Page:Weird Tales Volume 10 Number 2 (1927-08).djvu/71

 that, shearing through the encasing flesh, had not halted there.

The feast ended, they remained a moment quietly cleansing their limbs, a simple process of drawing them gently through the slightly opened terrible jaws, as in like manner any of the wasp tribe may be often noted. Then as a unit they shot upward, and as if some memory of a previous objective had been retained, circled several times in widening circumference before taking flight to join the couple that now were flitting to and fro above the roof of jungle, under which the fugitives had gained refuge from their pursuers, the tangled network Of greenery constituting an impenetrable barrier to such wide and brittle-winged creatures.

was a close call," growled Man ton. "But it beats me—sounds like a kid's fairy yarn," he added, drawing his hand across his forehead and flicking aside a spray of sweat.

"You've said it—no more for mine. Ambergris or no, I'm through," affirmed Haynes sourly as he peered here and there amid the clusters of thin pliant stems. Well within the saving shelter they had come to a halt, and now in a little depression lay panting; days of cramped misery in a small craft are ill training for a race such as theirs.

"Seems like I heard a big buzzing a little ways off," affirmed Haynes uneasily.

"Maybe—reckon those two ain't the only ones on this blasted rock," agreed Manton, scowling at the thought. "And there they are—listen to that, will you," he added in a hushed, startled tone.

There was no need to listen, it was impossible to miss the swelling, thrumming, coming nearer and nearer as the partners gazed with alarm at the thickly laced limbs and greenery overhead.

"Hell! there's a bunch of them and they've scented us!" exclaimed Haynes savagely. Then, as by the lessening and spasmodic volume of sound they knew, the great insects were alighting on the tangle above. "My oath! if they were to wiggle through! say, we better beat it to camp and get off this damned rock!" he added in an angry whisper.

"Reckon so; but I ain't going to leave two thousand bucks for no bloody flies. We can pick it up as we go, it ain't more than a step out of the way," declared Manton firmly.

"That's so—two thousand don't grow on every bush. Come on—step easy, maybe we can ditch that bunch," cautioned Haynes in a whisper. And instantly crouching low and moving softly the men made off in the direction of their find. But to their dismay they quickly discovered that no matter what the care exercised, it was impossible to make passage through the jungle without imparting a continual swaying and tremor to the springy slender limbs and dense foliage above, and from their first step the thrumming leapt again to life and thereafter accompanied their every step.

"Well, how the devil are we going to tote the stuff?" queried Haynes, irritably staring at the little heap of dirty lumps.

"Stow it in our shirts, I reckon, as we ain't got a bag like this guy." Abruptly he fell silent and a look of quickening horror crept into his eyes. "By God! that's it! They got him!" said he slowly, while Haynes stared a moment from the scattered yellowed bones to the frowning face of his partner. The thing was so obvious, it fitted in so completely with the otherwise inexplicable facts of the case, and except that their own peril had so far absorbed their entire thoughts, the discovery would have been forced upon them before.