Some Grave Fears
: The Mystery Of The Green RayAnd now, as the reader will readily understand, I must continue the
story as it was afterwards related to me.
Myra, the General, and Dennis sat up and waited for me till the
early hours of the morning, but I did not return. The young people did
what they could to assure the old man that my sudden and unexpected
disappearance had been entirely voluntary, and Dennis, who had found
my note, as soon as he put
where I had got to, gave him subtly to understand that it was really
part of a prearranged plan, and Myra at length persuaded him to go to
bed at midnight.
When I failed to put in an appearance at breakfast-time, however, even
they began to be a trifle alarmed, but they did their best to conceal
their fears. They scoured the hillside and then went down to the
landing-stage. Dennis had reported the previous night that the
motor-boat was still in its place when he saw Hilderman off, and it
never occurred to Myra that I might make my departure in the
Coch-a-Bondhu.
"He hasn't gone by the sea, any way," Dennis announced again, as he
and the girl stood on the landing-stage.
"You mean the Jenny is still there?" she asked.
"Yes," said Dennis, "she's just where she was when we arrived from
Glasnabinnie in Hilderman's boat yesterday."
"Mr. Burnham!" Myra cried suddenly, "is there another boat, a brown
motor-boat, anchored just out there?"
"No," said Dennis, realising how terribly handicapped they were by
Myra's inability to see.
"Are you sure?" the girl asked anxiously.
"Quite sure," said Dennis positively. "There is one motor-boat here,
and that is all."
"I suppose he took that to put Hilderman off the scent," Myra mused,
"and in that case he is probably quite safe. I daresay he's gone to
look for our friend von What's-his name's yacht or his house at Loch
Duich."
Dennis clutched at the opportunity this theory gave him to allay her
fears, and declared that it was ridiculous of him not to have thought
of it before, and he gave Myra his arm to the house. But he was not at
all satisfied with it, and, as it turned out afterwards, Myra was not
very confident about it either. Dennis knew me well enough to know
that I should never have set out with the deliberate intention of
stopping away overnight without leaving some more definite message for
my fiancee. However, their thoughts were speedily diverted, for they
had hardly reached the house before a strange man made his way
towards them through the heather.
"Mr. Ewart, sir?" he asked.
"Do you wish to speak to Mr. Ewart?" Dennis asked cautiously.
"I have a parcel and a message for him from Mr. Garnesk," said the
stranger, a young man, who might have been anything by profession.
"Oh, indeed," said Dennis, his suspicions aroused at once. Garnesk, he
knew, had only arrived in Glasgow the night before.
"I see you are wondering how I got here and why I came down the hill,
instead of up a road of some sort," said the youth with a smile.
"Frankly, I was," Dennis admitted.
"Then, perhaps, I had better explain who I am and how I come to
be here. My name is McKenzie. I am employed by Welton and Delaunay,
the Glasgow opticians, makers of the 'Weldel' telescopes and
binoculars. Mr. Garnesk has a good deal to do with our firm in the
matter of designs for special glasses to withstand furnace heat, for
ironworkers, etc. He arrived at the works last night in a car, and,
after consulting with the manager, they kept a lot of us at work all
night on a new design of spectacles.
"I was sent with this parcel in the early hours of the morning.
There was no passenger train, but Mr. Garnesk got me a military pass
on a fish train, and here I am. I was to deliver the parcel to Mr.
Ewart, or, failing him, to Miss McLeod. When I saw this lady with
the--er--the shade over her eyes I thought you were probably Mr.
Ewart, sir."
"I'm not, as a matter of fact," said Dennis. "But where have you come
from, and why didn't you come up the path?"
"Mr. Garnesk gave me instructions, sir, which I read to the boatman
who brought me here. Mr. Garnesk said I would find several fishermen
at Mallaig who had motor-boats, and would bring me across. He also
gave me this paper, and told me on no account to deviate from the
directions he gave."
Dennis held out his hand for the paper. He glanced through it, and
then read it to Myra.
"Take a motor-boat from Mallaig to Invermalluch Lodge," he read. "Tell
the man to cross the top of Loch Hourn as if he were going to Glenelg,
but when he gets well round the point he is to double back, and land
you as near as he can to the house, but to keep on the far side of the
point. You are on no account to be taken to the landing-stage at the
lodge. When you arrive at the lodge insist on seeing Mr. Ewart, or
Miss McLeod personally, if Mr. Ewart is not there. Then rejoin your
motor-boat, and go on to Glenelg. Wait there for the first boat that
will take you to Mallaig, and come back by the train. Do not return to
Mallaig by motor-boat."
