: moved like a cat. Once, as the ray almost touched him,
• 2:27:36
  Speaker 1: he sprang high in the air and let it sweep
• 2:27:39
  Speaker 1: by under him. With each movement he came nearer to
• 2:27:43
  Speaker 1: the Viceroy. Slowly, the violet began to lose its intensity
• 2:27:47
  Speaker 1: of color. Glavoy dropped it and reached for a second tube.
• 2:27:52
  Speaker 1: Before he could draw one, Damus was on him. End
• 2:27:57
  Speaker 1: of chapter six Chapter seven of The Giants on the
• 2:28:06
  Speaker 1: Earth by Captain S. P. Meek. This libre vox recording
• 2:28:11
  Speaker 1: is in the public domain. Chapter seven the Deluge. Few
• 2:28:18
  Speaker 1: of the sons of God, and none of the Nephthalim,
• 2:28:21
  Speaker 1: save Damis, could match the brute strength of the Viceroy.
• 2:28:26
  Speaker 1: As Damis rushed, Glavorous sidestepped and caught the Nephthalim's arm
• 2:28:30
  Speaker 1: in a bone crushing grasp. Damis made no effort to
• 2:28:34
  Speaker 1: break the grip, but with his free hand he gripped
• 2:28:37
  Speaker 1: the wrist of Glaborour's crippled arm. With a quick effort,
• 2:28:41
  Speaker 1: he twisted it, and the Viceroy gave a shriek of
• 2:28:44
  Speaker 1: pain as the newly knit bone gave way and his
• 2:28:47
  Speaker 1: arm fell dangling and useless. Damis caught his sound arm
• 2:28:51
  Speaker 1: in a powerful grip and twisted slowly on his wrist. Gradually,
• 2:28:57
  Speaker 1: Glaborour's fingers relaxed and Damis's arm was free. His hands
• 2:29:01
  Speaker 1: shot up and gripped Glavour about the throat, just in
• 2:29:05
  Speaker 1: time to shut off the cry for help which was
• 2:29:07
  Speaker 1: forming on his thick lips. The two giants strove silently
• 2:29:12
  Speaker 1: for mastery in the struggle, which meant life for the
• 2:29:15
  Speaker 1: victor and death for the vanquished. The expression in Damis's
• 2:29:20
  Speaker 1: eyes was one of confident mastery, but the face of
• 2:29:23
  Speaker 1: the Jovian showed something that was strangely akin to fear.
• 2:29:29
  Speaker 1: Even when he was whole, Glavour had found that his
• 2:29:32
  Speaker 1: strips was no match for the power that lay in
• 2:29:35
  Speaker 1: Damis's graceful limbs. With one of the Viceroy's arms useless,
• 2:29:41
  Speaker 1: the issue was a foregone conclusion. Glavour's face gradually grew purple,
• 2:29:47
  Speaker 1: and his eyes started out of their sockets. His tongue
• 2:29:50
  Speaker 1: protruded horribly from his open jaws. He grew weaker until
• 2:29:55
  Speaker 1: it was only Damus's grip which kept him from falling
• 2:29:58
  Speaker 1: to the ground. Then Damus broke his silence and spoke
• 2:30:02
  Speaker 1: slowly and distinctly into the dying Viceroy's ears. I was
• 2:30:09
  Speaker 1: loyal to you, glavor, he said, despite your brutality and
• 2:30:14
  Speaker 1: sensuality with second to me, until you strove to add
• 2:30:19
  Speaker 1: to your already crowded seraglio the maiden whom I had
• 2:30:23
  Speaker 1: chosen as an ephthlem. You thought I had no right,
• 2:30:28
  Speaker 1: which you needed respect, and I would tamely submit to
• 2:30:31
  Speaker 1: whatever you chose to do. You forgot that in my
• 2:30:36
  Speaker 1: veins run the best blood of Earth and the proudest
• 2:30:40
  Speaker 1: blood of Jupiter. Hoartan was a mildash of Jupiter, a
• 2:30:46
  Speaker 1: rank to which you could never aspire. I restricted your
• 2:30:50
  Speaker 1: efforts and proved to you a thing which I long
• 2:30:53
  Speaker 1: have known, that man to man, I am your superior.
