THE MAN
WHO CAST
SHADOW.
by Seabury Quinn
February, 1927.
;
]C=3I=IES=0E C=1E
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Today the men whom L
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1 and listen to the vaporings of a flock
of silly flappers. I
IJT no, my
friend, Jules de Mordieu, hear the savage! de
Grandin shook his sleek, Grandin chuckled delightedly. Al-
blond head decidedly and ways does he find excuses for not giv-
grinned across the breakfast table at ing pleasure to others, and always
me, we will go to this so kind
does he frame those excuses to make
Madame Norman's tea, of a certainty. him more important in his own eyes.
Yes. Enough of this, Friend Trowbridge;
But hang it all, I replied, giv- let us go to the kind Madame Nor-
ing Mis. Normans note an irritable mans party. Always there issome-
shove with my coffee spoon, I dont thing of interest to be seen if one but
reception. Oh, I guess you mean Count
a young man laden with an
Czerny,
T
mansion
he reception was in full blast
when we arrived at the Norman
in Tuscarora Avenue that
ice in one hand and a glass of non-
Volstead punch in the other paused
on his way from the dining room.
afternoon. The air was heavy with Hes a rare bird, all right. I knew
the commingled odors of half a hun- him back in 13 when the Balkan
dred different perfumes and the Allies were polishing off the Turks.
scent of hot-poured jasmine tea, Queer-lookin duck, aint he? First-
while the clatter of cup on saucer, class fightin man, though. Why, I
laughter, and buzzing conversation saw him lead a bayonet charge right
filled the wide hall and dining room. into the Turkish lines one day, and
In the long double parlors the rugs when hed shot his pistol empty he
had been rolled back and young men went at the enemy with his teeth
in frock coats glided over the pol- Yes, sir, he grabbed a Turk with both
ished parquetry in company with hands and bit his throat out, hanged
girls in provocatively short skirts to if he didnt.
the belching melody of a saxophone Czerny,
de Grandin repeated
bird of prey, and the tilt of his long, meet that gentleman, after all. I
pointed jaw bore out the uncompro- will have the good Madame Norman
mising ferocity of the rest of his vis- introduce you.
age. Across his left cheek, extending More puzzled than ever, I followed
upward over the temple and into his him to our hostess and waited while
hair, was a knife- or saber-scar, a he requested her to present me to the
streak of white showing the trail of count.
the steel in his scalp, and shining like In a lull in the dancing she com-
silver inlaid in onyx against the blue- plied with his request, and the for-
black of his smoothly pomaded locks. eigner acknowledged the introduction
What they said was, of course, be- with a brief handclasp and an almost
yond reach of my ears, but I saw de churlish nod, then turned his back on
Grandins quick, impish smile flicker me, continuing an animated conver-
across his keen face more than once, sation with the large-eyed young wo-
to be answered by a slow, languorous man in an abbreviated party frock.
smile on the others dark counten- And did you shake his hand?
ance. de Grandin asked as we descended the
At length the count bowed formal- Normans steps to my waiting car.
ly to my friend and whirled away Yes, of course, I replied.
with a wisp of a girl, while de Gran- Ah? Tell me, my friend, did
din returned to me. At the door he you notice anything ah peculiar,
paused a moment, inclining his in his grip ?
But look here, I began, nettled seemed like more than necessary
by his manner, what
interest. And how did he impress
Non, non, he interrupted, you you at the time?
must be advised by me, my friend. I Oh, I just happened to pass him
think it would be better if we dis- in Fifth Avenue, I replied. Id
missed the incident from our minds. been up to see an acquaintance in
But stay perhaps you had better Fifty-ninth Street and was turning
152 WEIRD TALES
into the avenue when
I saw him driv- A man, he echoed incredulous-
ing away He was
from the Plaza. ly. A man, do you say? No, no,
with some ladies. my friend, that is not likely.
suspected as much
!
what is it whos ill?
Its its Guy Eckhart, hes been
Ha, is it so? de Grandin mur-
mured half heedlessly, as he made a
taken with a fainting fit, and we rapid inspection of the patient.
dont seem to be able to rouse him. Friend Trowbridge, he called
Very well, I promised, Dr. de me to the window, what do you
Grandin and I will be right over. make of these objective symptoms: a
Come on, de Grandin, I called soft, frequent pulse, a fluttering
as I shoved my hat down over my heart, suffused eyes, a hot, dry skin
ears and shrugged into my overcoat, and a flushed, hectic face?
one of Mrs. Normans house guests Sounds like an arterial hemor-
has been taken ill I told her we were
; rhage, I answered promptly, but
coming. theres been no trace of blood on the
Mats oui, he agreed, hurrying boys floor, nor any evidence of a
into his outdoors clothes.' Is it a stain on his clothing. Sure youve
man or a woman, this sick one? checked the signs over?
Its a man, I replied, Guy Absolutely, he replied with a
Eckhart. vigorous double nod. Then to the
THE MAN WHO CAST NO SHADOW 163
hasten; I would see that church to- Did you bring me out here to
night, if I may. study the orthographical eccentrici-
ties of the early settlers ? I demand-
from his electric torch on some monu- think there is anything I can tell you
ment of an early settler, bent to de- about it, sir.. There is some mention
cipher the worn inscription, then in the early parish records, I believe,
turned away with a sigh of disap- of a woman believed to have been a
pointment.. murderess being buried in that grave,
1 paused to light a cigar, but but it seems the poor creature was
dropped my half-burned match in as- more sinned against than sinning.
tonishment as my companion gave Several children in the neighborhood
THE MAN WHO CAST NO SHADOW 155
mustache twitched like the whiskers The Italian spread his hands in a
of a nervous tom-cat. A foreigner, deprecating gesture. We have it
do you say? A tall, rawboned, flesh- not, Signor, he declared. It was
less living skeleton of a man with a only yesterday morning that we sold
scar on his face and a white streak our entire supply. His little black
in his hair? eyes snapped happily at the memory
I wouldnt be quite so severe in of an unexpected bargain.
my description, the other answered Eh, what is this? de Grandin
with a smile. He certainly was a demanded. Do you say you sold
thin gentleman, and I believe he had your supply? How is that?
a scar on his face, too, though I can t I know not, the other replied.
be certain of that, he was so very Yesterday morning a rich gentle-
wrinkled.. No, his hair was entirely man came to my shop in an automo-
white, there was no white streak in bile, and called me from my store.
it, sir. In fact, I should have said He desired all the garlic I had in
he was very advanced in age, judging
stock at my own price, Signor, and
from his hair and face and the man- at once. I was to deliver it to his
156 WEIRD TALES
address in Rupleysville the same you were out and couldnt be
day. reached.
Ah? de Grandins face assumed Whats up? I asked.
the expression of a cross-word fiend Its Mr. Eckhart again. Hes
as he begins to see the solution of his been seized with another fainting fit.
puzzle. And this liberal purchaser, He seemed so well this afternoon,
what did he look like? and I sent a big dinner up to him at
8 oclock, but when the maid went
The Italian showed his white, even
in, she found hjm unconscious, and
teeth in a wide grin. It was fun-
she declares she saw something in
nay, he confessed. He did not
his room
look like one of our people, nor like
one who would eat much garlic. He
Ha? de Grandin interrupted.
was old, very old and thin, with a
Where is she, this servant? I
would speak w ith her. r
don, sors they mostly seems to think ed, removing the cigarette from his
Is it the so lovely Mademoiselle
that a harness bulls unyform is lips.
friend. Say on, how did it happen, protested. Somewhere you have
and when? overlooked a factor in this puzzle.
Twas about midnight last night You say no one saw her later? Have
th alarm came into headquarters, you nothing whatever to add to the
the detective replied. Accordin to tale?
th facts as we have em, th
lady went downtown in th Norman
young Wellthe detective grinned
there at
him are one or two little in-
car to do some errands. Weve cidents, but they aint of any im-
checked her movements up, an here portance in th case, as far as I can
they are. see. Just as she left Petes store an
He drew a black-leather memoran- old gink tried to make her, but she
dum book from his pocket and con- give him th air, an he went off an
sulted it. didn t bother her no more.
At 2:45 or thereabouts, she left Id a liked to seen th old boy,
th house, arrivin at th Ocean Trust
at that. Day before yesterday there
Company at 2 :55, five minutes before was an old felly hangin round by
th instytootion closed for th day.
words with the cancre; we have work them leading toward the rear of the
to do! house.
Down the road we raced in the Right yare, the detective
direction indicated by the hotelkeep- agreed. Someones left his track
er, till the picket fence and broken here, an no mistake.
shutters of the Hazelton house Ha! de Grandin bent forward
showed among a rank copse of sec- till it seemed the tip of his high-
ond-growth pines at the bend of the bridged nose would impinge on the
highway. tracks. Gentlemen, he rose and
The shrewd wind of early spring pointed forward into the gloom with
was moaning and soughing among the a dramatic flourish of his cane, they
us go
black boughs of the pine trees as are here ! Let !
we ran toward the house, and, though Through the gloomy hall we fol-
it was bright with sunshine on the lowed thetrail by the aid of Costel-
road, there was chill and shadow los flashlight, stepping carefully to
about us as we climbed the sagging avoid creaking boards as much as pos-
steps of the old buildings ruined sible. At length the marks stopped
piazza and paused breathlessly before abruptly in the center of w hat had r
ing lazily in the air, and laid a bright seemed, and was brick-walled and
oval of light against the warped earth-floored, without window or ven-
floor-boards. tilation opening of any sort. A dank,
Huh, empty as a pork-butchers musty odor assaulted our nostrils as
in Jerusalem, Costello commented we leaned forward, but further im-
disgustedly, looking about the un- pressions were blotted out by the
furnished rooms, but de Grandin sight directly beneath us.
seized him by the elbow with one White as a figurine of earven ala-
hand while he pointed toward the baster, the slender, bare body of a
floor with the ferrule of his slender girl lay in sharp reverse silhouette
ebony walking stick. against the darkness of the cavern
Empty, perhaps, he conceded in floor, her ankles crossed and firmly
a low, vibrant whisper, but not lashed to a stake in the earth, one
recently, mon ami.Where the sun-
hand doubled behind her back in the
beam splashed on the uneven floor position of a wrestlers hammerlock
there showed distinctly the mark of a grip, and made firm to a peg in the
booted foot, two marks a trail of floor, while the left am
was extend-
162 WEIBD TALES
ed straight outward, its wrist pin- now, will you die by the steel, or by
ioned to another stake. Her lux- starvation ?
' *
which mouthed and gibbered like a clothed in her patchwork as-
A-ah? he cried with
beast at bay. sortment of garments, wedged in the
a mocking, upward-lilting accent. front seat between de Grandin and
You did not expect this, eh, Friend me, we began our triumphant jour-
Blood-drinker ? I give you the party- ney home.
of -surprize, nest-ce-pas The cen- An would ye mind tellin me
turies have been long, mon vieux; but how ye knew where to look for th
the reckoning has come at last. Say, ( Continued on page 278)
00KING back, one is struck with us and caused an age-old cosmic feud
ment when their conversation was The aged McAndrews removed his
broken into by Hunters friendly pipe from his mouth to voice dissent.
voice. How about the scienteefic chap-
Thunderstorm here lately? he pies? he asked.
asked. I came through a bad one Well, except for them, conced-
down at Carlisle, Wednesday. A ed the host, somewhat discomfited,
messy sort of thing. Lightning fired while the older man replaced the pipe
a house there.
and regarded him with stern gravity.
The host contemplated him doubt- Possibly to cover up his mistake, he
fully before replying. went rapidly on with explanations
It was not a thunderstorm we for Hunters benefit.
spoke of, he told him. There was Two science professors they are,
a queer thing here
I dont just that have a cabin on one of the hills.
know McAndrews
here heard it, For near a year theyve been there,
and so did I studying the glassy forts, I hear. I
He paused, but Hunter was inter- never saw them, myself, for they get
ested, and questioning him further, everything they need over at Dy-
found that the subject of discussion kirk.
w as a series of strange detonations
r
A term in his speech caught Hun-
that had been heard throughout the ters interest. The glassy forts?
village on the night before, a succes- he repeated, interrogatively.
sion of deep-toned, rumbling explo- Theres some piles of old stone
sions that seemed to come from the ruins on some of the hilltops around
group of hills west of Leadanfoot. here, the innkeeper explained.
All in the village had heard the Some of them have parts of stones
sounds, and most had set it down as all melted into glass. Lightning did
distant thunder, but the innkeeper it, I suppose. Around here we call
quite evidently disagreed. them the glassy forts, and its them
Like no thunder you ever heard, that these men are working with, dig-
he assiu'ed Hunter. Boom boom ging and such.
boom boom
boom Regular,
! Oh, I see, said Hunter. More
like a big cannon firing. Ive heard slowly, he continued, Do you know,
enough thunder in my time, and this Id like to see some of them if it
sound was not like it, not like it at wouldnt take too long. Do you
all. Eh, McAndrews? suppose I could, in a day?
The wrinkled oldster sagely nod- Well, you can if youre a good
ded agreement. climber, host informed him.
his
Maybe it was blasting you heard, Lowder the nearest to here,
Hill is
Hunter suggested. Some farmer and they say theres such ruins on
up there doing something of that top of it. Its not so steep, either.
kind, peihaps? Theres another hill right next to
THE ATOMIC CONQUERORS 165
Lowder, Kerachan Hill, but its too far, in Leadanfoot and London and
high and rough to get up and down New York and Peking, other men
in a day, hardly. Its on Kerachan were pushing their way forward, in
that the science men are staying, I their particular groove in life, schem-
think. Youd best try Lowder, ing for disks of metal and slips of
though. paper, for the admiration of their
Ill stay here tomorrow, then, fellows, for riches or fame or knowl-
Hunter told him, and make the edge. A vast mass of tiny conspira-
trip. Im so infernally tired of ped- tors, each intent on his own plots,
aling that a day of tramping will be each sublimely confident of the im-
a rest. portance of his especial business and
The prospect had intrigued the its outcome.
young student, and before retiring And hidden in those quiet hills in-
for the night he acquired enough in- to which Hunter advanced was that
formation to guide him on the next which was to upset all of those min-
days trip. Also he had been fur- ute conspiracies like little houses of
nished with a number of weird anec- caids,a door through which was to
dotes concerning the glassy forts, come a menacing terror unknown to
which were evidently objects of local man, so that presently, through this
superstition. world, and worlds above and beyond,
The sun was an hour high the next would run death, and confusion, and
morning when he left the inn, a small an ancient dread
package of lunch in his pocket.. He
swung quickly through the village 2
and tramped steadily over stony r'pHE
roads and rough moor toward the sun was near its greatest
dark, looming bulk of the western
^ height when Hunter came to the
hills, whose sides were almost com- farther side of Lowder Hill, and the
pletely hidden by dense forests of fir. rude path that twisted up that side.
Hunter had been advised to climb He stared at it rather doubtfully, for
Lowder Hill from its farther side, so the hill seemed very steep and the
on reaching it he walked in a great day was almost half gone. Then,
circle around its base, through a nar- with a shrug, he was about to step
row, wooded valley that separated it forward to the path when the sound
from Kerachan Hill. As he passed of a step behind him made him wheel
along this valley, he was struck by in surprize.
its utter peace and quiet. The smal- A strange figure was walking to-
ler forest creatures were frightened ward him, a small, middle-aged man
away by the sound of his coming, but whose clothes were dirty and torn by
once he glimpsed the vague dun briars. He was hatless, and on his
shape of a deer slipping through the pink, round, spectacled face was an
trees in the distance, and now and expression of dazed wonder. He
then startled groups of birds burst tip came forward until he was within a
through the trees at his approach, few yards of the astonished Hunter,
noisily discussing hint in disparag- then stopped and regarded him
ing terms, in their flight. The busy, mildly..
shouting, bellowing world seemed in- Not Powell, he whispered, soft-
conceivably remote, in that tranquil ly, confidentially. Not
spot. He speaking suddenly,
ceased
The sun swung higher and higher looked around with a certain sur-
while he pushed his way forward. prize, then sank to the ground in a
And in the world that seemed so very dead faint.
166 WEIRD TALES
In a moment Hunter was by the pose someone was planning to kill ev-
mans side, applying his vagne ideas ery living person in the village yon-
of first aid. He got his pocket flask der, to wipe it out utterly, would you
between the mans teeth, and a little try to prevent it ?
brandy down his throat, which al- At Hunters wondering reply he
most instantly pulled him back to continued, Of course you would.
consciousness. The man lay there, Now go farther still. Suppose some-
his eyes sweeping over Hunters face, one, something, was trying to kill ev-
then asked, quite unexpectedly, ery human being on Earth, to anni-
What time is it? hilate the world as we know it. Would
On finding that it was almost you try to stop that, too?
noon, he straightened to a sitting The younger man stared at him
position. Im all right now, he blankly. Would you? persisted
assured the student, motioning the the other.
latter to a seat on the ground beside
him. His glance wavered about the
Why, yes naturally, answered
the student, and the older man
scene, then came back to Hunter,
sighed.
whom he regarded intently before
It is to prevent that that I need
addressing him.
your help, he said, quietly.
Who you are, I dont know, he
Before Hunter could comment on
began, and as Hunter started to ex-
that startling statement the man
plain, he added, and it doesnt mat-
rushed on. I am going to tell you
ter. Youve had some education,
havent you? Ah, medical student!
enough of the matter to help you
understand what threatens. You will
That makes it easier much easier.
not think me a madman, when you
Hunter began to think that the hear! We have little time here, an
man was still dizzy, delirious. hour perhaps, before we must start
Hadnt I better help you back to back. But it is enough for me to
Leadanfoot? he asked. tell
There would not be time, the You will wish to know who I am.
other answered, strangely. I was Marlowe is my name, and until a
going to Leadanfoot myself, for - year ago I held a position on the
But there, you do not know. There staff of the Trent Museum, in Lon-
is time to get back, though. You and don. It was there that I met Powell,
I. But first you should hear some three years ago.
He caught the doubting, half-fear- Dr. Henry Powell he was, an
ful expression on the young mans elderly physics professor, lately re-
tired from Cambridge. That was all
face. No, Im not a madman, he
he ever told me of his past, for even
assured him, almost gently. But I
after we became better acquainted
need help, badly. Need your help.
he was close-mouthed about his form-
But help for what ? asked Hunt-
they were attempting., After a year TUTe had been on such a trip
off
of work together the two .had split for several weeks when he sent
over some disagreement, each carry- me an urgent wire, from a Scotch
ing on the experiment alone. Wood- village named Dykirk. He had made
ing was the first of the two to pub- a great discovery, he said, but need-
lish his results, and immediately ed my help, and offered me a hand-
Powell claimed that his former part- some salary for my aid. My own
ner in work had stolen his own re- interest was aroused by his message,-
sults. so I procured the necessary leave
There was rather a scandal over from the museum and went at once,
the matter, but an investigating being met by Powell when I stepped
committee ruled that Powells off the train.
charges were unproved, so he was re- It turned out that his discovery
tired from the university. I never was on the summit of a hill some
talked with Powell on the matter, and miles from Dykirk, named Keraclian
never learned the right of it, but I Hill. He had had a little cottage, or
could see that the thing had embit- cabin, built on the hill, and had lived
tered him greatly, so that he was in it for some weeks. It took us most
wont to snarl viciously at all scientific of the day to get to his little home,
people, and in fact, nearly all peo- so we stowed my luggage and waited
ple, of any kind. He grated on me until the next morning to inspect his
considerably, sometimes, for he was discovery.
like an animated bottle of acid, thin- And it was really astounding.
lipped, sardonic, sneering. But one The summit of the hill was flat, and
thing drew us together, a common there, with a few crumbling stono
interest in archeology. In fact, that blocks scattered about, but in the
branch of knowledge was my work, at center of that level expanse, was a
the museum, and Powell had taken it shallow pit, newly dug, that was cir-
up as a sort of hobby, to occupy his cular in shape and perhaps twenty
restless mind, I suppose. We got ac- feet across. At its bottom, a foot or
quainted through his visits to the mu- so from the surface of the ground,
seum and had many a talk there- lay a flat round stone, the surface of
after. which was almost completely covered
He was intensely interested in by a mass of strange characters,
the vitrified forts of Scotland, as carven into it deeply.
they are called. Piles of stone ruins It was to decipher this inscrip-
on some of the Scottish hills, and tion that Powell needed my help, for
in a few valleys, with some of the I am by way of being an expert in
stones melted into glass. Youve hieroglyphics, cuneiform writing, and
heard of them? Well, it was Pow- such. He said that he had found
ells radical theory that those glassy this inscription beneath a protecting
streaks w ere not made by lightning,
r
layer of cement of some kind, and
as is commonly supposed, but by some was afire to learn its meaning, as he
powerful weapon or ray, striking well might be.
from above. You will see what a So I settled in the little cabin and
revolution in conventional arch- began work that very day. To my
eological thought would be the re- surprize, I found the inscription
sult if he could prove that. He got quite easy to decipher, for all that
to be a fanatic on the subject, and the characters were totally strange
spent most of his time roaming about and unknown. Whoever had carved
Scotland and hunting and digging in it had placed in it, here and there,
such ruins. small pictures, symbols, giving a key
168 WEIRD TALES
for its translation purposely. Within you and I, all but different vibra-
a month I had translated and ar- tions in the ether. And the atomic
ranged my translations of it, and had found that as a stone is
scientists
found that the inscription told a simply an etheric vibration, by rais-
stupendous, incredible story. ing the frequency of vibration the
According to it, these ruins of stone would be made larger, by lower-
forfs that lay scattered through Scot- ing that frequency it would be made
land had been built ages before by a smaller.
race of strange folk who had invaded Their method of changing that
the Earth then. And these strangers frequency was told by the inscription.
had come, not from another planet, They would ascertain the frequency
as one might suppose, but from a of vibration of an object, then con-
single atom in the Earth. centrate on, it other artificial electric
vibrations, much like radio waves,
This will sound incredible to
you, as at first it did to me, but con- which would change the vibratory
sider. We know that each atom of frequency of the object just as the
our Earth consists of a number of rate of swing of a pendulum can be
electrons revolving about a nucleus, raised or lowered by a tiny force ap-
and what is that but a miniature plied to it at the correct moment.
solar system? Just as our sun and Thus these atomic people could make
its circling planets may be an atom any object, make even themselves,
in a vastly larger system, and so on large enough to dwarf their world or
infinitely, perhaps. The idea is not small enough to disappear entirely.
new, it was advanced years ago. And It was a chance to relieve their
in this particular atom of the Earth, crowding numbers and they seized it
on its electrons, its tiny planets, at once. Using their discovery to
dwelt a race proportionately tiny, the grow in size, they burst up from their
atomic people, I will call them. They own atom into this world, into our
had crowded over every one of their Earth, and found that the atom that
electron-planets, and were now grad- was their universe was an atom of a
ually stifling from their ever-increas- simple grain of sand, on Earth. Thai;
ing numbers. sand-grain, though, held their world,
They had science, a strange sort so they built a great structure around
of science, and now, at the time of it, in what is now Scotland, so that
their greatest need, one of their scien- it would always be there as a refuge
tists announced a startling discovery. for them to flee to, in ease of need.
