her back! She makes Ziegfeld's little girls look like Armenian
refugees." He cast a sidewise glance, but Alden had apparently not
heard him; the younger American stood gazing with rapturous joy at the
girl.

"Aye! Aye!" The two veteran generals uttered stifled groans and one of
them drew a hand across his eyes. "Poseidon save her! Aye! Preserve
the fair Altara."

"Wouldst thou not doubly save her, now?" demanded Hero John in a low
voice that bespoke his anguish. He seemed suddenly older than the
grim, helmeted veterans to either side.

"You bet! I guess a man sees a face like that only once is a lifetime.
And now," Nelson continued with an effort to return to the practical,
"there's no time to be lost--so I'd just like to take a look at those
pteranodons of yours."

* * * * *

A few minutes later, the two aviators found themselves nearing a lofty
structure which adjoined the imperial palace. It was constructed along
the lines of an immense aviary. Between beautiful, glistening Ionic
columns of white marble, gleamed bronze bars, set at regular intervals
to prevent the escape of the most appalling creatures which could ever
have skimmed the air.

"What in the devil is your idea?" demanded Alden, taken aback. "God,
look at the loathsome brutes!"

Some of these huge, flying reptiles were hopping awkwardly over the
ground picking at bones and refuse littering the floor with long
pelican-like bills, which were, however, very much thicker than those
of pelicans, and set with sharp teeth at least six inches long.

"Not very pretty are they? Kind of look like huge bats," commented
Nelson thoughtfully. "Wonder if they could be handled?"

"Yes, their wings are leathery. Look at 'em up yonder." Alden pointed
to the roof of that immense aviary where, hanging head downwards like
gigantic bats, must have been hundreds upon hundreds of the
pteranodons. One of them, whistling oddly, fluttered up to the bars,
affording the Wanderers an excellent view of a loathsome head, the
back of which ended in a curious sort of horn, that, projecting
backwards, jutted far above its rear. Fierce, vermillion eyes with
green irises glared at the Americans through the bars, and great wings
of greasy-looking leather fanned a disgusting stench from the interior
of the aviary.

* * * * *

"Sweet little things," was Alden's comment. "God! Imagine having one
of those great things sw