• 2:30:59
  Speaker 1: Even then, you might have won back my loyalty had
• 2:31:03
  Speaker 1: I not learned how my father and my mother came
• 2:31:06
  Speaker 1: to their death. It has always been given out that
• 2:31:10
  Speaker 1: they went to Jupiter on a summons from Tubane. But
• 2:31:14
  Speaker 1: I know the truth. They died under the knife of
• 2:31:18
  Speaker 1: a cowardly assassin, under your knife, Glavore. Then it was
• 2:31:24
  Speaker 1: that I swore that it would be my hand that
• 2:31:27
  Speaker 1: would strike you down when you raised your hand against me.
• 2:31:32
  Speaker 1: You were Viceroy of the Earth and your power was secure,
• 2:31:36
  Speaker 1: for the conspiracy against you had no hope of success.
• 2:31:40
  Speaker 1: What is the situation now? You are belieguered in your palace,
• 2:31:45
  Speaker 1: holding only the ground. Your few feeble weapons cover even
• 2:31:50
  Speaker 1: this ground you hold only by the sufferance of the Earthmen.
• 2:31:54
  Speaker 1: Listen to what I say, for I wish your last
• 2:31:59
  Speaker 1: moments to be bitter ones. On the hill east of
• 2:32:03
  Speaker 1: the city sit two weapons of a type and a
• 2:32:07
  Speaker 1: power unknown to both Earth and Jupiter. They are the
• 2:32:11
  Speaker 1: deadly black ray weapons of mars Ah. You tremble, you
• 2:32:18
  Speaker 1: have good cause. One of them is trained on this palace,
• 2:32:23
  Speaker 1: while the other searches the heavens, ready to blast into
• 2:32:27
  Speaker 1: powder the fleet of Tubane when it appears. And who
• 2:32:31
  Speaker 1: think you brought this about, glavour It was I Damus,
• 2:32:37
  Speaker 1: the nephth Leam, the half breed bastard whom you despised.
• 2:32:43
  Speaker 1: My only regret is that I cannot send you to
• 2:32:45
  Speaker 1: the twilight of the gods as you sent that other
• 2:32:48
  Speaker 1: arch traitor Heavener, are your last moments pleasant, Glavour? I
• 2:32:54
  Speaker 1: am increasing the pressure slowly so that you will have
• 2:32:57
  Speaker 1: time to think. To think of the earthmen you have
• 2:33:01
  Speaker 1: given to sacrifice and torture. To think of your ruler
• 2:33:05
  Speaker 1: Hartan dying under your knife. To think of the doom
• 2:33:10
  Speaker 1: which is about to overcome your race. Thank Glavour for
• 2:33:16
  Speaker 1: your time for thought is short. As he finished, Damus
• 2:33:21
  Speaker 1: thrust back on the Viceroy's chin with a sudden effort.
• 2:33:25
  Speaker 1: There was a dull crack as Glavoruru's neck broke, and
• 2:33:29
  Speaker 1: Damis gently lowered the inert bulk to the floor. He
• 2:33:34
  Speaker 1: felt a touch on his arm as he straightened up.
• 2:33:36
  Speaker 1: He whirled like a cat, and Laura shrank back with
• 2:33:39
  Speaker 1: a frightened gesture. Dams opened his arms and in an
• 2:33:44
  Speaker 1: instant the earth Girl was folded in them. Is my
• 2:33:48
  Speaker 1: father safe? Was her first question. Safer by far than
• 2:33:52
  Speaker 1: we are, exclaimed Damis with a sudden pang of anxiety.
• 2:33:57
  Speaker 1: He glanced at the time recording device on the wall.
• 2:34:00
  Speaker 1: Three quarters of an hour had passed since he had
• 2:34:03
  Speaker 1: first entered the vice regal palace. If the estimates of
• 2:34:07
  Speaker 1: Tubain's arrival, which he had heard, were correct. The Jovian
• 2:34:11
  Speaker 1: fleet should be almost overhead. Come, he cried to Laura.
• 2:34:16
  Speaker 1: We have no time to lose if we escape before
• 2:34:18
  Speaker 1: the palace and all in it are destroyed. Where did
• 2:34:21
  Speaker 1: Heavener land his ship in the yard west of the palace,
• 2:34:26
  Speaker 1: She replied, pray that it is still there, said, Damis.
