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Roy Glashan's Library
Non sibi sed omnibus
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Wonder Stories, August 1931, with "The Island Of The Giants"
Alec Rowley Hilliard was an American writer who worked for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in Washington, D.C. He was born on July 7, 1908, and passed away on July 1, 1951, at the age of 42 in Alexandria, Virginia.
Originally from Ithaca, New York, Hilliard was remembered in his obituary as a dedicated professional. He was survived by his wife, Annabel Needham Hilliard, their two children—Elizabeth Janet and Edmund Needham Hilliard—as well as his mother, Esther R. Fiske, and a sister, Elizabeth Hilliard. He was laid to rest at Lake View Cemetery in Ithaca.
SINCE the advent of aviation, many strange parts of the world, entirely unknown before, are coming to light. The natural barriers to travel—impassable mountain ranges, dense jungles, treacherous swamps, are levelled by the wings of aviation, and the whole earth is being scrutinized more and more closely.
It can be expected then, that many races, strange sects, unknown species will be discovered during the journeyings of fearless aeronauts. There is no knowing how weird or bizarre our discoveries may ultimately be.
Mr. Hilliard whose gripping, "Avenging Ray" in the Spring 1931 Quarterly was greeted with such applause gives us now a related story dealing with the son of the wizard Dr. Jules. We have the mystery of a disappearance to be solved, and coincidentally the conflict of a great nation with a small, powerful but unknown race; You will like this!
"LET 'er go!" said Jerry; and, with a squealing of pulleys, the mainsail folded down to the cabin top. Its jib flapping, the sloop drifted nearer the shore.
Howd, busy with the sails, spoke back over his shoulder: "So this is Neeya!—Began to think we never would catch up with it!"
All day long they had been within sight of the island, but the almost complete Pacific calm had limited their speed to a feeble crawl. Now the crimson sun was setting in the sea behind them, and on the shore ahead it was already deep twilight under the trees.
"Volcanic—huh?" observed Howd. Less than a quarter mile back from the water's edge rose a wall of rock, high and forbidding.
"Don't care if it is," disclaimed Jerry. "Don't want a volcano—just some fresh water!—See any of that, Perfesser?"
"Hit it right on the nose!" grinned Howd. "—See there, over to the left of that sandy place.... That's a brook, if I ain't crazy. Gee, that's a pretty place!—Say," he exclaimed, struck with an idea, "why don't we sleep ashore tonight; get a good stretch?"
"How's the wild life around these parts, Doctor?"
"Smallish," Howd assured him. "Ain't nothin' going to eat you! I doubt if there's anything on the island bigger than a goat."
"I'm with you!" said Jerry....
TWO hours later, their supper finished, they lay on the ground beside a campfire; but in place of comfortable relaxation there appeared in their attitudes a certain tenseness. They pulled jerkily at their pipes.
"I don't like this place," said Jerry softly. "There's something funny about it." There was no moon, and all around their little patch of firelight pressed the heavy, warm darkness.
"Well, we'll be gone tomorrow," answered Howd. "I guess we never will find out what that is." They both, strained their ears, trying to analyze the sound that puzzled them.
It was a low, ceaseless hum—far off, but insistent—utterly bewildering in such a place.
"Gosh, it sounds like a machine!" said Jerry.
"Machine!" snorted Howd disgustedly.
"Well, there's no reason why there couldn't be people on this island," Jerry defended himself feebly.
"Might be, but you can bet your life they never saw a machine. Just a few aborigines—"
He stopped, and sat up suddenly, as out of the night there came a strange, quick bellow of sound. The two men stared questioningly at each other in the dim, red light. Jerry spoke in a tense whisper: "My God, Howard—that was a voice!"
"'Human' voice, you mean?—Hell—you're crazy... More like an elephant..."
They were silent while Jerry struggled against the conviction in his mind. "Gosh," he grasped, "for a minute I could have sworn that—
"Well, anyway, whatever that was, it was bigger than a goat. I vote we get out of here! I, for one, wouldn't get any sleep here, and—"
"What's that?" Howd exclaimed, leaping to his feet. From the wood behind them sounded a heavy, jarring tread. Jerry was fumbling on the ground for his flashlight. He found it, and pressed the button....
Uttering yells of terror, they stood transfixed. Above them, shining white in the torch's beam, hung a face—a woman's face. Its regular, perfectly proportioned features held an expression of mild surprise—it would have been beautiful if...
But, overwhelmed with horror and disgust, they stared at it—at its awful size... The great white brow; the great black pools that were the eyes; the nose, horrible in its bulk...
The head was thrice human size.—And now the enormous red lips parted in a smile...
With a scream Jerry turned, and fled towards the water. Howd stumbled behind. Into the dinghy they tumbled; and, with wildly splashing oars, drew away from the shore. Back in the cabin of their boat, they stared at each other fixedly in the lantern light.
"Did you see what I saw?" whispered Jerry.
Howd drew his hand across his eyes. "I suppose so," he said in a strained voice.
"A face—woman's face—big?" pursued Jerry who wanted to be sure. Howd merely nodded; his face was pale and set.
"A sort of—sort of—giantess!" said Jerry in an awed tone.
"Bosh!" exclaimed Howd loudly. "There aren't any giants or giantesses—even on mysterious Pacific islands... Let's turn in, Jerry. We've been out in the hot sun all day, and we're pretty tired. Maybe we're both crazy!"
"I know we are!" agreed Jerry.
But they got very little sleep that night. Lying stiffly in his bunk, each strove not to picture in his mind the weird vision he had had—an effort not productive of mental repose. Jimmy was first asleep; but when, with the light of day, they turned out on deck, Howd felt as if he had not closed his eyes.
"Gosh," he said ruefully, "what a night! I feel as if I'd had a nightmare...."
"Same here!" agreed Jerry.
In the cold, clear light of day their outlandish recollections of the adventure ashore seemed no more substantial than dreams. They were both heartily ashamed of the panic which they had suffered.
"Well, there's a good breeze," said Jerry cheerfully. "What do you say we follow along the shore of this here island—take a look at it?"
Howd nodded energetically, and set to work unbinding the mainsail. As a matter of fact, they were both consumed with curiosity regarding the island; and, since they had been on deck, neither had taken his eyes from it....
It was a beautiful scene. Beyond the white strip of sandy beach with its line of foaming breakers rose the dense tropical greenery of the jungle, and over that towered the high, forbidding brow of the cliff—sheer and topped with trees.
"Can't see much of the country," commented Howd. Jerry, who was tugging at a rope, did not answer. White and billowing, the mainsail rose into the air. Howd swung the tiller; and, with a pleasant ripple of water at the prow, they were under way.
"Well, I guess I'll get breakfast," said Jerry reluctantly, as if he hated to take his eyes from the shoreline which was slipping silently by. He disappeared into the cabin; and soon the appetising aroma of coffee drifted through the door.
BREAKFAST finished, they sat smoking and talking comfortably.
"Doesn't change much, does it?" observed Jerry. The scenery was monotonous. Mile after mile, the cliff appeared to be perfectly uniform in height and contour—the strip of beach below it never widened or narrowed. An hour slipped by.
"Must be bigger than I thought," said Jerry.
"It's about ten miles across, according to the map," Howd informed him. "Well, what do you say we get on our course? We're wasting time this way."
"Aw hell!" objected Jerry, "what's a couple of hours? Let's look it over!"
Howd did not need much persuading. His mind, like Jerry's, was constantly reverting to the queer happenings of the night. Of course it was ridiculous! Still, both of them had seen the same thing—or thought they had....
"Sandbar ahead!" exclaimed Jerry suddenly.
"Yes," agreed Howd, who had been studying the place for some time, "and I think the cliff indents there. Maybe we'll be able to see inland a ways." He swung the tiller slightly, to get into deeper water. Ten minutes passed. And then, suddenly, they leaped to their feet in astonishment.
AS they rounded the promontory they saw that the cliff receded sharply from the shoreline for a stretch, decreasing in height and sheerness. Thus was formed a saucer-like indentation in the coast. And, plainly visible in the center of this, was a town....
"Well, I'm damned!" gasped Jerry. "Our geography ain't so good—huh?—Here we were, right next to civilization, and never suspected it!..."
"I wouldn't call it civilization," corrected Howd. "There's no mention of it on the map; and it looks pretty primitive to me! They're nothing but shacks."
"Well, let's put in there, and look it over anyway," cried Jerry. "I ain't seen anything human—except maybe you—for so long, it'll do me good!"
Without objection Howd altered their course.
"We can ask 'em, maybe, if they've got any giants around the place!" grinned Jerry.
"Bunk!" snorted Howd. "You don't want to make a fool of yourself, do you?"
"What do I care? I'll never be back here, and—Hey!" he interrupted himself, "Look at those piers!" He pointed ahead to where three great wharfs stretched out into the water. "—Now what in the devil do they want with those things in this dump?"
"We'll soon find out," replied Howd, guiding their craft towards the nearest one. "—'Tend sail!"
The sail dropped; and with the agility of long experience they both leaped to the dock with ropes in their hands, when the boat drifted along side. Having secured the lines, they faced about....
A man was standing, not fifty feet away, watching them. His legs were apart, his arms were folded across his chest, and on his face was a slight frown.
"Hello!" called Jerry, as he and his companion advanced to meet the other.
"How do you do?" replied the man quietly.
They gaped at him in astonishment. In contrast to his tattered clothing and the wildness of his surroundings, his precise and perfectly modulated English speech was incongruous in the extreme. Hearing their own tongue spoken after so long should have delighted the voyagers, but there was something cold and distant about the voice that damped their spirits. Immediately, Howd felt the necessity of inventing an excuse for their presence there.
"We should like, if possible, to get some supplies," he said.
The man nodded, and turned. "Follow me," he said. "There is a store."
"Mighty polite, ain't he?" grumbled Jerry, as they followed their guide down the long wharf. "I'm goin' to talk to the beggar!" He quickened his pace, and fell into step beside the man.