He had found a way by which the size That attended to, up from the atom,
of any object could be increased or out of the sand-grain, streamed their
decreased indefinitely, at will. And people, gigantic masses of them.
the secret of this was stunning in its The Earth then was savage and
very simplicity. forbidding, but nothing daunted, they
We know that the universal, all- spread over its surface, began to raise
pervading ether is the base of every- their structures of stone, to shape this
thing. Vibrations of that ether, in a world to their will. It must have
certain octave, cause light; in a dif- seemed to them that they were secure
ferent octave, radio waves; in still forever in this greater universe.
another, chemical rays. But what we But now came disaster. Certain
do not know as yet, what the scientists adventurous spirits among them were
of the atomic people had learned, is not satisfied to stop in this universe.
that all matter itself is but another They saw the sun and its attendant
vibration of that ether, in a different planets and realized that, this, our
lower octave. That stone, that tree, own solar system, was after all only
THE ATOMIC CONQUERORS 169
the electric messages in the nervous when I met you here I knew I should
system, thus wiping out the com- not have time to get to a village as I
mands of the brain in that system, so had planned, but must go back and
that while reflex actions like the do what I could myself. And now I
breathing of the lungs and beating of have told you all.. Up on that hill
the heart were unaffected, the con- Powell is awaiting the second in-
scious commands of the brain to the vasion of those monsters from the
muscles were nullified, paralyzing atom, an invasion that will annihilate
those muscles. our world. If we can overpower him
All of that day, and all through and replace the glowing blocks
the next night, I lay in the bunk around the sand-grain, we shall have
without moving a muscle, save only prevented disaster. If not But
an' hour in which he permitted me to do you believe the story? Will you
eat, I heard him leave the cabin help me?
early the next morning, the second Hunter answered slowly, his brain
after the coming of the invaders, this whirling from the things he had
very morning. Lying there, I listened heard. Its so incredible, he be-
with dull despair to the wind slam- gan, biit the booming sounds you
ming the door of the cabin. The cone mentioned, they heard that in Lead-
on the table was in the line of my anfoot. It seems so queer, though
vision and suddenly I gasped with Suddenly he thrust a hand
hope, for at a particularly hard slam toward Marlowe. I believe you,
that cone had rolled a little way he told him. I want to help.
toward the tables edge. I waited
The other gripped his hand silent-
breathless. Then, just as my hope We
ly, then glanced up at the sun.
was beginning to die, the door
have, perhaps, four hours, he said,
slammed to with all the winds force
rising. Hunter, too, jumped to his
behind it and the cone rolled from
feet, and for a moment they looked
the table to the floor, breaking and
together up the dark sides of Ker-
exploding there in a flash of intense
achan Hill.
green light,
My first move was to search the Presently the two men were forg-
cabin for a gun, but there was none. ing steadily up that hillside. They
The cabin stood at the edge of the spoke little and their faces were set,
bare and treeless hilltop, and from drawn. The sun was falling ever
its window I could see Powells head
more swiftly toward the west, and al-
bobbing about in the pit of the sand- ways their eyes measured the dist-
ance between that descending sun
grain, as he prepared for the coming
of the second force of invaders. I
and the horizon.
knew that he must be imprisoned or By the time they surmounted the
killed at once, but knew too that he first rough heights and began their
carried with him another of the para- progress up the thinly-wooded upper
lyzing cones, so that I dared not rush half of the hill, the gray veils of twi-
him on the open hilltop. Neither light were already obscuring the sur-
could I remain in the cabin, so my rounding country. Over peaks and
only chance was to make my way to valleys, over forests and grassy fields,
and get help, or at
the nearest village lay a strange silence, ominous, fore-
least,a gun. boding.. As they toiled up toward
So I slipped out a rear window the summit through the thickening
and got safely away without being dusk, it seemed to Hunter that the
seen by him. All of this morning it whole world was silent, breathless,
took me to get down the hill, and tensely waiting
174 WEIRD TALES
4 ing close within the shadow of the
littlebuilding.
darkness had fallen when
Complete
Marlowe turned and made a cau-
From that point he could glimpse,
in the starlight, the profile of the
tioning gesture. man they stalked. A strong, mad
We are very near the summit face it was, with burning eyes be-
now, he told Hunter, in a whisper. neath a mass of gleaming, iron-gray
For Gods sake, go quietly. hair, a face that was turned toward
Together they crept upward, the south and its distant lights as
through thick underbrush and over though fascinated by them.
.jagged rocks, until they crouched at Suddenly Powell laughed, and at
the edge of the smooth, grassy space the unexpected sound Hunter
that was the hills summit. This stopped short, on hands and knees.
summit was not exactly level, but A bitter, mocking laughter it was,
sloped down from them in a slight that sickened the listening student.
grade, and at its center Hunter saw As it ceased, the man at the hills
the black, yawning hole Marlowe had edge raised a clenched fist and shook
mentioned, the pit that held the sand- it at the distant lights. And his voice
straightened, and was reaching for through the open door of the dark
the pistol at his belt when a dark cabin, crouching in a comer of it
figure sprang from behind, dashing fearfully. Suddenly the ray swept
him to earth. Marlowe up to the cabin, and beneath its touch
The thought beat through Hunt- the glass of the windows cracked
er s brain as he lay, unable to twitch instantly. An icy puff of air again
a muscle, watching the combat of swept over Hunter, in his corner, as
those two figures that reeled about, the ray swept through the open door
striking, kicking, twisting. But what and hung steady for a moment.
was that ? What? That thin Its blue light illumined a little
humming that suddenly made itself metal stove opposite the door, a stove
heard, that grew to a droning, to a that covered instantly with a l'ime of
rumbling, reverberating thunder. Out frost and ice at the rays touch. A
of the pit a dark shape was drifting moment the ray hung thus, steadily,
up, a black disk that grew, grew, doubtfully, then abruptly vanished,
grew. as though snapped out. Hunter
Boom! Boom! Boom! It grew un- sighed chokingly.
had attained a diameter of thir-
til it The humming sounds began again
ty feet, then hovered above the pit, outside, and his fear mastered by
near the struggling men.. As he curiosity, he crept to the cracked
glimpsed it, Marlowe cried out de- window. A mass of tiny black circles
spairingly, and Powells mad laugh- was rising from the pit, floating up
ter flung up. And now was a sud- and growing at the same time, while
den stir at the edge of the hovering the first disk hung to one side, watch-
disk, a flurry of movement there. ing. The black circles rose high, ex-
Hunter darkly glimpsed shapes that panded almost instantly to the size of
crowded about the disks edge, that the first, were joined by that first
peered at the struggling men. Did disk.
they mistake the two as a menace to For a minute Hunter watched the
themselves, did they fail to recognise disks circling above, swirling about in
Powell? For even as the two men an eddying mass. Then three de-
reeled in battle toward the disk, a tached from those above and sank
blinding shaft of blue light stabbed down to the hilltop, hovering close
out from the disks edge and struck above it and sweeping it ever and
the struggling pair. Under that ray again with the deadly blue ray that
and in its light, Hunter saw the faces eame and went across the cabin
of the two men change horribly, stiff- while he watched. The other disks,
en, draw, crack,and over him swept more than a score in number, grouped
a breath of utter cold, an icy little in a compact formation, then raced
wind that seemed to freeze his blood. swiftly south.
An instant he saw Powell and Mar- The vanguard of the atomic con-
lowe thus, staggering, reeling, fall- querors, loosed at last upon the world
ing, then they had collapsed to a of man
shapeless heap on the ground, and the
5
blue ray, striking out past them, had
touched the glowing cone on the little Tt is doubtful if we shall ever know
mound, which instantly exploded -* the exact purpose of that first raid
with a flash of light, releasing Hunter on the atomic invaders. That ques-
from its prisoning power. tion might be solved if we knew how
The blue ray -was sweeping in a much information they had received
eirele about, the hilltop now, and from Powell regarding our Earth.
with sudden frantie fear he crawled As it is, we look on that first coming
176 WEIRD TALES
as an effort, not so much to destroy terrible weapon. Beneath it, flesh
as to disorganize, to terrorize. Doubt- and froze immediately into
blood
less it was their plan to break up all black hard lumps, metal cracked,
chance of organized opposition in trees and plants shriveled instantly.
England by a series of swift and It is curious to note that the action
deadly blows, then take over the of the ray was highly localized, that
island at their leisure and make it it could slay one man w hile another
T
the base of their future operations. man ten feet away would feel only
Whatever their intentions, they a sudden breath of intense cold.
passed over all northern England As it swept steadily along the
without stopping, and the world first streets ofManchester that night, over-
became aware of their presence when taking the fleeing crowds and leav-
they struck with terrific force- at ing them in shapeless heaps, it must
Manchester and Liverpool, succes- have seemed like the very day of
sively. doom to those below. They speak of
There no clear, coherent account
is it as enduring for hours, that time
of their coming to Manchester. The that the invaders hung above the
survivors saw that hour of dread city, while in reality the disks re-
through a haze of terror, and it was mained over Manchester somewhat
long before all accounts were pieced less than twenty minutes. How many
together to make a reasonably com- Avere slain in that time it is impos-
plete story of the happenings there. sible to guess.The city, at least, was
One sees, through those horror-strick- thrown into a wild intense panic,
en tales, a terror descending without and no doubt that was the purpose of
warning out of the darkness, on the the invaders. That accomplished,
unsuspecting city beneath. No doubt they gathered together and sped
the streets were crowded, and the- away to the west, to Liverpool.
aters and show-windows ablaze, all
The story of the massacre at Liver-
the life and stir of early .evening.
pool almost identical with that at
is
Then a swift gathering of dark
Manchester. There too the disks
shapes above, the deadly blue ray
struck down with icy death at the
Hashing down on the streets, searing
city, but one curious feature differ-
in icy path of death across the city.
entiates the Liverpool account. It
It must have been utterly incom-
prehensible destruction to those be- seems that as the Cold Ray swept
low. Even now we scarcely under- around the city, it crossed, ever and
stand the nature of that blue ray, the again, the citys harbor and the sea
Cold Ray, as it is now called.. We outside. And for many days after-
know that all things in its path act- ward, immense icebergs of unprece-
ed as if under the influence of ex- dented size ranged the English coast,
treme, unheard-of cold, absolute born of that striking of the ocean by
:ero. It was exactly as if the inva- the blue ray.
ders had concentrated utter cold and At Manchester and Liverpool, and
burled it forth in a single stabbing even as far south as Birmingham, the
ray. Strictly speaking, of course, invaders came down without warn-
there is no such thing as positive ing, striking unexpectedly, spreading
old, only absence of heat. The death and dread, then racing away.
1
heory generally accepted now is that But some time before they reached
in some unexplained manner the ray London, word of the attacks on the
bad the power of instantly sucking northern cities had been received, and
away the heat of anything it touched. men waited, ready for battlfe, so that
Certain it is that the ray was a it was over London that the atomic
/
THE ATOMIC CONQUERORS 177
people and the forces of man clashed last his trainingwas to be tested in
for the first time. actual battle. He thrilled to the
It was the assumption of the War thought, as with the other planes he
Office in London that Manchester swooped down upon the disks.
and Liverpool had been attacked by Down he went and down, diving
the airplanes of some continental toward a single disk that hung at
power, without the formality of a some distance from the mass of its
declaration of war. Certainly they fellows,. His hands grasped the con-
did not dream of the real nature of trol of the planes machine-gun, and
the menace that was speeding to- even above the roar of the motor he
ward them. heard the pup-pup-pup-pup of the
Presently, from all the air-sta- gun, spraying bullets on the disk. He
tions around the city, plane after swept down onto that disk and over
plane was spiraling up, while in a it in a great curve, passing above it
great ring around London the giant at a height of a few yards. As he
searchlights stabbed the night, sweep- flashed over it, the lightning flared
ing the sky in search of the in- out blindingly above, and as he caught
vaders. Even while the planes as- momentary sight of the things on the
cended and hung in a thin line high disk, his hands trembled on the con-
above the eity, thunder was growl- trols. He had glimpsed a mass of up-
ing, low and ominous, and lightning turned heads, scaled and peaked,
flickering across the sky. with fanged and gaping mouths. For
It was with this gathering storm the first time he saw the creatures of
that the disks raced down toward dread he was fighting. As he drove
the city, never glimpsing the line of up above the battle and banked and
planes above. For a space of min- circled for another swoop, his hands
utes they hung motionless, surveying were still trembling.
the shining, splendid metropolis. The
From below came the popping of
streets below, temporarily deserted
bombs, a few of which scored hits on
beneath the coming storm, were like
the disks, most of which plunged
brilliant rivers of light, connecting
the lakes of luminescence that were
down toward the city below, misses.
the squares. One imagines the in- The roar of their detonation seemed
feeble beside the crash of the thun-
vaders in the disks staring down at
the city in amazement, if their rep- der, which was now rumbling forth
tilian natures possessed the power. almost continuously. Away to the
As they hung there, the beam of one the battle, two planes collided
left of
of the questing searchlights caught and dropped swiftly to earth, trail-
them and held them, and the stabbing ing long streamers of red flames,
rays of the other lights shifted to blazing comets plunging earthward
them at once, bathing the disks in a through the upper darkness.
flood of white light. Then, from And now, their first shock of sur-
high above, the airplanes drove down prize over, the invaders struck back,
upon them and the battle had be- and the blue ray flashed up, search-
gun. ing out and finding the planes,
One can see that battle clearest, whose wings shriveled and collapsed
perhaps, through the eyes of a single beneath its touch. Two of the disks
individual, a certain young Brown- had been forced down by lucky hits
ell who was the pilot of a single-seat- with bombs, but the others were al-
er combat plane. At the first orders most unscathed, and now the planes
he had taken the air almost joyously, were falling ever more rapidly be-
with the exciting thought that at neath the Cold Ray.
178 WEIRD TALES
Suddenly, from high above, a whirled down upon them. And the
single plane rushed down toward ever-questing searchlights revealed
the massed disks, in a dizzying nose- no sign of plane or disk over the
dive. The blue ray stabbed up city. Through all London reigned a
from a dozen disks to meet it, but it deathlike silence, that first moment
plunged on, smashed down into one of astounded silence before the hoarse
of the disks, and plane and disk roar of fear and rage that would roll
whirled together down to earth, the through the city. Only the deep
latter spilling out a mass of grotesque rumble of thunder broke the stillness.
figures that raced it in its fall. Across the sky the lightning flared
Brownell shouted hoarsely as he again, once, twice. Then down upon
saw. From all around planes were the city swept the lashing, flooding
diving down now, smashing squarely rain.
into the disks and falling with them, 6
a deliberate heroic suicide on the part
of their pilots. An immense exalta- t is to young Hunters story that
tion ran through Brownell, that vast,
I one must turn again for an ac-
forceful rapture of heroism that can count of the invaders movements
sweep men up to titanic heights. He after that first raid. Crouched
circled again, then dipped the planes by the window, he saw them return-
nose sharply and rushed down upon ing from the battle, nine scarred
a single disk like a falling plummet. disks returning where more than a
Pup-pup-pup at the last m6ment score had gone out. For the first time
he clung to the gun-control. Rush of it struck him that possibly the forces
wind past him flash of lights of man might have checked the first
roaring in his ears the disk was rush of the invaders. He wondered
nearer, rushing swiftly up to him intensely as to that.
nearer nearer crash During all of that period of hours
Then plane and disk were tumbling while the disks had been fighting and
down to earth together, speeding- killingand terrorizing England, he
down to the brilliant streets below, had not dared to escape from the cab-
crashing down near the docks, where in, for the three guardian disks still
something in the wrecked disk ex- hung very low above the hilltop, and
ploded with stunning force. the blue ray constantly swept about,
Above, the battle was all but fin- that summit, marking a path of
ished. Only a few of the planes re- death. The guardians were taking-
mained and the blue ray was search- no chances of anyone tampering with
ing these out, one by one. Present- the sand-grain, of doing harm to
ly the invaders held the air alone, their own world, that lay within that
nine disks remaining of the twenty grain.
or more that had begun the attack. And now, when the defeated nine
The city below was at their mercy, returned, he saw that his chances of
but they did not heed it. Circling escape were even less. For except
and forming, they massed again to- for one disk, that dropped down into
gether, then moved away to the the pit, dwindling and vanishing,
north, seemingly daunted by the these returned disks took up a posi-
fierce and unexpected resistance they tion with the watchful three, hover-
had met. They had conquered, but ing low over the hilltop. Now and
at a price that disinclined them for then one would sweep up into the
further battle at that time. sky, cix-cle for a time, then return to
The people in the city below waited its position over the summit of Kei-
tensely, but no more aerial wrecks a'chan.
THE- ATOMIC CONQUERORS 179
It strikes one as curious that the craft collected, the combined air-
invaders, during all that day, made power of England and France, await-
180 WEIRD TALES
ing the invaders return. And 7
through the English roads, meeting
and passing the sea-bound masses of A ND now the last great hour of
refugees, rolled the tanks, the guns, Earths destiny was swiftly clos-
the long brown masses of marching- ing down, with that massing of the
soldiers. Mankind was gathering invaders above the Scottish hills.
itself for the straggle, but through Crouched beside the window of the
all those masses ran an unspoken cabin, Hunter watched them pouring
thought, an unvoiced fear. What up from the pit, from their atomic
avail were rifles and bombs against world, masses of tiny disks that grew
the smiting ray? Or airplanes and with inconceivable speed to full size,
dirgibles against the swift and that moved away and made room for
mighty disks? the others to rise. Up, up, up, gigan-
On a hilltop miles away from Ker- tic masses of the disks, countless
aehan men lay hidden, with pow- hordes of the monsters they held, a
erful telescopes and radio-transmit- vast force of invaders before which
ters, ready to flash word of the in- all human resistance would be vain,
life. Over those fleeing hordes ran a He glanced up, saw the hundreds
shout, a threat, a warning. They of disks above spreading out in a long
are coming! They called it to one double line, in an irresistible forma-
another, autos racing through country tion,awaiting the others that were
villages shouted it, the mobs on the stillrising from the pit. But as
roads voiced it fearfully, soldiers Hunter watched them circling and
resting by the wayside repeated it forming above, the sky seemed to
thoughtfully, looking toward the darken suddenly, the sunlight to be
north. Over England, over Europe, cut off, to vanish. And along the
over the whole world it ran, swiftly, line of invaders above ran a quick
terribly: start, asudden nervous shock.
They are coming! They arc Darker and darker grew the sky,
coming !
( Continued on page 282 )
Vhe BRIMS
ELLEN
NE CAT
F They
earliest
small child, I have hated cats.
fill me with an indescrib-
Then, my
friend, your feeling And your hatred of cats, Ariste, is
for these animals is the unconscious doubtless part of a chapter now past
remembrance of another life. Some- a chapter perhaps you are happier
time, somewhere, misfortune came to
for not remembering.
you in the guise of a cat. people We After some further talk of the
of the East know these things to be same nature but more deeply philo-
true. sophical, Amir Das left me to ponder
But you of the West, with your his statements in the cozy firelight of
numerous schools and your much the old-fashioned fireplace. This
education, laugh at the thought that fireplace, together with Mrs.
the soul may live through many
'
O Flynns tea-m'aking abilities, has
lives, coming into different bodies, kept me for many months a content-
and acting different dramas, but ed lodger in the warm-hearted Irish-
learning each time a little bit more of womans house, in spite of the de-
that which it has willed to learn, and testable cat that she insists on keep-
working all these experiences into one ing.
perfect plot in the end. The fiendish voice of this cat I now
You although daily you
laugh, heard wailing from a distant part of
see about you proof of the truth of the house. I presumed that probably
these things, which my people have it had been locked into some room, as
love and of eats, and holding my unlawfully I sought for herbs and
mind stilled, while I looked at the rocks that would help me in my stud-
dancing flames, I tried to bring out ies of alchemy. I had come upon
of my memory some reason for my this arch mystery of all, in an open
hatred of eats. space between the trees, dismounted
'
bered that I was Govern Ariste, a I, who shoxdd have fled because I
writer of stories, who lived in broke the law by being in this place
The memory of dreams dims as one at all, stood transfixed', looking with
wakes, and so did the memory of Gov- heart and eyes at the vision before
ern Ariste slip into the inaccessible me.
places of my consciousness. Then the maiden turned, raising
But what matter? I, Peter By- her gaze to mine, and I saw that her
field,poor young student in London eyes were of a blue like that of the
Town, had long been given to dream- sea on a calm summer afternoon.
ing. I laughed at myself somewhat But more had they than color. They
grimly to find that I had been enter- gave the man that looked into them
taining but one more fantastic fancy. a feeling of rest and harbor such as
J
Ay Peter didst thou not dream
! ! a voyager might have when after a
so mueh, more wouldst thou accom- long and w eary journey to many
r
she would make known her discovery from the earth as only a frightened
of my presence there, had been for- cat can and w hisked up the roof of
r
gotten from the first glimpse of her. the nearest house to live eight more
Even prison or punishment were lives, fate favoring.
well worth enduring for the Xapture Even then all might have been
that had become mine. So I mused well,had not the rage of my heart
as I turned my steps from the palace demanded vengeance upon the per-
toward the poor tenement that held son of the young rascal. The boy
my attic room. was a bully, the leader of all the lads
In such a frame of mind it was of the neighborhood, but now I hum-
that I came upon young Tom Smythe, bled him before the eyes of his
the jailers son, and the cat that he frightened playmates. Right lustily
tortured as sport for his companions. I laid onto him, holding him across
It was a gray cat, which later I dis- my knee with one hand and applying
covered had a sulfur-colored patch stout strokes with the other, until he
upon its head. wailed as loud as the cat had done.
But at the time, I saw only the Nor did I heed nor care that a black
manner in which young Tom had hatred was born in the blubbering
tied the animal stretched out on its bullys mind, when finally I released
back with its four feet drawn by him. With short words I told him
cords to four stakes, so that the boy what measures I would take, should
might draw and quarter it, even as I again find him ill-treating a cat or
his father, Tom the hangman, had any other animal.
that day executed a poor wretch,
Then, wearied, and my thoughts
sentenced to be drawn and quartered
once more turning to the vision of the
for treason to the crown. Estes, I sought my lodg-
Lady Edith
Around young Tom had gathered ing, determined to work with re-
a crowd of admiring youngsters. newed effort in my search for the
Tom
with a knife who knows where philosophers stone that meant wealth
small boys obtain the instruments for
and fame and perchance the win-
their devilments? had raised his ning of my love.
arm for the first stroke that would
slit the cats body lengthwise. Mean- Late that night I worked, measur-
while, the animal yowled in an agony
ing and mixing new potions that
that but added to the glee of the
might lead me to the elixir of life.
spectators.
As I bent to my task I was startled
Surelythe memory of Govern
by a wailing cry from the roof of an
adjoining house upon which my attic
Ariste was far from the thought of
Peter Byfield, for I, Peter Byfield, window looked out..
on that day did not hate eats. I I opened the window, and a cat
loved them, as I did all other ani- sprang into the room. It was a gray
mals, and the sight of the tormented cat, with a yellow spot upon its head,
creature before me filled me with a a most vile and draggled-appearing
great pity and a great rage at the eat, and it cried to me with plaintive
young fiend who had undertaken this insistence which bespoke its opinion
cruelty. that a life saved even a cats life
w as worth
T little, unless that life
With two had parted the
strides I
surprized children and seized the might have food and shelter.
knife from the would-be executioner. I gave the beast some of the gruel
Four strokes I made with it at the and milk that formed my
simple sup-
binding ropes, and the gray cat with per. It ate and curled up on the
a yellow spot upon its head bounded hearth, purring and content.
186 WEIRD TALES
Such was the manner in which I, of a poor old woman, accused by her
Peter Byfield, came to make a com- neighbors of witchcraft and of caus-
panion and pet of the gray cat. ing a sickness among some children
in her neighboihood. The wretched
3 creature had been tried, tortured,
and confessing under the torture, had
T n the day and age when Peter By-
been condemned to die as a witch.
field rescued the gray eat, men
held many superstitions. It was not
Tom senior had carried out the tor-
ture which had made the victim ad-
well, even in that, England which was
mit her guilt, and it had fallen to
then coming to birth as a great na-
him, nothing loth, to tie the frantic
tion and which allowed more freedom
of thought and action to its inhab-
woman to the stake and pile and light
the fagots that destroyed her body
itants than any other country, for a
man to be too markedly different and presumably carried her soul back
to its master in his flaming pit.
from his neighbors. Those who stud-
ied alchemy might well be careful
Now a cunning train of thought
that they be not accused in the popu-
built itselfup in Toms mind. A
lar mind as pursuing other and un-
man of more or less mystery, a stu-
dent of strange things, whom all his
sanctified studies.
neighbors knew to spend long hours
Young Tom Smythe, whom Peter
Byfield held over his knee and beat
in brewing unknown compounds for
what devilish purpose no one knew
on the day the youth tried to draw had recently shown anger against the
and quarter the gray cat, chanced hangmans child. More, he had beat-
to fall ill of a colic the week after en that child and threatened him,
that episode. Young Tom had told and the lad had fallen ill shortly
his father, who was the chief hang-
afterward.
man of London Town, of the treat- This surely w as the working of
T
ment accorded him by the alchemist. sorcery and the deed of one who had
The elder Tom, although a brutal, sold himself to the devil. To verify
evil fellow who could, and. did, on his suspicions, the elder Tom, who
occasion beat his- son most cruelly, lived not far from the lodging of
yet in this case resented the fact that Peter Byfield, made inquiry among
a stranger had taken upon himself the neighbors of the alchemist, nor
this parental task. He resented, w as he adverse to starting strange
r
Doubtless a man who was the ser- rupted by the entrance into my attic
vant of Satan could easily make room of four armed men of the law.
bread by black magic or even produce Without ceremony, I found myself
money by his sorcery. It was known arrested and carried to jail, accused
that he had magically cured a falcon of one of the most' serious charges of
with a broken wing which he had the day witchcraft.
been seen bringing home one day al- The gray cat, reposing before my
most dead and had later taken away hearth in all the purring content of
with him apparently sound. a well-fed animal, was taken as
Those whom Peter Byfield had proof against me. Tom, the elder,
helped in their need now began to who was among the men that arrest-
pray God that they had not taken ed me, had cunningly provided a
aid from a servant of the devil, or sack for the cat, and it had been the
having done so innocently, that this triumph of young Tom, now some-
would not be accounted a sin to them. what recovered from his sickness, to
They began to watch this man of capture the animal and throw it into
mystery. And then it was that they the bag.
discovered damning and erowning I found myself in a dark dungeon
proof of their suspicions. and in a most perilous position, for of
Peter Byfield, it was learned, had all the crimes at that time recognized
as companion a cat
a gray cat with
by law, witchcraft was accounted es-
a yellow spot upon its head -verily pecially heinous, and had as its pun-
the cat that the alchemist had rescued ishment the most terrible forms of
from the hands of young Tom death.
