The Wolf-Men: A Tale Of Amazing Adventure In The Under-World

THE WOLF-MEN

A Tale of Amazing Adventure In the Under-world BY FRANK POWELL WITH EIGHT FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR CASSELL AND COMPANY, LIMITED LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK AND MELBOURNE. MCMVI All Rights Reserved...

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THE WOLF-MEN.PROLOGUE.

“Y OU’LL come, then?” Professor James Mervyn’s voice quivered with eagerness as he put this question to his companion, Sir William Seymour, in a private room of a large London hotel. The baronet, a man in the prime of life, over six feet in height, and broad in proportion, his bearded face tanned by many a year of travel under a tropical sun, rose, and paced the chamber for some moments ere answering. “Yes, I’ll come,” he said at length. “I had made all arrangements to leave England to-morrow fo

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AT THE MERCY OF CONSPIRATORS.

S ILAS K. H AVERLY , millionaire and explorer, settled himself comfortably back in the corner of a first-class smoker. He had ten minutes to wait ere the express—which was to bear him sixty miles across country to Stanwich, the nearest station to Garth Hilton’s place—was timed to start. To look at him no one would ever have imagined that he was the owner of a colossal fortune—one of the railway kings of America. Yet such he was. Starting at the very foot of Fortune’s ladder, he had worked his wa

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HOW HAVERLY FOILED THE BOAT-STEALERS.

W ITHIN a few seconds the two men were flying between the hedges of a country road, with the powerful engines of Oswyn’s “Panhard” throbbing beneath them. “Say,” the Yankee asked, after a few moments’ travelling, “how far do you reckon it?” “About forty-five miles to Hilton Manor,” was the response. “What speed have you got on?” was Haverly’s next question. “Forty,” returned Oswyn. “I guess she’ll do better than that. Chuck the lever over.” “It’s risky in the dark,” warned Oswyn, yet he obeyed h

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BEYOND THE GREAT BARRIER.

T HE Seal sped swiftly over the rolling waves of the northern seas, her whole hull vibrating with the throb of her powerful engines. Her inventor, a huge cigar between his lips, lounged over the rail which surrounded the vessel’s deck, scarce seeming to feel the bite of the keen wind as he gazed dreamily into the distance. At the wheel, his wiry hands holding the polished spokes in an iron grip, stood the American, his watchful eye fixed upon the masses of ice which rolled and wallowed around th

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TRAPPED!

S WIFT as an arrow the submarine swept forward towards the volcano, the foam leaping from her steel nose in two mighty, diverging lines. Without a doubt she was the first vessel to furrow the waters of the lake; yet the explorers would gladly have dispensed with the empty honour of being the discoverers of this barren and desolate region, if, in exchange, they might have retraced their course. But the magnetic power held them too tightly! With a shock which flung the occupants of her turret to t

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OVER THE CATARACT’S BRINK.

T WICE the Seal turned turtle in the course of that terrible dive, dashing her crew with stunning force against the turret walls. In vain they strove to regain their balance. Helpless as logs they were hurled to and fro, until, battered beyond all human endurance, they one and all sank into insensibility. And still the submarine plunged downward, still she lurched and wallowed in the rioting waters. Suddenly she was brought up with a fearful shock that snapped off both propellers like rotten sti

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THE LAND OF ETERNAL TWILIGHT.

Crack! The Yankee’s revolver spoke viciously, and the foremost, with a shuddering death-sob, dropped in his tracks. Two others, stumbling over his prostrate form, also fell to Haverly’s unerring aim; whereupon the rest, gibbering savagely, paused in their advance, seeming to be undecided whether to resume the attack or no. At that instant, whilst they still hesitated, and the American was hoping that they would retire, Garth—aroused from his swoon by the din—sat up. One glimpse he caught of the

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A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY AND ITS SEQUEL.

B UT the mood of the adventurers had changed. No longer did this underworld appear to them as the paradise of beauty they had first thought it. Its very silence seemed full of menace, and Mervyn found himself repeatedly listening to imaginary rustlings among the fungi. Garth’s interest flagged, too, as time went on, and he longed to retrace his steps, yet, while his comrades held on, he could not for shame suggest return. The boy—for he was little more—was brave enough, but these ghostly jungles

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THE ELK-HUNTERS.