"Funny island—this!" he observed; and, getting no reply, asked, "Are there many people on. it?"
"Save for this small settlement, Neeya is uninhabited," the man replied coldly.
Jerry was not one to be easily discouraged when he was seeking information. "What kind of people live here?" he pursued.
"Human beings," was the short and unsatisfactory answer.
Jerry was not easily angered. He laughed....
"No giants, I suppose?" he questioned lightly.
The other stopped in his tracks, as if shot. When they looked at him in startled surprise, his face, although calm, had gone a dead white. He spoke huskily....
"Remain here, please. I shall return." He walked hurriedly away.
Jerry's mouth hung open. "Well, I'm damned!" he said. "Now I've done it!"
"You seem to have made him mad," said Howd slowly, in a puzzled voice,"—or rather—scared!"
"He looked scared to death!" cried Jerry in agreement. "Gosh, there's something funny about this—mighty funny!"
THEY watched the man as he reached the end of the wharf and disappeared among the shacks. In a very few minutes he reappeared with a companion. This latter was smaller than the first; but he walked slightly in advance of the other, and there hung about him a certain indefinable air of authority.
"Good morning," he said pleasantly. "You must be making quite a cruise!"
"Yes," agreed Howd conversationally, "we have sailed around the world—or will have when we reach the United States."
"Well, well, well,"—the other rubbed his hands together briskly—"Around the world by sail—quite a cruise!... Now, gentlemen, what can I do to help you?"
"Well," said Howd uncomfortably, "we were running pretty short on supplies, and we thought—"
"Certainly, certainly! If you will just give me your order, I will see that you are supplied immediately."
Howd, taxing his inventiveness to the utmost, managed to give a convincing list; and the little man went off. The other, however, remained standing on the wharf between them and the shore—silent, impassive. The two friends sat down sheepishly on the wharf edge, swinging their feet over the water.
"Something tells me we're not going to see much of this place!" grumbled Jerry.
Howd shook his head. "A more inhospitable community I have never seen!" he grinned ruefully.
Jerry muttered angrily. "Why don't we just walk ashore, and see what they'll do about it?" he suggested.
"Unwise," decided Howd. "We're at a big disadvantage. We don't even know what country this belongs to—if any."
"Gosh!" said Jerry wistfully, "if we didn't have to get home so soon, I'd like to sneak around to the other side of the island, and do some exploring. Because there's something pretty darned queer about the whole business. What do you think?"
Howd pursed his lips judiciously. "Well," he said, "of course settlements like this are not unheard-of; but I always imagined them to be a bit more friendly to the weary traveller!" He smiled. "As to the affair of last night, I think we had better forget it."
"Not so, Howd my boy!" objected Jerry quickly. "You're forgetting the strange reaction of our friend there to the fool question I shot at him!"
Howd looked thoughtful...
Within a remarkably short time the small man reappeared at the end of the wharf and approached, followed by two others who bore a box between them. He greeted the visitors cheerfully in his high-pitched voice...
"Well, well—I think we have everything here—yes, all that you need... A fine day for sailing!—I wish you bon voyage, my young friends!"
The box was deposited on deck. Thanking the other for his trouble, Howd drew out his wallet . The little man held up a hand in protest...
"No, no, my young friend—not a penny!... Only too glad to help.... Don't think of it!"
More puzzled than ever, Howd and Jerry clambered aboard and prepared to depart. The lines were cast off, and the boat swung clear. The two men on the wharf watched them intently, as they got under way. The larger spoke from the corner of his mouth...
"What about it? sir?"
The smaller man remained in frowning thought for a full five minutes. Then he appeared to come to a decision...
"Watch them closely throughout the day. If they hold their course, let them go.... They came on a perfectly natural errand... Yes—let them go!"
And the tiny ship sailed blithely away, in the general direction of Panama.
THE Capitol Express, behind its huge electric engine, rolled swiftly northwards. Howd, leaning comfortably back in his Pullman chair frowned....
"Darn it, Jerry—I wish you could have kept quiet about that fool Neeya business! We're getting the royal bird from every sheet that got hold of it." In his hand he held a newspaper, folded back to expose an article headed:
YOUTHS CIRCLE GLOBE IN OLD-TIME CRAFT
Two Charleston, S. C. Young Men
Sail Around Earth Without Using Motor Once.
Howard L. Duncan and Gerald Walsh Jr.,
Have Many Strange Adventures
There followed a detailed story, almost three columns long. It was a good story, and the "youths" had read it many times during the week they had been home... But it was the last paragraph that never failed to annoy Howd:
It is easily understood that such a series of adventures might stimulate the youthful imagination. Therefore we accept without protest the tale which the adventurers tell of having seen the terrifying face of a female giant, at night on a lonely Pacific isle.
"'Youthful imagination'!" snorted Howd, who was twenty-two.
"Aw, forget it!" advised Jerry. "Forget it; and tell me what we're going to Washington for."
"You know as much as I do about that!" answered Howd. He drew from his pocket a crumpled telegram, and read it for the hundredth time. "It's addressed to both of us, and just says: 'Come to Washington tomorrow May fourteen if possible—wire arrival.'—and it's signed: 'C. Logan, Navy Department'."
"Well, we'll be there in twenty minutes...."
"Maybe there's a law against sailing around the world!" grinned Jerry. "—Or maybe they want to make us Rear Admirals."
The train pulled in, and they walked slowly up the station platform. "Where do we go from here?" wondered Jerry.
At the gate a man in uniform stepped forward.... "Mr. Walsh? Mr. Duncan?"—Having received affirmative answers, he nodded briskly.—"Come with me, if you please." They were ushered into a waiting automobile, whirled swiftly through the broad streets, and requested to descend before a large building. Their guide led them up the long stone steps, through high corridors, to a door, on the glass of which was inscribed:
J. CORNELIUS LOGAN,
ASSISTANT SECRETARY,
NAVY DEPT.
Jerry nudged Howd. "Gee!" he breathed. But Howd, who was busy trying to look unconcerned, paid him no attention. Through the outer office they were hurried, and into a large, pleasant room where two men rose to greet them. The taller came forward...
"Mr. Duncan?—Yes!... And Mr. Walsh!... My name is Logan... Very glad to know you! This is Dr. Herbert Jules..."
They shook hands all around. Howd and Jerry looked with undisguised interest at the shorter man. He was slim and wiry, with direct blue eyes set wide apart in a classically shaped—almost majestic—head. Logan smiled, as he observed their scrutiny of the other...
"Yes," he said, "I am sure you will have heard of Dr. Jules whose very famous father has so recently disappeared. Oddly enough—Well, sit down; and we will go about things in an orderly manner.... Smoke?"
Howd and Jerry, comfortable in deep leather chairs, accepted cigarettes and turned attentive eyes to Logan. He drummed thoughtfully on the desk-top with his fingertips for a few moments; then swung around to face them...
"I understand that you two paid a visit to the island of Neeya during that remarkable cruise of yours?"
"Yes, sir, we did," admitted Howd; he grinned reminiscently. "—A pretty short visit, though!..."
"I wish that you would tell us the story of that visit." Logan looked questioningly at Dr. Jules, who nodded agreement.—"Tell everything you can remember, no matter how unimportant it may seem."
Howd looked meaningly at Jerry, as if to say, "This is your job. You started this Neeya business!" Jerry accepted the responsibility with pleasure. He liked to talk; and made a good job of the story.
Logan, now that he had got things started, appeared to lose interest in the proceedings. He leaned back in his chair, and gazed abstractedly out of the window. Dr. Jules, on the other hand, leaned forward in an attitude of strained attention. Occasionally he nodded; more often he frowned. When Jerry had finished, he leaned back with a sigh...
"I THINK you were very fortunate!" he said.
"Fortunate, sir?" repeated Jerry.
"Yes, I think so.... But no matter! I have some questions which I hope you will be kind enough to answer...."
Howd and Jerry looked at each other in bewilderment. Logan, noticing their discomfiture, smiled. "I see no reason for keeping you in the dark," he said. "Dr. Jules, I know, plans to make you a proposition; and you may as well know how the land lies at the start...."
"That is right!" agreed Jules quickly.
"Up to the present," began the other, "this island called Neeya has been of absolutely no importance to anybody. It lies hundreds of miles off the steamship routes. No one ever went there—few people ever heard of it. No nation has ever gone to the trouble to take possession of it; like many of the small Pacific islands, it is unattached.
"However, now that the new Pacific air lines are being laid out, it has sprung into tremendous importance as a site for a refueling base. We need it—and we had planned to quietly attach it. There is not much trouble about those things, you know—if they are handled right..." he smiled.
"Then Dr. Jules stepped in! He said that it wasn't as easy as all that. He said many mysterious things."—Logan smiled again, and looked indulgently across at the scientist. "He believes that there is something peculiarly sinister about the island of Neeya..."
"There is something funny about it, sir!" burst out Jerry excitedly.
Logan laughed. "Still," he said, "even when considering all that, the United States has decided that it dares to go ahead with the project. Acting upon the urgent advice of Dr. Jules, we are going to be diplomatic and send a peaceful envoy to interview—well, we don't know just whom or what he will interview!" He grinned at Jules.
"I must admit that I do not know, either," said Jules good-naturedly, "but I am sure you will not regret going about the matter in that way....
"Now Mr. Duncan—and Mr. Walsh—may I crave your indulgence while I straighten out a few points in your story that puzzle me?—Thank you! Did you notice anything peculiar about the settlement which you visited?"
"Well, sir," answered Jerry, "they didn't give us much of a chance to look at it. But it seemed to be a pretty poor place; just a bunch of tumble-down shacks and—"
"Wait!" interrupted Howd. "What about those piers?"
"Piers?" cried Jules.
"Yes," said Jerry, "three long ones—big enough for an ocean liner, almost...."
Jules appeared satisfied, and put another question: "You spoke to two men, you say. Was there anything noticeable about them?"