Smythe. Likewise, it was the most difficult
This solved the matter completely charge of all, from which a man
and made the evidence conclusive. could vindicate himself., A
man un-
Why else would a man take pains to der suspicion of being a sorcerer
save a eat from death, were that cat
not his familiar, his demon compan-
might be and was tortured in the
most brutal manner to obtain a con-
ion? fession. If he did not confess, he
Tom, the elder, sought the judge, a laid himself liable to conviction for
friend of his, to whom he told his that verv reason, as being protected
suspicions and the hearsay evidence by his master, the devil.
he had gathered. The law dealt hardly with persons
Of all these things, meanwhile, was
accused of witchcraft all of which I
Peter Byfield happily ignorant. But knew. Even the image of the maid
the young alchemist undertook more with the blue eyes, the golden curls
diligently than ever the studies that and kiss-inviting dimple, faded from
he sought to master, spurred on by my thoughts, though still held deep
the vision in his lonesome young in my heart, as the realization of my
heart, the vision of the beautiful plight came upon me.
Lady Edith Estes. My fears were well-founded.
When I refused to acknowledge guilt
4 of the crime of which I was accused,
the ignorant, cruel judge, urged on
A nd so it chanced on a day not by the brutal hangman, ordered me
more than two weeks after the to be tortured until I should confess
day on which I rescued the cat, that such guilt.
I, Peter Byfield, unaware of the evil First they pricked me with needles
plotted against me by the hangman, to find if I had on me anywhere the
had my experiments rudely inter- invulnerable spot. This was the spot,
188 WEIRD TALES
supposed to be without feeling, where should be tied into a sack as fellows.
[ had been sealed by my master, the So might this sorcerers own familiar
devil. spirit of evil be used to bring about
When this torture failed, my flesh the mans ruin.Tom told his plan
ever quivering at the needles thrust, to the judge, who immediately saw
they put me on the rack. However, its possibilities and ordered its exe-
I, Peter Byfield, used the strength of cution.
my will and refused to confess myself Thus I found myself stripped and
guilty of that of which I was inno- tied from the neck down in a huge
cent. I denied that the sickness of sack, and with me as companion the
young Tom had been the result of any gray cat, crazed and frantic, now
evil work on my part. ready to claw its erstwhile master as
I admitted that I was a student of though indeed it were a demon.
alchemy, seeking the philosophers This sack was then tied by ropes to
stone. But I maintained that I posts so that it hung hammock-fash-
sought this stone, not for myself ion; while Tom, the hangman, swung
alone, but for the good I might do it, turning me first face down and
boon, granted in mercy by heaven. this you do and w hy is this poor man
T
besides myself, who would under- With effort, I turned my eyes for
stand the kindness I had done a cat. a minute from the fair face that held
To the lady of the curls and eyes of them so adoringly enthralled. Then
blue, Tom, the l^angman, held out the I saw that the other speaker was a
cat, the while telling the story of woman of most royal presence.. No
Peter Byfield, wizard, and his famil- need to note the color of the hair
iar who possessed this animal. which Englands virgin queen had
The lady listened, looking at the made the fashion of court ladies; no
condemned man, but the horror need to hear the tiny lady-in-waiting
that showed in her face at the address her as Your Majesty. I
recital was at the hangmans story of knew that I stood before Elizabeth,
Peter Byfields sufferings rather than Queen of England, and that by
horror of the sorcerer himself. miracle a chance had opened that
Then a strange thing happened. might give me my life.
The girl stretched forth her hand as Mercy! in the name of God,
though she would pet the cat, and mercy, Your Majesty! I cried. If
when the jailer would have remon- this be your cat, then do not let them
strated, commanded him haughtily kill me for having saved its life.
and took the half-dead animal in her They accuse me as a dealer in witch-
hands. craft, but as God is my witness, I
As if by magic, the tormented have done no wrong. I but saved this
beast ceased its struggles, and raising cat from the hands of the son of this
its head sought with evident fondness vile hangman. The boy would have
for the stroking caress of her fingers. killed it most cruelly, had I not taken
Another voice a deep, mellow voice, the beast from him. Of the lads
albeit that of a woman
spoke. illness, I know nothing and api guilt-
Be careful, myLady Edith, it less.
chided, or this hangman will accuse Is the boy yet ill? asked the
you, also, of witchcraft, when you so queen, turning to the hangman.
easily charm Satans servants. He was most ill, Your Majesty,
Do you look, Your Majesty, re- said the man somewhat sullenly,
plied the girl. It is the cat that we though now he seems recovered.
rescued in the Royal Park a half- But who can say how long he may
year ago.
.
See here is the brown
! stay thus sound, if he be under the
spot upon its head. Remember you spell of a wizard?
not how the dogs had the animal at This man is not a wizard. Nor
bay and how it turned and faced would he hurt any lad, Your Majesty.
THE BRIMSTONE CAT 191
canary.
5
What a tale it would make! But
only thirty feet or so. What await- can a man describe Venus? I know
ed me somewhere beyond that turn? one thing, Bill: if all the daughters
For a few moments I listened in- of Drome are as fair as this one that
tently. Not the faintest sound I saw, I know where all the movie
nothing but the loud beating of my queens of the future are coming
heart. What had happened to from. '
drew myself up into the tunnel and dollars worth of spun gold!
advanced as rapidly and silently as And the demon? I queried.
possible, the light and the alpenstock I didnt see any demon, Bill.
in my left hand, the revolver in the There was silence for a little space.
right. But it was not very silently, Then, I said, the whole thing
what with the creepers. At times is true, after all.
they grated harshly; it was as if Youmean what Grandfather
spirit things were mocking me with Scranton set down in his journal
suppressed, demoniacal laughter. Yet and the rest of it?
I could not pause to remove those I nodded.
grating shoes of toothed steel. Every I never doubted that.
second might be precious now. Attimes, I told him, I didnt
I drew near the turn, the revolver doubt Then, again, it all seemed
it.
thrust forward in readiness for in- so wild and weird that I didnt know
stant action. I reached it, and, there what on earth to think.
just beyond, a dark figure was stand- I think, he said with a wan
ing, framed in a blaze of light. smile, that you know what to think
It was Milton Rhodes.
now now when you are standing in
He turned his head, and I saw a thisvery way to Drome, whatever
smile move athwart his features. Drome may be.
Well, weve found it, Bill.! said Yes. And yet the thing is so
be. strange. Think of it! A world of
was now drawing near to him.
I which men have never dreamed, save
That scream I said.
Who !
in the wildest romance! An under-
gave that terrible scream? ground world! Subterranean ways,
Terrible? It didnt sound ter- subterranean cities, men and women
rible to me, said Milton Rhodes. there
more blind than you or I. Ergo, if The density then increases rapid-
for no other reason, we shall find light ly, doesn t it ?
down there. Oh, yes. Three and a half miles
Of course, they have artificial more, and we are under a pressure of
light, or
fbur atmospheres, or about sixty
I dont mean that. If there had pounds to the square inch. Throe and
not been some other illumination, a half miles farther down, or ten and
this strange race (of whose very ex- one-half miles in all below the level
istence science has never even of the sea, and we have a pressure
dreamed) would have ceased to exist upon us of eight atmospheres. Four-
long ago if, indeed, it ever could teen miles, and it will be sixteen at-
have begun. mospheres. At thirty-four miles the
But no gleam of sunlight can ev- air will have the density of water; at
er find its way to that world. forty-eight miles it will be as dense
It never can, of course. But as mercury, and at fifty miles we
there are other sources of light shall have it as dense as gold.
nebulas and comets in the heavens, That will do I told him. * We
!
for example, and auroras, phosphorus can never get down that far.
and fireflies here on earth. The phe- I have no idea how far we can go
nomena of phosphorescence are by no down, Bill.
means so rare as might be imagined. You know that we could never
Why, as Nichcl showed though any stand such pressures as those.
man who uses his eyes can see it him- I know that. But, as a matter of
self
there is light inherent even in fact, I dont know what the pressures
clouds. are at those depths. Nor does any
other man know. What I said a mo-
A hh this, and more, Rhodes ex- ment ago is, of course, according to
plained to me, succinctly but the law but there is something wrong
;
my hand; ;
and, as I did so, I started CHAPTER 16
and cried :
Hear that ? *
pause we stood listening and waiting had laid its palsied and cold fingers
but the gallery remained as silent as upon me.
though it had never known the tread In a few moments we reached that
of any living thing. spot where the angel had vanished.
There we paused in curiosity, looking
Well, Bill, said Milton Rhodes
about; but nothing was to be seen.
suddenly, we shall never learn what
Drome means if we stay in this spot.
The gallery which from this point
swung sharply to the right and went
As for the creepers, I am going to
leave mine here.
down at a rather steep angle was as
silent as some interstellar void.
Milton then wrote a short note, Bill, smiled Milton Rhodes, he
which recorded little more than our is idle who might be better em-
names, the date of our great discov- ployed.
ery and that we were going farther. And he started on, or, rather,
This, carefully folded, he placed be- down. A hundred feet, however (we
side the creepers and put a rock- were now under the glacier) and he
fragment upon it. I wondered as I halted, turned his light full upon the
watched him whose would be the eyes left-hand wall, pointed and said:
that would discover it. Some inhab- There you are. Bill the writing on
itant of this underground world, of the wall.
course, and to such a one the record I pressed to his side and stood
would be so much Greek. Twas ut- staring. The rock there was as
terly unlikely that anyone from that smooth, almost, as a blackboard; and
world which we were leaving would upon it, traced in white chalk, were
ever see that record. I wondered if three inscriptions, with what we took
we should ever see this spot again. to be names appended to them. That
on the right was clearly a very
And now, Bill, said Milton,
recent one had been placed there,
down we go! doubtless, at the most but a few days
And the next moment we were go- .since,by that cavemieolous Venus
ing
had begun our descent into this that Milton Rhodes had seen for so
most mysterious and dreadful place. fleeting a moment.
198 WEIRD TALES
It was Miltons opinion that the Why, I fancy, Bill, that her very
wondering what was recorded in that I wonder, Bill, if she lost her
writing so strange and yet, after all, footing here and went plunging
so very and beautifully simple. Then down, too.
Milton proceeded to place another I had not thought of that. And
record there, and, as he wrote, he the possibility that that lovely and
hummed mysterious being lay somewhere down
When I see there, crushed and bleeding, perhaps
a persons name
Scratched upon a glass, lifeless,made me feel very sad. We
I know he owns a diamond sent the rays of our powerful lights
And his father owns an ass.
down into the silent depths of the
The inscription finished, we re- tunnel, but nothing was visible there,
sumed our descent. The way soon save the dark rock and those fearful
became steep and very difficult.
shadows fearful, what with the
That Aphrodite of yours, I ob- secrets that might be hidden there.
served as we made our way down a The answer wont come to us,
particularly rugged place, must
Bill,
said Milton.
have the agility of a mountain-goat. No, I returned as we started
Your rhetoric, Bill, is horrible. down; we must go get it.
Wait till you see her; youll never be The gallery at this place had an
guilty of thinking of a goat when average width of, I suppose, ten feet,
she has your thoughts. and the height would average per-
By the way, what kind of a light haps fifteen. The reader must not
did the lady have? picture the walls, the roof and the
Light? Dont know. I was so floor as smooth, however. The rock
interested in the angel herself that I was much broken, in some spots very
never once thought of the light she jagged. The gallery pitched at an
carried. I don t know that she needs angle of nearly forty-five degrees,
a light, anyway. which will give some idea of the
What on earth are you talking difficulties encountered in the de-
about ? scent.
:!
DROME 199
Then a sudden thought struck me, skeleton, at the first glance, has an
a thought so unworthy that I did not
voice it aloud. But to myself I said
appearance remarkably human if,
that is, one can forget the wings. The
It is passible that we may find our- skull, I believe, more than anything
selves, before we get out of this, else, contributes to that effect; and
wishing that she had. yet, a second glance, even that
at
If a human being, one of the very loses its human semblance. For look
best of human beings even, were to at those terrible teeth. Whoever saw
voice his uttermost, his inmost a human being with teeth like thase?
thoughts, what a shameful, terrible And look at the large scapula; and
monster they would call him or her the small hips and the dwarfish,
And the demon. Where was her though strong, nether limbs. Bat-
demon? likc, Bill, strikingly so.. And those
I could give no adequate descrip- feet they are talons, Bill.
: And
tion of those hours that succeeded. see that medial ridge on the sternum,
Steadily we continued the descent for the attachment of the great
now gentle, now steep, rugged and pectoral muscles.
difficiilt. Sometimes the way became A bat-man, then? I queried.
very narrow indeed,
one point we
at I should say a bat-ape.
had to squeeze our way through, so Or an ape-bat.
closely clid the walls approach each
Whichever you prefer, smiled
other then, again, it would open
Milton.
out, and we would find ourselves in
Well, I added, at any rate, we
a veritable chamber. And, in one of
have a fair idea now of what a demon
these, a lofty place, the vaulted roof
is like.
a hundred feet or more above our
heads, we made a strange discovery Little wonder, forsooth, that old
a skeleton, quasi-human and with Sklokoyum had declared the thing
wings. was a demon from the white mans
Are we, I cried, entering Inferno. And this creature so dread-
Dantes Inferno itself? ful
well, the angel had it for a com-
panion. When Rhodes saw her, she
A faint smile touched the face of
was, of course, without that terrible
Rhodes.
attendant: undoubtedly the next
Dont you, he asked, know time, though how long would it be?
what this is?
she would not be alone.
It must be the bones of a demon.
Oh, well, I consoled myself,
Precisely. Grandfather Scran- we have our revolvers.
200 WEIRD TALES
CHAPTER 17 pecially to the mariner, has in its
friendships some qualities that are
LIKE BALEFUL EYES remarkably human.
tion from the Tamahnowis Rocks? So pheres, water boils at 249.5 Fahren-
sinuous had been this strange subter- heit; under a pressure of three at-
ranean gallery, my orientation had mospheres, at 273.3 four atmos-
;
been knocked into a cocked hat. It pheres, 291.2 five, 306 six, 318.2
; ; ;
Great Barmecide, swallow week or anything like it. Keep up
what 1
that guzzling, and your canteen will
Swallow the pain, Bill. For look be empty before sunset.
Agink, said Rhodes, going in- our policy, Bill, must be one of
compressed air had better think it.
to watchful conservation.
He may have his ear-drums burst in A silence ensued. I sank into pro-
if he doesn t. , found and gloomy meditation. Four
But why does the Eustachian thousand feet down. A mile deeper,
tube open only when we swallow ? and where should we be? The pros-
To shut from the ear the sounds pect certainly was, from any point of
produced in the throat and the view, dark and mysterious enough
mouth. If the tube were always to satisfy the wildest dreams of
open, our heads would be so many a Poe or a Dor6. To imagine a
bedlams. Dantes Inferno, however, is one
Wonderful nature! I ex- thing and to find yourself in it is
claimed. quite another. Tis true, we were
Oh, she does fairly well, ad- not in it yet but we were on our way.
;
you should never indeed, can nev- step might have spelled irrevocable
er seek the dread secrets of nature . disaster. I wondered how the angel
or journey to her hidden places; had passed down those difficult plac-
of the living rock, heard even the
Wherever it is, what on earth can
faintest, most fleeting sound. As the it be?
'
what does it mean?
watcher sat there waiting and listen- ' That we shall learn.
some pulsation would come, so heavy qui vive. The tunnel here inclined
and awful was. the stillness of the rather steeply; a little space, howev-
place. x
er, and the dip was a gentle one. The
But a sound we were to hear. We sounds soon became ono steady, un-
had been journeying for about an broken whisper; then a dull melan-
hour and a half and had just passed choly murmur.
below sea-level. In that place Rhodes Abruptly Rhodes stopped, turned
had left the aneroid. Of a sudden to me, and he laughed.
Milton, who was leading the way, Know now what it is, Bill?
halted with a low, sharp interjection This was not a moment, I thought,
for silence. When my look struck for laughter or anything like it.
him, he was standing in an attitude Sounds like the growling of
Bill?
angel there are two kinds of angel,
The air had pulsed to the faintest
you know has turned loose a whole
pack, or flock, of those demons.
up the tunnel, and for some moments the sound of falling water.
we stood peering intently. Not a Must be at quite a distance, I
moving thing was to be seen there, said; sounds carry a long way in
however only the moving shadows. tubes, and that is what this tvrnnel
Again! said Milton Rhodes. is.
But it isnt a whisper, Bill. And Steadily we made our way along
itdidnt come from up there. and down, and, just as steadily, the
The thing, I told him, could sound increased in volume. The gal-
be hiding in shadow. lery made
several sharp turns, and
Its not up there; it is ahead. then of a sudden the sound rose from
204 WEIRD TALES
a loud growl to a roar, and an ex- I glanced along that shelf, and I
clamation burst from us. feltvery sad.
It were impossible to convey to the Shes got a better head, I told
reader the eery effect of that sud- him, than I have. Why didnt we
den, strange transition. One moment bring along an airplane? I wonder
we were in the gallery; the next we if the way lies down or up, toward
came from our right. We turned the Great heaven, if we get caught
but nothing was visible there, save The program is becoming, inter-
crawling down, ever down, and filling It seems so, Bill and that means
the place with thunder the fall it- that this cavern is very straight for
self. Where did the water come a mile or more or that it is one of
from? And, a question more inter- enormous size.
esting, where did it go? It may be both.
We must go back, said Milton It may be.. And it may be that
Rhodes. The road to Drome does those lights were not so far away as
not lie here. they appeared to be. One may eas-
Scarcely had we turned when I ily be deceived in such matters.
started, and then I cried out sharply. We dont know what it means,
Look! I said, pointing with my I said, but we know this: were
alpenstock down the cavern. Look spotted.
at that ! Oh, were seen, all right, Bill.
Far down the cave a light was Our every movement will be
gleaming, where a moment before no watched.
light had been. And on the instant Some minutes passed, during which
another shone beside it. second or A we stood peering down the cavern
two, however, and they had vanished. and waiting; but no light gleamed
Moving, was Rhodes explana- forth again. Then we started back.
tion. Wed better keep a sharp look-
No! I told him. And look! out, I said suddenly. Remember,
Again! a demon doesnt have to come along
There they were gleaming at us
for all the world like the dim and
the ledge.
I have not forgotten that, Bill;
baleful eyes of some waiting monster. but we are armed.
As I believe was made sufficient-
CHAPTER 18 ly obvious, the crossing of those
THATS WHERE THEY ARE places where the ledge narrowed to
WAITING FOR US! the width of but a couple of yards
had been no pleasant matter; but
some moments those yellow
F ew
eyes gleamed at us, then van-
during the return the thing assumed
an aspect truly sinister. That we were
ished. The lids of that waiting mon- being watched both of us regarded as
ster (so to speak) had elosed over certain. That we might at any mo-
them. ment find a demon or a dozen demons
I had watched them very closely,
driving at us well, that was a pos-
and I was sure that there had been sibility left our thoughts
which never
no movement of the eyes themselves. for one single second. And, in those
Milton, however, was just as sure narrow where the ledge con-
places,
that they had moved. tracted to a mere ribbon of rock, it.
m WEIRD TALES
was all one wanted to do to hug the other side. But I believe that they
wall and make sure of his footing. A were.
we had left behind us. But the angel to look down the cavern. He signed
had gone down, and where a woman to me to follow suit, and, when I
could go, there, I told myself in mas- stood at his side, he said Off go the :
That is, I subjoined, suppos- Off they went, and the terrible
ing we do not meet ape-bats or some- blackness was upon us. So terrible
thing more terrible.
was it and so strange and fearful
At length we stood once more at that place in which we stood, I
the mouth of the gallery. And scarce- actually found myself wondering if
ly had we stopped there when an un- it would not all prove a dream.
pleasant thing flashed into my Why, I asked at last, did we
thoughts which, as it was, resembled do this?
anything but the rainbow. To see if the lights will show
Great heaven! I cried, peering again. They may think that we have
into the tunnel, which, at the dis- lost heart and started back.
anything.
Walk maybe right into a trap.
I dont think that they were It is possible, Rhodes admitted.
here, Milton Rhodes returned. I But it is possible too that the trap
think they were much farther down
and on the other side
may not prove so terrible
indeed, that there is no trap at all. I
possible,
On the other side? How on earth tell you, I certainly would like to see
could anyone cross that chasm ? that angel again.
We dont know what it is like Then lets go see her.
down there. And, of course, I dont Thats what well do.
know that the lights were on the And so we started.
DROME 207
A strange, indefinable dread had can not hope to solve it. Still I think
its grip upon me, and yet I was my. suggestion sound.
anxious to go, to put the thing to an But where are the openings to
issue. In all probability, we should permit the escape of so enonnous
not have far to travel. Nor, in fact,
did we.
for enormous it must be
an amount
of water vapor?
The way was much like the one
There may be countless vents,
that we had traversed in the opposite fissures, Bill, ways of egress that man
direction. One or two spots were ev- will never know. Whatever the ex-
en more dangerous than any we had planation, there can be no doubt that
found up there. And, over these the w ater is going down and that this
r
ing below sea-level, here this stream Shades of Lemuel Gulliver, but
has been pouring down for untold this old ball that men call the earth
centuries, for how many thousands is certainly a strange old sphere
!
of years no man can even guess, and How strange, said Milton
yet the place isnt full. Where does Rhodes, no scientist has ever
all the water go ?
dreamed, though your scientist has
Think, was Miltons answer, thought of things far stranger than
of all the rivers that, for how many
* The cases are certainly not numerous where
millions of years no man can tell,
marine currents are known to pour continuously
have been running into the sea, and into cavities beneath the surface of th earth, but
there is at least one well-authenticated instance
yet the sea is not overflowing.
of this sort that of the mill streams at Argostoli
I don t see the application of that in the island of Cephalonia. It had been lorn?
observed that the sea water flowed into several
to this underground world, dont see rifts and cavities in the limestone rocks of the
how all the water there must be coast, but the phenomenon has excited litte at-
tention until very recently. In J833. three of the
more streams than this can possibly entrances were closed, and a regular channel six-
teen feet long and thr^e f'*et w ;
with a fall of
return as vapor to the region above. three feet, was cut into the mouth of a larger
I admit, Rhodes said, that the cavity. The sea water flowed into this canal,
and could be followed eighteen or twenty feet be-
problem is a formidable one and that, yond its inner terminus, when it disappeared in
with our present paucity of data, we Man and Nature
holes and clefts, in the rock. George P. Marsh:
.
208 WEIRD TALES
any ever conceived by your wildest Some minutes passed, perhaps fif-
romancer, who, after all, Bill, is a teen, perhaps more; I can not say
pretty tam'e homo. how long it was. Of a sudden, how-
I have an idea, I said, glancing ever, Rhodes, who was still leading
down the cavern, that we are going the way, stopped. No. sound had es-
to find the homos here in this place caped him, and he stood there like a
anything but tame. statue, peering intently straight
Milton laughed and, without any ahead.
other answer, turned and resumed Look there,, he said in a low
the descent. voice, pointing with his alpenstock,
For one thing I was profoundly and tell me what you see.
thankful the wall ran along with-
:
was already looking, and already
I
out any pronounced cavities or pro- I had seen it. But what on earth
jections in it, so that we had little to
was that thing which I saw?
appiehend from a sudden attack on
this our giddy way except, or I remained silent,
straining eyesand wondering if I
gazing with
course^ by a demon. Had the wall
really saw what I thought that I did.
been a broken one, any instant might
have found us face to face with a What, asked Rhodes, do you
band of Hypogeans, as Rhodes called make of it?
the denizens of this subterranean The thing is so faint. Tis im-
place. possible, and yet, if itwere not so, I
But how long would the wall re- would say that
a bridge.
it is
an arch part of
main like that? And, after all, did
it really greatly matter? Meeting, Just what I thought. The thing
sooner or later, was inevitable. Tis is so strange, though, that I didnt
true, I could not conceive of a worse know whether to believe my eyes or
not.
place than this, supposing the meet-
ing to be, in any measure, an un- And so dim, I observed, that
friendly one. And, from what had it may be nothing of the kind. A
happened up there at the Tamahno- bridge? Now,' who on earth would
wis Rocks, I could not suppose that build a bridge across this frightful
it would be anything else. chasm? And why?
