bore
out Hero Giles' statement that here was one of those semi-aquatic
titans from the steaming swamps of Jarmuth.

"Hell! Poor Alden's as good as finished now! What a fool I was to
think I could save him!"

Obedient to an overwhelming fear, Nelson whirled to flee, then
stopped, as, from the depths of his being, a stronger power forbade
him to desert his friend to certain death.

"Range two hundred and fifty yards," he estimated, and, whipping up
the Winchester, sighted full at the ponderous creature's slimy
snakelike head. When the recoil jarred his shoulder, Nelson dropped
the barrel an inch or so to watch. Nothing happened. The great beast
was advancing as before, its incredibly long neck weaving steadily
back and forth as though to sniff the air.

"Hell!"

Struck by a sudden thought, he snatched a cartridge from his pocket
and, with that strength which comes to men in their hour of mortal
peril, wrenched out the metal-jacketed bullet, to reinsert it
backwards into the brass cartridge case.

Meanwhile the vast brute had drawn nearer, crushing flat a young oak
in its path as easily as though it had been a wheat stalk.

"Maybe this dum-dum will do some good," panted Nelson. "If it doesn't,
nothing will stop it!"

* * * * *

Again he sighted until, finding those small, orange red eyes in line
with his sight, he fired. This time the gray-brown monster uttered a
titantic bellow of rage, halted, and began shaking its clumsy blunt
head.

"Hit it, by God!" exulted Nelson, and seized the momentary respite to
slip two fresh cartridges into the Winchester's magazine.

But, to his inexpressible dismay, the monster presently resumed its
ponderous progress while the Jarmuthians in the howdah uttered
taunting yells that reached him faintly, while the sun flares glinted
on their brandished swords and lances. One of them plucked a fungus
grenade from his belt and flung it with all his might in Nelson's
direction. The missile fell to the earth far short of its destination
and seemed to break rather than explode, at the same time expelling
that deadly, greenish-yellow vapor which, blown away by a strong wind,
fortunately came nowhere near the doomed aviator.

"Oh! You will?"

Nelson sighted swiftly at the grenade-thrower and fired, whereupon the
Jarmuthian, some hundred and fifty yards distant, spun crazily about,
flung both arms towards the amber-yellow sky and toppled from the
howdah,