lose.

Realizing that I could outdistance the clumsy brute in the open, I
dropped from my leafy sanctuary intent only on distracting the thing's
attention from Perry long enough to enable the old man to gain the
safety of a larger tree. There were many close by which not even the
terrific strength of that titanic monster could bend.

As I touched the ground I snatched a broken limb from the tangled mass
that matted the jungle-like floor of the forest and, leaping unnoticed
behind the shaggy back, dealt the brute a terrific blow. My plan
worked like magic. From the previous slowness of the beast I had been
led to look for no such marvelous agility as he now displayed.
Releasing his hold upon the tree he dropped on all fours and at the
same time swung his great, wicked tail with a force that would have
broken every bone in my body had it struck me; but, fortunately, I had
turned to flee at the very instant that I felt my blow land upon the
towering back.

As it started in pursuit of me I made the mistake of running along the
edge of the forest rather than making for the open beach. In a moment
I was knee-deep in rotting vegetation, and the awful thing behind me
was gaining rapidly as I floundered and fell in my efforts to extricate
myself.

A fallen log gave me an instant's advantage, for climbing upon it I
leaped to another a few paces farther on, and in this way was able to
keep clear of the mush that carpeted the surrounding ground. But the
zigzag course that this necessitated was placing such a heavy handicap
upon me that my pursuer was steadily gaining upon me.

Suddenly from behind I heard a tumult of howls, and sharp, piercing
barks--much the sound that a pack of wolves raises when in full cry.
Involuntarily I glanced backward to discover the origin of this new and
menacing note with the result that I missed my footing and went
sprawling once more upon my face in the deep muck.

My mammoth enemy was so close by this time that I knew I must feel the
weight of one of his terrible paws before I could rise, but to my
surprise the blow did not fall upon me. The howling and snapping and
barking of the new element which had been infused into the melee now
seemed centered quite close behind me, and as I raised myself upon my
hands and glanced around I saw what it was that had distracted the
DYRYTH, as I afterward learned the thing is called, from my trail.

It was surrounded by a pack of some hundred wolf-lik