F OR some time after the departure of their friends, Wilson and Haverly sat yarning, the latter arousing the admiration of the engineer by his thrilling stories of train robberies and Indian fighting on the early railways of the States. Then their talk turned upon their absent comrades, and the American had many a tale to tell of Seymour’s daring in the face of dire peril. So the time passed pleasantly enough, until suddenly, in the midst of a particularly thrilling yarn, Haverly leapt to his fe

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THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE SEAL.

S OME moments later, when the shock had somewhat passed, the two friends rose, not a little dazed and bewildered. But their astonishment knew no bounds when they saw that the dead elk and its late hunters had vanished, blown to fragments by the bursting of the explosive fungus. Even the boulder, in the shadow of which the bull had met his doom, had been partly destroyed. By what marvellous chance the two comrades had escaped the flying fragments they themselves could not imagine, and they moved

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THE COMING OF THE GREAT FISH-LIZARD.

“H EAVEN grant they may return in safety!” muttered the engineer as his two friends vanished amid the fungi. For a while after their departure he amused himself by gazing at the weird and glistening growths ashore; but ere long he grew tired of the monotonous gleam of the things. They were so uncanny, so spectral in their splendour. Securely fastening the turret door, he went below, determined to give his beloved engines a thorough clean. Although to an unpractised eye the gleaming cranks and le

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HOW HILTON ESCAPED FROM THE WOLF-MEN.

T HE report of the rifle was followed by a piercing death-scream, and one of the pursuers dropped in his tracks. The rest, four in number, raised a hideous howl and came on. As they approached, Wilson got a full view of the creatures, and the devilish horror of the Things paralysed him. “Fire!” cried Garth again, and, stumbling forward almost to the engineer’s feet, he fell headlong, utterly exhausted. His fall roused Wilson from his stupor, and, raising his rifle again, the engineer fired thric

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“GEHARI—THE WILY ONE.”

“I OPINE it’s got to be done.” Once more Silas and the baronet stood upon the brink of the great abyss which had barred further progress upon their first journey. “You see, it’s this way,” Haverly went on: “there’s just a glimmer of a chance that Garth and Mervyn are still alive. It ain’t the general thing with savages to kill their prisoners off-hand, and I guess these wolf-men are no exception to the rule. That being so, we may still be in time to pull this job off if we adopt my plan. You’ll

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THE FATE OF MERVYN.

B UT what of Professor Mervyn? How was he faring the while his friends were making such strenuous efforts to effect his rescue? For a time his terror at finding himself in so perilous a position completely overcame him. With each stride of his monstrous steed he was being borne farther and farther from his friends; deeper and deeper into the unknown wilds of this subterranean world. He knew that ere long, unless he took prompt action, he would be carried beyond all reach of aid, yet, so great wa

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“RAHEE THE TERRIBLE!”

“W HAT sayest thou? Wilt live or die?” Many hours had passed since Mervyn made his decision. The flaming barrier had sunk back into the depths whence it sprang, and Nordhu stood once more before his captive. The scientist faced the priest boldly. “This is my answer,” he cried: “I utterly refuse to reveal to you any of the things you wish to know; but hear this ere ye destroy me: I have friends who will exact a terrible vengeance if I be harmed. Not all your hordes of wolfish followers will save

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FOR A FRIEND’S LIFE.

“S AY , Seymour?” “Well?” inquired the baronet sleepily. “I guess it’s time to be moving.” Yawning, Seymour rose and stretched himself. “Just rouse Pharaoh there,” Haverly went on, as he slung his rifle over his shoulder. Moving over to a corner of the cave, the baronet prodded the sleeping savage in the ribs. With a guttural cry the creature rose, shook himself like a dog, and stood awaiting orders. “I guess you’d better drop it to him as we want to strike for this yer temple right now,” drawle

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HOW HAVERLY CHECKED THE STAMPEDE.

F OR half an hour the fugitives raced on, every muscle straining in a mad effort to outdistance their pitiless pursuers. Their feet seemed shod with lead as they turned and twisted among the boulders; their breath came and went in great, panting gasps that shook their bodies, yet for all their frenzied endeavours, their relentless enemies drew nearer. Foot by foot, yard by yard, the wolfish creatures gained upon them. Then, in the grim wall of cliffs upon their left, appeared the dark mouth of a

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A DUEL TO THE DEATH.

