To me, through the remaining hours of that day, it seemed that never had the sun sunk westward so slowly. From our window we could see all the activities that went on in the great air-city about us, could see far across all this great mass of towers and streets and thronging crowds which hung here miles in the air above the earth, and could see those activities lessening somewhat as the long shadows of sunset fell across narrow streets and smooth plazas. In the great plaza beneath, at the foot of that electrostatic tower in which we were imprisoned, there rested always a number of great cruisers of the European fleet, reporting to the First Air Chief there in the tower's base, and now with the approach of night other cruisers from the swarming masses above the city were slanting down to rest upon the plaza. And these cruisers we watched with intent gaze as the sunset's light declined. Outside in the corridor we could hear the occasional movement of feet as the score of guards there moved about now and then, but heard not the approaching feet of the two that brought our food. What if they were not to come upon this evening? Or what if more than two, or less than two, were to come? Either contingency would be equally ruinous to our plan, and with the passing of each moment we sat in an increasing agony of expectation, Connell's eyes burning, Macklin as imperturbable as ever, Hilliard eager and tense. Then at last, when the shadows of dusk were falling across the great city of the air outside, were deepening in our little cell, we heard voices outside, the greetings of our guards in the corridor, and then a moment later the solid metal door of our cell had clicked open. Then into the cell stepped our two usual guards with our food, their heat-pistols ready as always in their right hands. The eyes of one warily upon us, the other took both of the metal containers of synthetic food and reached to place them, as usual, upon the lower bunk-rack, at the room's right hand side. Macklin was lying upon that bunk-rack having stretched himself out as though sleeping. The rest of us were lounging at the cell's other side, the second guard's heat-pistol watchfully upon us while the first reached toward the bunk-rack to place the metal food-containers beside the supposedly-sleeping Macklin's head. But as he placed them there, as he began to turn away from it, Macklin's hands shot suddenly behind his head as he lay there and grasped the arm of the first guard in a single movement, jerking him toward the bunk-rack! Like lightning the second guard turned with his pistol toward that sudden movement and as he did so, forgetful for the instant of the rest of us, we three had leaped upon him! And then as Hilliard and I bore the second guard to the floor, wrenching the pistol from him, Macklin and Connell had jammed the first one against the cell's corner, with hand upon his mouth, and had him equally powerless!