4
A NEW FACE
As Professor Maxon and von Horn rushed from the workshop to their owncampong, they neglected, in their haste, to lock the door between, andfor the first time since the camp was completed it stood unlatched andajar.
The professor had been engaged in taking careful measurements of thehead of his latest experiment, the while he coached the young man inthe first rudiments of spoken language, and now the subject of hislabors found himself suddenly deserted and alone. He had not yet beenwithout the four walls of the workshop, as the professor had wished tokeep him from association with the grotesque results of his earlierexperiments, and now a natural curiosity tempted him to approach thedoor through which his creator and the man with the bull whip had sosuddenly disappeared.
He saw before him a great walled enclosure roofed by a lofty azuredome, and beyond the walls the tops of green trees swaying gently inthe soft breezes. His nostrils tasted the incense of fresh earth andgrowing things. For the first time he felt the breath of Nature, freeand unconfined, upon his brow.
He drew his giant frame to its full height and drank in the freedom andthe sweetness of it all, filling his great lungs to their fullest; andwith the first taste he learned to hate the close and stuffy confinesof his prison.
His virgin mind was filled with wonder at the wealth of new impressionswhich surged to his brain through every sense. He longed for more, andthe open gateway of the campong was a scarce needed invitation to passto the wide world beyond. With the free and easy tread of utterunconsciousness of self, he passed across the enclosure and stepped outinto the clearing which lay between the palisade and the jungle.
Ah, here was a still more beautiful world! The green leaves nodded tohim, and at their invitation he came and the jungle reached out itsmillion arms to embrace him. Now before him, behind, on either sidethere was naught but glorious green beauty shot with splashes ofgorgeous color that made him gasp in wonderment.
Brilliant birds rose from amidst it all, skimming hither and thitherabove his head--he thought that the flowers and the birds were thesame, and when he reached out and plucked a blossom, tenderly, hewondered that it did not flutter in his hand. On and on he walked, butslowly, for he must not miss a single sight in the strange andwonderful place; and then, of a sudden, the quiet beauty of the scenewas harshly broken by the crashing of a monster through the underbrush.
Number Thirteen was standing in a little open place in the jungle whenthe discordant note first fell upon his ears, and as he turned his headin the direction of the sound he was startled at the hideous aspect ofthe thing which broke through the foliage before him.
What a horrid creature! But on the same instant his eyes fell uponanother borne in the arms of the terrible one. This one wasdifferent--very different,--soft and beautiful and white. He wonderedwhat it all meant, for everything was strange and new to him; but whenhe saw the eyes of the lovely one upon him, and her arms outstretchedtoward him, though he did not understand the words upon her lips, heknew that she was in distress. Something told him that it was the uglything that carried her that was the author of her suffering.
Virginia Maxon had been half unconscious from fright when she suddenlysaw a white man, clothed in coarse, white, native pajamas, confrontingher and the misshapen beast that was bearing her away to what frightfulfate she could but conjecture.
At the sight of the man her voice returned with returning hope, and shereached her arms toward him, calling upon him to save her. Although hedid not respond she thought that he understood for he sprang towardthem before her appeal was scarce uttered.
As before, when Sing had threatened to filch his new possession fromhim, Number One held the girl with one hand while he met the attack ofthis new assailant with the other; but here was very different metalthan had succumbed to him before.
It is true that Number Thirteen knew nothing whatever of personalcombat, but Number One had but little advantage of him in the matter ofexperience, while the former was equipped with great naturalintelligence as well as steel muscles no whit less powerful than hisdeformed predecessor.
So it was that the awful giant found his single hand helpless to copewith the strength of his foeman, and in a brief instant felt powerfulfingers clutching at his throat. Still reluctant to surrender his holdupon his prize, he beat futilely at the face of his enemy, but at lastthe agony of choking compelled him to drop the girl and grapple madlywith the man who choked him with one hand and rained mighty andmerciless blows upon his face and head with the other.
His captive sank to the ground, too weak from the effects of nervousshock to escape, and with horror-filled eyes watched the two whobattled over her. She saw that her would-be rescuer was young andstrong featured--all together a very fine specimen of manhood; and toher great wonderment it was soon apparent that he was no unequal matchfor the great mountain of muscle that he fought.
Both tore and struck and clawed and bit in the frenzy of mad, untutoredstrife, rolling about on the soft carpet of the jungle almostnoiselessly except for their heavy breathing and an occasionalbeast-like snarl from Number One. For several minutes they fought thusuntil the younger man succeeded in getting both hands upon the throatof his adversary, and then, choking relentlessly, he raised the brutewith him from the ground and rushed him fiercely backward against thestem of a tree. Again and again he hurled the monstrous thing upon theunyielding wood, until at last it hung helpless and inert in hisclutches, then he cast it from him, and without another glance at itturned toward the girl.
