is latest
addition to his larder, had found it good.

Jim writhed and twisted in his weakening bonds. There was a soft
snapping as several now thoroughly dried sections of the brown substance
cracked loose. The termite team whirled around; the ruler stared, as
though in sudden realization of danger.

* * * * *

More furiously Jim fought his bonds. Dennis was still, recovering slowly
from the nauseating weakness that had followed the pain of his mutilated
hand. There was less blood flow than might have been expected, due,
perhaps, to the fact that the nipping mandibles had pinched some of the
encasing shell tight over the wound.

With a dull crack, a square foot of the brown stuff burst from Jim's
straining chest. But now the monarch moved to correct the situation.

The two giant soldiers at the doorway started across the great room
toward them. Simultaneously, a second of the syringe-headed termites
moved to renew the bonds that were being broken.

But the move had come a shade too late. Jim kicked his legs free with a
last wild jerk, and staggered to his feet. His arms were still held, in
a measure, in spite of his utmost efforts to free them of the clinging
brown stuff. But he could, and did, run away from the body of soldiers
surrounding the monarch just before the deadly syringe of the first
attacking termite could function against him.

The great, flabby head hurtled his way. But he knew what to expect, now.
As the slimy brown stream, directed by the agitated termite-ruler,
squirted toward him, he leaped alertly aside--leaped again as the head
swung around--and saw with savage hope that the monster had exhausted
its discharge!

The two soldiers from the doorway closed in on him now. With their
apparent command of the situation, the monstrosities with the bung- and
syringe-heads closed in more tightly around their monarch. Theirs,
evidently to protect that vulnerable big brain, and leave the attacking
to others.

Jim fled down between the rows of paralyzed insects. The two great
guards from the doorway, mandibles reaching fiercely toward the
fugitive, followed. And there commenced, there in that deep-buried
insect hell, a chase for life.

CHAPTER VIII

_The Coming of the Soldiers_

For a moment Jim was handicapped in fleetness and agility by the fact
that his arms were hampered. But the two hideous guards, though each was
a dozen times more powerful than any man