But what good would this following do, for the purple beasts were now
nearly upon him in their slow and stealthy approach.
At this moment a crash resounded throughout the stadium, but it was
heard by the ears of the earth-man alone. The iron gates gave way, and
out bounded a fifth woofus, larger than any of the rest. The woofus
shrieked, and Lilla and Yuri both shuddered, but each for a different
cause: Lilla because she thought that it was a new menace to her
husband; Yuri because it represented the one eventuality which he had
felt sure he had guarded against. Cabot thrilled.
“Not alone,” he repeated, but with a new meaning now. “Look well, O
King!”
Like a purple streak of lightning, the newcomer shot across the arena
with a long-drawn crescendo howl!
The sound of a woofus is indescribable. Myles Cabot has tried many times
to describe it to me, but has failed. The nearest that he can come to it
is to say that it resembles the noise obtained by placing the receiver
of a telephone-set over the mouthpiece, when one wishes to get even with
the girl at Central for being particularly and unusually ornery. It was
to prevent this that French phones were invented.
But, to go on with the story. As the fifth woofus charged across the
sands, the other four heard his battle-cry, and, pausing in their
approach toward Cabot, turned and faced the newcomer, who at once
stopped in his onrush.
For a few paraparths, the five beasts, four on one side and one on the
other, confronted each other with bristling antennae.
Then “Sic ’em!” shouted the earth-man.
At that, his pet woofus, electrified, sprang at the other four. A
clawing, snarling ball of purple hate resulted, out of which finally
catapulted one huge woofus, which fled across the silver sands. The four
quickly disentangled themselves and followed. Cabot stood aghast, for
his woofus, his own brave woofus, was in flight.
Round and round the arena it ran, pursued by the other four. This was a
spectacle the like of which had never been vouchsafed to the
sport-loving Cupians, or to the bloodthirsty Formians for that matter.
It appealed alike to the predominating trait of each race, and the
throngs in the stands went wild with enthusiasm, even the supporters of
Cabot forgetting their partisanship in their glee.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account