him
from his feet. But the armored hide proved too tough for the black
beast's horns to penetrate. Perceiving this on the instant, the latter
reared, and brought down the two awful daggers of his tusks upon the
monster's ribs. They penetrated, but they failed to rip as far and as
conclusively as their owner intended. And while he struggled to free
himself for another attack, the monster recovered from his daze.

Now the stranger had taken count only of those weapons which the King
Dinosaur bore on his terrible front; and these for the moment were out
of reach. But he had forgotten the massive and tremendous tail.
Suddenly it lashed out, nearly half a ton in weight, and with the
force of a pile-driver. It struck the black beast on the legs, and
swept them clean from under him.

Before he could pick himself up the Dinosaur had swung about and
buried all three horns, to the sockets, in his throat and chest. His
life went out in one ear-splitting squeal of rage and anguish. The red
blood streaming from horns and ruff, the monster wrenched himself
free, and then moved irresistibly over his victim, like a rolling
mountain.

When satisfied that his triumph was complete, the King drew back a
pace or two, and examined the mangled heap with his cold, unchanging
stare. Then he sniffed at it contemptuously, and prodded it with his
nose-horn, and tore it with his extravagant parrot-beak. But, being a
feeder on herbage only, he had not thought of tasting the red flesh.
The smell of it was abominable to him; and presently he moved closer
under the trees to wipe his beak, as a bird might, on a clump of
coarse grasses.

As he did so, the lowering of his head threw his horny ruff far
forward, exposing the folds of naked hide on the back of his neck. The
silent man-creature on the branch above was quick to note the
opportunity. He was displeased at the monster's triumph. He was also
interested to see if he had any power to hurt so colossal and well
protected a foe. Swinging down by his legs and one hand, he thrust the
thorned branch of acacia deep in under the ruff. The monster, jerking
his head up sharply at this unexpected assault, drove the long thorns
well home.

In an instant he was beside himself with rage and pain. Roaring till
the blue-and-crimson bird on the tree-top flew off in a panic, he
shook his head desperately, and then almost tried to stand upon it. He
started to roll over on his back, hoping thus to dislodge the g