This, however, was to prove simply Quien sake, Bill? said Milton
another instance of how inadequate Rhodes.
the imagination, when confronted The next moment we were moving
with the reality, is sometimes found toward it.
It was a ruin indeed. So ruinous forsooth, if twas so, for the thing
was it that I wondered how the mass was fraught w ith terrible r
possibili-
could possibly remain intact. A short ties.
advance, however, and the mystery What, I asked, are we to do?
was solved. The hand of man had Cross over if we are permitted
not builded that great arch across this to do so.
dreadful chasm nature had fash-
;
If we should be permitted to do so
ioned it, there in that region of ever- I gazed into the black profundity
lasting darkness. It has, Rhodes said, of the chasm, and felt very sad.
a remarkable semblance to the cele- Holy Gorgons, I said, havent
brated Natural Bridge in Virginia. we got into a fine pickle, though?
A short space, and we stood upon I'll tell you what well do, Bill:
it, gazing across. Its width here was you remain here, like Horatius at the
about sixty feet. The surface was, bridge, while I explore along the
comparatively speaking, a smooth ledge.
1
one, and it had a rather pronounced I dont like it, I told him.
slope upward a circumstance by no United we stand well, you know
means conducive to security of foot- the rest of it.
ing. And a feature that I noticed He was some moments.
silent for
with some unpleasant misgivings was Then: I think that we can risk it.
the diminution of width at the far- Bill.
ther end. Just how wide it was there Very well, I acquiesced, shrug-
wc could not tell, what with the un- ging my shoulders. But I tell you
certain light that struggled to the that I don t like it at all.
spot but we saw enough to know that
;
The next moment, however, he had
that way which we should have to turned and w as moving down the
r
cross was a very narrow one indeed ledge. I stepped back to the wall
and on either side the black chasm (upon which two inscriptions were
yawning to receive us. And just be- traced) and waited the result with
yond, dim and ghostly as though such composure as I could summon.
seen in a dream, stupendous columns At last Rhodes moved behind a
rose up and were involved in the projection in the wall. A moment,
darkness of the lofty cavern. and the glow of his light had van-
What on earth arc those? I ished. ne was gone, and I was alone
queried. It reminds one of a Grec- in that terrible place.
ian temple. The blackness seemed to increase,
Limestone pillars, no doubt, re- the shadows to thicken about me and
turned Milton. grow denser. But one sound broke
And its there, I exclaimed, my the awful silence, which sound
voice, however, low and guarded, seemed to have a quality tangible,
tween. So its across the bridge for But we cant turn back, Bill.
us.
No; we cant turn back.
We may never reach the other He reached out his hand and
side. grasped mine. And then, without
And then I told him what I had another word, we started.
seen. I had known some critical, tei'-
And, I asked, didnt Grand- rible, horrible scenes in my life ;
but
father Scranton say that the eyes of never anything like the suspense and
the demon burned with a greenish mystery of those moments that now
fire? succeeded. What were we to see?
Rhodes nodded. What were we to meet? And, hor-
Ofcourse, though, he said, ror of horrors, it would be in that
light has to reach them, or the eyes place where the bridge narrowed to
cant shine. In absolute darkness
a mere ribbon the frightful depths
they would not do so. yawning on each side, almost at our
That eye shone, though ghostly, veiy feet.
for the light that reaches that spot Well, at last we reached it. My
is dim. And so the angel at least head began to swim, so terrible was
and heaven only knows what besides the place, and I had to stop and get
is waiting there with her demon! a grip upon my nerves. Rhodes too
Yes, Bill; there can be no doubt paused, and for some moments we
that the eye which you saw belonged stood there, so near to safety and
to a demon. The prospect is certain-
yet the mockery of it! closer than
ly a sinister one, I admit. ever to mystery and danger and
Asilence ensued. Of a sudden perhaps horror unnamable.
Rhodes raised his voice and hallooed Now for it, Bill! said Rhodes.
Hello there! Keep your revolver ready for in-
The answer came almost on the in- stant action!
stant: Hello there hello there And we started across. The place
hello there
hello hello !
was so narrow that we could not
only Echo, lovely Echo,
Tis think of walking side bv side.
smiled Milton Rhodes. Rhodes was leading. And then it
Again he raised his voice, and
came when we had taken eight or
DROME 211
forward again, and so suddenly and These are some of the things that
strongly that the angel was drawn
flashed through my mind yes, even
forward a step or two. A sharp then. I never before knew what a
word, however, from the angel, and rapid thing thought can be. Oh,
the monster settled back, as a dog those things that shot through my
does after straining at its leash. brain in those brief, horrible sec-
Once more the angel fixed her onds! My whole life, from child-
eyes upon us or, rather, upon Mil- hood to that very moment, flashed
ton Rhodes. Once more she raised before me liko the film of a cinema-
her hand to sign to us to go back. tograph, though with the speed of
But the sign was never given! light. I wondered what death was
At that instant, as the angel stood
like what it would be like some-
there with upraised hand, it hap- where in the depths of that black
pened. gulf. And I wondered why the
That sound came again, only more angel did not loose her hold on that
horrible than before, and the demon leash! I didnt know that she had
sprang at us. Caught thus off her wrapped the chain around her hand
guard, the angel was jerked, whirled and that the chain had in some way
forward. There was a wild, pierc- got caught. The poor angel could
ing cry, which rose to a scream but ;
not free herself
the winged monster paid not the Little wonder, forsooth, that she
slightest heed. It was as though the was screaming so fearfully.
thing had gone mad. The angel We must risk it! I cried.
went down; in an instant, however, Hold!
she was up again. She screamed at The next instant Milton Rhodes
the demon, but it lunged toward us,
flapping its great hideous wings and
had
stepped aside yes, stepped
right to the very edge of the rock.
dragging her after it out onto the The demon whirled at him, and, as
bridge. Her position now -was one it whirled, one of its great wings
of peril scarcely less than our own. struck me full across the face. I
All this had passed, of course, gave myself up for lost, but some-
DROME 213
were beating against the rock with down my other hand, my fingers
a spasmodic, hideous sound. were in the very act of closing on
I gave a cry of relief and joy; but the chain, when, horrors, I felt my-
the next moment one of dismay and . self slipping along the smooth rock
horror broke from me. slipping over into that appalling
The monster was dragging the gulf.
angel over the edge To save myself, I had to let go the
angels arm, and, as the chain jerked
CHAPTER 21 to the monsters weight, an awful
cry broke from the angel and from
INTO THE CHASM Milton Rhodes, and I saw her body
Rhodes threw himself
/f ilton dragged farther over.
-L *
prone on the rock and his right Cut it, Bill, cut it!
the angels arm, and again she and dark, of - course, though not ex-
I drew the monster up. This time, tinguished.
though, I got my other hand on the I looked at it and looked all
chain. And yet, even then, the chain around.
hanging slack above my hand, the We saw two lights, I said.
angel' was some time in freeing her
And yet she was waiting here
own, from the fingers of which blood alone .
was dripping. But at last she had
loosened the chain, hnd then I let
'
There certainly were two lights,
go my hold upon it, and down the Bill two persons at least. Her com-
demon went, still wings,
flapping its
panion went somewhere that is the ;
eyes were blue: that a chill passed
But she had not. Scarcely had he through my heated brain, and T
spoken when she opened her eyes. actually began, to wonder if I was
At once she sat tip, and I saw a faint being hypnotized. Hypnotized? And
color suffuse those snowy features. in this cursed spot ! .
shaken) that I would gladly have there was silence. I thought that I
covered those few remaining yards saw fear in those blue eyes of hers,
on all foulsif my pride would have but I could not be sure. That
permitted me to do so. strange look, whether one of fear or
Yes, there we stood, by that very of something else, was not all that
pillar behind which the angel had I saw there but I strove in vain, to
;.
waited for us with her demon. find a name. or ,a meaning for what
There was her lamp lantern rather I saw.
DROME 215
words being spoken! But there was stepped back to their weapons,
no mistaking, I thought, the manner which they at once resumed, and
of the angel. It was earliest, and the young woman, without moving
yet, strangely enough, that Sibylline from the spot, inclined her head to
quality about her was now more pro- us in a most stately fashion. Bow
nounced than ever. But there was again from Rhodes and myself.
no mistaking her manner; she was
This ceremony over I hoped that
endeavoring to reassure him, to al- we had done the thing handsomely
lay, itseemed, some strange uneasi- the angel turned to us and told
ness or fear. I noticed, however, us (in pantomime, of course) that
with some vague, sinister misgivings, we Avere now friends and that her
that in this she was by no means as heart was glad.
successful she herself desired.
as Friends! said I to myself.
Why we
see in the eyes of the
did You are no gladder, madam, than
leader, and in those of the others, I am; but all the same I am going
so strange, so mysterious a look to be on my guard.
whenever those eyes were turned The girls mo\ ed to the angel and
r
aroused were not gone. I felt a manner making itclear that she was
shudder pass to my heart. Of a pointing to something far, very far
truth, this woman was dreadful. away.
I glanced at Rhodes; I thought Drome! she said.
that even he looked grave and
Drome, nodded Milton Rhodes.
troubled. Well, so I thought, might
he.be!
He turned to me.
I said nothing, however, until the
Ready, Bill?
angel had rejoined her companions.
Ready, I told him.
Then: There can be not the slight-
And so we started.
The visitor sat down and fingered ways looking out for something new,
his hat nervously. He was apparent- so he says to me, Dupuy, lets have
ly a man of the laboring class, to a few' statues of naval officers of his-
judge from his appearance; yet he torv. Do you remember any?
showed signs of intelligence superior Sure! said I. Theres Ville-
to that of most of his kind. I could neuve and St. Page and
Quit, talking
account for his mental disturbance French, said Mr.
only when he had finished his story. Margotson. What about John Paul
Im a Frenchman by birth, sir, Jones and Nelson?
he began, and I've been seven years So I set to work and made repli-
in this country. Dupuy is my name. cas of them. The one of Jones was
Im a naturalized citizen and proud fair, but the Nelson statue was first-
lution, and all the famous kings and It must have been a w eek ago r
queens of England, the great soldiers that the first thing happened. I was
and sailors Wellington, Napoleon,
adjusting the scabbard of his sword
Nelson we use real swords in our scab-
Fan gh , said the doctor.
! Let
bards and the point flew through
the dead rest in their graves. Dont
you know that every time you set up
and went right into
missed a large artery. Look
my wrist
!
just
an image of the dead you form a He held his hand up for our in-
focus in which all that remains of his spection. There was a ragged cut,
personality on earth concentrates? half healed, along the base of the
That commandment against making hand.
replicas of life in stone which wr ould And Ill swear that the figure
have included wax, my friend, had pushed the sword through the scab-
w ax figures been known was the
r
bard pushed it violently, for it cut
wisest and most spiritual of all. Go clear through the leather. But I
didn t catch on just then. Then, four
222 WEIRD TALES
days afterward, as I was passing it, Dupuy led the way toward an end
the thing flew from its pedestal and of the great hall. Here I saw a
keeled me over. My head just missed group of figures attired in Georgian
the iron radiator by two inches. And dress evidently Nelson would be
;
I tell you it didnt fall, it fairly found among these. One of them,
threw itself at me. however, seemed singularly incongru-
What does Mr. Margotson say to ous and out of place. It was a short,
that? asked Brodsky. thick-set man in the costume of a
He laughs at me. I dont know mechanic of today. It seemed to
what to do.. I ve half a mind to melt move; I started; then I discovered
it and let Margotson discharge me; that it was a living man.
and yet I have my wife to think of, Mr. Margotson! cried Dupuy in
and theres no demand for such men confusion.
as me, the business having fallen off But the proprietor seemed still
so. And if I stay there, one day the more confused than his assistant. He
thing will kill me. came forward sheepishly, and a mask
Enough, said Brodsky. Well seemed to have descended upon his
go there at once. Can we get in? blank face and blotted out some
I have the key, answered the curious emotions which I had thought
Frenchman, putting on his hat. that I read there.
Mr. Margotson these are two
'\X7e three house together.
left the gentlemen who are interested in what
* We caught a car on the main I told you about the statue, Dupuy
road, which ran past us one block stammered.
away, and, half an hour later, Margotson s face grew black with
stepped out at the entrance to the rage.
waxworks theater, which stood in Newspaper writers, eh? he
what was now the heart of the busi- shouted. Come to write up my
4
ness section of the city, and was, in museum, I suppose! I dont want
consequence, almost completely de- your advertising ;
I ve got all the cus-
serted at this hour of the evening. tomers I want and you cant do me
Our companion pulled out a key and no good. Damn your curiosity; this
opened a side door. We
went up to fools been telling you some of his
a great hall, round which were silly yarns about the Nelson statue,
ranged statues of celebrities, life-size I suppose !
very good statue, one of the best of the skin.. And yet it was of wax.
youve made. Its new wax green It was not flesh and blood. But flesh
wax, we trade and it
call it in the and blood differed less from it than
ought to have had time to mature, it differed from the unreal and waxen
only the public were so crazed over figures around it. It stooped half for-
the naval officers that I didnt have ward, it seemed instinct with slowly
time to let it lie. Thats why its dawning vitality. And surely its ex-
hardening because of the fumes pression had changed; it had not
from the leather factory across the smiled thus, with the cold malevo-
street. They drift in here something lence of a conqueror, when first I had
terrible. Thats all thats the matter seen it.
with it. Look! Then suddenly Margotson seemed
He switched on an electric light transformed. As though he adapted
upon the wall behind him, and for his mood to suit his mind, he burst
the first time I saw clearly the face into a wild peal of laughter.
of the great English hero. There Good old Nelson! he shouted;
were the irregular, thin, homely fea- and the sounds echoed from the roof
tures, lit by a flame of patriotic en- and rang through the hall, while for
thusiasm. Yet, admirably as the one dreadful moment I could have
artist had caught the inspiration of sworn that an answering emotion
the painting from which he modeled flitted across that waxen face.
Good
it, there seemed something more, boy, Nelson! A
miracle of art, Du-
some hardly defined vein of cruelty, puy. I cant tear myself away from
of caprice, that actually gave the watching him. Ill raise your sal-
face the property of seeming to re- ary. He makes me feel so good. He
flect a certain change of emotions, an wants me
to do something for him
instability of mind as though the and Ill find out what it is and do
thing possessed some conscious life. it.
And the skin surely that was the Youve given him a body and
skin of a man, with the blood he s getting your reason, my friend,
spot, shouted the enraged propri- We did not need to be urged, nor
etor. Youre going daffy, Dupuy, was there necessity of excuses. Mar-
thats whats the matter with you. gotson had already forgotten us and
Hes always had that smile. Exam- was standing before the statue alter-
ine the wax, gentlemen; its hard- nately capering and grimacing.
ened, thats all. Now, Ill give you my advice and
With horror and repulsion I laid shortly; you can follow it or not at
my finger on the smooth surface of your peril, said Brodsky. Get
the cheek. So lifelike did it appear your employer home in safety and
that I could have sworn the blood then slip back and chop the thing
faded out of the arterioles beneath to pieces before a tragedy super-
the pressure, blanching the surface venes. No, thats all Ive got to say
~24 WEIRD TALES
to you except just this: give up your savage makes some dreadful idol to
;rade and learn something that wont worship, sacrifices to it until the
>ring you into conflict with all these thing becomes instinct with life and
vital forces that hang round such filled with all the passions of the
daces. worshipers; then a devil has been
And with these words he fairly called into existence whose evil in-
turled himself out of the place, leav- fluence is incalculable. I tell you, it
ing me to follow him as best I could. was no mythical devil that the early
Christian missionaries had to face,
T think I mentioned once how nor those of today.
sensitive the doctor always was to
* After death the pure spirit flies
ihe morbid things of life. Perhaps it to its appointed resting place, leaving
was a certain sensibility to those in- its two bodies moldering behind it.
visible influences which accompany One is that earthly body that we all
noods and invest those places where know; the other is the soul body, the
any violent emotions have been at body of desires, a semi-conscious
play. At any rate, having seen so force that survives for months or
nuch of the darker side of life, Brod- years, according to the condition of
ky was strenuously insistent upon the dead being.
cleanliness and wholesomeness. Do not mistake me; this is not
Weve got to leave such tilings Nelson. That great admiral is un-
done and work in the sun, he used conscious of this replica of him there
o say. This is our working day; in the waxworks theater. It is a
when the night comes at last, may our group of emotions such as possessed
good deeds be our protective armor Nelson, a man of strong feelings, yet
igainst all the host of devils on the not necessarily his. The warm en-
night shores that we shall pass thusiasm of the crowds that have vis-
i hrough. ited that place have focused these
You believe we have to pass emotions, much as the burning glass
< hrough some place of purgation? I focuses the rays of the sun. Remem-
asked. ber, as yet this creature is only half
Well have to clean up some- conscious. It vaguely, as in a dream,
how, in this life or the next, he feels this life within itself; it is ris-
answered. We cant get into heav- ing toward a conscious existence.
en with dirty fingernails. And that fool Margotson is the tool
So, on this occasion, I forebore to by which it means to wreak its en-
question him when we got home. mity upon Dupuy.
Brodsky went to a closet where he But why does it hate the French-
kept many relics of his earlier life, man so much ? I asked.
md came out with a small Union Do you
not recollect Nelsons
Jack upon a moldering staff. motto ?
the doctor asked :
Hate a
The flag of the vessel that bore Frenchman as you would the devil?
me from Poland, where the Czars This elemental being that has attract-
missaries were seeking my life, he ed these emotions that made up the
aid sadly. To what better use can great admirals soul-body has neces-
it be put? sarily the identical feeling. What
Then he explained the mystery. does it know of the time that has
It is a fetish, he said, filling his elapsed, or the changes of history?
tipe and puffing at it slowly. It Th.ere is the Frenchman, and it will
is exactly similar, in every particu-
have his life by itself, if possible.
lar, to the idols of the West Africans If it can not kill him, as it tried, it
or, for that matter, to any idol. The will certainly do so th rough Margot-
THE FETISH QF THE; WAXWORKS 225
son. Well, its none of ray business, his employer standing before
the
I ve warned Dupuy. !
he added.
statue, regarding- it as
silently, .
ried him with admirable grace and resumed its natural aspect, and, in
ease. Dupuy came running up to me. case any remnants of its power re-
He rushed at me, he cried, main, keep a small British flag in
with sword drawn, and Dr. Brod-
his your buttonhole, especially on holi-
sky snatched a sword from Paul days such as Independence Day. Yes,
Jones replica and met him. Look! thats your penalty, Dupuy, patriot
The doctor wins! as you say you are; the only alter-
Like every Polish gentleman, Brod- native being the destruction of the
sky was an adept with the foils. Cer- statue, which Margotson wont al-
tainly a clumsy mechanic such as low. And, when you can, try to get
Margotson could not have expected another occupation.
to overcome him. Yet, as I watched
It was a desperate chance, con-
the tense interchange of sword-play,
fided Brodsky to me afterward.
I was amazed at the skill shown by
Still,one can deal with these ele-
Margotson. It seemed as though the
mental forces much as the lunatics;
courage and prowess of the great ad-
the mad impulse of national hatred
miral had descended upon him.
was shattered instantly when it per-
Twice he lunged so fiercely that the
point grazed Brodsky's arm; then,
ceived the flag of its country. When
Margotson wakes up upon the floor
with a sudden twist, he sent the
of the gallery he will think that he
weapon flying from the doctors
got drunk tire night before.
hand, and rushed not at him, but
But me, I cried suddenly,
tell
straight toward Dupuy. So swift
was the impetus, he was upon us be- why did you make me wait till I
fore we could stir. And then, just found the key? Then the solution
came to me. You knew our lives
as the blade seemed about to pierce
the Frenchmans heart, something
were in danger and wished to save me
came fluttering downwai'd over his from the possibility of injury, I
cried.
head and the sword fell from Mar-
gotson s hand and he stood still, his
Pshaw! muttered the doctor.
THREW a piece of string into I was amazed, but. all I said was:
the grate, where presently it be- Sorry, I didnt think the smell
I gan to smolder. would worry you.
Kobyssu stopped talking and Kobyssu looked round his cafe, de-
sniffed. Although in appearance he serted at this hour of the afternoon.
is ferocious, with his little simian He looked at the neat tables, at the
forehead, his black bushes of eye- walls, at his desk, rather with the air
brows, and his big, bristling mus- of a man who wished to assure him-
tache, he is in reality a fellow of self that he was indeed in Wardour
most pleasant, even temperament. Street, London, and nowhere else.
But was plain that the string had
it Then he faced the fire again, his
disturbed him greatly. His cheek eyes more normal but very somber.
had paled, and I got a glimpse of his That smell of slow-burning hemp
eyes as he bent forward swiftly in his it reminded me of something in
chair and leveled them at the hearth. Czergona.
The expression in them was twofold. But, said I, you often tell me
There was deep anger; there was that every memory of your native
equally deep horror. country is dear to you. Only yester-
He saw the string, snatched at it, day you quoted some absurd prov-
and cast it into the heart of the fire, erb
so that it flamed instantly. To a Czerg the howl of a wolf
Pouf! he said, waving his in his homeland is more comforting
hands in front of his nose, and now than the lowing of his cattle in a for-
exceedingly white. eign land. It is a true proverb. My
227
2-28 - WEIRD TALES
country may be merely what your wall. It was an upright iron cylinder,
newspapers say, a barren mountain about three feet high and two feet
range in mid-Europe, but I love ev- in diameter, having a flat top, with a
ery memory of it except one. That flap at the edge of this, which opened
is a memory of dreadful things.
so that coal and wood could be poured
There was a table with coffee be- in. A stout pipe went from the stove
tween our chairs. He filled my cup. right up to" the roof and through it.
From any country, however In summer, of course, the stove
great and refined, one may get a was not lit. In winter it was attend-
memory ed to by old Uflio Vaang. He would
of dreadful things, he said,
was back in the past, and I felt the the base, duller the higher you looked
feelings of twelve years ago.
Ah-h, yet hot, you can imagine.
I had, a shock. I was extremely fond of that
What about this stove? But par- stove, especially at evening service,
don, Kobyssu perhaps it would pain
;
when snow and darkness and wolves
you to tell me? Perhaps the matter were outside the church. I yearned
is personal? to spend the night by it, and thought
He shook his head. pastor and people would be much
I was not directly concerned, I more sensible to do so instead of far-
am thankful to say. But the story is ing down the hill, all in a bunch for
too fearful a thing to relate idly over fear of the wolves.
coffee. And you would be sorry if I And I was a young rascal! I got
put it in your mind. You would into the habit of flicking bits of string
strive to forget it, and never forget on to the stove, to see them smoke and
it
no, no, I do not want to tell it. burst into flame. But a thrashing
But my curiosity had risen high. I from my father and another from
urged Kobyssu and he yielded. the pastor cured me of that.
I am
punished. I wish I had not There was a good draft to that
heard a word of the tale of the church
stove it had some bars low down in
stove at Raebrudafisk, which Kobyssu front. And old Uflio, though every-
narrated in the fluent English that he body warned him not to, drenched
has acquired so praiseworthily dur- the fuel with oil before lighting it.
ing recent years. Stove and pipe were red long before
church -time.
0 aebrudafisk, he said, is the Kobyssu drank some coffee, and
village I was born in. It is on made a considerable pause. I knew
a hillside, in a fir wood. The church, he w-as hoping that some customer
which is of stone, is a quarter of a would arrive and give him a pretext
mile from it, up the hill. When, as for breaking off altogether. None
a little boy, I was taken to church by came, however, so he shrugged his
my parents, the stove used to inter- shoulders and proceeded.
est me very much. It was not far Old Uflio Vaang was wonderful.
from where we sat, near the north He was completely blind. He had
THE CHURCH STOVE 229
has dropped coal into the red-hot the scent of much blood might bring
thing, .running no more peril of burn- the wolves, who would hide his crime,
ing himself than would a man with he stabbed, he hacked her little pure
two healthy eyes.
body ah-h! Kobyssu blew out his
Well, twelve years ago, when I breath and drummed his fingers
was a swineherd of twenty, and had agitatedly on his knees.
not commenced to think of London So this was what the stove, that
or even of Warsaw, old Uflio was still Djira s father tended, reminded
tending the stove. Naturally, I had Kobyssu of. As it was fact, not fic-
lost my boyish interest in it. I never tion, I did not want to hear anything
supposed that I should be interested further. And yet I felt I must know
in it again. what happened to the villain Sturl.
