’I haven’t thanked him yet for following up the beast so promptly,’ cried Gerald, turning to Alondra, who had just alighted on the deck and grasped his hand. ’I saw all that went on! I saw you, Alondra, leap down after me; and it was that really which turned the bird in the right direction, for he was heading the other way!’ ’I noticed that,’ said Alondra modestly. ’I remembered that there was this lake ahead of us, and it struck me in a flash that the best—almost the only—chance of saving you was to drive the krondo towards it. Of course, I could have overtaken him and mastered him; but I could not have supported you and battled with him too—to say nothing of the others which would have been after us.’ ’’Twas wisely thought out, my son,’ Ivanta declared. ’I caught your idea directly I noted that you had purposely turned the bird from the line it had first taken. Our young friend here was prompt, too, in following it up and aiding me to prevent it from breaking back,’ he added, indicating Jack. ’Now, go and change your clothes; and we will give you your revenge upon the krondos.’ Half an hour later they were back again in the valley which had been the scene of Gerald’s startling adventure. A desultory fight was still going on between Ivanta’s trained eagles and a pair of their foes. Upon the rocky ground below lay one dead krondo and several of the smaller birds. Of the fourth krondo nothing was to be seen; it had probably taken refuge in flight. Ivanta looked at his dead birds with grave concern and regret. ’This is my fault! I forgot to call them off!’ said he. ’I do not like to have my faithful feathered friends treated like this.’ He put a whistle to his lips, and at the sound of it his eagles obediently left the krondos they were ’mobbing;’ and the latter at once flew off. Evidently they had had quite enough of the fray, and were glad of the chance of making good their retreat without further trouble. ’We will find some more to chase presently,’ observed Ivanta. ’First, let us see what can be done for those of my eagles which are hurt but not killed.’ Armeath and his wards looked on with wondering approval as they saw the attention Ivanta proceeded to bestow upon his wounded birds. It was curiously characteristic of the man to delay the proceedings and keep all his friends waiting for such a cause. Later on, the hunt was resumed, and the visitors had some lively experiences among the mountain-peaks, though none quite so startling as the first one. They found it, as Alondra had said they would, splendid sport. The krondos were hunted out and pursued by the small eagles in all their turns, and these were followed by the airships, just as the huntsmen follow the hounds. There was the same rivalry, too, amongst the latter to be ’in at the death.’