was twenty times as brilliant as the brightest planet that any terrestrial astronomer ever beheld. And the moon, glowing beside her like a great attendant star, redoubled the beauty of the sight.
"It's just the time of the conjunction," said Edmund. "This is their religion. Those fellows are their priests. The earth is their goddess. I understand it all now. I wouldn't have missed this for a world."
Suddenly the two priests began to pirouette. As they whirled more and more rapidly, their huge glowing eyes made phosphorescent circles in the gloom, like those that had alarmed and fascinated us when we first met the creatures in the cavern. They gyrated round the ring of worshipers with astonishing speed, and all those creatures fell under the fascination and drooped to the ground, with eyes fixed in evident helplessness upon the two performers.
An Impending Sacrifice of One of the Travelers from the Earth
Now, for the first time, I caught sight of a square object, that seemed to be a stone, rising a couple of feet above the ground, in the center of the circle.
At this instant the spinning priests, having drawn close to the ring of fascinated worshipers, made a dive, and each caught a native in his arms and ran with him toward the square object that I have described.
“It's a sacrificial stone!" cried Edmund. "They're going to kill them as an offering to the earth and the moon."
The truth flashed into my mind, and froze me with horror. But just as the second priest reached the altar, where the other had already pinned his victim with a stroke of the sharp point of his staff, his captive, suddenly recovering his senses and terrified by the awful fate that confronted him, uttered a cry, wrenched himself loose, and, running like the wind, leaped over the circle and disappeared in the darkness. The fugitive passed close to us, and Jack shouted, as he darted by:
"Good boy!"
The enraged priest was after him like lightning. As he came near us his awful eyes seemed to emit actual flames. But the runner had already vanished.
Without an instant's hesitation, the priest shot out his long arm and caught me by the throat. In another second I felt myself carried, in a bound, as if a tiger had seized me, over the drooping heads of the worshipers, and toward the horrible altar.
CHAPTER V
Off for the Sunlands
Dreadful as the moment was, I didn't lose my senses. On the contrary, my mind was fearfully clear and active. There was not a horror that I missed!
The strength and agility of my captor were astounding. I could no more have struggled with him than with a lion.
Only one thing flashed upon me to do. I yelled with all the strength of my lungs. But they had become accustomed to our voices now, and the maddened creature was so intent upon his fell purpose that a cannon-shot would not have diverted him from it.
He got me to the altar, where the preceding victim already lay with his heart torn out, and, pressing me against it with all his bestial force, raised his pointed staff to transfix me. With my dying eyes I saw the earth gleaming down upon me, and (will you believe it?) my heart gave a glad bound at the sight!
She was my mother planet, and the thought that she might help me in my extremity raced across my brain. But the dreadful spear had already begun to descend. I could see the sweeping muscles under the lithe fur, and I pressed my eyes tight shut.
Bang!
Something grazed my shoulder, and I felt the warm blood gush out. Then I knew no more.
A Recovery from a Swoon
In the midst of a dream of boyhood scenes, a murmur of familiar voices awoke me. I opened my eyes, and couldn't make out where I was.
"I must still be dreaming," I said to myself, and closed my eyes once more.
Then I heard Edmund saying:
"He's coming out all right."
I opened my eyes again, but still the scene puzzled me. I saw Edmund's face, however; and behind him Jack and Henry, standing with anxious looks. But this was not my room! It seemed to be a cave, with faint firelight on the walls.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"Back in the cavern, and coming along all right," Edmund answered, smiling.
Back in the cavern! What could that mean? Then, suddenly, the whole thing flashed back into my mind.
"So he didn't sacrifice me?" I said, shivering at the thought.
"Not on your life!" Jack's hearty voice broke in. "Edmund was too quick for that."
"But only by the fraction of a second," said Edmund, still smiling.
"What happened then?" I asked, my recollections coming back stronger every moment.
"A good long shot happened," said Jack. "The best I ever saw."
I looked at Edmund. He saw that I wanted the story, and could bear it; and, his countenance becoming serious, he began:
"When that fellow snatched you and leaped into the circle, I had my fur coat wrapped so closely around me, not anticipating any danger, that for quite ten seconds I was unable to get out my pistol.
"I tore the garment open just in time, for already he was pressing you against the accursed stone with his spear poised. I'm used to quick shooting, and I didn't waste any time finding my aim.
"Even as it was, the iron point had touched you when the bullet crashed through his head. The shock swerved the weapon a little, and you got only a scratch on the shoulder, which might have been
