Now we shall see what it feeds
on. I wonder why the water isn't frozen. I suppose there must be some
internal heat left still. A few patches with lakes of lava under them.
Perhaps this valley is just over one, and that's why these creatures
have managed to survive.
"Ah! there's another of them, smaller, not so strongly formed. That
thing's mate, I suppose--female of the species. Ugh! I wonder how many
hundred of thousands of years it will take for _our_ descendants to come
to that."
"I hope our dear old earth will hit something else and be smashed to
atoms before that happens!" exclaimed Zaidie, whose curiosity had now
partly overcome her horror. "Look, it's trying to catch something!"
The larger of the two creatures had groped its way to the edge of the
sluggish, oily water and dropped, or rather rolled, quietly into it. It
was evidently cold-blooded, or nearly so, for no warm-blooded animal
would have taken to such water so naturally. Presently the other dropped
in too, and both disappeared for some moments. Then, in the midst of a
violent commotion in the water a few yards away, they rose to the
surface of the water, the larger with a wriggling, eel-like fish between
its jaws.
They both groped their way towards the edge, and had just reached it and
were pulling themselves out when a hideous shape rose out of the water
behind them.
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