They alert Captain Vredenburgh about the possibility of the black stones being toxic, and, while he doesn’t fully believe them, he believes that they believe the stones to be dangerous. They find that whatever it was ate through the floor, falling into a shower below, but they can find no teace of where it went from there. What’s more, they find odd corrosive stipling on the floor that leads beneath the radiator. Not even the smell of tobacco lingers in it. They investigate, finding that the tobacco jar Humphries kept the opals in is oddly clean. A rapid radio message to Lexington and Moore aboard the Wilhelmina alerts their friends to the possibility that they may have problems as well.

From his descriptions, the Investigators know immediately that seeds of the Imprisoned God have been brought aboard the Gabrielle. He claims that two black opals have been stolen from him. One, Humphries, says that he’s been robbed by Beakins and White, his cabin mates. Several crew members are dragged to First Officer Turlow for judgement. On December 23, however, it becomes clear that the voyage home will not be without incident. Although the seas are rough, the first couple of days of sailing are peaceful enough.

Beyond the mountains of madness