y had ever seen.

"Twenty-four people could dine at a table of this size with ease," said
Bearwarden, "while it would make soup for a regiment. I wonder if it
belongs to the snapping or diamond-backed species."

At this juncture the monster again moved.

"As it is heading in our direction," resumed Bearwarden, "I vote we
strike for a free pass," and, taking a run, he sprang with his spiked
boots upon the turtle's shell and clambered upon the flat top, which
was about six feet from the ground. He was quickly followed by
Ayrault, who was not much ahead of Cortlandt, for, notwithstanding his
fifty years, the professor was very spry. The tortoise was almost the
exact counterpart of the Glyptodon asper that formerly existed on
earth, and shambled along at a jerky gait, about half as fast again as
they could walk, and while it continued to go in their direction they
were greatly pleased. They soon found that by dropping the butts of
their rifles sharply and simultaneously on either side, just back of
the head, they could direct their course, by making their steed swerve
away from the stamping.

"It is strange," said Ayrault, "that, with the exception of the
mastodon and this tortoise, we have seen none of the monsters that seem
to appear at the close of Carboniferous periods, although the ground is
covered with their tracks."

"Probably we did not reach the grounds at the right time of day,"
replied Bearwarden. "The large game doubtless stays in the woods and
jungles till night."

"I fancy," said Cortlandt, "we shall find representatives of all the
species that once lived upon the earth. In the case of the singing
flowers and the Jack-o'-lantern jelly-fish, we have, in addition, seen
developments the existence of which no scientist has ever before even
suspected."

Occasionally the tortoise stopped, whereupon they poked it from behind
with their knives. It was a vicious-looking brute, and had a huge
horny beak, with which it bit off young trees that stood in its way as
though they had been blades of grass. They were passing through a
valley about half a mile wide, bordered on each side by woods, when
Bearwarden suddenly exclaimed, "Here we have it!" and, looking forward,
they unexpectedly saw a head rise and remain poised about fifteen feet
from the ground. It was a dinosaur, and belonged to the scaled or
armoured species. In a few moments another head appeared, and towered
several feet above the first. Th