So the scientists returned sadder, if not wiser, men, and wasted quires of paper in trying to account in a natural way for what they had seen. But no theories of theirs would sufficiently account for the dread apparitions, not even that of the manatee. This is an Arctic seal that has some semblance to a human being; but a manatee has not a real human face nor a long skinny human arm. The people in that beach-village were now in a state of mind to believe almost anything, and the minister had his 'ain adees' trying to restore them to a state of something like equanimity. But no youngster would now venture out of doors after gloaming fell for fear of seeing or meeting anything 'uncanny.' The cry even of an innocent sea-gull flying home at night to its nest on the cliffs made them tremble with fear. 'A mermaid or merman couldna hairm ye, 'oman,' said Tammas Reid, endeavouring to allay his wife's fears, 'even if it cam' on shore.' 'Augh!' she cried, 'fat [what] ken ye? Didna that awfu' apparition wodge its neive [shake its fist] and spit fire at the hale [whole] boat's crew?' Tammas said no more. But one night, not long after, a late boat came in and reported terrible and fearsome doings in the bay. They had clapped on extra sail and sped homewards, and they would not go out again that night for anything in the world. What had they seen? 'Fat [what] is't we ha'ena seen?' was the reply. And then they described blue lights and red lights gleaming against the cliffs around the bay, and things like fiery serpents running across the surface of the water, and fearful screaming and shouting and firing of guns, and a 'scomfishing' [stifling] smell of burning brimstone, followed by a silence deep and awful! And here they were alive to tell their story! But early next morning came wonderful tidings to the little village, and it was soon spread from mouth to mouth to every place round about. The news was brought by Skeleton himself, who was riding Renegade like, the old wives said, 'Death on a black horse.' It was to the effect that after a tremendous battle which no tongue could describe, he himself, with Biffins Lee and Chops, had succeeded in capturing the merman, and had taken him to camp and placed him in a large tank of sea-water. The creature, Skeleton said, had made a terrible resistance, and he was now wounded and sulking in a corner under water; but as soon as he was better and became tame enough to eat fish he would be exhibited almost every night. A whole week passed by. Neither the mermaid nor merman were again seen, so Skeleton's story was believed. It was believed also that the mermaid had either died of grief or been so frightened that she had left the coast.