One day, about two weeks later, von Horn and theprofessor were occupied closely with their work in thecourt of mystery. Developments were coming in riotousconfusion. A recent startling discovery bade fare tosimplify and expedite the work far beyond the fondestdreams of the scientist.

Von Horn's interest in the marvellous results that hadbeen obtained was little short of the professor's--but he foresaw a very different outcome of it all,and by day never moved without a gun at either hip,and by night both of them were beside him.

Sing Lee, the noonday meal having been disposed of, setforth with rod, string and bait to snare gulls upon thebeach. He moved quietly through the jungle, his sharpeyes and ears always alert for anything that mightsavor of the unusual, and so it was that he saw the twomen upon the beach, while they did not see him at all.

They were Bududreen and the same tall Malay whom Singhad seen twice before--once in splendid raiment andcommanding the pirate prahu, and again as a simpleboatman come to the Ithaca to trade, but without thegoods to carry out his professed intentions.

The two squatted on the beach at the edge of the junglea short distance above the point at which Sing had beenabout to emerge when he discovered them, so that it wasbut the work of a moment or two for the Chinaman tocreep stealthily through the dense underbrush to apoint directly above them and not three yards fromwhere they conversed in low tones--yet sufficientlyloud that Sing missed not a word.

"I tell you, Bududreen, that it will be quite safe,"the tall Malay was saying. "You yourself tell me thatnone knows of the whereabouts of these white men, andif they do not return your word will be accepted as totheir fate. Your reward will be great if you bring thegirl to me, and if you doubt the loyalty of any of yourown people a kris will silence them as effectually asit will silence the white men."

"It is not fear of the white men, oh, Rajah MudaSaffir, that deters me," said Bududreen, "but how shallI know that after I have come to your country with thegirl I shall not myself be set upon and silenced with agolden kris--there be many that will be jealous of thegreat service I have done for the mighty rajah."

Muda Saffir knew perfectly well that Bududreen had butdiplomatically expressed a fear as to his own royaltrustworthiness, but it did not anger him, since thecharge was not a direct one; but what he did not knowwas of the heavy chest and Bududreen's desire to winthe price of the girl and yet be able to save forhimself a chance at the far greater fortune which heknew lay beneath that heavy oaken lid.

Both men had arisen now and were walking across thebeach toward a small, native canoe in which Muda Saffirhad come to the meeting place. They were out ofearshot before either spoke again, so that what furtherpassed between them Sing could not even guess, but hehad heard enough to confirm the suspicions he hadentertained for a long while.

He did not fish for gulls that day. Bududreen and MudaSaffir stood talking upon the beach, and the Chinamandid not dare venture forth for fear they might suspectthat he had overheard them. If old Sing Lee knew hisMalays, he was also wise enough to give them credit forknowing their Chinamen, so he waited quietly in hidinguntil Muda Saffir had left, and Bududreen returned to camp.

Professor Maxon and von Horn were standing over one ofthe six vats that were arranged in two rows down thecenter of the laboratory. The professor had been morecommunicative and agreeable today than for some timepast, and their conversation had assumed more of thefamiliarity that had marked it during the first monthof their acquaintance at Singapore.

"And what of these first who are so imperfect?" askedvon Horn. "You cannot take them into civilization, norwould it be right to leave them here upon this island.What will you do with them?"

Professor Maxon pondered the question for a moment.

"I have given the matter but little thought," he saidat length. "They are but the accidents of my greatwork. It is unfortunate that they are as they are, butwithout them I could have never reached the perfectionthat I am sure we are to find here," and he tappedlovingly upon the heavy glass cover of the vat beforewhich he stood. "And this is but the beginning. Therecan be no more mistakes now, though I doubt if we canever improve upon that which is so rapidly developinghere." Again he passed his long, slender handcaressingly over the coffin-like vat at the head ofwhich was a placard bearing the words, NUMBER THIRTEEN.

