The midland journal., 1917-12-28
\ TheDee:,pI D'''':,I Sea Peril
By VICTOR ROUSSEAU
q. Chpman)

~AAeF-~-~--'
/ Admiralty was one of humiliation and
vindiciveness.
"The scoundrelv' muttered the Sec
ondsea lord, clenching his fists. "Who
knows that he will fulfill his pact?"
"He must" said Donald.
"Why, sir?"
because the moderation of his
terms shows the.t MacBeard has no ul-
terror motive. think" he added,
''that the admiral did perfectly right"
Sand Miss Kennedy" inquired the
sea lord.
Sacrificed herself for her country
as others have done," Donald replied.
But the second sea lord did not under
stand
The news of the expected arrival Of
the F55 having become public, Donald
sent wireless message to patrol
ship, ordering her to intercept the YES
sci and bid it anchor off the More,
where he could go aboard without pub
licity. When he arrived early the same
morning the first person who welcomed
him from the deck was Davies.
do you know, SIR" he said, 81 think
we shall checkmate that scoundrel
yet"
SIT isn't possible" groaned Donald.
"We have pledged our faith"
II wonder if there may not be
human beings under the sea, sir, who
rule those devils. wonder whether
that fish-girl Clouts has got in the
messroom may not have some power
over them if-if we give her her head.
1 wonder if we couldn't use her to out
wit MacBeard."
"Absurd!' said Donald curtly. "But
let me have another look at her.
''Clouts! y called Davies down the
engine room tube.
A minute later Clouts appeared, hur-
riedly pocketing his mouth organ and
wiping his lips. "Aye, sir!' he said.
captain Paget wants to see your
your friend, Clouts."
| Donald entered alone and stood
looking across the messroom toward
the phantom shape at the further end.
| The queen shrank back against the
wall and stared at Donald with her
mournful eyes. The face was waver-
| ing, half-visible; but the eyes were
fixed on his intently, and there was the
pathos of a soul struggling for life in
them, such as we see in the eyes of
suffering beasts.
| She came to him and put her arms
about him. Her face lay for one in
stant against his own. And to his
amazement. to his horror, Donald
seemed to know that Ida was nothing,
and that this woman was all.
| A soft murmur came from the
queens throat. 1t rose and fell, and
rose again until it seemed to fill the en-
tire submarine with sound. 1t was the
swarming call. 1t was the call of the
queen when si;e has found her mate
and leads forth her army to new land,
new conquest, new dominion.
From the east shores and from the
Baltic, from the Thames Estuary, the
channel and the Seine, the monsters
came. They knew that swarming call,
though they had only heard it once
before, and that cut short.
Sam Clouts burst open the door.
Donald was lying upon the floor
within, and, standing beside him, was
the queen. He heard the call die on
her lips.
Shaking with terror, the sailor
dragged Donald outside and locked the
door. He carried his captain up on
deck. In a few moments Donald
opened his eyes.
what happened, Clouts?" he asked.
"You tainted, sir. Excuse me, sir,
but you oughtn't never to have gone in
there. She's devil, sir, one of them
vampires like that we used to hear
about when we were children. Mrs.
Clouts-"
| Donald staggered toward Davies,
who was running out of the coming
tower.
"You were right, Davies" he said.
We've got him. You heard that call?
Listen, Davies If I'm not mistaken
that call will bring the monsters to us.
Let's make for the deepest part of the
sea, trst, so that we won't drive on a
sand bank when the water evaporates.
And then-where was it MacBeard
had gomez"
"Skjold fjord. l was there on my
first cruise, sir. It's a. deep, almost
land-locked harbor in a wild part of
the Norwegian coast. The whole herd
could disport themselves in there-and
it would be easy to block the entrance,
as MacBeard said"
"Never mind that, Davies. Don't
you see that this releases us from our
faith toward him? He'll be making
for Skiold ford with Miss Kennedy,
and as many of the monsters as he has