The girl glanced at him with repugnance. "Yeah? That just about makes us pals, don't it?" The irony was wasted. "Sure does," he grinned. "How about her?" McGruder indicated the golden-haired girl. "That's Pearl," explained Link. "She ain't all there." "A lot you know about it!" retorted Maw Barstow. "Pearlie's brighter than you think. Is these the ones that was comin', dearie?" she demanded. The girl's lips parted in a beatific smile. "Has vishuns," explained Link. He tapped his forehead to indicate a mysterious form of mental activity. "The old guy--he's nuts too." This confidence was imparted in a lowered voice, but hardly low enough to avoid being overheard. "Who is he?" demanded McGruder. "The name," responded the vibrant voice of the bearded man, "is Elias Thornboldt. And your informant is perfectly correct when he assures you that I am crazy." The newcomers stared. "What of it!" Thornboldt demanded, his voice rising in pitch. "I have brains, even if they are addled. I have respectability. I should associate with scientists--decent citizens--instead of scum. Thieves, murderers, pickpockets, harlots--you are not nice people, not any of you!" He glared at the group as if challenging denial. "With my brains," he went on, breathing heavily, "I should create a wonderful space ship--instead of a monstrosity that was never intended on heaven or earth. Fortunately, I know I am mad. The rest of you do not know what vermin you are!" Marlin felt a hand plucking at his sleeve. He glanced down to meet the eyes of Link peering through strands of dank hair. "We better ooze out," the creature said. "When the old gink gets started like that he'll keep it up all night." The passage, as Marlin had surmised, was a tunnel through the rock. Bart DuChane led the way with a flashlight. A narrow plank walk marked its length for something like a hundred feet. They emerged on what seemed to be a ledge of the open mountainside. The rain was still pouring, but an outcropping overhead partly protected the ledge. Across the way, a rim of tall pines could be discerned against the murky sky. "It's the hollow of an ancient crater," DuChane volunteered. "That dark mass in the pit below--but why spoil your anticipation? Tomorrow you'll see for yourselves." He laughed unpleasantly. "These are the bunkhouses--ladies to the left, men to the right. Maw is a stickler for the proprieties." They entered a narrow shack--apparently one of several along the ledge. There were two lower and two upper bunks. Since the lower had been appropriated by DuChane and Link, the late comers climbed into the upper tier. "Looks almost as if they was expecting us--or somebody," commented McGruder. "The old goof sorta hinted--" "They were," chuckled DuChane. "You'd be surprised." CHAPTER III