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Then

I

could

see

that

there

was

something

moving

dimly

in

the

blackness

below

the

grating

,

but

what

it

might

be

I

could

not

distinguish

.

The

whole

thing

seemed

to

hang

fire

just

for

a

moment

--

then

smash

!

I

had

sprung

to

my

feet

,

struck

savagely

at

something

that

had

flashed

out

at

me

.

It

was

the

keen

point

of

a

spear

.

I

have

thought

since

that

its

length

in

the

narrowness

of

the

cleft

must

have

prevented

its

being

sloped

to

reach

me

.

Anyhow

,

it

shot

out

from

the

grating

like

the

tongue

of

a

snake

,

and

missed

and

flew

back

and

flashed

again

.

But

the

second

time

I

snatched

and

caught

it

,

and

wrenched

it

away

,

but

not

before

another

had

darted

ineffectually

at

me

.

I

shouted

with

triumph

as

I

felt

the

hold

of

the

Selenite

resist

my

pull

for

a

moment

and

give

,

and

then

I

was

jabbing

down

through

the

bars

,

amidst

squeals

from

the

darkness

,

and

Cavor

had

snapped

off

the

other

spear

,

and

was

leaping

and

flourishing

it

beside

me

,

and

making

inefficient

jabs

.

Clang

,

clang

,

came

up

through

the

grating

,

and

then

an

axe

hurtled

through

the

air

and

whacked

against

the

rocks

beyond

,

to

remind

me

of

the

fleshers

at

the

carcasses

up

the

cavern

.

I

turned

,

and

they

were

all

coming

towards

us

in

open

order

waving

their

axes

.

They

were

short

,

thick

,

little

beggars

,

with

long

arms

,

strikingly

different

from

the

ones

we

had

seen

before

.

If

they

had

not

heard

of

us

before

,

they

must

have

realised

the

situation

with

incredible

swiftness

.

I

stared

at

them

for

a

moment

,

spear

in

hand

.

"

Guard

that

grating

,

Cavor

,

"

I

cried

,

howled

to

intimidate

them

,

and

rushed

to

meet

them

.

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Two

of

them

missed

with

their

hatchets

,

and

the

rest

fled

incontinently

.

Then

the

two

also

were

sprinting

away

up

the

cavern

,

with

hands

clenched

and

heads

down

.

I

never

saw

men

run

like

them

!

I

knew

the

spear

I

had

was

no

good

for

me

.

It

was

thin

and

flimsy

,

only

effectual

for

a

thrust

,

and

too

long

for

a

quick

recover

.

So

I

only

chased

the

Selenites

as

far

as

the

first

carcass

,

and

stopped

there

and

picked

up

one

of

the

crowbars

that

were

lying

about

.

It

felt

comfortingly

heavy

,

and

equal

to

smashing

any

number

of

Selenites

.

I

threw

away

my

spear

,

and

picked

up

a

second

crowbar

for

the

other

hand

.

I

felt

five

times

better

than

I

had

with

the

spear

.

I

shook

the

two

threateningly

at

the

Selenites

,

who

had

come

to

a

halt

in

a

little

crowd

far

away

up

the

cavern

,

and

then

turned

about

to

look

at

Cavor

.

He

was

leaping

from

side

to

side

of

the

grating

,

making

threatening

jabs

with

his

broken

spear

.

That

was

all

right

.

It

would

keep

the

Selenites

down

--

for

a

time

at

any

rate

.

I

looked

up

the

cavern

again

.

What

on

earth

were

we

going

to

do

now

?

We

were

cornered

in

a

sort

of

way

already

.

But

these

butchers

up

the

cavern

had

been

surprised

,

they

were

probably

scared

,

and

they

had

no

special

weapons

,

only

those

little

hatchets

of

theirs

.

And

that

way

lay

escape

.

Their

sturdy

little

forms

--

ever

so

much

shorter

and

thicker

than

the

mooncalf

herds

--

were

scattered

up

the

slope

in

a

way

that

was

eloquent

of

indecision

.

I

had

the

moral

advantage

of

a

mad

bull

in

a

street

.

But

for

all

that

,

there

seemed

a

tremendous

crowd

of

them

.

Very

probably

there

was

.

Those

Selenites

down

the

cleft

had

certainly

some

infernally

long

spears

.

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It

might

be

they

had

other

surprises

for

us

...

But

,

confound

it

!

if

we

charged

up

the

cave

we

should

let

them

up

behind

us

,

and

if

we

did

n't

those

little

brutes

up

the

cave

would

probably

get

reinforced

.

Heaven

alone

knew

what

tremendous

engines

of

warfare

--

guns

,

bombs

,

terrestrial

torpedoes

--

this

unknown

world

below

our

feet

,

this

vaster

world

of

which

we

had

only

pricked

the

outer

cuticle

,

might

not

presently

send

up

to

our

destruction

.

It

became

clear

the

only

thing

to

do

was

to

charge

!

It

became

clearer

as

the

legs

of

a

number

of

fresh

Selenites

appeared

running

down

the

cavern

towards

us

.

"

Bedford

!

"

cried

Cavor

,

and

behold

!

he

was

halfway

between

me

and

the

grating

.

"

Go

back

!

"

I

cried

.

"

What

are

you

doing

--

"

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