room, evidently an ante-chamber to alarger room beyond. Without a word our guide left us, passing throughanother door which he closed after him.
Brice and Foulet and I exchanged looks, but we were silent. It mightbe we were watched. It might be that the very walls had ears. We couldtrust nothing.
Our guide returned. "The Master," he said and flung open a wide door.
* * * * *
We found ourselves in a large room filled with paraphernalia of allsorts: wires, lights, laboratory tables cluttered with test tubes andapparatus--and in the midst of this ordered chaos stood a man, hisgleaming eyes watching us fixedly.
At first I was conscious of nothing but his eyes. Large, coal blackand shiny with that peculiar, expressionless gloss I had noted in theeyes of our guide. Later I realized that he was of slight build,meticulously neat, with a tiny black waxed mustache and a carefullytrimmed Van Dyke beard.
"Welcome to my floating island," he said gravely, never swerving thoseshiny eyes for an instant. "We have hoped long for your coming." Hepaused, noiselessly rubbing his hands, and watching us. We staredback, fascinated by that glossy, fixed gaze. "There is much to tellyou," he went on, "and to ask you." He permitted himself a slow smilethat spread his lips but failed to reach his eyes. "During your stayhere," he continued, "which I hope will be both long and profitable,you will become my slaves and will know me as Master. But before youcome under my domination you may know my name."
For the first time he moved his eyes. His glance swept the room as ifto assure himself we were alone. He stepped, as swiftly and softly asa cat, over to the door through which we had entered, opened it, spoketo our guide who was waiting in the ante-room, closed it and returned.He faced us, his lips smiling and his eyes as blank as polished agate.
"My name," he said softly, "is Algernon--Frederick--Fraser!" He pausedand watched us. Behind me I felt Foulet start; I heard Brice's quicklysuppressed gasp. My own throat closed on words that might have beenfatal. Algernon Frederick Fraser! Was it possible? Could it be?
Five years before Fraser had suddenly burst on the world of science.He had made some amazing discoveries regarding the power of light;discoveries that would reorganize the living conditions of the world.For a week or two the papers were filled with the man's amazinggenius; then no more was heard of him. Had he died? What was thestory?
* * * * *
Two years passed and even the name of Fraser was forgotten. Thensuddenly it burst forth again in the headlines of the world. Fraserhad disappeared! Fraser had vanished! But not as a brilliant genius ofscience; he had gone as an escaped lunatic! After his amazing burst offame his mind snapped. Somehow the story had been kept out of thepress.
Fraser was incarcerated in a quiet, very private asylum, and that wasall. All--until he escaped. When that happened the story couldn't behushed any longer. The press was informed, the people were warned. Hebecame known as the Mad Menace. The police and secret serviceorganizations of the world searched for him. His name became a byword.Where had he gone? What would he do? What was his scheme? For he wasstill the astounding scientific genius. That portion of his mind wasuntouched. At the time of his escape the physicians in charge of thecase assured the press that Fraser's scientific mind was every bit assound as ever.
And that was all. Aside from his god Science he was a maniac--inhuman,cruel, unreasoning. What would such a man do loosed in the world? Whatmight he not do? Was it possible that it was this man who stood beforeus now with his eyes fastened upon us so intently and his lips spreadin that little, empty smile? Suddenly I knew! Those eyes! Those eyeswere the shiny, vacuous, soulless eyes of a madman!
"I see," he said softly, "that you have heard of me. But it is threeyears since your world has seen me--yes?" He laughed--a low laugh thatseemed to freeze the air around him. "They call me mad." His smilefaded, his eyes bored through us like steel needles. "I am not mad! Nomadman could do what I have done in three years!" For the first timean expression flickered in his eyes--a crafty gleam of vanity thatflared instantaneously. "Would you like to see?" He leaned toward us.We bowed, but it was Brice who spoke.
"Very much, Doctor Fraser--"
"Don't call me that!" The man whirled like a tiger ready to spring."Don't call me that! I am Master here! Call me Master! Say it." Hisvoice rose to a shriek. "Say it--Master!"
