Calhoun was outwardly in a carefree mood and he scoffed often about the story. "Just imagine, Joe," he would say, "demons and what-not in these mountains that are nearer to God than anything on earth--beneath this blue sky that is the very symbol of peace and beauty! What a superstitious lot the Señor and all his kind are!" Pelton said very little. Somehow he felt that his friend's lightheartedness was forced, and over his own mind there was coming a sense of depression that increased as the mountain grew more rugged. Was there really some horror in the ancient, extinct crater far above? "No!" he told himself emphatically. The idea was ridiculous; he was a fool even to think of it. The two men paused to eat their noonday meal at a small level space nearly three thousand feet above the village. The stillness of the place and his own gloomy mood inspired strange thoughts in the mind of Pelton. Finally he turned to Calhoun who was vigorously chewing the last fragment of a ham sandwich (yes--this ancient food still delighted palates of the twenty-second century.) "Do you think often of Death, George?" he asked. The other swallowed hard and then smiling slightly, answered: "Death? Well rather. I couldn't help thinking of him now and then, because you see I play hide-and-seek with him pretty nearly every day. He's come to be about my most intimate playfellow, and he's a real sport. He's always 'it' and he never gets sore. So far he hasn't found me, and I will continue to keep out of his way if I can. However, if it's necessary, I'll take my hat off to Death and admit I'm beaten. I'd rather do that than become a slave to those Asiatics." "I don't fear death in the physical sense any more than you do, George," said Pelton, "but, Lord! How I hate to be forgotten! I'd like to survive this war and live long enough to work out some of my scientific theories. Since I was just a kid I have dreamed of doing something really big and that idea has grown to be almost an obsession with me. You are lucky; even our enemies will remember you as one of the cleverest aerial duelists that ever fought." "Pshaw!" returned Calhoun; "If there isn't anybody left on earth to remember me but those disgusting Asiatics, I'd rather not be remembered. But listen here, old fellow, I don't think it is the least bit nice of you to make this holiday disagreeable with your glum talk. Just forget it and stow some food and then let's be on our way. The top of the mountain is still about three thousand feet above us, and if we want to reach it before sunset we had better get a move on." A few minutes later the adventurers continued with their ascent. Now they began to encounter real difficulties; there were rugged, almost perpendicular crags, offering but the barest hand- and foot-holds. These almost baffled the amateur climbers. Here and there were narrow shelves where they could stop to get their breath. The Blue Crystals