The Delta independent., 1916-08-04

dian caves that tragedy occur
red. Challenger and Summerlee
had gone off together that day to the
lake, where some of the natives un-
der their direction were engaged in
harpooning specimens of the great
lizards. Lord John and had remain
ed in our camp, while number of the
Indians were scattered about upon the
grassy slope in front of the caves en-
gagged in different ways. Suddenly
there was a shrill cry of alarm, with
the word "Stoaw resounding from a
hundred tongues. From every side
men, women and children were rush.
ing wildly for shelter, swarming up
the staircases and into the caves in a
mad stampede.
Looking up, we could see them wav-
ing their arms from the rocks above
and beckoning to us to join them in
their refuge. We had both seized our
magazine rifles and ran out to see
what the danger could be. Suddenly
from the near belt of trees there broke
forth group of twelve or fifteen In
dians. running for their lives, and at
their very heels two of those frightful
monsters which had disturbed our
camp and pursued me upon my soil
tary journey. In shape they were like
horrible toads and moved in a success
sion of springs. but in size they were
of an incredible bulk, larger than the
largest elephant. We had never be-
fore seen them save at night, and in
deed they are nocturnal animals save
when disturbed in their lairs, as these
had been. We now stood amazed at
the sight for their blotched and warty
skins were of curious, fishlike rides
cence. and the sunlight struck them
with an ever varying rainbow bloom as
they moved.
We had little time to watch them.
however. for in an instant they had
oyertaken the fugitives and were max
ing a dire slaughter among them.
Their method was to fall forward with
their full weight upon each In turn,
leaving him. crushed and mangled, to
bound on after the others. The wretch
ed Indians screamed with terror, but
were helpless. run as they would. be-
fore the relentless purpose and horri-
BILE activity of these monstrous crea-
lures. One after another they went
down. and there were not half dozen
surviving by the time my companion
and / could come to their help. But
our aid was of little avail and only in
volved us in the same peril. At the
range of couple of hundred yards we
emptied our magazines. firing bullet
after bullet into the beasts. but with
no more effect than If we were peiting
them with pellets of paper. Their slow
reptilian natures cared nothing for
wounds. and the springs OF their lives.
with no special brain center but scat
tered throughout their spinal cords.
could not be tapped by any modern
weapons The most that we could do
was to check their progress by dis
tracing their attention with the fash
and roar OF our guns and so to give
both the natives and ourselves time to
reach the steps which led to safety.
But where the conicai explosive bullets
of the twentieth century were of nc
avail the poisoned arrows of the ma.
ttres, dipped In the Juice OF strophan
thus and STEPPED afterward in decayed
carrion, could succeed. Such arrows
were of little avail to the hunter who
attacked the beast, because their action
in that torpid circulation was slow, and
before its powers failed it could GER
tainly overtake and slay Its assailant
But now, as the two monsters bounded
US to the very foot Of the stairs, drift
of darts came whistling from every
chink in the cliff above them. In q
minute they were feathered with them
and yet, with no sign of pain. they
clawed and slabbered with impOten'
rage at the steps which would leat
them to their victims. mounting clum
silly up for a few yards. and then slid
pg down again to the ground Blu
at last the poison worked. One o.
them gave deep rumbling groan ant
dropped his huge SQUAT hA.@ - - -