"Those are very elaborate instructions, Mr. Burnham," said Myra. "It
would seem that Mr. Garnesk is very suspicious about something."
"Evidently," Dennis agreed. "You'd better let Miss McLeod have that
parcel," he added to McKenzie. The youth handed him the parcel, and at
Myra's suggestion Dennis opened it. Topmost among its contents was a
letter addressed to me. Dennis tore it open and read it.
"Miss McLeod is to wear a pair of these glasses until I see her again.
She will be able to see through them fairly well, but she must not
remove them. The consequences might be fatal. The three other pairs
are for you and Burnham, and one extra in case of accidents. It will
also come in handy if you take Hilderman into your confidence. Wear
these glasses when you are in any danger of coming in contact with the
green ray. I have an idea that they will act as a decided protection.
I also enclose one Colt automatic pistol and cartridges, the only
one I could get in the middle of the night. If you decide to ask
Hilderman's help tell him everything. I am sure he will be very useful
to you. Keep your courage up, old man! The best to you all. In
haste.--H.G."
"We're certainly learning something," said Dennis, as he finished.
"Obviously Garnesk is very suspicious of somebody, but it's not
Hilderman. He writes as if he were pretty sure of himself. Probably he
has proved his theory about Hilderman being a Government detective."
"I have a message for Mr. Ewart, sir," the messenger interrupted.
"You had better tell it me," Dennis suggested.
"I'd rather Miss McLeod asked me," McKenzie demurred. "Those were Mr.
Garnesk's instructions. He said 'failing Mr. Ewart, insist on seeing
Miss McLeod.'"
"Very well," laughed Myra. "I quite appreciate your point. May I know
the message?"
"Mr. Ewart was to take no notice whatever of anything Mr. Garnesk said
in his letter about Mr. Hilderman. He was on no account to trust Mr.
Hilderman, but to be very careful not to let him see he was suspected.
The gentlemen were always to wear their glasses whenever they were in
sight of the hut above--Glas.--above Mr. Hilderman's house."
"Whew!" Dennis whistled. "But why didn't he----? Oh, I see. He was
afraid the letter might fall into Hilderman's hands."
"I wonder where Ron can have got to?" Myra mused wistfully.
"We're very much obliged to you for all the trouble you have taken,
Mr. McKenzie," said Dennis. "You've done very well indeed."
"Oh, Mr. Garnesk also said that Miss McLeod was to put on her glasses
by the red light."
"Yes; that's important," Dennis agreed. "We'll go up to the house now,
shall we, Miss McLeod?"
"Yes," said Myra, "and Mr. McKenzie must come and have a meal and a
rest, as I'm sure he needs both after his journey. I'll send Angus to
look after the boatman." So the three strolled up to the lodge.
"By the way," said Dennis, "of course it's all right, and you've
carried out your instructions to the letter, but how can you be sure
this is Miss McLeod, and how do you know I'm not Hilderman?"
"Mr. Garnesk described everybody I should be likely to meet," McKenzie
replied, "including Mr. Hilderman and Mr. Fuller. I know you are Mr.
Ewart's friend because you have a small white scar above your left
eyebrow. So, being with you, and wearing a shade and an Indian bangle,
I thought I was safe in concluding the lady was Miss McLeod."
"Garnesk doesn't seem to miss much!" Dennis laughed.
"He made me repeat his descriptions about twenty times," said
McKenzie, "so I felt pretty sure of myself."
When they got up to the lodge, and the messenger's requirements had
been administered to, Dennis unpacked the parcel. The spectacles
proved to be something like motor goggles; they fitted closely over
the nose and forehead, and entirely excluded all light except that
which could be seen through the glass. The only curious thing about
them was the glass itself. Instead of being white, or even blue, it
was red, and the surface was scratched diagonally in minute parallel
lines. Myra and Dennis hurried upstairs, and lighted the lamp in the
dark-room. When the girl came down again she declared that she could
see beautifully. Everything was red, of course, but she could see
quite distinctly.
"Have you any idea why these glasses are ruled in lines like this?"
Dennis asked McKenzie.
"I couldn't say for certain, sir," the youth replied. "But I should
think it was because Mr. Garnesk thought the glasses would be so near
the eye as to be ineffective. In photography, for instance, you can't
print either bromide or printing-out paper in a red light. But if you
coat a red glass with emulsion, and make an exposure on it, you can
print the negative in the usual way. I don't know why it is."
"Perhaps there is no space for a ray to form," Myra suggested.
