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〃and　by　those　who　will　guardand　WATCHyou　well。　　They　are

here　even　now。〃



The　hangings　parted；　and　into　the　chamber　came　Olaf

and　Rador。



The　priestess　met　the　fierce　hatred　and　contempt　in　the

eyes　of　the　Norsemanand　for　the　first　time　lost　her　bravado。



〃Let　not　HIM　go　with　me；〃　she　gaspedher　eyes　searched

the　floor　frantically。



〃He　goes　with　you；〃　said　Lakla；　and　threw　about　Yolara

a　swathing　that　covered　the　exquisite；　alluring　body。　　〃And

you　shall　pass　through　the　Portal；　not　skulk　along　the　path

of　the　worm！〃



She　bent　to　Rador；　whispered　to　him；　he　nodded；　she　had

told　him；　I　supposed；　the　secret　of　its　opening。



〃Come；〃　he　said；　and　with　the　ice…eyed　giant　behind　her；

Yolara；　head　bent；　passed　out　of　those　hangings　through

which；　but　a　little　before；　unseen；　triumph　in　her　grasp；

she　had　slipped。



Then　Lakla　came　to　the　unhappy　O'Keefe；　rested　her

hands　on　his　shoulders；　looked　deep　into　his　eyes。



〃DID　you　woo　her；　even　as　she　said？〃　she　asked。



The　Irishman　flushed　miserably。



〃I　did　not；〃　he　said。　　〃I　was　pleasant　to　her；　of　course；

because　I　thought　it　would　bring　me　quicker　to　you；　darlin'。〃



She　looked　at　him　doubtfully；　then



〃I　think　you　must　have　been　VERYpleasant！〃　was　all　she

saidand　leaning；　kissed　him　forgivingly　straight　on　the　lips。

An　extremely　direct　maiden　was　Lakla；　with　a　truly　sov…

ereign　contempt　for　anything　she　might　consider　non…essen…

tials；　and　at　this　moment　I　decided　she　was　wiser　even　than

I　had　thought　her。



He　stumbled；　feet　vanishing；　reached　down　and　picked　up

something　that　in　the　grasping　turned　his　hand　to　air。



〃One　of　the　invisible　cloaks；〃　he　said　to　me。　　〃There　must

be　quite　a　lot　of　them　aboutI　guess　Yolara　brought　her

full　staff　of　murderers。　　They're　a　bit　shopworn；　probably

but　we're　considerably　better　off　with　'em　in　our　hands　than

in　hers。　　And　they　may　come　in　handywho　knows？〃



There　was　a　choking　rattle　at　my　feet；　half　the　head　of　a

dwarf　raised　out　of　vacancy；　beat　twice　upon　the　floor　in

death　throes；　fell　back。　　Lakla　shivered；　gave　a　command。

The　frog…men　moved　about；　peering　here　and　there；　lifting

unseen　folds　revealing　in　stark　rigidity　torn　form　after　form

of　the　priestess's　men。



Lakla　had　been　righther　_Akka_　were　thorough　fighters！



She　called；　and　to　her　came　the　frog…woman　who　was　her

attendant。　　To　her　the　handmaiden　spoke；　pointing　to　the

batrachians　who　stood；　paws　and　forearms　melted　beneath

the　robes　they　had　gathered。　　She　took　them　and　passed　out

more　grotesque　than　ever；　shattering　into　streaks　of　vacan…

cies；　reappearing　with　flickers　of　shining　scale　and　yellow

gems　as　the　tattered　pennants　of　invisibility　fluttered　about

her。



The　frog…men　reached　down；　swung　each　a　dead　dwarf　in

his　arms；　and　filed；　booming　triumphantly　away



And　then　I　remembered　the　cone　of　the　_Keth_　which　had

slipped　from　Yolara's　hand；　knew　it　had　been　that　for　which

her　wild　eyes　searched。　　But　look　as　closely　as　we　might；

search　in　every　nook　and　corner　as　we　did；　we　could　not　find

it。　Had　the　dying　hand　of　one　of　her　men　clutched　it　and　had

it　been　borne　away　with　them？　　With　the　thought　Larry　and

I　raced　after　the　scaled　warriors；　searched　every　body　they

carried。　　It　was　not　there。　　Perhaps　the　priestess　had　found　it；

retrieved　it　swiftly　without　our　seeing。



Whatever　was　truethe　cone　was　gone。　　And　what　a

weapon　that　one　little　holder　of　the　shaking　death　would

have　been　for　us！











CHAPTER　XXVIII



In　the　Lair　of　the　Dweller



IT　IS　WITH　marked　hesitation　that　I　begin　this　chapter；　be…

cause　in　it　I　must　deal　with　an　experience　so　contrary　to

every　known　law　of　physics　as　to　seem　impossible。　　Until

this　time；　barring；　of　course；　the　mystery　of　the　Dweller；　I

had　encountered　nothing　that　was　not　susceptible　of　natural…

istic　explanation；　nothing；　in　a　word；　outside　the　domain　of

science　itself；　nothing　that　I　would　have　felt　hesitancy　in

reciting　to　my　colleagues　of　the　International　Association　of

Science。　　Amazing；　unfamiliarADVANCEDas　many　of　the

phenomena　were；　still　they　lay　well　within　the　limits　of　what

we　have　mapped　as　the　possible；　in　regions；　it　is　true；　still

virgin　to　the　mind　of　man；　but　toward　which　that　mind　is

steadily　advancing。



But　thiswell；　I　confess　that　I　have　a　theory　that　is　nat…

uralistic；　but　so　abstruse；　so　difficult　to　make　clear　within　the