"Well," said Jerry slowly, "they were dressed in old rags, but somehow or other they seemed to be out of place, or—or—"
"They spoke perfect English," supplied Howd.
"Yes," agreed Jerry, "and they sure were anxious to get rid of us; but there was something more than that, something like—You know, I had a feeling all the time that they were afraid!"
"Afraid!" cried Jules in satisfaction. "Yes, yes—they would be afraid...."
After waiting vainly for an explanation of this last statement, Howd added a bit of information: "I had the same feeling; and I believe that it began when Walsh here asked them about giants.—He said it as a joke, more than anything else...."
"I have been wondering about that business of your seeing the face," interposed Logan, speaking thoughtfully, "and it seems to me that there might be a natural explanation of it—of its size, anyway. You were in the dark. You could see nothing outside of the flashlight beam. You had no perspective; I mean, you could not judge distance. A thing of ordinary size very near to you might appear to be unnaturally large if you thought it was farther away....
"Of course it is hard to believe that there was any woman at all near your campfire that night, but that is a simpler theory than this ridiculous idea of giants, I think!"
JULES leaned forward, and spoke very seriously: "Logan, do you remember my father's experiment with weasels?"
"As if anybody would ever forget that!" laughed Logan grimly.
"Yes!—Of course you know how he created the great beasts, but I should like to emphasize the point. He found that, by the judicious use of X-rays he could influence the development of an animal species in any direction he pleased—he could control an evolutionary process.... You may object to the word 'judicious' as I just used it, because his gigantic creatures got out of control, and caused great havoc, but I wish to make clear the process which he used.
"It was based upon the well-known fact that X-rays act upon the animal reproductive functions in this manner; when a parent is treated with the X-ray, any physical or mental peculiarities which it may have tend to be repeated in its offspring. Therefore, if the process is repeated over a series of generations, any chosen peculiarity may be developed to an abnormal extent.
"My father chose size. He worked over a period of years, treating the largest and healthiest of each succeeding brood of his weasels until he had created those great murderous beasts that were the terror of a nation...."
Howd and Jerry were listening avidly to this recital; but Logan was obviously restive at the repetition of the old, familiar tale. He cleared his throat....
"Yes, Dr. Jules, I guess we all know that story—but I fail to see where it is leading us now. Don't you think—?"
Jules held up a restraining hand. "Wait—I have not finished...." He drew from his pocket a paper, and tenderly unfolded it. It was yellow with age.—"I have here a copy of a church record, more than a century old—the record of a trial of certain heretics in Germany. I should like to read you an excerpt."
Logan shrugged hopelessly. "If you must, I suppose you must!" he groaned.
"It is short," smiled Jules. "Thus: 'Next was led in one Herr Haufbauer, an Astrologer, who, it was proved, had constructed an Infernal Machine—with which Machine he caught the Invisible Light of the Sun, and projected that Light into the bodies of men—thereby causing many Outlandish Effects of the Devil. The aforesaid Herr Haufbauer was judged Guilty of Heresy and committed to be Burned Alive'."
"Invisible light of the sun!" snorted Logan disgustedly.
"Exactly!" said Jules quickly. "Ether waves!.... This report errs in two respects. Herr Haufbauer was not an astrologer—he was a scientist; and he was not burned—he escaped."
"Well, well, well!" commented Logan sarcastically.
Jules smiled. He and the other had been friends for years, and any raillery that passed between them was entirely good-natured. He continued calmly: "What that 'Infernal Machine' was like—or how it was constructed—is a matter of surmise, but we do know what its purpose was....
"My father, at one time, did a good deal of investigating into the scientific history of ether waves—suspecting that Roentgen was by no means the first to work with them. And he discovered Herr Haufbauer, who apparently was a scientist of the first water. He was also a man of strange and violent ideas, and many atrocities were laid to his door.
"After his trial he disappeared, and so—strange to say—did a number of other so-called Astrologers. There was talk of a secret society to escape religious persecution. There were many rumors and a good deal of excitement for a while, but the mystery was never cleared up. What is important is that they disappeared, and so"—here Jules made a sudden transition into the present, quite startling and confusing to his audience—"so did my father!...."
THEY gaped at him. Howd and Jerry had heard of the disappearance of Dr. Lorian P. Jules. He had been cruising the Pacific in his yacht. One bright morning it was discovered that he was not on board. The generally accepted theory was, of course, that he had fallen overboard during the night....
"Your father?" repeated Logan blankly.
Jules spoke in a low, even tone: "Yes.... He was not idly cruising for recreation. He was on his way to—Neeya.... Now, I am going to Neeya!"
Logan frowned at him. "What is on Neeya, Dr. Jules?" he asked quietly.
"I do not know," answered Jules. Howd and Jerry, who had been sitting tensely on the edge of their chairs, relaxed disappointedly.
"What do you suspect?" pursued Logan. "—Giants?...."
Jules spoke grimly: "Men are only animals, after all, Logan. What can be done with weasels—can be done with human beings!"
Logan threw himself back with a snort. "Rats!—Sounds like a nightmare.... No, that's a little bit too far-fetched for me, thank you!...." He paused; but, as Jules said nothing, went on: "Anyway, what of it?—Just for the sake of argument, suppose there were giants on that island. Then suppose we send a battle-ship.... Who wins—huh?"
Jules did not appear amused. When he spoke, his voice was still hard and grim. "It is not as simple as all that, I fear. I believe that there is something on Neeya that is great and terrible—a Something, the like of which the world has never known—a—
There came a rap at the door. "Come in!" called Logan, and a clerk entered.
"A note, sir—from the State Department.
I thought I had better—"
"Right!" snapped Logan. He took the envelope, and opened it. As he read, a grin overspread his features.... "My, my—our young diplomats are so sweetly formal!—Listen to this: 'The Honorable Donald A. Adams, United States Envoy to Neeya, is pleased to accept the polite invitation of Dr. Herbert Jules to accompany the latter on board his yacht to the—' Aw hell! You're honored, Doctor!"
Jules nodded with a smile, but when he spoke it was to Howd. "Mr. Duncan, I asked you and your friend to come here for two reasons. First, I wanted to put to you a proposition. Of course you may have connections which make it impossible, but my aim was to ask you if you could accompany me on the trip I am about to make. You would go in the capacity of companions and—er—well, personal bodyguards to me....
"Wow!" said Jerry with explosive suddenness. He and Howd gazed at each other, excitement in their eyes.
"Before you make any decision," said Dr. Jules, "let me warn you that there will most certainly be danger—although of what nature, I cannot say."—He hesitated, and then concluded with deadly seriousness, "As for myself, I rate my chances of ever returning at about half...."
"Wow!" repeated Jerry.
"I think we'll chance it, sir," said Howd eagerly.
"Fine!" said Jules heartily. "Of course you will be well paid, and—"
"Paid?" cried Jerry, "Forget it!"
ACROSS a great, blue expanse of water drove gracefully a white vessel. Under the glaring sun its sides glistened and its brass-work shone brilliantly. And under an awning on the rear deck there reclined comfortably in wicker chairs Howard Duncan and his good friend, Gerald Walsh, Jr. Both were enjoying themselves.
"This beats the sloop in a good many ways," commented Jerry, with a contented yawn. Howd was lying back with closed eyes. His silence gave assent. Jerry yawned again; and then, noting a white-suited figure leaning over the rail amidships; drawled lazily, "What do you think of our Honorable Envoy?"
Howd opened one eye, and regarded his friend with amusement. "What do you think of him?" he hedged.
"Well," said Jerry slowly, "it's hard to say.... I always pictured these here diplomats—even young ones—as sort of pleasant, likeable chaps. Thought it was their business. Now take our friend here; he—"
"Hold it!" warned Howd. "He's comin' this way."
The Hon. Donald A. Adams was strolling along the deck towards them. A yachting cap was set at a jaunty angle on his head, but his step was not jaunty. It was rather dignified. He nodded to them abruptly.
"Well, you boys are having a pretty easy time of it!" he laughed.
"Yup!" agreed Jerry. Howd's eyes closed again.
"Slack times for body-guards," chuckled Adams, "But perhaps things will pick up tomorrow—when we get among the giants!" He laughed loudly.—"A couple of hopeful young giant-killers! Ha, ha, ha...."
"Ha, ha," said Jerry politely. The other strolled on.... "Funny fella!" grumbled Jerry. "So us boys are having a pretty easy time of it! I'd like to know what the devil he thinks he's doin'...."
"My dear boy," murmured Howd reprovingly, "you must not forget the responsibilities of our honorable friend. For all practical purposes he is the United States of America. That undoubtedly weighs upon him."
"Well, I wish the 'United States of America' would take off that hat," said Jerry unsympathetically. There was a long interval of silence before he spoke again. Then:
"Have you seen Dr. Jules lately?"
"Not for two days," answered Howd, showing signs of interest.
"Neither have I! Say, he hasn't disappeared, has he?"
"Oh, no!" reassured Howd, "he's in his cabin. I asked the steward about an hour ago.... But I would like to see him with my own eyes, now and then...."
Jerry agreed that he would, also.
But they did not see Dr. Jules until the next morning when leaning over the bow, they watched a gray smudge on the horizon take definite shape and color, and steadily grow larger until it was easily recognizable as Neeya—lying green and beautiful on the water. Dr. Jules came up behind them, and put a hand on the shoulder of each.
"You fellows will soon be meeting some old friends, I imagine," he greeted them pleasantly.
"Yes sir, I guess we will," replied Jerry in a doubtful tone.
"You are worried about your welcome?" smiled Jules. "Well, don't pay too much attention to those fellows. They are quite unimportant."
"Unimportant, sir?"
"Yes—if my guess is right.... Oh! by the way, something occurred to me about that business you had with them which might be of interest. As I understand it, you gave the man an order for supplies?"
"Why, yes sir—we did."
"Can you remember approximately how many items there were in that order?"
"About a dozen, I'd say," answered Jerry. "Howd got panicky, and ordered a lot of stuff we never did use up!"
"And there were specific amounts of each article?"
