"Good dog," he murmured; and the creature snuggled close to him, comforted, already forgetting that horrible place from which it had just returned.
"Is everything ready, George?" asked the old man.
"Yes, sir," replied the servant. "The men are all ready, even anxious to go. If you ask me, sir, they are a tough lot."
"They are as brave a group of men as ever graced the Earth," replied the scientist gently. "They are adventurers, every one of whom has faced danger and will not shrink from it. They are born fighters. My one regret is that I have not been able to secure more like them. A thousand men such as they should be able to conquer any opponent. It was impossible. The others were poor soft fools. They laughed in my face. They thought I was an old fool — I, the man who alone stands between them and utter destruction."
His voice had risen to almost a scream, but it again sank to a normal tone.
"I may be sending ninety-eight brave men to instant death. I hope not."
"You can always jerk them back, sir," suggested George.
"Maybe I can, maybe not," murmured the old man.
Henry Woods appeared in the doorway.
"When do we start?" he asked.