"But the others, Professor!" insisted von Horn."We must decide. Already they have become a problem of nosmall dimensions. Yesterday Number Five desired someplantains that I had given to Number Seven. I tried toreason with him, but, as you know, he is mentallydefective, and for answer he rushed at Number Seven totear the coveted morsel from him. The result was abattle royal that might have put to shame two Bengaltigers. Twelve is tractable and intelligent. With hisassistance and my bull whip I succeeded in separatingthem before either was killed. Your greatest error wasin striving at first for such physical perfection. Youhave overdone it, with the result that the court ofmystery is peopled by a dozen brutes of awfulmuscularity, and scarcely enough brain among the dozento equip three properly."

"They are as they are," replied the professor."I shall do for them what I can--when I am gone they mustlook to themselves. I can see no way out of it."

"What you have given you may take away," said von Horn,in a low tone.

Professor Maxon shuddered. Those three horrid days inthe workshop at Ithaca flooded his memory with all thegruesome details he had tried for so many months toforget. The haunting ghosts of the mental anguish thathad left him an altered man--so altered that there weretimes when he had feared for his sanity!

"No, no!" he almost shouted. "It would be murder.They are--"

"They are THINGS," interrupted von Horn. "They arenot human--they are not even beast. They are terrible,soulless creatures. You have no right to permit themto live longer than to substantiate your theory. Nonebut us knows of their existence--no other need know oftheir passing. It must be done. They are a constant andgrowing menace to us all, but most of all to your daughter."

A cunning look came into the professor's eyes.

"I understand," he said. "The precedent once established,all must perish by its edict--even those which may not begrotesque or bestial--even this perfect one," and he touchedagain the vat, "and thus you would rid yourself of rival suitors.But no!" he went on in a high, trembling voice. "I shall not beled to thus compromise myself, and be thwarted in my cherished plan.Be this one what he may he shall wed my daughter!"

The man had raised himself upon his toes as he reachedhis climax--his clenched hand was high above his head--his voice fairly thundered out the final sentence, andwith the last word he brought his fist down upon thevat before him. In his eyes blazed the light ofunchained madness.

Von Horn was a brave man, but he shuddered at themaniacal ferocity of the older man, and shrank back.The futility of argument was apparent, and he turnedand left the workshop.

Sing Lee was late that night. In fact he did notreturn from his fruitless quest for gulls until wellafter dark, nor would he vouchsafe any explanation ofthe consequent lateness of supper. Nor could he befound shortly after the evening meal when Virginiasought him.

Not until the camp was wrapped in the quiet of slumberdid Sing Lee return--stealthy and mysterious--to creepunder cover of a moonless night to the door of theworkshop. How he gained entrance only Sing Lee knows,but a moment later there was a muffled crash of brokenglass within the laboratory, and the Chinaman hadslipped out, relocked the door, and scurried to hisnearby shack. But there was no occasion for his haste--no other ear than his had heard the sound within theworkshop.

It was almost nine the following morning beforeProfessor Maxon and von Horn entered the laboratory.Scarcely had the older man passed the doorway than hedrew up his hands in horrified consternation. VatNumber Thirteen lay dashed to the floor--the glasscover was broken to a million pieces--a sticky,brownish substance covered the matting.Professor Maxon hid his face in his hands.

"God!" he cried. "It is all ruined. Three more dayswould have--"

"Look!" cried von Horn. "It is not too soon."

Professor Maxon mustered courage to raise his eyes fromhis hands, and there he beheld, seated in a far cornerof the room a handsome giant, physically perfect. Thecreature looked about him in a dazed, uncomprehendingmanner. A great question was writ large upon hisintelligent countenance. Professor Maxon steppedforward and took him by the hand.

"Come," he said, and led him toward a smaller room offthe main workshop. The giant followed docilely, hiseyes roving about the room--the pitiful questioningstill upon his handsome features. Von Horn turnedtoward the campong.

