As if at the thought, his hand went to his belt. It encountered the butt of his revolver, but the ray tube was missing. He cursed his carelessness in not bringing it; such an omission might well have had tragic results. He and Jessica advanced together.
'Now, Ril, put it through its paces,' he called. But the machine merely stood there, waving its tentacles. A sudden misgiving shot through Roy's mind. To reassure himself, he called: 'What are you trying to do? Scare us?'
Jessica drew closer to his side. She was aware of an uncomfortable sense that all was not well.
'Suppose it isn't―?' she began. She got no further, for at that moment the machine snapped into action. It came scuttering full at them, tentacles outstretched.
'Run!' cried Roy, but instead, she shrank towards him. He jerked out his revolver and spat a burst of ineffective shots. The machine charged down on them. A feeler wrapped about Jessica's waist and snatched her from his side; another looped about his wrist, dragging him along. With a violent twist of his arm, he broke its grip and fell to the ground. Jessica screamed as the metal legs thudded past within inches of his head. The machine did not wait to recapture him; holding the girl clear of the ground, it made straight for the trees. Roy grabbed for his fallen revolver, jumped to his feet and raced vainly after it. The danger of hitting Jessica was too great for him to risk a shot, and the machine, looking like some great, shining beetle, was travelling twice his speed. The girl gave one final, despairing cry; then captor and captive disappeared among the branches.
For a few dazed seconds, Roy continued to run, before his senses reasserted themselves and sent him shouting in the direction of the cave. Consternation reigned in the group as he panted out his news.
'Give me a ray tube,' he demanded. 'I'll wreck that machine and bring Jessica back, if it's the last thing I do.'
Del caught his arm. 'You could never catch it before it reached the ant-hill, and it's no good trying single-handed to―'
Ril broke in. He had exchanged a hurried whisper with Julian, which sent the other running towards the cave.
'We'll take the machine,' he said. 'Julian and I have finished it and tested it.'
Roy, without hesitation, dashed to the spot where the renovated craft lay, and started hurling aside the branches which masked it. Ril clambered up a rough ladder set against the side, and slid into the interior through a hole in the top.
'Tubes—we must have them,' Roy called. Del handed over two high-power tubes and one low one. The only remaining tube he retained, in case of attack.
'Get the girl back, and we will go,' he said. 'The time-traveller will be ready when you return.'
Julian came running back with an armful of additional apparatus, which he lugged aboard. Roy slid in last, and slapped the covering panel shut. Ril and Julian were already at the controls. The machine stirred with a slight lurch; then, with metal legs flashing in the sunlight, it scuttered at full speed for the trees and the spire of the giant ant-hill beyond them.
Chapter Eight
THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
For the first hour, silence was scarcely broken. Ril could spare no attention from the delicate occupation of steering the unfamiliar machine, and Julian was engaged in arranging some of the apparatus he had so hurriedly gathered. Noticeable among it was the lamp which they had used to light the cave. Roy moved restlessly about the confined space, peering through one or another of the observation holes which had been pierced in the metal hull. Continually he turned to urge Ril to greater speed. The dwarf shook his head. Already they were at the speed limit of safe travel, and time and again he avoided a crash with some tree only by the swiftest dexterity.
The greatest concern which beset him was lest they should reach some unfordable stream and be forced to a long detour, but the fear was unfounded. The first water they encountered was a clear brook, flowing rapidly over a shallow bed of stones, and without hesitation, they took it in a shower of sparkling drops. As they were mounting the further bank, the first untoward incident occurred; there came a mighty crash to one side, and a tree toppled slowly. It missed them as it fell by only a few feet. Another crash, close at hand, caused Ril to steer the machine hastily to the right. Roy was flung to the floor by the sudden change of direction.
'What was that?' he demanded, as he scrambled up.
'Rocks,' said Ril briefly. 'They nearly got us, too.'
Roy remembered the scene they had witnessed on the day of their arrival.
'It's the red things. They've spotted us! Here, give me a ray.'
He thrust his head and shoulders out of the top panel, and looked about him. No enemy was visible, but away ahead he could hear the crackling of branches as something drew nearer.
'Coming this way. Move off a bit.'
Ril obeyed speedily and, a moment later, a rock landed on the spot where they had paused. Roy guessed that they must have been seen as they made the crossing, and that the rocks were being thrown by guess-work. A red machine stalked into view and halted uncertainly. The silver ant-craft was now effectively screened from its view by a clump of bushes. A second presently joined it. Roy hesitated only for a second— with Jessica still at stake, they could afford to waste no time; he lifted the ray tube. One sweep sliced off a trellised leg, and the machine, as it tottered, fell against its companion. The two swayed for a space, and then went down together with a resounding crash and a furious flailing of their jointed arms.
'Right away—flat out.' Roy called, and Ril threw in the lever which sent them scurrying on their course.
The red machines were about the countryside in unusual numbers, they discovered as they continued; but further direct encounters were successfully avoided. Moreover, as they drew nearer to the ant hill, they began to meet with an increasing number of machines similar to their own. These, at first, they gave a wide berth, but it soon became obvious that they had no need to fear molestation, since the ants gave no sign of suspecting their presence.
They were still some two miles from the hill when Roy, at a forward peep-hole, gave an excited cry. Disappearing into the trees on the far side of a clearing, he had caught a glimpse of Jessica's captor, with her form still closely wrapped in its tentacles. Ril urged them at full speed across the open ground and plunged into the forest, hard on the track. But despite his utmost efforts, it was not until they emerged into the space ringing the base of the ant-hill that they caught another glimpse of the marauder.
Their gain had been appreciable, and Roy decided to risk a ray flash; they could not hope to overtake the other before it reached the dark entrance to the hill. His ray, at low power, flashed on the twinkling legs with no result. He pushed the power up a notch, and tried again. This time he succeeded in fusing one of the rear leg-joints, so that the metal limb became rigid. Unfortunately, it projected clear, and hampered progress not at all. The tube was just levelled for a third shot when a hand grasped his wrist, and he turned to face Julian. The latter spoke angrily.
'Put that away, you fool!' he snapped. 'Can't you see that if you did bring the thing down, it would most likely kill Jessica in the fall? Even if it didn't, she'd be covered with ants in a few seconds.'
The possibility shook Roy badly; he cursed his own fool-hardiness as he returned the tube to his belt. Julian turned his back and began to adjust the lamp, now erected at one of the larger spy-holes. A minute later, the leading machine, still clutching Jessica, disappeared into the dark mouth of the entrance. After it, all six legs threshing furiously, pounded the avenger.