Page:Weird Tales Volume 4 Number 2 (1924-05-07).djvu/146

 and float off in another direction. He followed their course in the light of the great purple-white lamp and noted that they deposited their wares here and there in small quantities in what seemed the under surface of the earth’s crust.

Suddenly, he heard what he thought was the chirping of a bird. The chirp became more shrill. He looked about him and saw millions of these pigmies floating in from all directions. They surrounded him. A leader floated to the center of the assembly and began to scratch characters in the stone with his chisel-like foot. Soon, all was commotion. A stiff breeze came from a fissure in the rocks and blew toward the river.

Pilot Nelson was carried in its course. When he reached the river, his body took on weight; and again he dropped helpless into the dark, brown liquid. Numerous air currents began to agitate the stream. It began to flow again, and again it flowed up hill.

The huge purple-white lamp became brighter than ever. It blinded him. He could feel himself being carried rapidly through space by the current. The air was becoming cooler. He was somewhat refreshed and his body enlarged to its natural size. Slowly, the dazzling light became fainter. He could see.

IANT vegetation was on all sides. No leaves or branches. Just huge, rough, gnarled roots. Again, the current of the river stopped. He was in blood-red waters, just a little more thin than the liquid had previously been. Still he floated with just his head emerged.

Mammoth animals were feeding upon the roots. Animals with skin like elephants, and legs no more than a foot long, twenty of them on a side. Their jaws resembled massive stone crushers. As they chewed into the vegetation with sickening sound, a red fluid came freely from the roots. This, the animals gulped up greedily, allowing only a small quantity to stream from the corners of their mouths. They drank their fill and soon became as large as the gas bags of dirigibles. They fell asleep where they fed.

Thunderous shrieks rent the air and Pilot Nelson heard the flapping of monstrous wings. Vultures with wings sixty feet long came to the spot. As they came closer, he observed that they had sword-like bills from six to eight feet long. To him, they paid no heed; but attacked the sleeping animals, plunging their bills into their prey. Blood ran in rivulets from the struggling beasts.

The sight became too much for Pilot Nelson. He tried to move, but found that he was paralyzed with horror. He sighed. To his surprise, his sigh was as loud as the sound of a locomotive whistle.

The vultures were attracted by his involuntary expression. Overhead and about him, they circled in numbers, flapping their long, ponderous wings violently. Waves began to form on the surface of the river. Soon it began to move slowly. Again it carried him up the hill. Feathers of immense size dropped on all sides of him. A down from them seemed to fill the air, which his sight could not penetrate.

Slowly the river flowed on. He was his normal size, but he had grown weak. In time, the air cleared of feathers and he could see. The light was like a summer day when the sun is out of sight.

He was slowly floating into a great lake, set amongst numerous mountains. Its contents was murky green. When he floated upright, his feet occasionally touched something. Soon he could stand on its bed. The current ceased and he found himself in dead water. Such a dreadful odor. It was terrible, as of dead things.

On a far-off shore, he could see green vegetation, the same shade as the water. Slowly, he made his way in that direction. The banks were covered with moss of a pale green color. Such long, hairy moss. All a tangled mass. Through this he dragged on, almost fatigued.

Small bushes covered the soil in front of him. He paused to examine them. Small, square leaves, completely covered with worm nests, warts and other growths. The branches seemed to be covered with silken ashes which fell at his touch.

In his wanderings, he came upon a spring of water, the first natural thing he had seen. But it had a peculiar taste. He investigated its source. Instead of flowing continually, it spurted in jets. He observed more carefully. A huge muscular body, the color of an oyster lay almost buried in the sand. It expanded and then contracted. When it contracted, it forced the water from an opening in its side.

The sight of this caused Pilot Nelson to grow weak, so weak that he could not stand. He dropped down to rest.

Almost immediately, a large, grass-green spider spun a thread across his chest and attached the end to the vegetation on the other side. Back across his legs, the spider spun another thread. He tried to rise but found that he was tightly bound. Soon, numerous threads completely bound his struggling form.

Strange noises came from all sides. He tried to turn his head so that he could see the objects but found that the spider's web had bound his head. A slimy, crawling thing passed over his body. It began to chew at his toes. Such pain. He tried to call out, but could make no sound.

Then, a strange, small bird with four wings flew over his face and began to peck at his fingers. Others came and he was being besieged on all sides. One became more greedy than the rest and in the struggle broke the thread that bound his head. He could now turn his eyes in the direction of his attackers.

Suddenly a film seemed to envelop his body and he was immune from pain. But slowly and surely the birds were picking away his body piece by piece.

UT OF the slimy recess of the grass-green lake came a crawling, wriggling thing. It was half snake and half fish. As he lay with his face toward the lake, he watched it approach him, coming as if by instinct. It carried its head erect by means of small wings attached just below and back of its eyes. Its mouth was small, with short jaws which it kept opening and shutting as it wriggled its way toward him. Closer and closer, it came. He could now see plainly that its back was covered with mossy vegetation, its belly was covered with scales. Its teeth or fangs consisted of two sharp protruding teeth on the lower jaw and a sort of broad flat tooth on the upper jaw. The lower jaw it kept on moving up and down as if anticipating a feast of human flesh.

He tried to turn his eyes from the object but learned that the film that had deadened the pain had finally paralyzed his muscles. He could not move his eyes. They remained set on the object.

When close to him, froth came from the corners of its mouth. It plunged its head against his side, sinking the teeth of its lower jaw deep into his flesh. Up came its head and it had gouged out a piece of flesh. With one gulp, the snake-like thing swallowed the mouthful. It drove in its fangs for another piece. Again and again it kept gulping down his flesh.

The effect of the film was now dying out. He could feel the painful stabs of the fangs in his side, and for the first time realized that the birds had left him. He was alone with this carnivorous thing. The pain was growing more intense. In his agony, he tried to move. He could turn his head but nothing more.

The fangs again pierced his side and he could feel them tearing away his bowels. He groaned and then lay quiet. The groan seemed to relieve his agony.