hem murderously. It was obvious to Grom, as he studied the
dust-clouds of this last encounter, that the buffalo herd, here in the
open, would have rolled over the tribe irresistibly, and trampled it
flat.

Journeying thus at top speed toward that hill of promise before them,
the travelers came at length to a wide space of absolutely level
ground which presented a most curious appearance. It was as level as a
windless lake, and almost without vegetation. The naked surface was of
a sort of indeterminate dust-color, but dotted here and there with
tiny patches of vegetation so stunted that it was little more than
moss. Grom, with his inquiring mind, would have liked to stop to
investigate this curious surface, unlike anything he had ever seen
before. But the hordes of the sambur were behind, pressing the tribe
onwards, and straight ahead was the wooded hill, dense with foliage,
luring with its promise of safe and convenient shelter. He led the
way, therefore, without hesitation, out across the baked and barren
waste, sniffing curiously, as he went, at a strange smell, pungent but
not unpleasant, which steamed up from the dry, hot surface all about
him.

The first peculiarity that he noticed was a remarkable springiness in
the surface upon which he trod. Then he was struck by the fact that
the dust-brown surface was seamed and criss-crossed in many places by
small cracks--like those in sun-scorched mud, except that the cracks
were almost black in color. These things caused him no misgivings. But
presently, to his consternation, he detected a slight but amazing
undulation, an immensely long, immensely slow wave rolling across the
dry surface before him. He could hardly believe his eyes--for
assuredly nothing could look more like good solid land than that
stretch of barren plain. He stopped short, rubbing his eyes in wonder.
A-ya grabbed him by the arm.

"What is it?" she whispered, staring at the unstable surface in a kind
of horror.

Before he could reply, cries and shouts arose among the tribe behind
him, and they all rushed forward, almost sweeping Grom and A-ya from
their feet.

The surface of the barren, all along the edge of the grass land,
had given way beneath the weight of the sambur herds, and the front
ranks were being engulfed with frantic snortings and awful groans,
in what looked like a dense, blackish, glistening ooze. The ranks
behind were being forced forward to this awful doom, in spite of
their pani