ants of their clothing, and these,
damped with cold water, and bound over the girl's eyes, alleviated her
suffering somewhat. Meanwhile the blackfellows had prepared a meal of
roast opossum. After their long diet of shrimps, it tasted like ambrosia
to the two men.

* * * * *

Much to their surprise, Haidia seemed to enjoy it too. The three
squatted in the scrub among the friendly blacks, discussing their
situation.

"These fellows will save us," said Dodd. "It may be that we're quite
near the coast, but, any way, they'll stick to us, even if only out of
curiosity. They'll take us somewhere. But as soon as we get Haidia to
safety we'll have to go back along our trail. We mustn't lose our
direction. Suppose I was laughed at when I get back, called a liar! I
tell you, we've got to have something to show, to prove my statements,
before I can persuade anybody to fit out an expedition into Submundia.
Even those three beetle-shells that we dropped in the crater won't be
conclusive evidence for the type of mind that sits in the chairs of
science to-day. And, speaking of that, we must get those blacks to carry
those shells for us. I tell you, nobody will believe--"

"What's that?" cried Tommy sharply, as a rasping sound rose above the
cries of the frightened blacks.

But there was no need to ask. Out of the crater two enormous beetles
were winging their way toward them, two beetles larger than any that
they had seen.

Fully seven feet in length, they were circling about each other,
apparently engaged in a vicious battle.

The fearful beaks stabbed at the flesh beneath the shells, and they
alternately stabbed and drew back, all the while approaching the party,
which watched them, petrified with terror.

It was evident that the monsters had no conception of the presence of
humans. Blinded by the sun, only one thing could have induced them to
leave the dark depths of Submundia. That was the mating instinct. The
beetles were evidently rival leaders of some swarm, engaged in a duel to
the death.

Round and round they went in a dizzy maze, stabbing and thrusting, jaws
closing on flesh, until they dropped, close-locked in battle, not more
than twenty feet from the little party of blacks and whites, both
squirming in the agonies of death.

* * * * *

"I don't think that necessarily means that the swarm is on our trail,"
said Tommy, a little later, as the three