On their return to camp after her rescue Virginiatalked a great deal to von Horn about the young giantwho had rescued her, until the man feared that she wasmore interested in him than seemed good for his own plans.

He had now cast from him the last vestige of hisloyalty for his employer, and thus freed had determinedto use every means within his power to win ProfessorMaxon's daughter, and with her the heritage of wealthwhich he knew would be hers should her father,through some unforeseen mishap, meet death beforehe could return to civilization and alter his will,a contingency which von Horn knew he might have to considershould he marry the girl against her father's wishes, andthus thwart the crazed man's mad, but no less dear project.

He realized that first he must let the girl fullyunderstand the grave peril in which she stood,and turn her hope of protection from her father to himself.He imagined that the initial step in underminingVirginia's confidence in her father would be to narrateevery detail of the weird experiments which ProfessorMaxon had brought to such successful issues duringtheir residence upon the island.

The girl's own questioning gave him the lead he needed.

"Where could that horrid creature have come from thatset upon me in the jungle and nearly killed poor Sing?"she asked.

For a moment von Horn was silent, in well simulatedhesitancy to reply to her query.

"I cannot tell you, Miss Maxon," he said sadly,"how much I should hate to be the one to ignore yourfather's commands, and enlighten you upon this andother subjects which lie nearer to your personalwelfare than you can possibly guess; but I feel thatafter the horrors of this day duty demands that I mustlay all before you--you cannot again be exposed to thehorrors from which you were rescued only by a miracle."

"I cannot imagine what you hint at, Dr. von Horn,"said Virginia, "but if to explain to me willnecessitate betraying my father's confidenceI prefer that you remain silent."

"You do not understand," broke in the man, "you cannotguess the horrors that I have seen upon this island,or the worse horrors that are to come. Could you dreamof what lies in store for you, you would seek death ratherthan face the future. I have been loyal to your father,Virginia, but were you not blind, or indifferent,you would long since have seen that your welfaremeans more to me than my loyalty to him--more to me than my life or my honor.

"You asked where the creature came from that attackedyou today. I shall tell you. It is one of a dozensimilarly hideous things that your father has createdin his mad desire to solve the problem of life.He has solved it; but, God, at what a pricein misshapen, soulless, hideous monsters!"

The girl looked up at him, horror stricken.

"Do you mean to say that my father in a mad attempt tousurp the functions of God created that awful thing?"she asked in a low, faint voice, "and that there areothers like it upon the island?"

"In the campong next to yours there are a dozen others,"replied von Horn, "nor would it be easy to say whichis the most hideous and repulsive. They are grotesquecaricatures of humanity--without soul and almost without brain."

"God!" murmured the girl, burying her face in her hands,"he has gone mad; he has gone mad."

"I truly believe that he is mad," said von Horn, "nor couldyou doubt it for a moment were I to tell you the worst."

"The worst!" exclaimed the girl. "What could be worsethan that which you already have divulged? Oh, how couldyou have permitted it?"

"There is much worse than I have told you, Virginia.So much worse that I can scarce force my lips to framethe words, but you must be told. I would be morecriminally liable than your father were I to keepit from you, for my brain, at least, is not crazed.Virginia, you have in your mind a picture of thehideous thing that carried you off into the jungle?"

"Yes," and as the girl replied a convulsive shudderracked her frame.

Von Horn grasped her arm gently as he went on,as though to support and protect her during the shockthat he was about to administer.

"Virginia," he said in a very low voice, "it is yourfather's intention to wed you to one of his creatures."

The girl broke from him with an angry cry.

"It is not true!" she exclaimed. "It is not true.Oh, Dr. von Horn how could you tell me such a crueland terrible untruth."

"As God is my judge, Virginia," and the man reverentlyuncovered as he spoke, "it is the truth. Your fathertold me it in so many words when I asked his permissionto pay court to you myself--you are to marry NumberThirteen when his education is complete."

"I shall die first!" she cried.

"Why not accept me instead?" suggested the man.

For a moment Virginia looked straight into his eyes asthough to read his inmost soul.

