Steadily the ebon rift expanded; spread suddenly wide open in two sharp-edged, flying wedges-- Earth had dropped away.

At our side a gulf had opened, an abyss, striking down depth upon depth; profound; immeasurable.
We were human atoms, riding upon a steed of sorcery and racing along a split rampart of infinite space.
I looked behind--scores of the cubes were darting from the metal host trailing us; in a long column of twos they flashed by, raced ahead.

Far in front of us a gloom began to grow; deepened until we were rushing into blackest night.
Through the murk stabbed a long lance of pale blue phosphorescence.
It unrolled like a ribbon of wan flame, flicked like a serpent's tongue--held steady.

I felt the Thing beneath us leap forward; its velocity grew prodigious; the wind beat upon us with hurricane force.
I shielded my eyes with my hands and peered through the chinks of my fingers.

Ranged directly in our path was a barricade of the cubes and upon them we were racing like a flying battering-ram.