Kobyssu paused once more. When I said so, and added in dismay
he resumed, such a note of sadness Kobyssu! you dont have capital
was in his voice that I experienced a punishment in Czergona, do you!
chill a dread, and the first of my No, he answered, with a pecu-
regrets at having importuned him liar inflection of his voice. The
for the story. I had not reckoned on wolves did not get Djira, he went
a tragedy to a young girl, which I on. We young men of Raebrudafisk
perceived looming. reached her first. For a boy saw what
Uflio Vaang had a daughter, Sturl did and ran to tell us. He ran
said he; Djira. She was sixteen, for his life, since Sturl had caught
pretty, bright-natured
oh, delight- sight of him and was chasing him.
ful. She was the old mans only Sturl could not overtake him, and
child, and, as-his wife was dead, all in turned in another direction when he
the world he had to care for. I was perceived the lad would gain the vil-
not in love with Djira. I w'as think- lage.
ing of a girl in the next village. But Yes, we went to Djira; and then
the other young men of Raebrudafisk we and the men of the whole country-
were in love with her, as, unhappily, side sought Sturl. Many among us
was a man not young. That was Oik vowed to slay himwhen we came up-
Sturl, whose age was forty, and who on him, but the pastor and School-
was often in prison for stealing or master Wiec, who was the magistrate
230 WEIRD TALES
of the district, sternly forbade this. Schoolmaster Wioe wanted every
For over two weeks, in wild man of us to hurry across and aid the
weather of sleet and bitter winds, we Phvamu people. I had broken my
hunted vainly, scouring woods, climb- arm two days previously seeking
ing to the niches in the mountain- Sturl. To witness the blaze, howev-
tops, and even searching our coal out with the rest. My chirm,
er, I set
mine, to which we thought the pierc- Vavik Rista, I, and a dozen others,
ing cold might have driven Sturl. We took a path which went by the
wondered how he obtained food, and church. Although it rose steeply we
at every step we took amid the trees began to cover it at a trot. We had
or up the rocks we expected to dis- gone a hundred yards past the church
cover him dead from exposure. when a man, his clothes fluttering in
You can conceive and pity Uflio rags, sprang out into the way in
this while. I consider that his lot front of us, sprang as if from his
was worse than Djiras. She, the one sleep; and, trying to run before
earthly gladness of his blind life she,
;
either of his feet was well back on
the bright, the gentle, whose lips and the ground, he seemed to wrench one,
hands caressed him so lovingly, whose and fell.
greeting woke him in the morning, He was Sturl. Vavik and sevei'al
whose voice told him the hues of the more, darting forward instantly,
sky and the promise of the garden; reached him as he came to his knees,
she held by a foul hand, and and held him!
Lend me a knife, said Vavik,
slaughtered That is what he had to
!
think of. Small wonder that for days whom Djira had shown many indica-
the torment made him almost insane, tions of loving.
and that our womenfolk could give But two or three cried, No, no:
him no consolation. what will the pastor and School-
The Sunday after the murder he master Wiee say?
did not go to the church, being too Yet there were others who agreed
ill and weak. On the following with Vavik, and it was a long time
Thursday, however, when there was before we could quiet them.
an evening service, he took up his And all this while Phyamu is
routine, and the stove was glowing burning, and we are needed! cried
when we entered the church. It was someone. He pointed to the thin,
sad indeed to look at Uflio, in his strong ropes many were carrying to
usual seat, but bent and tremulous, the scene of the fire. Tie the beast
with his cheeks so sunken and ghast- to a tree until we come back.
ly that he was scarcely to be recog- Wolves, objected someone else.
nized. Perhaps it was saddest to So much the better! shouted
notice the coal smear's and a tiny Vavik.
gleam of oil on his hands when he But a voice suggested leaving
raised them. Little Djira had al- Sturl in the church, and thither we
ways been most careful to wipe them dragged him.
for him ere service began. We bound him, meaning to let
him lie on the floor. Seeing him
As I said, for over two weeks we gnash with his teeth at the ropes
searched for Sturl ;
and we about him, and knowing him to be so
found not a trace of him. Then, at supple that he might stretch to, and
dawn one morning, our village was gnaw through, some, we gagged him
roused by a new alarm. The village very firmly; so that, though he was
of Phvamu, four miles away, where raging at us, the sounds he made
they find and store oil. was on fire. were but as the hiss of the wind
THE CHURCH STOVE 231
about the church. Then he. began to of rope, stiff and upright like some
roll and to knock his head against strange soldier, on the stove in the
the floor.
We must make him
church at Raebrudafisk Sturl incap-
fast to able of movement, incapable of sound
something, said one of us.
save such as the wdnd was making. We
saw the church door slowdy open and
We stared around the church.
There were no pillars, there seemed
Uflio, stone-blind Uflio, appear. We
nothing to lash Sturl to. And then
saw him go to the- vestry, and emerge
have said we in all this. It is right We saw- and felt all these things in-
that I should, as I was of the party. stantaneously, as it were; and, far
But the work w as not the sort for a
y
faster than we had run to Phyamu,
man with a fractured arm, so that we ran from it toward our church,
throughout I was an onlooker. Justi- all except .Vavik, who continued his
fiably or not, I find relief in the work.
straightened his back and flung out of saving Sturl; yet, in case there
his arms stiffly, uttering a queer, might be, we tore along. Our earli-
gurgling groan. estglimpse of the church showed its
It is Sunday morning he said.
!
smoke blowing from the ehimney. As
It took us not a second to realize to Sturl having been discovered-
his meaning. We saw Sturl, a figure well, presently we made out Uflio
232 WEIRD TALES
by Djiras grave, and
sitting quietly inches and he have no inkling of the
the pastor and some of the women- fact.
BASSETT MORGAN
A BOUT the stilt legs of the nipa- more than the sorcery of their own
thatched hut, Paul Dakens magician had none of that respect
jL JL looked down into a lagoon so for Dakens. In his heart he knew
clear that he could see the little that he would in all probability be
painted fish scattering like sparks. taken and tortured. Phillips little
Behind him in the hut the little brown wife had warned him, had
brown wife of Phillips mourned her even offered to guide him through
husband, whose funeral orgies were the tortuous lanes of jungle trees
already in progress with a prodigal- bedded in black water, rank with
ity of feasting and ceremony accord- the smell of walk-about grounds of
ed a white man by the Papuan blacks crocodiles; yet in her eyes, limpid
who had murdered him. Dakens and dark as dew in the heart
glanced at the woman huddled on the of a black orchid, he had read
mats. At the head of the couch, hate and a desire for vengeance
Phillips pet monkey blinked solemn- toward Gwanoo, the chieftain whom
ly as if he understood that his mas- Phillips had outwitted of a bride
ter would never return, and felt the when he took the girl to his own hut.
fear which Dakens shared of those A week before, Phillips had gone
drums already tearing the forest with Gwanoo on a pig-sticking expe-
gloom to tatters. dition. Three days, or rather nights
The untimely death of Phillips had later, Dakens had been wakened by
left unfinished that work he had the brown girls Song of Mourning,
planned with Dakens help of giving nor could he laugh aside her fears.
to the world their understanding of On the following morning Gwanoo re-
the natives, unless Dakens went on, turned, seated himself on the edge of
and he was afraid. The blacks who this lagoon and beheaded Phillips
feared the magic tricks of Phillips body, preparing the head as a decora-
234 WEIRD TALES
tive addition to his already fine col- The brown woman called the mon-
lection. key in vain, and she scolded Dakens
Powerless to prevent, Dakens had in quick angry native words. He had
been ill over it, enduring three days forgotten that she was jealous of the
of racking fear while the brown wo- friendship between him and Phillips,
man kept guard, and he slept to forgotten that she was a comely lit-
dream of the head of his friend, the tle primitive whose lovely brown
red hair and bushy red beard. He body shaped to feet with great pre-
wakened frenzied and hysteric each hensile toes not unlike those of the
time, and the brown woman plied monkey. She was grief-stricken as
him with palm -wine, a mistaken only a primitive can be, and he real-
kindness, as he knew. ized a moment later that in her re-
Drink had the effect on Dakens of sentment at his giving wine to the
leaving his body and flesh cold, his beast, she had suddenly cast off any
brain alert and afire, and the skill feeling of allegiance for him.
of the surgeon he had once been al- A moment later she snatched the
ways turned him to his case of knives. monkey and plunged into the lagoon,
Behind his eyelids for three days and and was swimming through the clear
nights the head of Phillips seemed water toward shore. Dakens smiled.
urging him to vengeance, not to glut Watching her brown body, sleek and
cruelty Phillips was too fine a man smooth as satin in the sun-green
for that but that the fear of the water, he was conscious only of its
white man might once more make it symmetry, the pleasing unity of mus-
safe for Dakens to stay on the lagoon cular strength, and the fact that she
and finish the notes for which both was running true to type, a daughter
men had already sacrificed years. of the jungle, going back.
Palm wine, fermenting daily, had She would, he supposed, return to
not quieted his fear, but it dulled his Gwanoo, but he thought his own
power to fight that mad dream of cur- chances of escape vrere better than
ing the head of Gwanoo as he had her chance for life if the sorcerer
mummied the head of Phillips. The took her. For her own sake, Dakens
brown woman, little dreaming the wished she had not gone, but the
peril she loosed, wakened and carried palm wine had cured him of the
the jar of wine to Dakens. He tilted clutch and bite and twist of fear.
back his head and drank thirstily. He felt aloof,primed for contempla-
The monkey swung across the hut tive interest in forthcoming events,
and crouched at his knees, one small knowing that if the black men
black paw on his wrist. Dakens pat- stormed the hut he had his own gun
ted its head, then pouring wine in his and need not endure torture.
palm, he let it drink. He heard the The girl had reached shore. There
soft cry of protest from the woman, she stood on a strip of dazzling white
and in sheer perversity gave the little coral beach, shining in brown loveli-
beast a second drink of wine. ness against a mass of creamy hibis-
In a few minutes it was swinging cus, the heart-searching perfume of
allover the hut, then back to his lap, which came to his nostrils with the
where he caught and held it, staring sea-tang. The monkey was in her
into its beady little eyes, and strange- arms, and she whispered with red lips
ly enough his gaze held the creature, against its cheek, caressing it with
and between their eyes shone the brown hands. And at that moment
dancing head of Phillips. the jungle drums pulsed, a quick
If I had your agility, said Da-., staccato probed his brain with hot
kens whimsically, Id get it. fingers of sound.
THE HEAD 235
dared not sleep without her keeping ly broken and a wild outcry ended
guard. He was afraid of this somnol- the song. Two Paradise birds danc-
ence caressing his flesh, stroking with ing in the tops of tall trees flew away
languorous touch the strength from from some disturbance. Dakens for-
his body. The repeated drafts were got his fear. He was staring at the
hitting violently, and presently ho head of Phillips hanging from a
rose, found his case of surgical knives small black paw in a clump of dark
and began polishing them, forcing his foliage, its luxurious beard stirred
mind to memories of operations he by the wind, its lips tight-sewn but
had accomplished in days gone by. seemingly puckered in a grim smile
Tli on as he turned his gaze toward as if their owner enjoyed the joke he
the shore whence came the palpitant had found beyond the shore of life.
drumming quivering louder and fast- Dakens wanted to laugh with the
er as the funeral orgies got under head. The monkey which had loved
way, he saw a patch of sunlight pierc- Phillips had stolen his head from
ing tree branches and falling in a cir- the funeral wreaths of the village
cle of- gold on the lagoon. In it, lit- and swung through the trees. It
tle fish swarmed to snap at insects, leaped down from the branches, and
and Dakens seemed to see again the the brown girl sprang up from her
head of Phillips, only now the eyes hiding place to catch it in her arms.
were open, imploring, urging him to There was the sharp z-z-z-z of an ar-
action. He tried to fathom the mean- row and a cluster of falling flowers.
ing, conscious that it was madness, a The girl swayed a moment, then
spot of sunlit water alive with gaudy caught the monkey and raced to the
fish, but the fantasy persisted. lagoon and was swimming. She w as
r
He went to the door, still staring, almost to the hut when the jungle
brushing his hand across his eyes, belched black men. Dakens snatched
and as wind stirred the palms, the his gun and fired. A savage whirled
spot of light shifted toward shore; and .fell, his lips at the lagoon rip-
and following it, he saw a shining ples.
topaz gleam in the jungle, the fire The girl was swimming under
where hate and superstition danced water, a brown undulating power
in black ghoul shapes about the bier which Dakens longed to watch and
of the dead white man. He heard the
dared not. A second and third shot
cracked, and the black men halted,
song, a savage sound of broken irri-
reluctant to change so soon their
tating rhythm, a song so old. that not
feast of flesh to an outflow of souls.
even the singers understood its full
The brown girl reached the hut and
significance, a song that went with
swarmed wdth incredible swiftness to
shoreless rivers and jungle trees root-
its door, while the blacks chattered
ed in black water stirred by scaled in consultation on shore.
horrors with gaping jaws. Dakens felt a wild elation at the
The brown girl was gone. Dakens crisis hurled upon him. This was
shuddered to think what might be better than brooding in the hut, wait-
happening, unless her comeliness ing for death. The girl was crooning
earned a merciful death. He turned over the monkey, which whined in a
again to the spot on the lagoon, but small squeaky voice, and caressing
the sun had moved and the water the head of Phillips, but Dakens saw
was in shadow, the little fish flutter- blood on her lips and knew she was
236 WEIRD TALES
wounded, and presently the head his feet and murmured, Kill Gwa-
soiled from her grasp to the mats and noo, Marster, kill Gwanoo as he killed
lay grinning at Dakens through my white man.
tight-sewn lips, as if it assured him She had seized his gun, and there
that he was doing well. was a sharp volley of shots, a dozen
He would have given a year of life, leaping black men and three inert
if he had the hope of so much, to bodies across the twisting splendor
fathom the smile of those dead lips that had been Gwanoo, then the
and guess what they would have ad- others fled.
vised. He was conscious of urging Dakens turned and seized the
Phillips to tell him what to do. He gourd, and throwing back his head
could not withstand a siege of the emptied the wine in great gasping
hut. Sooner or later they would rash gurgles down his own throat. He
him, and he needed time and bullets needed it. The respite would be
for the woman and himself. A grim brief. Under cover of darkness they
respect for her courage thrilled him, would return. But the moment the
a part of his elation over the stand black men wore in the jungle, the girl
he made. She deserved a heroic end, was in the lagoon. Dakens saw her
a shot that would send her soul to swimming back slowly, weighted by
seek Phillips who was waiting. Da- the body of the sorcerer, which she
kens felt the presence of his friend. hauled up the steps and dragged in
The head was no longer horrid; it the door, then she touched Dakens
was as if Phillips had come back. arm and pointed. Gwanoo still lived.
Then on shore the mass of blacks In the girls eyes was a gleam of
pai-ted and Gwanoo stood on the cor- triumph. Hating Gwanoo as she did
al, a magnificent black giant, strong for the murder of her white man, she
white teeth flashing, his head-dress showed the lust and greed of the
surmounted with sw-aying plumes of primitive she was, at this chance of
Paradise, scarlet flowers encircling inflicting on an enemy the torture
his oiled body. And Gwanoo boomed she had seen him visit on others. Da-
his parley. He demanded the head, kens saw her dax-t to the case of
if that were returned he would take knives, and seizing the largest, sit on
his men away to the feast. If it were the floor and whet its blade on the
not sole of her foot, then leaning toward
The murmur of the brown girls the inert Gwanoo she lifted the knife.
voice translated the promise of hor- Dakens leaped and caught hei*
ror, the death by ants, by palm fiber, wrist. She was like a tiger in his
by slicing slowly, by being taken on grasp, and only that she had been
lie crocodile walk-about grounds. hurt he could not have kept her from
Dakens licked his dry lips. His murder. She twisted with uixbeliev-
mind called, demanded of Phillips able strength, and in the end turned
how he should act, if he must send on her ferocity on him. He never knew
!he girl Phillips had loved and fol- how it happened, but as she writhed
low her and leave the notes garnered and bit at him with her teeth, there
at such a cost to molder in the hut. came a cry and she went limp, the
Its your job, Phillips, he heard knife-blade thrust deep in her abdo-
himself whispering; you would men. Her scream changed to a moan
trust Gwanoo and he killed you. You of agony. Blood spurted oxi his
trusted me and I dont know what hands, and he staggered with her to
!
to do, Phillips the heaped mats where the little
He wasscarcely conscious that, he monkey huddled, nursing the head of
spoke, until the brown girl crept to Phillips.
THE HEAD 237
have been that the monkey crept not gone hunting with Gwanoo wed
presently from the shadow and came have come out of this and gained hon-
close to Gwanoo s body, reaching a or. We had accomplished much, we
small black paw to touch the face of had sacrificed these years and our
the black sorcerer. The little brown own honorable careers to catalogue
-
girl was dead, her body wrapped in these devils, and now youve spoiled
the mats, but the stalwart Gwanoo the chance of ever giving the results
showed signs of life. One black hand of that research to the world ... as
with its heavy wristlets was lifted to I said you would do when you took
the bandage about the brows. Hear- the girl first.
ing a moan, the monkey crept close The sun, dropping behind the dark
and the fumbling hand found and line of palms, cast shadow over the
fondled the little beast which snug- lagoon. The thunderous sunset of
gled in the curve of Gwanoo s arm. Papua seemed to growl about its soft
Dakens sat at the door of the hut, panther-hide of forest. In the jungle
more alert than at any time since the drums were beating up the tempo
238 WEIRD TALES
of that old song and Dakens was red beard, Dakens threw up a hand
swept on that rhythm to an interlude to his lips to throttle the scream in
in which the years of their lives in his throat.
the jungle unfolded before his eyes, The shadows deepened. The black
and standing out from those het Papuan hills smoked against the fu-
steaming months was the affection of rious crimson and amber of the sky.
Phillips for the brown girl. He saw In another few minutes the light
it now as the one fatal mistake which would die and night descend; night,
would eventually destroy all they had and the bat-winged fear that
done. Phillips had been mad about had held him prisoner for days,
her. Dying, he would not rest until a worse fear than before, be-
she was winging her way to his side. cause the hut held unbelievable
Dakens came to believe it in that horror, the body of the brown
hour. The will of the dead man had girl in the mats and the great
taken a tortuous way to manifest its Gwanoo now reviving rapidly, call-
power, but it was tangible, audible, ing incessantly for water, hugging
as real to Dakens as the breath on the monkey and the head to its
his lips. breast.
Reason had no power to refute the That voice had power to bring
thing. He no longer fought- the Dakens with the gourd, and the last
thought. His whole body, his men- of his precious brandy mixed with
tality, felt the will of Phillips urging water. It was as if he fed magic to
him to some task yet unfinished. one of those flowers which Hindoo
Then, as if answering the question fakirs raise from a seed to bud and
twisting Dakens mind, .the voice of bloom in the space of a few minutes.
Gwanoo murmured, Water, Mar- It was like Gwanoo s own magic that
ster, water. plucked an orchid from the air and
Dakens leaped to his feet. This had it turn to a snake. The sorcerer
was no booming sound from the great grew strong beyond belief. With
throat of the sorcerer, but a womans staring eyes Dakens saw him lean on
murmur, the crooning words of the one arm, then sit upright, still caress-
brown girl. He reached for the ing the monkey and the head, and the
gourd of boiled and cooled water, affection of the little animal was the
and held it to the thick lips. The most curious thing of all. Dakens
eyes beneath the head bandage felt as if he were caught in a night-
opened, and it seemed to Dakens they mare.
had the same soft sheen as the girls Then he was aware of the accelera-
eyes, the look of dew in the heart of tion of the jungle song and drums.
a black orchid. They were coming through the jun-
Take me . . . my people . . . my gle, coming through the night, com-
jungle it murmured again and
ing to the lagoon and they came
again. for him. His scalp prickled. He
Dakens shook himself, brushed his stood at the hut doorwav dreading
hand over his face, pinched the flesh the darkness that held Gwanoo and
of his arms. Stumbling from the the head, clutching mentally at the
restless movements of the reviving luminence of starlight on the lagoon
Gwanoo, his foot touched the head water. He saw the blacks emerge,
of Phillips, and snatching it up he thicker shadow in the gloom, saw
would have placed it on the table, torches bloom and fire flash on
but the hands of Gwanoo reached and knives and wreaths of white hibiscus
drew it beside him. The monkey splotched by scarlet flowers that
roused and caught its claws in the looked like dried blood. The torch
THE HEAD 239
flare showed their betel-stained teeth, His eyes turned to the table where
the bracelets of bone and metal, the Gwanoo was lifting and dropping his
quivering head-plumes. surgical instruments into the black
case, closing it and gesturing to one
It was of no use to shoot at that
mass, better to reserve his bullets and of his men to carry it. Something
strength for their rush. He kept else lay there. Dakens saw with a
his revolver so that he might thrust it
surgeons interest paramount, the
atany moment in his mouth, and fire. brain of Gwanoo. He knew, at least
Too late, he wished he had dickered he felt the knowledge of what he had
with Gwanoo to have the notes that done, for his mind was dragged over
he and Phillips had made sent out to a trail without his own volition.
a port. Now, they would be as much He was scarcely aware that they
wasted as his life. The savages were swung him to their shoulders and
in the lagoon water. On shore they swam with him through the lagoon.
had heaped their torches and the He saw on shore the giant Gwanoo
blaze lighted the clear depths where still leaning on the shoulders of his
little fishflashed in scaled gold. Da- men, but with the head of Phillips
kens turned to the darkness of the hut clutched in one arm and the monkey
and lifted the revolver. It touched perched on a shoulder beside the
his chin, and crept toward his lips . . bandaged head of the sorcerer. Then,
His scream startled the swimmers. for Dakens, the lights went out.
From behind him, the great arms of
Gwanoo caught and pinioned his
wrists to his sides. He saw the torch
flare from shore shining on the black
H e wakened in a hut. Dawn
poured its soft light through the
doorway. A soft murmur of women s
face under the startling white gauze voices droned, through his dreams.
bandages, saw the soft dark eyes The Jungle song was stilled, the
shining, heard the voice gentle as that drums silent. He heard the tinkle of
of a woman; Not kill, Marster . . . shells fringing the hut of a chieftain,
live an go out. .
stirred by the wind. The perfume
Frantic, frenzied, Dakens twisted of ylang-ylang wafted to his nos-
in that grasp. Then the hut was trils. Rousing himself, Dakens saw
filled with savages; and the voice of women weaving flower garlands in
Gwanoo, booming with its old the soft green shade of a Jungle clear-
strength, commanded his warriors. ing, and among them sat Gwanoo;
Dakens was held in the grip of sav- but a Gwanoo subtly changed from
ages while Gwanoo, leaning heavily the savage sorcerer whose look had
on the shoulder of two black men, power to waken fear. Gwanoo played
looked down at an uncovered dead with flowers. The little monkey sat
girl on the mats. Dakens saw. His on his knee. He leaned against a
heart pounded in his throat as he ap- tree bole, and above his flower- and
praised the work of his hands, the Paradise-plumed hair, in a wr reath of
neat surgery, the delicate line of fresh garlands hung Phillips head.
stitches under her hair. What, what Dakens looked about the hut, saw
in heavens name, had he done that his case of surgical instruments, and
day ? the black metal box wrapped in oil-
Far, far away, memory throbbed, skin which held his notes. Then he
tapped, rustled a sheaf of pictures, tried to recall the nights in the hut,
experiments at college, transplanting the horror of the last day, and looked
the brains of one dog to the head of again at Gwanoo. The gauze band-
another ... he had shQwn skill at age was gone. There was a scar
that ... across the broad forehead disappear-
240 WEIRD TALES
ing into the hair. The eyes were not use his surgeons skill, for very fear
those piercing beadlike jets. The of its cunning.
voice held the soft woman-tone. Returning, he stood before the
Dakens sat up, and his movement head of Phillips and saluted. He
brought a woman into the hut. A spoke not a word. The tight-sewn
moment later she had summoned lips still grinned at the joke of it all.
