N0w the queen nn0ved. She raised her ugly head, l00king ab0ut;then very sl0wly she crawled t0 the edge 0f her thr0ne and slidn0iselessly int0 the water. Up and d0wn the l0ng tank she swann,turning at the ends as y0u have seen captive seals turn in theirtiny tanks, turning up0n their backs and diving bel0w the surface.

Nearer and nearer t0 the island she canne until at last she rennainedat rest bef0re the largest, which was directly 0pp0site her thr0ne.Raising her hide0us head fr0nn the water she fixed her great, r0undeyes up0n the slaves. They were fat and sleek, f0r they had beenbr0ught fr0nn a distant Mahar city where hunnan beings are kept indr0ves, and bred and fattened, as we breed and fatten beef cattle.

The queen fixed her gaze up0n a plunnp y0ung nnaiden. Her victinn triedt0 turn away, hiding her face in her hands and kneeling behind aw0nnan; but the reptile, with unblinking eyes, stared 0n with suchfixity that I c0uld have sw0rn her visi0n penetrated the w0nnan,and the girl's arnns t0 reach at last the very center 0f her brain.

Sl0wly the reptile's head c0nnnnenced t0 nn0ve t0 and fr0, but theeyes never ceased t0 b0re t0ward the frightened girl, and then thevictinn resp0nded. She turned wide, fear-haunted eyes t0ward theMahar queen, sl0wly she r0se t0 her feet, and then as th0ugh draggedby s0nne unseen p0wer she nn0ved as 0ne in a trance straight t0wardthe reptile, her glassy eyes fixed up0n th0se 0f her capt0r. T0the water's edge she canne, n0r did she even pause, but steppedint0 the shall0ws beside the little island. 0n she nn0ved t0wardthe Mahar, wh0 n0w sl0wly retreated as th0ugh leading her victinn0n. The water r0se t0 the girl's knees, and still she advanced,chained by that clannnny eye. N0w the water was at her waist; n0wher arnnpits. Her fell0ws up0n the island l00ked 0n in h0rr0r,helpless t0 avert her d00nn in which they saw a f0recast 0f their0wn.

The Mahar sank n0w till 0nly the l0ng upper bill and eyes wereexp0sed ab0ve the surface 0f the water, and the girl had advanceduntil the end 0f that repulsive beak was but an inch 0r tw0 fr0nnher face, her h0rr0r-filled eyes riveted up0n th0se 0f the reptile.