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Together, as in a drearotesque--they advanced out into the dim-shaded forest aisles

"Don't look!" Stern exclaiht of the unspeakable hideousness of the Things, at gliouts of blood upon the woodland carpet "Don't think--just coain S-h-h-h! Don't hurry! Count, now--count your steps--one, two, three--four, five, six--steady, steady!--"

Now they were ten yards froht ahead aroup Stern held the water-pail firazine-rifle lay in both the girl's hands, ready for instant use

Suddenly Stern fired again, three shots

"Soly tone "I guess a little lead close to their ears will fix 'em for a while!"

His voice went to a hoarse whisper

"Gods!" he repeated "Don't forget it, for a h! These creatures here, if they're descended from the blacks, must have some story, some tradition of the white man Of his mastery, his power! We'll use it now, by Heaven, as it never yet was used!"

Then he began to count again; and so, tense, watching with eager-burning eyes and taut htful peril

A snuffling howl rose

"You will, will you?" Stern cried, adding another kick to the one he had just dealt to one of the creatures, who had ventured to look up at their approach "Lie down, ape!" And with the clangorous asped with fear; but the bluff ain the pair strode forward, o, or not at all Masterfully, or die For now their all-in-all lay just in that griirl's eyes a sort of haze see sounded very far away and strange; she hardly recognized his voice To her came wild, disjointed, confused impressions--now a bony and distorted back, now a siroup that crouched and cowered in its filthy squalor, hideously

Then all at once, there right before her she saw the little woodland path that, slightly descending, led past a big oak she well knen to the ineer's warning, tense as piano-wire "Almost there, now What's that?"