"Yes."
"When you received the order, was it correct?"
"Why sure! Wasn't it, Howd?"
"Yes, I think so," said Howd wonderingly. "Of course, I was sort of flustered, and couldn't remember exactly what I had asked for; but everything I could remember was there in the right amount.... Yes."
Jules nodded thoughtfully. "It struck me as interesting. Do you see anything suggestive about it?"
HOWD and Jerry pondered over the matter in silence, while Jules watched the island which they were approaching. The indentation of the cliff was now easily seen, and soon the shacks and wharfs of the settlement were visible. In less than a quarter of an hour, they would be there....
"The man made no list or notation of any kind?" questioned Jules helpfully. Howd started....
"No sir, he didn't!" he cried, in dawning comprehension.
"Now, although it may not sound particularly difficult at first," said Jules slowly, "I think you will agree with me, upon consideration, that the man's memory must be quite remarkable!" They looked at him, puzzled. "Suppose I were to repeat to you a list of twelve different amounts of twelve different articles. How much of it do you think you could keep in your head?"
"About half, if I was lucky!" said Jerry.
"Exactly—and I could do no better."
"But what—what—" began Howd in confusion. He failed to understand the drift of the conversation; and Jules' next words did not enlighten him to any great extent.
"I believe that the man was a Failure, or the Son of a Failure," said Jules cryptically; and turned to greet the Hon. Donald Adams who was joining the group. "Good morning!"
Adams dispensed with greetings. "That the place?" he inquired, looking ahead.
"That is Neeya," Jules assured him.
The envoy looked slightly annoyed. "Doesn't amount to much, does it?"
"One never knows," answered Jules cryptically. He turned, and called to the Captain, who stood on the bridge behind and above them: "Might as well use one of the piers, McCarthy. Plenty of room!"
The engines were now turning at half speed as they nosed in towards the nearest wharf. Upon it stood a single man whose stolid attitude Howd and Jerry instantly recognized. "Same old reception committee of one!" observed Jerry. "Must be his job....
"I imagine it is," agreed Dr. Jules.
The man did not move as the yacht churned along side and sailors leaped to the dock to make fast the ropes. Impassively he watched them haul the gang-plank into place. Only when Jules and Adams disembarked, closely followed by Howd and Jerry, did he speak—two flat, impersonal words:
"Your business?"
The Hon. Donald Adams was not one to waste time. He stepped forward. "I am here in the capacity of special envoy from the United States of America. Take me to your ruler."
"Ruler?" the man's face went blank.
Adams made an impatient gesture. "To someone in authority, then," he amended,
The man seemed to consider. Finally: "Follow me," he said. The four walked behind him along the wharf. Before they had reached land, however, another figure appeared, coming to meet them. Howd and Jerry quickly recognized the little man whom they had been so recently discussing. At a questioning glance from Jules, Howd nodded—to convey this information.
Their guide quickened his pace to meet the other, and a whispered conversation was held. Then the little man came forward, beaming a welcome....
"Good morning, gentlemen! A beautiful ship you have.... Yes, yes—beautiful! he rubbed his hands together feverishly—"
"Now, tell me how I can serve you, gentlemen!"
ADAMS spoke with dignity: "I represent the United States Government, I have business with the ruler of this island." Jerry nudged Howd, and winked. Howd frowned at him reprovingly. Jules' face was expressionless.
The little man smiled deprecatingly. "Why sir, I am sorry to say that we have no properly constituted government in our little community here.... We are just a small collection of lonely souls in a very lonely place; and we have no need of—er, what shall I say?—of organization or authority."
Suddenly Jules spoke, silencing Adams with a gesture: "Ah then, we have come in vain! Well, the matter was of slight importance.... What will please us most is the opportunity to stretch our legs on dry land once more. My, this is a lovely spot—Delightful!"
Again Adams started to speak, but Jules shook his head quickly, and frowned. The little man did not appear to notice this byplay. He spoke heartily: "I hope and trust that you will be comfortable in our humble village.... You are welcome—very welcome:
"We thank you sincerely," answered Jules, watching the other narrowly, "and I trust that we shall be very little trouble.... We are all very tired of being cooped up on shipboard, and had hoped to take a little jaunt into the interior of the island...."
The eyelids of his listener flickered slightly, but when he spoke his voice was calm—faintly regretful: "How unfortunate!—I am sorry to have to tell you that the interior of this island is most unpleasant. Yes, yes—most unpleasant!—A tumbled waste of rocks, jungle, and swamp—quite uninhabitable, almost impassable. You would not enjoy such a trip.... But our poor community is entirely at your service—entirely!"
Jules smiled ruefully. "Well, well—that is a disappointment; but I am sure that we shall be amply comforted by your kind hospitality...."
And so, after a few additional polite exchanges, the four retired to the yacht for luncheon. The envoy was fretting visibly.
"What's all this nonsense about walking trips to the interior?" he fumed.
"Mr. Adams," said Jules patiently, "it is necessary to be circumspect in dealing with people who are deliberately trying to mislead you—that is, when you have no hold over them and no threat to offer...."
"No threat to offer!" Adams exclaimed. "I think a little word about a few Marines dropping in for a visit would be enough of a threat!"
"That would be a grave mistake," said Jules seriously. "Moreover, you are wasting your time talking to these people. They are no more than slaves...."
"Slaves!" cried Adam. "Slaves of whom—or what?"
"That we must discover!"
"How? Where?"
"In the interior."
Adams leaped to his feet. "Lying to us, are they?.... Hum!" He made an impatient gesture. "Well, why don't we push on—into the interior?"
"That is precisely what we will do—tonight! If we tried it openly, we would not get far beyond the outskirts of the village. I am certain of that!"
LATE that night a small electric launch was lowered from the yacht's side. Run by a sailor, it circled widely, finally touching the shore at a point a mile or more from the village. During the trip Jules gave low-voiced directions.
"We must follow along the foot of the cliff where it recedes from the shoreline back of the village. There must be no talking and no lights until we have got around the village. Thank goodness these people do not keep dogs!...."
They stepped ashore, a party of five—Jules, Adams, Howd, Jerry, and Captain McCarthy of the yacht. The launch swung silently away, and they set out.
The going was rough along the foot of the cliff, and they were forced to proceed at a snail's pace to avoid making noise. It was very dark, although a faint glow in the east predicted the rise of the moon.... Bumped by rocks, scratched and torn by branches, they struggled on for an hour.
Then, suddenly, the cliff opened away to their right; and they stepped out upon a smooth, hard surface,.... They peered questioningly into each others' faces.
"Just as I suspected," muttered Dr. Jules. "There is a break in the cliff here and a road running inland. We are directly behind the village." As if to illustrate the truth of his words the moon rose out of the sea, outlining against its brilliant surface the ugly, tumbled roofs of the shacks.
The party turned their backs to it; and set out, up the road. It was a steadily rising incline; and as they went on the tall cliffs closed in on each side, making their path a species of defile or canyon wherein the faint, white moonlight was whipped and laced by great, wavering, black shadows.
Howd and Jerry were walking a few feet in advance of the other three. "Wonder what in the dickens this road is for?" muttered Jerry, his eyes darting uneasily to right and left.
"Now don't start asking me questions!" growled Howd. "Ask Dr. Jules. He knows a lot more than he says, if you want to know what I think...."
"You bet he does!" agreed Jerry. "Did you hear him teaching our young diplomat his business?.... But I don't think even Jules knows what we're walkin' into now."
"Listen!" hissed Howd. A fitful wind was rustling and moaning in the tall trees, but above that rose another sound—a far-off. insistent hum. The party drew together.
"Is that the same sound you told me about?" questioned Jules tensely.
"Yes sir," answered Jerry. "What do you make of it?"
"It sounds to me like—"
Suddenly came a choking gasp from Adams. "Good God! Look!"
At the point where they had stopped there was a clump of tall trees over against the foot of the cliff. The spot was in black shadow. And as they watched, a lofty black shadow detached itself from the darkness of the trees.
The five drew their guns, and stood stiffly waiting—for the thing was moving towards them—a great Shape, towering above them. Then, suddenly, it moved into the moonlight and they saw....
With a scream Adams cowered backwards. He raised his gun....
"Don't!" shouted Jules desperately—but he was too late. Two shots rang out. And with a horrid bellow of pain the Man before them tottered, crumpled forwards, and crashed to earth. Howd, snatching. Jules by the arm, leaped clear in the nick of time.
The great figure thrashed and writhed on the roadway....
"Stand back!" shouted Dr. Jules, "—out of reach!"
Horrified, they stood; and watched the death agonies of the creature. The gigantic arms and legs flailed the ground; the head was thrown far back, the long black hair sweeping the earth.
"My God, it's human!" howled McCarthy.
With a deep groan that shook the earth beneath their feet, the creature stiffened, and grew still.
"Yes, Captain, it was human," answered Jules in a low, strained voice. "You are a medical man. See what you can do for it...."
"Just as you say sir!" muttered Captain McCarthy. He advanced warily towards the sprawled creature. The others closed in behind him, gazing with a mixture of awe and terror at the thing before them. It was a man—there could be no doubt of that—naked except for a loin cloth; and easily fifteen feet from head to heel.
McCarthy finished a quick examination. "Dead," he pronounced. "Bullet" entered under chin—went up into brain...." He looked at Adams. "That was a good shot, sir. This thing was a mighty hard thing to kill!"
The fear had passed from Adams' face. He looked pleased. "I've hunted big game in Africa...." he began, when Jules swung around to face him....
"You fool!" he hissed; "You have committed an irreparable blunder. We are murderers—and will be treated as such!"
"It's not murder to kill a monster like that!" retorted Adams, his face white with anger.
"We won't dispute over terms," snapped Jules. "Time is too precious. There is no hope for us if we are caught. We must try to get to the yacht.... Come!" He set off down the road, at a fast trot. The others stumbled behind.
Howd and Jerry ran elbow to elbow, in the rear of the party. "They're comin'!" gasped Jerry.