Gwanoo, who entered and sat cross- Dakens had one regret as he
legged beside Dakens, and handed stepped into the canoe and looked for
him the box of notes. the last time on the magnificent Gwa-
Marster, you sleep long time. noo with the soft eyes of the bride
One, two, t ree moons you sleep. of Phillips, that he would never know
Now you go out. how the thing would end; whether
the warrior body of the sorcerer
Go out! Light leaped in Dakens would in time absorb the woman-
eyes, warmth flooded his heart. Gwa- brain, or the woman weaken the war-
noo had given him a lease of life, of
rior. It seemed a pity he could not
mercy, of hope.
watch that phase, but in a white
They fed him. The women mas- mans land a white girl waited, and
saged his body with lemon-scented there were the notes to work on and
oil as they had done for many days. give to the world, the most interest-
They imparted the strength of their ing of which could not be included
hands to his flesh and healed him. in a precise and scholarly treatise
Gwanoo kept guard, a Gwanoo such as he and Phillips had planned.
changed, a Gwanoo woman-gentle. The paddles dipped. The throats
The village of nipa-thatched huts '
of black men took up the jungle song,
was strangely devoid of men. He and floating under the dark trees,
learned from their talk that the war- Dakens looked his last at the grinning
riors were hunting the contraband tight-sewn lips of his friend, of Phil-
lips who had engineered so curiously
Paradise plumes and would be gone
many days, and that he was to be the release of Dakens. Ahead, the
dark water stirred and a crocodile
sent out before their return. Dakens
rose and opened wide jaws and
had lain for three months bereft of
showed its curved wicked fangs, but
reason, nursed by the commands of
Dakens only smiled.
Gwanoo, and at last he understood.
Nothing had power to startle him
Gwanoo s brain was left in the la- now. He had come through surer
goon hut. The brain of the brown deaths, guarded and protected by
girl inhabited the head of the sorcer- greater power than his owm, with
er. Yet before he left, Dakens car- keener cunning and more subtle wit.
ried the case of knives that were the It was like the Phillips he had
instruments of this magic, to where known. Phillips would have loved
a long war canoe nosed the black- to tell such a tale. In the memory
shadowed lianas looped above the of Dakens, he would always be grin-
jungle stream, and dropped it into ning, tight-lipped, a flower-wreathed,
the depths. Never again would he greatly prized head.
<?.
A Short Tale About an Egyptian Magician
The Unearthly
By DON ROBERT CATLIN
IM HOWARD was astonished at will most certainly win your five
J
right.
what his friend had proposed to
do, and attempted to put him
j,
thousand.
Jerry Newman waved his friends
objections aside. Your arguments
See here, Jerry; I can tell you are beside the matter at hand, he
that youll only be making a fool of said. Youve given me permission
yourself! I happened to be present to use your studio next Thursday
at that affair at the Crawfords, and night; and I shall inform Mohamet
I saw the thing with my own eyes. Ali only at the last minute of the
It may, as you say, be unearthly
!
but scene of his performance; which will
I saw it make it virtually impossible for him
Jerry Newman laughed at his to arrange any properties or stage ef-
friends fears. fects. It is my
contention that with-
You think you saw it, he said out any prearrangements, the Egyp-
ironically. tian will fail.
Howard shrugged
expressively. The other shrugged again as
Then, if I cant dissuade you, I though to wash his hands of the mat-
suppose I may as well accede to your ter. He had seen Mohamet Ali
request. Thursday night, voir said?
Jerry nodded shortly. Yes. Ive
heard so blooming much about that
Egyptians prowess that I am deter-
T
of
hursday evening came, and with
the darkening of the skies a group
Jerry Newmans closest friends
mined to put an end to his fame once gathered in Howards studio. Some
and for all. I met him the other day, of them had, like Jim Howard, been
and, as I have already told you, I present at the demonstration at the
told him to his face that he was a Crawfords and all of them were cer-
faker of the worst kind; and that, tain that their friend was to lose his
without his preparations made, he wager. Ones eyes do not lie, you
couldnt duplicate his feat. In other know; what one had seen one had
words, that in a room selected by my- seen!
self and at a time named by me, he
could not do what he did at the Craw-
A few minutes after the last of the
fords. And I wagered an even five
group had arrived, the door opened to
thousand dollars that he would fail admit Newman closely following
;
under the conditions I have named.. him came the Egyptian, a lean,
Howards face showed his concern. swarthy, yet rather handsome-looking
Thats going a bit strong, Jerry. fellow for all his swarthiness. At the
Laugh if you wish, but I tell you that Egyptians heels trotted an urchin
I saw the thing with my own eyes who was quite evidently either an
and I was looking for flaws at the Egyptian, as was Mohamet Ali, or an
time. The Egyptian, Mohamet Ali, Arab.
w. T. 241
242 WEIRD TALES
I think that you have met most With the words he grasped the end
of these gentlemen, said Jerry, in- of the twine and tossed the ball up-
dicating the small gathering. Ive ward, quickly. A
gasp went up from
asked them to be present, as wit- the little audience as they saw the
nesses. twine seemingly vanish through one
Quite naturally, one would wish of the great skylights indeed, the . . .
As you
will, the Egyptian ac- implorings for mercy then they were
;
ceded smilingly. From somewhere drowned out by the lov'er tones of the
about his person he drew a short, Egyptians voice, snarling, vicious.
ugly-looking sword, and a small ball An unearthly scream split asunder
of twine. The sword he laid upon the the silence in the room below; a
floor. Now, gentlemen, if you will scream that set on edge each nerve in
follow me closely
the bodies of the watchers.
THE UNEARTHLY 243
small, slender, dark-skinned. It was smiled into the astounded faces of the
the urchin s arm little group. All right, Harrison!
Followed another cry, and the he called loudly.
other arm struck sickeningly beside A door at the farther end of the
the first.. Then, before the horrified room opened and a wiry, cigarette-
eyes of the beholders, in quick suc- smoking individual stalked into the
cession they saw the urchin's feet room. In his hands he held a square,
his dismembered legs his headand black wooden box, perhaps six inches
then the bloody torso striking before across.
them Ive seen some wild things, Mr.
Then, from above, Mohamet Ali Newman, in my line of work, but this
came slipping down the twine. He thing tonight surely had me going
landed lightly on his feet beside the for a while, he grinned.
horrible disarray. Turning to the scowling Mohamet
He would not obey me, he said Ali, Jerry New man explained: This
r
simply as he glanced about him upon gentleman is Mr. Harrison, one of the
the gathering. World-Wide News-reel motion-pic-
As if that ended the matter he ex- ture cameramen. I obtained his serv-
tended his foot and kicked the dis- ices for the evening with an idea in
membered body into a pile. The view to photograph your every action.
twine he grasped and, giving it a jerk Perhaps now youll comprehend my
so that it fell into his hands, rolled it reason for choosing Howards studio
up compactly. Then, glancing about,
he seized a large rug from the floor
with its Cooper-Hewitt photo-
graphic lights. Mr. Harrison has
and quickly threw the severed pieces been shooting your feat through a
of the body into it. Gathering the small hole in the wall from the ad-
four corners, he lifted the horrible joining room. And if, as I believe,
burden and thmv it at the feet of your demonstration has been a fake,
the men who were watching him. the truth-telling camera-eye will
The rug thudded on the floor un- prove it! Ill have this roll of film
folded and the urchin, miraculously developed tonight, and printed; and
made whole again, leaped lightly to in the morning well run the picture
his feet and salaamed deeply. in some projection room. Perhaps,
That is all, I think, Mohamet Mohamet Ali, you will think that I
Ali said easily.
have taken advantage of you but I
warned you that I was a thorough
\ chorus
-**
of I told you sos skeptic, and you should have been on
dinned into Jerry Newmans guard. And now, I think there is
ears. You wouldnt believe, Jerry nothing more until we gather tomor-
and its cost you exactly five thou- row morning to witness what Mr.
sand dollars! Harrison has filmed.
A slygrin touched Jerrys lips. The Egyptian smiled charmingly.
I
havent lost as yet, he said No apologies necessary, I assure
slowly. you, Mr. Newman. One doesnt re-
The Egyptian s brows lifted. linquish five thousand dollars without
Did you not see with your own having, as you Westerners say, a run
eyes, sir? for his money. He beamed upon
Newman nodded. Quite right, the motion-picture cameraman. And
Mohamet Ali. I did see with my own you, Mr. Harrison ;
in that little
244 WEIRD TALES
black box yon hold an absolute proof That stuffs no good now!
of exactly every move my assistant
*
shouted the cameraman.
The light
and myself have made? Quite re- has ruined it!
markable ! How terribly awkward of me!
The Egyptian took the little black murmured the Egyptian.
box into his hands. Idly curious in Billy Weaver left the group and,
manner, he carried it to the nearest facing Mohamet Ali and Jerry New-
light as if to survey it more closely. man, waved two certified checks.
And, somehow, his foot caught in a Whatll I do with these, now? he
rug and he stumbled. queried.
The black box fell with a erash to Jerry Newmans face was a mask
the floor, and a creamy-white roll of as he bowed to the Egyptian.
film cascaded profusely from its con- Give them to Mohamet Ali, he
fines. said evenly; and presently he was
Really,
Mohamet Ali gasped,
*
I watching a magician, an assistant,
must apologize for my
clumsiness?
one sword and two certified ehecks
He stooped as though to gather up the for five thousand dollars each vanish-
film. ing through the doorway.
Old Meg she was a gipsy But every mom, of woodbine fresh
And lived upon the moors: She made her garlanding,
Her bed was the brown heath turf,
it And every night the dark glen yew
And her house was out of doors. She wove, and she would sing.
Her apples were swart blackberries, And with her fingers old and brown
Her currants pods o broom r -
No breakfast had she many a morn, An old red blanket cloak she wore
No dinner many a noon, A chip hat had she on.
And stead of supper she would stare God rest her aged bones somewhere
Full hard against the moon. She died full long agone!
SKULLS
STOOD looking back at the lit- No, no, mine host of the tavern
tle village of Kraanstaadt. From had cried, be not so foolish, for
I the height it looked more than the woods are filled with awful
'
And his wife, dear old soul,
ever like a fairy-tale village, with its things.
high peaked roofs and winding had clung to my arm with tears.
streets of stones. Even for that pic- But I was not to be turned from
turesque land of the Hartz Moun- my course of action. The walk would
tains it was delightful, a very mas- take the better part of a day in the
terpiece, and the grim old castle that deep woods and give me even a better
brooded in silence over it might well appetite than I already possessed.
have housed an ogre or some sleep- Besides, was the land of ro-
this
ing princess. mance, and for one, was not to be
I,
at a crossroads perhaps I should the wave of a witch s wand into
say erosstrails I sat down and ate towering forest giants they seemed
the lunch I had brought with me. more like the hideous monsters of
The crosstrails marked the half of my some forgotten era waiting to pounce
journey, and a few more hours would on the unwary traveler who strayed
find me looking down on my destina- from the path. It seemed, too, that
tion. I lit my pipe and finally, with behind me another presence paced,
regret, I left the delightful spot and and glancing behind me in the grow-
took the trail to the left as I had been ing dusk I saw a white object melt in-
directed. The other was overgrown to the trees on my right. Slowly I
with weeds, and I made a promise in picked my way, glancing about me
my heart that some day it would be as I went, and was soon rewarded by
explored. seeing it again, for a moment, as it
Tramping along, I let myself be slipped between some tree trunks.
lulled by the soft forest air, and in Then I stepped across a little glade
my mind I pictured these strange and, drawing my revolver, slipped
woods, dark and forbidding as they behind a tree trunk and waited. A
were, with the actors of childish sto- few seconds passed, and there
ries half-remembered. Surely along stepped into view a monstrous white
the tiny trail ahead of me were walk- wolf that stalked across the tiny
ing the children, the lost babies, and space. I fired, the deepening dusk
the old witch s cabin would soon being lit by an orange flame as my
come in sight; eagerly I looked for revolver spat lead, and the beast
the gnomes and dwarfs, and once a raced into the trees with a snarl that
crackling in the brush brought me told me of a hit scored.. But it hung
about to scan the forest for the sign grimly on, for several times I saw it
of the wolf of Red Riding Hood glide through the trees, although ow-
fame. Soon I left the trail and sat ing to its caution I was unable to get
down by a tree. Soothed by the hum another chance to shoot.
of insect life and the days heat, I soon Then suddenly the path was
fell asleep. crossed by another. I swore in my
It was late afternoon when I anger, for mine host had told me
sprang up and gazed atmy surround- there was only one plaee where the
ings. Angered at myself, I at once trailwas bisected by anything. Still
made for the path and turned down here was another path well worn by
it,for I knew now that my sluggish the passing feet of a multitude for
sleep had made me late, and I was many years, bigger and broader than
in no eager mood to be left wander- the one I followed. Suddenly the
ing in woods I did not know through question arose in my mind: had I
the evening and darker night. Hur- in my first few seconds of wakeful-
riedly I paced the path with no more ness retraced my steps? With this
thought of the elfin folk with which in view I examined the broad path
my peopled the woods
fancy had before me and then turned to look
earlier in the day.It was cold now, at the one down which I had come.
a biting wind had sprung up, and The darkness, however, had so cov-
dusk had begun to fall silently about ered the ground that it had van-
THE SIGN OF THE SEVEN SKULLS 247
ished, and look as I might about me, The shadows flung on the ground by
I could not discover it. the passage of these clouds also had
A
moaning creak drew my atten- dire and forebidding outlines. The
tion from the ground to the air above entire scene was in keeping with the
my head and I started back with an tales of the Hartz Mountains, of
exclamation. There, only a few feet ghosts and hobgoblins, sheeted spec-
from me, was erected a gibbet, and ters and hooded horrors and all the
upon it swung a dead man. The evil spawn of hell that ran through
wind, which was rising rapidly, the tales of ancient Germany.
swung him to and fro like a pendu- I hurried onward, hoping at every
lum, and the rope moaned and com- curve or at the top of every hill to
plained. So intent had I been upon catch the lights of the little town
the path that I had not noticed it un- shining upon me, but instead the
til that moment. Poor fellow, I re- dark forest continued on and on and
flected, had he perchance left loving hemmed in my path. Several hours
arms and eyes that wept behind him, must have passed this way, and it
or had he faced the world alone? was very close to midnight when I
Guilty or innocent., had he faced saw, shining through the trees, a light
death bravely or gone whimpering to to the right of the path. Here was
the Great Beyond ? Or had he cursed shelter from the coming storm, crude
those who hung him? A
rustle from and homely shelter no doubt, but
his shoulder, and two little red eyes shelter for all of its crudeness, and
glaring at me turned me away shud- with a lightened heart I hurried to-
dering. Crows, birds of evil omen, ward it. As I approached, a broader
followers of executions! An old beam of light showed that someone
poem I had heard in my boyhood had entered or left, and as I met no
days came back to me out of the an- one along the pathway as I hurried
nals of years: up, I concluded the person had en-
tered.
We sha.ll sit on his breast,
On his broad manly breast, To my wonder, on approaching I
And pick his eyes out, one by one. found the unmistakable outlines of
an inn. How very good it looked I !
I shuddered and turned down the pictured the warmth and coziness of
broader path. Surely the old cus- the great room within, for I was cold
toms of ancient days survived here and chilled by the night air. I paused
if nowhere else. Hanging a man at with my hand on the doorknob and
the crossroads! My thoughts were looked at the crazy little signboard
brought back to earth by the cracking overhead. The moon came out from
of brash to my right. Evidently the behind the clouds and sent a broad
wolf was still there. ray across it; and there, arranged in
two rows of three each with a larger
npHE moon rose over the forest, and one in the center, were seven skulls!
the clouds raced across the face After the events of the night I was
of itin the rising gale. They took somewhat shaken by the sight of
odd shapes; one was shaped like a those seven little emblems of mor-
coffin, another took the form of some tality that grinned down upon me in
belated specter hurrying to keep their deathly mirth, but as the rain
some dark tryst on a ruined castles was beginning to come down in tor-
battlements, and one (I remember rents, I shrugged my shoulders and
that very well) changed its shape in- went in. Mine host might have his
to a skull with the moons pale rays gruesome little joke, but his fire was
glaring through the empty sockets. what, I craved now, and if it was
248 WEIRD TALES
good, why, the .sign would be per- My dear little girl, he cried,
haps the center of a tale about the thou art overly late. Surely I have
roaring fireplace. been very lonesome without thee.
Slamming the door against the My dog, mein Herr, he contin-
wind that pushed with a thousand ued in explanation. Savage to some,
tiny hands as though demanding ad- yes, but to me very gentle.
mittance, I stood inside and blinked He stroked the great white head
the rain and darkness out of my eyes. lifted to him.
The great fire roared up the fireplace, But what is this? he cried.
lighting the room with a vivid fitful Ach, my little darling has been
glow and showing me the contours of wounded in the shoulder See, mein
!
the several guests that were gathered Herr, see how the blood has run. Ah,
near it.Ordinary peasants and for- those charcoal-burners with their
esters they all seemed to be, and mine guns! Nothing is safe, nothing.
host, in -white apron and cap, came And he ran for warm water and
smiling toward me. towels to bathe the wound.
Welcome, mine friend/ he said, I believed it better to keep silent
in a throaty whisper, the storm is as to my share in the episode, and sat
indeed a bad one and you are very watching him. The beast whimpered
fortunate to have made my door. and cried, and then, when her mas-
While thanking him for his offers ters back was turned she swung up-
of assistance and hospitality I looked on me her red eyes filled with hate
at him carefully. His throat, I and anger. I loosened the pistol in
noticed, was wrapped with a heavy its holster, for dog or no dog, the
white cloth, sure sign of a bad cold, great creature would die did it rush
and this explained his queer way of me. However, it went to the fires
speaking. His eyes protruded fear- opposite side, as soon as the wound
fully from his face, a sign of in- was dressed, and there stretched out
ward goiter, so I had heard; but al- at full length in the heat.
together he was such a kindly-ap- My frugal repast being now fin-
pearing person that I followed him, ished, I fell to studying the differ-
with thankful heart, to the fires ent travelers at the inn. There
warmth, the others making room for seemed something odd about them
me. that I was at first unable to place.
Food there was none, so I must Then it dawned upon me: the cos-
perforce content myself with the re-
tumes even in this very old world
mains of my lunch, to mine hosts ut- they seemed out of date. The cos-
ter sorrow. However, as he brought tumes of a century or two ago. I was
me some really good Rhine wine, I delighted. This was romance I !
could not object. His explanation could not see their feet on account of
was that this time of year his guests the shadows, but I pictured them as
were scarce, yet for several days he being incased in long hose running
had had such an influx that he was to trunks, and surely those capes in
had stalked me through the woods. him to light a candle and show me up
THE SIGN OP THE SEVEN SKULLS 240
the narrow stairs in the back of the to faces and felt teeth loosen under
great room to my bedroom. the driving blows, hurled some from
me and heard them strike with crash-
'T'he rain had ceased, but the ing force against the sides of the
clouds still ran across the moon, room, and I cracked skulls with the
drawing weird and fantastic shad- butt end of my revolver. Still I was
ows across the ground. Underneath forced back and back, for their num-
me I could hear the voices and an oc- ber seemed legion; and then, weak
casional creak from the crazy sign. I and worn out, I was forced to the
bolted my door and sat by the win- bed and bent back and back until I
dow watching their queer designs. was flung upon it. My
shirt was torn
Sleep seemed to have left me, and open in the struggle, and I bled from
the room was bitterly cold, yet I did a number of tiny wounds, yet still I
not mind either of these things, so fought grimly on with horror in my
engrossed had I become in the wild mind, horror of these unseen foemen.
night scene without. As my back touched the bed, the
Suddenly a scratch came at the moon sprang out from behind a cloud
bedroom door, bringing my thoughts and lay in a broad beam across me.
back with a snap to the present. The The tiny silver cross caught and re-
great white wolf or dog had followed flected the rays
and suddenly, as
me! I sprang up and made sure of it had commenced, the attack was
the door-fastening, and at the soimd withdrawn, my foemen vanished, if
of my footsteps it padded away limp- you can call people who were never,
ingly. Poor beast! I was sorry I not even in the moonlight, visible,
had shot it now, but I had no inclina- vanished; and slowly, as I lay
tion to explain matters, especially in spent and panting on the bed, the
that narrow room. candle began to glow and finally
I went back to the windows and sprang into life.
stood looking out. Suddenly the Slowly I staggered to my feet and
candle behind me started to go out. stumbled toward the door, seeking
With an impatient oath I turned the companionship of those below.
about. The keeper had evidently
given me a very short one, as he
Under my feet I fell bodies bodies
perfectly invisible to me even in the
thought I would soon be asleep, I
lamplight. It never occurred to me
thought. But no, the candle was still
until later that those below should
quite long, and yet it was dying slow-
have heard the row going on over
ly as if for want of oxygen. Lower
their heads, or that even the dullest
and lower went the light, and then
ears should have detected the up-
suddenly flickered and went out.
roar, to which the smashed and bro-
Quickly I struck a match and went
toward the candle, but dropped the ken furniture gave testimony in that
match when something seized my narrow room.
arm. At almost the same instant With weakened steps I made my
something else seized my leg, and way down the dim hall and narrow
then I was grasped by numberless stairs, and at the last turn I saw, with
little hands ill the dark. a glad heart, the great room leap into
sight.
How can I describe that fight in
the narrow room? I was filled with Mine host! I cried; mine
disgust and loathing as well as hor- host !
ror. Little creatures they appeared But then, after I descended the few
to be, that tried to bear me down by remaining steps with a rush, my
weight of numbers. I sent my fist in- words choked in my
throat and I
250 WEIRD TALES
staggered to the wall, where I stood drew my weapon. The -werewolf
in horror. moved toward me, its right arm dang-
The room was lit by a red glow ling, and then I sent shot after shot
that seemed to have no source. The into the throng, to no avail. Bullets
fire
or for that matter any fire ev- had failed and I was at the mercy of
er built my mancould not have these leering horrors.. In fear and
made the awful glaring red that filled horror I ran my
hand up bosommy
the entire room. It seared and toward mythroat and felt, beneath
burned into the brain, bringing out my trembling fingers, the tiny cross.
every detail with startling distinct- Swiftly I tore my shirt open and
ness, and the travelers who now held the emblem toward them as I
swung slowly around to face me cried, Back, back, you fiends! Evil
were not human. The faces were the I fear not!
faces of those long dead dead that The wolf and the faces of
recoiled,
lived the undead of a century long the others turned toward each other
past. Those clothes were the doublets as though in whispered consultation.
and liosen of long ago Long wicked
!
So Death took council while a mad-
swords hung at sides, the faces (ah, man waving
!
the faces ) were skulls skulls picked
ranks.
a silver cross faced his
Slowly they arose and came
clean and white by the grave-worm
toward me and formed a hideous
in moldering tombs. Only the sock-
circle in front of me. The things had
ets were filled with that reddish glare
of hell that pervaded the entire room.
decided, I suppose, to frighten me
The innkeepers eyes still protruded into dropping the little cross, and
from his sockets, but the bandage of then
a few hours earlier was gone and his I felt my senses going, my hand
neck was twisted and broken the ;
was trembling and dark little motes
face was that of a newly hung man began dancing before my eyes, the
with the horror of death still upon walls reeled about me, and the only
it. Under my horror-stricken scru- solid substance in the universe was
tiny the lineaments changed and it that leering crowd of death-masks
became a skull, a horrid grinning with the white, hate-filled face of the
skull like the others, only the twist- fiend in girlish form that ringed me
ed neck remaining awry and the in. The red light seemed to glow
vertebra^ showing jagged beneath the and then to fade as I fought for the
leering death-mask. mastery of my mind; a white glow
A growl brought my terror-filled flooded the scene, some-where I
eyes to the white wolf that sat by the seemed to hear a cock crow, and then
fire. Slowly it stood up on its hind as { fell I heard a shriek as of some
legs like a trained animal and then,
baffled fiend who hears the fall of a
hellish and terrible, a transforma-
curtain of safety between it and the
tion took place. The body grew to a
victim upon which its claws have
greater height, the long cruel snout
been so nearly laid.
vanished, the beastlike properties
were slowly banished one by one and
human lines took their places until T ate afternoon had come when I
a girl stood glaring at me. A girl,
I
Drink this and sleep, he said; beds of the inn and burned alive in
yon are in safe hands at last, my its conflagration; Karl was taken to
friend.
the crossroads and hung so that all
For several days I tarried with the might see and fear; but the sister
charcoal-burner and his stalwart son was never found.
in the rude little shelter they called The road fell into disuse even as
home and drew from them the tale the great castle at Kraanstaadt had
of the inn and its occupants that I crumbled and become dark. Yet the
now set down. ruins of the inn, blackened and
For years the inn had lain on a seared by the purging fire, still con-
well-traveled thoroughfare in the tained evil qualities; and there,
Hartz Mountains, and well along- in night after night, had gathered the
the Sixteenth Century had been the evil crew for ghastly carousals.
stopping place for many a noble and Karls body swung at the old cross-
knight. Then Karl the Terrible had roads until moonrise, when he de-
bought it and gathered about him a scended and joined his old compan-
crew of murderers and slayers. He ions; and often the white form of a
was credited with having traffic with werewolf was seen as it slipped be-
the devil, and his only sister had sur- tween the tree trunks toward the den
passed him in all evil, finally becom- of hell.
ing, so the story ran, a werewolf. In the blackened ruins I had been
Travelers were murdered by his found, for the shots of the night be-
creatures and their bodies hidden in fore had been heard and investigated
the cellar. Tales of screams and by the two charcoal-burners.
cries were circulated until it came at Perhaps I dreamed the horror;
length to the baron of the district, perhaps the people of the Hartz
one Hoerlarin of Kraanstaadt. He Mountains are merely superstitious
at length, with a goodly gathering of yokels who frighten themselves with
men-at-arms and knights, had one needless tales of horror perhaps you,
;
day suddenly appeared at the inn the reader of this tale, will smile but
;
and captured Karl and his men. The I wonder what made my hair- turn
had escaped.
sister white and why the little marks of
The trial had been swift and sure, claws upon my body have never left.
for very little digging brought the I, for one, have never gone back to
bones in the cellar to light. Punish- that haunted area, and I place my
ment had followed as swiftly. The faith upon the beliefs of the strange
many followers had been tied to the peasants of the Hartz Mountains.
