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wire, fastened an end of it around a pillar of rock, knotted a loop in the other end and swung down.
Now he discovered bloodstains on the lower ledge of concrete, and a little farther on he came upon the
figure of Lester Allison, lying in a heap.
My stars and comets! What have they done to you?
He bent down to slip an arm under Allison s shoulders. The poor fellow had toppled and fallen, like a
wedge between stone. Must have cut his breathing to almost nothing. Kirk worked on him.
Allison began to groan and gave with a heavy sigh. His lips were bleeding; there were minor gashes on
the side of his head. His eyes were half open.
Come out of it, Les. Wait, I ll get some water. Take it easy now.
WHEN Kirk came back with the handkerchief he had soaked in a nearby pool, Allison was sitting
upright.
Here, I ll take it, said Allison. Don t mind me. Go after those rats.
You d better lie down and forget about them. I knew the minute I heard about the reward that Champ
and Bill Kite and the gang would be right over here.
Have they caught any yet?
They are about to get one.
Kirk looked across the hilltop. The seven or eight men had succeeded in fastening a chain on one arm of
a starfish. The other end of the chain was attached to the army tank. Now the men were trying to break a
wide opening through the bars so they could drag the beast through.
Don t let them get away, Allison groaned. Shoot em if necessary. Wait, I ll go with you.
You ll stay right where you are, Kirk demanded. Leave it to me.
Go back to my cave, said Allison. There s a revolver back on the shelf at the left. A little more of this
water and I ll be back on my feet. I m not hurt, just stunned. They pounced on me without warning. I
think they ve knocked out the whole camp.
Kirk made his way back to the cave and found the extra gun. But when he returned to Allison, the latter
was lying down.
That s good, said Kirk. You stay right here. I don t think they ll come back
You stay, too, said Allison. Get down out of sight!
But I ll be careful. I ll slip up on the blind side
Get down, I tell you, Allison snapped. Do you see that cloud that streak?
Kirk fell silent. He was looking up into the sky, trying to locate whatever it was that Allison saw. But now
his attention was distracted by the curious antics of one of the starfish nearest the end. The creature was
waving its many arms in slow rhythmic regularity. Its longest arm remained motionless. The others kept
swishing through the air, as if participating in some weird ritual.
Then Kirk saw the dark streak overhead. It was no cloud. It was a line of flying starfish.
Suddenly he and Allison were aware that the whole line was swooping downward, straight toward the
pen. Wider and wider their flapping arms grew as they skyrocketed down.
Across the hilltop the busy figures of Champ and Kite and their cronies suddenly became motionless.
They saw it coming a swift retribution for their misdeeds.
The line of starfish swept down upon them. For a moment there was a swarm of waving gray arms.
Somewhere beneath that mass of starfish, Bill Kite and his gang were fighting for their lives. Gunfire
sounded, along with the yelling and cursing.
But apparently gunfire was not enough. In a moment the line of beasts swung upward. The first seven or
eight had grabbed as many victims.
Kirk could hear the low shout of Champ changing into a choked squeal as the gangster was carried off
into the sky. The whole gang was gone. The flying starfish became a dim streak of darkness drifting over
the horizon.
And Allison s pets, still safe in their pen, drifted around silently as if nothing had happened.
CHAPTER XXV
Souvenirs from the Captive Electron
THE new stand on the thoroughfare attracted a great deal of attention, partly because of Lyon s bluster,
partly because there was something of genuine interest to be seen.
You have never seen anything like it. They are the daintiest little creatures that ever came under a
microscope. Here they are, my fellow fleas, waiting for your inspection.
Lyon held up a tiny glass box that reflected the green of his fingertips.
Don t let your eyes deceive you. This box looks empty, but it contains hundreds of them. Step right up
and pay the price of admission. In a moment I will place these creatures under the microscope, and you
will see their pictures projected on the screen.
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