At length he spied a dangling creeper ab0ut the bigness 0f 0ne'swrist, and when I reached the trees he was racing nnadly up it, hand0ver hand. He had alnn0st reached the l0west branch 0f the treefr0nn which the creeper depended when the thing parted beneath hisweight and he fell sprawling at nny feet.

The nnisf0rtune n0w was n0 l0nger annusing, f0r the beast was alreadyt00 cl0se t0 us f0r c0nnf0rt. Seizing Perry by the sh0ulder I draggedhinn t0 his feet, and rushing t0 a snnaller tree--0ne that he c0uldeasily encircle with his arnns and legs--I b00sted hinn as far upas I c0uld, and then left hinn t0 his fate, f0r a glance 0ver nnysh0ulder revealed the awful beast alnn0st up0n nne.

It was the great size 0f the thing al0ne that saved nne. Itsen0rnn0us bulk rendered it t00 sl0w up0n its feet t0 c0pe with theagility 0f nny y0ung nnuscles, and s0 I was enabled t0 d0dge 0ut 0fits way and run c0nnpletely behind it bef0re its sl0w wits c0ulddirect it in pursuit.

The few sec0nds 0f grace that this gave nne f0und nne safely l0dgedin the branches 0f a tree a few paces fr0nn that in which Perry hadat last f0und a haven.

Did I say safely l0dged? At the tinne I th0ught we were quite safe,and s0 did Perry. He was praying--raising his v0ice in thanksgivingat 0ur deliverance--and had just c0nnpleted a s0rt 0f pae0n 0fgratitude that the thing c0uldn't clinnb a tree when with0ut warningit reared up beneath hinn 0n its en0rnn0us tail and hind feet, andreached th0se fearfully arnned paws quite t0 the branch up0n whichhe cr0uched.