a gleam of something white, rose into the air and came driving straight toward us. I sprang aside and turned to fire but did not do so for fear of hitting the Dromans or Rhodes. There was a heavy, sickening thud; a piercing shriek from Drorathusa, the sound of rending cloth. The monster had her!
I leaped toward it and emptied the revolver into its side, whilst Narkus and Thumbra sent each an arrow into the body. That of the former was driven with such force that the feathered end of the shaft must have been half-way through the lungs. And down the tiling fell dead, though still quivering, there in our very midst.
I turned and hurried to Drorathusa. Rhodes was already beside her. The claws of the monster had ripped her dress, from the thigh down, literally into ribbons; strangely enough, the flesh had escaped even a scratch.
Drorathusa was badly shaken, and little wonder, forsooth. It had been a miraculous escape from terrible injury, from a most horrible death. A few moments, however, and she was as composed as though nothing had happened. Truly there was much to admire in this extraordinary woman.
Rhodes and I turned and examined the body, now lying quite still. It was that of an enormous cat. Strictly speaking, it was not, I suppose, a cat; it was not like anything that we had ever seen or heard of. But a eat I shall call it, not knowing what other word to use. The head was long and of an aspect strikingly, repulsively snakelike. This reptilian resemblance was enhanced by the head's being absolutely destitute of hair, save for the vibrissae, which were really enormous. The body was a dull, shadowy gray and most curiously mottled The breast and the belly were snowy white.
"Hum," said Milton Rhodes. "A strange and terrible creature, Bill. This wilderness must be a real one when we find a carnivore like this—and goodness only knows what others—subsisting in it."
"Yes. And, with such creatures in the woods, our journey through them is likely to prove an interesting one."
"Oh, well," said Rhodes, "we have our revolvers, and the Dromans have their bows and arrows, to say nothing of the swords. And they know how to use them, too."
"And that reminds be," I told him: "I haven't reloaded my blunderbuss."
"Save those shells, Bill."
"What for?"
"So we can reload them."
"Reload them? Do you think we'll be able to do that in this world called Drome."
"Why not?"
"But how?"
Rhodes turned like a flash.
"Hear that?" he said. "By the great Nimrod, another one!"
The darkness still lay impenetrable, pitchy. We flashed our lights into the trees, this way and that, all about us; but no eyes were seen gleaming at us, nothing moving save the shadows, and not the faintest sound was heard.
The Dromans were listening intently, but it was patent that they had not heard that sound which had whirled Rhodes about; nor had I heard it myself.
"Sure," I queried, "that there was a sound?"
"I certainly thought that I heard something."
"Look!" I cried, pointing upward.
Through the openings in the foliage, pale flickerings of light were to be seen.