"Let me have time to consider it, Doctor," she replied."I do not know that I care for you in that way at all."

"Think of Number Thirteen," he suggested. "It shouldnot be difficult to decide."

"I could not marry you simply to escape a worse fate,"replied the girl. "I am not that cowardly--but let methink it over. There can be no immediate danger, I am sure."

"One can never tell," replied von Horn, "what strange,new vagaries may enter a crazed mind to dictate thismoment's action or the next."

"Where could we wed?" asked Virginia.

"The Ithaca would bear us to Singapore, and when wereturned you would be under my legal protection and safe."

"I shall think about it from every angle," she answeredsadly, "and now good night, my dear friend," and with awan smile she entered her quarters.

For the next month Professor Maxon was busy educatingNumber Thirteen. He found the young man intelligentfar beyond his most sanguine hopes, so that theprogress made was little short of uncanny.

Von Horn during this time continued to urge uponVirginia the necessity for a prompt and favorabledecision in the matter of his proposal; but when itcame time to face the issue squarely the girl found itimpossible to accede to his request--she thought thatshe loved him, but somehow she dared not say the wordthat would make her his for life.

Bududreen, the Malay mate was equally harassed byconflicting desires, though of a different nature, or he had his eye upon the main chance that wasrepresented to him by the great chest, and also uponthe lesser reward which awaited him upon delivery ofthe girl to Rajah Muda Saffir. The fact that he couldfind no safe means for accomplishing both these endssimultaneously was all that had protected either fromhis machinations.

The presence of the uncanny creatures of the court ofmystery had become known to the Malay and he used thisknowledge as an argument to foment discord and mutinyin the ignorant and superstitious crew under hiscommand. By boring a hole in the partition wallseparating their campong from the inner one he haddisclosed to the horrified view of his men the fearsomebrutes harbored so close to them. The mate, of course,had no suspicion of the true origin of these monsters,but his knowledge of the fact that they had not beenupon the island when the Ithaca arrived and that itwould have been impossible for them to have landed andreached the camp without having been seen by himself orsome member of his company, was sufficient evidence towarrant him in attributing their presence to somesupernatural and malignant power.

This explanation the crew embraced willingly, and withit Bududreen's suggestion that Professor Maxon hadpower to transform them all into similar atrocities.The ball once started gained size and momentum as itprogressed. The professor's ofttimes strangeexpression was attributed to an evil eye, and everyailment suffered by any member of the crew was blamedupon their employer's Satanic influence. There was butone escape from the horrors of such a curse--the deathof its author; and when Bududreen discovered thatthey had reached this point, and were even discussingthe method of procedure, he added all that was neededto the dangerously smouldering embers of bloody mutiny byexplaining that should anything happen to the white menhe would become sole owner of their belongings,including the heavy chest, and that the rewardof each member of the crew would be generous.

Von Horn was really the only stumbling block inBududreen's path. With the natural cowardice of theMalay he feared this masterful American who never movedwithout a brace of guns slung about his hips; and itwas at just this psychological moment that the doctorplayed into the hands of his subordinate, much to thelatter's inward elation.

Von Horn had finally despaired of winning Virginia bypeaceful court, and had about decided to resort toforce when he was precipitately confirmed in hisdecision by a conversation with the girl's father.

He and the professor were talking in the workshop ofthe remarkable progress of Number Thirteen toward acomplete mastery of English and the ways and mannersof society, in which von Horn had been assisting hisemployer to train the young giant. The breach betweenthe latter and von Horn had been patched over byProfessor Maxon's explanations to Number Thirteenas soon as the young man was able to comprehend--in themeantime it had been necessary to keep von Horn out ofthe workshop except when the giant was confined in hisown room off the larger one.

Von Horn had been particularly anxious, for the furtheranceof certain plans he had in mind, to effect a reconciliationwith Number Thirteen, to reach a basis of friendshipwith the young man, and had left no stone unturnedto accomplish this result. To this end he had spentconsiderable time with Number Thirteen, coaching himin English and in the ethics of human association.

