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Bulan saw them at the same instant, and as Virginia ran forward to greet her

father he staggered weakly to his feet. Von Horn was the first to see the young

giant, and with an oath sprang toward him, drawing his revolver as he came.

"You beast," he cried. "We have caught you at last."

At the words Virginia turned back toward Bulan with a little scream of warning

and of horror. Professor Maxon was behind her.

"Shoot the monster, von Horn," he ordered. "Do not let him escape."

Bulan drew himself to his full height, and though he wavered from weakness, yet

he towered mighty and magnificent above the evil faced man who menaced him.

"Shoot!" he said calmly. "Death cannot come too soon now."

At the same instant von Horn pulled the trigger. The giant's head fell back, he

staggered, whirled about, and crumpled to the earth just as Virginia Maxon's

arms closed about him.

Von Horn rushed close and pushing the girl aside pressed the muzzle of his gun

to Bulan's temple, but an avalanche of wrinkled, yellow skin was upon him before

he could pull the trigger a second time, and Sing had hurled him back a dozen

feet and snatched his weapon.

Moaning and sobbing Virginia threw herself upon the body of the man she loved,

while Professor Maxon hurried to her side to drag her away from the soulless

thing for whom he had once intended her.

Like a tigress the girl turned upon the two white men.

"You are murderers," she cried. "Cowardly murderers. Weak and exhausted by

fever he could not combat you, and so you have robbed the world of one of the

noblest men that God ever created."

Hush!" cried Professor Maxon. "Hush, child, you do not know what you say.

The thing was a monster--a soulless monster."

At the words the girl looked up quickly at her father, a faint realization of his

meaning striking her like a blow in the face.

What do you mean?" she whispered. "Who was he?"

It was von Horn who answered.

No god created that," he said, with a contemptuous glance at the still body of the

man at their feet. "He was one of the creatures of your father's mad experiments-

The Monster Men