"Our camp is going to be an island pretty soon," observed Ellis; "just look at——"
But Jones caught him by the arm. "What is that?" he demanded shakily. "Are there things like that in these woods?"
At the same instant Ellis caught sight of something in midstream bearing down on them in a smother of foam—an enormous lizard-like creature floundering throat-deep in the flood.
"What is it, Ellis? Look! It's got a tail ten feet long! Great Heaven, look at it!"
"I see it," said Ellis, hoarsely. "I never saw such a thing——"
"It's opening its jaws!" gasped Jones.
Ellis, a trifle white around the cheekbones, stared in frozen silence at the fearsome creature as it swept down on them. A crested wave rolled it over; four fearsome claws waved in the air; then the creature righted itself and swung in toward the bank.
"Upon my word!" stammered Ellis; "it's part of their theatrical property. Lord! how real it looked out yonder. I knew it couldn't be alive, but—Jones, see how my hands are shaking. Would you believe a man could be rattled like that?"
"Believe it? I should say I could! Look at the thing wabbling there in the shallows as though it were trying to move its flippers! Look at it, Ellis; see how it seems to wriggle and paddle——"
The words froze on his lips; the immense creature was moving; the scaled claws churned the shallows; a spasm shook the head; the jaws gaped.