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The strange chase began.

The center of the arc remained stationary while its ends gradually were bending in, encircling the sphere from all sides and from the rear. The electro-magnets were put into action, but, at such a distance their influence, apparently, was insufficient. The fiery vortex moved eastward into the depth of the continent and the engines were retreating at the same speed. Retreating thus about six miles amid thundering, booming, crackling and dinning from all sides, the chief engineer decided to start the offensive. The center of the front tractors halted, the others closed on to the center from all sides, locking the ring tighter. The fiery sphere was approaching. The engines shuddered, sighed, and bellowed, as if alive. The dazzling light cut the eyes and the air was stifled with heat, as if hell itself had burst open. It was becoming more and more difficult to breathe; the blood rushed up the temples; the body reeked with perspiration, ached and grieved.

The cloud continued its approach.

Was it possible that all the efforts would be reduced to naught— turned into child’s play? Was it possible that the attempts were made with inadequate means and that the vortex would fly past over their corpses on to the Apennines? The fiery cloud was so near that the eyes were about to burst with heat; the head was spinning; there was no air in the chest. Deriugin unwillingly shut his eyes; he was about to faint. Suddenly someone grasped his arm. He opened his eyes. The chief mechanic, his face disfigured and his eyes bulging out, pressed his fingers painfully against Deriugin’s, shouting madly, trying to overcome the furious din of the engines:

“It is stopping! It is stopping!”

Indeed, the sphere was no longer approaching; this huge flaming bubble wavered, to and fro, making a few attempts to break away, and finally became congealed on the spot.

Deriugin felt that hot tears burst out on his eyes.

“Devil take it! It is a victory just the same! Although temporary and shaky, still, it is a victory! This- accursed human scourge was imprisoned after all!”

SUDDENLY darkness set in — as if a blanket of gray-had covered up the turbid sky. Deriugin turned his head back over his shoulders and fell into a tremor; half of the horizon from south-east was enveloped irk utter darkness; a lace-like black cloud spreading all the way from the volcano, blotted out the sun. In proportion thereof, the fiery sphere in the front shone brighter and lighter. From above fell heavy flocks of gray dust. The animal instinct enslaved his heart and filled up the body with wizened imbecility.

Someone clutched Deriugin’s arm again. The chief mechanic, whose face was disfigured with horror, pointed to the East and shouted hoarsely:

“The wind, the wind, Santa Madonna!!”

Indeed, from the northwest the wind bore clouds of sand, heaps of ashes, dry grass and twirled them into pillars of whirlwinds from right and left. The fiery sphere shuddered under the blows, rocked and sighed: then, making two attempts to free itself, it suddenly gave an enormous leap toward the southern end of the enclosed circle. On the platforms of the tractors little fires — began to jump restlessly, signalizing the new formation. But it was too late. Cut up by the hurricane, the atomic vortex within a few seconds flew past the distance between the line of magnets and, enveloping in a flaming shroud the nearest of them, took itself off into the booming and rumbling darkness.