"I hear 'em!" panted Howd; and, shouting a warning, he broke into a run. Behind them sounded a thunder of heavy, jarring treads—growing ever nearer, until the earth around them shook.
"We'll never make it, sir!" cried McCarthy desperately.
"Hide—" ordered Jules tersely, "—and don't shoot!" He darted into the shadows at the side of the road.
But, even as he spoke, there burst upon them a blinding, glaring light—and concealment was impossible. Howd faced about, his jaw set, his limbs cold with fear. He could see nothing except the bright light; he could hear a thunderous muttering above him....
From behind him came another scream—Adams. Suddenly out of the air shot a great, long thing; and he was gripped crushingly around the waist. The next moment he was kicking and struggling above the ground....
Then came Jules' voice, calm and cool: "What will you do with us?"
"KILLERS!"—the word boomed out of the air; and Howd felt his fear giving way to astonishment and wonder. He never would have thought of talking to the things.
"What will you do with us?" Jules repeated evenly. This time there was no answer. Howd felt himself being jerked rhythmically up and down, and knew that he was being carried. The man dangled him at arm's length, and often—too often—he was bumped heavily against the great, swinging leg. The hand around his waist hurt horribly. His head hung down, the temples throbbing painfully. He could see nothing.
How long the journey lasted he could not tell. He was quickly reduced to a dull half-consciousness by the exhausting strain of his position. He thought of his companions, and imagined that they must be in the same predicament as himself. The air was full of the thunder of heavy footsteps....
With a sudden shock he felt himself set upon his feet. He staggered, and sank to his knees; but struggled up again. Before him was an enormous lighted doorway; and, guessing what was expected of him, he walked uncertainly in.
THERE, in a bright, high-ceilinged room, he found Dr. Jules and Captain McCarthy. Jules was straightening his clothes; McCarthy was cursing steadily under his breath. Through the door stumbled Adams, and behind him, Jerry. The door closed.
Across the room, beside a second door, was a giant man; who stood with folded arms, and gazed down at them impassively. The five drew together helplessly, their fearful eyes riveted upon the human monster before them. Suddenly it spoke....
"A-7 WILL SEE YOU!"—the words reverberated thunderously in the room. The inner door swung silently open....
"ENTER!"
They stepped forward hesitantly, fearful of what strange creature might be awaiting them beyond the door. When they crossed the threshold, all stopped short in blank surprise.
At a desk, across the room, sat a small man, writing. He did not look up, as the door closed behind them. He appeared to be a very ordinary little man—pale of face, clothed in a single, flowing garment, and intensely preoccupied with his work....
Then he looked up.
To Howd it seemed as though he had received a heavy blow upon the forehead; suddenly he felt very weak. The man's eyes were upon him—and the gaze of those eyes was a terrible, almost physical, force. Howd felt paralyzed—powerless to look away, fascinated by those steady, cold eyes in that cold, white face. He trembled.... The man's pale lips moved....
"Welcome, Herbert Jules!"—the voice was low and silky—"Your expected visit has had an unpropitious start!"
"Yes—" began Jules, but the smooth voice cut him short....
"Do not speak, please! Your regrets are immaterial—unimportant. B-25 is dead! You are responsible for his death....
At this, both Howd and Jerry made involuntary gestures of protest. Jerry attempted to speak, but the man raised a slim, white hand....
"I understand the circumstances, thank you! I know who fired the shot. But on Neeya we look beneath first causes. Mr. Adams committed an error from ignorance, as a result of Dr. Jules' negligence. Ignorance is excusable—but negligence.... Wait—I will show you!"
Behind them, the door swung open; and a giant towered in the opening. It stepped into the room, driving before it a small, trembling man, who stumbled to the center of the room, and stood still, with bowed head. The figure at the desk spoke softly.
"C-1, you have erred!"
The little man made no motion. The other detached from a bracket on the desk a small instrument resembling a flash-light, to which was attached a cord connecting it with a plug in the wall. This, he directed carefully. They saw a slim finger depress a lever....
The man before them started violently, and sank into a crumpled heap on the floor. The giant picked it up by one leg; and, turning, stepped from the room.
"Gee!" hissed Jerry; and Howd nodded pallidly, for he too had recognized their acquaintance of the village.
Then the cold, even voice riveted in their attention once more upon the figure behind the desk: "The death of B-25 was partially his fault...." The thin upper lip curled slightly. "He was afraid to die, as are all Failures—and ordinary men........"
There was silence in the room.
Suddenly, convulsively, Adams stepped forward. His face was red; his fists clenched. He was struggling between fear and anger. The man behind the desk checked his speech. The sneer had not faded from his lips....
"Mr. Adams, you are about to mention the business which has brought you here. You are about to say, I believe, that the United States of America, in its illimitable benignity, plans to take our small island under its protecting wing...."
Adams, stung into fury by the sarcasm, burst into a torrent of words, despite the other's restraining hand: "You would be wiser, sir—whoever you are—to adopt a more conciliatory attitude towards—towards—"
"—Towards yourself, who are the representative of that great Power, which—if angered—will proceed to vent upon our benighted island the wrath of its offended majesty!"—the words cut in upon Adams clumsy speech like a sharp knife. "Listen to me!" he commanded, as Adams again opened his mouth. "Your understanding is clouded by a mistaken conception of the importance of size. To you, great size means great power."
The sneer had gone, now, from his face. He spoke patiently—almost wearily—like one addressing a child. "Try to understand. Just as there is more power in a tiny grain of radium than in the largest steam-boiler, so is there more power in Neeya than in your extensive and populous country. More power for good, or—for evil!...."
ADAMS laughed loudly, harshly. The words of the other had only succeeded in turning all his fear to anger and scorn. He took two quick steps forward: "Now you listen to—"
The man behind the desk half rose. His brows drew together his eyes dilated; his mouth became a straight, hard line. Adams stepped back, and raised an arm, as if to ward off a blow.
"Please understand," A-7 hissed, "that it is unnecessary for you to speak. I know—" he stopped suddenly, and a look of surprise flitted across his face. It was impossible for the others to guess what had made the change in him. When he spoke again his tone was awed, subdued:
"A-1 will speak to you!"
There was silence in the room. The man behind the desk became rigid and motionless. The others, bewildered, did not know what to expect; but there was a certain tenseness in the air that kept them quiet—waiting....
"Mr. Adams will return to Washington."
The Voice filled the room; yet it was smooth and soft....
"He will start tonight; and, upon his arrival, will report the failure of his mission."
There was in the tone of the voice a cold, confident finality that left no doubt in the minds of its hearers concerning the truth of the words it uttered. It was more than a command; it was a simple statement of fact.
"Dr. Jules will remain in Neeya."
Jules inclined his head slightly. He showed no sign of emotion.
"Mr. Duncan and Mr. Walsh previously visited Neeya, and were allowed to depart. They have been foolish enough to return. They shall not depart again!"
The man behind the desk sank back into his chair. "That is all," he said. "A-1 has spoken!"
Jules turned to the captain of the yacht: "McCarthy, you will return to the ship with Mr. Adams. Start tonight, and make all possible speed to Washington."
Captain McCarthy, a stocky man, thrust out his lower jaw, and shook his head vigorously. "—And leave you here, sir? No, not I!"
"You will serve us best by going, Captain," said Jules earnestly. "There is no help for it!"
McCarthy grumbled and muttered to himself. Then: "If that's the case, I'll go; but I'm comin' back." He turned belligerently to the man behind the desk. "An' if I don't find Dr. Jules, there'll be hell to pay!"
The other paid him no attention. His cold eyes were fixed on Jules who had drawn Adams aside, and was speaking to him in low tones....
"You will hold no conversation with Mr. Adams, if you please, Dr. Jules!"
Jules stepped back quietly; but Adams flushed, and spoke with concentrated venom: "I warn you, sir—you will be sorry for this highhandedness. You—"
"Go!" said the other softly. "You will be conducted to your ship." The door swung open.
"You will pay—"
"Go!"
With an angry gesture Adams faced about, and stamped from the room, closely followed by McCarthy. The great door closed behind them, with a metallic clang....
Jules and his two companions turned, to see the man behind the desk holding in his hands the thing that looked like a flashlight.
"What are you going to do?"—Jules' voice was toneless.
The man did not answer. He appeared to be making some adjustment on the instrument. Then he raised it....
"Come on Howd!"—Jerry dashed forward, only to stiffen and crash heavily to the floor. Howd fell almost on top of him.
Behind them, Dr. Jules sank down more quietly.
HOWD awoke, with a shock, to find someone shaking him. He started up wildly—then recognized Jerry. He stuttered wordlessly, complete bewilderment in his face.
"Surprised to be alive?" grinned Jerry. "So was I! I just came to a minute ago."
Howd struggled to a sitting position, and looked around him. There were two other beds in the room beside his own. One was occupied.
"What—what about Dr. Jules?" he asked fearfully.
"Oh, he's all right. Just sleeping. I didn't know whether to wake him or not."
"Think we'd better," said Howd. "He might be glad to know he's alive. I am!"
"There's something in that!" agreed Jerry.
He shook Jules gently by the shoulder. The latter opened his eyes.
"How do you feel, Doctor?"
Jules smiled up at him. "Tremendously relieved!" he chuckled. "Much the same as you do, I imagine!" He sat up. "Well, they are more thoughtful of our comfort than I should have expected. This is quite pleasant! I wonder if we shall have anything to eat."
"There is something over here on the table," said Jerry, "that might be food—or might not. I don't know. There isn't much of it—whatever it is!"
Jules got to his feet; and walked over to where, on a table, reposed a small bowl containing a brown, pasty substance. There appeared to be less than half a pint of it. Beside it were three saucers with spoons.
"Some sort of concentrated nourishment," said Jules thoughtfully. "Quite unpleasant, probably."
"Well, if it's nourishment, I vote we go ahead!" said Jerry vigorously. "I need it!"
They divided the stuff, and tasted it experimentally.
