up a bit," he returned, sitting up with an effort. "Greathunters are we," he went on with a laugh. "We almost allowed the game tocatch the hunters! Well, let's go back to the ship. We'll get him nexttime."
But their narrow escape had shaken their nerve. All day long theyremained safely in the ship and kept their guns trained on the lakehoping that the beast would show himself. How or when it had left thelake they could not surmise, but that it was more formidable than theyhad thought now seemed certain, and Omega concluded to bring science tohis aid. In this way he was sure that he would soon exterminate themonster.
So the next day he lay a cable carrying a high voltage all around thelake and connected it with traps of various designs both in the waterand on the land. No more would they risk their lives hunting the beastin the open after nightfall.
The hot, still days that followed were anxious ones for these lastchildren of life. Not a trap was sprung. The beast did not drag hisslimy body and tail across the heavily charged cable. The last of hiskind, fighting the last battle of existence, it seemed that nature hadendowed him with uncanny cunning. There was the life-giving water forwhose possession no human kind challenged them, but this enemy was moreterrible than any man, savage or civilized whom the earth had everknown.
* * * * *
During these anxious, watchful days Omega and Thalma went often to theMirror and gazed into it in search of vapor clouds. And more than oncethose gossamer-like formations appeared over different parts of theworld to gladden their hearts only to fade away before their vision. Thereflections of those embryo clouds became less frequent as the days woreon. Omega and Thalma knew that they had no right to hope for the returnof water vapor. Their instruments, so finely attuned as to appearendowed with intelligence, the records of the past and their own commonsense told them that. But nature and life in the upper reaches of theair were dying as hard as their own hope. They knew that the aerialmanifestations they witnessed were but symptoms of the death struggle.And yet a real cloud, dark and pregnant with moisture, suddenly appearedin the Mirror. Consulting the chart they saw that it was hovering over agreat land of plain and mountains which formerly had been a part of theUnited States of America.
"We will go and examine this gift from heaven," said Omega. "It movesover a once beautiful land, which the voices of history tell us,harbored a race of the free millions of years ago."
"Yes, we will go," agreed Thalma. "It may be after all that Alpha willfirst see the light far from this dreadful hollow and--and--that monsterout there in the lake."
Omega hung his head. Well he knew that the presence of the monster wasslowly killing his beloved. She complained not, but her dreams weredisturbed with frightful visions, and often Omega awakened to find herat a window staring out over the lake with terror-stricken eyes.
This new cloud was thousands of miles to the east but with fondanticipations they entered the ship and plunged toward it. But althoughthey reached the spot in one hour, the last remnant of vapor dissolvedbefore their eyes, and they turned sadly homeward, once more beaten bythe inexorable decrees of fate.
So having decided at last that this deep valley must remain their homeforever, Omega looked about for a suitable building site, for althoughthe ship was safe and comfortable they longed for a home on the earth.But the ever present menace of the sea-monster saddened them and filledthem with misgivings, despite the fact that Omega could guard thecottage electrically. But Omega wondered whether electric safeguardswould keep this creature from coming some night to the cottage andsticking his loathsome head in at door or window. Omega shuddered at thethought, but refrained from mentioning such a possibility to Thalma.
Having selected a site under the branches of a great coral tree standingwithin the shade of an overhanging rock, Omega erected a cottage. Ittook him but a few days to build and furnish this building from supplieson the ship. It was complete in every feature, even to running waterfrom the lake. Grass was brought from the lake and a lawn laid out aboutthe cottage in the shadows of the rock. The grass was kept watered forThalma's sake, even though the water was needed for other purposes andthe lake was diminishing steadily. But she was sacred in his eyes--shethe last mother the old earth ever was to know.
The interior of the cottage was embellished like a palace, for treasureswere brought from the airship to grace its walls. The richest rugs,curtains, tapestries and silks the world had ever known were there forThalma's pleasure and comfort. Paintings of green verdure, of forestsand plains of waving grass, of tumbling mountain streams and cool,placid lakes, Omega drew from the young days of the earth. The power toportray nature's moods and beauties had increased in many men with thepassing of time. He placed these scenes before Thalma's couch that theircool and inspiring presence might comfort her while she awaited thecoming of the child.
* * * * *
One morning being weary of the stark monotony of the valley, whoseeastern wall was distant many miles, Omega and Thalma determined toscale the heights above. For sometimes in the sinister aspect of thechasm's walls, it seemed that the rocks would close together and crushout their lives. They concluded not to take the air-car, but to go on arambling picnic with the ever present hope that they might discoveranother oasis of life.
Hand in hand they rose into the air, up and up for miles past frowningcliffs and dark caverns, yawning like grinning skulls above the outpostsof death. There was no visible effort in their flight. They but tookadvantage of nature's laws which man had long understood. At last on thehighest peak they paused to rest on a dust-covered rock.
The red sun rose above the cheerless horizon and blazed on them from adeep azure sky slashed across by bars of purple and gold. More than ninemiles beneath them spread the deep gorge, where nestled their littlehome, looking like a doll-house, and above it shone the great, silvership. The lake shone like a speck of silver on the drab rocks. Theygazed down upon it in an attitude of worship, for it alone in all thatvast realm of peaks and plains and valleys symbolized life. Thensuddenly a dark speck appeared on the surface of the lake. Omega lookedat Thalma apprehensively, for well he knew the meaning of that speck.Her face was pale and drawn, and she clung to Omega as they pointedtheir glasses at the water.
The monster was again disporting himself. He threshed the water intofoam with his long, sinuous body, while his head wagged and his terribleeyes looked toward the land. It was the first sight they had had of himsince the night he almost killed Omega.
"Look!" breathed Thalma, "it is coming ashore. Oh, I did hope that itwas dead!" And trembling violently she clung closer to her lord.
"Never mind, dear," consoled Omega as he watched the great beast waddletoward the shore. "We will get him this time," he went on exultingly."Watch--he is going to get into the trap!"
But they were again doomed to disappointment. Within a few rods of theshore, with its great, spotted body nearly all out of the water, themonster stopped, lifted its head and looked slowly around in everydirection. Then apparently scenting danger, it turned, floundered backto the center of the lake and submerged.
"I--I--am afraid," shuddered Thalma.
"There is nothing to fear," reassured Omega. "The beast cannot get toour home, and one of these days he will either get caught in a trap orwe will get a shot at him."
Although Omega spoke bravely he was really worried about the beast andthe influence it was having on Thalma. He realized that he must at oncedevise a better method of extermination. Even though he did not fear itso much personally its presence was disturbing, and it was dailyabsorbing so much water needful for themselves.
* * * * *
This great gash in the earth's crust stretching for many miles belowthem had been the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean when its blue wavesstill lapped the shores of continents, and that little lake, far down inthe earth's bosom, was the pitiful remainder of that once mighty sea.Far to the north-west, showing plainly against the sky in the focus o
ftheir binoculars, were great ridges of mountain and table land, risinggaunt and desolate from the ancient bed of the sea--the site of theancient empire of Japan. Round about them on every hand were the muteremains of marine life, for the spot where they sat had been far belowthe surface of the sea. Silent, mysterious, hopeless and dreary, theprospect appalled even their stout hearts. How they yearned for thesight of some living thing there upon those high peaks. Silence supremeand dreadful, in which even their voices, hushed and tremulous, soundedprofane, cowed them by its unending solemnity and the relentless grip.Gray and nude save for their pall of dust the mountains rose into thesky, eternal in their ghostly majesty. And the dark valleys between withtheir gray lips of death looked like the gaping mouths of hell.
"Death! death! eternal and triumphant death, thou art everywhere!" criedOmega, springing up and gazing