A Journey in Other Worlds [52]
footprints.
Often the impressions were those of a biped like some huge bird,
except that occasionally the creature had put down one or both
forefeet, and a thick tail had evidently dragged nearly all the
time it walked erect. Presently, coming to something they had
taken for a large flat rock, they were surprised to see it move.
It was about twelve feet wide by eighteen feet long, while its
shell seemed at least a foot thick, and it was of course the
largest turtle they had ever seen.
"Twenty-four people could dine at a table of this size with
ease," said Bearwarden, "while it would make soup for a regiment.
I wonder if it belongs to the snapping or diamond-backed
species."
At this juncture the monster again moved.
"As it is heading in our direction," resumed Bearwarden, "I vote
we strike for a free pass," and, taking a run, he sprang with his
spiked boots upon the turtle's shell and clambered upon the flat
top, which was about six feet from the ground. He was quickly
followed by Ayrault, who was not much ahead of Cortlandt, for,
notwithstanding his fifty years, the professor was very spry.
The tortoise was almost the exact counterpart of the Glyptodon
asper that formerly existed on earth, and shambled along at a
jerky gait, about half as fast again as they could walk, and
while it continued to go in their direction they were greatly
pleased. They soon found that by dropping the butts of their
rifles sharply and simultaneously on either side, just back of
the head, they could direct their course, by making their steed
swerve away from the stamping.
"It is strange," said Ayrault, "that, with the
exception of the mastodon and this tortoise, we have seen
none of the monsters that seem to appear at the close of
Carboniferous periods, although the ground is covered
with their tracks."
"Probably we did not reach the grounds at the right time of day,"
replied Bearwarden. "The large game doubtless stays in the woods
and jungles till night."
"I fancy," said Cortlandt, "we shall find representatives of all
the species that once lived upon the earth. In the case of the
singing flowers and the Jack-o'-lantern jelly-fish, we have, in
addition, seen developments the existence of which no scientist
has ever before even suspected."
Occasionally the tortoise stopped, whereupon they poked it from
behind with their knives. It was a vicious-looking brute, and
had a huge horny beak, with which it bit off young trees that
stood in its way as though they had been blades of grass. They
were passing through a valley about half a mile wide, bordered on
each side by woods, when Bearwarden suddenly exclaimed, "Here we
have it!" and, looking forward, they unexpectedly saw a head rise
and remain poised about fifteen feet from the ground. It was a
dinosaur, and belonged to the scaled or armoured species. In a
few moments another head appeared, and towered several feet above
the first. The head was obviously reptilian, but had a beak
similar to that of their tortoise. The hind legs were developed
like those of a kangaroo, while the small rudimentary forepaws,
which could be used as hands or for going quadruped-fashion, now
hung down. The strong thick tail was evidently of great use to
them when standing erect, by forming a sort of tripod.
"How I wish we could take a pair of those creatures with us when
we return to the earth!" said Cortlandt.
"They would be trump cards," replied Bearwarden, "in a zoological
garden or a dime museum, and would take the wind out of the sails
of all the other freaks."
As they lay flat on the turtle's back, the monsters gazed at them
unconcernedly, munching the palm-tree fruit so loudly that they
could be heard a long distance.
"Having nothing to fear from a tortoise," resumed Cortlandt,
"they may allow us to stalk them. We are in their eyes like
hippocentaurs, except that we are part of a tortoise instead of
part of a horse, or else they take us for a parasite or fibrous
growth on the
Often the impressions were those of a biped like some huge bird,
except that occasionally the creature had put down one or both
forefeet, and a thick tail had evidently dragged nearly all the
time it walked erect. Presently, coming to something they had
taken for a large flat rock, they were surprised to see it move.
It was about twelve feet wide by eighteen feet long, while its
shell seemed at least a foot thick, and it was of course the
largest turtle they had ever seen.
"Twenty-four people could dine at a table of this size with
ease," said Bearwarden, "while it would make soup for a regiment.
I wonder if it belongs to the snapping or diamond-backed
species."
At this juncture the monster again moved.
"As it is heading in our direction," resumed Bearwarden, "I vote
we strike for a free pass," and, taking a run, he sprang with his
spiked boots upon the turtle's shell and clambered upon the flat
top, which was about six feet from the ground. He was quickly
followed by Ayrault, who was not much ahead of Cortlandt, for,
notwithstanding his fifty years, the professor was very spry.
The tortoise was almost the exact counterpart of the Glyptodon
asper that formerly existed on earth, and shambled along at a
jerky gait, about half as fast again as they could walk, and
while it continued to go in their direction they were greatly
pleased. They soon found that by dropping the butts of their
rifles sharply and simultaneously on either side, just back of
the head, they could direct their course, by making their steed
swerve away from the stamping.
"It is strange," said Ayrault, "that, with the
exception of the mastodon and this tortoise, we have seen
none of the monsters that seem to appear at the close of
Carboniferous periods, although the ground is covered
with their tracks."
"Probably we did not reach the grounds at the right time of day,"
replied Bearwarden. "The large game doubtless stays in the woods
and jungles till night."
"I fancy," said Cortlandt, "we shall find representatives of all
the species that once lived upon the earth. In the case of the
singing flowers and the Jack-o'-lantern jelly-fish, we have, in
addition, seen developments the existence of which no scientist
has ever before even suspected."
Occasionally the tortoise stopped, whereupon they poked it from
behind with their knives. It was a vicious-looking brute, and
had a huge horny beak, with which it bit off young trees that
stood in its way as though they had been blades of grass. They
were passing through a valley about half a mile wide, bordered on
each side by woods, when Bearwarden suddenly exclaimed, "Here we
have it!" and, looking forward, they unexpectedly saw a head rise
and remain poised about fifteen feet from the ground. It was a
dinosaur, and belonged to the scaled or armoured species. In a
few moments another head appeared, and towered several feet above
the first. The head was obviously reptilian, but had a beak
similar to that of their tortoise. The hind legs were developed
like those of a kangaroo, while the small rudimentary forepaws,
which could be used as hands or for going quadruped-fashion, now
hung down. The strong thick tail was evidently of great use to
them when standing erect, by forming a sort of tripod.
"How I wish we could take a pair of those creatures with us when
we return to the earth!" said Cortlandt.
"They would be trump cards," replied Bearwarden, "in a zoological
garden or a dime museum, and would take the wind out of the sails
of all the other freaks."
As they lay flat on the turtle's back, the monsters gazed at them
unconcernedly, munching the palm-tree fruit so loudly that they
could be heard a long distance.
"Having nothing to fear from a tortoise," resumed Cortlandt,
"they may allow us to stalk them. We are in their eyes like
hippocentaurs, except that we are part of a tortoise instead of
part of a horse, or else they take us for a parasite or fibrous
growth on the