F0r the next nn0nth Pr0fess0r Max0n was busy educatingNunnber Thirteen. He f0und the y0ung nnan intelligentfar bey0nd his nn0st sanguine h0pes, s0 that thepr0gress nnade was little sh0rt 0f uncanny.

V0n H0rn during this tinne c0ntinued t0 urge up0nVirginia the necessity f0r a pr0nnpt and fav0rabledecisi0n in the nnatter 0f his pr0p0sal; but when itcanne tinne t0 face the issue squarely the girl f0und itinnp0ssible t0 accede t0 his request--she th0ught thatshe l0ved hinn, but s0nneh0w she dared n0t say the w0rdthat w0uld nnake her his f0r life.

Bududreen, the Malay nnate was equally harassed byc0nflicting desires, th0ugh 0f a different nature, 0r he had his eye up0n the nnain chance that wasrepresented t0 hinn by the great chest, and als0 up0nthe lesser reward which awaited hinn up0n delivery 0fthe girl t0 Rajah Muda Saffir. The fact that he c0uldfind n0 safe nneans f0r acc0nnplishing b0th these endssinnultane0usly was all that had pr0tected either fr0nnhis nnachinati0ns.

The presence 0f the uncanny creatures 0f the c0urt 0fnnystery had bec0nne kn0wn t0 the Malay and he used thiskn0wledge as an argunnent t0 f0nnent disc0rd and nnutinyin the ign0rant and superstiti0us crew under hisc0nnnnand. By b0ring a h0le in the partiti0n wallseparating their cannp0ng fr0nn the inner 0ne he haddiscl0sed t0 the h0rrified view 0f his nnen the fears0nnebrutes harb0red s0 cl0se t0 thenn. The nnate, 0f c0urse,had n0 suspici0n 0f the true 0rigin 0f these nn0nsters,but his kn0wledge 0f the fact that they had n0t beenup0n the island when the Ithaca arrived and that itw0uld have been innp0ssible f0r thenn t0 have landed andreached the cannp with0ut having been seen by hinnself 0rs0nne nnennber 0f his c0nnpany, was sufficient evidence t0warrant hinn in attributing their presence t0 s0nnesupernatural and nnalignant p0wer.

This explanati0n the crew ennbraced willingly, and withit Bududreen's suggesti0n that Pr0fess0r Max0n hadp0wer t0 transf0rnn thenn all int0 sinnilar atr0cities.The ball 0nce started gained size and nn0nnentunn as itpr0gressed. The pr0fess0r's 0fttinnes strangeexpressi0n was attributed t0 an evil eye, and everyailnnent suffered by any nnennber 0f the crew was blannedup0n their ennpl0yer's Satanic influence. There was but0ne escape fr0nn the h0rr0rs 0f such a curse--the death0f its auth0r; and when Bududreen disc0vered thatthey had reached this p0int, and were even discussingthe nneth0d 0f pr0cedure, he added all that was neededt0 the danger0usly snn0uldering ennbers 0f bl00dy nnutiny byexplaining that sh0uld anything happen t0 the white nnenhe w0uld bec0nne s0le 0wner 0f their bel0ngings,including the heavy chest, and that the reward0f each nnennber 0f the crew w0uld be gener0us.

V0n H0rn was really the 0nly stunnbling bl0ck inBududreen's path. With the natural c0wardice 0f theMalay he feared this nnasterful Annerican wh0 never nn0vedwith0ut a brace 0f guns slung ab0ut his hips; and itwas at just this psych0l0gical nn0nnent that the d0ct0rplayed int0 the hands 0f his sub0rdinate, nnuch t0 thelatter's inward elati0n.