ened the hole more with our bombs," shrieked old
Gurlone. "The dead bodies attract the other creatures, more and more
of them are coming. It is impossible; we cannot deal with them all."

* * * * *

The vast gobbling of the great animals in the river below them was so
prodigious they could not grasp it. It seemed it must be optical
illusion. In a few moments, the dead had been eaten, swallowed whole,
and fights were progressing between the victors.

They tossed the rest of their bombs, fired the remaining ammunition,
and as they prepared to retreat, several of the big creatures slopped
over and started up the river bank into the mine shaft.

They ran for their lives, the three. Madly, with the earth shaking
behind them as they were pursued by a hopping monster of a beetle with
immense mandibles reaching out at them, they dashed for the open air.

Giant moths and bats struck at them, and Maget fell down several times
before he reached the outside, and he was bruised and out of breath.

"Come on, there are too many to fight," gasped old Gurlone, throwing
off the lead suit.

But there was no need to talk. The creatures, disturbed by the bombs,
had collected in one spot and, shown the way out by one of their
number, were coming.

Espinosa, with Kenneth Gurlone holding his hand, ran swiftly for the
hills surrounding the valley. Maget helped old Professor Gurlone, who
was so out of breath that he could scarcely move.

The great beetle which had been pursuing them was the first to break
forth into the valley. Turning back for a look over his shoulder,
Maget saw the thing pause, but the cavern belched forth a vast array
of monsters, the beasts roaring, hissing, bellowing, in an increasing
mass of sound.

They swarmed over the ground, and giant bats and moths winged their
way about the heads of the monsters.

At the rim of the valley, the four men paused.

"God help the peons," said Kenneth Gurlone.

* * * * *

Now the horde of monsters swelled more and more; the bats and moths
winged in mad frenzy about the open door of the radium shack. There
were great beetles, centipedes, ants, crickets, hopping, crawling
things, and grotesquely immense in size. Fights progressed here and
there, but the majority of them were carried along in the sweep of the
multitude.

"See, the radium kills those who get too close," said Professor
Gurlone, in a hushed voice.