Argosy, Vol. 147, No. 1 — page 112: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ey 5g) abe ever encountered. The wind BS coddenly, and we fought our way tly fs it. Lightning flashed about us, and then came the rain, slanting down in aig > were still flying low. The mirror : of the sea was now lashed with wav aves ictanrdinarily high, whose white s blew away in long streaks of scud. a ls fought sturdily against the wind d rain, carrying us steadily up until after hile I could not see the water below. We were in the storm perhaps an hour all altog ether. Then we passed up and beyond Band emerged again into that gray va- , With a waste of storm-lashed water ar beneath us. ‘The Twilight Country shore was still be- ‘low the horizon, and it was a considerable i ae before we sighted it. Miela and I sat quiet, wrapped in a blanket, which, wet as s it ‘was, offered some protection against he biting wind. The girls seemed exhaust- d from their long struggle against the F stor m, and I was glad for chem. when we ally landed. | x his was the place, they said, where scer and Anina had set Tao’s men free, ad whi here the two were standing when the ris had left with the platform. I looked out, Pata saw on the beach the pieces of it cord with which the men had been he Ath i. Mf Meroe and Anina there was no sign. e 7 ee ad until well after the time of the : ee meal, and still Mercer and Anina “not airive. We concluded, of course, at they had followed Tao’s men up the ail for some reason, and we expected it ou id be Anina who would come back to is where Mercer was. sa # us go up a little distance,” Miela oi d finally. ‘“ They cannot tell what e hour is. They may be near here now, Aaa were rested and warmed now, ie sisted off again with the platform. y over the treetops, following the a 5 be ‘we could, but in the semi- 5 we could see very. little from ‘ fte r a time we pers it up and re- vey vait wv atch td ited, now | a -—sARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, : ‘f, fo aM alarmed. And then finally we decided te return to the Great City for the night. | Anina might have missed us some way, we thought, and flown directly home. She might be there waiting for us when we arrived. If not, we would return again with several hundred girls, and with them scour the country carefully back as near the Lone City as we dared go. With our hearts heavy with apprehension we started back across the channel. Lua, Mercer and Anina were separated from us, All had been captured, perhaps, by our enemies! Things were, indeed, in a very bad way. Without unusual incident we sighted the Light Country shore. Three girls were winging their way swiftly toward us. “They wish to speak with us, Alan,” said Miela. ‘‘ From the Great City they seem to come. Perhaps it is Anina.” Our hopes were soon dispelled, for Anina was not one of them; they were three of the girls we had directed to patrol the seacoast. When they neared us Miela flew off the platform and joined them. They circled about for a time, flying close together, then Miela left them and returned to me, while they hovered overhead. Her face was clouded with anxiety as she alighted be- side me. ““ They were near the Water City a short time ago. And they. say the light-ray is being used there. They saw it flashing up, and dared not go closer.” The light-ray in the Water City! My heart sunk with dismay. The cylinder I held in my hand I had thought the only one in use in all the Light Country. With it [ felt supreme. And now they had it also in the Water City! One of the girls flung up her hand sud- denly and called to Miela. «See, Alan—a boat!” I looked down to where Miela pointed. The sea was still rough from the storm, but no longer Tashed into fury. Coming toward us, close inshore and from the direc- tion of the Water City, I saw a boat speed- ing ae over the Spee waves. eel as