"You must tell Mr. Garnesk how deeply grateful we all are to him,"
said Dennis. "I'll give you a letter to take back to him. It has been
a wonderfully quick bit of work!"
"I should think he has got some hundreds of the glasses finished by
this time," said McKenzie, "and he has already asked for an estimate
for fifty thousand of them."
"Whatever for?" Myra exclaimed.
"I couldn't say at all, but Mr. Garnesk probably has it all mapped
out. He always knows what he's about."
A couple of hours later McKenzie left for Glenelg, with ample time to
catch his boat, and the others sat down to lunch. Myra was delighted
that she could see, even though everything was red. Just as they had
finished lunch a telegram was delivered to Dennis. It was handed in at
Mallaig, and it read: "Don't worry about me. May be away for a few
days.--EWART."
"Oh, good!" exclaimed Dennis. "A wire from Ron. He's all right. 'Don't
worry about me. May be away for a few days.' Sent from Mallaig. He may
have got something he feels he must tell Garnesk about, and has gone
to Glasgow."
"I expect that's it," Myra agreed. "I'm glad he's wired. I do hope
he'll write from wherever he is to-night. Do you think I shall get a
letter in the morning?"
"Certain to," Dennis vowed, laying the telegram on the mantelpiece.
"He's sure to write, however busy he is."
Though Myra was disappointed that there was no personal message for
her, she tried to believe that everything was all right. Dennis went
on what he called coastguard duty, and watched the sea and shores with
the untiring loyalty of a faithful dog. That night, after dinner, he
went out to keep an eye on things, and left Myra with her father. She
has told me since that she felt miserable that I had not wired to her,
and went to fetch my telegram in order to get what comfort she could
from my message to Dennis. She held the telegram under the light, and
read it through. The words were: "May be away for a few days.--EWART."
She made out the faint pencil writing slowly through the red glass.
She read it twice through, and then suddenly collapsed into an
armchair in the horror of swift realisation. "Ewart!" she whispered,
"Ewart! He would never sign a telegram to Mr. Burnham in that way. If
Ronnie didn't send that wire, who did?"
In a moment she jumped to her feet. She must act, and act quickly.
She ran into the den, and picked up the revolver and cartridges which
Garnesk had sent, and which she had put carefully away until I should
come and claim them. She loaded the revolver, and tucked it in the
pocket of the Burberry coat which she slipped on in the hall. Then she
tore down to the landing-stage, and made straight for Glasnabinnie in
the Jenny Spinner. She had got about half a mile when Dennis, coming
up to the top of the cliff on his self-imposed coastguard duties, saw
her and recognised her through his binoculars.
He ran down to the landing-stage, putting on his red glasses as he
went. His horror was complete when he found there was no craft of any
kind about, not even a rowboat. Alas! I had idiotically allowed the
dinghy to drift away. He ran along the shore, every now and then
looking anxiously through his binoculars for any sign of any kind of
boat that would get him over to Glasnabinnie in time to fulfil his
promise of looking after "Ron's little girl."
Myra has since admitted--and how proud I was to hear her say it--that
she forgot about everything and everybody except that I was in danger,
and probably Hilderman knew something about it. Her one thought was to
hold the pistol to his head and demand my safe return.
She came ashore a little beyond the house, having made a rather wide
detour, so that she should not be seen. She knew the best way to the
hut, and there was a light in it. She thought Hilderman would be
there. She had passed well to seaward of the Fiona, and noticed that
she was standing by with steam up. Myra climbed the hill to the hut
with as much speed as she could.
Hilderman was standing below the door of the smoking-room talking to
three men. She knew that she would have no chance, even with a
revolver, against four men. She might hurt one of them, but she
recognised, fortunately, that the others would overpower her.
Eventually Hilderman went into the hut, and two of the men stayed
outside talking. The other went down the hill. It was in watching
this man that Myra saw the sight that had astonished me, the
continuous stream of lights down the bed of the burn. She waited, so
she said it seemed, for hours and hours, before she could see a real
chance of attacking Hilderman.
Indeed, neither she nor Dennis can give any very clear idea precisely
how long it was that she waited there, but it must have been a
considerable time. At last Hilderman was alone. Myra crept to the edge
of the little plateau on which the hut stood, and then made a dash for
the door. She thrust it open and stepped inside, pulling it to behind
her. Hilderman sprang to his feet with an oath as he saw her.
"Heavens!" he cried. "You!"
Myra drew the revolver and presented it at him.
