A Journey in Other Worlds [60]
legs. The men separated as they
retreated, knowing that one slash of the great shears would cut
their three bodies in halves if they were caught together. The
monster had dropped the remains of the rhinoceros when attacked,
and made for the hunters at its top speed, which was somewhat
reduced by the loss of one leg. Before it came within cutting
distance, however, another on the same side was gone, Ayrault
having landed a bullet on a spot already stripped of armour.
After this the men had no difficulty in keeping out of its way,
though it still moved with some speed, snipping off young trees
in its path like grass. Finally, having blown the scales from
one eye, the travellers sent in a bullet that exploded in the
brain and ended its career.
"This has been by all odds the most exciting hunt we have had,"
said Ayrault, "both on account of the determined nature and great
speed of the attack, and the almost impossibility of finding a
vulnerable spot."
"Anything short of explosive bullets," added Bearwarden, "would
have been powerless against this beast, for the armour in many
places is nearly a foot thick."
"This is also the most extraordinary as well as most dangerous
creature with which we have, had to deal," said Cortlandt,
"because it is an enormously enlarged insect, with all the
inherent ferocity and strength. It is almost the exact
counterpart of an African soldier-ant magnified many hundred
thousand times. I wonder," he continued thoughtfully, "if our
latter-day insects may not be the deteriorated (in point of size)
descendants of the monsters of mythology and geology, for nothing
could be a more terrible or ferocious antagonist than many of our
well-known insects, if sufficiently enlarged. No animal now
alive has more than a small fraction of the strength, in
proportion to its size, of the minutest spider or flea. It may
be that through lack of food, difficulties imposed by changing
climate, and the necessity of burrowing in winter, or through
some other conditions changed from what they were accustomed to,
their size has been reduced, and that the fire-flies, huge as
they seemed, are a step in advance of this specimen in the march
of deterioration or involution, which will end by making them as
insignificant as those on earth. These ants have probably come
into the woods to lay their eggs, for, from the behaviour of the
animals we watched from the turtle, there must have been several;
or perhaps a war is in progress between those of a different
colour, as on earth, in which case the woods may be full of them.
Doubtless the reason the turtle seemed so unconcerned at the
general uneasiness of the animals was because he knew he could
make himself invulnerable to the marauder by simply closing his
shell, and we were unmolested because it did not occur to the ant
that any soft-shelled creatures could be on the turtle's back."
"I think," said Bearwarden, "it will be the part of wisdom to
return to the Callisto, and do the rest of our exploring on
Jupiter from a safe height; for, though we succeeded in disabling
this beauty, it was largely through luck, and had we not done so
we should probably have provided a bon bouche for our deceased
friend, instead of standing at his grave."
Accordingly they proceeded, and were delighted, a few minutes
later, to see the sunlight reflected from the projectile's
polished roof.
CHAPTER X.
CHANGING LANDSCAPES.
On reaching the Callisto, Ayrault worked the lock he had had
placed on the lower door, which, to avoid carrying a key, was
opened by a combination. The car's interior was exactly as they
had left it, and they were glad to be in it again.
"Now," said Bearwarden, "we can have a sound and
undisturbed sleep, which is what I want more than
anything else. No prowlers can trouble us here, and we
shall not need the protection-wires."
They then opened a window in each side--for the large glass
plates, admitting the sun
retreated, knowing that one slash of the great shears would cut
their three bodies in halves if they were caught together. The
monster had dropped the remains of the rhinoceros when attacked,
and made for the hunters at its top speed, which was somewhat
reduced by the loss of one leg. Before it came within cutting
distance, however, another on the same side was gone, Ayrault
having landed a bullet on a spot already stripped of armour.
After this the men had no difficulty in keeping out of its way,
though it still moved with some speed, snipping off young trees
in its path like grass. Finally, having blown the scales from
one eye, the travellers sent in a bullet that exploded in the
brain and ended its career.
"This has been by all odds the most exciting hunt we have had,"
said Ayrault, "both on account of the determined nature and great
speed of the attack, and the almost impossibility of finding a
vulnerable spot."
"Anything short of explosive bullets," added Bearwarden, "would
have been powerless against this beast, for the armour in many
places is nearly a foot thick."
"This is also the most extraordinary as well as most dangerous
creature with which we have, had to deal," said Cortlandt,
"because it is an enormously enlarged insect, with all the
inherent ferocity and strength. It is almost the exact
counterpart of an African soldier-ant magnified many hundred
thousand times. I wonder," he continued thoughtfully, "if our
latter-day insects may not be the deteriorated (in point of size)
descendants of the monsters of mythology and geology, for nothing
could be a more terrible or ferocious antagonist than many of our
well-known insects, if sufficiently enlarged. No animal now
alive has more than a small fraction of the strength, in
proportion to its size, of the minutest spider or flea. It may
be that through lack of food, difficulties imposed by changing
climate, and the necessity of burrowing in winter, or through
some other conditions changed from what they were accustomed to,
their size has been reduced, and that the fire-flies, huge as
they seemed, are a step in advance of this specimen in the march
of deterioration or involution, which will end by making them as
insignificant as those on earth. These ants have probably come
into the woods to lay their eggs, for, from the behaviour of the
animals we watched from the turtle, there must have been several;
or perhaps a war is in progress between those of a different
colour, as on earth, in which case the woods may be full of them.
Doubtless the reason the turtle seemed so unconcerned at the
general uneasiness of the animals was because he knew he could
make himself invulnerable to the marauder by simply closing his
shell, and we were unmolested because it did not occur to the ant
that any soft-shelled creatures could be on the turtle's back."
"I think," said Bearwarden, "it will be the part of wisdom to
return to the Callisto, and do the rest of our exploring on
Jupiter from a safe height; for, though we succeeded in disabling
this beauty, it was largely through luck, and had we not done so
we should probably have provided a bon bouche for our deceased
friend, instead of standing at his grave."
Accordingly they proceeded, and were delighted, a few minutes
later, to see the sunlight reflected from the projectile's
polished roof.
CHAPTER X.
CHANGING LANDSCAPES.
On reaching the Callisto, Ayrault worked the lock he had had
placed on the lower door, which, to avoid carrying a key, was
opened by a combination. The car's interior was exactly as they
had left it, and they were glad to be in it again.
"Now," said Bearwarden, "we can have a sound and
undisturbed sleep, which is what I want more than
anything else. No prowlers can trouble us here, and we
shall not need the protection-wires."
They then opened a window in each side--for the large glass
plates, admitting the sun