Dull red blood spattered them, and a fetid odor from the gashes caused them to retch, but they finally cut the thing in two, and then they moved away from there. * * * * * The dull rumblings beneath them frightened Maget, and Durkin too, though the latter tried to brazen it out. "Come on, it's gettin' dark. We can take a look in their mine now." Maget, whimpering, followed. The booming sounds were increasing. But Durkin slipped down the hillside, and Maget followed into the valley. They crept past the stone shack, which they noticed was padlocked heavily. Durkin stopped suddenly, and cursed. "I've cut my foot," he said. "These damn shoes are gone, all right, from that march. But come on, never mind." They crept to the mouth of the cavern and peered in. "Ugh," said Maget. He drew back with a shudder. The floor of the mine was covered with a grey slush, in which were seething white masses of slugs weaving in the slime. A powerful, rotten odor breathed in their faces, as though they stood in the mouth of a great giant. "Ah!" yelled Durkin, throwing his arms across his face. The greenish, ghostly light which emanated from the slime was weaker than moonlight, just enough to see by; a vast shadow hovered above their heads, as though a gigantic bat flew there. The sweep and beat of great wings drove them back, and they fled in terror from such awful corruption. But the flying monster, with a wing spread of eight feet, dashed past them, and silhouetted against the rising moon like a goblin. Then came another, and finally a flock of the big birds. Durkin and Maget ran away, passing the stone house which stood near the cavern's mouth. The booming sounds from the bowels of the earth filled their ears now, and it was not thunder; no, it issued from the depths of the mine. "We--we got to get somethin' to eat," said Durkin, as they paused near one of the shacks, in which shone a light. * * * * * Sounds of voices came from the interior. They crept closer, and listened outside the window. Inside, they could see Espinosa, Gurlone senior, and the big youth with the golden beard, Gurlone junior. "Yes, father," the young man was saying. "I believe we had better leave, at once. It's getting dangerous. I've reached the five million mark now, with the new process, and it is ready to work with or sell, just as we wish." "Hear that?" whispered Durkin triumphantly. "Five million!" "It's all ready, in the stone house," said young Gurlone. "Why should we leave now?" said old Gurlone, his livid face working. "Now, when we are just at the point of success in our great experiments? So far, while we have struck many creatures of abnormal growth, still, we have overcome them." "Well, father, there is something in the mine now which makes it too dangerous to work. That is, until they are put out of the way. You can hear them now."