"He is progressing splendidly, Doctor," Professor Maxonhad said. "It will be but a matter of a day or so whenI can introduce him to Virginia, but we must be carefulthat she has no inkling of his origin until mutualaffection has gained a sure foothold between them."

"And if that should not occur?" questioned von Horn.

"I should prefer that they mated voluntarily," repliedthe professor, the strange gleam leaping to his eyes atthe suggestion of possible antagonism to his cherishedplan, "but if not, then they shall be compelled bythe force of my authority--they both belong to me,body and soul."

"You will wait for the final consummation of yourdesires until you return with them to civilization,I presume," said von Horn.

"And why?" returned the professor. "I can wed themhere myself--it would be the surer way--yes, that iswhat I shall do."

It was this determination on the part of ProfessorMaxon that decided von Horn to act at once. Further,it lent a reasonable justification for his purposed act.

Shortly after their talk the older man left the workshop,and von Horn took the opportunity to inaugurate thesecond move of his campaign. Number Thirteen was sittingnear a window which let upon the inner court, busy withthe rudiments of written English. Von Horn approached him.

"You are getting along nicely, Jack," he said kindly,looking over the other's shoulder and using the namewhich had been adopted at his suggestion to lend a morehuman tone to their relations with the nameless man.

"Yes," replied the other, looking up with a smile."Professor Maxon says that in another day or two I maycome and live in his own house, and again meet hisbeautiful daughter. It seems almost too good to betrue that I shall actually live under the same roofwith her and see her every day--sit at the same tablewith her--and walk with her among the beautiful treesand flowers that witnessed our first meeting. I wonderif she will remember me. I wonder if she will be asglad to see me again as I shall be to see her."

"Jack," said von Horn, sadly, "I am afraid thereis a terrible and disappointing awakening for you.It grieves me that it should be so, but it seems onlyfair to tell you, what Professor Maxon either does not knowor has forgotten, that his daughter will not look withpleasure upon you when she learns your origin.

"You are not as other men. You are but the accident ofa laboratory experiment. You have no soul, and thesoul is all that raises man above the beasts. Jack,poor boy, you are not a human being--you are not evena beast. The world, and Miss Maxon is of the world,will look upon you as a terrible creature to be shunned--a horrible monstrosity far lower in the scale of creationthan the lowest order of brutes.

"Look," and the man pointed through the window towardthe group of hideous things that wandered aimlesslyabout the court of mystery. "You are of the same breedas those, you differ from them only in the symmetry ofyour face and features, and the superior development ofyour brain. There is no place in the world for them,nor for you.

"I am sorry that it is so. I am sorry that I shouldhave to be the one to tell you; but it is better thatyou know it now from a friend than that you meet thebitter truth when you least expected it, and possiblyfrom the lips of one like Miss Maxon for whom you mighthave formed a hopeless affection."

As von Horn spoke the expression on the young man'sface became more and more hopeless, and when he hadceased he dropped his head into his open palms, sittingquiet and motionless as a carven statue. No sob shookhis great frame, there was no outward indication of theterrible grief that racked him inwardly--only in thepose was utter dejection and hopelessness.

The older man could not repress a cold smile--it hadhad more effect than he had hoped.

"Don't take it too hard, my boy," he continued."The world is wide. It would be easy to find a thousandplaces where your antecedents would be neither knownnor questioned. You might be very happy elsewhere andthere a hundred thousand girls as beautiful and sweetas Virginia Maxon--remember that you have never seenanother, so you can scarcely judge."

"Why did he ever bring me into the world?" exclaimedthe young man suddenly. "It was wicked--wicked--terribly cruel and wicked."

"I agree with you," said von Horn quickly, seeinganother possibility that would make his future plansimmeasurably easier. "It was wicked, and it is stillmore wicked to continue the work and bring still otherunfortunate creatures into the world to be the buttand plaything of cruel fate."

"He intends to do that?" asked the youth.

"Unless he is stopped," replied von Horn.

"He must be stopped," cried the other. "Even ifit were necessary to kill him."

