and so he dropped his hand to
his side and started to turn away; but I pulled him back, and there
before his men I told him that such a thing must never again
occur--that no man was to be struck or otherwise punished other than in
due process of the laws that we had made and the court that we had
established. All the time the sailor stood rigidly at attention, nor
could I tell from his expression whether he most resented the blow his
officer had struck him or my interference in the gospel of the
Kaiser-breed. Nor did he move until I said to him: "Plesser, you may
return to your quarters and dress your wound." Then he saluted and
marched stiffly off toward the U-33.

Just before dusk we moved out into the bay a hundred yards from shore
and dropped anchor, for I felt that we should be safer there than
elsewhere. I also detailed men to stand watch during the night and
appointed Olson officer of the watch for the entire night, telling him
to bring his blankets on deck and get what rest he could. At dinner we
tasted our first roast Caprona antelope, and we had a mess of greens
that the cook had found growing along the stream. All during the meal
von Schoenvorts was silent and surly.

After dinner we all went on deck and watched the unfamiliar scenes of a
Capronian night--that is, all but von Schoenvorts. There was less to
see than to hear. From the great inland lake behind us came the
hissing and the screaming of countless saurians. Above us we heard the
flap of giant wings, while from the shore rose the multitudinous voices
of a tropical jungle--of a warm, damp atmosphere such as must have
enveloped the entire earth during the Palezoic and Mesozoic eras. But
here were intermingled the voices of later eras--the scream of the
panther, the roar of the lion, the baying of wolves and a thunderous
growling which we could attribute to nothing earthly but which one day
we were to connect with the most fearsome of ancient creatures.

One by one the others went to their rooms, until the girl and I were
left alone together, for I had permitted the watch to go below for a
few minutes, knowing that I would be on deck. Miss La Rue was very
quiet, though she replied graciously enough to whatever I had to say
that required reply. I asked her if she did not feel well.

"Yes," she said, "but I am depressed by the awfulness of it all. I feel
of so little consequence--so small and helpless in the face of all
these myriad manifest