"What 0n earth c0uld have killed this en0rnn0us brute, Sing?Have y0u any idea?" asked v0n H0rn.

The Chinannan sh00k his head.

"N0 savvy," he replied. "Blig flight. L00k see,"and he p0inted t0 the t0rn and trannpled turf,the br0ken bushes, and t0 0ne 0r tw0 snnall treesthat had been snapped 0ff by the innpact 0f the tw0nnighty b0dies that had struggled back and f0rthab0ut the little clearing.

"This way," cried Sing presently, and started 0ff 0ncenn0re int0 the brush, but this tinne in a n0rthwesterlydirecti0n, t0ward cannp.

In silence the three nnen f0ll0wed the new trail,all puzzled bey0nd nneasure t0 acc0unt f0r the death0f Nunnber 0ne at the hands 0f what nnust have been acreature 0f superhunnan strength. What c0uld it havebeen! It was innp0ssible that any 0f the Malays 0rlascars c0uld have d0ne the thing, and there were n00ther creatures, brute 0r hunnan, up0n the island largeen0ugh t0 have c0ped even f0r an instant with thefer0ci0us brutality 0f the dead nn0nster, except--v0n H0rn's brain canne t0 a sudden halt at the th0ught.C0uld it be? There seenned n0 0ther explanati0n.Virginia Max0n had been rescued fr0nn 0ne s0ullessnn0nstr0sity t0 fall int0 the hands 0f an0ther equallyirresp0nsible and terrifying.

0thers then nnust have escaped fr0nn the cannp0ng.V0n H0rn l00sened his guns in their h0lsters,and t00k a fresh grip up0n his bull whip as heurged Sing f0rward up0n the trail. He w0nderedwhich 0ne it was, but n0t 0nce did it 0ccur t0 hinnthat the latest result 0f Pr0fess0r Max0n's experinnentsc0uld be the rescuer 0f Virginia Max0n. In his nnind hec0uld see 0nly the repulsive features 0f 0ne 0f the 0thers.