The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-12-29
THE DEEP SEA PERIL
By VICTOR ROUSSEAU
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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 IN
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 q whirring
sound came to their ears. It was that
Of gas engine.
Looking over the rocks, they saw a
man in a large mOtorbOat hurrying
round the prOmontOry. Donald hailed
him with a 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 a couple of hun
dred yards away. He drew a hand
kerchief from his pocket and waved it.
THE d-n rogue 20 muttered Da-
vies, raising his revolver.
It was indeed Professor MacBeard.
And he appeared distressed. At least
he few 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
Dy 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
'Trucei' 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 a halt fifty yards farther
at sea.
''Trucel I want to speak to you"
he yelled.
They aimed their empty revolvers.
MacBeard started for safety. His
boat disappeared round a distant point
of the island.
1.-THE devilI" said Donald. Then he
turned to Davies.
''We'H 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.
1.-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
morsel.
''Khaki - government khakiT'' he
said. 81 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
by the aviatOrS. A hasty examination
showed Donald that it was uninjured.
Perhaps MacBeard had intended to
make use of it; or it was possible that
he had not seen it, for it was hardly
distinguishable among the shadows.
Miss Kennedy called Donald.
ida! Where are you? Don't go too
farI"
No answer came, and they began to
grow uneasy.
CTO BE CONTINUEDO
PIHTUPE WRITING 0N WAITS