"Put up your hands, Mr. Hilderman," she said, with a calmness that
astonished herself, "and tell me what you have done with Ronnie--Mr.
Ewart."
"I must admit you've caught me, Miss McLeod!" Hilderman replied. "I
can only assure you that your fiance is safe."
"Where is he?" Myra asked.
"He is quite close at hand," Hilderman assured her, "and quite safe.
What do you want me to do?"
"You must set him free at once," said Myra quietly.
"And if I refuse?"
"I shall shoot you and anyone else who comes near me."
"Now look here, Miss McLeod," said Hilderman, "I may be prepared to
come to terms with you. If you shot me and half a dozen others it
would not help you to find Mr. Ewart. On the other hand, it would be
awkward for us to have a lot of shooting going on, and I have no wish
to harm Mr. Ewart. If I produce him, and allow you two to go away, are
you prepared to swear to me that you will neither of you breathe a
word of anything you may know to any living soul for forty-eight
hours? I think I can trust you."
Myra thought it over quickly.
"Yes," she said, "if you will----"
But she never finished the sentence. At that moment someone caught her
wrist in a grip of steel, and wrenched the pistol from her.
"Come, come, Miss McLeod," said Fuller. "This is very un-neighbourly
of you."
Myra looked round her in despair. There must be some way out of this.
She cudgelled her brains to devise some means of getting the better of
her captives. Fuller laid the pistol on the table and sat down.
"You need not be alarmed," he said. "We shall not hurt you. You will
be left here, that is all. And we shall get safely away. After this we
shall not be able to leave your precious lover with you, but Hilderman
insists that he shall not be hurt, and we shall take him to Germany
and treat him as a prisoner of war."
Then Myra had an inspiration. She turned her head towards Fuller, as
if she were looking about two feet to the right of his head.
"You may as well kill me as leave me here," she said calmly.
"Nonsense," said Hilderman. "If we leave you here, and see that you
have no means of getting away by sea, you will have to find your way
across the hills or round the cliffs. There is no road, and by the
time you return to civilisation we shall be clear."
"That's very thoughtful of you," said Myra. "You bargain on my falling
over a precipice or something. A blind girl would have a splendid
chance of getting back safely!"
"Good heavens!" Hilderman cried. "I thought you must be able to see.
Fuller, this means that that fellow Burnham came with her, and is
close at hand. What in the name----"
But he, too, was interrupted, for a great, gaunt figure flashed like
some weird animal through the window. A long bare arm reached over
Fuller's shoulder and snatched the pistol.
"Yes, Mr. Burnham is with her," said Dennis quietly, as he stood in
front of them, stripped to the waist, the water pouring off him in
streams, and covered them with the revolver.
Hilderman and Fuller von Guernstein held up their hands as requested.
"This is very awkward," said Fuller. "We shall have to let that
wretched Ewart go."
And then Dennis swayed, threw up his arms, and fell sideways, full
length on the floor. Myra glanced at him, and threw herself on her
knees beside the prostrate form.
"Dead!" she screamed. "Dead!"
Hilderman pushed her gently aside, and knelt down to examine Dennis.
"It's his heart," he announced. "Come Hugo. We're safe now, and the
girl's blind. Let's get away."
More
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When Dick opened his eyes, there was a feeling of motion to the bed. The strangeness of the ceiling overhead drew his attention. It was not canvas, but shiny metal, almost purple in tint. Suddenly he sat up. Dolores lay beside him. As his eyes c... Strange Things
The thought struck Felix that perhaps he might find a spring somewhere in the island, and he started at once up over the hill. At the top he paused. The sun had not sunk, but had disappeared as a disk. In its place was a billow of blood, for so it... Structure Of The Projectile
A few weeks later I received a letter from Dr. Anderwelt asking me to call at his rooms on the West Side that afternoon, as soon as the market had closed. He desired to exhibit and explain the drawings of the new projectile and talk over the prepa... Sullenbode
Sullenbode's naked skin glowed softly through the darkness, but the clothed part of her person was invisible. Maskull watched her senseless, smiling face, and shivered. Strange feelings ran through his body. Corpang spoke out of the night. "She lo... Sunday Below Ground
I Awoke on Sunday morning without any sense of hurry and bustle attendant on an immediate departure. Though the day to be devoted to repose and reflection was spent under such strange circumstances, and in so wonderful a place, the idea was a plea... Sunrise On The Moon
As we saw it first it was the wildest and most desolate of scenes. We were in an enormous amphitheatre, a vast circular plain, the floor of the giant crater. Its cliff-like walls closed us in on every side. From the westward the light of the unseen ... Superstitions
