er. With such a feeling it would be cruelty to let you go
forward, chum, and I'm not going to do it. I'll go alone."

The crouching figure to the rear of the young engineers quivered as though
this separation of the two engineers on this black night was a thing
devoutly to be desired.

"You're not going to do anything of the sort," retorted Harry Hazelton.
"I'm going forward with you. I'm going to stick to you. All I wanted was
a minute in which to brace myself. I've had that minute. Now get forward
with you. I'm on your heels!"

Tom Reade shrugged his shoulders slightly. However, he did not object or
argue, for he realized that his chum was sensitive over any circumstance
that seemed to point to sudden failure of his courage.

"Come along, then," urged Tom. "Wait just a second, though. I'll flash
the light ahead along the wall, to show you that it's all there, and just
where it lies."

A narrow beam of light shot ahead as Tom pressed the spring of his pocket
flash lamp.

A weird enough scene the night betrayed. In perspective the wall ahead
narrowed, until the two sides seemed to come to a point. Back of all was
the thick curtain of black that had settled down over the gulf. A little
farther out, too, the water seemed rougher. There would seem to be hardly
a doubt that a gale was brewing.

"Shut that light off!" Hazelton commanded, fighting to repress a shudder.
"I can do better in the darkness. Now, go ahead, and I'll follow."

Tom started, but he went slowly now, feeling that this pace was more suited
to the condition of his chum's nerves. Harry followed resolutely, though
none but himself knew how much effort it took for him to keep on in the
face of such a nameless yet terrible dread as now assailed him.

To the rear a bulky, hulking figure rose and stood erect. With the softest
of steps this apparition of the night followed after them, until it stole
along, ghost-like, just behind Hazelton. Then a huge arm was raised,
threateningly, over Harry's head.

At that particular moment, as though insensibly warned, Hazelton stopped,
half-wheeling. In the next second Harry bounded back just out of reach of
the descending arm, the hand of which held something. But in that backward
spring Harry, in order to save himself from pitching into the water, was
oblige to turn toward Reade.

"Tom!" exploded the young engineer. "Flash the light here quickly!"

In the instant, however, that Harry had s