Were these enormous insects the undeveloped life from which had
sprung the intelligence of the Sixth Dimension--the Red World? In
all probability it must have been! For after all there was a strange
similarity between the two forces. The legs and the bodies.
This then, must have been a dreadful battle between the developed and
the undeveloped--like the eternal combat of man against beast--beast
against man, for supremacy.
Would intelligence on this weird plane of life, as on our own,
ultimately predominate?
With panic striking at my reason I watched the battle. The Red World's
"man" swung around again with whip-like motion. His rays cleared a
clean path through the threatening ranks again. Only one quarter of the
circle remained now and the upright creature opened his vile mouth to
voice his cry of victory.
It came in a weird maniacal scream that vibrated and re-echoed over the
Red Domain like the cry of a preying jungle beast! The insect horde
hooted dismal sounds of defeat, but what remained of them came on
nevertheless.
Then again came the defiant answering cry of the upright creature.
He tested the atmosphere with wide, flexible nostrils. Again he voiced
his cry of victory. It was answered by a series of exultant roars
coming from somewhere deep in the jungles.
Then the creature made his fatal mistake. Expanded to conceit by the
victory within his grasp, he lowered his ray weapon and surveyed the
remaining insects with contempt. Whether the presence of his fellows,
probably not far in the growth, had bred within him a feeling of
security, I do not know. But hardly had he lowered his instrument of
destruction than the horde of insects closed in on him with astonishing
rapidity.
Bewildered at the suddenness and calmness of the rush, the creature
roared in a different note, appealing and terror-stricken, and
struggled vainly to bring his weapon into play.
It was useless at such close quarters and he cast it aside to grasp
six hooting insects in the steel-like grasp of his writhing arms. He
crushed them on the instant and hurled them aside. I heard him gasp,
when the needle-pointed pikes of the insects began to puncture him.
I caught sight of ghastly mysterious organs protruding from his bulging
belly as an insect shook itself loose. He crashed to the ground.
Instantly the insects changed the sound of their voices and the ring of
high-pitched hootings drowned his cries of death.
At once they set upon the fallen creature. They gouged and tore into
his vitals. He managed to keep up a dismal howl even after his vitals
had been ripped from his belly. I saw a dozen insects line themselves
along his side.
They plunged the pikelike snouts into him and sucked at the thick red
substance that was his blood. One lowly creature took hold of the thick
skin near the victim's breast. With a jerk it ripped a long streamer of
flesh from the body and gobbled it with smacking relish!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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