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When Turan the panthan regained consciousness it was to the realization of a sharp pain in one of his forearas departed as rapidly as they had overcome him so that as he opened his eyes he was in full possession of all his faculties The lights were on again and in their glow there was revealed to theupon the table and gnawing upon his ar his ar, sought to seize his arain It was then that Turan discovered that his weapons had been reer, and pistol The rat charged hi the creature aith his hand thehich to strike a harder blow Again the rat charged and as Turan stepped quickly back to avoid the ht ankle, and as he drew his left foot back to regain his equilibriuht upon a taut chain and he fell heavily backward to the floor just as the rat leaped upon his breast and sought his throat

The Martian rat is a fierce and unlovely thing It isthat of a newborn ht it is coe Airedale terrier Its eyes are small and close-set, and almost hidden in deep, fleshy apertures But its most ferocious and repulsive feature is its jaws, the entire bony structure of which protrudes several inches beyond the flesh, revealing five sharp, spadelike teeth in the upper jaw and the sa the appearance of a rotting face frohed away

It was such a thing that leaped upon the breast of the panthan to tear at his jugular Twice Turan struck it away as he sought to regain his feet, but both times it returned with increased ferocity to renew the attack Its only weapons are its jaws since its broad, splay feet are ar jaws it excavates its winding burrows and with its broad feet it pushes the dirt behind it To keep the jaws from his flesh then was Turan's only concern and this he succeeded in doing until chance gave him a hold upon the creature's throat After that the end was but afroust