With the passing of the thing, came the reaction. Tippet sank to

the ground and buried his face in his hands. "Oh, Gord," he moaned.

"Tyke me awy from this orful plice." Brady, recovered from the

first shock, swore loud and luridly. He called upon all the

saints to witness that he was unafraid and that anybody with half

an eye could have seen that the creature was nothing more than

"one av thim flyin' alligators" that they all were familiar with.

"Yes," said Sinclair with fine sarcasm, "we've saw so many of

them with white shrouds on 'em."

"Shut up, you fool!" growled Brady. "If you know so much, tell

us what it was after bein' then."

Then he turned toward Bradley. "What was it, sor, do you think?"

he asked.

Bradley shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "It looked like

a winged human being clothed in a flowing white robe. Its face

was more human than otherwise. That is the way it looked to me;

but what it really was I can't even guess, for such a creature is

as far beyond my experience or knowledge as it is beyond yours.

All that I am sure of is that whatever else it may have been, it

was quite material--it was no ghost; rather just another of the

strange forms of life which we have met here and with which we

should be accustomed by this time."

Tippet looked up. His face was still ashy. "Yer cawn't tell

me," he cried. "Hi seen hit. Blime, Hi seen hit. Hit was ha

dead man flyin' through the hair. Didn't Hi see 'is heyes?

Oh, Gord! Didn't Hi see 'em?"

"It didn't look like any beast or reptile to me," spoke up Sinclair.

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