He opened his eyes and saw the broad shoulders of an armored warrior, on one of which rested a pole. The other end of the pole was carried by another warrior behind, and he was swinging in a net, each end of which was fastened to the pole. Two more warriors armed with long spears with heads that resembled long-toothed buzz saws, and with swords and ray projectors belted about their waists, walked on either side. He could hear the clanking armor of many more behind. An officer, in gaudy armor, walked ahead. The young scientist saw that he was being carried through a beautiful garden of luminous trees, shrubs and plants, toward a tall, hexagonal building crowned with a pagoda-like structure of yellow metal, brilliantly lighted. Presently the column came to a halt before a broad flight of steps leading up to a great diamond-shaped door. Standing on the lower step, surrounded by his courtiers, slaves and attendants, he recognized the huge rotund figure of P’an-ku. At a command from the leader he was lowered to the ground. Then the two men who had been carrying him seized him on each side, and jerking him erect, dragged him before the monarch. “O, Vicar of the Great Lord Sun,” intoned the officer. “I bring you alive, the presuming parasite from Du Gong who destroyed the experimental ray projector.” “By the sacred bones of my worshipful ancestors!” exclaimed P’an-ku, peering down at the prisoner over his puffy cheeks, and twisting his long, stringy moustache. “If Dr. Wu sent us the correct description, it is none other than the upstart who calls himself a scientist, Ted Dustin.” “And if I mistake not,” replied Ted, smiling, “you are P’an-ku, the master of bombast who calls himself ‘Lord of the Universe.’” “O, slimy worm and wriggling maggot of Du Gong,” grated P’an-ku. “Think you that you have performed a great service for your people by destroying my experimental ray projector? Know then, that I am building, and will have completed in less than five of your days, a projector with ten times its power. You could have destroyed it as easily as the other, but you have merely saved me the effort of dismantling the smaller projector.” “Everything in its turn,” replied Ted, feigning a complacency he did not feel. “As to your death,” continued P’an-ku, closely watching his prisoner for signs of fear, “I will ponder over it. It was you who destroyed Ur—you who defied me—you who thought to break my power by destroying a small experimental projector. I must have leisure to devise a punishment befitting your crimes.” He turned to the officer who had brought up the prisoner, saying: “Away with him, to the dungeons of eternal darkness.”