the wan electric
light. Whether it was regret or fear that swept it we didn't know. It
was ashen, almost expressionless, and his eyes were lifeless under his
heavy brows. His hands hung, fingers slightly apart, at his side.

"Wait just a minute before we begin an indiscriminate search," Nopp
said. "Slatterly, we've got to face facts. Do you think--there's any
place in these grounds that none of us _ought to go_?"

We knew what he meant. He wanted to guard against further loss of life.

"The thing seems to run according to rule," the sheriff replied, rather
grimly. "Just one gone--every night. But keep together when you're down
near the lagoon."

There was not the least good in searching further through the house.
Most of the household had gathered around us, by now, and no one had
seen Major Dell. We walked the length of the corridor and down the
stairs, and then we went out into the still darkness. The hour was
evidently shortly after midnight--the tide was almost at its flood.

Just a moment more we stood just below the great veranda, and no man
knew the other's thoughts. The moon was rising--we could see its argent
gleam through nebulous clouds to the East. Far away the gray shore
stretched to the darkened sea, and the natural rock wall showed a faint,
gray line. Then we headed out into the grounds.

But there was no answer to the calls we made, and only such little
people as moles and gophers, burrowers in the ground, stirred in the
thickets as we crushed through. We hunted aimlessly, more to satisfy our
own sense of duty than through any expectation of finding the missing
man. The moon came out more vividly, but its light did not bring
success. At last we collected, a silent, rather breathless group, in
front of the house.

"What now, Slatterly?" Nopp asked. "Is there anything more we can do?"

"Nothing more." His old confidence was gone from his voice. "I wish I'd
done something long ago, instead of being so sure. But this thing can't
happen to-morrow night."

"Slatterly, you're a brave man to say that _anything_ can't happen
to-morrow night. I thought you'd learned your lesson----"

"I have. Never fear for that. To-morrow night I'm going to watch beside
that lagoon with a loaded gun--and I am going to see this thing
through."

CHAPTER XXI

The sheriff had finished his investigations by noon of the following
day, and after lunch I was free to work upon the problem that I felt was
the key to