by Ray Cummings
CHAPTER III
_Tako, the Mysterious_
The fellow towered head and shoulders over Don, and almost that overme. He stared down at us, his jaw dropping with surprise. My heartwas pounding; to me there was no doubt about it now; thisheavy-featured handsome, but evil face was the face of theapparition at whom Don had fired as it hung in the air over the FortBeach path. But this was a man. His arm, as I clutched it, wasmuscularly solid beneath the sleeve of his flannel jacket.
"I say," Don panted. "Just a minute."
With a sweep of his arms the stranger angrily flung off our hold.
"What do you want?"
I saw, within twenty feet of us, a policeman standing in the streetintersection.
"I beg your pardon," Don stammered. We had had no time to plananything. I put in:
"We thought you were a friend of ours. This night--so muchexcitement--let's get back to the curb."
We drew the man to the sidewalk as a physician's little automobilewith two soldiers in it waded its way slowly through the crowd.
The man laughed. "It is an exciting night. I never have seen Bermudalike this before."
Swift impressions flooded me. The fellow surely must recognize us aswe did him. He was pretending friendliness. I noticed that though heseemed not over forty, his close-clipped hair beneath the whitelinen cap was silver white. His face had a strange pallor, not thepallor of ill health, but seemingly a natural lack of color. And hisvoice, speaking good English, nevertheless marked him for aforeigner--though of what nation certainly I could not say.
"We're mistaken," said Don. "But you look like someone we know."
"Do I, indeed? That is interesting."
"Only you're taller," I said. "You're not a Bermudian, are you?"
His eyes, beneath the heavy black brows shot me a look. "No. I am astranger; a visitor. My name----"
* * * * *
He hesitated briefly; then he smiled with what seemed an amusedirony. "My name is Tako. Robert Tako. I am living at the HamiltoniaHotel. Does that satisfy you?"
I could think of nothing to say. Nor could Don. The fellow added,"Bermuda is like a little ship. I understand your inquisitiveness--onemust know everyone else. And who are you?"
Don told him.
"Ah, yes," he smiled. "And so you are a native Bermudian?"
"Yes."
"And you," he said to me, "you are American?"
"From New York, yes."
"That is more interesting. Never have I known an American. You arefamiliar with New York City?"
"Of course. I was born there."
His contemplative gaze made me shiver. I wondered what Don wasplanning as an outcome to this. The fellow seemed wholly at easenow. He was lounging against the drug store window with us beforehim. My eyes were level with the negligee collar of his blue linenshirt, and abruptly I was galvanized into alertness. Just above thesoft collar where his movements had crushed it down I sawunmistakably the loop of a tiny black thread of wire projectingupward! Conclusive proof! This was one of the mysterious enemies!One of the apparitions which had thrown all Bermuda into a turmoilstood materialized here before us.
I think that Don had already seen the wire. The fellow was sayingnonchalantly,
"And you, Mr. Livingston--are you also familiar with New York City?"
"Yes," said Don. He had gone pale and tight-lipped. I caught hiswarning glance to me. "Yes," he repeated. "I lived there severalyears."
"I would like to know you two better. Much better--but not tonight."
He moved as though to take his leave of us. Then he added to Don,"That most beautiful young lady with you in the restaurant--did Inot see you there? Is that your sister?"
Don made his decision. He said abruptly, "That's none of yourbusiness."
It took the fellow wholly by surprise. "But listen--"
"I've had enough of your insolence," Don shouted.
The man's hand made an instinctive movement toward his belt, but Iseized his wrist. And I added my loud voice to Don's. "No, youdon't!"
* * * * *
A group of onlookers was at once collecting around us. The gianttried to cast me off, but I clung to him with all my strength. Andsuddenly we were struggling to keep the fellow from breaking awayfrom us. He muttered a strange-sounding oath.
"Let me go! You fools!"
"Not such fools," Don shouted. "Officer! I say--officer!"
Don's revolver was in his hand; people were pressing around us, butwhen they saw the revolver they began scattering. The giant made alunge and broke away from us, heedless that Don might have shot him.
"What's all this? I say, you three, what are you up to?"
The policeman came on a run. A group of soldiers passing onbicycles, flung the machines aside and came dashing at us. The giantstood suddenly docile.
"Officer, these young men attacked me."
"He's a liar!" Don shouted. "Watch him! He might be armed--don't lethim get away from you!"
The law surrounded us. "Here's my weapon," said Don. "Bob, give upyour revolver."
In the turmoil Don plucked the policeman aside.
"I'm nephew of the Honorable Arthur Dorrance. Take us to your chief.I made that uproar to catch that big fellow."
The name of the Honorable Arthur Dorrance was magic. The policemanstared at our giant captive who now was surrounded by the soldiers.
"But I say--"
"Take us all in and send for Mr. Dorrance. He's at the GovernmentHouse."
