'I think I understand. But what happened?'
'He must have made a mistake somewhere, just as we did; but unlike us, he was travelling so slowly, even at his top speed, that before he reached this date he starved and died on the way—another martyr to experiment. It's a pretty safe guess that we shall find the same fate overtook the man in the other cube.'
Kal came over to summon Del with the information that the salvaged parts had been laid out, awaiting his decision as to which should be taken and which left. Under his direction, the selected fragments were divided among the party for portage. A further inspection of the passage revealed that it was still too hot for use; they must wait at least another hour. Del looked worried, and examined the joints of floors and walls carefully for any traces of the ants breaking through.
'Ants,' said Roy, musingly, as they waited. 'Insects working those machines—ruling the world, perhaps. It's incredible.'
'It's logical,' Del contradicted.
'I don't get that.'
'It was inevitable, sooner or later. They've always had a far better organisation than man, even in my century—no wasted effort, no need to struggle continually with subversive factors. The only thing which stopped them being masters of the world, from the beginning, was their size. Now. they have found a way of overcoming that disability. There's a natural limit to the size of insects. They do not breathe as we do. but absorb the oxygen through the surface. If they became large, there would not be enough absorption area in proportion to the bulk inside, and they would die of suffocation.'
'Yes, I see that. But to find them working machines—and such machines—just staggers me.'
'But why? It's the natural way out of the difficulty. After all, we did the same. Where would man have been without his machines? If you want a parallel, just think of one of the warships of your own time—twelve hundred or more men working a great floating monster, just as these insects in their thousands work their scuttering metal machines. It puzzles me that I didn't think of it the moment we saw the style of their machines. But these things always seem so obvious afterwards.'
Roy nodded. 'But, still, I would never have believed if I hadn't seen,' he added.
A rattle of falling dirt startled the group. They looked apprehensively upward. A shining metal tentacle protruded through a small hole in the room. An increasing rain of debris pattered all about them as it moved from side to side, enlarging the aperture.
Kal's tube sent a shaft of heat shooting up. Either from haste or misjudgment, he had it notched at full-power. The tentacle was melted off, and fell, but the heat-beam had seared on into the roof. There came an ominous cracking, and the men, with a startled glance, took to their heels in the direction of the escape tunnel. Almost as they drew clear, the weakened spot gave way and the machine, with an avalanche of dirt, crashed to the floor. Even as it broke open, rivers of ants came swarming out of the gaping seams. With a second crash, another machine fell through the hole, and after it, another. It seemed that the insects cared little how many machines were wrecked to secure the victory.
'Into the tunnel!' shouted Del. 'We must risk it, now.'
The rest scampered to obey, holding their precious burdens in their arms. Kal charged ahead with his weapon held ready and his short legs moving with twinkling rapidity. The others followed him closely. Roy heard a howl of agony break from the two Numen as their bare feet encountered the hot surface, but their fear of the ants was greater than their discomfort, and they held on their way.
The heat of the passage was intense; it beat at them like a furnace glare. Jessica staggered just ahead of Roy. He caught her around the waist with his free arm, and dragged her on. The two of them pitched together over the outer edge into the daylight—he had forgotten that the slant of the tunnel meant a six-foot drop at the other end. Del had remained till the last. He rayed furiously at the increasing horde of ants until he was sure that his companions were clear; then he, too, turned and ran for safety. He fell from the tunnel's mouth, narrowly missing the prostrate Roy.
'Only a dozen yards of that inferno,' said the latter, sitting up, 'yet it seemed like a hundred. Anyhow, it's a sight too hot for the ants to get across it. We're clear of them for a bit.'
Del agreed, but he wished to make sure. 'Lift me up on your shoulders,' he directed. Roy did so, and the dwarf played a narrow ray on the sloping passage roof till it fell, completely closing the entrance.
'Any casualties?' Roy inquired, as he lowered the other.
'No, except these two.' Jessica pointed to the two Numen, who were sitting down ruefully examining their scorched soles. 'And they're more surprised than hurt. But I should think,' she added, 'that the vacuum tubes have suffered.'
A hurried inspection revealed that only one had been smashed.
'And now, where do we go from here?' Roy asked Del, who, by general consent, had become director of the party.
'We get away very quickly, before they realise what has happened and start a search for us,' Del replied.
It took but a short time to cross the open ground and gain the cover of the forest. Roy, looking back for a final view of the rearing cliffs which formed the side of the stupendous anthill, was relieved to discern no signs of pursuit.
Chapter Six
THE DAY OF THE INSECT
Several hours of heavy going found them a weary party. The three dwarfs had very soon given out; their small bodies were of little use for this kind of rough going. One of the Numen, noticing their distress, handed his bundle over to his fellow and, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, raised Kal and Ril to his broad shoulders. The other placed both bundles upon one shoulder and seated Del on the other.
'That proves it!' declared Kal, as he recovered from his surprise. 'These are the descendants of Tak Four A's Numen. Brawn, developed to assist brains.'
For some miles they had proceeded along the bed of a stream, with the dual purpose of losing the scent and of making slightly easier progress than was possible among the trees. On a corner, the leading Numan stopped short. Roy craned round him to ascertain the cause, and found himself staring at one of the six-legged machines. It stood motionless on the grass verge of the left bank, glistening in the sunlight.
Del pulled out his tube, but as he levelled it, the machine became aware of them and scurried swiftly sideways. For a moment it paused, waving its tentacles slightly, as though uncertain whether to attack or not; then it flashed away into the trees and out of sight.
'Damn it!' said Roy, as he watched the last glitter of the receding shell. 'It will give the alarm.' Rather bitterly, he added: 'Why didn't you melt the thing?'
'Because I had no desire to set the whole forest on fire,' Del replied calmly.
Tired as they were, they pressed on with greater speed. They must, Del pointed out, reach some defensible spot. While they remained among the trees, they were liable to concealed attack from any side. Another two hours brought them to a district where open spaces were more frequent, but still Del was unsatisfied. At the edge of a sizeable clearing, Roy demurred.
'Jessica's dead beat, Julian's very little better, and I've had enough, too. We'll find nothing to beat this. If we camp in the middle, we can defend all round '
Julian upheld the suggestion in a tired, dispirited voice. Del opened his mouth, but before he could speak there came an interruption.
'Get into the trees, you fools!' roared a voice. For a second, nobody moved. 'I mean it,' called the voice, somewhere above their heads. 'They're coming after you. Get moving!'