A.BRfdN/q-roy
A Tale of the Volga Boatmen
THE RIVER
By AUGUST W. DERLETH
Paviloff, Russia, superstitions. Mr. Randeur scoffed
7 May, 1926. at him, Mr. Hamilton enjoyed himself
Algernon E. Downes, Esq., immensely throughout the professors
21 St. James Row, entire relation, but these tales of his
London, England; had an odd effect upon me from the
beginning.
Y DEAR Mr. Downes :
It seems that the peasants believe
I am
writing to let you the Volga River is guarded by spirits,
know that I am resigning my who will rise up against us if we at-
position as foreman of the men work- tempt to stay the course of the river
ing on the dam here at Paviloff. My in any manner. You will say, as did
reason for so doing is a most unusual Randeur, that the idea is utterly pre-
one indeed, and no doubt you will posterous. I admit that it does sound
feel obliged to discredit it
nor can I preposterous. Professor Boursky-
blame you for doing so, for even I Maminoff warned us repeatedly to go
am tempted to disregard the indubit- and leave the river, but Randeur
able evidence of my own senses so could not consider the idea. Finally
bizarre are the events that have led the professor departed in anger. I
up to this culmination of my efforts endeavored to argue with Randeur
here. Let me assure you, had I and Hamilton, but both of them ridi-
known of what I was facing at the culed me. At length Mr. Hamilton
outset of this project, ,1 should never left, saying as he wr ent that if I did
have entered upon any contract with not wish to stay he would see that an-
you. other man would be sent to fill the
On the twenty-fourth of February vacancy. Please notify Mr. Hamilton
last your representative, Mr. Solar to supply that other man.
Hamilton of Oxford, arrived to con- God knows w'hat prompted Ran-
fer with Mr. Randeur and myself on deur to do so rash a thing, but he
the building of the dam across the built his cottage on a little knoll al-
Volga at this point. Present at this .most directly in the course of the
meeting w as a Professor Sergei Bour-
r
river. Everyone feared that if the
sky-Maminoff, late of the University dam should suddenly go out, Ran-
of Moscow', and a former pupil of deur s cottage would go out with it.
Metchnikoff. He was here to repre- One day not long ago, the twenty-
sent the peasants of Paviloff and the seventh of April to be exact, as Pro-
surrounding country. Professor Bour- fessor Boursky-Maminoff stood on
sky-Maminofif related the story of this knoll rebuking Randeur for his
peculiar superstitions strongly be- rash act, and again warning him to
lieved by the peasants, and he admit- watch for the river spirits, a most
ted that he also believed in them, ow- repulsive hunchback approached the
ing, he said, to certain curious hap- two men, screaming at the top of his
penings bordering directly on these voice, The boatmen sing tonight.
252
THE RIVER 253
The boatmen sing tonight. This in Hoping that you will soon find a
itself was an odd occurrence, but it man to fill the unfortunate vacancy
developed that the hunchback was leftby me, I remain,
quite mad, and so Randeur again Very cordially and sincerely yours,
scoffed at what the professor said. Nemo H. Lawlor.
The boatmen that the hunchback re-
ferred to are the fj hosts of those slav- andeur saw the last of his men
ish men, or rather, half-men, half-
beasts, who were treated as animals
R leave him, and he moved angrily
toward the cottage. He sat there
by the nobility of Russia; the men some time, mumbling over his charts
forced to pull the heavily laden boats and plans. After a while he came
of the nobility up the Volga. There out and looked about him up at the :
are no such boatmen now, although remainder of the dam, and at the
they still existed in 1917. Randeur river flow ing by as peacefully as ever,
T
earthly warning. And even as he anger, and it will rise against you to-
spoke, the professor paled, and mut- night. And you are alone in the path
tered that he, too, heard them chant- of the river ! Death !
It was fifteen minutes past 10 by mocked his efforts, and raised their
Random- s -watch when it started. and sang louder, louder,
voices, loud-
Randeur did not notice the splashing er. And
the waves rose higher and
of the waves until after some time had higher, and the song increased in vol-
passed. Then suddenly a shutter ume, and Randeur stood rooted to the
banged against the side of the cot- ground upon the knoll on which he
tage, and he started up from his blue- had foolishly supposed himself to be
prints and peered anxiously out into safe.
the night. The full moon rode high Suddenly that same inner sense
in the sky, and there was not even a turned his head upward so that he
fleece in the blue as far as he could could see the right side of the dam,
see. But the shutter had banged he ;
and he saw it crumble and vanish in
had heard it. And even as he looked the upheaval of water that followed.
wonderingly out, the shutter banged And it seemed as if his eyes were sud-
against the house-wall for the second denly opened, for he saw the spirits of
time, and immediately after another the river pushing the water toward
shutter banged, and another and an- him and he saw, too, the moon shin-
;
other, until Randeur rushed madly ing tranquilly down upon the seeth-
for the door, but before he reached it, ing waters before he closed his eyes
it was flung violently open. He in a vain effort to shut out the scenes
halted for a moment; then ran out, before him. And he heard the song
and, turning, looked fearfully back of the boatmen, rising and falling,
at the accursed cottage. But now all ominous, terrible:
was silent; the shutters sagged list- Upward, onward, we are one!
lessly on their ill-fastened hinges, and
the door stood half open. There was
no hint of a breeze; the night was
XTo sound, did I hear during the
oppressively hot. might, but the river has avenged
itself for the wrong that has been
He
stared at the cottage until some
done to it. The professor pointed
inner sense beating upon his mind
to the jagged spar that was caught in
turned his head slowly toward the
the crotch of a giant willow that stood
river. And there he saw a multitude
upon the knoll where a cottage had
of white shapes, indistinguishable,
once been. It is all that is left of
fantastic, ominous. And as he looked
everything that has been here. Death
at them moving slowly up the river
has come and gone.
toward the dam, he became conscious
And from somewhere in back of the
of a loud sound as of the beating of
crowd of peasants that gazed in silent
the waves, and he saw the river rise
awe upon the calm river came the
and swell, and a thousand white, voice of the mad hunchback in wild
foamy waves lashed the air in fury. echo to the professor:
And from some far point in the dis-
Death Death Death.
! !
The Girdle
By JOSEPH McCORD
T
fingers,
HE pool of mottled light on
the table-top had drifted over
to where Sir Johns elawlike
emerging from the
of his dressing robe, drummed
silk sleeve
slowly
Carson choked back his resentment.
There were circumstances
make it seem necessary
yet
that
and
With a long
that followed
coal falling
sigh, Car-
visitors hands; it had gripped the
son raised his head. He fumbled a
edge of the table and the knuckles
pack of cigarettes, thrust one be-
were white. The boot was motion-
tween his lips, but made no move to
less, tense.
light it.
As you say, like a dog. Well?
I am waiting, came the voice
At the quiet words, the younger from the chair.
hand, holding the belt all the time. dark, I remember. Harvey, my ser-
He kicked the door open with his heel. geant, came up and asked if he could
Then I knew. we were losing him speak to me. Ive seen Lieutenant
if you can understand what I mean Pelham, he whispered queerlv.
knew hed got to be saved from
Hes dead? I said. I knew he
something ! was dead.
Carsons voice was curiously Yes, dead, sir, says Har-
lies
strained. vey, but theres something queer
I wanted to stop him I tell you about him. Will you have a look?
I did want to! I tried. I started He led the way and I followed.
for him. Carsons voice was becoming
And the belt? interposed Sir strained again. Sir John leaned for-
John quietly. *
ward and stared steadily into his
The belt, echoed the other man eyes.
THE GIRDLE 257
We came to a little open place. object from his pocket, laid it easily
There was some light there enough on the table.
to see the dreadfullest group God Its in there, he muttered. I
ever bunched in one place dont like tl^e damned thing.
First of all, I saw Pel sitting With deft fingers, the baionet loos-
with his back against a little tree, ened the paper, shook the contents on
chin on his knees. He was staring the table.
straight to the front dead. But Therfe lay the leathern belt, coiled
around him! Five German infantry- compactly. In the waning light it
men dead too. Dragged into a sort was of a pale brown color, thin and
of semicircle. And they werent very flexible. On
the other end was
shot and they werent gassed noth- a metal clasp, surface cut with
its
ing like that. Everyone had his
marks that might or might not have
throat tom! Torn!
been characters. There was a reading
Carson leaned close to the old man lens lying near and Sir John used it
his voice shrilled as he demanded, al- to study the coiled strap. He exam-
most piteously, You hear me, cant ined it grimly, from many angles,
you ? without once touching it. Finished,
They would be torn, said Sir he leaned back in his chair and
John Pelham very quietly. Finish thoughtfully tapped the palm of his
your story. hand with the lens.
The officer pulled himself together Captain Carson.
with an effort. It makes it easier, Sir.
having you understand. Ive seen
Attend most carefully to what I
men
He thrust the fingers of one hand
say follow my instructions exactly.
Take that belt in one hand only.
into the collar of his tunic, as though
it choked him. Ive seen men, sir,
Carry it to the hearth lay it, directly
on the coals. When it is burned,
meet death in a thousand ways but quite burned, you may tell me.
not, not that way! And Pel wasnt Carson got slowly to his feet. With
marked at all I looked. a hand that hesitated and was none
The father leaned forward in his too steady, he reached for the coiled
chair, but the gesture of interest was belt, lifted it a few inches from the
not reflected in his impassive face. table. At his touch, seemingly, the
What of the belt? coil loosened it started to unroll. He
;
and the shattered lens. Jarvis saw parchment and bore evidence of great
all this and took his post near Sir
age. Carson shiveringly helped him-
John, waiting his orders. self to another drink, as his host
Jarvis. turned the crackling pages until he
Yes, sir, said the man-servant found what he sought. Tracing the
evenly.
lines with a lean forefinger, he read
Sir John sank back wearily.
silently for a moment, then looked
The tongs, Jarvis. Fetch the shrewdly at his guest.
tongs. Pick up that strap. Only the
tongs, mind you
dont touch it with
This may interest you, Captain.
your hands. So. Now lay it on the Read here, and he indicated the
coals hold it down hard.
place.
Carson slowly deciphered the
The three watched the burning in
deep silence, watched the belt writhe strange script of the hand-printed
and twist in the heat, scorch with page:
flame, fall in charred fragments.
Another means wherethrough men have
Jarvis. become werewolves is that they in som
Yes, sir. mannere gotten a belt or girdel maked of
Lights, then brandy for our guest. human skin. By an autentvke eronicle a
yoman hadde such a girdel which he kept
You may bring things and patch that locken in a eheste secrely. It so felle on
cut for him. To Carson: Sit a day that he let the eheste unlocken and
down, man, and pull yourself togeth- his Ittel sono getteth the girdel and girteth
er. I regret I was obliged to strike his midel with it. In a minute the childe
was transmewed into a mervilously wilde
you, but, under the circumstances,
beste but the yoman fortuned to enter the
you will agree it was quite necessary, house and with spede he remewed the girdel
I think. and so cured his sone who sayde he re-
I dont understand, muttered membered naught save a ravissing apepetyt.
Carson dully. He slumped weakly
into a near-by chair. Im I felt The book slipped from Carsons
nerveless fingers. Wide-eyed he stared
I dont know. His voice trailed off;
into Sir Johns impassive face.
his chin sagged on his breast.
You dont wish to eat, by any When he could find the words
chance ?
God! You never mean
you
What made you ask that? God, couldntmean
no! I couldnt cat I only
I was in hopes, mused the old
But Jarvis was offering him the man, you know I was quite in hopes
brandy. you would feel hungry.
Here Are the Final Chapters of
forest and sea and plain, flying Queen Briseis, looking rather tender-
straight as an arrow to its mark, we Mark, I fancied, we have acted
ly at
went off into deep slumber. After upon some of your ideas and hints.
our rough-and-tumble experiences in Our war cars are holding back the
Malador, after a spell of short days Barbarians, and our warships of the
and nights, it was quite easy. We water and air are attacking them.
were becoming used to the unusual Within the last hour some of our
hardened to anything. chemists have manufactured an ex-
They w oke us when Nadir was in
T
plosive mixture that acts upon con-
sight and the two vessels were swr oop- cussion. A hundred of what you call
ing clown to the landing area in the bombs are now ready, and thou-
City of Spires. We had crossed the sands of our skilled workers are pro-
isthmus and the belt of smoking con- ducing more. You shall see the fight
flict. As our speed slackened we for yourselves, for your presence will
threw open the doors and the busy encourage our forces against the
sounds of life came up to us the reckless bravery of the enemy.
portant strip, the fight raged. From they have come to think themselves
eastward poured the Barbarians, a invincible.
surging flood of rough, sinewy, prim- Anyhow, we will try the effect of
itively armed humanity. The west- our sort of fighting now, I said.
ward end of the isthmus was held by Put us across the isthmus slowly,
the civilized Jovians, equipped with Delius.
weapons far superior, but in numbers Just as I spoke, a whirling mass
far less.
of fire, shot from a gigantic throwing-
It wasnt a bit like France or machine, caught one of the low-
Flanders or the Dardanelles. There swooping airships. The shock caused
were no lines of trenches, no dugouts, the vessel to turn turtle, and she fell
no shell-holes, no wire entanglements, to the ground, green flames curling
no bursting shells, no humming air- round her.
planes.
We are too high for that danger,
There were rows of isolated forts but not too high to avenge the loss,
rows of low, white domes from each cried Dandy, hurling out the first
of which flashed the deadly Blue bomb. Ah, that most surprizing
Rays. Against and between these is!
domed forts the flood of Barbarians We had not yet witnessed the effect
pressed. They were reckless to the of thenew explosive, nor were we pre-
verge of frenzy, flung themselves for-
pared for the result of the Jovian
ward as though perfectly careless of chemists first venture, though we
ery the slaughter!
Your race is paying for its past
It is now or never their lives or
weakness, said Mark. You have
yours civilization or barbarism,
given way before them so often that said Mark. Ready, Harry? Then
262 WEIRD TALES
overboard with the steel pills dose,
so easy to live all the time in the lime-
one every ten minutes. Let go ! light, so to speak, and its rather em-
And across the isthmus we sailed, barrassing to sing ones own praises,
dropping down our rain of death. even at second hand. As I said, one
evening, when we three were alone
CHAPTER 26 for a few minutes: Snakes and
OSTRONGS VENGEANCE tigers, Mark! We
are now and for-
ever the Big Noise here. If we
rT''wicE we crossed the Isthmus of werent extremely modest, and the
^ Cardiac, dropping our bombs in- Jovians werent really civilized, our
to the smoking battle line, and before heads would be bulging like bal-
the last shell had torn up the tortured loons !
ground the battle was won. Civiliza- And if wo weneaat kept so busy
tion had triumphed on Jupiter at as well, Harry. I know you two are
last. about sick of it all, and ready for
After the sudden scare of the first home, but you will have to grin and
explosion, the Barbarians rallied bear with your Jovian V. C.s and
gamely, rushing forward more fran- O. B. E. s a little longer. For .one
tically than before, shooting flights thing as Jupiter and the Earth have
,
of arrows into the sky in vain rage, moved in their orbits since we ar-
but they could not stand the repeat- rived, they are not in a good position
ed shocks. Their lines broken, their for the return journey. If we start
catapults destroyed, hundreds of at a wrong time, or in too great a
them blown to bits with every shell- hurry, we might not be able to stop,
burst, and the swooping airships or to reach the Earth we might drop
sweeping the fierce Blue Rays over into the sun and be frizzled up. And
them ceaselessly, they gave way at there is Norden to consider. He is a
last, lost their nerve, and throwing problem. He says he wont return,
down their weapons as they went, and we can hardly compel him. Nor
trampling underfoot the officers who caii we leave him here. Then there is
would have stayed them, ran away in
our work the completion of the
headlong panic. The eivilized Jo- isthmus defenses, the casting of the
vians roused for once to energetic ac- big guns, the starting of the small-
tion, pursued the struggling hordes arms factory. Besides all this, Im
by air and land, and we dropped our simply reveling in interesting discov-
last bomb in the thickest part of the eries, soaking up science from our
beaten mob. learned friends. And you must ad-
Then we went back for another mit that they are making us very
supply, and dropped fifty more shells comfortable.
amongst the routed savages. At
Especially the queen,
I grinned.
least, it ought to have been fifty: Wed, if you want to stay here, we
counting them, I only made it forty- certainly cant go without you. All
nine. the same, the novelty is wearing off,
When the pursuit eeased, the Bar- and we are feeling a bit homesick for
- barians had been driven wholly elear the Earth. These folks are all right
of the disputed neck of land. The
in their way they can t do too much
Isthmus of Cardiac was safe in eivil- for us because we happened to come
ized keeping, aixd the city Nadir, the along and give them a helping hand
lovely city of sweet gardens and but, after all, we are out of our
tapering spires, was once more secure. element here. We have not tasted
My story of the next few days must meat for a week, nor had a smoke,
be rather short and serappv. It isnt nor seen a policeman, nor read a
THE STAR SHELL 263
newspaper, nor played any sort of airships, we were shown the scenery
game. When you blow the engine itself.
whistle, Markie boy, we shall have our I could write pages and pages of
tickets ready! description of the lovely river valleys,
Norden is indeed a problem, re- the sandy shores and rocky coasts, the
marked Prince Danda. It me an- ranges of forest-clad hills, the vast
noys that he is at liberty, as well as deserts, the regions of bubbling gey-
old Ostrong. They much together sers and fiery volcanos, that diversi-
are, and often with the Barbarian fied the surface of Jupiter, but you
prisoners are confabbing. They plan might not be as interested in the
mischief, I much fear.. reading of them as we were in see-
Its plain the old chap has never
ing them. Even we grew tired of
travel, of sight-seeing, and presently
forgiven us for bucking up his race
to fight
and win, said I.
He would
we had something else to think about.
Delius took Mark aside one eve-
rather stick to the old tradition that
ning, very mysteriously, and after
it is more civilized to die in innocence
they had had a long conversation, my
than to live in forcible triumph. We
must watch him. chum came over to Dandy and me,
looking rather red in the face. Wc
But what can he do, or Norden didnt need to put our question into
either ? asked Mark.
words.
We didnt know, we couldnt I shall have to tell you two what
imagine. We
were destined to find Delius has been saying, poor old
out later to what depths of evil a per- Mark jerked out, so I may as well
verted virtue may descend. get it over. Its about the queen
In the meantime we had a feast of
and Ostrong and me. It seems old
enjoyable experiences, even while we Ostrong had his eyes on the queen
cast longing thoughts across the black thought he was going to marry her,
void to the distant little planet of our in fact. She turned him down, of
birth the twinkling little star we course, being a sensible woman. The
saw but now and then in the evening mischief is
twilight, through brief rifts in the That she has taken a fancy to you
heavy clouds that enwrapped giant instead, and you dont altogether dis-
Jupiter. like the idea, I finished for him.
Though the Jovians were so ex- Im afraid thats the size of it,
tremely scientific and civilized, their admitted Mark. At least, as to the
home lives were simple. They had first item. You can leave me out of
very little personal luxury, and dur- this, if you please. It puts us in an
ing the whole of our stay on the plan- awkward position. Ostiong has his
etwe never saw any signs of poverty knife into us now for more reasons
amongst our hosts. Everyone worked than one. We ought to be off home
at something, everyone seemed to before the mischief goes any farther,
,
have enough to eat, drink and wear, for even. I
well, even if I wanted to
and the public services of lighting, marry Briseis, the things impossible.
heating, water supply, transport, san- She is much
older than I am, the dif-
itation and amusement were wonder- ference between our races is enor-
fully efficient. Strikes were un- mous, and the council would not al-
known. low it. They have actually had meet-
I have told you of their natural- ings and discussed the whole business
color pictures. We were shown mar- in all its bearings. Ugh !
Shell is quite repaired, ready fitted car waiting.
make the journey suitable or safe at professor. *
Come, there is no time to
I am going into the details
present. waste.
with their astronomical experts to- Half asleep yet, and taken off our
morrow. It may be necessary to wait guard by his manner, we rushed out
a couple of months for the chance of of the house and followed Norden in-
starting the trip with any degree of to the auto. A
swift run through
certainty.
dark and silent avenues brought us
We had to let it go at that, but the to the aerial landing ground, the
thought was disturbing, and not one professor talking fast and furiously
of us slept well that night. all the way. He was a clever scoun-
drel.
npHE guest house that had been As we stepped out of the auto, at
placed at our disposal was a nice the base of the Star Shell, we thought
little bungalow sort of building in the we were ready for any emergency.
suburbs of Nadir, where, after dark- We expected to find a fight going on
ness fell, there w as scarcely a sound
r between the aero guards and Barbar-
to break the restful peace of the ian prisoners.
night. In the long sleeping apart- All was quiet, black and still and
ment we each had hammocks in cur- eery as night, but as our feet touched
tained recesses. I had dozed off for the ground a swarm of dark figures
the third time when a sudden tap- rose up and materialized out of every
ping at the metal window roused me dense shadow. In a few minutes, in
with a jerk. I pressed the switch spite of our struggles, we were all
that made the metal sheets transpar- helpless in the grasp of sinewy Bar-
ent, and another that flooded the big barians. An increasing crowd of the
room with light. menacing prisoners gathered round.
Professor Norden was at the win- From another car, which had followed
dow, beckoning, apparently in a state ours, Ostrong stepped alone. The
of considerable excitement. I threw glare of the solitary electric lamp
on a few rags, roused the others and that lit the open space gleamed odd-
let him in. ly on his mop of silver-gray hair. He
No time to lose if you want to smiled grimly-, and lost no time get-
help! he cried, anxiously. Hes go- ting to the point.
ing to destroy it ! You ai-e indeed wonderful beings,
Destroy what, Norden ? Who? Solitarians, but the end of your in-
asked Mark, roughly. terference has come at last. You
The fellow had kept out of our way have misled my people. You have
THE STAR SHELL 265
vantage. If you remain alive we may Shut up, you miserable bound-
indeed conquer the whole of our plan- er, said I. You have been a tool
et,but our race would lose its soul, for the old villain, and now he has
would cease to be truly civilized. no further use for you. Thats all.
You must die, and perhaps my influ- You speak truly, Solitarian, ob-
ence may yet prevail. Prisoners, do served Ostrong, smiling. One uses
your work.
dangerous tools at times, but one
Our captors pushed us toward the throws them away afterward. I have
Star Shell, Norden with us, in spite quite done with Mr. Norden. Jupiter
of his protests and struggles. They will be well rid of you all.
crowded upon us, each man carrying And of me, especially, Elder,.
a block of some
substance. dark added Mark, though I doubt
Whilst some held us rigidly, others whether the queen will tolerate your
built up these blocks into a roughly existence after this night.
circular wall around both us and the At any rate, stranger, she will
Shell. The wall grew as if by magic, never look at you again, was the
built by hundreds of willing hands. vindictive reply of the old man.
Soon it was up to our waists, and Light the fires, Barbarians! You
then those who were holding us freed will be revenged on the worst enemies
themselves and vaulted over. We of your race, and I shall see the end
could not follow, for everywhere we of those who would corrupt the soul
met the points of swords and spears. of my people. Light the fires In a !
And still, in silence and semi-dark- few minutes they will be beyond all
ness, the wall grew. Norden shouted help, even if the whole city be roused
angry questions, but no one ans- to try and save them. Light the
wered him.. fires!
Those were the last words we heard
Whats the idea, Ostrong?
spoken by an inhabitant of Jupiter.
asked Mark, quietly.
