They stood within sight of it when the heavy hand of Horta fell. * * * * * In the shadows of the cavern they had crept from arsenal to foundry, until they had inspected from far or near every establishment in this dim and fearsome chasm. And finally they saw it, a great cylinder nestling deep in the ground and looming high in the cavern, supported by guy beams of gleaming metal. "A ray-gun!" cried Moore. His incautious exclamation was their undoing. A half-clad foundry worker, looking like a gnome in his eye-shade helmet and drooping gauntlets, gaped at them. Ross shot a split second too late to stop the shout of alarm. The foundryman dropped, but a dozen soldiers came on the run. Moore and Ross fired and fired again, but they went down in a charge of scores of Horta soldiers. The flat of a sword struck Ross a stunning blow on the side of his head. He came to his senses to find himself in a strange room, bound hand and foot and prone on a stone floor. Beside him was Moore. "Where are we?" muttered Ross. "In Horta's headquarters," whispered Moore. "Here's Horta." Ross twisted his head. He blinked. For Horta was an eyeful. The Lord of the Caverns was a giant. Fully seven feet tall, he must have weighed four hundred pounds. But he bore his great bulk with ease and a certain dignity. He strode over to the two prisoners, looked them over with curiosity but without visible rancor, and spoke sharply to a guard in the Moon tongue. The guard hastened to free the two flyers. They exchanged glances of surprise. "You don't suppose he's a pal in disguise?" asked Moore blandly. He looked up with a start when he heard a rumbling chuckle. Horta was amused. "No, Earth-man. You are prisoners. But I have no need to bind you, for you cannot escape. Yet you need not fear death, for if you will stay and serve me you shall have life and all the blessings that will be showered upon a new Kingdom." "New Kingdom?" Moore blinked. "It's a Regency, isn't it?" Horta's great laugh boomed out. "Nay! I am the King! And for my queen--well, you have delivered her to me!" Ross sat up and stared. "You mean--Illeria?" Horta chuckled as he nodded. "Illeria!" Ross stifled a curse. His mind raced. The girl was a prisoner, too. He spoke aloud, easily. "Well, I guess we can give Your Royal Highness a hand." "Hey, Bruce!" Moore expostulated. "You don't mean--" "Why not?" drawled Ross. Turning to face Moore, he winked. "We know a lot that will pay our way with the new Kingdom." Moore blinked. "Of course!" he assented hastily. "Sure!" Horta stared suspiciously at the two flyers. "Make sure, then, that you have no secret longings to return to Earth," he warned heavily. "For henceforth there shall be no intercourse between Moon and Earth. The truce is ended." Ross ventured a question. "What'll you do with the men of the Peaks?"