e he was with us. He wrote many words
and figures on paper concerning them. Only yesterday I unearthed these
records. The life of our planet was doomed to destruction during the
present year. What matter if the herds of dinosaurs overrun us and
destroy lives? In the end they, too, will be destroyed. It is fate. We
can do nothing."

Even as the old chieftain spoke a gigantic rumbling, greater in
intensity than any heretofore, shook the electron. Above the deep
rolling disturbance underground rose the shrill cries of the apemen.

Carruthers leaped to his feet and raced through the tunnel. A herd of
dinosaurs choked the path leading to the outside entrance. Marbo
brushed past him, shrilling in great excitement.

"Drive them away!" ordered Carruthers. "Like this!" He hurled a rock
at the eye of the nearest animal.

The dinosaur bellowed and backed away. The apes, and gorillas, used to
fighting only with their long arms, caught on to the stunt with
surprising quickness. Their powerful arms reached out. Stones and
boulders began to hurtle from the mouth of the tunnel. They thudded
against the heads of the great monsters like hailstones.

Subdued and frightened by this sudden display of force, the monsters
withdrew down the path. But the apemen had discovered a new method of
warfare. They found a childish delight in hurling stones. Within a few
minutes the slope was barren of rocks. The animals followed up their
momentary advantage and ran screaming down the path. The dinosaurs
fled in panic.

* * * * *

AS soon as the enemy had been driven away, Carruthers pointed out to
Marbo the advantage of gathering the stones up from the ground and
returning them to the space around the mouth of the tunnel so that he
and his followers would be ready for a second repulse.

Zark appeared at this moment and helped with the explanation. His
crafty old eyes turned with new respect upon the earthman.

Carruthers toiled with them every day from then on, building and
fortifying the plateau against further incursions of the monsters.
Security and peace reigned for several weeks then hostilities broke
out afresh.

The rumblings of the electron had increased with each passing week.
Volcanic eruptions poured fresh discharges of molten lava and fiery
sparks along the edges of the jungles.

"I don't want to needlessly alarm you, Nan," he told her that night,
"but the fires have started. Zark was right. Unle