for all the world like a diver in quest of pearls.

From both breathless armies rose a terrific shout. Accustomed as they
were to the visible destruction of the retortii, this noisy yet
invisible death was appalling.

But Nelson's agonized attention was not on the assembled armies, for
nearer came the mountainous diplodocus, its lumbering strides making
the howdah sway like a ship in a gale and preventing use of the
portable retortii.

* * * * *

Nelson planted both feet, took fresh grip on his waning courage and
shot again, this time aiming at a gigantic, black bearded warrior who
seemed to be training one of those portable retortii upon him.

Again the Winchester cracked and this time the black bearded man sank
from sight back into the howdah, while his companions, uttering
vengeful shouts, tossed more fungus bombs at the lone heroic figure
barring their progress towards the six bound and shrieking maidens.

Towering thrice as high as the largest African elephant, the
diplodocus was now but seventy-five yards away. He had hit it, that
Nelson could tell, for a large shower of blood sprayed from the
monster's neck. Then, uttering a despairing curse, he sent a shot
smacking squarely into the left shoulder, at the base of that mastlike
neck with fervent hope of finding the heart. But the heavy bullet
bothered the cyclopean reptile no more than a sting of a mosquito.

On, on it came. In another minute it must stamp out Victor Nelson's
life beneath feet as large as hogsheads.

"Damn!"

Nelson snapped the ejector lever, throwing out the spent cartridge.

"No use," he whispered, "can't faze that hill of meat! But I might as
well kill all of those bloody cannibals I can."

With amazing speed and accuracy he picked off two of the remaining
Jarmuthians, whose shining, bronze armor could nowise withstand the
wicked impact of modern nickel-jacketed bullets. One of the stricken
men for a moment dangled with the last of his strength from one of the
chains securing the howdah to the enormous creature's back, then
tumbled heavily some forty feet to the earth.

Only two shots more in the magazine--! Nelson suddenly found himself
very cool. "Two shots and then--"

He was conscious of that great, snakelike head darting viciously in
his direction. A huge, slobbering mouth, studded with teeth a foot
long, yawned redly before him like a nightmare incarnate, blotting out
consciousness of all el