of a man down near the winding path
we had just traversed. A wild thrill of fear, excitement,
revulsion--call it what you will--surged over me. The thing had been
following us!

We stood frozen, transfixed. The shape was almost at the water
level, a hundred feet or so away. It had stopped its advance; to all
appearances it was a man standing there, calmly regarding us. Don
and I swung around to face it, shoving Jane and Willie behind us.

Willie had started off in terror, but Jane gripped him.

"Quiet, Willie!"

"There it is! See it--"

"Of course we see it," Don whispered. "Don't talk. We'll wait; see
what it does."

We stood a moment. The thing was motionless. It was in a patch of
shadow, but, as though gleaming with moonlight, it seemed to shine.
Its glow was silvery, with a greenish cast almost phosphorescent.
Was it standing on the path? I could not tell. It was too far away;
too much in shadow. But I plainly saw that it had the shape of a
man. Wraith, or substance? That also, was not yet apparent.

Then suddenly it was moving! Coming toward us. But not floating, for
I could see the legs moving, the arms swaying. With measured tread
it was walking slowly toward us!

Don's shotgun went up. "Bob, we'll hold our ground. Is it--is he
armed, can you see?"

"No! Can't tell."

Armed! What nonsense! How could this wraith, this apparition, do us
physical injury!

"If--if he gets too close, Bob, by God, I'll shoot. But if he's
human, I wouldn't want to kill him."

* * * * *

The shape had stopped again. It was fifty feet from us now, and we
could clearly see that it was a man, taller than normal. He stood
now with folded arms--a man strangely garbed in what seemed a white,
tight-fitting jacket and short trunks. On his head was a black skull
cap surmounted by a helmet of strange design.

Don's voice suddenly echoed across the rocks.

"Who are you?"

The white figure gave no answer. It did not move.

"We see you. What do you want?" Don repeated.

Then it moved again. Partly toward us and partly sidewise, away from
the sea. The swing of the legs was obvious. It was walking. But not
upon the path, nor upon the solid surface of these Bermuda rocks! A
surge of horror went through me at the realization. This was nothing
human! It was walking on some other surface, invisible to us, but
something solid beneath its own tread.

"Look!" Jane whispered. "It's walking--_into the c