* * * * *
I clamped my teeth against the bloodless horror of that maniacalvoice. It chilled my veins. Again I felt the hair rise on my scalp.Brice bowed quietly; and his eyes, serene and blue, met Fraser'sfairly.
"Of course, Master." His low English voice soothed the bristlingsilence. "I am sure I speak for Monsieur Foulet and Lieutenant Ainsleewhen I say that we would be most deeply interested in yourachievements."
Fraser was placated. He relaxed. He softly rubbed his hands while asmug, crafty smile flitted across his lips. "You will follow me," hemurmured.
He led the way back through the ante-room and down the passageway tillwe stood again under the stars, and again I was struck by the strangelight, warm and faint and rosy like a sunset afterglow. As if he readmy thought Fraser turned to me.
"I will show you first the source of this rosy light; that, I believe,will explain a great deal." He led the way down one of the narrowpathways between the low, domed houses--if they could be calledhouses, for they were little larger than kennels. At the six-foot wallthat surrounded this plateau he paused. "Would you like to look overthe wall?" he asked.
For the space of a breath we hesitated. Was this a trap? Through mymind flashed the words of the man who had guided us to Fraser. "Youare two thousand feet above the earth," he had said. Was that true?And if it were, might not Fraser push us over the wall? But instantlylogic came to my rescue. Fraser had brought us here, and he could havebrought us for but one thing: to question us. Would he be apt to do usharm before those questions were asked? And besides, would Fraser'sbrilliantly subtle mind stoop so low as to destroy enemies by pushingthem over a wall?
"Thank you," we murmured simultaneously. "This whole achievement is oftremendous interest to us," Foulet added.
Fraser chuckled. "It will be of greater interest--later," he said, andhis blank, glittering eyes rested on first one of us, then anotherwith a cold, satisfied gleam. Then he lifted his hand and opened asquare door in the wall about the size of a port-hole. To my surprisethe little door swung back as lightly as a feather and made scarcely asound as it slammed against the wall itself. Again Fraser answered myunspoken thought.
"It has only substance," he said with his vain smirk. "No weightwhatever. This entire platform together with its huts is lighter thanair. If I should tear loose this little door it would float out of myhands instantly and go straight up to the stars. The substance--I havecalled it Fleotite--is not only lighter than air but lighter thanether."
"But we are not floating," said Brice; "we are stationary. Is thelightness of your Fleotite counteracted by the weight of the men andmachines?"
Fraser shook his head. "Not entirely," he said. "But first lookthrough this little window. Then I will explain."
* * * * *
Eagerly we pressed forward. Our danger was almost forgotten in ourinterest. This was amazing--stupendous! Together, shoulder toshoulder, we gazed through the aperture. We were suspended in space!Above us shone the blue-black Arabian night, and beneath us--far, farbeneath--lay the sands of the desert looking rosy and warm in thatsame dull red glare of light that, to a fainter degree, gave us theeffect of afterglow. But we were not floating; we were anchored assecurely as a ship riding in a calm harbor.
We turned back to Fraser, amazed, awed, bursting with questions.Madman he might be, but he had wrought a miracle.
"I will explain," he said and his eyes gleamed with pride. "Of courseyou know of my tremendous discoveries connected with the power oflight. At any rate, five years ago, the scientific world on earththought they were tr
emendous. In reality that was nothing to myamazing strides in the past three years. There is nothing that cannotbe done with light! Nothing!" For the first time Fraser's eyes becamealive. They were illumined. His whole body seemed to radiate light andfire and genius. We listened, fascinated.
"Take, for instance," he continued eagerly, "that ray with which Idrew you and your plane to me. That ray is the pure power ofmagnetism. At full strength it will draw anything to it instantly.Fortunately the power can be regulated: I can switch a lever in mylaboratory and draw things to me, via the ray, at any speed Iwish--one hundred, two hundred, a thousand miles an hour."
* * * * *
"How far can you