• 2:34:30
  Speaker 1: We can reach it through the path by which I
• 2:34:32
  Speaker 1: entered this room. Come quickly, with Laura at his heels,
• 2:34:36
  Speaker 1: he passed through the rent in the tapestry and entered
• 2:34:39
  Speaker 1: the secret passage through the walls. The way twisted and
• 2:34:44
  Speaker 1: turned interminably, but finally he paused before a door before
• 2:34:49
  Speaker 1: opening it. He slid back a panel which opened a
• 2:34:52
  Speaker 1: peep hole, and looked out. The ship is there, he
• 2:34:56
  Speaker 1: whispered in a voice of relief. There is only one
• 2:34:59
  Speaker 1: guard over that I can see. Why didn't I think
• 2:35:02
  Speaker 1: to bring glamorous weapons. I'll have to try to catch
• 2:35:06
  Speaker 1: him by surprise. When I opened the door, run straight
• 2:35:09
  Speaker 1: for the spaceship, as though you were trying to escape
• 2:35:12
  Speaker 1: from me. Don't try to dodge the guard. Keep right
• 2:35:15
  Speaker 1: on for the ship. As soon as I overpower the guard,
• 2:35:19
  Speaker 1: get in the ship and hold your hand on the
• 2:35:20
  Speaker 1: starting lever. When I get on board, throw in the
• 2:35:24
  Speaker 1: power at a low rate. We don't want to rise
• 2:35:27
  Speaker 1: rapidly enough to get out of easy control. Do you understand, yes, Damus,
• 2:35:31
  Speaker 1: she whispered. He watched until a sudden shout drew the
• 2:35:36
  Speaker 1: attention of the sentry, momentarily away from the ship he
• 2:35:39
  Speaker 1: was guarding. A confused sound of cheering came from the palace,
• 2:35:44
  Speaker 1: and the Sentry looked toward the western heavens a moment
• 2:35:47
  Speaker 1: of gazing, and he raised his voice in a raucous
• 2:35:50
  Speaker 1: shout of joy. Instantly, Damus swung open the door. Laurus
• 2:35:56
  Speaker 1: spat out like a frightened deer. With Damis in close pursuit,
• 2:36:00
  Speaker 1: The attention of the Sentry was fixed on some distant
• 2:36:03
  Speaker 1: object in the sky, and he did not see the
• 2:36:06
  Speaker 1: oncoming pair until Laura was only a few inches from him.
• 2:36:10
  Speaker 1: The sound of her footsteps attracted his attention, and he
• 2:36:13
  Speaker 1: glanced down at her. An expression of surprise came over
• 2:36:17
  Speaker 1: his heavy features, and he reached for a weapon. His
• 2:36:21
  Speaker 1: gesture was never finished, for Damis's fist caught him under
• 2:36:25
  Speaker 1: the ear, and he dropped in his tracks. Davis looked
• 2:36:29
  Speaker 1: in the direction in which the sentry had been staring,
• 2:36:32
  Speaker 1: and a cry broke from his lips. The fleet of Tubane,
• 2:36:36
  Speaker 1: he cried. A thousand yards in the air, and a
• 2:36:40
  Speaker 1: scant five miles to the west was a clump of
• 2:36:43
  Speaker 1: half a dozen Jovian space flyers. Masts behind them were
• 2:36:47
  Speaker 1: a hundred more. They were approaching with tremendous velocity. Da
• 2:36:53
  Speaker 1: Mus give a mighty bound and leaped through the airlock
• 2:36:56
  Speaker 1: of the ship. Hardly had he cleared the door than
• 2:36:59
  Speaker 1: Laura down the starting lever. The ship flew up from
• 2:37:04
  Speaker 1: the ground. Hardly had it left its ways than a
• 2:37:07
  Speaker 1: momentary flash came from the hill east of the palace.
• 2:37:11
  Speaker 1: The air grew black around them, and a cold as
• 2:37:15
  Speaker 1: of interstellar space permeated their very bones. In an instant,
• 2:37:20
  Speaker 1: the ship had flashed up into the sun, above the
• 2:37:23
  Speaker 1: zone of influence of the Martian weapon. The shouting from
• 2:37:27
  Speaker 1: the palace was suddenly stilled. Damis looked down, but nothing
• 2:37:32
  Speaker 1: could be seen save a pall of intense blackness over
• 2:37:35
  Speaker 1: the ground where the building stood the port motor. Laura cried, Damis.