Von Horn was quite satisfied with the turn events had taken.He shrugged his shoulders and turned on his heel towardthe outer campong.

"If he had wronged me as he has you, and those others,"with a gesture toward the court of mystery, "I shouldnot be long in reaching a decision." And with that hepassed out, leaving the door unlatched.

Von Horn went straight to the south campong and soughtout Bududreen. Motioning the Malay to follow him theywalked across the clearing and entered the jungle outof sight and hearing of the camp. Sing, hangingclothes in the north end of the clearing saw themdepart, and wondered a little.

"Bududreen," said von Horn, when the two had reached asafe distance from the enclosures, "there is no need ofmincing matters--something must be done at once. I donot know how much you know of the work that ProfessorMaxon has been engaged in since we reached this island;but it has been hellish enough and it must go nofurther. You have seen the creatures in the campongnext to yours?"

"I have seen," replied Bududreen, with a shudder.

"Professor Maxon intends to wed one of these to hisdaughter," von Horn continued. "She loves me and wewish to escape--can I rely on you and your men to aidus? There is a chest in the workshop which we musttake along too, and I can assure you that you all willbe well rewarded for your work. We intend merely to leaveProfessor Maxon here with the creatures he has created."

Bududreen could scarce repress a smile--it was indeedtoo splendid to be true.

"It will be perilous work, Captain," he answered."We should all be hanged were we caught."

"There will be no danger of that, Bududreen,for there will be no one to divulge our secret."

"There will be the Professor Maxon," urged the Malay."Some day he will escape from the island, and then weshall all hang."

"He will never escape," replied von Horn, "his owncreatures will see to that. They are alreadycommencing to realize the horrible crime he hascommitted against them, and when once they are fullyaroused there will be no safety for any of us. If youwish to leave the island at all it will be best for youto accept my proposal and leave while your head yetremains upon your shoulders. Were we to suggest to theprofessor that he leave now he would not only refusebut he would take steps to make it impossible for anyof us to leave, even to sinking the Ithaca. The manis mad--quite mad--Bududreen, and we cannot longerjeopardize our own throats merely to humor his crazyand criminal whims."

The Malay was thinking fast, and could von Horn haveguessed what thoughts raced through the tortuouschannels of that semi-barbarous brain he would havewished himself safely housed in the American prisonwhere he belonged.

"When do you wish to sail?" asked the Malay.

"Tonight," replied von Horn, and together they maturedtheir plans. An hour later the second mate with sixmen disappeared into the jungle toward the harbor.They, with the three on watch, were to get the vesselin readiness for immediate departure.

After the evening meal von Horn sat on the verandahwith Virginia Maxon until the Professor came from theworkshop to retire for the night. As he passed them hestopped for a word with von Horn, taking him aside outof the girl's hearing.

"Have you noticed anything peculiar in the actions ofThirteen?" asked the older man. "He was sullen andmorose this evening, and at times there was a strange,wild light in his eyes as he looked at me. Can it bepossible that, after all, his brain is defective?It would be terrible. My work would have gone for naught,for I can see no way in which I can improve upon him."

"I will go and have a talk with him later," said vonHorn, "so if you hear us moving about in the workshop,or even out here in the campong think nothing of it.I may take him for a long walk. It is possible thatthe hard study and close confinement to that littlebuilding have been too severe upon his brain and nerves.A long walk each evening may bring him around all right."

"Splendid--splendid," replied the professor. "You maybe quite right. Do it by all means, my dear doctor,"and there was a touch of the old, friendly, sane tonewhich had been so long missing, that almost caused vonHorn to feel a trace of compunction for the hideous actof disloyalty that he was on the verge of perpetrating.

As Professor Maxon entered the house von Horn returnedto Virginia and suggested that they take a short walkoutside the campong before retiring. The girl readilyacquiesced to the plan, and a moment later found themstrolling through the clearing toward the southern endof the camp. In the dark shadows of the gatewayleading to the men's enclosure a figure crouched.The girl did not see it, but as they came opposite itvon Horn coughed twice, and then the two passed ontoward the edge of the jungle.