The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1918-01-18
CHAPTER xVll-continued.

II iOIh6 us IL NhlG ntUublNAo uAN lOA-
lowing MacBeard after all! Don't you
see they are with him, not us?"
'|They wouldn't keep US In the center
necessarily" said Donald. Yesterday
we nearly lost them"
"But then-do you suppose they are
leading us sOmewherer
81 don't know" Donald answered.
"Full speedw
Donald. hazardIng rocks, drove the
ESQ hard between the mighty walls Of
granite. In front of him he saw an
open body of water. ringed with far
away hills. He was In Skiold ford.
But not vestige Of the monsters was
to be seen.
Once through that gateway he lashed
the wheel and went on deck. The
quarry had disappeared. glance as
sured him of that. The limpld water
of the ford lay motlonless before him.
Behind him the passage seemed to have
closed.
He rushed back into the coming
tower.
"Shut down." he yelled to Davies.
"Tell ClOuts to let the anchor go. Mac
Beard has beaten us"
Davies. released from duty, rushed
up, to find his chief standing at the en-
trance to the coming tower, prey to
abject despair.
TITS finished, Davies" he said wear
lily. "We're beaten. There's a missing
factor in-that-damned equation Of
yours"
And he toppled over into Davies
arms, insensible from want of sleep
The tension of his nerves was broken.
Davies and Clouts carried him to his
cabin and laid him down. They re-
turned to the reck, almost equally de-
spairing.
1.-THE herd has left us, Clouts," said
the MILDLY. 81 don't know--I can't I'M
derstand 1t. ClOuts,' he continued,
with a sudden inspiration, do you
think that you could induce the queen
TO sound that call agaln?"
"What, me, slr?" inquired Clouts,
starting back. "Why-she's not a
woman, sir, she's a devil lncarnate I
She woN't eat, sir" His voice fell to
q husky whisper. "And she won't
wear the captains blankets, sir"
Perhaps she doesn't like them,
Clouts. However-what are we to
dol"
II say, make for home, sir" said
ClOuts. IL never took no stock In the
whole thing, Mr.. Davies"
"What are you talking about,
Clouts"
"Why, sir, never believed In It from
the first, and 1 believe In 1t still less
now. It's all dream, sir. There
never was no monsters"
"But you've seen them, Clouts.
You've been under the sea with them"
"Ah. i know, sir, that's what we
both think" answered Clouts with
wise smile. "But it's just dream, sir.
| expect that German cruiser torpe-
doed us, instead of us torpedoing her;
or maybe she sank us with her guns,
and we're going to wake up in Ger
man hospital In Hamburg In moment.
You haven't plnched yourself, sir?"
Davies was shaken. He looked at
Cl6uts, blandly smiling at him, open
mouthed. He almost believed his the
ory. Clouts, unequal to the strain
upon his limited mentality, had adopt
ed a solution which seemed, under the
circumstances, feasible.
81 think we'd better pinch each
other, sir" said Clouts. "Mrs. Clouts
always used to say, when In doubt"
But, breaking off at this juncture,
he pulled his mouth organ from his
pocket and blew the most dlscordant
q medley Of dissonants that ever issued
from the apertures of that much
abused instrument.
To their amazement, the water was
instantaneously churned into foam all
round them. The F55 tossed like a
cork upon the waves. A fleetlng mist
began to rise from the surface OF the
ford.
"Hatches onw gasped Davies, and
they ran to save the F55 from sub
mersion.
Hardly had they succeeded In this
and reached the coming tower when
Donald appeared at the head Of the
ladder below. His eyes were clear
again; Il seemed as ff his half-hour of
sleep had recreated him.
whats happened, Daviesf he
asked.
"The monstersi They're oil about
usi" cried the MILDLY.
swell, Of course" said Donald.
sYou don't suppose came here on a
wild-goose chase. do your
"But you said we were beaten, sir,
and"
aNonsenser' said Donald angrily,
ssThey've been with us all the time
You don't expect that they can keep
on condensing hydrogen forever with
out taking a rest, do your Muscular
fatigue, Davies. Hellol"
He pointed through the observation
port, and. about mile to port of them
they saw the motorboat. bobbing upor
the agitnted waves
We've got him. Davies" said Don
aid. II knew II. I knew Il all In my
sieep-the solution and-and-lt's 60