Back to the gate they swiftly retraced their steps. The gates were slightly ajar. A hundred yards over to the right Drawers could see two of the golden people—one a woman, perched precariously in the branches of a gigantic fern.
At the base of the fern were two tremendous beasts. Each must have been at least eight feet long. They stood on four bony legs—their bodies big and broad and shaggy as a grizzly bear, which animal they resembled more than anything else, excepting for their incongruously thin legs and grotesquely large mouths. Mouths almost two thirds the size of an alligator and fiercely reinforced by large, yellow fangs.
The beasts were tearing away at the foot of the fern. It began to shake and shiver and lean heavily to one side. It was obvious that inevitably they would weaken the trunk so that it would give way and drop the two little people to a hideous death below.
Drawers thought fast. Who was he anyway? Virtually an outcast from Earth. Unwanted and unnecessary. Here, for the first time in his life, someone had treated him as though he were a leader. They pretended, at least, that he was an honored guest. His bulkiness, his crudeness had been discreetly overlooked. Possibly, if he tried, he could distract the attention of those man-eating beasts long enough for the golden people to run to safety behind the walls of the city. He would try. It would be his token of thanks for all their kindness.
Without a word of his intentions he swiftly pushed himself through the opening in the gate. His earthly muscles covered prodigious distances at each stride across the terrain of this lighter planet. He shouted once, a sort of half-hearted battle cry. The beasts wheeled about at the sound and snarled viciously.
Drawers slowed up. He was within ten yards of them now. For an instant he sparred for position. Then he flung himself forward at the nearest of the two creatures with all of his earthly speed and bulk. He crashed head on, and surprisingly enough, the animal fell back on its haunches with a sort of dazed expression.
Drawers' powerful arms arched about the creature's neck. His tremendous biceps bulged. Slowly, terribly, he tightened his grip. Applied more and more pressure.
The second Griff had been running around and around in circles. It seemed undecided, whether to attack or await the outcome of this struggle.
The Griff beneath him panted in agony. Madly it thrashed about, flinging him from side to side, but he held on like grim death. Bending its neck back, back. And suddenly, when it seemed that his strength was ebbing and that this creature would never give in, he was rewarded by a loud snap, and the beast's head hung grotesquely from his hands.