Thalma's couch that their
cool and inspiring presence might comfort her while she awaited the
coming of the child.

* * * * *

One morning being weary of the stark monotony of the valley, whose
eastern wall was distant many miles, Omega and Thalma determined to
scale the heights above. For sometimes in the sinister aspect of the
chasm's walls, it seemed that the rocks would close together and crush
out their lives. They concluded not to take the air-car, but to go on a
rambling picnic with the ever present hope that they might discover
another oasis of life.

Hand in hand they rose into the air, up and up for miles past frowning
cliffs and dark caverns, yawning like grinning skulls above the outposts
of death. There was no visible effort in their flight. They but took
advantage of nature's laws which man had long understood. At last on the
highest peak they paused to rest on a dust-covered rock.

The red sun rose above the cheerless horizon and blazed on them from a
deep azure sky slashed across by bars of purple and gold. More than nine
miles beneath them spread the deep gorge, where nestled their little
home, looking like a doll-house, and above it shone the great, silver
ship. The lake shone like a speck of silver on the drab rocks. They
gazed down upon it in an attitude of worship, for it alone in all that
vast realm of peaks and plains and valleys symbolized life. Then
suddenly a dark speck appeared on the surface of the lake. Omega looked
at Thalma apprehensively, for well he knew the meaning of that speck.
Her face was pale and drawn, and she clung to Omega as they pointed
their glasses at the water.

The monster was again disporting himself. He threshed the water into
foam with his long, sinuous body, while his head wagged and his terrible
eyes looked toward the land. It was the first sight they had had of him
since the night he almost killed Omega.

"Look!" breathed Thalma, "it is coming ashore. Oh, I did hope that it
was dead!" And trembling violently she clung closer to her lord.

"Never mind, dear," consoled Omega as he watched the great beast waddle
toward the shore. "We will get him this time," he went on exultingly.
"Watch--he is going to get into the trap!"

But they were again doomed to disappointment. Within a few rods of the
shore, with its great, spotted body nearly all out of the water, the
monster stopped, lifted its head and looked slowly around in every
d