The Omaha morning bee., 1925-03-03

chance"
Summerlee raised his hand.
| "Hush.' he cried. Surely I hear
something?"
| From the utter silence there
emerged a 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 round the camp, and then halt
ed near our gateway. There was a
low, sibilant rise and fall-the breath
| ing of the creature. Only our feeble
| hedge separated 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 embra-
sure in the hedge.
by George" he whispered. "I
think I can see it,
l stopped and peered over his
shoulder through the gap. Yes, l
could see Il, too. In the deep shadow
of the tree there was a deeper shadow
| yet, black, inchoate, vague-a crouch
| ing form full of savage vigor and
menace. 1t was no higher than a
horse, but the dim outline suggested
vast bulk and strength. That hiss
| ing pant, as regular and fullvolumed
as the exhaust of an engine. spoke of
a monstrous organism. Once, as ii
moved. l thought | saw the CLINT of
two terrible. greenish eyes. There
was an uneasy rustling. as If 1t were
crawling slowly forward.
Il believe it is going to spring.
said I, cooking my rifle.
Don't fire! Don't fire." whispered
Lord John. THE crash of gun in
this silent night would be heard for
miles. Keep it as last card
IF 1t gets over the hedge we're
done" said Summerlee. and his voice
cracked into a nervous laugh as he
! ,poke.
mo. It must not get over" cried
Lord John; but hold your fire to
the last. Perhaps | can make some.
thing of the fellow. I'll chance It,
anyhow"
1t was as brave an act as ever
saw a man do. He stopped to the
fire. picked up blazing branch, and
slipped in an instant through a sally
port which he had made in our gate
way. The thing moved forward with
a dreadful snarl. Lord John never
hesitated but. running towards 1t
with quick, light step, he dashed the
flaming wood into the brute's face.
For one moment | had a vision of a
horrible mask. like a giant toad s.
of a warty. leprous skin, and of a
loose mouth all beslobbered with
fresh blood. The next. there was a
crash in the underwood and our
dreadful visitor was gone.
II thought he wouldn't face the
fire. said Lord John. laughing as
he came back and threw his branch
among the faggots.
You should not have taken such
a risk" we all cried.
There was nothing else to be done.
II he had got among us we should
have shot each other in tryin' to down
him. On the other hand, II we had
fired through the hedge and wounded
him he would soon have been on the
top of us-to say nothin' of giving
ourselves away. On the whole, l think
we are jolly well out of 1t. What
was he, then?'
Our learned men looked at each
other with some hesitation.
Personally. am unable to classify
the creature with any certainty lid
Summerlee, lighting his pipe from
the fire.
I'm refusing to commit yourself
you are but showing a proper sci.
entific reserve" said Challenger, with
massive condescension. II am not
myself prepared to go farther than
to say in general terms that we have
almost certainly been in contact to-
night with some fgorm OF carnivor-
Gus dinosaur. l have already ex-
pressed my anticipation that some
thing Of tn esort might exist upon
this plateau
I'VE have to bear In mind" re.
marked Summerlee, that there are
many prehistoric forms which have
never come down to US. 1t would be
rash to suppose that We can give
name to all that we are likely to
| meet
Exactly. A rough classification
may be the best that we can attempt
Tomorrow some further evidence may
help US to an Identification. Mean
time we can only renew our inter.
rupted slumbers.
But not without sentinel" said
Lord John with lewiston. I'VE can't
afford to take chances in a country
like this. Two-hour speels in the fu'
ture for each of US"
Then I'll just finish my pipe In
starting the first one" said Professor
| Summerlee; and from that time on
wards we never trusted ourselves
again without watchman.
| In the morning 1t was not long
| before we discovered the source Of
the hideous uproar which had aroused
up in the night. The iguanodon glade
was the scene OF a horrible butchery.
! From the pools of blood and the enor-
nous Jumps of flesh scattered In
every direction over the green sward
we imagined at first that a number
| Of animals had been killed, but on
examining the remains more closely
we discovered that all this carnage