It will be remembered that I had spent nearly the whole of the
preceding year in South America, putting through an irrigation
scheme. Thus, I knew little of what had occurred in that interval.
On the other hand, Harry and I had never seen fit to take
Charlotte into our confidence as, I now see, we should have done.

So we fairly pounced upon the manuscript which Harry had left
behind. And by the time we had finished reading it, I for one, had
reached one solid conclusion.

"I'm convinced," I said, "that the stranger--Rhamda Avec--is an
out-and-out villain. Despite his agreeable ways, I think he was
solely and deliberately to blame for Professor Holcomb's
disappearance. Consequently, this Rhamda is, in himself, a very
valuable clue as to Harry's present predicament."

Referring to Harry's notes, I pointed out the fact that, although
Avec had often been seen on the streets of San Francisco, yet the
police had never been able to lay hands on him. This seemed to
indicate that the man might possess the power of actually making
himself visible or invisible, at will.

"Only"--I was careful to add--"understand, I don't rank him as a
magician, or sorcerer; nothing like that. I'd rather think that
he's merely in possession of a scientific secret, no more
wonderful in itself than, say, wireless. He's merely got hold of
it in advance of the others; that's all."

"Then you think that the woman, too, is human?"