'It doesn't look decaying to me.' Jim gazed out at the gently swaying trees.
'But we found ourselves in a desert when we stopped. Miles of it, overlaying what once was fruitful country... . How far did that desert stretch? For all we know, this may be an oasis of forest in a world of deserts. And have you noticed the Sun— how much larger and more fiery red it is than our accustomed Sun? Signs of the coming end, both of them.'
He was silent for a moment before he added: 'Then there was the ant-machine which questioned us. Its knowledge of the past must have been profound, yet it tried us with a series of symbols utterly unknown to any of us. One wonders what strange creatures used those symbols, some time between the end of man and the rise of the insect. Yes; we are far past the age of homo sapiens....'
No one spoke for a while. It was Roy who broke the spell.
'This is morbid,' he declared. 'Our present concern is to regain the age of homo sapiens—and our immediate need is metal.'
Jessica, sitting beside him, drew a breath as though to speak, and then changed her mind.
'Yes?' he encouraged.
'I hardly like to suggest it. I mean, it's dangerous.'
'What is it?'
'Well, the ants' white machines-'
'Yes?'
'Well, they must be made of a very hard metal.'
Roy brought his hand down on his knee with a slap of approval.
'Good girl, you've hit it! We've got to grab one of those machines, somehow or other.'
The expeditionary force eventually comprised only three men: Roy, Jim Hollis and Julian. The two Numen would have been useful but, since it was considered unwise to trust them with heat-rays, they would have been defenceless in case of an attack. They would, therefore, be summoned later to help with the portage, if necessary. Moreover, it was important that some weapons should be left with the rest of the party, in case of trouble. Both Roy and Jim, before they left, were handed high-power rays and instructed in the use of them. Julian retained his own, low-power weapon.
'What puzzles me is how we are going to attract the things,' Roy said.
'Forget it. There's no attractin' needed.' Jim assured him. 'All we've got to do is get up a tree near a clearing, and wait. They'll come along soon enough. It's dollars to dough-nuts we spot some within a couple of hours. Them tin things are forever snoopin' around—the Lord knows what for.'
They progressed cautiously, with Jim in the lead, scanning the surrounding growths for the slightest sign of a metallic flash, and ready to jump for the branches. The chosen clearing, a mile or so distant, was reached without alarms. There, they climbed one of the loftiest trees and settled themselves among the boughs to wait. After an hour of patience, Roy caught the sound of activity on the far side of the open space. As it approached, it resolved itself into a crackling of branches accompanied by a faint clanking. He moved into an attitude of readiness, and slipped the ray tube out of his pocket. Jim put out a restraining hand.
'It ain't the tin things. It's the big, red brutes. I know the sound of 'em.'
The next minute proved him right. Five of the twenty-foot, machines left the trees and stalked stiffly on their trellised legs across the other end of the clearing.
'Five again,' Roy murmured.
'Always five together—never more, nor less. And if I know anything about it, it means that some of the ant-machines are around these parts.' Jim replied.
Less than ten minutes after the red stalkers had disappeared, there came a flash of reflected sunlight among the trees. A moment later, no less than ten of the six-legged machines emerged. They paused in a bunch, and there was a great waving of silver tentacles. Roy wondered why it was that the machines were not rendered less conspicuous with a coating of neutral-shaded paint; it was merely one of many puzzling points about them.
As a result of the conference, the party broke up. Eight scurried away in the wake of the red monsters; another doubled back the way they had come, while the remaining one retreated to the shadow of the trees and stood motionless. Jim nudged Roy.
'There's our meat,' he said.
Chapter Seven
CASTAWAYS IN A DEAD WORLD
With stealth and care, they wriggled back along the branches and slid to the ground. Keeping about twenty yards back from the edge of the clearing, they began to work round into position. The fact that their progress was accompanied by a considerable crackling of twigs underfoot did not worry them, but it was essential that no waving of bushes, carelessly brushed aside, should attract the attention of the sharp lenses. Moreover, a look-out must be kept for other roving machines. At fifty yards' range, Jim suggested that they take to the trees again.
Roy, through a leafy gap, trained his ray on the motionless sentry, and pressed the catch. His aim was good. A quick switch of the wrist from left to right, and the narrow blade of intense heat scythed the legs from beneath it. It fell with a thud. The tentacles writhed for a few seconds, and then dropped, to lie listlessly on the ground. As they sank, the ant army came surging from its fallen craft. Roy swiftly adjusted his tube to lower power and wider aperture, and joined Jim and Julian, who were already fanning their beams at the black flood. In a few moments, the insects had withered from sight, and the damaged machine was theirs.
Roy swung down from the tree, and advanced with his tube cautiously levelled against the possibility of another rush of ants. He tapped experimentally on the metal casing, but none emerged. Again he set his ray to a small aperture, preparatory to slicing the metal into portable sections. Barely had he raised the tube when there came a cry from Jim, who pointed wildly across the clearing.
Roy spun round, to see two more white machines headed in a scuttering dash towards him. He swung his ray without hesitation, and brought down the leader. Its own momentum sent it sliding a dozen yards on its shining belly. As it fell, he turned his attention to the other. But the second attacker was not destined to fall such an easy victim.
He was raising his hand when a metal tentacle from behind him snapped around his body, knocking his weapon spinning towards the tree. He realised, as the arm gripped him. that he had been fooled. Some of the ants still remained in the first machine, and had successfully played 'possum until this moment. He cursed himself for not having the foresight to put its lenses out of action.
The trees behind him literally exploded into flame, as the tube fell among them. Jim and Julian leaped from their perches with lightning agility, and came pounding to Roy's defence with ready weapons. The last, unharmed machine, dashing on with tentacles extended, was almost upon him. Their line of fire was masked by Roy's body. He tugged frenziedly at his metal bond, but it had frozen into inflexibility, holding him as prey for the other.
Jim decided to take a desperate chance. He steadied, and aimed. The searing heat-beam passed within inches of the helpless Roy, and the hot air scorched his face, but the blast passed on to shear the legs from one side of the rushing monster. The unsupported side fell with a crash, and the machine swivelled wildly to one side. It rolled over and over, till it came to a final rest within a yard of Roy's feet. But the danger was far from over. Jim bounded towards him, fused the restraining tentacle at its base, and dragged him free just as the swarming ants broke from their wrecked craft. Only then did the three men become aware of the great flames licking out from the blazing trees towards them.
'We've got to get out of this quick. We've sure started something this trip,' said Jim, as Roy unwrapped the severed tentacle. 'The Lord knows what that tube will do, now it's on the loose. All the walkin' tin cans in this crazy world are likely to happen along, just to see who's been jokin' around here.'