Hunting in fertile grounds, a centipede-like creature that crawls along the forest floor, appearing small and weak, until it senses larger prey. Then it wraps its body around its prey and slowly strangles it. This creature was quite active during the Squiggle War. Once two of them fought and one was wounded, but only after sustained fire did they both withdraw. That was the second war in which the Weeden forces made considerable progress. The rear of the place was partly wooded, hence almost impossible to reach save by rope. The path above the ruins was much harder, but led to a grotto appurtenant of limestone caves, many of which Carter often camped on enchanted summer nights. Piles of this cetacean debris formed in alternation a morass of hideously angled blocks; and when the Andes climber had smothered his torch Carter could see in the reflections upon these fallen blocks innumerable tiny rat-like tracks, leading inexorably to the morass. One cave, too numerous to photograph, yawned indefinitely into the solid earth; while the scattering cave mouths and well-nigh limitless cavern systems formed dark points in the mounting foothills. At length Carter resolved to camp atop one of these dark points, quietly extinguishing his torch before putting it away, and waiting.