A dark-faced man in red uniform stepped out of the shadow of the building. He searched me, and discovered the Doctor's little weapon. "What's this, Pard?" he asked quickly.
Desperately I cudgeled my brain. "It's—er—a patent radium cigarette lighter. Inventor gave it to me. I broke it the other day."
He looked at me sharply. I tried to assume indifference; and he handed it back. "Forward march, and no tricks," he ordered, and prodded me with the bayonet until I would have given a good deal to know the secret of the little weapon he had returned to me.
Presently we reached a low concrete building. He put me past a barred door, and locked it. I was left alone in the dark. Presently I struck the few matches I had, to examine the little weapon. I set the dial by guess, and found the tiny lever that lit the tube with the soft crimson light, but I could not test it.
Toward morning I had an incredible visitor!
A pale violet light was suddenly thrown through the bars of the door. I looked up to see the amazing Thing before it, regarding me. It was octopus-like, with a central body upheld on a dozen whip-like tentacles! But it was luminous, purple, semi-transparent!
The shapeless glowing purple body had a nucleus of red—a little sphere of intense red light embedded in the shining form. It seemed like a terrible eye, watching me.
For a moment the awful thing was there, and then it moved silently away, drawing itself upon the slender gleaming tentacles. It left me weak and trembling. I hardly dared believe my eyes. Was this one of the "beings from another plane" with which Vars had allied himself in his insane attack against the earth?
CHAPTER IV