Here was a problem indeed. Now that he had won her, what was he to dowith her? He was but an adult child, with the brain and brawn of aman, and the ignorance and inexperience of the new-born. And so heacted as a child acts, in imitation of what it has seen others do. Thebrute had been carrying the lovely creature, therefore that must be thething for him to do, and so he stooped and gathered Virginia Maxon inhis great arms.
She tried to tell him that she could walk after a moment's rest, but itwas soon evident that he did not understand her, as a puzzledexpression came to his face and he did not put her down as she asked.Instead he stood irresolute for a time, and then moved slowly throughthe jungle. By chance his direction was toward the camp, and this factso relieved the girl's mind that presently she was far from loath toremain quietly in his arms.
After a moment she gained courage to look up into his face. Shethought that she never had seen so marvellously clean cut features, ora more high and noble countenance, and she wondered how it was thatthis white man was upon the island and she not have known it. Possiblyhe was a new arrival--his presence unguessed even by her father. Thathe was neither English nor American was evident from the fact that hecould not understand her native tongue. Who could he be! What was hedoing upon their island!
As she watched his face he suddenly turned his eyes down upon her, andas she looked hurriedly away she was furious with herself as she felt acrimson flush mantle her cheek. The man only half sensed, in a vaguesort of way, the meaning of the tell tale color and the quickly avertedeyes; but he became suddenly aware of the pressure of her delicate bodyagainst his, as he had not been before. Now he kept his eyes upon herface as he walked, and a new emotion filled his breast. He did notunderstand it, but it was very pleasant, and he knew that it wasbecause of the radiant thing that he carried in his arms.
The scream that had startled von Horn and Professor Maxon led themalong the trail toward the east coast of the island, and about halfwayof the distance they stumbled upon the dazed and bloody Sing just as hewas on the point of regaining consciousness.
"For God's sake, Sing, what is the matter?" cried von Horn. "Where isMiss Maxon?"
"Big blute, he catchem Linee. Tly kill Sing. Head hit tlee. No seeany more. Wakee up--all glone," moaned the Chinaman as he tried togain his feet.
"Which way did he take her?" urged von Horn.
Sing's quick eyes scanned the surrounding jungle, and in a moment,stagge
ring to his feet, he cried, "Look see, klick! Foot plint!" andran, weak and reeling drunkenly, along the broad trail made by thegiant creature and its prey.
Von Horn and Professor Maxon followed closely in Sing's wake, theyounger man horrified by the terrible possibilities that obtrudedthemselves into his imagination despite his every effort to assurehimself that no harm could come to Virginia Maxon before they reachedher. The girl's father had not spoken since they discovered that shewas missing from the campong, but his face was white and drawn; hiseyes wide and glassy as those of one whose mind is on the verge ofmadness from a great nervous shock.
The trail of the creature was bewilderingly erratic. A dozen pacesstraight through the underbrush, then a sharp turn at right angles forno apparent reason, only to veer again suddenly in a new direction!Thus, turning and twisting, the tortuous way led them toward the southend of the island, until Sing, who was in advance, gave a sharp cry ofsurprise.
"Klick! Look see!" he cried excitedly. "Blig blute dead--vely mucheedead."
Von Horn rushed forward to where the Chinaman was leaning over the bodyof Number One. Sure enough, the great brute lay motionless, its horridface even more hideous in death than in life, if it were possible. Theface was black, the tongue protruded, the skin was bruised from theheavy fists of his assailant and the thick skull crushed and splinteredfrom terrific impact with the tree.
Professor Maxon leaned over von Horn's shoulder. "Ah, poor NumberOne," he sighed, "that you should have come to such an untimely end--mychild, my child."
Von Horn looked at him, a tinge of compassion in his rather hard face.It touched the man that his employer was at last shocked from theobsession of his work to a realization of the love and duty he owed hisdaughter; he thought that the professor's last words referred toVirginia.
"Though there are twelve more," continued Professor Maxon, "you were myfirst born son and I loved you most, dear child."
The younger man was horrified.
"My God, Professor!" he cried. "Are you mad? Can you call this thing'child' and mourn over it when you do not yet know the fate of your owndaughter?"
Professor Maxon looked up sadly. "You do not understand, Dr. vonHorn," he replied coldly, "and you will oblige me, in the future, bynot again referring to the offspring of my labors as 'things.'"
With an ugly look upon his face von Horn turned his back upon the olderman--what little feeling of loyalty and affection he had ever felt forhim gone forever. Sing was looking about for evidences of the cause ofNumber One's death and the probable direction in which Virginia Maxonhad disappeared.
