less plains. Night fell but still they sat brooding. The stars
shone out in the purple heavens, but they noticed not their glory. The
ship was wrapped in an awful silence. No night wind whispered its
message nor warmed the cold, desolate earth, stretching down from the
poles, nor cooled the hot wastes about the equator. The naked mountains
rose stark and forbidding into the sky, which hung like a great,
bejeweled bowl over the sun-scorched plains, where the dust of many ages
lay undisturbed. The shadows lay deep and dark over the valleys and
among the streets of cities dead and silent for many ages, and searched
out deep chasms which when the world was young had felt the surge of the
restless seas. No form of life winged its way through the darkness and
called to its mate. No beast of prey rent the air with its challenge. No
insect chirped. No slimy shape crawled over the rocks. Dark and solemn,
mysterious and still, the earth sped on through the night.

* * * * *

Morning found them in much better spirits. Over their breakfast, which
consisted almost wholly of food in tablet form, they discussed their
plans. After which they went to the lookout in the bow of the ship and
gazed out at the gray world. There was no change. The same
heart-breaking monotony of death confronted them. But despite it all
they finally smiled into each other's eyes.

"It is home," said Omega proudly. "The last home we shall ever know."

"My God, look!" suddenly gasped Thalma, clutching his arm and pointing a
trembling finger toward the lake. "What--is that?"

Following her gesture he stared in terror and stupefaction. Rising above
the center of the lake where the day before they had beheld the agitated
waters, was an enormous, scale-covered neck surmounted by a long,
snake-like head whose round, red eyes were sheltered beneath black,
horny hoods. The horrible creature's head was swaying back and forth as
its black tongue darted in and out between wide-open jaws displaying
single rows of sharp teeth. Fully fifteen feet above the lake the awful
eyes looked toward the land. And as the neck moved in unison with the
swaying head the scales seemed to slide under and over one another a
perfect armor for the neck.

"A plesiosaurian!" exclaimed Omega, leveling his glasses at the beast.
"No--how can that be?" he added in bewilderment. "Those monsters were
supposed to be extinct ages ago. And they had a smooth skin, whil