*

Had the weapon been thrown with uncanny accuracy, or had it been meant
for him? Chet could not be sure. But he knew that before him Walt
Harkness was bending protectingly above the unconscious figure of a
girl, while above and about the two there flailed a terrible, headless
thing that beat the rocks with sledge-hammer blows. It struck Harkness
once and sent him staggering, and once it came close to Chet so that his
hands closed upon it for an instant. And with the touch he knew that
this serpent was no animal shape, but worse--a creeping tendril from
some flesh-eating horror of the vegetable world.

He dashed in beside Walt; he saw Kreiss hurrying across the rocks. They
had Diane safely out of reach of the threshing, striking thing before
the scientist arrived.

The spear that had passed close to Chet had pinned this deadly thing to
earth; it tore loose as they watched, and the wounded tendril, with the
spear still hanging from its side, slid swiftly down the slope and into
the darkness at the foot of the rocks.

Even the calm preciseness of Herr Kreiss was shattered by the attack. In
a confusion of words he stammered questions that went unanswered. Chet
thrust his pistol into Harkness' hands and was off down the rocky slope
toward the springs where they had got water for their evening meal. A
rolled leaf made a cup that he held carefully while he climbed back. A
few minutes later the pallid face of Diane showed a faint flush, while
she drew a choking breath.

* * * * *

Harkness held the girl's head in his arms; he was uttering words of
endearment that were mingled with vicious curses for the thing that had
escaped.

"Never mind that," argued Chet; "that one won't bother us again, and
after this we will be on guard. But here is something to wonder about.
What about this spear? Where did it come from?"

Harkness had eyes only for Diane's tremulous smile. "I am all right,
truly," she assured him. Only then did he turn in bewilderment to Chet.

"I thought you threw it! But of course not; you couldn't; we didn't have
any spears."

"No," said Chet; "I didn't throw it. I saw something moving over across
there"--he pointed toward the farther rocks where he had been--"I was
going to call when Diane's scream beat me to it. But what I saw wasn't
the thing that attacked her. And if it was the same one who threw that
spear he must have come across here in a hurry. And that spear,