Felix was now outside the town and alone in the meadow which bordered the stream; he knelt, and drank from it with the hollow of his hand. He was going to ascend the hill beyond, and had already reached the barrier upon that side, when he recollec... Surgery
Shannon fumed in helpless anger. The first direct attack on Cortin's new team--one he admitted to himself shouldn't have been made, but that he'd found irresistible--had been a total disaster. The troopers had been outnumbered more than two to... Surprised
Felix was now anxious to continue his journey, yet he did not like to leave the shepherds, with whom his life was so pleasant. As usual, when deliberating, he wandered about the hills, and then into the forest. The shepherds at first insisted on a... Surprises
But at last the allotted moment arrived--the moment for which I had been trying to prepare myself, for how long I could not even guess. A great Sagoth came and spoke some words of command to those who watched over me. I was jerked roughly to my fe... Survival Tactics
The robots were built to serve Man; to do his work, see to his comforts, make smooth his way. Then the robots figured out an additional service--putting Man out of his misery. There was a sudden crash that hung sharply in the air, as if... Suspense
When the balloon had reached an elevation of about 2,500 yards, Lieutenant Procope determined to maintain it at that level. A wire-work stove, suspended below the casing, and filled with lighted hay, served to keep the air in the interior at a pro... Swalone's Island
When he awoke, the day was not so bright, and he guessed it was late afternoon. Polecrab and his wife were both on their feet, and another meal of fish had been cooked and was waiting for him. "Is it decided who is to go with me?" he asked, before... Tara In A Tantrum
Tara of Helium rose from the pile of silks and soft furs upon which she had been reclining, stretched her lithe body languidly, and crossed toward the center of the room, where, above a large table, a bronze disc depended from the low ceiling. Her c... Tars Tarkas Finds A Friend
About noon I passed low over a great dead city of ancient Mars, and as I skimmed out across the plain beyond I came full upon several thousand green warriors engaged in a terrific battle. Scarcely had I seen them than a volley of shots was direct... Tattoo
To Keith's amusement, the artist did his work after using a topical anesthetic, saying it was to prevent a flinch from spoiling the design. Remaining still and with no more than minor sensations of pressure on his face, though, seemed to be maki... Telling The Time By Geography
After supper I went up into his compartment, and having arranged the bulkhead, began the tedious operation at the pump handle. It was a matter of pure muscular strength, as the effort had to be made to lift the handle, which snapped back sharply w... Terrific Saurian Combat
Saturday, August 15th. The sea still retains its uniform monotony. The same leaden hue, the same eternal glare from above. No indication of land being in sight. The horizon appears to retreat before us, more and more as we advance. My head, sti... The 4-d Doodler
"Do you believe, Professor Gault, that this four dimensional plane contains life--intelligent life?" At the question, Gault laughed shortly. "You have been reading pseudo-science, Dr. Pillbot," he twitted. "I realize that as a psychiat... The Advent
CHAPTER I I Oliver Brand, the new member for Croydon (4), sat in his study, looking out of the window over the top of his typewriter. His house stood facing northwards at the extreme end of a spur of the Surrey Hills, now cut and tunnelled o... The Adventures Of The Caledonia
The passengers of the Caledonia were in a state of hopeless dejection and violent exasperation. An attempt was made to throw the blame of their misfortune on the unpardonable carelessness of the responsible military authorities, rather than attrib... The Aerophile
For a while, as Graham went through the passages of the Wind-Vane offices with Lincoln, he was preoccupied. But, by an effort, he attended to the things which Lincoln was saying. Soon his preoccupation vanished. Lincoln was talking of flying. Gr... The Air Battle
Two hours after leaving my palace at Helium, or about midnight, Kantos Kan, Xodar, and I arrived at Hastor. Carthoris, Tars Tarkas, and Hor Vastus had gone directly to Thark upon another cruiser. The transports were to get under way immediately... The Airlords Besieged
In a previous record of my adventures in the early part of the Second War of Independence I explained how I, Anthony Rogers, was overcome by radioactive gases in an abandoned mine near Scranton in the year 1927, where I existed in a state of suspe... The Aliens
The human race was expanding through the galaxy ... and so, they knew, were the Aliens. When two expanding empires meet ... war is inevitable. Or is it ...? At 04 hours 10 minutes, ship time, the Niccola was well inside the T... The Altered World
I. Change played in its new fashion with the world for twenty years. To most men the new things came little by little and day by day, remarkably enough, but not so abruptly as to overwhelm. But to one man at least the full accumulation of those...