The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1914-05-14

Il.
valves siamming down on the handle.
Il did not come.
tried to draw tho Ak out ana could
hot Tho tridacna. in its dying agony.
haa 'gr1pped it, muscles round the
fpaade. But the closing muscle was
osvsred: the valves could not shut.
Or at least thought %. I drew my
pver's knife and took the risk Of put
ing my hand inside the shells, slash
ng away ut the huge MAS OF meat
naide. BY degrees the mechanical
kz1p on the axblade iessened and I
hunsd It out.
i Now It was possible to empty the
fciam. and, began tearing the meat
.,Nway In humps ~ big ~ butchers
S@pdatA and nins1ng II down on the
t0ah The wilderness Of the inner
,JAA pare - polished marble. began
- bhSna through. had thrown away
~ greater. part Of the contents whom
- lest ON what sought.
Thar It wa. the little brown par.
-. lying loose beside the greedy
land that had clutched at It and at
49,. together. Il ssesned TO me. a.
toSx ne sorcerer's Stone and put It
Ia the bag round my neck. ~ II .
wave Of cold passed through me that
had nothing to do with the beuumb.
ng wuksf Ia which stood. The evil
Sh3ng!-<hs thing that had caused
4Sath before, thai would assuredly
kAs.~~ a. a~~S~ Thnr> - <he h<<t c,v,
OF the 80, II would have been safe:
Rt1s tall u blood that marks the path
~ svssy. great diamond would have
been, washed away In the safe, the
sScref waves. to begin never more
kaseAn. And was taking y back.
I, I. declare I stood with the stone In
my hand and thought do not know
~what I thought: something mad. II
Y madness II be to think as other men
20 NOT. Whether I should have gone
beyond thinking or not can not say.
I did not get the chance. For. Just as
!, / had taken the diamond out Of my
big, something happened that made
INA drop 1t back again In frantic
Tsrd q I could. Not hurriediy. but
quietly, softly, and almost gracefully.
4 lhrSe, long. deep-blue form came
Gliding through the water. and. with
a sweep Of It's scythe-shaped tail.
N1ade straight for me.
II believe now that 1t was going sim
bly, for the remains OF the tridacna
And was not troubling ABOUT me az
/ mi r cOuld not have emelt 30 aftrac-
tive. cased up In metal and rubber. a.
kdfd the raw scattered flesh.
~ But nobody waits to try conciu-
hk,ons with q shark In its own ele-
tSnent, I went UP through the water
)Nes fast as the captain Of the Dawn
could drag me. alarmed, as he was.
l,,at my long stay. and felt that shark
! at my toes every inch OF the seventy
~ Nothing touched me. however. The
\ huN OF the Dawn appeared above my
NAad-a welcome sight, Indeed; the
BLADDER flashed before my eyes, ana
D vhen two pairs Of hands were puilins
\ me over the bulwarks and screwing
kayay At tho glasses on my heimet.
h.l am not Of the fainting KIND. but
N-win admit had to sit down wnile
they we're doing II. and was not very
clear AZ to my whereabout TOT mo
n 0ent or two after.
"a AZ Then, when they had got the helrnet
NON and my lungs were full OF the
4 rood, fresh air--the glorious air or
|, free heaven ITSELF saw that the
= Marquis was kneeling on the deck be,
Made me to get his head on ieSet
NsWith mine. and gazing so anxiousiy
into my face that ] could not help
n bursting out into laughter.
~, "Gracs to God. you are well!" SAID
the Marquis. his face lighting up uke
I,nunshine after rain. You signaied
|, All right when we pulled. but. my
!, TSSsnd. we was near bringing you up
kafi force, Did we not sec that the
Nwo divers Of tho Gertrude had come
~ csick., I yelled. Dead"
~ "nsad,'' cried the Marquis and the
4 oapta alta. together,
81 : WHY" the captain declared. that
\ Gertrude. she UP sailed and on with
her before they was we'll on board
SO she had: there was no vestige
e6.her to be Aeen. 1t appeared after
!, ward that Good Joe Gilbert had COM
|. p3eteiy lost his head at the sight OF
\ hix two divers, ono obviously muir
4 .dered. tho other dead and mutilated.
\ ana had started OF AZ hard as he
4. could for tho magistrate and the
police on Samarai. This Job was too
much for. him to handle, he said. and
he didn't want to get his head into
no numbering rows and have the
|. Government jumping on a harmless
!" man that only wanted to do we'll by
~.ySryv Sn'' TO hi. panic hast. tina. 7
!, ewed, my freedom to carry out my