Page:Amazing Stories Volume 01 Number 04.djvu/12

300 certain that my first report was at all correct."

While speaking he was placing the body in what, for a living person, would have been a more easy attitude.

"It is true that I can find no sign of life whatever, neither pulse nor temperature; but on the other hand, I can find no certain sign of death. You see there is no rigor, nor any sign of decay. The cessation of signals implies that he may have lain in this state for four days, and in this climate too."

"But," said Captain Evered, "is such a state of death in life possible?"

"It is difficult to say what is possible in this way," said the doctor; "but if this is trance, it is the most extraordinary case that has ever come to my knowledge."

"Meanwhile what should be done?"

"He must be got on board as quickly as possible, and receive treatment."

Captain Evered did not reply for a moment. He was looking at the thing from the Service point of view.

"Well," he said at length, "what must be, must be; it is true we could not very well leave him here, but it's unfortunate. But what of the others? Where are they?"

"We've seen no sign of them," said Anderson, "and in your absence Fletcher would not refer to the signal records to see what light they might throw on things."

CTING on the hint, Captain Evered went to the signal-book and began to read. The first thing he noticed, for in the circumstances he began at the end, was that the last signalling which took place was on October 10th, that is the day before he had been ordered to change his course. Turning back the leaves, he at once came upon Macrae's report of the tragedy. This showed him that the Admiralty was already in possession of the facts so far. It did not show him the first arrangement made for Macrae's relief, and which, for the sake of greater despatch when Macrae no longer responded, had been altered by sending the Sagitta. Captain Evered now gave the terrible details to his companion, and requested him to find the place where the bodies were buried.

While Anderson was thus employed, Captain Evered turned to Macrae's diary, which under the circumstances he felt justified in examining. This he scanned over from the beginning, reading a little here and there, and soon seeing that it was a most improper account to have written, containing many indications that, in certain hands, would have afforded undesirable clues. As he came to Macrae's description of the death of his companions and the effect on himself, Captain Evered became confirmed in the view he had always held, that Macrae had never been a man suited to this kind of duty.

As he read the astonishing document, he came to the inevitable conclusion that the poor fellow's brain had been turned by the event that had happened and that the latter part of the diary was but the ravings of a lunatic. In fact, Macrae seemed, pathetically enough, to have had a suspicion of the fact himself.

Putting down the diary as the doctor returned to the signal-room, Captain Evered said:

"Well, have you found the spot?"

"Yes, sir, I've found the grave," was the reply.

"Then that so far verifies his report, but it is necessary that our arrival and discovery should be reported for the information of the Admiralty. I believe you are a motorist, Anderson, and no doubt you can re-charge with petrol and start the engine."

Whilst Dr. Anderson busied himself about this, Captain Evered wrote out his report for despatch. This concluded, he turned to the doctor.

"That a row of some sort should have happened here would not have surprised me, but to find all dead is beyond my worst anticipations. What do you now make of him?"

"I can only repeat what I have before said. He must be brought on board," said the doctor, "but I have little hope for him."

"Then," was the reply, "when the report is sent and the relief staff landed, you must take him on board on a covered stretcher with as little remark as possible. Say he is in a comatose condition, and too ill to remain here. With care, his peculiar state need not be made apparent. The absence of the other two will not be spoken of, and there will not be much to call special attention to the affair among the crew."

EAVING Dr. Anderson in charge of the station, Captain Evered went down to the boat and returned on board. He explained the situation to the officer about to take charge, and sent him, with his engineer-operator and servant to take immediate possession on the island, instructing him to call up British Columbia, and advise-that the station was again in working order.

Under the excuse of waiting until the repairs rendered necessary by "the recent explosion at the station" had been carried out, the Sagitta stood by until sunset. In the fading light the "injured" operator was placed on a litter, and, under the doctor's supervision, brought on board. Long before that, the Sagitta had received her orders from home to proceed to Hong-Kong.

Captain Evered had brought Macrae's diary away with him, and how went carefully through the latter part of it. He was quite convinced of the truth of the version given respecting the fatal occurrence between Wilson and the Chinaman. There were further entries under the dates of the two subsequent days. The former had been first written in shorthand, in the manner a message is taken down as received, which, in fact, it pretended to have been; and had afterwards been re-written in long-hand. The entry under the second date, the last entry in the diary, was still in shorthand only. It was the former that had been considered by, Captain Evered, when on the island, to be proof of the writer's insanity.

T the first opportunity he spoke to Dr. Anderson on the subject. "I should like you," he said, "to run through this entry of his. The poor fellow seems to have had the most