he cried, "you must not say that. Why should you wish to
die?"

"Because I love you, Virginia," he replied. "And because, when you
know what I am, you will hate and loathe me."

On the girl's lips was an avowal of her own love, but as she bent
closer to whisper the words in his ear there came the sound of men
crashing through the jungle, and as she turned to face the peril that
she thought approaching, von Horn sprang into view, while directly
behind him came her father and Sing Lee.

Bulan saw them at the same instant, and as Virginia ran forward to
greet her father he staggered weakly to his feet. Von Horn was the
first to see the young giant, and with an oath sprang toward him,
drawing his revolver as he came.

"You beast," he cried. "We have caught you at last."

At the words Virginia turned back toward Bulan with a little scream of
warning and of horror. Professor Maxon was behind her.

"Shoot the monster, von Horn," he ordered. "Do not let him escape."

Bulan drew himself to his full height, and though he wavered from
weakness, yet he towered mighty and magnificent above the evil faced
man who menaced him.

"Shoot!" he said calmly. "Death cannot come too soon now."

At the same instant von Horn pulled the trigger. The giant's head fell
back, he staggered, whirled about, and crumpled to the earth just as
Virginia Maxon's arms closed about him.

Von Horn rushed close and pushing the girl aside pressed the muzzle of
his gun to Bulan's temple, but an avalanche of wrinkled, yellow skin
was upon him before he could pull the trigger a second time, and Sing
had hurled him back a dozen feet and snatched his weapon.

Moaning and sobbing Virginia threw herself upon the body of the man she
loved, while Professor Maxon hurried to her side to drag her away from
the soulless thing for whom he had once intended her.

Like a tigress the girl turned upon the two white men.

"You are murderers," she cried. "Cowardly murderers. Weak and
exhausted by fever he could not combat you, and so you have robbed the
world of one of the noblest men that God ever created."

"Hush!" cried Professor Maxon. "Hush, child, you do not know what you
say. The thing was a monster--a soulless monster."

At the words the girl looked up quickly at her father, a faint
realization of his meaning striking her like a blow in the face.

"What do you mean?" she whispered. "Who was he?"

It was von Horn who answered.

"No god cre