His question was answered in an unexpected manner. With a furious bellow the great elk leapt forward, pawed the ground for an instant, then launched himself like a thunderbolt upon the monstrous reptile. Utterly unprepared for this attack, the latter swerved in his advance, attempting to avoid the advancing elk. But Muswani was too quick for him. With a shock that flung him back upon his haunches, his antlers struck the saurian’s scaly hide, and the huge brute staggered beneath the blow. Ere he could recover, the elk had leapt out of reach and stood pawing the ground, preparatory to another charge.
“Be ready,” Chenobi cried eagerly, gripping the handle of his great weapon; “if Muswani should overthrow the beast, then we will speedily make an end of him.”
The fury of the megalosaurus was now directed against the elk, who, with all the cunning of an old warrior, was prancing about his enemy, seeking to draw him on to attack. And he succeeded, for suddenly, with a movement so swift that eye could scarce follow it, the reptile’s claw-armed fore-limb lashed out.
With a nimble leap Muswani evaded the stroke, charging in an instant later upon his adversary. The shock of the meeting rang like a thunderclap through the quarry, and the great saurian, reeling from the impact, lurched over upon his side, exposing his only vulnerable part, the belly.
“Now!” cried Chenobi, and leapt forward. Gripping their weapons firmly, his comrades advanced to complete the work which the elk had begun. But Muswani was before them. While yet the reptile strove to rise, the king’s gallant steed hurled itself again upon him, the terrible antlers tearing deep into the monster’s vitals. A scream of agony burst from the huge brute’s throat, and he grabbed savagely at his agile enemy with his sickle-like claws. At that moment Chenobi’s axe swept downward, almost severing the monster’s left fore-limb, while the adventurers, rushing in, plunged their spears deep into his gleaming white belly.
“Back!” hissed the Ayuti, and retreated swiftly.
’Twas well the others followed his advice so promptly, or assuredly one or other of them would have been crushed; for, rearing upward to its full height in the agony of its death struggle, the megalosaurus pitched over with a crash, driving the spears to their full length into its vitals.
Madly he thrashed the ground with his great tail, as he rolled from side to side in the bloody pool already forming round him, keeping up the while a hoarse scream which told how sorely he was stricken.