"Well, I'll be——" ejaculated the Very Young Man. "What next?"
They waited for some time, afraid to venture out from the rocks among which they had taken refuge. Then, deciding that the storm, however unexplainable, was over for the time at least, they climbed to their feet and resumed their journey with bruised knees, but otherwise none the worse for the danger through which they had passed.
After walking a short distance, they came up a little incline, and before them, hardly more than a quarter of a mile away, they could see a range of hills.
"The scratch must be behind those hills," said the Very Young Man, pointing.
"It's a long distance," said the Big Business Man thoughtfully. "We're still growing smaller—look."
Their minds had been so occupied that for some time they had forgotten the effect of the drug upon their stature. As they looked about them now they could see the rocks around them still increasing steadily in size, and could feel the ground shifting under their feet when they stood still.
"You're right; we're getting smaller," observed the Very Young Man. "How long before we'll stop, do you suppose?"
The Doctor drew the Chemist's memoranda from the pouch of his belt. "It says about five or six hours for the first four pellets," he read.
The Very Young Man looked at his watch. "Quarter to nine. We've been less than an hour yet. Come on, let's keep going," and he started walking rapidly forward.
They walked for a time in silence. The line of hills before them grew visibly in size, and they seemed slowly to be nearing it.