, where a body, incredibly huge, was tearing the waters to
foam. There were ghostly arms that shone in slimy wetness, that lashed
searchingly in all directions, as the monster gave vent to its fury at
Thorpe's attack. There were screaming human figures grasped in many of
the jaws, and the man was glad with a great thankfulness that the
girl's stupor could save her from the frightful sight.

He dared to row now, and his breath was coming in great choking sobs
of sheer exhaustion when at last he pulled the senseless form of Ruth
Allaire to the deck of the _Nagasaki_ and drew her within the frail
shelter of the wireless room.

Stout had the oaken bars appeared, and safe his refuge in the
barricaded room, but that was before he had seen in horrible reality
the fearful fury of this monster from the deep. He placed the braces
against the door and turned with hopeless haste to seize the wireless
key.

"_Bennington_," he called, and the answer came strong and clear.
"Where are you.... Help--" His fingers froze upon the key and the
answering message in his ears was unheeded as he watched across the
water the destruction of the yacht.

This craft that had dared to resist the onset of the brute, to fight
against it, to wound it, was feeling the full fury of the monster's
rage. The gleaming lights of the doomed ship were waving lines that
swept to and fro in the grip of those monstrous arms. The boat beneath
Thorpe's feet was tossing in the waves that told of the titanic
struggle. He had meant to look south for some sign of the oncoming
destroyer, but in fearful fascination he stared spellbound where the
masts of the trim yacht swept downward into the waves, where the green
of her star-board lantern glowed faintly for an instant, then
vanished, to leave only the darkness and the starlit sea.

* * * * *

A voice aroused him from his stupefaction. "Where am I ... where am
I?" Ruth Allaire was asking in a frightened whisper. "That terrible
thing--" She shuddered violently as memory returned to show again the
horror she had witnessed. "Where are we, Robert? And the
_Adelaide_--where is it?"

Thorpe turned slowly. The insane turmoil of the past hour had numbed
his brain, stunned him.

"The _Adelaide_--" he mumbled, and groped fumblingly for coherent
thoughts. He stared at the girl. She was half-risen from the floor
where he had laid her, and the sight of her quivering face brought
reason again t