"Hail, Klow!" replied I, glancing up meaningly at the air monsters
wheeling there. "I take it that ye purpose to execute us."

"Aye," he growled savagely. "Thou didst attack without provocation. Thy
life is forfeit, and as many more as may be found needful to guarantee
peace."

"Then," I quoth, my manner changing, "then ye have saved me the trouble
of deciding what shall be thy fate. Execution, say you? So be it!"

And I strode down to the great log of iron which lay ready to fill the
gap. Klow looked at me with a peculiar expression, as though he thought
me mad. True, it looked it; how could I do him harm without myself
suffering?

But I kicked the props which held the iron, and gave it a start with my
foot. The ends of the pole-to-pole rod lay concealed by brush, perchance
fifty yards away. In ten seconds that last section had rolled completely
between them; and only a fool would have missed seeing that, the last
ten feet, the iron was fair jerked through the air.

As this happened we all heard a tremendous crackling, like that of
nearby lightning, while enormous clouds of dust arose from the two
concealed ends, which were now become connections. And at the same time
a loud, steely click, just one and no more, sounded from the intruding
host.

For a moment Klow was vastly puzzled. Then he snarled angrily: "What
means this foolery, Strokor? Advance, and give up thy ax!"