Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1918-02-01
CHAPTER XVll-Continued.

agitatcd tones. "Doualdr' he cried.
cit looks as If the monsters are fol-
lowing MacHcard after all, Don't you
bee, they are with him, not usI'
'Thcy wouldn't keep US in the center
necessarily" snid Donald. Yesterday
we nearly lost them
"But thcn-do you suppose they are
leading MS somcwhere1'
Il don't know" Donald answered.
"Euli spced!'
Donald, hazardIng rocks, drove the
f55 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 II vestIge Of the monsters was
to be seen.
Once through that gateway he dashed
the wheel and went on deck. The
quarry had disappeared. A glance as
sured him of that, The limpid water
OF the ford lay motionless 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
M. TO find his chief standing at the en-
trance 10 the coming tower, II prey to
nbject despair.
"lt's finished, Davies" he said wear
fly. "Wc'rc beaten. There's II missing
factor in-that-damned equation of
yours"
And he topped over into Davies
arms, inScnSible from want of sleep.
The tension Of his nerves was broken.
Davies and CIoutg carried him to his
cabin and laid him down. They re
turned to the reCk, almost equally de
spnlrlng.
"Thc herd has left Ms, Clouts," said
the MILDLY. II don't know can't un-
derstand It. Clouts," he continued,
with Il sudden inspiration, edo you
think that YOU could induce the queen
10 sound that call again?"
"Whnt, me, sir?" inquired Clouts,
starting bnck. "Why-shc's not Il
woman, sir, she's n devil incarnate,
She woA'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. Howcvcr-whnt are we to
do2"
81 say, make for home, sir" said
ClOuts. 81 never took no stock In the
whole thing, Mr.. Davies"
"What are you talking about.
Clouts?"
why, sir, ! never believed in 1t from
the first, and | believe in 1t still less
now, It's all a dream, sir. There
never was no monsters"
"But you've seen them, CloutS.
You've been under the sen with them!'
"Ah, | know, sir. that's what we
both think answered Clouts with n
wise smile. "But it's Just a dream, sir.
| expect that German cruiser torpc-
iocd us, instead of us torpedOing her
or maybe she sank us with her guns,
and we're going to wake up in II Ger
man hospital in Hamburg in II moment.
You haven't pinchcd yourself, Sir?"
Davies was shaken, He looked at
Cl0uts. blandly smiling at him, open
mOuthpd. lie almost believed his the
ory, CloutS, unequal to the strain
upon his limited mentality, had adopt
ed II 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 iuncturc,
he pulled his mouth organ from his
pocket and blow the most ~dlScordant
medley Of d~issonants that ever issued
from the apertures of that much
abused instrument.
To their 0ma2emCnt. the water was
inStnntuncously churned into foam all
round them. The F55 tossed like a
cork upon the waves. A flecting mist
began to rise from the surface of the
ford.
"Hatches onI' gaSpcd Davies, and
obey ran to save the F55 from sub.
mcrSion.
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; IT seemed rs IL his half-hour OF
sleep had rccrcatcd him.
whats happened, DavlesH" he
Asked.
"The monstersl They're all about
us :" cried the MILDLY.
"Wcll, Of course" said Donald
"You don't suppose | came here on
wild goose chase. do your
"But you said we were beaten, sir
and"
NONSENSE" said Donald angrily
"They've been with us all the time
You don't expect that they can keel
on CondenSing hydrogen forever with
out taking n rest. do you? MuSCula
fatigue, Davies. Hello!'
He pointed through the observation
port, and. about Il mile to port of them
they saw the motorboat, bobhing upo,
the agitated waves.
"We've got him, Davies said Don
aid. IT knew II. l knew 1t all in m,
sleep-the solution a~nd-and-it's &c