At thing came down upon him again As it did so his hand touched something beside him floor He kicked out, next moment his ankle was gripped and held by row of keen teeth He yelled again, and tried to free his leg by kicking other Then he realised he had the broken water-bottle at his hand, and, snatching it, he struggled into sitting posture, and feeling darkness towards his foot, gripped velvety ear, like the ear of big cat He had seized the water-bottle by its neck and brought it down with shivering crash head strange beast He repeated the blow, and then stabbed and jabbed jagged end of it, darkness, where he judged the face

The small teeth relaxed their hold, and at once Woodhouse pulled his leg free and kicked hard the sickening feel of fur and bone giving under his boot tearing bite at his arm, and he struck over it face, as he judged, and hit damp fur

pause; then he heard the sound of claws; dragging of heavy body away over the observatory floor Then silence, broken only by his own sobbing breathing, and sound like licking Everything was black except the parallelogram blue skylight luminous dust of stars, against which the end telescope now appeared in silhouette He waited, as it seemed, an interminable time

thing coming on again ? trouser-pocket for some matches, and found one remaining He tried to strike this, but the floor was wet, and it spat and went out He cursed He where the door was situated struggle he had quite lost his bearings The strange beast, disturbed splutter match, began to move again "Time ! " called Woodhouse, with sudden gleam of mirth, but the thing was not coming at him again hurt it, he thought, broken bottle dull pain ankle Probably bleeding there He wondered would support him if he tried to stand up The night outside was very still no sound of moving The sleepy fools heard those wings battering dome, nor his shouts no good wasting strength in shouting The monster flapped its wings and startled him into defensive attitude He hit his elbow against the seat, and it fell over with crash He cursed this, and then he cursed the darkness

Suddenly the oblong patch of starlight seemed to sway to and fro Was he going to faint ? It would never do to faint He clenched his fists and set his teeth to hold himself together Where had the door got to ? It occurred to him get his bearings stars visible skylight The patch of stars was in Sagittarius and south-eastward; the door was north--or north by west ? He tried If get the door open he might retreat It the thing was wounded The suspense was beastly "Look here ! " , " don't come on, come at you "

Then the thing began clambering up the side observatory, and its black outline gradually blot out the skylight in retreat ? He forgot door, and watched dome shifted and creaked Somehow feel very frightened or excited now curious sinking sensation inside him The sharply-defined patch of light, black form moving across it, seemed growing smaller and smaller That was curious He began very thirsty, and yet feel inclined anything to drink sliding down long funnel

burning sensation throat, and then he perceived broad daylight, Dyak servants was looking at him with curious expression Then the top of Thaddy's face upside down Funny fellow, Thaddy, about like that ! Then he grasped the situation better, and perceived that his head was on Thaddy's knee, and Thaddy was giving him brandy And then the eyepiece telescope with lot of red smears He began to remember

"You've made this observatory in pretty mess," said Thaddy

The Dyak boy was beating up an egg in brandy Woodhouse took this and sat up sharp twinge of pain His ankle was tied up, so were his arm side face The smashed glass, red-stained, lay floor, the telescope seat was overturned, and opposite wall was dark pool The door was open, and the grey summit mountain against brilliant background of blue sky

"Pah ! " said Woodhouse "Who's been killing calves here ? Take me out of it "

Then he remembered the Thing, fight he had had with it

" it ? " to Thaddy--"the Thing I fought with ? "

"_You know that best," said Thaddy "But, anyhow, don't worry yourself now Have some more to drink "

Thaddy, however, was curious enough, and hard struggle between duty and inclination Woodhouse quiet until decently put away in bed, and had slept copious dose of meat extract Thaddy considered advisable They then talked it over together

" ," said Woodhouse, "more like big bat than anything else It had sharp, short ears, and soft fur, and its wings were leathery Its teeth were little but devilish sharp, and its jaw very strong or else it bitten through my ankle "

"It has pretty nearly," said Thaddy

"It seemed to hit out with its claws pretty freely about as beast Our conversation was intimate, so , and yet not confidential "

"The Dyak chaps talk about Big Colugo, Klang-utang--whatever It often attack man, but I suppose it nervous They say Big Colugo and Little Colugo, and something else that sounds like gobble They all fly about at night own part, flying foxes and flying lemurs about here, but very big beasts "

" more things in heaven and earth," said Woodhouse--and Thaddy groaned quotation--"and more particularly forests of Borneo, than are dreamt of philosophies whole, Borneo fauna is going to disgorge any more novelties upon me, prefer did so when not occupied observatory at night and alone "