Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-11-07

! last, however, as we reached the thick
er woods they gave up the chase. and
we saw them no more.
"a most interesting and convincing
Experience" said Challenger as we
halted beside the brook and he bathed
a swollen knee. "We are exception
ally well Informed, Summarize. as to-
the habits of the enraged pterodactyl."
Summarize was wiping the blood
from cut in his forehead. while was
i tying up nasty stab in the muscle of
,, the neck Lord John had the shoulder
of his coat torn away. but the crea-
lures teeth had only grazed the flesh.
1T is worth noting" Challenger con-
tinued, that our young friend has re-
ceived an undcubted stab, while Lord
Johns coat could only have been torn
by a bite. In my own case, was
beaten about the head by their wings,
so we have had remarkable exhibit
| ton of their various methods of Of
| Tense"
ut has been touch and go for our
lives" said Lord John gravely, ''and
| I could not think of more rotten sort
Of death than to be outed by such
| filthy vermin. was sorry to fire my
| rifle, but, by Jove, there was no great
choice!'
| I'VE should not be here if you
hadn't" said l, with conviction.
| at may do no HARM" said he.
among these woods there must be
| many loud cracks from splitting or
| falling trees which would be just like
| the sound of gun. But now, If you
are Of my opinion, we have had thrills
| enough for one day and had best get
| back to the surgical box at the camp
for some carbolic. Who knows what
venom these beasts may have in their
hideous jaws?"
That night (our third in Maple White
| LanO we had an experience which
| left fearful impression upon our
minds and made us thankful that Lord
John had worked so hard in making
| our retreat impregnable. We Were
all sleeping round our dying fire when
we We're aroused, or, rather, l should
say, shot out Of our slumbers, by q
succession of the most frightful cries
| and screams to which I have ever
listened. / know no sound to which
| could compare this amazing tumult.
which seemed to come from some spot
within a few hundred yards of our
camp. 1t was as ear splitting as any
whistle of a railway engine, but where
as the whistle is a clear, mechanical,
sharp edged sound this was far deep
err in volume and vibrant with the ut
termost strain Of agony and horror.
| We clapped our hands to our ears to
] shut out that nerve shaking appeal.
| A cold sweat broke out over my body,
| and nv heart turned sick at the misery
Of it. All the woes of tortured life all
it's stupendous indictment Of high
heaven. its innumerable sorrows, SEEM
ed to be centered and condensed into
| that one dreadful, agonized cry. And
| then under this high pitched. ringing
sound there was another, more inter
mittent, a low deep chested laugh, a
growing, throaty gurgle Of merriment
which formed Il grotesque accompani
ment to the shrek with which it was
blended, For three or four minutes
on end the fearsome duet continued.
while all the foliage rustled with the
| rising Of startled birds. Then it shut
! off as suddenly as it began. For long
| time we sat in Mortified silence. Then
Lord John threw bundle Of twigs
! upon the fire, and their red glare lit
up the intent faces Of my companions
and fickered over the great boughs
above our heads.
"What was it," whispered.
1--WE shall know in the morning"
said Lord John. ut was CLOSE to us
not farther than the glade"
eve have been privileged to over
hear prehistoric tragedy, the sort of
drama which occurred among the
reeds upon the border of some jurassic
lagoon, when the greater dragon pin
ned the lesser among the slime" said
Challenger with more solemnity than
had ever heard in his voice. ut was
surely well for man that he came late
i'm the order Of creation. There We're
powers abroad in earlier days which
no courage and no mechanism of his
could have met What could his sling.
his throwing stick or his arrow avail
him against such forces as have been
loose tonight? Even with modern
| rife it would be all odds on the mon
ster."
~ think I should back my little
friend" said Lord John, caressing his
express. "But the beast would GER
tainly have good sporting chance"
Summarize raised his hand.
"Hush." he cried. surely I hear
something"
| From the utter silence there emerged
deep. regular pat. pat 1t was the
tread Of some animal-the rhythm of
soft but heavy pads placed cautiously
upon the ground. 1t stole slowly
around the camp and then halted near
our gateway. There was a low, sibi-
liant rise and fall-the breathing of the
creature. Only our feeble hedge sep
arated us from this horror of the
night. Each of us had seized his rifle,
and Lord John had pulled out small
bush to make an embraSure in the