Page:Weird Tales Volume 8 Number 1 (1926-07).djvu/138

had killed several of his colleagues and nearly was his own undoing. It seemed to be as dangerous to the operator as to the enemy. Its effect on all forms of life, both animal and vegetable, is instantaneous. In the animal it inflicts a terrific shock, utterly destroying the nervous system and rupturing, probably, every blood vessel in the brain. The effect is somewhat similar to death by electric shock except there is no mark left on the body. An autopsy would be necessary to reveal what had really happened. The ray has a singular effect, too, on certain mechanical devices. For instance I have seen Leipische stop a motor with it at the distance of several feet, back there in Blennerhof. He said it choked the thing by developing an excess of carbon dioxide or nitrogen in the cylinders. Luckily they didn't have time to get at our airplane engines. They undoubtedly could have put us out of business while we were still on the horizon had they suspected in any way who we were.

"But to go on. Leipische got wind of my invention and he determined that what I had discovered in the way of protection he must have. They lay near me one night when I was working at the laboratory alone, and made me open the safe where I kept my blueprints and formulas. To cover the thing up thoroughly, they left some old prints and papers about—things that were quite useless. Naturally they had either to kidnap or kill me and they chose the former, thinking perhaps they might need me later.

"When they brought me here it was some time before I knew what they were working on, but when I did I went nearly mad. I could see what was bound to happen, and I felt that I had, by my carelessness, been contributory to it. I tried to disarm their suspicions of me by pretending an interest but they were too bright for me. They let me have the run of the castle, but always Leipische or one of the guards was at my heels. Once I tried to blow them up—pulled one of those switches, but they were ready for that and merely cut it off somewhere from below. You see, they were in mortal fear of discovery so they had taken precautions to blow everything up if ever they were discovered.

"And then that night when I saw your face at the window. That gave me hope because I supposed you had gotten track of me and were merely awaiting an opportunity to strike. I knew that they were getting ready for a coup d'état, and when I did not see any more of you for days I was in despair. And then the final night and you came. And now this"—he indicated with a wave of his hand the shattered debris of the wrecked car.

They sat for a long time looking at the ruin before them. Finally Bindley got up. "We'd better be getting back to the cottage," he said. "She'll be waiting for us."

They went back together toward the lake.

[THE END]