The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1917-12-07

A few moments later they emerged
upon the drying deck of the D55. She
was back in her old position upon the
shelving beach, at the very edge of the
waves. The moon, which rode high
in the sky, was already paling before
the increasing luster of the dawn
"Where's Clouts?' asked Donald
suddenly.
D''Isn't he below" queried Davies.
Donald raised his voice and shouted.
He ran below, calling for Clouts. But
there came no answer. 1t soon became
evident that Clouts was not on the
submarine.
"Good Lord!" said Donald.
1t occurred to him then that he had
told Clouts to look at the rudder. but
he had never supposed that the man
would be able to adjust it. Had he
forgotten, gone back to adjust it, and
failed to return?
He took couple of revolvers and
gave one of them to Davies. They
went ashore. The firm rocks under
foot seemed the most delicious part of
their strange fortune, and gave reality
to what was still hardly more than a
dream.
They knew that there was no danger
of attack in the moonlight. Neverthe-
less, they remained near the boat. And
each of them called for Clouts, firing
his revolver, and listening for any re-
Spouse.
But there was no response. It was
evident that, for some reason UNI
known, Clouts had gone into the sea.
They went to cave and began to
make a quick examination Of it. In
the midst Of this work a whirring
sound came to their ears. 1t was that
Of gas engine.
Looking over the rocks, they saw a
man in large motorboat hurryFng
round the promontory. Donald hailed.
him with q yell. There came no an
swer, but the boat continued to make
toward them.
The man in the boat raised his head.
It was MacBeard. He stopped the en-
CINE and lay to, about couple of hum
dred yards away. He drew hand
kerehief from his pocket and waved it.
''The d--n rogue!" muttered Da-
yies, raising his revolver.
1t was indeed Professor MacBeard.
And he appeared distressed. At least
he flew the distress, or parley, signal,
and his movements seemed altogether
more agitated, and his demeanor less
bland than on the preceding after
noon.
Whatever his nocturnal work had
been, it seemed to have been cut short
oy the dawn, which had driven the
monsters to seek shelter in the ocean
depths. He seemed to have come from
the other side of the island.
'Truce!" he seemed to shout, al
though the sound, echoing from rock
to rock, was not clearly audible.
"Truce" He waved the handkerchief
frantically.
Donald and Davies fired together.
They saw the bullets strike the water.
MacBeard crouched down behind the
engine. There could be no parleying
with such as he.
They emptied their weapons in their
fury. MacBeard was just out of
range. He started the engine again
and came to halt fifty yards farther
at sea.
'Truce! I want to speak to you"
he yelled
They aimed their empty reyolvers.
MacBeard started for safety. His
boat disappeared round a distant point
of the island.
"The devil! !" said Donald. Then he
turned to Davies.
'Well take on supplies, at any rate"
he said. zone thing is sure: those
devils might raise the submarine, but
they can never sink her, once the tanks
are blown"
'They were blown when we sub
merged, sir" answered the MILDLY.
'The detected rudder kept us down.
But we can't go down unless we try
to start her"
Miss Kennedy" Donald called to
Ida, who had disappeared within the
cave.
She did not answer him, and the
two men approached to summon her.
But just within the cave they saw
something that revived for a moment
the old horrors which they had
escaped. They were two human skele-
tons, with fragments of clothing near
them. Donald stopped and picked up
a morsel.
'Khaki = government Khaki" he
said. az wonder who"
But the explanation became too OBJ
vious when. projecting from behind a
rock near by, they saw the wing of an
airplane. The missing aviators had
been found. And the manner of their
death was only too clear. They must
have been seized. while sleeping, by
the sea devils.
The airplane. which was of the
hydroplane type, had evidently been
drawn within the cave and left there