powerful tail as long as its torso, mighty hind
legs and short forelegs. When it had advanced from the wood, it hopped
much after the fashion of a kangaroo, using its hind feet and tail to
propel it, and when it stood erect, it sat upon its tail. Its head was
long and thick, with a blunt muzzle, and the opening of the jaws ran
back to a point behind the eyes, and the jaws were armed with long
sharp teeth. The scaly body was covered with black and yellow spots
about a foot in diameter and irregular in contour. These spots were
outlined in red with edgings about an inch wide. The underside of the
chest, body and tail were a greenish white.

"Wot s'y we pot the bloomin' bird, sir?" suggested Whitely.

I told him to wait until I gave the word; then we would fire
simultaneously, he at the heart and I at the spine.

"Hat the 'eart, sir--yes, sir," he replied, and raised his piece to his
shoulder.

Our shots rang out together. The thing raised its head and looked
about until its eyes rested upon us; then it gave vent to a most
appalling hiss that rose to the crescendo of a terrific shriek and came
for us.

"Beat it, Whitely!" I cried as I turned to run.

We were about a quarter of a mile from the rest of our party, and in
full sight of them as they lay in the tall grass watching us. That they
saw all that had happened was evidenced by the fact that they now rose
and ran toward us, and at their head leaped Nobs. The creature in our
rear was gaining on us rapidly when Nobs flew past me like a meteor and
rushed straight for the frightful reptile. I tried to recall him, but
he would pay no attention to me, and as I couldn't see him sacrificed,
I, too, stopped and faced the monster. The creature appeared to be more
impressed with Nobs than by us and our firearms, for it stopped as the
Airedale dashed at it growling, and struck at him viciously with its
powerful jaws.

Nobs, though, was lightning by comparison with the slow thinking beast
and dodged his opponent's thrust with ease. Then he raced to the rear
of the tremendous thing and seized it by the tail. There Nobs made the
error of his life. Within that mottled organ were the muscles of a
Titan, the force of a dozen mighty catapults, and the owner of the tail
was fully aware of the possibilities which it contained. With a single
flip of the tip it sent poor Nobs sailing through the air a hundred
feet above the ground, straight back into the clump of acacias from