"Ugh!" grunted Howd.
"Like taking medicine," said Jerry. "I wonder if they eat this all the time. They must have hardened appetites."
"Probably they do," said Jules. "I am afraid that we shall have to get used to it since we may be here some time!"
They looked at him quickly. For the moment they had forgotten their position; but now the events of the previous night came back to them.
"What are we going to do, sir?" asked Howd bluntly.
"Do?"—Jules drew his hand slowly across his forehead, and remained for a while in frowning silence. When he spoke again, his voice was low and strained: "I know nothing that we can do.... I would beg your forgiveness for bringing you here, but my rashness is unforgivable...."
"You don't understand us very well, Doctor, if you think we blame you for that!" burst out Jerry impulsively. "You warned us in the beginning, and everything is all square....
"But if you could tell us what it is all about, we sure would appreciate that!" he concluded, grinning. Howd nodded vigorously.
"Yes," nodded Jules, "I will tell you all I know and a good deal that I surmise. Since last night I am certain about many things that I only guessed at before.... We may as well make ourselves comfortable." They sat upon the beds.
"The first thing to realize," he began slowly, "is that we are in the midst of a civilization, the like of which the world has never known. We are among beings who are something different from—or more than—human. You of course noted a strangeness in the one we saw last night....?"
"Strangeness!" said Jerry, shivering slightly, "he scared me to death! Something about his eyes—I don't know...."
"Huh?" Jerry's face was blank.
"To him, we were no more than children.... Just as we are smaller physically than the giants which you have seen, so are we smaller mentally than that man! And he is one of many."
Jerry shrugged hopelessly. "You'll have to make it simpler than that. I don't get you!"
"Put it this way," said Jules. "The mind of man is, as far as we know, capable of unlimited development. Since man's first appearance on the earth, his mental capacity has been gradually increasing with the years.... How? You know as well as I do: through natural selection—the survival of the fittest, the most intelligent.
"But the natural process, although sure, is very, very slow.... Why? Because heredity is an imperfect, uncertain instrument. A highly developed parent may have very inferior offspring. Heredity is the weak link in the evolutionary chain. Nature stumbles along through the centuries; and progress is hit-or-miss, slow, and painfully clumsy when observed in a scientific light.
"The man who founded the civilization of Neeya believed that he could improve upon Nature's work. He had discovered a way to make heredity positive in action—with X-rays. He founded a race dedicated to a single, strange ideal: Man developing his own powers by scientific treatment of himself!"
"You mean they treat themselves with X-rays?" asked Howd doubtfully.
"With that, or something nearly like it—
Howd shook his head sadly. "I guess I'm dumb. I don't see how it works yet."
"Here is a simple parallel," said Jules crisply. "Take a four-legged hen; expose it to the rays; it will produce any number of four-legged chickens. Take a man—or woman—with a special type brain; treat him; his children will be born with brains closely resembling his. It sounds weird, but it is simple truth!
"Now! Take only the best of the children; treat them with the ray; destroy the others. Do you see what is going to happen if that process is repeated over a series of generations?"
"Do you mean they just kill the children they don't want?" gasped Howd.
"Certainly—without hesitation!"
"Murder?"
"That depends on how you look at it. Their whole life plan is different from ours. Their standards of right and wrong are not the same. It is wrong to be stupid. To make a mistake is to commit a crime. You saw what happened to that man last night! His duty was to keep us from penetrating into the island. He failed, and—he died! That is their way."
"But he was different from the other," objected Jerry.
"Yes. The people in the settlement down on the shore are merely throw-offs of the process. Failures, who have been allowed to live because they perform the useful purpose of putting off chance visitors to the island and receiving shipments of goods that may be needed."
"But what killed him?" asked Howd. "And if he was killed, why weren't we?"
"Simple electrocution," answered Jules. "The power was conducted along a shortwave radio beam instead of a wire. I suppose you noticed that the floor was of metal. We were not killed because the power was cut down to the point where it merely shocked us into unconsciousness. They have some reason for keeping us alive...."
Jerry drew a long breath. "That's nice!" he murmured.
"But what about the giant?" put in Howd.
"An experiment of secondary importance; but quite useful, I should imagine. They have been developed for physical size rather than mental capacity. They are probably quite stupid. They do the work—the manual labor—of the community. They are slaves, in a sense; but are doubtless entirely contented."
Jerry laughed. "Well Dr. Jules, you sure do make it all sound very simple and reasonable and harmless; but what about us? Why are they keeping us locked up?"
"Because we know too much," answered Jules quietly. "We have seen their giants; we have some small conception of their power. If the world knew what we know, Neeya could not continue with its work unmolested; for the strange, abnormal civilization of Neeya constitutes a definite menace to the peoples of the earth. Secrecy, therefore, is an essential part of their program...."
"Then why did they let Adams go?" objected Howd.
JULES started violently. "Good Lord! I had not thought of it in that light. I had not realized the significance...."—his voice trailed off into silence; and he sat rigidly still, his face a picture of blank amazement. Howd and Jerry, observing his discomfiture, forbore to question him further. They looked around the room.
It was bare of furnishings except for the table and beds. Two windows of ground glass admitted light—a light which appeared to be dimming steadily.
"My God!"
Startled, they gazed at Jules. His face was a white mask.
"Why, what's the matter, sir?"
"Now I see it!" hissed Jules. "The time has come—the time when they are ready to say 'Hands off!' to the world—when they must keep their secret no longer! That is why they allowed Adams to leave. They know as well as you and I know what he will do...."
"I was sort of counting on him to get us out of this mess," said Jerry.
Jules laughed bitterly. "What do you think he will do?" he countered.
"Well, when he gets back, and tells how he's been insulted, I don't think it'll be long before we'll have a battleship—or at least a cruiser—down here.... Especially when they've got the excuse of us bein' held prisoners...."
"Yes, yes—that is a damnable certainty. And they are waiting for it! If they cannot remain unknown to the world, they have only one alternative: they must frighten the world.
"That ship, and every man on it, will be made a terrible sacrifice to the future independence of Neeya!"
"Sacrifice!" cried Jerry.
"It will be utterly, ruthlessly destroyed! They will not—they cannot—adopt a middle course. Mankind will not willingly tolerate them—so mankind must fear them.... Don't you see the hopeless certainty of it?"
"Maybe so," muttered Howd, "but how can they destroy a battleship?"
"How?"—Jules made an impatient gesture. "Does it matter how? Be sure that they can do it! They are horribly, coldly reasonable in all things. They do not make mistakes; they do not lay themselves open to danger.
"Why, a weapon such as that you saw last night—of larger design—could heat a battleship to a mass of molten metal in ten minutes! Nothing could resist the terrible electric power which they can throw into that invisible ray. That humming sound you have so often heard comes from dynamos. You should have guessed that. Great dynamos. What runs them, I do not know, but—but—oh, God, what does it matter?
"Hundreds of men will meet their deaths—and we are powerless to warn them—helpless...." He buried his face in his hands.
Jerry leaped to his feet. "Then there's only one thing to do!" he said loudly. "One of us has got to make a break for it!"
Jules looked up at him suddenly from haggard eyes. "Are you mad?"
Jerry shrugged. "No harm in trying! I think Howd and I would have the best chance, together." He looked questioningly at Howd, who nodded quickly.
"There is death in trying," said Jules tonelessly. "Don't you understand that you cannot deceive these people? You must have realized during last night's conversation that they read your thoughts without effort....
"Then we've got to go now—before they get a chance!" said Howd, with decision.
"But you cannot leave the island—and the ship may not come for weeks—months—we have no way of knowing....
"Well, we'll—"
"Stop!" cried Jules suddenly. "If you are determined on this project, do not tell me a single one of your thoughts or plans. I shall remain here. I should only be a hindrance to you if I went. I want to know nothing—absolutely nothing!"
Howd and Jerry looked at him in bewilderment. Then their faces lighted with understanding. They retired to a corner, and spoke together in low tones.
"One thing!" said Jules. "The situation might be saved if the ship were to offer no offensive, and were to depart within a few hours of its arrival. Remember that!"
The windows were now black, and light came to the room from a globe in the ceiling. Howd and Jerry finished their conversation and approached the beds, from which they stripped the clothes. Silently Jules helped them tie together sheets and blankets. Together, they lifted one of the beds to the nearest window. Jerry tied an end of the crude rope to the bedstead, and stood with it coiled in his hands. Howd looked around the room; then went over, and picked up the light table by two of its legs.
"Goodbye, Doctor—see you later!" he said, and sent it crashing through the window. Jerry dropped the rope, and vaulted over the sill. It was less than six feet to the ground. By the time Howd landed with a thud beside him, Jerry had made a quick survey of the sky....
"East!" he hissed, and broke into a rim.
They did not look back. They sprinted over a large, open field which seemed to be planted with grain of some sort. The night was very dark; moonrise was still an hour off.
Their feet padded noiselessly in the soft earth. They ran, breathing deeply, heads back, knees high—without slacking—on and on....
A black mass rose before them—woods. They increased the pace, and held it desperately until they reached the trees. They cast themselves down in the shelter, the blood pounding in their ears.
"Gosh!" panted Jerry, "—musta covered two miles!"
"Don't know why we ran so damn' hard," gasped Howd. "It's dark enough!"
"Feel better in the woods," commented Jerry. "Moon might come up—or they might turn a light on us!.... Well—where away?"
"Straight through to the cliff. Gotta climb down it, somehow. Then—well, I'm glad we got our guns!"
"Mighty funny we got 'em, too!"—Jerry shook his head. "I don't see why they happened to let us keep 'em...."
"Aw, they ain't scared of simple, ordinary guns. They got—"
"Sshh!"
HALF-SEEN, half-heard—something was moving in the field! They turned, and plunged into the underbrush....
The going was hard. Trees and bushes grew thickly, interlaced with vines. The prostrate trunks of fallen trees made footing difficult. They struggled on—hands outstretched before them, feet raised high. The noise of their progress seemed fearfully loud.
