It sounded human, but I know that that sound did not come from the throat of a man or a woman."
"It wasn't human, Bill. What it was—well, that seems to be a mystery even to the Dromans."
I turned and saw Drorathusa, who had just issued from the tent, standing beside Narkus and engaged in hurried and whispered dialogue, the troubled looks which she incessantly directed into the forest, in that quarter whence had come that fearful sound, advertising dread and something for which I can not find a name.
"Evidently," Rhodes observed, "they know but little more about this place and the things in it than we do ourselves."
"And that is virtually nothing."
"Did you," he asked suddenly, "hear something else?"
"Something else? When?"
"Something besides that scream. And while it was filling the air—and just afterward."
"I heard nothing else. Did you?"
"I believe that I did."
"What?"
"I can not say," was his answer.
"I wish that I could."
"Well," said I, "all we know is that there is something sneaking or prowling about in this wood, that it has just got a victim and that, in all probability, it means to get one of us—or all."
Rhodes nodded, rather rueful of visage.
"We were fortunate enough," he said, "to kill one monster; I wonder if we shall be as fortunate the second time. For there is another waiting perhaps—biding its time."
An icy shudder went through me. Another? Yes; but another what?
Chapter 35
A Scream and—Silence
I am afraid that no one slept very well after that.
It was about 7 o'clock when we left that place. And I confess that I was more uneasy, more troubled than I would have eared to acknowledge. For we were headed toward the spot—at any rate, in the direction—whence had come that frightful scream. What would we find there, or would we find anything?
We did.
We had gone about an eighth of a mile. The disposition of our little party was as it had been the day before—Rhodes and Narkus, that is, were in the lead, followed by Drorathusa, then came Delphis and Siris, whilst Thumbra and myself formed the rear-guard. Had my own wishes in the matter been followed, Rhodes and I would have been together. The formation assumed was, as I believe I have mentioned, the one that Drorathusa desired. The idea, of course, was to have the front and the rear protected each by one of the mysterious weapons of the mysterious strange-men—weapons undoubtedly far more formidable in the imagination of Drorathusa and her companions than they were in reality.
Certainly our revolvers were in every way excellent weapons, but I could not help wishing that they carried a more powerful bullet.
As has been said, we had proceeded about a furlong. The dense and tangled undergrowth had forced us away from the stream, to a distance of perhaps three hundred feet.
At the moment a sound had fetched me up and my exclamation had brought the party to a sudden halt.
"What is it?" Rhodes asked.
"We are being followed!"
