Logan nodded.  ‘You funked it,’ he said.

’When I was at Cagayan Sulu in 1897 I heard from the natives of a singular tribe in the centre of the island.  This tribe is the Berbalangs.’

‘That’s what Professor Jenkins called them,’ said the captain.

’The Berbalangs are subject to neither of the chiefs in the island.  No native will approach their village.  They are cannibals.  The story is that they can throw themselves into a kind of trance.  They then project a something or other—­spirit, astral body, influence of some kind—­which flies forth, making a loud noise when distant.’

‘That’s what we heard,’ said the captain.

‘But is silent when they are close at hand.’

‘Silent they were,’ said the captain.

‘They then appear as points of red flame.’

‘That’s so,’ interrupted the captain.

‘And cause death to man and beast, apparently by terror.  I have seen,’ said Bude, shuddering, ’the face of a dead native of high respectability, into whose house, before my own eyes, these points of flame had entered.  I had to force the door, it was strongly barred within.  I never mentioned the fact before, knowing that I could not expect belief.’

‘Well, sir, I believe you.  You are a white man.’

Bude bowed, and went on.  ’The circumstances, though not generally known, have been published, captain, by a gentleman of reputation, Mr. Edward Forbes Skertchley, of Hong Kong.  His paper indeed, in the Journal of a learned association, the Asiatic Society of Bengal, {232}induced me, most unfortunately, to visit Cagayan Sulu, when it was still nominally in the possession of the Spaniards.  My experience was similar to that of Mr. Skertchley, but, for personal reasons, was much more awful and distressing.  One of the most beautiful of the island girls, a person of most amiable and winning character, not, alas! of my own faith’—­Bude’s voice broke—­’was one of the victims of the Berbalangs. . . .  I loved her.’

He paused, and covered his face with his hands.  The others respected and shared his emotion.  The captain, like all sailors, sympathetic, dashed away a tear.

‘One thing I ought to add,’ said Bude, recovering himself, ’I am no more superstitious than you are, Captain Funkal, and doubtless science will find a simple, satisfactory, and normal explanation of the facts, the existence of which we are both compelled to admit.  I have heard of no well authenticated instance in which the force, whatever it is, has been fatal to Europeans.  The superstitious natives, much as they dread the Berbalangs, believe that they will not attack a person who wears a cocoa-nut pearl.  Why this should be so, if so it is, I cannot guess.  But, as it is always well to be on the safe side, I provided myself five years ago with a collection of these objects, and when I heard that we were ordered to Cagayan Sulu I distributed them among my crew.  My friend, you may observe, wears one of the pearls.  I have several about my person.’  He disengaged a pin from his necktie, a muddy pearl set with burning rubies.  ’Perhaps, Captain Funkal, you will honour me by accepting this specimen, and wearing it while we are in these latitudes?  If it does no good, it can do no harm.  We, at least, have not been molested, though we witnessed the phenomena.’