Virginia, deserted by all, even the faithful Sing, who,cheated of his sport on the preceding day, had againgone to the beach to snare gulls, became restless ofthe enforced idleness and solitude. For a time shewandered about the little compound which had beenreserved for the whites, but tiring of this she decidedto extend her stroll beyond the palisade, a thing whichshe had never before done unless accompanied by von Horn--a thing both he and her father had cautioned her against.

"What danger can there be?" she thought. "We know thatthe island is uninhabited by others than ourselves, andthat there are no dangerous beasts. And, anyway, thereis no one now who seems to care what becomes of me,unless--unless--I wonder if he does care. I wonder ifI care whether or not he cares. Oh, dear, I wish I knew,"and as she soliloquized she wandered past the little clearingand into the jungle that lay behind the campong.

As von Horn and Professor Maxon talked together in thelaboratory before the upsetting of vat Number Thirteen,a grotesque and horrible creature had slunk from thelow shed at the opposite side of the campong until ithad crouched at the flimsy door of the building inwhich the two men conversed. For a while it listenedintently, but when von Horn urged the necessity fordispatching certain "terrible, soulless creatures" anexpression of intermingled fear and hatred convulsedthe hideous features, and like a great grizzly itturned and lumbered awkwardly across the campong towardthe easterly, or back wall of the enclosure.

Here it leaped futilely a half dozen times for the topof the palisade, and then trembling and chattering inrage it ran back and forth along the base of theobstacle, just as a wild beast in captivity pacesangrily before the bars of its cage.

Finally it paused to look once more at the senselesswood that barred its escape, as though measuring thedistance to the top. Then the eyes roamed about thecampong to rest at last upon the slanting roof of thethatched shed which was its shelter. Presently a slowidea was born in the poor, malformed brain.

The creature approached the shed. He could just reachthe saplings that formed the frame work of the roof.Like a huge sloth he drew himself to the roof of thestructure. From here he could see beyond the palisade,and the wild freedom of the jungle called to him. Hedid not know what it was but in its leafy wall heperceived many breaks and openings that offeredconcealment from the creatures who were plotting totake his life.

Yet the wall was not fully six feet from him, and thetop of it at least five feet above the top of the shed--those who had designed the campong had been careful toset this structure sufficiently far from the palisadeto prevent its forming too easy an avenue of escape.

The creature glanced fearfully toward the workshop.He remembered the cruel bull whip that always followedeach new experiment on his part that did not coincidewith the desires of his master, and as he thought ofvon Horn a nasty gleam shot his mismated eyes.

He tried to reach across the distance between the roofand the palisade, and in the attempt lost his balanceand nearly precipitated himself to the ground below.Cautiously he drew back, still looking about for somemeans to cross the chasm. One of the saplings of theroof, protruding beyond the palm leaf thatch, caughthis attention. With a single wrench he tore it fromits fastenings. Extending it toward the palisade hediscovered that it just spanned the gap, but he darednot attempt to cross upon its single slender strand.

Quickly he ripped off a half dozen other poles from theroof, and laying them side by side, formed a safe andeasy path to freedom. A moment more and he sat astridethe top of the wall. Drawing the poles after him, hedropped them one by one to the ground outside thecampong. Then he lowered himself to liberty.

Gathering the saplings under one huge arm he ran,lumberingly, into the jungle. He would not leaveevidence of the havoc he had wrought; the fear of thebull whip was still strong upon him. The green foliageclosed about him and the peaceful jungle gave no signof the horrid brute that roamed its shadowed mazes.

As von Horn stepped into the campong his quick eyeperceived the havoc that had been wrought with the roofat the east end of the shed. Quickly he crossed to thelow structure. Within its compartments a number ofdeformed monsters squatted upon their haunches, or layprone upon the native mats that covered the floor.

As the man entered they looked furtively at the bullwhip which trailed from his right hand, and thenglanced fearfully at one another as though questioningwhich was the malefactor on this occasion.

Von Horn ran his eyes over the hideous assemblage.