"But I say--That big blighter--"
"We think he's one of the ghosts!" Don whispered.
"Oh, my Gawd!"
With the crowd following us we were hurried away to the policestation nearby.
* * * * *
The sergeant said, "The Chief will be here in a few minutes. Andwe've sent for Mr. Dorrance."
"Good enough, Brown." It chanced that Don knew this sergeant verywell. "Did you search the fellow?"
"Yes. No weapon in his clothes."
I whispered, "I saw a wire under his collar."
"Sh! No use telling that now, Bob."
I realized it. These policemen were frightened enough at ourcaptive. Don added, "Before my uncle and the Chief arrive, let mehave a talk with that fellow, will you?"
They had locked him up; and in the excitement of our arrival at thestation both Don and I had completely forgotten the wire we had seenat his collar. But we remembered it now, and the same thoughtoccurred to both of us. We had locked up this mysterious enemy, butwould the prison bars hold him?
"Good Lord!" Don exclaimed. "Bob, those wires--Sergeant, weshouldn't have left that fellow alone! Is he alone! Come on!"
With the frightened mystified sergeant leading us we dashed alongthe little white corridor to the windowless cell in which the giantwas confined. At the cell-door a group of soldiers lounged in thecorridor.
"Smooth talker, that fellow."
"Gor blime me, who is he?"
We arrived with a rush. "Is he in there?" Don shouted. "Open thedoor, you fellows! See here, you watch him--we've got to get hisclothes off. He's got some mechanism--wires and things underneathhis clothes!"
"Get out of the way!" ordered the sergeant. "I'll open it!"
There was silence from behind the door. The prisoner had been in thecell no more than a minute or two.
* * * * *
We burst open the door. The cell was dimly illumined. The figure ofthe giant stood backed in its further corner. But at the sight ofhim we all stood transfixed with horror. His shoes, trousers, shirt,jacket and cap lay in a little pile at his feet. He stood revealedin the short tight-fitting silvery garments. The wires were loopedabout his arms and legs and he had pulled a mesh of them over hishead in lieu of a helmet.
He stood regarding us sardonically. And in that instant while wewere stricken with the shock of it, I saw that the figure wasfading. It was
a solid human form no longer! A silvery cast had comeupon it. Another second passed; it was visibly growing tenuous,wraithlike! It was melting while we stared at it, until in thatbreathless instant I realized that the wall behind it was showingthrough.
A wraith! An apparition! The vision of a ghost standing there,leering at us!
The soldiers had retreated back into the corridor behind us. Thesergeant gripped me, and his other hand, wavering with fright,clutched a revolver.
"But it's--it's going!"
Don gasped, "Too late! Sergeant, give me that gun!"
"Wait!" I shouted. "Don't shoot at it!"
The shimmering glowing white figure was slowly moving downward asthough floating through the cell-floor. Its own invisible surfacewas evidently not here but lower down, and it was beginning to drop.I don't know what frenzied courage--if courage it could becalled--was inspiring me. I was wholly confused, but nevertheless Istruck Don and the sergeant aside and rushed at the thing.
* * * * *
It was a sensation most horrible. From the waist up it was stillabove the floor of the cell. My wildly flailing arms went throughthe chest! But I felt nothing. It was not even like waving aside amist. There was nothing. I saw my solid fist plunge through theleering ghostly face. I fought wildly, with a panic upon me, againstthe glowing phosphorescent nothingness of the apparition. My feetwere stamping on its chest and shoulders. Then, as it sank lower,only the grinning face was down there.
Panting, and with the cold sweat of horror upon me, I felt Donshoving me aside.
"Too late!"
And then the sergeant's shot rang out. The bullet clattered againstthe solid stone floor of the cell. The acrid smoke of the powderrolled over us; and cleared in a moment to show us the apparitionseveral feet below the floor level. It seemed to strike its solidityof ground. I saw it fall the last little distance with a rush; land,and pick itself up. And with a last sardonic grin upward at us, thedim white figure ran. Dwindling smaller, dimmer, until in a momentit was gone into the Unknown.
As though a light had struck upon me came the realization.
"Don, this is rational, this thing! Some strange science!"
All day we had been vaguely realizing it. Intangible, but rationalenemies were stealing white girls of Bermuda. Invaders from anotherplanet? We had thought it might be that. Certainly it was nothingsupernatural. These was not ghosts.
But now came a new realization. "Don! That's another world downthere! Another realm! The fourth dimension--that's what it is! Thesethings everybody's calling ghosts--it's the fourth dimension, Don!People of the fourth dimension coming out to attack us!"
And already the real menace had come! At that moment, half a mileaway across the harbor on the slope of the little hill in Paget, anarmy of the White Invaders suddenly materialized, with dull,phosphorescent-green light-beams flashing around the countryside,melting trees and vegetation and people into nothingness!
The attack upon Bermuda had begun!