"What on earth could have killed this enormous brute, Sing? Have youany idea?" asked von Horn.
The Chinaman shook his head.
"No savvy," he replied. "Blig flight. Look see," and he pointed tothe torn and trampled turf, the broken bushes, and to one or two smalltrees that had been snapped off by the impact of the two mighty bodiesthat had struggled back and forth about the little clearing.
"This way," cried Sing presently, and started off once more into thebrush, but this time in a northwesterly direction, toward camp.
In silence the three men followed the new trail, all puzzled beyondmeasure to account for the death of Number One at the hands of whatmust have been a creature of superhuman strength. What could it havebeen! It was impossible that any of the Malays or lascars could havedone the thing, and there were no other creatures, brute or human, uponthe island large enough to have coped even for an instant with theferocious brutality of the dead monster, except--von Horn's brain cameto a sudden halt at the thought. Could it be? There seemed no otherexplanation. Virginia Maxon had been rescued from one soullessmonstrosity to fall into the hands of another equally irresponsible andterrifying.
Others then must have escaped from the campong. Von Horn loosened hisguns in their holsters, and took a fresh grip upon his bull whip as heurged Sing forward upon the trail. He wondered which one it was, butnot once did it occur to him that the latest result of ProfessorMaxon's experiments could be the rescuer of Virginia Maxon. In hismind he could see only the repulsive features of one of the others.
Quite unexpectedly they came upon the two, and with a shout von Hornleaped forward, his bull whip upraised. Number Thirteen turned insurprise at the cry, and sensing a new danger for her who lay in hisarms, he set her gently upon the ground behind him and advanced to meethis assailant.
"Out of the way, you--monstrosity," cried von Horn. "If you haveharmed Miss Maxon I'll put a bullet in your heart!"
Number Thirteen did not understand the words that the other addressedto him but he interpreted the man's actions as menacing, not tohimself, but to the creature he now considered his particular charge;and so he met the advancing man, more to keep him from the girl than tooffer him bodily injury for he recognized him as one of the two who hadgreeted his first dawning consciousness.
Von Horn, possibly intentionally, misinterpreted the other's motive,and raising his bull whip struck Number Thirteen a vicious cut acrossthe face, at the same time levelling his revolver point blank at thebroad breast. But before ever he could pull the trigger an avalanche ofmuscle was upon him, and he went down to the rotting vegetation of thejungle with five sinewy fingers at his throat.
His revolver exploded harmlessly in the air, and then another handwrenched it from him and hurled it far into the underbrush. NumberThirteen knew nothing of the danger of firearms, but the noise hadstartled him and his experience with the stinging cut of the bull whipconvinced him that this other was some sort of instrument of torture ofwhich it would be as well to deprive his antagonist.
Virginia Maxon looked on in horror as she realized that her rescuer wasquickly choking Dr. von Horn to death. With a little cry she sprang toher feet and ran toward them, just as her father emerged from theunderbrush through which he had been struggling in the trail of theagile Chinaman and von Horn. Placing her hand upon the great wrist ofthe giant she tried to drag his fingers from von Horn's throat,pleading meanwhile with both voice and eyes for the life of the man shethought loved her.
Again Number Thirteen translated the intent without understanding thewords, and releasing von Horn permitted him to rise. With a bound hewas upon his feet and at the same instant brought his other gun fromhis side and levelled it upon the man who had released him; but as hisfinger tightened upon the trigger Virginia Maxon sprang between themand grasping von Horn's wrist deflected the muzzle of the gun just asthe cartridge exploded. Simultaneously Professor Maxon sprang from hisgrasp and hurled him back with the superhuman strength of a maniac.
"Fool!" he cried. "What would you do? Kill--," and then of a suddenhe realized his daughter's presence and the necessity for keeping theorigin of the young giant from her knowledge.
"I am surprised at you, Dr. von Horn," he continued in a more levelvoice. "You must indeed have forgotten yourself to thus attack astranger upon our island until you know whether he be friend or foe.Come! Escort my daughter to the camp, while I make the properapologies to this gentleman." As he saw that both Virginia and vonHorn hesitated, he repeated his command in a peremptory tone, adding;"Quick, now; do as I bid you."
The moment had given von Horn an opportunity to regain hisself-control, and realizing as well as did his employer, but fromanother motive, the necessity of keeping the truth from the girl, hetook her arm and led her gently from the scene. At Professor Maxon'sdirection Sing accompanied them.
Now in Number Thirteen's brief career he had known no other authoritythan Professor Maxon's, and so it was that when his master laid a handupon his wrist he remained beside him while another walked away withthe lovely creature he had thought his very own.
Until after dark the professor kept the young man hidden in the jungle,and then, safe from detection, led him back to the laboratory.