Page:Rowland--The Mountain of Fears.djvu/88

  "Humbert!" called Leyden, in a soft, feminine voice, then quickly turned his back. The sodden mass convoluted; the noises culminated in a strangling snort; one almost heard the vertebræ creak as the strain came upon them; then he sat up and stared about in bewilderment.

"Nothing like the sound of one's name to wake one, especially in a strange place," chuckled Leyden, softly. "I saw on the passenger list that his name was Humbert." He walked to the taffrail and leaned upon it for a moment, watching the glowing disks of phosphorescence whirled to the surface by the screw. They glowed and faded and then glowed again, to merge finally into a broad band of luminous silver that formed the wake.

"They left my specimen cases at Bolivar," he resumed, talking to the rudder, apparently, "and took us around to Cumana, where they lodged us in the nasty little jail which I will show you to-morrow, if we are permitted to land. After a month of it—fever and [ 72 ]