Page:Amazing Stories Volume 01 Number 06.djvu/26

The airplane tipped as it descended, and, with confused cries, most of its crew tumbled off, some falling into the water, others disappearing in the tangled vegetation. The light went out, but Edmund's lamp continued to burn.

We could see Ala, as the machine sank lower and crashed through the branches, clinging desperately to an upright on the inclined deck.

The awful arm was clasped about the steel-work within a foot of her!

With a terrible cry, Edmund dashed into the matted growths, madly fighting his way through. Jack and I followed, but Henry sank upon the wet ground, helpless through sheer terror.

"That's the fate they intended for us!" Edmund shouted. "But, by Heaven, it shall not come to her!"

If we had had far to go, we should never have been able to get through that awful mass. Even in the excitement of the moment I shrank from the hateful touch of those twisted branches, clammy as the skin of serpents.

But Edmund regarded nothing except his purpose. He battled maniacally with the obstacles in his path, leaving an opening for us at his heels. Through it all we hung on to our rifles, feeling that this alone could save us.

I suppose it was not more than two minutes before we emerged into a comparatively open place—and then the sight that met us!

In the midst of the opening, but half visible in the gloom, on huge squat legs, stood such a monster as you have perhaps read of in books on paleontology, but the equal of this one no geologist ever imagined.

I don't know how large its body was, but its gigantic three-cornered head looked as big as a beer-vat, and from the front of the head issued something resembling the trunk of an elephant, but as large as a dozen. The eye on that side of the head which was turned toward us glowed like an ember in the light of Edmund's lamp.

The creature was crushing the airplane, bending its sides like pasteboard with that mighty trunk. For my part, I was paralyzed by the awful spectacle, but Edmund's sharp command brought me to my senses.

"Hold the lamp!"

Mechanically I took it in my hand. Then I saw Edmund aiming his rifle.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ten times the shots rang out, zipping one on the heels of another, and I knew that the chamber was exhausted.

"Give me your rifle!"—to Jack.

But it was unneeded. At the very first shot I saw the monster's red eye go dull, and I believe that every bullet entered his brain. He was so huge and unwieldy that he couldn't fall like an ordinary animal. He released the wrecked airplane, threw his vast trunk, heaving in agony and, thrashing the branches over his head, sank upon his immense knees, and slowly rolled down in the sedgy mud.

Without a moment's hesitation, Edmund rushed forward, and a minute later I saw him carrying Ala.

She had fainted, but was uninjured. A little stimulant brought her round, and, lying in his arms, she looked at him, dazed at first, and then with such an expression as I should like just once to encounter in a woman's eyes.

While we were thus engaged, Juba appeared, his white furry body thick with mud, and his huge eyes actually comical in their mingled look of amazement and terror. Presently, half a dozen of the men who had been thrown from the airplane fought their way to us.

"Quick now, boys," said Edmund. "We've got to fix up a shelter."

Still carrying Ala, he led the way to the airplane. Its light steel frame was badly bent in places, but it had settled right side up, and a short inspection showed that it was not a hopeless wreck.

"If the machinery is not seriously injured," said Edmund, "we shall be all right. But we can't get out of this straight away, and I must have a safe and dry place for Ala, while I examine the thing and collect the survivors."

"Just look at that beast," exclaimed Jack, pointing to the huge carcass of the slain monster.

"Better see if there are other live ones round," returned Edmund sharply. "Use your eyes and ears as you never did in your life, while I look at the machinery."

Gently placing Ala in a secure place on the now level deck, Edmund began to explore the mechanism of the airplane. In a few minutes he turned on its powerful electric light, which lit up the strange scenery around us like a full moon.

"You may draw the creatures upon us," I said.

"Yes," Edmund replied, "but it's just as likely to scare them off. In any event, I've got to have plenty of light. Where's Henry?"

"Back there, paralyzed with fear," I replied.

"Go and find him, one of you."

Jack and I looked at one another. Jack made a wry face, and probably I did the same. It manifestly had to be done, however, and, taking the pocket-lamp, we gingerly crept back through the terrible thicket, and found Henry still seated on the ground. He remained speechless as we led him to the airplane and seated him upon it. So perfect a picture of abject fright I had never seen. Yet I pitied him from the bottom of my heart, for Henry had his good qualities.

In the meantime, Edmund pursued his investigations, aided finally by the engineer of the craft and two or three of his assistants, who, guided by the light, had struggled out of the swamp. In perhaps an hour's time the airplane was pronounced in fit condition for flight. No more monster beasts had made their appearance, although three or four times we had heard them moving about at no great distance, and, with beating hearts, had gripped the two rifles that remained loaded.

Jack's good nature was restored, and he couldn't refrain from expressing again his opinion that the way those rifles had come back to us beat all the fish-yarns he had ever heard.

"Now you'd never have dared to invent a story like that," he said to me.