's ebb tide, lulling the
terrestrials to deeper sleep. The pale moons were at intervals
momentarily obscured by the rushing clouds in the upper air, only to
reappear soon afterwards as serene as before. All Nature seemed at
rest.

Shortly before dawn there was an unusually heavy step. A moment later
the ever-vigilant batteries poured forth their current, and the clang
of the alarm-bell made the still night ring. In an instant the three
men were awake, each resting on one knee, with their backs towards the
centre and their polished barrels raised. It was not long before they
perceived the intruder by the moonlight. A huge monster of the
Triceratops prorsus species had entered the camp. It was shaped
something like an elephant, but had ten or twelve times the bulk, being
over forty feet in length, not including the long, thick tail. The
head carried two huge horns on the forehead and one on the nose.

"A plague on my shot-gun!" said Cortlandt. "Had I known how much of
this kind of game we should see, I too should have brought a rifle."

The monster was entangled in the wires, and in another second would
have stepped on the batteries that were still causing the bell to ring.

"Aim for the heart," said Bearwarden to Ayrault. "When you show me his
ribs, I will follow you in the hole."

Ayrault instantly fired for a point just back of the left foreleg. The
explosion had the same effect as on the mastodon, removing a
half-barrel of hide, etc; and the next second Bearwarden sent a bullet
less than an inch from where Ayrault's had stopped. Before the
colossus could turn, each had caused several explosions in close
proximity to the first. The creature was of course terribly wounded,
and several ribs were cracked, but no ball had gone through. With a
roar it made straight for the woods, and with surprising agility,
running fully as fast as an elephant. Bearwarden and Ayrault kept up a
rapid fire at the left hind leg, and soon completely disabled it. The
dinosaur, however, supported itself with its huge tail, and continued
to make good time. Knowing they could not give it a fatal wound at the
intervening distance, in the uncertain light, they stopped firing and
set out in pursuit. Cortlandt paused to stop the bell that still rang,
and then put his best foot foremost in regaining his friends. For half
a mile they hurried along, until, seeing by the quantity of blood on
the ground that they were in no danger o