T O return to Garth and the engineer. For a few seconds they could do naught but gaze helplessly at the approaching monster; then all the fighting spirit of the inventor rose, and he prepared to resist to the death, if need be. Darting out on deck, he cast off the mooring-rope, bellowing the while to Wilson to start the engines. Within three minutes of the appearance of the great fish-lizard, the Seal, passing close to the towering side of the brute, flashed seaward at her topmost speed. And now

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THE SINKING POOL.

F OR some time Wilson plodded on, his one idea being to escape from the ghostly valley. The weirdness of the place, enclosed as it was on every side by towering cliffs, its unnatural stillness, and, above all, the grim remains with which the ground was littered, sent an uncanny thrill through the engineer; and, despite his resolution, he found himself continually glancing backward, to make certain that no spectral form was dogging his steps. All unconsciously he was moving in exactly the opposit

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THE FIRE GULF.

T HE shock of this discovery aroused him to action. Swimming to the spot he had picked out, he commenced once more to scale the bank. Eight feet he climbed; his goal was almost within reach, when, without warning, the whole face of the bank to which he was clinging gave way, and he plunged down again into the water, the earth rattling over him as he fell. He was somewhat alarmed when he rose again. The water was still steadily sinking, and he was no nearer escape than at his first attempt. Indee

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THE LAST OF THE AYUTIS.

F OR a moment the familiar sound, heard in the trackless wilds of the underworld, set each man’s heart throbbing with a mad yearning for home. Home! Would they ever again look upon the glorious blue of the vault of heaven? Ever more behold the glowing splendour of the sun? Would they again set eyes upon the white cliffs of the Homeland, whose shores they had left so full of hope and enthusiasm? Like the death-knell of their hopes rang the thrilling cry of their enemies as they moved once more to

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“SUNSHINE!”

T HE great flags of the bridge felt almost red-hot to the feet of the adventurers, but they trudged bravely forward through the glare, Seymour supporting Haverly as they went. There was no parapet to the bridge, and the sight of the molten flood below, visible to right and left as far as the eye could see, sent a thrill through each of the trio. The massive span, which had seemed so solid a structure viewed from the gorge, now appeared a very flimsy affair, dwarfed to nothingness by the stupendo

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THE TERROR OF THE JUNGLE.

“I S there, then, a way out of this underworld?” Seymour’s voice betrayed his agitation as he put this question to Chenobi. So much depended on the Ayuti’s answer that each of the adventurers held their breath to listen. “Yea,” came the reply, “there is a passage through the heart of the dead fire-mountain, by which my people entered this land, but it lies far away through the jungle.” Rapidly Seymour translated this intelligence to Wilson and the American. “I guess we’ll strike for this yer pas

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MUSWANI—MONSTER-FIGHTER.

A Y , Megalosaurus! One of the most terrible of the monstrous reptiles which roamed the prehistoric forests of our globe. Often had Mervyn described this fearful brute in his lectures on the subject; often had his students listened open-mouthed to his vivid word-pictures of this and other monsters of the same period; but never did he think to come face to face with the creature, to stand in peril of his life from its fury. For a moment the brute remained glaring upon its victims, then, giving vo

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A GLIMPSE OF THE UPPER WORLD.

“C HENOBI !” the baronet roared, “Chenobi!” “Where the deuce can the fellow have got to?” he went on. “He said he’d meet us, and here we’ve been waiting over an hour, and not a sign of him yet.” “Perhaps he’s met with some accident?” Mervyn suggested. “I guess not,” replied the Yankee, “the Ayuti’s cute enough to keep out of danger. He’ll be along here presently, you’ll see. There you are”—as the sound of hoofs became audible—“I reckon he’s arrived.” The next moment Chenobi’s hounds burst out of

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SEYMOUR’S FALL.

F OR some time the adventurers stood gazing downward from their lofty perch in silence. Beyond the belt of forest they could see a strip of sandy beach, and beyond this again, the sea, its shimmering surface reflecting the rays of the sun like a gigantic mirror. No dwelling was visible save in one place, where, in a forest clearing, a white house stood, plainly discernible in the clear morning air against the dark green of the foliage. “See,” the scientist cried, “that is the English mission hou

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THE FASCINATION OF THE PRIEST.

F ORWARD they came to the base of the steps, then paused a while, as though awaiting some signal ere commencing the attack. It came at length. From somewhere at the rear arose the voice of the high priest of the wolf-men. “Go forward, my children, and ye shall prevail. Ramouni has spoken it.” At the words a score or so of savages leapt up the steps towards the Ayuti. “Guard my back,” the latter cried to his three friends, and bent forward to meet his oncoming foes. A grim smile played over his f

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IN THE VAULTS.

