Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1918-07-18
CHAPTER XIII.
The swarmina Of the Herd.

Davies had correctly OWNED the &C.
cret of the air under the seq. Nature,
who does nothing in haste, had pre-
pared the sea monsters for their
change Of environment by bestowing
upon them the property Of condensing
the hydrogen in the water in such q
manner rs to separate it from the
other constituent of water-oxygen.
But, being too unstable to exist us a
separate gas. except under high pres
sure. the oxygen combined with the
nitrogen that sustained the crinoids
and other plant life at the bottom of
the sea. The resulting combination
was oxygen and nitrogen In place of
oxygen and hydrogen, or air in lieu Of
water.
Musterman. who overlooked nothing,
had explained all this in his letter to
Donald. He had also told him Of the
means Of controlling the sen monsters.
Their auditory apparatus being still in
Its most rudimentary stage, they heard
sounds only rs vibrations.
Masterman had discovered, during
those weeks Of exploration and immi-
nent danger. that G was the signal for
dispersal. A, on the contrary, was the
assembly call. The sacrificial bone
knife vibrnted to the sound Of A. and
it was this which had given the herd
the key-tone Of their language.
Unfortunately for MacBeard. he had
been unable to learn much more than
this. The last page of the manuscript,
as well us the first, was missing. Mac
Beard was sure that Dohnld had kept
possession of them.
Had he possessed them, he would
have learned that the power of utter
Ing these calls rested with the queen
of the swarm alone. human Crgan-
ism, the type of the race toward which
the monsters tended, differentiating
from them as the queen bee differs
from the worker or the drone.
He had discovered that the search
for food was the one purpose Of the
creatures existence. 1t had assumed
religious aspect. Their god, their
altar stone, the sacrificial rite were
ward, based upon the dominating ami
NAL impulse.
The tune that Clouts had played,
with its discords, had been the deep
sea equivalent Of an artillery salvO.
The terrified monsters had dispersed
In all directions, letting down the cur
tain Of condensed hydrogen. Fortu-
nately for the professor, the main por.
ton Of the herd had kept together and
this afforded him medium in which
he could, with difficulty, breathe. But
their rapid movement kept the hydro
gen stirred up, and he was nearly as
phyxiated before he reached his refuge
within the cave. He did not like in
haling carbonated Jelly.
Seeing Donald and Davies upon the
island, he had attempted to open nego-
tiations with them. Repulsed, he fed
in terror, and on rounding the point
saw Ida alone at the caves mouth. At
once his scheme was born in his mind.
Pushing ashore, he entered the cave
by the narrow way toward the rear.
He came upon Ida suddenly, and
grasping her In his arms, he placed
one hand over her mouth, preventing
her from crying for MD. Then. drag
ging her to the top Of the precipice. he
sounded the assembly call.
Instantly the water beneath began
to dissolve. Thick clouds Of steaming
hydrogen rolled up to the caves roof.
Soon there was a natural passage.
three hundred feet Deep from the in
terror Of the cave to the crater below.
He carried Ida down the descent.
The girl. who had contrived to drop
her handkerchief. was no match for
the professor. She screamed once or