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

81 wonder If there may not be
human beings under the sea, sir, who
rule those devils. / wonder whether
that fish-girl Clouts has got In the
messroom may not have some power
over them Tiff we give her her head
wonder if we couldn't use her to out
wit MacBeard."
absurd I" said Donald CURLY. "But
let me have another look at her"
"Clouts % called Davies down the
engine room tube.
A minute later Clouts appeared, hur-
rledly pocketing his mouth organ and
wiping his lips AYE, STRIP he. said.
captain Paget wants to see your
your friend, CIouts."
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
ing, half-visible; but the eyes were
fixed on his intently, and there was the
pathos of a 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 it seemed to fill the en-
tire submarine with sound. It was the
swarming call. 1t 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 swarming call,
though they had only heard it 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 a 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 a devil, sir, one of them
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 If I'm not mistaken
hat 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
;and bank when the water evaporates.
And then-where was it MacBeard |
lad gomez"
"Skjold ford. I was there on my |
irst cruise, sir. It's a deep, almost |
harbor in a wild part of /
he Norwegian coast. The whole herd |
ould disport themselves in there-and
{ would be easy to block the entrance.
s. MacBeard said"
Never mind that; Davies. Don't |
'ou see that this releases us from our
aith toward him? He'll be making |
or Skiold ford with Miss Kennedy
nd as many of the monsters as he has |
cen able to gather together by means
f that tuning-fork sound, which re-
embles the call we heard about as
luch as Well, never mind that.
he point is, MacBeard is not to be I'M
eceived."
Davies looked at Donald strangely.
lie did not understand his sudden high
pirits; he could not yet see, alto
ether, at what his chief was driving.
'The herd viii accompany us, but
ren keep near MacBeard and-why,
It him think that it's following him.
lie mustn't see us till we're within the
arbor. Understand? And then-there
re SILL lWO lOApChONo ANANf = |
lere? Well, then, Wen blow his craft
, pieces, and"
"And save Miss Kennedy somehow
rst," said Davies.
Already the horizon was black with
apor on the three seward sides. The
lore lay about two miles to port. The
nchor was hoisted, and soon the Foo
as making rapid surface Roadway In
lie direction of the Belgian coast.
Its blowing up pretty thick, sir"
lid Davies, looking out through the
Drt at the dense clouds Of murky
ydrogen that rolled under the cumu-
IS clouds.
Davies p cried Donald.
He snatched his glasses and put
lem to his eyes. Look, DayiesP he
led.
In the distance, a tiny point amid
lie rolling clouds, they saw the motor
,at.
The submarine began to dip. The
alter covered her bow, her stern.
onald went TO the mirror of the peri ,