The Springdale news., 1909-03-19
[ooNTINuED.l
CHAPTER KY.


 p made his first visit to us the very next evening. He saun- tered in with a Mexican corn husk cigarette between his lips, carry ing a lantern, blew the light out and sat down with a careless greeting, as though he had seen us only the day before.
 "Hullo. boys," said he, "been busy?"
 How are ye, sir?" replied Handy Solomon. Good Lord, mates. look at that.'
 Our eyes followed the direction of his forefnger. Against the dark blue of the evening sky to northward glow ed a faint phosphorescence. arch shap. ed. from which shot, with pulsating regularity, long shafts of light. They beat almost to the zenith and back again a half dozen times; then the whole illumination disappeared with the suddenness of gas turned out
 "Now. wonder what that might be?" marveled Thrackles.
 Northern lights" hazarded Pulz. "I'ye seen them almost like that In the Boring seas"
 Northern lights your eye" sneered Handy Solomon. "You may have seen them in the Boring seas. but never this far south and in August, and you can kiss the book on that"
 What do you think, sir?' Thraekles inquired of the assistant.
 Devils fire replied Percy Oar row briefly "The islands little queer. I've noticed 1t before"
 "Debbi fire, repeated the nlgger.
 Darrow turned directly to him
 "Yes. devils fire, and devils, too. for all I know, and certainly vampires. Did you ever hear of vampires. doe torf'
 .No," growled the nigger
 Well. they are women, wonderful, beautiful women. A man on q long voyage would Just smack his lips to see them. They have shiny gray eyes and lips red as raspberries. When you meet them they will talk with you and go home with you. And then when you're asleep they tear a little hole in your neck with their sharp claws, and they suck the blood with their red lips. When they aren't women they take the shape of big bats like birds" He turned to me with so beautifully casual an air that wanted 10 clap him on the back with the joy of il,
 By the way, Eagen, have you no tieed those big bats the last few even ings over by the cliff? can't make out in the dusk whether they are vampires or just plain bats" He di- reeted his remarks again to the nig ger. Next time you see any of those big bats, doctor, just you notice close. If they have just plain black eyes they're all right, but If they have gray eyes, with red rims around 'em. they're vampires. wish you'd let me know if you do find out. It's in. teresting."
 Don get me near no bats" growled the nigger.
 "where's selover?" inquired Dar- row.
 "He stays aboard" l hastened to say. Wants to keep an eye on the ship"
 That's laudable. What have you been doing?'
 We've been cleaning ship. Just finished yesterday evening"
 What nextf"
 We were thinking of wrecking the Golden Horn"
 'Quite right Wei, if you want any help with your engines or anything of the sort, call me-"
 He arose and began to light his Ian. tern.
 T hope as how you're getting on well there above. sirf,' ventured Handy Solomon insinuatingly.
 Very well. thank you" replied Percy Darrow dryly Remember those vampires, doctor.
 He swung the lantern and departed without further speech. We followed the spark of 1t until 1t disappeared in the arroyo.
 Behind us beloved the sea. Over against us in the sky was the dull threatening glow of the volcano. About us were mysterious noises of crying birds. barking seals, rustling or rush ing winds. l felt the thronglng ghosts of all the old worlds superstition swirl. ing madly behind us in the eddies that twisted the smoke of our fire.
 We wrecked the Golden Horn For ward was rusted out donkey engine. which We took to pieces and put to gether again. It was no mean job. for all the running parts had to be cleaned smooth and with the excep- 'tion of a rudimentary knowledge on the part of Pulz and Perdosa we were ignorant In fact we should not have succeeded at all had 1t not been for Percy Darrow and his lantern The first evening we took him over 10 the cliffs edge he laughed aloud.
 love, boys, how could you guess 1T all wrongf" he wondered.
 With a few brief words he set us right, Pulz. Perdosa aud listening in- fently, the others indifferent in the hopelessness of being able to eompre- hend. Of course We went wrong again in our next days experiments. but Darrow was down two or three times week and gradually we edged toward a practical result.
 Ills explanations consumed but . few moments. After they were fin ished we adjourned to the fire.
 Thus We came gradually to better acquaintance with the doctors assist mt In many respects he remained always a puzzle to me Certainly the men never knew how to take him. He was evidently not only unafraid of them. but genuinely indifferent to them.
 Yet he displayed certain interest