Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1924-07-04
CHAPTER XVII.
The Pursuit.

could hear distinctly the cuuSSlhs VI
the engines of MacBeard's motorboat-
Had he risen to the surface both YES
sells would have been invisible In the
hydrogen gloom; but then he might
have lost his quarry. Under water he
could hear the sound greatly increased
In volume, and could better determine
Its direction.
He surmised correctly that Mac
Beard, having followed the swarm,
would attempt to lead it northward by
means of his tuning-fork. And the
swarm, sensing the presence of the
queen, would accompany the Foo,
while MacBeard believed that he had
himself mustered them.
With the tip Of her perlscope just
submerged, Donald steered the Foo.
| Never had he followed so shrewdly
upon an enemy's track Now to port
now to starboard, he followed the
sound of the gasoline engines, while
| Clouts watched them and Davies, IN
the diving station, sent up an occa-
sional CHEEKY message.
| Night fell and passed. Dawn came
up, although not a vestige of light
could have been seen, even afioat.
sooty column, hydrogen surcharged
with atmospheric dust was passing up
the Norwegian coast.
At noon Davies, whose duties had
not been constant enough to prevent
him from enjoying a short slumber,
begged to take Donald's place. But
Donald refused.
AS he ran the boat his brain ham,
mered out the clear outlines Of his
plan. He would lead the herd into
Skiold ford, leave Davies in charge,
kill MacBeard and rescue Ida. Then
he would send her overland southwark
with Clouts, and remain until ship
could arrive with materials to block
the passage.
The high, precipitous cliffs of the
ford would effectively bar in the mon
sters. For a few days or weeks the
worlds menace would writhe there like
a wounded snake. Then it would pass.
Donald had no doubt of his plan.
But he did not dare to dream of
Ida; only he set himself resolutely to
the pursuit.
So they drove on up the Norwegian
coast all day, and when night fell they
were still hard on the chase.
Davies called through the engine
room tube.
"There isn't much power in the bat
teries, sir" he said. "That salt water
cut our running reserve in half, and
we've been using 1t pretty freely. The
dynamo coil was injured by the sea
water"
go on, full speed" said Donald.
"MacBeard must have been running
slowly, sir, to save his gasoline. If he
puts on a squirt we're DONE"
'Drive till the electrics fail, then |
wen come up and use the petrol mo-
tors"
Donald could seei by the chart that /
they were within twenty miles of their |
destination when the speed of the F55 .
began to fail. She dropped to nine
knots, to eight. The sounds Of the
gasoline engine were growing fainter.
Donald called down the tube.
Bring her upl'' he shouted.
"Aye, aye, sirl" Clouts called back.
And the F55, climbing out of the
water like a sea otter, seemed to shake
the drops from her, and continued I'M
der the moon.
Far in the distance Donald could see
the dense column Of fog, as It dis
toward the Norwegian shore.
That smoky devil MacBeard had
wrapped himself in obscurity to his
own undolng. He did not dream of
the Nemesis upon his heels.
Hes squirting for Skiold ford"
said Davies.
There's no hurry now" answered
Donald.
Suddenly Davies voice came up in
agitated tones. 'DonaldF" he cried.
ut looks as if the monsters are fol-
lowing MacBeard after all Don't you
see, they are with him, not us?"
"They wouldn't keep us in the center
said Donald. Yesterday
we nearly lost them"
"But then-do you suppose they are
leading us somewhere3"
81 don't know" Donald answered.
Full speed
Donald, hazarding rocks, drove the
F55 hard between the mighty walls Of
granite. In front Of him he saw an
open body of water, rlnged with far
away hills, He was in Skiold ford. |
But not vestige of the monsters was
70 be seen.
Once through that gateway he dashed
he wheel and went on deck. The ,
quarry had disappeared. A glance as
sured him of that. The limpid water 4,
If the ford lay motionless before him. l
Behind him the passage seemed to have l
:losed. I
He rushed back into the coming {
over. s
"Shut DOWN. he yelled to Davies. t
Tell Clouts to let the anchor go. Mac
Beard has beaten u.s." 4
Davies, released from duty, rushed e
lp, to find his chief standing at the en- d