"Where is Number One?" he asked, directing his questiontoward a thing whose forehead gave greater promise ofintelligence than any of his companions.

The one addressed shook his head.

Von Horn turned and made a circuit of the campong.There was no sign of the missing one and no indicationof any other irregularity than the demolished portionof the roof. With an expression of mild concern uponhis face he entered the workshop.

"Number One has escaped into the jungle, Professor," he said.

Professor Maxon looked up in surprise, but before hehad an opportunity to reply a woman's scream, shrillwith horror, smote upon their startled ears.

Von Horn was the first to reach the campong of thewhites. Professor Maxon was close behind him,and the faces of both were white with apprehension.The enclosure was deserted. Not even Sing was there.Without a word the two men sprang through the gatewayand raced for the jungle in the direction from whichthat single, haunting cry had come.

Virginia Maxon, idling beneath the leafy shade of thetropical foliage, became presently aware that she hadwandered farther from the campong than she had intended.The day was sultry, and the heat, even in the dense shadeof the jungle, oppressive. Slowly she retraced her steps,her eyes upon the ground, her mind absorbed in sad considerationof her father's increasing moodiness and eccentricity.

Possibly it was this very abstraction which deadenedher senses to the near approach of another. At anyrate the girl's first intimation that she was not alonecame when she raised her eyes to look full into thehorrid countenance of a fearsome monster which blockedher path toward camp.

The sudden shock brought a single involuntary screamfrom her lips. And who can wonder! The thing thrustso unexpectedly before her eyes was hideous in theextreme. A great mountain of deformed flesh clothed indirty, white cotton pajamas! Its face was of the ashenhue of a fresh corpse, while the white hair and pink eyesdenoted the absence of pigment; a characteristic of albinos.

One eye was fully twice the diameter of the other, andan inch above the horizontal plane of its tiny mate.The nose was but a gaping orifice above a deformed andtwisted mouth. The thing was chinless, and its small,foreheadless head surrounded its colossal body like acannon ball on a hill top. One arm was at least twelveinches longer than its mate, which was itself long inproportion to the torso, while the legs, similarlymismated and terminating in huge, flat feet thatprotruded laterally, caused the thing to lurch fearfullyfrom side to side as it lumbered toward the girl.

A sudden grimace lighted the frightful face as thegrotesque eyes fell upon this new creature. Number Onehad never before seen a woman, but the sight of thisone awoke in the unplumbed depths of his soullessbreast a great desire to lay his hands upon her. Shewas very beautiful. Number One wished to have her forhis very own; nor would it be a difficult matter, sofragile was she, to gather her up in those great, brutearms and carry her deep into the jungle far out ofhearing of the bull-whip man and the cold, frowning onewho was continually measuring and weighing Number Oneand his companions, the while he scrutinized them withthose strange, glittering eyes that frightened one evenmore than the cruel lash of the bull whip.

Number One lurched forward, his arms outstretchedtoward the horror stricken girl. Virginia tried to cryout again--she tried to turn and run; but the horror ofher impending fate and the terror that those awfulfeatures induced left her paralyzed and helpless.

The thing was almost upon her now. The mouth was widein a hideous attempt to smile. The great hands wouldgrasp her in another second--and then there was asudden crashing of the underbrush behind her, a yellow,wrinkled face and a flying pig-tail shot past her, andthe brave old Sing Lee grappled with the mighty monsterthat threatened her.

The battle was short--short and terrible. The valiantChinaman sought the ashen throat of his antagonist, buthis wiry, sinewy muscles were as reeds beneath theforce of that inhuman power that opposed them. Holdingthe girl at arm's length in one hand, Number One torethe battling Chinaman from him with the other, andlifting him bodily above his head, hurled him stunnedand bleeding against the bole of a giant buttress tree.Then lifting Virginia in his arms once more he divedinto the impenetrable mazes of the jungle that linedthe more open pathway between the beach and camp.