“Then a strange thing happened. No sooner did Hankos open his cylinder, which served him as a boat, than he lost his gigantic size, owing to the difference of the two atmospheres. He became almost of the same size as ourselves, except that his skin hung in great folds on him, and he seemed like a wrinkled old man. His clothes too, were a world too large. “He had a terrible time before he reached shore, and a hard one after it, for his strange appearance turned almost every one against him. He was sorry he had ventured to solve the mystery of the up-shooting stream of water, for he was worse than an outcast. “Then he began to plan to get back to his own inner world. But he could not find the downward stream, and, not knowing the language of the countries where he landed, he had no means of ascertaining. He traveled from place to place, always seeking for something that would lead him back to his own country. “Finally he heard of us, and of our ship, though how I do not know, as I thought I had kept it a great secret. By almost superhuman struggles he made his way to our island. He says he concealed himself aboard the _Mermaid_ the night before we sailed, but I hardly believe it possible. It seems——” “He did it, for I saw him!” interrupted Mark. “You saw him!” cried Mr. Henderson. Then Mark told of the many things that had puzzled him so, how he had seen the queer figure slinking aboard the boat, of the disappearance of food from time to time, and of the strange noises in the storeroom. “That bears out what he told me,” the professor said. “Hankos says he used to steal out nights and take what food he could get, and he also mentions some one, answering to Mark’s description, who nearly discovered him once as he hurried back into the apartment. “However, it seems to be true, since Mark confirms it. At any rate Hankos stayed in hiding, and made the entire trip with us, and, just as we all became overcome with the strange gas he escaped, having begun to expand to his original giant size, and being unable to remain any longer in his cramped quarters.” “That’s so, he did!” cried Mark. “I saw him come out of the place just before I lost my senses. It was a terrible sight, and none of you would believe me when I told you some of the occurrences afterward.” “You must forgive us for that,” the professor said. “We have learned much since then.” “What did Hankos do after he left the ship when it landed in this country?” asked Jack. “He traveled until he came to this village, which is the chief one of this country,” replied the professor. “Part of the time he followed us at a distance, being able to travel very fast.” Mark remembered the strange figure of a giant he had seen on the hill tops several times, and knew that he had been observing the being who had played such a queer part in their lives.