short　confines　of　the　space　I　have　to　give　it；　so　dependent

upon　conceptions　that　even　the　highest…trained　scientific

brains　find　difficult　to　grasp；　that　I　despair。



I　can　only　say　that　the　thing　occurred；　that　it　took　place

in　precisely　the　manner　I　am　about　to　narrate；　and　that　I

experienced　it。



Yet；　in　justice　to　myself；　I　must　open　up　some　paths　of

preliminary　approach　toward　the　heart　of　the　perplexity。

And　the　first　path　is　the　realization　that　our　world　WHATEVER

it　is；　is　certainly　NOT　the　world　as　we　see　it！　　Regarding　this　I

shall　refer　to　a　discourse　upon　〃Gravitation　and　the　Principle

of　Relativity；〃　by　the　distinguished　English　physicist；　Dr。　A。

S。　Eddington；　which　I　had　the　pleasure　of　hearing　him　de…

liver　before　the　Royal　Institution。1





*1　Reprinted　in　full　in　_Nature_；　in　which　those　sufficiently　interested

may　peruse　it。W。　T。　G。







I　realize；　of　course；　that　it　is　not　true　logic　to　argue

〃The　world　is　not　as　we　think　it　istherefore　everything　we

think　impossible　is　possible　in　it。〃　Even　if　it　BE　different；　it

is　governed　by　LAW。　　The　truly　impossible　is　that　which　is　out…

side　law；　and　as　nothing　CAN　be　outside　law；　the　impossible

CANNOT　exist。



The　crux　of　the　matter　then　becomes　our　determination

whether　what　we　think　is　impossible　may　or　may　not　be

possible　under　laws　still　beyond　our　knowledge。



I　hope　that　you　will　pardon　me　for　this　somewhat　aca…

demic　digression；　but　I　felt　it　was　necessary；　and　it　has；　at

least；　put　me　more　at　ease。　　And　now　to　resume。



We　had　watched；　Larry　and　I；　the　frog…men　throw　the

bodies　of　Yolara's　assassins　into　the　crimson　waters。　　As　vul…

tures　swoop　down　upon　the　dying；　there　came　sailing　swiftly

to　where　the　dead　men　floated；　dozens　of　the　luminous

globes。　　Their　slender；　varicoloured　tentacles　whipped　out；

the　giant　iridescent　bubbles　CLIMBED　over　the　cadavers。　　And

as　they　touched　them　there　was　the　swift　dissolution；　the

melting　away　into　putrescence　of　flesh　and　bone　that　I　had

witnessed　when　the　dart　touched　fruit　that　time　I　had　saved

Radorand　upon　this　the　Medusae　gorged；　pulsing　lam…

bently；　their　wondrous　colours　shifting；　changing；　glowing

stronger；　elfin　moons　now　indeed；　but　satellites　whose　glim…

mering　beauty　was　fed　by　death；　alembics　of　enchantment

whose　glorious　hues　were　sucked　from　horror。



Sick；　I　turned　awayO'Keefe　as　pale　as　I；　passed　back

into　the　corridor　that　had　opened　on　the　ledge　from　which

we　had　watched；　met　Lakla　hurrying　toward　us。　　Before　she

could　speak　there　throbbed　faintly　about　us　a　vast　sighing。

It　grew　into　a　murmur；　a　whispering；　shook　usthen　pass…

ing　like　a　presence；　died　away　in　far　distance。



〃The　Portal　has　opened；〃　said　the　handmaiden。　　A　fainter

sighing；　like　an　echo　of　the　other；　mourned　about　us。　　〃Yolara

is　gone；〃　she　said；　〃the　Portal　is　closed。　　Now　must　we　hasten

for　the　Three　have　commanded　that　you；　Goodwin；　and

Larry　and　I　tread　that　strange　road　of　which　I　have　spoken；

and　which　Olaf　may　not　take　lest　his　heart　breakand　we

must　return　ere　he　and　Rador　cross　the　bridge。〃



Her　hand　sought　Larry's。



〃Come！〃　said　Lakla；　and　we　walked　on；　down　and　down

through　hall　after　hall；　flight　upon　flight　of　stairways。　　Deep；

deep　indeed；　we　must　be　beneath　the　domed　castleLakla

paused　before　a　curved；　smooth　breast　of　the　crimson　stone

rounding　gently　into　the　passage。　　She　pressed　its　side；　it

revolved；　we　entered；　it　closed　behind　us。



The　room；　thehollowin　which　we　stood　was　faceted

like　a　diamond；　and　like　a　cut　brilliant　its　sides　glistened

though　dully。　　Its　shape　was　a　deep　oval；　and　our　path

dropped　down　to　a　circular　polished　base；　roughly　two　yards

in　diameter。　　Glancing　behind　me　I　saw　that　in　the　closing　of

the　entrance　there　had　been　left　no　trace　of　it　save　the　steps

that　led　from　where　that　entrance　had　beenand　as　I　looked

these　steps　TURNED；　leaving　us　isolated　upon　the　circle；　only

the　faceted　walls　about　usand　in　each　of　the　gleaming

faces　the　three　of　us　reflecteddimly。　　It　was　as　though　we

were　within　a　diamond　egg　whose　graven　angles　bad　been

turned　INWARD。



But　the　oval　was　not　perfect；　at　my　right　a　screen　cut　it

a　screen　that　gleamed　with　fugitive；　fleeting　luminescences

stretching　from　the　side　of　our　standing　place　up　to　the

tip　of　the　chamber；　slightly　convex　and　crisscrossed　by　mil…

lions　of　fine　lines　like　those　upon　a　spectroscopic　plate；　but

with　this　differencethat　withi