CHAPTER XXII
The Wheezing Ramph
They traveled as fast as they could, and when tired they hid in somecave or secret nook. From Moawha the three Americans learned that thecountry she called Taunan was not very large, the populationconsisting of about one hundred and fifty thousand men, women andchildren. Her country, the Land of the Selinites, was much larger, andhad a population of three million. It extended from a space on thesouth, which was open, and had never been explored, to another openspace on the northeast. It had perpetual light but Moawha did not knowwhere the light came from, and had never heard of the sun. Both openspaces on the south and northeast she said, were guarded by cricketarmies under the direction of the Taunans.
When Moawha made this explanation Epworth jumped to the conclusionthat he had solved a problem that bothered the earth astronomers.
“Her country,” he explained to his companions, “is a long narrowstretch of land, about the size of Mexico, stretching from MountLeibnitz at the south pole to Mount Tycho. The sun shines all the timeon Leibnitz, and I conclude, through a hole in the moon entirelyacross the Land of the Selinites, and out of Mount Tycho, which givesthat Mountain its mysterious bright light. If I understand hercorrectly the light does not come in a straight line from the sun, andthey do not see the sun because the edge of the crater of Leibnitzhides it from view. The Taunans, however, are so located that they cansee the sun and much of our world.”
“Fair enough,” Billy put in. “Now let’s get somewhere.”
As he spoke they were crossing a long bridge made of heavy stoneswhich spanned a deep chasm. At the beginning of their journey acrossthe Taunan country they had encircled many cities and had been forcedto avoid many groups of men and women but now they were going througha country that was greatly broken by splits in the earth—all of whichwere bridged with strong, substantial masonry that exhibited greatmasonic skill on the part of the pigmies. This section of the countrywas not as populous as the fertile and alluvial fields of naturalvegetation and luscious fruit, and the further they advanced towardwhat Moawha termed the borderland, the rougher the country became.
In response to Billy’s suggestion they increased their speed, relaxedtheir vigilance, and were halfway across the structure talking in loudvoices when they heard a shout behind them. Curiously they whirledaround. The light was so strong that they had little difficulty inmaking out the forms of a hundred or more pigmies rushing on thebridge behind them.
“Say, Julian,” Billy announced whimsically, “I haven’t any business onthis bridge—none whatever.”
He started on a run for the end of the bridge and the others joinedhim. They did not go far. In front of them bobbed up another smallarmy of pigmies, and from the side of the structure another horde ofenemies sprang into life out of the shadows that had obscured them.
“An ambush as sure as life,” Epworth exclaimed.
“And we cannot jump off of the bridge without jumping into a chasmthat goes down probably for forty miles,” Joan added. “What shall wedo?”
“Fight!” Billy responded, making a dive at the nearest line ofpigmies. “Give them all we have.”
Epworth swung his strong arms into action and sent four of the pigmieshead over heels. Joan drew her automatic and whacked one in the face;four pigmies caught Moawha, and she screamed. Billy answered the cryfor help by knocking the four pigmies down.
It annoyed them to think that up to this time they had eluded theinhabitants and had grown so careless as to permit discovery and anambush.
With an angry snarl Epworth clenched his teeth and drove straight intothe spears, dropped to a stooped position, caught two pigmy soldiersby their legs, whirled them around his head, and clubbed them back.Then the pigmies closed in on them like a bed of ants, caught them bytheir legs, arms, and waists and began to pull them down.
But at this moment, when capture seemed certain, the Taunans suddenlyreleased them, sent up a shrill shout of terror, leaped to their feet,and fled as if possessed. Taking advantage of this Epworth staggeredto his feet with Billy by his side, and looked around to ascertainwhat had caused the flight of their enemies. What they saw caused themto stop in horror and Moawha to scream in wild terror.
“A ramph! a ramph!” she cried. “Run!”
She pointed with staring eyes at the side of the bridge on the north.Along the edge of the structure, with its head lifted above therailing and its long, lizard-like body stretched in scaly coils twohundred feet, was the most terrifying monster they had ever seen. Ithad ten legs, and elongated tail, and its movements were as swift asthought, silent as death and terrifying; and its three eyes, as largeas saucers, glared vicious red at them in a head fifteen feet wide.But it was not altogether the appearance of the animal that frightenedthem.
In its deep, cavern-like mouth, glowing a phosphorescent light, was ashouting pigmy, crying loudly for help.
“Mercy,” Joan cried, “that is the kind of an animal we fought in thecave.”
“They live in the darkest parts of the caves,” Moawha gasped, “andnever come out unless they come to eat people.”
Epworth did not wait for a technical description of the Thing that wasas big as four elephants. He had brought his Police Positive pistolwith him from the glider, and a tear gun. The tear gun being packedaway for future emergency was hard to get but he jerked his policegun, and began to fire, aiming with certainty and firing slowly.
The first shot struck the center eye of the monster. The eye flickedout, and the Thing paused in its efforts to swallow the pigmy. AgainEpworth’s pistol rang out. This time the bullet crashed into the righteye. The long, slender tail began to lash the bridge until it knockedsome of the stones from position and sent them into the chasm. AgainEpworth fired. The last eye was destroyed.
With a wheezing, siren-snarl the monster dropped the pigmy, loweredits head and began to wave it around in the air. That it was now blindwas patent, and Epworth pushed his companions back several feet. Thegiant body began to fold up, coil, and roll forward like a rollingsnake; its mighty paws went up into the air, and the front right pawstarted downward. Directly beneath the paw the little pigmy that ithad held in its mouth stumbled and fell. If the paw came down it wouldcertainly crush the pigmy into a mass.
Swift as an eagle, without counting his own danger, Epworth boundedforward, caught the pigmy’s clothing and jerked him backward. He wasjust in time. The paw descending struck slightly on the pigmy’s faceand drew the blood.
But the animal now knew not which way to turn. For several seconds itfloundered around, opened and closed its enormous mouth, and wheezeduntil the listeners felt their blood run cold. Finally, still wheezingit twisted off the bridge and plunged down into the chasm.
Epworth released the pigmy, and placed him on his feet. Frightenedinto a frenzy the little man sped away.
“Seems to be in a hurry,” Billy observed dryly.
“I can’t blame him,” Joan snorted. “I have a hasty mind myself.Suppose we travel.”
They gained the end of the bridge but the pigmies in their rear,regaining their courage, followed. Like wild men they ran to get awaybut Moawha was too slow and Epworth lifted her in his arms. She washeavy for a pigmy but Epworth managed to keep ahead of his pursuers.Just ahead of them appeared a long line of trees. If they could getinto the forest there was a chance of them eluding the little men withtheir spears.
With thankful hearts they darted under the trees, and dashed pantinglyinto the forest. Their thankfulness came to an end quickly. The momentthey were beneath the trees an army of pigmies dropped out of thebranches on their heads, their shoulders, their legs, and before theyhad time to resist they were pulled to the ground, and their handstied behind their backs.