The Raymer enterprise., 1918-06-06


shelving beach. at the very edge Of the
waves. The moon. which rode high
In the sky. was already pallng before
the increasing luster of the dawn.
"Where's CloutsT asked Donald
suddenly.
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 Lordw 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 1t. Had he
forgotten. gone back to adjust 1t. and
failed to return?s
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-
sponse.
But there was no response. It was
evident that, for some reason un-
known, Clouts had gone into the sea.
They went to cave and began to
make a quick examination Of 1t. In
the midst Of this work a whirring
sound came to their ears. It was that
OF gas engine.
Looking over the rocks, they saw q
man in large motorboat hurrying
round the promontory. Donald hailed
him with yell. There came no an
swer. but the boat continued to make
toward them.
The man In the boat raised his head.
1t was MaeBeard. He stopped the en-
gine and lay to, about couple Of hun
dred yards away. He drew a hand
kerchief from his pocket and waved It.
'The d-n roguew muttered Da-
vies, raising his revolver.
II was indeed Professor MacBeard.
And he appeared distressed. At least
he flew the distress. or parley. signal,
and his movements seemed altogether
more agltated, and his demeanor less
bland than on the preceding after.
noon.
Whatever his nocturnal work had
been, II 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. echolng from rock
10 rock, was not clearly audible.
"Trucew He waved the handkerchief
frantlcally.
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.
"Trucel l want to speak to you"
he yelled.
They aimed their empty revolvers.
MacBeard started for safety. His
boat disappeared round distant point
OF the island.
''The deyilw said Donald. Then he
turned to Davies.
wen take on supplies. at any rate"
he said. "0ne 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 SUBJ
merged, SIR" answered the MILDLY.
''The DETECTED rudder kept US down.
But we can't 60 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 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.
"Khakl government khaki" he
said. II wonder who"
But the explanation became too OBJ
vious when, projecting from behind a
rock near by, they saw the wing Of an
alrplane. 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 unlnjured.
Perhaps MacBeard had intended to
make use Of It; or 1t was possible that
he had not seen II. for II was hardly
dlstinguishable among the shadows.