Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1921-05-13

Inc thing, which more nearly re-
sembled our earthly men than it did
the Martians l had seen, held me
pinioned to the ground with one huge
foot, while it jabbered and gesticu-
lated at some answering creature be-
hind me, This other, which was evil
IDENTIFY its mate, soon came toward us,
bearing a mighty stone cudgel with
which 1t evidently intended to brain
me.
The creatures were about ten or
fifteen feet tall, standing erect, and
had, like the green Martians, an inter-
mediary set of arms or legs, midway
between their upper and lower limbs
Their eyes were close together and
n-protruding; their ears were high
set, but more laterally located than
those of the Martians. while their
shouts and teeth we're strikingly like
those of our African gorilla.
The cudgel was swinging in the arc
which ended upon my upturned face
when bolt of myriad-legged horror
hurled itself through the doorway full
upon the breast of my executioner.
With a shrek of fear the ape which
held me leaped through the open VIM
dow, but its mate closed in a terrific
death struggle with my preserver,
which was nothing less than my faith
full watch-thing; cannot bring myself
to call so hideous a creature a dog.
AS quickly as possible 1 gained my
feet and backing against the wall /
witnessed such a battle as It is vouch-
safed few beings TO see. My beast
had an advantage in his first hold,
having sunk his mighty fangs far into
the breast of his adversary; but the
great arms and paws of the ape, back
ed by muscles far transcending those
of the Marian men 1 had seen, had
locked the throat of my guardian and
slowly were choking out his life, and
bending back his head and neck upon
his body, where / momentarily ex-
pected the former to fall limp at the
end of broken neck
Back and forth upon the floor they
rolled, neither one emitting a sound
Of fear VI pain. Presently / saw the
great eyes of my beast bullying COM
pletely from their sockets and blood
flowing from its nostrils. That he
was weakening perceptibly was evil
dent, but so also was the ape, whose
struggles were growing momentarily
less.
Suddenly came to myself and, with
that strange instinct which seems ever
to prompt me to my duty, seized the
cudgel, which had fallen to the floor
at the commencement of the battle,
and swinging it with all the power of
my earthly arms / crashed it full upon
the head Of the ape, crushing his skull
as though it had been an egg shell.
Scarcely had the blow descended
when 1 was confronted with a new
| danger. The apes mate, recovered
| from its first shock of terror, had re-
turned to the scene of the encounter
| BIZ way of the interior of the building.
I was standing near the window
and l knew that once in the street
I might gain the plaza and safety
before the creature could overtake me /;
| at least there was chance for safety
in flight, against almost certain death
should I remain and fight, however
| desperately.
had turned to make for the win
dow, but my eyes alighting on the form
Of my erstwhile guardian threw all
thoughts of flight to the four winds.
He lay gasping upon the floor of the
chamber, his great eyes fastened upon
me in what seemed a pitiful appeal
for protection / could not Withstand
| that look, nor could /, on second
thought, have deserted my rescuer
without giving as good an account in
his behalf as he had in mine.
| Without more ado, therefore.
| turned to meet the charge Of the in
! furiated bull ape. He was now too
| close upon me for the cudgel to prove
| of any effective assistance, so / mere
| ly threw it as heavily as / could at
his advancing bulk. 1t struck him
| just below the knees, eIiciting howl
of pain and rage and so throwing him
OF his balance that he lunged full up
on me with arms wide stretched to
ease his fall.
Again, as on the preceding day,
had recourse to earthly tactics, and
swinging my right fist full upon the
| point of his chin / followed 1t with
a smashing left to the pit of his
stomach. The effect was marvellous,
for as / lightly side-stepped, after de-
livering the second blow, he reeled
and fell upon The floor doubled up
with pain and gasping for wind. Leap
ing over his PROSTATE body l seized
the cudgel and finished the monster
before he could regain his feet.
AS delivered the blow low laugh
rang out behind me, and, turning, 1
beheId Tars Tarkas, Sofa and three
or four warriors standing in the door
way of the chamber AS my eyes met
theirs was, for the second time, the
recipient of their zealously Guarded
applause.
My absence had been noted by Sofa