A Journey in Other Worlds [94]
jaws armed with
gleaming batteries of teeth. Though they had evidently lungs,
and the claws and mouth of an animal, they reminded the observers
in many respects of insects enormously exaggerated, for their
wings, composed of a sort of transparent scale, were small, and
moved, as they had already seen, at far greater speed than those
of a bird. Their projecting eyes were also set rigidly in their
heads instead of turning, and consisted of a number of flat
surfaces or facets, like a fly's eye, so that they could see
backward and all around, each facet seeing anything the rays from
which came at right angles to its surface. This beautiful grove
was doubtless their feeding-ground, and, as such, was likely to
be visited by many more. Concluding it would be wise to let
their wounded game escape, the three men were about to retreat,
having found it difficult to breathe the air even at that
distance from the monsters, when the wounded dragon that they had
observed moving about in a very restless manner, and evidently
suffering a good deal from the effect of its wounds, espied them,
and, with a roar that made the echoes ring, started towards them
slowly along the ground, followed by the entire herd, the nearer
of which now also saw them. Seeing that their lives were in
danger, the hunters quickly regained the open, and then stretched
their legs against the wind. The dragons came through the trees
on the ground, and then, raising themselves by their wings, the
whole swarm, snorting, and darkening the air with their deadly
breath, made straight for the men, who by comparison looked like
Lilliputians. With the slug from his right barrel Bearwarden
ended the wounded dragon's career by shooting him through the
head, and with his left laid low the one following. Ayrault also
killed two huge monsters, and Cortlandt killed one and wounded
another. Their supply of prepared cartridges was then exhausted,
and they fell back on their revolvers and ineffective spreading
shot. Resolved to sell their lives dearly, they retreated,
keeping their backs to the wind, with the poisonous dragons in
front. But the breeze was very slight, and they were being
rapidly blinded and asphyxiated by the loathsome fumes, and
deafened by the hideous roaring and snapping of the dragons'
jaws. Realizing that they could not much longer reply to the
diabolical host with lead, they believed their last hour had
come, when the ground on which they were making their last stand
shook, there was a rending of rocks and a rush of imprisoned
steam that drowned even the dragons' roar, and they were
separated from them by a long fissure and a wall of smoke and
vapour. Struggling back from the edge of the chasm, they fell
upon the ground, and then for the first time fully realized that
the earthquake had saved them, for the dragons could not come
across the opening, and would not venture to fly through the
smoke and steam. When they recovered somewhat from the shock,
they cut a number of cartridges in the same way that they had
prepared those that had done them such good service, and kept one
barrel of each gun loaded with that kind.
"We may thank Providence," said Bearwarden, "for that escape. I
hope we shall have no more such close calls."
With a parting glance at the chasm that had saved their lives,
and from which a cloud still arose, they turned slightly to the
right of their former course and climbed the gently rising bank.
When near the top, being tired of their exciting experiences,
they sat down to rest. The ground all about them was covered
with mushrooms, white on top and pink underneath.
"This is a wonderful place for fungi," said Ayrault. "Here,
doubtless, we shall be safe from the dragons, for they seemed to
prefer the toadstools." As he lay on the ground he watched one
particular mushroom that seemed to grow before his eyes.
Suddenly, as he looked, it vanished. Dumfounded at this
unmistakable manifestation of the phenomenon they thought they
had seen on landing, he
gleaming batteries of teeth. Though they had evidently lungs,
and the claws and mouth of an animal, they reminded the observers
in many respects of insects enormously exaggerated, for their
wings, composed of a sort of transparent scale, were small, and
moved, as they had already seen, at far greater speed than those
of a bird. Their projecting eyes were also set rigidly in their
heads instead of turning, and consisted of a number of flat
surfaces or facets, like a fly's eye, so that they could see
backward and all around, each facet seeing anything the rays from
which came at right angles to its surface. This beautiful grove
was doubtless their feeding-ground, and, as such, was likely to
be visited by many more. Concluding it would be wise to let
their wounded game escape, the three men were about to retreat,
having found it difficult to breathe the air even at that
distance from the monsters, when the wounded dragon that they had
observed moving about in a very restless manner, and evidently
suffering a good deal from the effect of its wounds, espied them,
and, with a roar that made the echoes ring, started towards them
slowly along the ground, followed by the entire herd, the nearer
of which now also saw them. Seeing that their lives were in
danger, the hunters quickly regained the open, and then stretched
their legs against the wind. The dragons came through the trees
on the ground, and then, raising themselves by their wings, the
whole swarm, snorting, and darkening the air with their deadly
breath, made straight for the men, who by comparison looked like
Lilliputians. With the slug from his right barrel Bearwarden
ended the wounded dragon's career by shooting him through the
head, and with his left laid low the one following. Ayrault also
killed two huge monsters, and Cortlandt killed one and wounded
another. Their supply of prepared cartridges was then exhausted,
and they fell back on their revolvers and ineffective spreading
shot. Resolved to sell their lives dearly, they retreated,
keeping their backs to the wind, with the poisonous dragons in
front. But the breeze was very slight, and they were being
rapidly blinded and asphyxiated by the loathsome fumes, and
deafened by the hideous roaring and snapping of the dragons'
jaws. Realizing that they could not much longer reply to the
diabolical host with lead, they believed their last hour had
come, when the ground on which they were making their last stand
shook, there was a rending of rocks and a rush of imprisoned
steam that drowned even the dragons' roar, and they were
separated from them by a long fissure and a wall of smoke and
vapour. Struggling back from the edge of the chasm, they fell
upon the ground, and then for the first time fully realized that
the earthquake had saved them, for the dragons could not come
across the opening, and would not venture to fly through the
smoke and steam. When they recovered somewhat from the shock,
they cut a number of cartridges in the same way that they had
prepared those that had done them such good service, and kept one
barrel of each gun loaded with that kind.
"We may thank Providence," said Bearwarden, "for that escape. I
hope we shall have no more such close calls."
With a parting glance at the chasm that had saved their lives,
and from which a cloud still arose, they turned slightly to the
right of their former course and climbed the gently rising bank.
When near the top, being tired of their exciting experiences,
they sat down to rest. The ground all about them was covered
with mushrooms, white on top and pink underneath.
"This is a wonderful place for fungi," said Ayrault. "Here,
doubtless, we shall be safe from the dragons, for they seemed to
prefer the toadstools." As he lay on the ground he watched one
particular mushroom that seemed to grow before his eyes.
Suddenly, as he looked, it vanished. Dumfounded at this
unmistakable manifestation of the phenomenon they thought they
had seen on landing, he