Hours passed—hours of painful, exhausting effort. They dared not stop again. Suddenly, cold fear gripped Howd....
"Do you think we're going straight?" he gasped.
"God, I hope so!" was all that Jerry could say. It was impossible to see the stars—or any part of the sky—through the heavy foliage.
And then, at last, their eyes caught a dim radiance over to their left. "Moon!" breathed Jerry thankfully; and they turned in that direction. The light grew brighter; and, suddenly, they were out of the woods. Howd sat down violently....
"Gosh, I almost walked over!" he said ruefully. Jerry laughed.
Before them stretched the sea, cut by a silvery, gleaming path of moonlight. Directly below them, down the sheer face of the cliffs, the tops of tall trees waved gently.
"Can't climb down here," said Jerry reflectively. "Got to hunt a place.... Which way is the village?"
"To the right, I think—south," decided Howd, craning his neck in that direction. "Let's rest a few minutes. I'm tuckered!"
Behind them, in the woods, a twig snapped.
"So'm I," said Jerry. "—What's that?"
It was the sound of dry leaves swishing along the ground. "Something's coming!" breathed Howd. They crouched together on the cliff's edge, watching tensely the dark line of trees. And then their fascinated eyes were riveted by a sight which they had once seen before....
White in the moonlight, gleamed the huge face of a woman. The great eyes were fixed upon them. The red lips drew back from cruel teeth in a smile of infinite menace and hate.
Paralyzed, they watched her advance upon them, a tremendous figure of passion—heard the great voice, full and triumphant:
"You kill my man! I see you!.... All day long I watch the house where they put you. I see you come out. I come behind you....
"You kill my man—now I kill you!"
"SIT down, please, Herbert Jules. We must talk!" The voice of A-7 was smoothly pleasant. Jules took the chair across the desk from the other. "Since it will make the conversation more pleasant for you, I beg that you will speak in your turn; although, as you know, it is unnecessary."
Jules inclined his head. "Thank you—I should certainly be more comfortable."
"Your two young friends have run away—a quite useless maneuver, surely. Why did you not dissuade them from it?"
Jules did not answer. The other looked at him sharply.
"Ah! You know more than I thought. You are a clever man, Jules.... But they will fail. They cannot get into communication with the ship. They cannot leave the island...."
As he spoke, he eyed Jules intently. The latter remained silent.
"And you know nothing of their plans! Yes, you are a very clever man....
"Well, enough of that matter! It is unimportant. We have serious things to discuss.... You are also a very patient man, Dr. Jules." Jules looked up quickly. The other nodded.
"Yes! You have kept silent about your chief purpose in coming here, because you knew that we understood it and would answer you when we saw fit....
"Know, then, that your father is dead! He died when he refused to do that which you are going to do."
Jules' eyes closed for a moment. The muscles about his mouth and jaw tightened convulsively. The other regarded him coldly. Then:
"You will not want to die!" he whispered.
Jules kept calm with a terrific effort. "What must I do?" he questioned evenly.
"You must take wives of our choosing you must raise many children—a few of which may possibly be worthy of life in Neeya."
Jules looked at him with growing horror. His lips worked feverishly. Finally: "Never!" he breathed.
"It is the will of A-1. The alternative is death!"
Jules leaped to his feet. "You are a pack of cold-blooded murderers!"—his voice was vibrant with anger and scorn.
The other appeared unmoved. "You perhaps forget," he said, "that your life is, in all justice, forfeit for the killing of B-25." He shook his head sadly. "I had hoped that all this discussion might be carried on with the reasonable calm befitting two such intelligent men as ourselves. I trust that you will not disappoint me.... Won't you please sit down?"
Jules sank slowly into his chair, and nodded grimly. "If there is anything more to say, I will listen!"
"It is your impression that there is something illegal or barbarous about the threat that I have just made. But as soon as you succeed in grasping the idea that Neeya is a complete and independent nation, you will understand the simple justice of it.
"We are no more answerable to the rest of the world for the justice which we dispense here than was England, not many years ago, when it saw fit to hang its thieves on roadside gibbets.... The fact that you are an American citizen does not frighten us, or deter us from doing what we feel is right," he added, with a twisted smile.
Jules said nothing; and the other continued, with a new seriousness, "Yet in place of death we are offering you life—a life of wonder. Here in Neeya we have delved deeply into the secrets of existence—into the mysteries of the universe." The man's eyes flashed. "We are now at a point in scientific achievement which the rest of mankind will not reach for hundreds of years. Here in Neeya we live the life of the mind, and we deliberately develop our minds to grapple with the great problems of What Is and What Will Be. It is the ideal existence!
"Do not misunderstand me! Here you will find no complicated and ingenious mechanical contrivances. The physical manifestations of our life are of the simplest. We do not build swift-travelling machines, for we have no transportation problem. We do not build tremendous structures; for our population is not increasing in numbers, but in the power and capability of each individual...."
"Somewhat intangible advantages, are they not?" interrupted Jules, with a shrug.
"Dr. Jules, you do yourself injustice when you jibe at us in that ill-humoured fashion. The very tangible evidences of our power which we need to further our purposes—we have; as you know, and as your fellow-countrymen will discover before many days have elapsed. But—"
"One would think," interrupted Jules, "that beings of your extremely advanced ideals would shrink from destroying a great number of perfectly innocent men!"
"Dr. Jules, you will be so kind as to not attempt to deceive me concerning the actual trend of your thoughts, since I know them as well as you do yourself!.... You know as well as I do that the ship which is coming will attack us first, and that we will not hurt it until it has done so.... There is no moral stigma attached to superior efficiency in warfare!"
"Ah, but what is going to happen is what you desire to happen!" rejoined Jules hotly.
The man smiled, and shrugged in his turn. "That is as may be; it has no actual bearing on the issue!....
"Enough of that! Let us return to the subject of your future.... You should try to realize the honor that is being paid you. You will take the ray treatment. You will daily consort with men who are the most wonderful in the world. As a scientist, you will find great joy in the universal mysteries which they will resolve for you—in the great truths which they will reveal to you. And your brain—which we believe valuable—will, if we are successful, be preserved in a number of the children which your wives will give you.
"You need not be pained because I say 'wives'. You will remain monogamous.... That puzzles you? I see that there is one of our secrets you have not penetrated! How old do you think I am?"
Jules looked at him curiously, but hazarded no reply.
"I am nine!" said the other quietly. "I shall very likely die before I am twenty."
Jules started, frowned, and then nodded slowly. "I see!" was all he said.
"Yes—you see how our tremendous development has been possible. In the century that our civilization has existed there have been twenty generations or more.... It is a special effect of the Ray. We mature rapidly. We live full, intense lives. We sleep one hour in the twenty-four. Less than ten minutes is wasted in eating. Rest—relaxation—is abhorrent, meaningless to us. Thus, you see, we lose nothing.... .
"Thus you will have three wives—perhaps four...."
"I have a wife—of my own; and three very lovely children!" said Jules flatly.
"—And you would die before you would desert them!.... Yes, yes, we understand all that.... Still, I think you will do what we wish—for you have forgotten something! Why do you think we retained your two young companions?"
Jules' eyelids flickered, and his lips tightened.
"Yes! You take my meaning.... You know that you cannot deceive us—when you accept, you must be truly sincere; and, if you refuse, these two young men will be killed—before your eyes!"
"They have escaped!" cried Jules desperately.
"We shall know where to find them!"
"But it is butchery!" Jules clenched his fists. His brow was wet with perspiration.
A SMALL white light appeared suddenly, on the surface of the desk. A-7 picked up a receiver, listened a few moments, and laid it down with a smile.
"It would appear," he said softly, "that the wife of B-25 has been conducting a personal vendetta.... Her body was discovered this morning, impaled on the topmost branches of a tree at the foot of the cliff, on the east side of the island.... Energetic young men—these friends of yours!"
Jules buried his face in his hands.
"But we shall know where to find them when we want them. And in the meantime you will be free to come and go as you wish on Neeya, and to consider seriously your decision.... Farewell, then, until—until the ship comes in!"
To Jules, the following days seemed endless. He was allowed to wander freely, now, among the men of Neeya; but any interest which he might have felt in his surroundings was completely submerged in despair at the utter helplessness of his position. He knew that he must make up his mind to do what they commanded; to fail in that was to sign the death warrant of his two companions.
A hundred times every day he resigned himself to the inevitable, only to have there rise up in his mind's eye pictures of his home—his children, and his beautiful young wife. A thousand times every day he cursed himself for his folly in throwing himself—and others—upon the mercy of these beings who knew no mercy. He hated the strange, impassive men he saw around him.
There were about a hundred of them. They lived in blocks of square, plain houses. Their whole settlement covered no more than an acre. And yet Jules knew that in this tiny community lay a power that the whole world would learn to fear. Often he doubted it—believed himself mad. Then, desperately, he would search his mind for a means of opposing them.
What was the source of this weapon of theirs—their electrical power? Jules puzzled over the matter. The dynamos, from the sound of them, seemed to be somewhere over to the west. If they could be wrecked.
One morning he set out to walk in that direction. Around the central settlement were the homes of the giants—big barn-like structures set in the fields where they worked daily. Jules had watched them at their labors—impressed by the playful ease with which they performed the tasks of farming. Work appeared to occupy very little of their time, the greater part of which was spent in boisterous athletic games—quite terrible to watch because of the tremendous forces involved.
Jules had progressed scarcely a hundred yards across the fields in a westerly direction, when one of the great creatures came bounding towards him, and planted itself directly in his path. It raised a great arm, pointing in the direction from which he had come; and he realized that he was not free to leave the settlement. He turned back docilely, searching his mind for the full significance of this fact. Perhaps he might do something, after all.... If he could only find out more about that power plant! There were no wires anywhere visible. They must be buried....