• 2:37:40
  Speaker 1: The Jovian fleet was approaching so rapidly that a collision
• 2:37:44
  Speaker 1: with the nearest flier seemed inevitable. There was a roar
• 2:37:48
  Speaker 1: from the air as Laura threw in the port blast
• 2:37:51
  Speaker 1: with its maximum power. Damos hurled against the side of
• 2:37:55
  Speaker 1: the ship. From the hill where the Martian weapons had
• 2:37:58
  Speaker 1: been placed. Came a second in the flash of light,
• 2:38:01
  Speaker 1: and a beam of jetty blackness shot through the air,
• 2:38:06
  Speaker 1: and edge of it brushed the ship for an instant
• 2:38:08
  Speaker 1: and Laura stiffened. A terrible cold bit through the flier,
• 2:38:13
  Speaker 1: and the side where the Martian ray had touched crumpled
• 2:38:16
  Speaker 1: into powder. The ship spat on, and the friction of
• 2:38:21
  Speaker 1: the air and the bright rays of the sun dissipated
• 2:38:24
  Speaker 1: the extreme cold. Through the terrific storm which was raging.
• 2:38:29
  Speaker 1: The black rays stabbed again and again, back and forth
• 2:38:34
  Speaker 1: it played, and ship after ship of the Jovians was
• 2:38:38
  Speaker 1: momentarily caught in the beam. When the beam passed on,
• 2:38:43
  Speaker 1: there was nothing left of the ship save a cloud
• 2:38:45
  Speaker 1: of dust, which the terrific wind dissipated in all directions.
• 2:38:51
  Speaker 1: Damus glanced at the earth below him. It seemed to
• 2:38:54
  Speaker 1: be flying past the ship at a velocity which he
• 2:38:57
  Speaker 1: could hardly comprehend ate. His way against the pressure of
• 2:39:01
  Speaker 1: the movement to the control levers, then strove to check
• 2:39:04
  Speaker 1: the speed. As the earth ceased to revolve beneath him,
• 2:39:09
  Speaker 1: the wind rose to a terrible force. What has happened, Damos,
• 2:39:15
  Speaker 1: shrieked Laura in his ear. I don't know, he shouted
• 2:39:20
  Speaker 1: in reply. I am trying to keep away from the
• 2:39:23
  Speaker 1: neighborhood of the palace for a while until the Jovian
• 2:39:26
  Speaker 1: fleet is destroyed Tonas and your father might not be
• 2:39:30
  Speaker 1: able to tell us from one of two May's ships,
• 2:39:32
  Speaker 1: and they might turn the ray on us. He bent
• 2:39:36
  Speaker 1: over the control levers of the ship, but they refused
• 2:39:38
  Speaker 1: to obey his touch. The stern motor still roared with
• 2:39:42
  Speaker 1: enough force to keep them three thousand feet above the ground,
• 2:39:46
  Speaker 1: but none of the side motors responded to the controls.
• 2:39:50
  Speaker 1: The ship was helpless and was tossed about a plaything
• 2:39:54
  Speaker 1: for the terrific wind, which howled through the heavens. Damos
• 2:39:58
  Speaker 1: watched the ground below the them. Look, Laura, he cried.
• 2:40:03
  Speaker 1: They swept over the sight of the palace. The black
• 2:40:06
  Speaker 1: ray was no longer playing on it, but the whole
• 2:40:10
  Speaker 1: palace glistened like crystal. What is it? She asked Frost.
• 2:40:16
  Speaker 1: He shouted. The Martian weapon did its work well. Everything
• 2:40:20
  Speaker 1: in the palace is frozen. In the name of Tubane.
• 2:40:25
  Speaker 1: The joviant ejaculation had burst from his lips, unbitten. At
• 2:40:29
  Speaker 1: the sight which met his gaze. Racing over the land
• 2:40:33
  Speaker 1: was a solid wall of water hundreds of feet high,
• 2:40:37
  Speaker 1: moving with enormous speed on toward the palace. Had swept below.
• 2:40:45
  Speaker 1: They could see the earthmen on the hill striving to fly,
• 2:40:47
  Speaker 1: but there was no place of safety. The oncoming wall
• 2:40:51
  Speaker 1: of water was higher by a hundred feet than the
• 2:40:54
  Speaker 1: top of the hill, and it was the highest bit
• 2:40:57
  Speaker 1: of land for many miles. Nearer and nearer came the water,
• 2:41:03
  Speaker 1: until with a roar and a crash which they could
• 2:41:06
  Speaker 1: plainly hear in the cripple spaceship, it swept over the
• 2:41:10
  Speaker 1: hill and the palace, burying them under a hundred feet
• 2:41:14
  Speaker 1: of brine. Father cried Laura in anguish. Damus made his
• 2:41:21
  Speaker 1: way across the ship and folded her in his arms.