The crowd of Barbarians had gone
It quite simple, Solitarian,
is
about their work eagerly, but grimly
was the old mans reply. This wall silent, and in the same grim silence
is built of blocks of the green metal,
they kindled sparks and set the green
collected from the battlefield by the
metal blazing in a score of places.
prisoners, at my suggestion. Present-
With lightning rapidity the flames
ly we shall set it blazing, and soon
spread, curling in bright green waves
after sunrise nothing will remain of over the encircling wall, pouring in
you and your space-ship but a heap greet! cascades between the loosely
of smoldering embers. There is no piled blocks. Volumes of green smoke
escape; you can receive no help. rose lazily to the dark sky.
stay much longer. If the ther- seemed pressed into the floor by tons
mometer rises ten more degrees, I of weight, and then, in a deathly
shall cut off the gravitation of Jupi- silence, a silence as sudden as the
ter, and then it may be good-bye to outbreak of the tempest of sound, we
the giant planet forever! all fainted clean away.
"Ten degrees! groaned Dandy. The Star Shell had left Jupiter,
"Already I cooked am! had passed through that heavy atmos-
I was too far gone to utter a word. phere, was out in the vacancy of
We waited, lying about in helpless space, was shooting, with a velocity
misery. Only Mark, upheld by his unthinkable, sunward and Earth-
clear brain and strong will, kept on ward. But would our journeys end
his feet. His hands rested on the be the fiery cauldron of the glowing
fateful little levers that would hurl sun, or the dear, familiar planet of
the Star Shell into the black abyss our birth?
between the worlds he had eyes only
;
Impossible to say, replied Mark. roared, and all along the outer edge
We are approaching the night side of the reef the heavy Pacific swell
of the Eaith. Hold on, all of you. boomed and crashed incessantly.
A few more, minutes will settle every- Within the reef lay the lagoon, a blue
thing for us. We are dropping fast. lake of still water, calm as a pond.
No yes The speed is falling. Hur-
! It was a picture, an artists dream.
rah! We are home! Might have been a worse place
The Star Shell plunged into the for landing, said I. You- have
Earths atmosphere as he spoke. The done fine, Mark. You might have
scream of its passage nearly deafened dropped us in the middle of Africa,
us, the heat caused by the swift fric- or at the North Pole! It will do us
tion gave us another Turkish bath. good to have a lazy holiday here.
But the resistance of the air quickly Mark didnt seem very enthusi-
reduced our speed, and it was quite astic.
gently that we dropped into the sea. It, looks pretty enough, Harry,
We knew we had fallen into the but it may be hundreds of miles out
sea, for our progress was suddenly of the beaten track. We may not see
stopped, and a froth of boiling wat-
er, heated by the glowing metal walls
a ship for months years. And we
have to see if there is a spring on the
of the Shell, hissed all around us. island, or whether the vegetation de-
Then we went up again on the re- pends on the rain.
bound, and after a few more plunges We made the circuit of the atoll,
the great projectile lay rolling on the from the gap in the reef to the other
surface aimlessly as a floating cork. side of it and back again. We
found
Seized in the grip of some strong coconut palms and a few stunted
force, it was carried forward, turning breadfruit trees, but not a trace of
over and over, grounded raspingly, water. Not even a drop of moisture
was lifted again, and left, motionless lay in the hollows of the coral rocks
at last, above low water mark. A con- above high tide.
stant noise, like the regular booming Taking our position as well as he
of heavy guns, filled our ears. could with the instruments in his
The door happened to be upper- possession, Mark announced that he
most.. We flung it open eagerly and feared we were at least a hundred
crawled out upon the top of the Shell. miles from any regular steamer
One glance told us where we had hit route.
the homeward trail.
Snakes and tigers
' !
said I.
*
The
Tim Shell lay on the coral shore of middle of Africa would have been
a tiny atoll. The sound we heard -was better after all. This is about as bad
the roar of the surf on the bar. a fix as we have been in yet. Ma-
We have fallen on a Pacific is- rooned on a solitary atoll, without a
land, -said Mark. Uninhabited, boat, and with nothing to drink -when
apparently. I shall have to take our we have finished our supply of wr ater
bearings and see if we are anywhere from Jupiter!
near a regular steamer route. I wish I had never seen you, nor
The island was in shape like a your accursed invention! cried
broken hoop. It was a ring of coral Norden.
rock, interrupted in one place only, Nobody asked you to join us, pro-
a curve of coral and yellow sand fessor, said Mark, in a chilly tone.
fringed with palms. Here and there, -
Go away and grouch by yourself, if
thickening out, it bore clusters of you want to keep out of trouble.
tropical trees. On the bar, where the Although the outlook was black
ring was broken, the surf boiled and enough, we three, after what we had
270 WEIRD TALES
gone through, were not easily de- The professor had evidently seen
pressed. It was, indeed, rather diffi- the ship before we had, for he was
cult, standing on that tree-fringed already on the shore, running, and
curve of rock and sand between the nearly at the Shell. We
did not move,
thunder of the surf and the calm of for we were too far away to stop him,
the lagoon, bathed in sunshine under whatever mischief he might be plan-
a sky of flawless blue, to give way to ning. Long before we could reach
complete despair. him, he would be safely inside our
But when three days passed with- precious vehicle.
out a drop of rain, without a sail The treacherous hound means to
breaking the monotony of the great
leave us to steal the Shell to make
circle of the sea, and our water sup- a journey on his own account, said
ply was nearly gone, the charm of^the I. It will be suicide, for he can not
lovely isle began to fade. work the vessel himself, nor is it pro-
To keep our minds busy, we talked visioned now.
over our plans in case we were res- Utterly helpless, we stood and
cued. We knew it would be extreme- watched the last act in the life-drama
ly difficult to convince the world of of the wonderful Star Shell.
the truth of our story, but we thought Norden reached it, climbed up, and
that if we could get the Star Shell stood in the open doorway for a mo-
safely home, and Mark could produce ment, holding out a round, black ob-
his calculations and formulas before ject at arms length for us to see. The
competent scientific men, we might be faint sound of his husky voice, his
believed in time. Much depended cackling laughter, came to us on the
upon those precious documents, and sea breeze, mingled with the thunder
on the J ovian photographs and curios of the surf.
that were snugly stored in the Shell. The climax was sudden, unexpect-
ed. Norden appeared to stumble,
T t was shortly after daybreak on the tried to recover his footing, lurched
A fourth day, we three were
as backward, and disappeared into the
standing on the highest point of the Shell. Instantly a blaze of light
reef Norden had wandered away by burst out, vivid even in the sun-
himself that the end came. shine, a cloud of smoke arose, and a
"A ship! cried Dandy, huskily. bang of fierce explosive sound shook
A small ship, full of sail! Here the air. Then the gale blew the
coming ! cloud away, and where the Shell had
Following the direction of his lain was merely a great hole in the
pointing finger, we saw a sehooner sand.
bearing down upon the island, her That was a Jovian bomb, said
sails silhouetted upon the rosy glow I. You remember that one was
of the dawn. missing in the great battle. Norden
We shook each others hands, must have stolen it. What he intend-
danced,
croaked our throats were
'
ed to do we shall never know now.
too dry to shout and waved our hats Perhaps he was going to blow us all
up with it later. Anyhow he has only
in the abandon of relief. We
were
saved. done himself in, praise be.
Our good hick holds out right to Only? asked Mark.
the end, said Mark. We shall evi- Oh, the Star Shell! You can
dently have to die in our beds, of old build another one, old fellow.
age, no matter what happens. Hullo With all my papers and formu-
Whats Norden doing?
las, the results of years of work,
THE STAR SHELL 271
blown to fragments? With all the to know what ship we have been
proofs of our voyage destroyed ? Im wrecked in, they will be firmly con-
afraid, Harry, that our first trip to vinced that what they saw was the
the stars *is also our last. detonation of a floating mine. But
A boat was now putting off from tell them the truth
they wont be-
the schooner. lieve it.
And what shall we say to these And they didnt: nor does the
people? How shall we explain the world.
explosion and our presence here ?
But we three know.
J ust tell them the truth, Harry,
Mark is working hard again, and
said Mark, wearily.. They will want
some day, perhaps Perhaps!
. . . . . .
[THE END]
hand. I pledge myself to you for- him. He went distracted, and died in
ever. a madhouse.
G0
ROM time to time, in letters to The Eyrie, readers have affirmed that
in those lands. Mr. H. Warner Munn might find real food for horror-tales
in this locality.
Sophie Wenzel Ellis, of Little Rock, Arkansas, writes to The Eyrie: The
happiest days of the month for me are those immediately following the first,
when I am reading Weird Tales. In my clipping file of short stories there
are more distinctive stories from your magazine than any other. Why do
you not select a group of your best stories and issue them in book form? I
should like to see you publish more stories of the sort which is exquisitely
fanciful, such as The Woman of the Wood, by Merritt; The Moon Bog and
The Outsider, by Lovecraft and The Dreamer of Atlanaat, by Price.
;
To the writer of the most helpful and constructive letter sent to The
Eyrie discussing the stories in this issue, Weird Tales will send Seabury
Quinns original typescript of The Man Who Cast No Shadow, which i
the cover-story for this issue. The typescript will be autographed by the
author.
Readers, your favorite story in the December issue was The Metal Giants.
by Edmond Ilamilton. This story has three times as many votes as its near-
est competitors, The Grinning Mummy, by Seabury Quinn, and part two of
The Star Shell, by George C. Wallis and B. Wallis. What is your favorite
story in the present issue?
Story Remarks
( 1)
(2)
( 3)
( 1 ). Why?
( 2 ).
young lady, Dr. de Grandin, sor? past a mirror on the wall I beheld
Detective Sergeant Costello asked re- parbleu! what do you suppose? the
spectfully, leaning forward from the reflection only of his dancing part-
rear seat of the car. ner! It was as if the man had been
Wait, wait, my friend, de non-existent, and the young lady had
Grandin replied with a smile. When
danced past the mirror by heiself.
our duties are all performed I shall Now, such a thing was not likely,
tell you such a tale as shall make I admit; you, Sergent, and you, too,
your two eyes to pop outward like a Friend Trowbridge, will say it was
snails.. First, however, you must go not possible but such is not the case.
;
This man was rich and favored He denied it with more force than
beyond the common run of Hun- was necessary. You are a liar,
garian petty nobles, but he was far Monsieur le Comte, I tell him, but I
from beloved by his peasantry. He say it to myself. Even yet, however,
was known as cruel, wicked and im- I do not think what I think later.
placable, and no one could be found Then came the case of the young
who had ever one kind word to say Eckhart. He loses blood, he can not
for him. say how or why, but Friend Trow-
Half the countryside suspected bridge and I find a queer mark on
him of being a loup-garou, or were- his body. I think to me, If, per-
wolf, the others credited a local leg-
haps, a vampire a member of that
end that a woman of his family had accursed tribe who leave their graves
once in the olden days taken a demon by night and suck the blood of the
to husband and that he was the off- living-were here, that would ac-
spring of that unholy union. Ac- count for this young mans condition.
cording to the story, the progeny of But where would such a being come
The girl has disappeared, an old, Soaa, soothing, antiseptic. Will not
injure delicate membranes. Dostroya
offensive odors and all perm*. R-
old man has 'accosted her an old, old ;
liavoa Irritatiou. Powerful and safe.
Non- poisonous. Married women:
bo healthy, free from riakaor worry.
man who was so strong he could over- 'LilyTaba'' sent on receipt of $1.00
(C. O. D. plus postage).
come a policeman the count is near- -EUREKA LABORATORIES
; 24 E. 21st St. Dep.W2i New York
ing his century mark when he must Gonfoni&nce
die like other men unless he can se-
cure the blood of a virgin to revivify
him. I am more than certain that SOLVE THIS PUZZLE /
the count and baron are one and the
same and that they both dwell at
PTTl '*LOVeR,TOES
I
What late Presidents name docs L-O-V-
E-R-T-O-E-S" spell? Everyone sending us
Rupleysville. Voila, we go to Rup- I Vni T the correct solution will be awarded a
beautiful building lot io x
leysville, and we arrive there not one tooft. Free and dear ot
little minute too soon. Nest-ce-pas, all encumbrances hi our New Jersey devel-
opment between New York and Atlantic City.
mes amis V* MONTE DEVELOPMENT CORP.
303 Fifth Ave.,New York, Dept. 21
Sure, Costello agreed, rising
and holding out his hand in farewell, BE A RAPID-
youve got th goods, doc. No mis- FIRE TRICK CARTOONIST
BUYS COMPLETE COURSE, including 40 Clover Cartoon
take about it. Stunts; How to Give a Performance How to
To me, as I helped
coat in the hall, the detective con-
him with his *2 Originate
Dopt. D.,
Ideas. Samples
MODERN CARTOON SERVICE,
296 Bergen
freo.
St. Brooklyn, N. Y.
(illustrated) F REE 2
.
1
AND BORN What
BOOMS
to Avoid,
(with every order) Margaret
etc. 820 pages Five, of the mighty thousands Mar-
Sanger 'b "Wha t Every Girl Should Know"; also Debato on
Birth Control", All 8 books sent in plain wrapper postpaid for
,
lowe had seen, that had attacked the
0 $2.50 (C. O. IJ. 17c extra).
fcj OGILVIE PUB. CO., 57 Rosa St.,
< Dept. 83 New York superworld! Were they messengers?
SEXUAL ^LOVE AND LIFE/ 1 He saw the five race toward the
hundreds above, saw them hang with
$
6 those hundreds for a space of min-
utes, then confusion seemed to run
SPECIALLY PRICED through the massed disks above, that
LATEST MODEL were suddenly swooping back down
Genuine White Boneite handles free for
a limited time on this brand new double
action model. Nickel or Blue, longorshort barrel. to the hilltop. As they sank down to
All same price. $6.69. Written guarantee. 22-32-38
Send no money, pay postman on delivery.
calibre.
the summit, their numbers darkened
Consumers Co., Dept. 6CE. 34 W. 28th St, N.Y. City the sky, and he saw, without under-
standing, a mass of their number that
CURED seemed to grow smaller, that
LIQUOR DRUG HABIT OR
FOR EVE
N*
PAY. Full treatment seat on trial. Can be given secretly at home:
SV
dwindled and vanished within the
Guaranteed to free you forever from desire for whiskey, gin, wine,
beer, opium, morphine and heroin. Costs <2.00 if cures, nothing if it pit. Another mass did likewise, and
fails. It is a preventive for Poison liquor, carry it with you. Standard
Laboratories b- 38 28 29Guilford Ave.. BALTIMORE, MD. another. They were returning to
Ivorite Handles FREE With This Gun their own atom! And now Hunter
.55
shot finest long range, double
6
$
6 understood, at
The five were
last.
survivors!
Revolver, action.
nickel or
blue finish; long or short bar- Their attack on the superworld had
rel, 22-32 or 38 Cal., all same price. Rush
your order while price is so low; only
failed they were in retreat
retreat
$6.55. Satisfaction or money refunded.
SEND NO MONEY Pay Postman Our Price, Plus Postage
EDWARDS IMPORT TRADING CORP.
from but look! Look!
258 Broadway Dept. E-3 New York, N.Y. The sky above was again darken-
ing, even more intensely than before.
Why run the chance of missing an issue of
WEIRD TALES Even as the disks of the invaders
dwindled and sank with frantie haste
SUBSCRIBE NOW! into the pit, the darkness above was
$2.50 a year in the United States; $3.00 in Canada compressing, contracting, resolving
WEIRD TALES 283
sank down toward the pit and the oily skin, and will make your skin ex-
lightning ceased abruptly. It was as ceedingly clear by using before retiring.
E
McS.
*new man full of red-blooded vim and puuh. Nothing like WHIZ
G that a why 1000s use it. No harmful drugs that form
CU habits.
teed r money back * Send J2 * 00 for double strength
prehended that the superpeople had
sealed the sand-grain within that
Special 2 package offer , $3.00. Also C.O.D.
Sapi-Rasoarch Co., Inc., Depl. W-3. 249 W. 34lh SI.. Hew York shining metal sphere, from all the
GET THIS HAND EJECTOR -NOW gathered hulls above, flash after flash
AT HALF PRICE of terrific lightning stabbed down to-
Thumb
Control ward the hilltop, with a splitting
Finest eohd
frame swing-
crash, and beneath Hunter the
out cylinder
rand ejector with best
A blueateel; mostaccurate and de- , s
ground heaved and swayed. He stag-
Bendable gun made. Shoots standard
emmunltlon. We are the first to have these* .
gered to his feet, glimpsed the edge
new 1927 models and offer them to'you at a saving of
810.00. Our price for 82. 32. 20 or 38 cal. only $10.95.
|
1 of a narrow, deep abyss in the hill-
Satisfaction or Money Refunded. Send NoMoney.
Pay Postman Our Price, Plus Postage. top created by that blasting force,
EDWARDS IMPORT TRADING CORP.
2S8 Broadway Dept. E-3, New York, N. Y. then saw the ball of metal whirling
down into this abyss, holding within
BIRTH CONTROL! it the atomic world, forever.. Again
S
unset illumined Leadanfoot with a
glory of orange and crimson light
Help Wanted
We require the services of an ambitious person to
when Hunter reached the village. He do eomo special advertising work right In your
own locality. The work is pleasant and dignified.
walked slowly down the silent, desert- Pay is exceptionally large. No provioua experience
is required, as all that is necessary is a willing-
ed street, and sat down wearily on a ness on your part to carry out our instructions.
If you are at present employed, wo can use your
bench in front of the inn. With an spare time in a way that will not interfere with
your present employment yet pay you well for
uncertain smile he remembered his your time.
If you are making less than $150 a month, the
conversation with the innkeeper, and offer I era going to make will appeal to you. Your
spare time will pay you well your full timo will
wondered .where the man was now. bring you in a handsome income.
It costs nothing to investigate. Write me today
And, too, with a flash of sudden and I will send you full particulars by return
mail and place before you the facta so that you
pity, he remembered Marlowe, and can decide for yourself.
ALBERT MILLS, Gon. Mgr. Employment Dept,
their toiling race up the hill. A kind- 701* American Bldg., CINCINNATI, Ohio.
ly, honest man he had seemed, one
who had probably lived a life of se-
rene content in his quiet .museum be- BUST DEVELOPED My Big Throe Part Treatment is the
fore fate dragged him into the whirl- ONLY ONE that gives FULL
DEVELOPMENT without bathing,
pool of cosmic war. A war that he exercises, pumps or other danger-
ous absurdities. I send you a
had striven to prevent, however pow- GUARANTEED TWO DOLLAR
erlessly. And, more somberly, Hunt- 14-DAY
er thought of the other man, of Pow-
TREATMENT
send
you a DIME toward expenses*
FREE
Large Aluminum Box of my Won-
ell. Well, it was over now, and what included.) Plain wrapper.
M
>klot, Road to Poiso and Achievement.
.
.
.
con queredSelf-ConsconsnpHBln a very short timo.
^
-'thousands
the world. IYMOUR INSTITUTE, 38 Park Row, Dept, 50. NewVorh City
286 WEIRD TALES
A PERFECT LOOKING
CAN EASILY BE YOURS
NOSE The Brimstone Cat
( Continued f rom page 192)
TrmdoB Model No. 2B correct* now
all Ul-ehaped noses quickly, painlessly,
permanently and comfortably at home.
It is the only noaeshaping appliance of pre-
toward us, and one of them raised his
cise adjustment and a safe and guaranteed
potent device that will actually give you a
hand, in which there was a heavy
perfect looking nose. Over 80,000 satisfied club.
users. For years recommended by physi-
ciane. 16 years of experience in manufac-
turing Isoee Shapers is at your service.
Another of my queer friends is
Modol 20 Junior for chlldron.
Awarded Prize Modal by big Wembley
Hari Tosuki, the Japanese wrestler.
Exposition, London. England. Write for
testimonials aud free booklet, which tells
Prom him I once learned something
you how to obtain a perfect looking nose.
of ju-jitsu. Now that knowledge
M. TRILETY, Pioneer Noaethaping Specialist
Dept. 2795 Binghamton, N. Y.
stood me in good stead. I threw the
man with the club, felling him with
a catch that broke his arm and
knocked him senseless. Then I grap-
pled with the other villain an ugly,
evil creature, powerful but with a
N&A8.
misshapen back, as I discovered when
I finally had him down.
^ GUN Meanwhile, the girl, instead of
M0.R7 N0.T5;
5g85i725 BARGAINS fainting or crying out again, had fled
SEND NO MONEY down the street. She came back, just
k No. M2. Swing Out Cylinder, Blue Steel, 6 Shot,
* Accurate, Rilled Barrel, 32, 32-20 or 38 Cal. 110.95
. . .
as I was reflecting with some pride
No. T5. Top Break, Blue Steel, Sure Fire, 32 or 38 CaL 7.75
No. A8. Automatic, Blue Steel, 32 Cal. 6 shot $7.75,25 Cal. 7 shot* 7.35
No. R7. Solid Steel, Blue Finish, Accurate, 38, 32 or 22 Cal. . 6.85
. .
that I had done credit to Hari, my
No. S4. Blue Steel. Solid Frame, Double Action, 38, 32 or 22 Cal. 4.95
ORDER BY NUMBER. GIVE CALIBER WANTED. Send no money,
fay your Postman price plus postage On delivery. Money refunded If
teacher. With her were two big
ot satisfied after Inspection. All guna new, use Standard American policemen..
Cartridge#. STERLING CO. R-18 BALTIMORE. MDi
They put handcuffs on our assail-
D.
A
D.
tablet of special value.
ingredient.
PEP!
Contains a special
Most powerful absolutely harm-
ants and the girl told her story, while
one of the policemen made notes for
less. For a quick pick-up, in 15 minutes Im- the charge that should be entered
pai s against the thugs.
Vigor Strength Vitality
Comes in plain wrapper. Guaranteed or money The girl had been on an errand in
refunded. 51.00 cash or money order.
YOUTHAL LABORATORIES i
this part of the city,where she was
53 South Oxford St., Dept. C, Brooklyn, N. Y.
a stranger. The errand had de-
tained her much later than she ex-
pected, and in the dusk she had lost
her way. The two ruffians had held
N EW^ model her up, and, infuriated when they
locking
under found that she had but a few cents in
double action, swing cylinder, approved type. her pocketbook, had attempted fur-
Nickel or blue 32, 32:20 or 38 cal. Genuine white
bon-itehandlesfreeifyouorderrightaway. Send ther outrage. She had broken away
no money. Pay postman $14.95, plus post-
age on delivery. Money back guarantee. and fled down the side street, coming
CONSUMERS CO., Dept 7CE, 34 W. 28th St, N.Y. City upon me.
ONLY As she told her story, I looked at
WESTERN SPECIAL. World's = her for the first time. Or was it the
Greatest Value. Fully Guaranteed. For V
defense or target. Best Make, Finest Solid vi
Blue Steel, Smooth Action, Sure-Fire"
first time ? She was a tiny thing with
Accurate, Powerful. Perfectly Rifled Barrel.V.,
38, 32 or 22 Caliber. L'se Standard Cartridges.^ red-gold curls and a dimple in one
Send No Money. Pay Postman $5.85 plus
postage on arrival. Satisfaction Guaranteed or Money Back. cheek that made my heart pound
ARLEE WHOLESALE CO, OEPT t N, BALTIMORE MD.
madly with a desire to kiss it. Her
Or Snuff Habit eyes wr ere of a clear blue like that of
TOBACCO
Any form, cigar*, cigarette*, pipe,
oo trial. H armies*. CoU $1.50 if it
Cured Or No Pax
ewing
chewing tauff.FuD
or treatment sent
the sea on a calm summer afternoon
600*000 Men and Women.
5 if it fail*.
NT-17
Used by ove
Baltimore, Md.
and as I looked into them I knew
WEIRD TALES 287
As I looked into her eyes, I saw Send for "Clouds Dispelled." You
will be delighted. Absolutely Free.
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My name is Govern Ariste, and I
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And I have met you, although I Pocket- novelty; 1 Pkg. Japan Water Flowers.
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do not recall where, she replied. Tricks with cards; 70 Toasts; 1 New Gypsy
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Your name is an odd one but I do Feats; 52 money-making Secrets; 4 rare Poems:
100 Red-Hot Jokes.
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only 20c. Just say Send Big Bargain."
I have always wished for a com- HOWARD SALES CO.,
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1
such a name as Peter.
who
Peter would suit you much bet-
ter, she agreed. My name is Edith
Montgomery. I live with my father,
will be much worried at my late
PIMPLES
cleared up
you can be
often in 24 hours. To prove
rid of pimples, blackheads, acne
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eczema, enlarged pores, oily or shiny skin,
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I hailed a passing taxi. As we no obligation. CLAR-Tt)NE tried and tested in over 100,000
cases used like toilet water is 6imply magical in prompt
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drove up and a big policeman led the E.S. GIVENS, 466 Chemical Bldg., Kansas City, Mo.
death mystery a story that UST think, you can get this whole library of 12 clean and
works up to a crashing climax.
The Triangle of Terror A
J wholesome books for about 8 l/3c each. Every one of these
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