A MOMENT they swayed and wrestled; then Seymour broke away from the grip of his enemy, and leapt backward. Snarling savagely, the wolf-man crouched, and leapt for the baronet’s throat. But the latter was prepared. Quick as thought his fist shot out, and before the sledgehammer stroke the savage crashed backward with a scream. Ere he could rise Seymour was upon him, all the pent-up hatred in his nature finding vent as he choked out the life of the hideous creature. In vain the savage struggled be

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IN THE WOLF-MEN’S HAUNTS.

S EYMOUR’S dread was not lessened by the discovery that the bodies were those of wolf-men. Where were his friends? Evidently they had returned, the corpses bore witness to that, for upon each and all the mark of Chenobi’s axe was plainly visible. He shouted, but no answering hail broke the stillness of the underworld city. Hurriedly he descended the steps and tried the door of the kennel chamber. It was locked, and from within came the howling of the hounds. With half a dozen lusty blows Seymour

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HOW RAHEE ASSISTED THE FUGITIVES.

F OR a few seconds the baronet stood as though turned to stone, success had seemed so near. By some lucky chance Wilson had almost walked into their arms. Another few moments and they would have got him safely away, but, in the very instant of their triumph, Nordhu had again checkmated them. “Did ye think Nordhu slept?” the priest went on mockingly. “Truly ye are babes in intellect, and should be nursed yet a while.” The taunt stung Seymour to madness. Like a flash his mailed fist shot out, catc

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THE SCROLL OF NEOMRI.

“I RECKON ,” remarked Haverly, munching a piece of fungus with manifest relish, “you might as well explain how the blazes you got out of that darned hole, Seymour, an’, incidentally, where you got your tin suit. It’s a rig-out as kinder takes my eye.” While the explorers slept Chenobi had procured a number of edible fungi, to which they were now doing full justice. “Well,” Seymour returned, in answer to the Yankee’s suggestion, “it’s a longish yarn, but if you’d care to hear it, here goes.” With

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“THE SEAL!”

T HE way of the priest’s escape became clear at once. In the rear wall of the chamber a small door stood ajar. “I thought not that he knew of the passage,” the Ayuti hissed; “but he shall not escape. Take you the hounds, Fairhair, and follow. I know whereto this passage leads, and will ride round upon Muswani to cut him off.” Within five minutes the pursuit was in full swing. The hounds were loping down the passage on the trail of Nordhu, with the explorers close behind, while the king was gallo

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THE DOOM OF NORDHU.

F OR a while the thing seemed too good to be true. As the light drew nearer, however, and the explorers saw that it really came from their vessel, their thankfulness knew no bounds. All else was forgotten. The movements of Nordhu, their enemy, ceased to interest them any longer. They had eyes for nothing but the approaching vessel. Rapidly Seymour acquainted the king with the state of affairs, and Chenobi seemed as pleased as anyone at the turn things had taken. He was eager as a child to see th

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THE INVENTOR’S STORY.

“I RECKON it ’ud be powerful interesting to hear how you’ve been pegging along since Wilson left you.” Haverly’s voice was little more than a whisper as he spoke these words. He was mending rapidly, but he had not yet got about again, and the inventor, who had long since recovered from his injuries, was taking a spell below to bear him company. “Would you care to hear the yarn?” the inventor asked. “I guess I would,” was the reply. “Well, you see,” Garth began, “I was below when Wilson was attac

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ON THE CREST OF THE TIDAL WAVE.

T IME dragged heavily for those left aboard the Seal. There seemed little to do; their preparations for the journey they thought to take ere long, were complete. Ammunition, provisions—consisting for the most part of tinned goods—personal belongings, were alike packed and ready. Nothing at all superfluous was allowed in the packages, for they would only have Muswani to carry their baggage as far as the cliff stairway; for the rest of the journey they would have to bear their own burdens. Their p

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INTO THE SUNLIGHT.

S EYMOUR opened his eyes and gazed around dreamily. What had happened, he wondered, as he sat up, and what was this strange light that flooded the vessel? He rubbed his eyes and looked again, then a thrilling cry burst from his lips. “Daylight! Great Heaven, daylight!” He staggered to his feet. He was right. The Seal was rolling on the swell of the ocean, bathed in the full glory of the mid-day sun. Into infinite distance the shimmering wave-crests danced on every hand. No land was visible save

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