"_Aiee!_ Out of the chamber of the past comes doom! Doom to the men of the earth and of not-earth!" "Will somebody please gag that perambulating wailing-wall?" demanded Ramey irately. "All right, everybody--look sharp! I'm going to try it easy. If you see anything happening, holler! And be careful no trap doors open beneath you. Okay! Here we go!" He laid his hand on the upright strip of metal and pulled it slowly toward him. But nothing happened. So long had it rested unused that it seemed welded to the plate on which it stood. Ramey tried again, more forcibly. Still no result. He hunched his shoulders, took a good grip. This time he wrenched at the lever with every ounce of power in his six-foot frame. And-- The rod gave suddenly, jolting back in its groove, burying its handle in the pit of Ramey's stomach, jarring the wind out of him. Ramey sat down, abruptly. A startled "_Ooph!_" burst from his lips. Then as he caught his wind, a grin overspread his features. "Did it!" he claimed triumphantly. Then as he stared about him, seeing no change in either the room or his companions' expressions, his eyebrows raised. "But now that I did it," he demanded plaintively, "what did I do?" "You pulled a little stick," said Red genially. "Only nothing happened. I'll give you a recommend if you ever need one. Chief stick-puller and nothing-happened." But one at least did not share his mirth. "Wait!" Sheila Aiken cried suddenly. "Something _did_ happen! Listen--a humming noise--" * * * * * It was so. Singing so faintly through the cubicle as to be almost inaudible was the thin, far moan as of a diminutive motor heard from a vast distance. And where Ramey's hand touched the floor, he thought he could detect just the faintest, the barest, tingle of vibration coursing through the metal. Nor was this just an hallucination. Because-- "It _is_ a motor!" cried Dr. Aiken. "We must be moving! For, see? The panel!" Ramey's eyes followed the archeologist's finger. On the curious instrument panel before them was a circular dial. And the pointer of this dial was slowly revolving! Red Barrett, who had clambered down the ladder, took one startled look at the spinning needle and started up again. "Excuse me, folks," he gulped, "I just remembered I got to see a guy about nine million miles away from here!" His hands fumbled for the latch of the ceiling trap door. Dr. Aiken stayed him with a sharp command. "No, Red! Don't!" "H-huh? Why not?" "Because something is happening to us. Obviously, we are moving in some direction or other. It might be perfectly safe to open that trap door, but on the other hand--well, I think it would be better to wait until the needle reaches the end of its circuit."