Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1918-05-09


fine. meets at Washington an old friend
and distinguished though somewhat &C.
centric scientist. Captain Masterman
exploring expedition. bringing with him q
member OF the strange race. the existence
Of whose species. he asserts. menaces the
human family.
CHAPTER u.
In the March Hares' Club.
Il hope not, captain" answered
Donald.
''I'm afraid there isn't any doubt Of
It," answered Masterman. Its IN
old organic trouble, likely to carry me
of mt any time, and progressive In
character Before left for the Shet-
lands, the doctor give me year.
That was ten months ngo, and my
experiences haven't heightened the
respite. You've followed deep-sea ex-
ploration, haven't your"
"a little" answered Donald. 1--WE
Americans seem to have taken the
lead since the days of the Challenger"
''Yes, Yankees have done good
work." said Mnsterman. "But I've got
them all beaten now. Nobody will
bother his head about the earlier dis
cOveries after the next few weeks.
You've heard about the known forms
OF deep-sea life. haven't you?"
Without waiting for n reply, he be-
gan to speak about the strange Or
ganisms that had been dredged from
the ocean bottom, so that Donald saw
the whole picture in Musterman's
brain. He saw the eyeless fishes that
had abandoned the effort to see, and
fishes with eyes US large us dinner
plates, with which they caught the
CLEANS of phosphoresccnce that be-
tokened the pursuit Of wandering sen
scnven.crs. There were fishes that
carried their own lures in the form Of
luminous trntacles.
In The abysmal depths, in realm
Of perpetual night, these organisms
perpetuuted an inferno of slaughter,
preying upon each other. rowing on
their Unsuitable quest for food.
Mastcrmnn leaned forward and
spoke emphutically.
"When they nrs brought up-up
through three miles of water--they
explode mostly. Donald" he said. III
they didn't-wcll, I've seen things that
would make stout man faint, my
lad"
Paget shuddered as his plnd con-
ceived the picture that the old cap
tain painted. He saw the giant mon
sters Ut The abyss lurking among the
yellow, curnivorous lilies that bend
and sway in league-!nng gardens,
catching The rlankton, the floating or
drifting organic life Of the sea, that
comes down like finest meal fror,
above, but always ready for larger
prey.
Its murder enthroned, Donald"
Ssiu Mastermnn. "There isn't love
not even maternal love. Nor pity
either. Suppose our world were like
that"
He was watching Donald keenly as
he spoke.
1--WE take life as we find it." Lieu.
tenant Paget answered. But, thank
heaven, life has Its compensations
which make it worth the living"
He was thinking of Ida Kennedy as
he spoke.
"But once our life was like that,
persisted Masterman. "And we've
risen above it. Don't tell me there
isn't God when we've done that
Just as the beautiful birds evolved out
Of vicious reptiles. You know, OF
course, our ancestors were sea crea
lures. That's why the specific gray
ity OF the human body is about the
same rs that Of salt water. We wer,
made to live in the seq. We com,
from fishes. You believe that?
ayes, science tells US So"
"Good. Now you've studied a
school what I've only read in books
but you know that there was tim,
when the seas were warm, stenminI
baths. and the steam formed clouds
SO that the sun had never been seen
Before the sun appeared, the worlt
WINS just diffnsed light and darkness
There's an answer to your Bible crit
les who say Genesis Is all wrong, be
SuuoS IL says iiSHl was DclOi
the sun. Light did exist, before tn
sun was dreamed of, so fur as nan
concerned.
"Youre right, SIR" answered Dor
aid. who like most sailors. was re
ligious man.
"And them" continued Mastermar
"what does the record tell us? TIL
moving creatures that have life wer
made. and the great sea monsters, Ii
viathnn aud his kind, and the fowl
OF the air. And afterward the cart
monsters. and creeping things. An
nnn not till the last. Now don't tie
me. lieutenant, that the man VIII
wrote the story of the creation WASH
an up-to-,!ate scientist.
well. sir. ut last the day came whe
the waters had cooled, the cloud
opened. and the sun streamed through
BY that time the ocean wasn't 8
pleasant place to live in as formerl.
especially ms the climatic zones wef
appearing. No doubt there was rus
D.. Elsa .,nnuyny M, afsa mart yf tho ats