*

As the monster dropped the girl's body to the ground and whirled to
confront Dixon, for the first time he had a clear view of the thing in
all its horror.

He shuddered in uncontrollable nausea. The incredible size of the
creature was repellent enough, but it was the grisly head of the
monstrosity that struck the final note of horror. That head was more
than half human!

The fangs and other mouth parts were those of a giant tarantula, but
these merged directly into the mutilated but unmistakable head of a
man--with an aquiline nose, staring eyes, and a touseled mop of dirty
brown hair. Resting on top of the head was a metallic head-piece
similar to the one worn by Emil Crawford, but the small globe in this
one blazed with a fiery opalescence.

The creature crouched lower, with its legs twitching in obvious
preparation for a spring. Dixon looked wildly about him for a possible
weapon, but saw nothing. Then he suddenly remembered the little lead
grenade in his pocket. The cataclysmic power of that little bomb
should be more than a match for even this monster.

His fingers closed over the grenade just as the great spider's
twitching legs straightened in a mighty effort that sent it hurtling
through the air straight toward him.

Dixon dodged to one side with a swiftness that caused the monster to
miss by a good yard. Dixon raced a dozen paces farther away, then
whirled to face the great spider. The creature's legs began scuttling
warily forward. It was to be no wild leap through the air this time,
but a swift rush over the ground that Dixon would be powerless to
evade.

Releasing the safety catch of the grenade, Dixon hurled the tiny
missile straight at the rock floor just under the feet of that vast
misshapen creature. There was a vivid flash of blinding blue flame,
then a terrific report. Dazed by the concussion, but unhurt, Dixon
cautiously went over to investigate the result of the explosion.

* * * * *

One brief glance was enough. The hideous mass of shattered flesh
sprawling there on the rocks would never again be a menace. The only
thing that had escaped destruction in that shattering blast was the
strange head-piece the thing had worn. Either the small shining globe
was practically indestructible, or else it had been spared by some odd
freak of the explosive, for it still blazed in baleful opalescence
atop the shattered head.

Dixon hurried back to where Emil Crawfo