CHAPTER XVII
STERN'S RESOLVE
How long it lasted, what its meaning, its details, the watcherscould not tell. Impossible, from that height and in that gloom, brokenonly by an occasional pale gleam of moonlight through the driftingcloud-rack, to judge the fortunes of this primitive war.
They knew not the point at issue nor yet the tide of victory or loss.Only they knew that back and forth the torches flared, the war-drumsboomed and rattled, the yelling, slaughtering, demoniac hordes surgedin a swirl of bestial murder-lust.
And so time passed, and fewer grew the drums, yet the torches flaredon; and, as the first gray dawn went fingering up the sky there came abreak, a flight, a merciless pursuit.
Dimly the man and woman, up aloft, saw things that ran and shriekedand were cut down--saw things, there in the forest, that died even asthey killed, and mingled the howl of triumph with the bubbling gasp ofdissolution.
"Ugh! A beast war!" shuddered the engineer, at length, drawingBeatrice away from the window. "Come, it's getting light, again. It'stoo clear, now--come away!"
She yielded, waking as it were from the horrid fascination that hadheld her spell-bound. Down she sat on her bed of furs, covered hereyes with her hands, and for a while remained quite motionless. Sternwatched her. And again his hand sought the revolver-butt.
"I ought to have waded into that bunch, long ago," thought he. "Weboth ought to have. What it's all about, who could tell? But it's anoutrage against the night itself, against the world, even dead thoughit be. If it hadn't been for wasting good ammunition for nothing--!"
A curious, guttural whine, down there in the forest, attracted hisattention. Over to the window he strode, and once again peered down.
A change had come upon the scene, a sudden, radical change. No morethe sounds of combat rose; but now a dull, conclamant murmur as ofvictory and preparation for some ghastly rite.
Already in the center of the wood, hard by the spring, a little firehad been lighted. Even as Stern looked, dim, moving figures heaped onwood. The engineer saw whirling droves of sparks spiral upward; he sawdense smoke, followed by a larger flame.
And, grouped around this, already some hundreds of the now palingtorches cast their livid glare.
Off to one side he could just distinguish what seemed to be a groupengaged in some activity--but what this might be, he could notdetermine. Yet, all at once a scream of pain burst out, therefrom; andthen a gasping cry that ended quickly and did not come again.
Another shriek, and still a third; and now into the leaping flamessome dark, misshapen things were flung, and a great shout arose.
Then rose, also, a shrill, singsong whine; and suddenly drams roared,now with a different cadence.
"Hark!" said the engineer. "The torchmen must have exterminated theother bunch, and got possession of the drums. They're using 'em,themselves--and badly!"
By the firelight vague shapes came and went, their shadows grotesquelyflung against the leafy screens. The figures quickened their paces andtheir gestures; then suddenly, with cries, flung themselves into wildactivity. And all about the fire, Stern saw a wheeling, circling,eddying mob of black and frightful shapes.
"The swine!" he breathed. "Wait--wait till I make a pint or two ofPulverite!"
Even as he spoke, the concourse grew quiet with expectancy. A silencefell upon the forest. Something was being led forward toward thefire--something, for which the others all made way.
The wind freshened. With it, increased the volume of smoke. Anotherfrightened bird, cheeping forlornly, fluttered above the tree-tops.
Then rose a cry, a shriek long-drawn and ghastly, that climbed till itbroke in a bubbling, choking gasp.
Came a sharp clicking sound, a quick scuffle, a grunt; then silenceonce more.
And all at once the drums crashed; and the dance began again, madder,more obscenely hideous than ever.
"Voodoo!" gulped Stern. "Obeah-work! And--and the quicker I get myPulverite to working, the better!"
Undecided no longer, determined now on a course of definite actionwithout further delay, the engineer turned back into the room. Uponhis forehead stood a cold and prickling sweat, of horror and disgust.But to his lips he forced a smile, as, in the half light of the redand windy dawn, he drew close to Beatrice.
Then all at once, to his unspeakable relief, he saw the girl wassleeping.
Utterly worn out, exhausted and spent with the long strain, theterrible fatigues of the past thirty-six hours, she had lain down andhad dropped off to sleep. There she lay at full length. Very beautifulshe looked, half seen in the morning gloom. One arm crossed her fullbosom; the other pillowed her cheek. And, bending close, Stern watchedher a long minute.
With strange emotion he heard her even breathing; he caught theperfume of her warm, ripe womanhood. Never had she seemed to him soperfect, so infinitely to be loved, to be desired.
And at thought of that beast-horde in the wood below, at realizationof what _might_ be, if they two should chance to be discovered andmade captive, his face went hard as iron. An ugly, savage lookpossessed him, and he clenched both fists.
For a brief second he stooped still closer; he laid his lipssoundlessly, gently upon her hair. And when again he stood up, thelook in his eyes boded scant good to anything that might threaten thesleeping girl.
"So, now to work!" said he.
Into his own room he stepped quietly, his room where he had collectedhis various implements and chemicals. First of all he set out, on thefloor, a two-quart copper tea-kettle; and beside this, choosingcarefully, he ranged the necessary ingredients for a "making" of hissecret explosive.
"Now, the wash-out water," said he, taking another larger dish.
Over to the water-pail he walked. Then he stopped, suddenly, frowninga black and puzzled frown.
"What?" he exclaimed. "But--there isn't a pint left, all together!Hem! Now then, here _is_ a situation."
Hastily he recalled how the great labors of the previous day, thewireless experiments and all, had prevented him from going out to thespring to replenish his supply. Now, though he bitterly cursed himselffor his neglect, that did no good. The fact remained, there was nowater.
"Scant pint, maybe!" said he. "And I've got to have a gallon, at thevery least. To say nothing of drink for two people! _And_ the horde,there, camping round the spring. Je-ru-salem!"
Softly he whistled to himself; then, trying to solve this vital,unexpected problem, fell to pacing the floor.
Day, slowly looming through the window, showed his features set andhard. Close at hand, the breath of morning winds stirred the treetops.But of the usual busy twitter and gossip of birds among the branches,now there was none. For down below there, in the forest, the ghoulishvampire revels still held sway.
Stern, at a loss, swore hotly under his breath.
Then suddenly he found himself; he came to a decision.
"_I'm_ going down," he vowed. "I'm going down, to _see!_"
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