Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1917-12-28
CHAPTER x.-Continued.

~ I'AAAHA 'fA''' 80 NFNN 800
following his gaze, Donald and Davies
saw something like a sun-dlal, made OF
n large bone whetted TO razor fineness
and somewhat resembling a grind
stone.
II rested behind the mound. on n flat
rock about the size OF q large table
and It tapered in thickness from that
OF n sharp razor, at the curving edge
TO that OF a jackknlfe blade at the
base. IT was perhaps two feet in di
ameter.
whats the matter. Cloutsi" asked
Donald, seeing the expression upon the
sailors face.
Don't you know what that is, sirT
volunteered Clouts huskily. TITS
SacrincIal stone, sir. I saw m OF
them In the museum at Acatnlpec. In
British Honduras, once, sir. They said
the Nayas used them. and that they
learned about them from the priests
thnt had them In Atlantis. the cont
nent what sunk beneath the waves
air."
"Do you see how 1t works, Donaldr
asked Davies. "These beasts CAM
lift things. OF course they can't lift
under the pressure Of miles Of sea, and
30 they have no lifting muscles. And
so they push instead. They push their
victims down upon the stone"
That vas as FAR as he had explained
when Donald touched the edge Of the
blade with his thumbnail. The flexible
bone twanged. sending forth n sound
of immense volume. Travelling four
Zines rs fast through the water vap0r
ms through the air, 1t seemed to re,
vertebrate under the cloudy roof for m
unreasonable time, sending forth resO.
nant echoes. II was totally unlike the
sound that they had heard before, and
yet equally clear and beautiful.
The response was astonishing. In
simultaneously, ms 1t seemed. the int.
rtor OF the temple was filled with the
devil men. Donald had Just time TO
catch Ida to him when they were
pushed backward behind the mound,
and ringed with phosphorescent fire.
The atmosphere seemed to have be-
come filled with tense and resilient
rubber.
The hall was crammed with the glob-
ular shapes Of the monsters, that Gid
ed over the well-trodden ooze. And
from the midst OF them MacBeard
stepped out. He touched the thing he
wore about his neck, and a musical
tinkle, which followed. produced an in
slant cessation OF all movement. The
ring Of fire had slightly wldened; the
prisoners were able to move within
a limited space.
1--WE know each other, | think" said
MacBeard, with suave irony.
"What do you ~propose2" inquired
Donald.
II don't quite know" answered the
professor thoughtfully. "You see, |
never took you into consideration at
all. You are, so to say, the fly on the
wheel. AS n part Of the human race,
you should meet the fate in store for
The race"
You make me sick" said Donald.
MncBeard looked rather angry.
You can have your life for the
present" he returned, "but not as n
permanent gift. | shall not single you
put to bestow on you the boon of ron
tinuing that constant adjustment to
external forces which Herbert Spencer
has named life In other words, you
can 60 TO the devil until l am ready
10 take you in hand again, on one
condition"
"Name it, you blackguard," said
Donald.
u want the two missing pages of
Masterman's manuscript"
Take US all back to the submarine
out OF this hell's kitchen Of yours.
then show us the way to the top of
the island, and you shall have all the
rest OF the papers"
MacBeard eyed Donald with amuse-
ment, II offered you your life, not the
Others" he answered. "One man re-
turning with n story flke Masterman's
would be called n lunatic; two would
awaken doubt three would be fatal"
And then his eyes fell upon Ida.
She was standing ut Donald's side.
as brave and defiant as he, and their
eyes met. And ut that instant some
thing happened to the professor that
upset all his calculations, something at
(which he would have scofred as en-
tirely incredible.
He fell in love for the first time in
his life.
Science has never succeeded In pcne-
Grating the mystery Of love. 1t is not
Known why one man falls In love Mt
Atty and another ut nineteen; one at
sight and another after five years of
matineeS and supper parties with the
object Of his alteration. MncBeard did
not know why 1t had happened to him,
but he knew that 1t had happened.
And with il there came the universal
instinct to display his superiority to
the man at Ida's side, in whom he
1ntuitively sensed his rival.
you've played your cards pretty
badly" he sneered. you had the Sc
cret in your hands, and you surren-
dered II to me. You think a little more
highly Of old Masterman now. don't
-o,9p