He came to a startled halt. He was back among the houses now. Someone was walking towards him, and he suddenly realized that it was a woman. He wondered why he had not seen one before.... Probably he had, without knowing it; because she was strangely like the men. The large, close-cropped head; the unattractive white garment; the ungraceful, man-like gait—Jules shuddered, and turned aside. And yet, he reflected, he might have expected it. Women bred for their intellects would naturally be lacking in feminine charm....
He tried to keep his mind off the future.
ONE night, on returning to his bare room in the house of A-7, he found a sheet of paper on his table, bearing a single sentence:
The store in the harbour village has been plundered of a substantial supply of foodstuffs.
For a moment he gazed at it in complete bewilderment, before realizing its import. Then he sighed, and smiled wanly. Howd and Jerry were, as A-7 had expressed it, "energetic young men"! Grimly he vowed that he would submit to anything before harm should come to them.
The people, he met paid him not the slightest attention. They appeared to be intensely preoccupied with their thoughts. Idly he wondered if he had seen the mysterious "A-1". And then, following that, a second idea had dawned in his brain.... If he could only get at this A-1—locate him—take him by surprise! There was nothing to lose....
In the center of the settlement was a building larger than the others. He had often wondered about it. Now he spent his time in its vicinity, trying to discover its function. Many people went in and out....
As the days went by his mind became almost entirely occupied with his two vague plans. And, unfortunately, he did not realize the danger of this, until too late. Returning to his room one night, he found a second note:
Herbert Jules:
It has been reported to me that you are harboring certain violent intentions towards our power plant and towards the person of A-1 himself. You will remain in your room until the morning of the day after tomorrow when the attacking ship is expected to arrive. By that time you must have come to a decision on the matter which we discussed.
For your information, the building which has aroused your interest houses the Ray apparatus, the Nursery, and the apparatus for exterminating children which do not come up to our specifications.
A-7
Jules threw himself full-length upon the bed. In his haggard face the lines were deeper, and the eyes were dull....
He had come to his decision.
In the bright morning sunlight Dr. Jules stood upon the cliff's edge; and gazed out across the water to where, a half mile or so from shore, lay a majestic battleship, flying from her stern the stars and stripes of the United States of America. She lay broadside to the shore, and in the clear air Jules could see with startling distinctness the sailors in their white uniforms, and other men in darker clothes, whom he knew to be Marines. It was a beautiful and imposing picture. But in Jules' eyes, as he gazed, was only horror and despair.
Beside him stood the man A-7. "We are in radio communication with the ship," he was saying, in his calm, soft voice, "and have absolutely forbidden them to land. Any attempt to do so, therefore, may be taken as a hostile measure; and...." He did not finish his sentence; but glanced meaningly to where, a few feet away, stood a strange machine. It was a large, black box, surmounted by a reflector resembling that of a powerful searchlight. Across the ground and into the box ran a heavy cable.
Jules paid the other little attention. His brain felt numb. He found himself marvelling in a detached way at these weird, unearthly people, who sent a single man to wage war on a great battleship, and had not even curiosity enough to watch the proceedings....
"Yes," the other took up his thought, "we of Neeya have little interest in mechanical playthings, and less in warfare. That is why you see no one here.... A-1 is, however, coming—to give me authority for what I do. We plan that this shall be the last foreign interference that we shall ever have to deal with...."
"Where do you get your power?" blurted Jules. While the other had been speaking, he had seen something that set his mind racing in a turmoil of excitement. Out on the bright surface of the sea, moving slowly towards the ship from the north, were two bobbing, black specks—and he knew what they were! If he could only keep the other occupied, there was yet hope of averting the disaster....
"Ah, you have not guessed, then?" As the other rose to his bait, Jules could hardly help shouting his relief. "You had designs on our power plant, I know. But there is no harm in telling you now.... We use steam. And how do we heat our boilers? We use natural fires!"
"NATURAL fires?" exclaimed Jules loudly.
"Exactly! This, of course; is a volcanic island; and, at one point inland, the volcanic fires are not far below the surface. There we sunk our boilers; and, fed with water by pipes, they form a permanent power supply...."
"Wonderful!" cried Jules. While the other spoke he had been racking his brain for a new topic of conversation. Now, in a flash, he had it....
"I see how this machine works," he said eagerly, "but what could you do against aircraft?"
"Ah, we have another machine! This one is grounded, so that the radio beam forms one side of the circuit with the ground as the other. Our other machine is not grounded; but has two reflectors, which project parallel beams just ten feet apart.... So, you see—"
He stopped suddenly, and looked intently across Jules' shoulder. Jules swung around in alarm to see gliding swiftly towards him a tall, black figure.
"A-1!" hissed the other.
The approaching man was completely enveloped in a hooded, black cloak, with narrow slits for the eyes. Suddenly came his voice, hard as steel....
"Fool! Do you not see what is happening?" He pointed with a rigid arm; and Jules' heart sank. Then A-7 saw, for the first time, the swimming men. With a startled gasp he leaped to the machine....
"You cannot hurt them!" cried Jules frantically. "You have pledged me their lives, since I have agreed to—"
"They are interfering with more serious matters!" came the hard voice.
Suddenly, from behind the ship, shot out a small boat, rowed by a sailor towards the swimmers. A-7 swung the great reflector, and Jules heard the click of a switch....
With a hissing roar, a tremendous column of steam shot into the air, as between the swimming men and the approaching boat a great, circular surface of the sea bubbled and leaped and boiled. The man in the boat stopped rowing, and scrambled erect.
BOOM!—a puff of white smoke from the ship's side, and a shell whistled over the cliff to crash and crackle in the woods beyond.
"Ahhh!"—a long sigh of satisfaction from the hooded figure—"They have done it—they have attacked!.... The small boat!"
A-7 swung the reflector. The boiling, steaming circle rushed across the sea—enveloping the little boat. The sailor collapsed across the gunwale. His hair and clothing blazed—his body blackened and seemed to crumble.... Then his head dropped off into the water; and, as Jules screamed aloud in horror, the boat sank from sight....
"The ship!"
At the sound of that hard, cold voice, there rose up within Jules a wild, mad surge of anger against this black monster before him. With gnashing teeth and clawing hands he threw himself at the other....
Suddenly he was looking into two blazing, overpowering eyes—felt sick and weak—was falling swiftly into a roaring, black emptiness; yet no matter how fast he fell, those blazing eyes were still upon him—and he struggled futilely....
SOMEWHERE, someone was calling him—faintly, steadily: "Dr. Jules!.... Jules, Jules....!" Whirling in the blackness, he struggled to keep near the sound. Sick with dizziness, he fought on and on—until gradually he whirled less swiftly, and the voice became clearer.
"Dr. Jules!"
Now he knew that he was lying on his back—quietly, restfully. He opened his eyes....
In a blazing brightness a face hung above him—a familiar face.
"Hello, Doctor!"
Suddenly he knew that this was Howard Duncan. "Hello!" he said feebly.
Howd looked across at Jerry, and nodded. "He's all right," he said.
Five minutes later Jules was sitting up in bed, gaping helplessly at Captain Jones of the battleship.
"Let me get this straight," he groaned in bewilderment. "I'm on the ship—and the ship is unharmed—and we are now headed back for Washington?"
"That's right!" grinned the Captain. "We're retreatin'—damned if we ain't!.... But these boys can tell you more about it than I can. I got knocked out!"
Jules looked inquiringly at Jerry, who burst into speech: "Well, when we finally got to the ship here—an' I never want to come nearer drownin' than that!—we found half the floatin' population unconscious an' the other half tryin' to revive it.... Well, they did revive it—an' the Captain can tell you the rest!"
Captain Jones swore volubly. "I don't know what kind of hell-fire dingus they got on that there island; but there ain't no use fightin' somethin' you can't see that knocks out a couple of hundred men in one whack—so when I came to, I radio'd 'em that we'd leave peaceably; an' they radio'd back to send a boat for you.... So we did, and here you are!" The Captain fished in his pocket. "Fella gimme a letter for you.—Here it is!" he finished.
Jules turned the white envelope over in his hands thoughtfully. He looked up at Howd. "Where have you been all this time?" he smiled.
"Oh, we hid in a cave under the cliff," said Howd.
Jules tore the envelope. "Excuse me, please," he said; and unfolded the paper.
Dr. Herbert Jules,
On board U.S.S. Oregon.
Dear Dr. Jules:
You did us an injustice in supposing that we intended to destroy an entire warship to prove our capabilities. We found it sufficient to slay one man and mildly shock a number of others. I freely forgive you your attack upon my person, since, under the circumstances, it was entirely justified. I was expecting something of the sort, and came prepared.
Am I too sanguine in hoping that you will, in turn, forgive us the many indignities and discomforts you have suffered while on our island? We hoped that you might become one of us; but, since that is impossible, I have another request to make.
But first let me assure you with the greatest sincerity that you have been misinformed regarding the circumstances of the death of your father. With the object of making his visit to Neeya a complete and entire secret, he leaped from his yacht in the night, as (following the course he had prescribed) it passed close to the island. Unfortunately, he overestimated his strength; and, during the arduous swim, contracted an illness from which he died within a few days. Allow me to join you in your grief at the passing of a very great and good man.
Now, as to the favor I beg: Since you, better than any living man (outside our island), know the purposes and characteristics of Neeya—and since we can no longer keep our existence a secret—would you consider acting as our Representative at Large—to the world in general, as it were? The post, I can assure you, will rapidly become one of the greatest importance; and you would do us an inestimable service by accepting it.
If you decide in our favor, will you get in touch with us by radio? Hoping that you are suffering no ill effects of your adventures here, I beg to remain,
Ever your faithful servant,
A-1 of Neeya.
Jules lowered the letter; and remained for a very long time staring straight ahead of him, into space. Then a grim smile overspread his face, and he slapped his knee loudly....
"By God—I'll do it!" he cried. The others looked at him curiously.
"Listen!" he said; and, picking up the letter, he read it over, aloud. There was a long silence which Jules finally broke. "And when my job is over," he said slowly, "I may go back to Neeya, if only out of curiosity."
Roy Glashan's Library
Non sibi sed omnibus
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