The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-02-21
TheDeep SeaPe
Bu VICTOR ROUSSEAU
(Copyrigh. b. ". O. OhapmanI

The news Of the expected arrival OF
the F55 having become public, Donald
sent wireless message to a patrol
ship, ordering her to intercept the yes.
sci and bid it anchor off the More
where he could go aboard without pub
llclty. When he arrived early the same
morning the first person who welcomed
him from the deck was Davies.
"Do you know, sir" he said, ~ think
we shall checkmate that scoundrel
YETI
ut isn't possible" groaned Donald.
I'VE have pledged our faith"
II wonder II there may not be
human beings under the sea, sir, who
rule those devils. l wonder whether
that flsh.girl Clouts has got in the
messroom may not have some power
over them if-if we give her her head.
l wonder II we couldn't use her 10 out
wit MacBeard."
absurd !" said Donald curtly. "But
let me have another look at her"
"Clouts" called Davies down the
engine room tube.
A minute later Clouts appeared, hur-
riedly pocketlng his mouth organ and
wiping his lips. "Aye, sir!" he said.
Captain Paget wants to see your
your friend, Clouts."
Donald entered alone and stood
looking across the messroom toward
the phantom shape at the further end.
The queen shrank back against the
wall and stared at Donald with her
mournful eyes. The face was waver-
ing, half-vlslble; but the eyes were
fixed on his lntently, and there was the
pathos Of soul struggling for life In
them, such as we see in the eyes Of
suffering beasts.
She came to him and put her arms
about him. Her face lay for one In
slant against his own. And to his
amazement, to his horror, Donald
seemed to know that Ida was nothing,
and that this woman was all.
A soft murmur came from the
queens throat. 1t rose and fell, and
rose again until 1t seemed to fill the en-
tire submarine with sound. 1t was the
swarming call. It was the call of the
queen when she has found her mate
and leads forth her army to new land,
new conquest, new dominion.
From the east shores and from the
Baltic, from the Thames Estuary, the
channel and the Seine, the monsters
came. They knew that swarmlng call,
though they had only heard 1t once
before, and that cut short.
Sam Clouts burst open the door.
Donald was lying upon the floor
within, and, standing beside him, was
the queen. He heard the call die on
her lips.
Shaking with terror, the sailor
dragged Donald outside and locked the
door. He carried his captain up on
deck. In n few moments Donald
opened his eyes.
"What happened, Clouts?" he asked
"You tainted, sir. Excuse me, sir,
but you oughtn't never to have gone In
there. She's devil sir, one of them
vampires like that we used to hear
about when we were children. Mrs.
ClOuts-"
Donald staggered toward Davies,
who was running out of the coming
tower.
"You were right, Davies" he said.
"We've got him. You heard that call
listen, Davies II I'm not mistaken
that call will bring the monsters to us.
Let's make for the deepest part of the
sea, first, so that we won't drive on a
sand bank when the water evaporates.
And then-where was 1t MacBeard
had gomez"
"Skjold fjord. was there on my
first cruise, sir. It's deep, almost
landlocked harbor In wild part of
the Norwegian coast. The whole herd
could disport themselves in there-and
1t would be easy to block the entrance,
as MacBeard said"
"Never mind that, Davies. Don't
you see that this releases us from our
faith toward him? He'll be making
for Skiold fjord with Miss Kennedy
and as many of the monsters as he has
been able to gather together by means
of that tuning-fork sound, which re-
sembles the call we heard about as
much as Well, never mind that.
The point is, MacBeard is not to be un-
deceived"
Davies looked at Donald strangely.
He did not understand his sudden high
spirits; he could not yet see, alto
gether, ut what his chief was driving.
"The herd will accompany us, but
We'll keep near MacBeard and-why,
let him think that it's following him.
He mustn't see us till we're within the
harbor. Understand? And then-there
are still two torpedoes left, aren't
there? Well, then, Wen blow his craft
to pieces, and"
"And save Miss Kennedy somehow
first said Davies.
Already the horizon was black with
vapor on the three seaward sides. The
shore lay about two miles to port. The
anchor was holsted, and soon the F-55
was making rapid surface headway in
the objection of the Belgian coast.
uItse hInuinu nm pratty thinl oir