• 2:41:25
  Speaker 1: He was chosen as one of the lives needed to
• 2:41:28
  Speaker 1: buy the freedom of the earth. He murmured to her.
• 2:41:32
  Speaker 1: It is hard for I loved him as a father,
• 2:41:35
  Speaker 1: but it was the end which he would have chosen.
• 2:41:38
  Speaker 1: He died at the head of his followers battling for freedom.
• 2:41:42
  Speaker 1: What happened, Damis, asked Laura an hour later, as she
• 2:41:46
  Speaker 1: looked down on the seething tumult of water under them.
• 2:41:50
  Speaker 1: As nearly as I can figure out, the Jovian fleet
• 2:41:53
  Speaker 1: approached the Palace from the west at a low elevation.
• 2:41:57
  Speaker 1: In order to destroy them, we could not used the
• 2:42:00
  Speaker 1: Martian weapon normally to the Earth's surface, as they commanded us,
• 2:42:04
  Speaker 1: but were forced to use it tangentially. The enormous counter
• 2:42:08
  Speaker 1: reaction to the stream, a force of almost incredible intensity,
• 2:42:12
  Speaker 1: which shot at two Baines fliers, had to be absorbed
• 2:42:15
  Speaker 1: in some way. The weapon could not take it up
• 2:42:18
  Speaker 1: as it was anchored into the center of gravity of
• 2:42:21
  Speaker 1: the Earth. As a result, the force was translated into
• 2:42:25
  Speaker 1: one of increased rotation. The Earth must be spinning on
• 2:42:29
  Speaker 1: its axis at fully twice its former rate. Both the
• 2:42:33
  Speaker 1: air and the water had too much inertia to follow
• 2:42:36
  Speaker 1: the accelerated motion of the land, so the wind blew
• 2:42:39
  Speaker 1: a gale, and the oceans left their beds and swept
• 2:42:42
  Speaker 1: over the land. Everything must have been swept to destruction
• 2:42:46
  Speaker 1: before this flood, and all our labor and sacrifice has
• 2:42:50
  Speaker 1: been useless, cried Laura. We have freed a world at
• 2:42:55
  Speaker 1: the cost of the lives of its inhabitants. The world
• 2:42:59
  Speaker 1: is not lost, sweetheart, he cried as he clasped her
• 2:43:03
  Speaker 1: to him. The floods will not have overwhelmed the mountains,
• 2:43:07
  Speaker 1: and some men and animals will have escaped. The waters
• 2:43:11
  Speaker 1: will subside in a few weeks, as they will take
• 2:43:14
  Speaker 1: up the new rotation of the earth. By his will,
• 2:43:19
  Speaker 1: we are spared for the labor of building a new world.
• 2:43:23
  Speaker 1: As soon as the land again appears above the waters,
• 2:43:26
  Speaker 1: we will land and assemble those who have been spared.
• 2:43:31
  Speaker 1: The fleet of Jupiter has been destroyed, and we need
• 2:43:35
  Speaker 1: fear no fresh attack for ages, perhaps never unhampered. We
• 2:43:40
  Speaker 1: will build a new world and try to avoid the
• 2:43:42
  Speaker 1: mistakes of the old. One. Look, Damos, exclaimed Laura in
• 2:43:47
  Speaker 1: a hushed tone. From the spray and mist below them
• 2:43:50
  Speaker 1: leaped a living bridge of colored light above the sun.
• 2:43:54
  Speaker 1: It arked its way into the heavens in the direction
• 2:43:57
  Speaker 1: in which they knew Mars lay. It is his promise,
• 2:44:02
  Speaker 1: whispered Damis, reverently, that henceforth the planets will live in
• 2:44:07
  Speaker 1: peace and amity. And that never more will the Jovians
• 2:44:11
  Speaker 1: be allowed to invade us. End of chapter seven, end
• 2:44:17
  Speaker 1: of Giants on the Earth by Captain S. P. Meek,
• 2:44:21
  Speaker 1: the story recorded by Phil Schinevert