“It was nothing more or less,” retorted Silas; “but here he comes again; now’s your chance to get your own back.”
Simultaneously the two men pulled trigger, and the huge creature swooping down upon them, flapped wildly for a moment, then sank heavily to earth, beating the ground madly with its mighty wings.
Its eyes glared savagely at the two comrades, and it made a futile effort to drag itself towards them, seeming to know that they were the cause of its injury.
Half a dozen shots they fired into the great body ere the creature lay still; then, when all movements of the wings had ceased, they moved forward to examine the carcase.
It was, as Haverly had said, a gigantic bat or vampire, armed with hyæna-like teeth and great curved claws that made it a terrible enemy.
Its membranous wings, outstretched, could not have been less than fifteen feet from tip to tip, and it would apparently have had little difficulty in carrying off either of the comrades had it succeeded in gripping one of them at its first swoop.
“What hideous monsters this underworld contains!” exclaimed the baronet disgustedly, as they pushed on once more. “Mervyn would be in raptures could he see that brute. Anything new or strange attracts him like a magnet.”
“I reckon we’ll have to flicker if we’re to save him and Garth,” returned Silas shortly, and increased his pace.
Pressing forward with redoubled speed, every nerve and muscle strained to the utmost, they reached the glade.
A brief rest, then on again until they emerged upon the beach, off which they had left their vessel.