 This is John Steele reporting on adventure Maybe you call it Cali Montan Maybe just plain Borneo But to me it spells just one name Rajrani She was beautiful the kind of beauty that makes you think of the misty moonlight of the tropics. I Call this transcribe yarn Vampire Funtimero is just a fishing village on the south coast of Borneo until a guy named Muhammad Ali opened up a place there after that Purity and innocence died natural deaths, but you could buy provisions at Muhammad Ali's you could buy anything from American soft drinks to Chinese narcotics in Funtimero if you want to go anywhere at all you have to go to Muhammad Ali's unless you go swimming with sharks and octopuses in the Bay or you want to take a stroll through the jungle and be eaten alive by assorted spiders and ants Me I wanted a cold drink and human company. So I went to Muhammad Ali's I Picked up a beer and carried it to the only vacant chair in the place and found myself looking at a human mountain seated across the table from me I figured the guy for a trader of some kind of Indifferent nationality a pleasure my friend to offer you a cigarette. Thanks for me to extend the light. Thanks again American of course basically I was once in your country, San Francisco Delightful city. It was the last time I saw it. Are you familiar with Borneo? Not too well, but this is not your first time here Oh, no, no, no, you seem at home. My name is Vracken young Vracken. I'm John steel. What do you think of this place? It'll do for what it is. I find it revolting. Mr. Steele. I seldom come down here I have a charming little bungalow just up the river. Oh English colonial wide sweeping veranda All the way around it surrounded by beautifully kept lawns and rose gardens and oasis of refinement in a barbaric country Oh, I'd like to see it before I leave here. Well, do me the great honor of being my guest and tonight We we can enjoy supper with champagne. Well, why not? And shall we leave this dreadful place? those girls Make me sick John vracken owned a Jeep that had seen its best days But it was just right for the short journey along the jungle path that ran along the banks of the river If only you were staying a little longer, mr. Steele. Why I would arrange to entertain you a tiger hunt Do you enjoy hunting on occasion? Well, my favorite sport is wild boar at least twice. He Anything wrong? There she is mr. Steele who is she standing there among the trees staring at us pretend you do not see her Well, who is she Rajrani? That's her name. Yes Gorgeous. She's wicked. Well, is she taboo? It is no laughing matter mr. Steele She thinks it is You're really scared of us. Yes. I'm terrified. I don't get it. Do not misunderstand I I was happy to meet you even under normal conditions. I would have invited you to my home But but what I was definitely afraid to come this way alone. All right. Why I wanted company because of that girl girl Yeah, she is not human. Oh No, you laugh mr. Steele. She looked very human to me. She she is a vampire Say that again. Don't make fun of it mr. Steele. Didn't you say she was a vampire? Yes. Oh I say No, I'm not mad mr. Steele everyone in this neighborhood knows what she is. Mm-hmm. That's all She's a vampire the of the most deadly sort. Well, there were a few with Muhammad Ali's only they didn't look as clean Mr.. Steele Rajrani has already killed two men this year. You're really serious about this. I fear I am her next victim next victim. She watches for me I see you're sometimes at night time watching my house Listen to her Yon Braken was no madman. He was simply a badly scared man We drove on his bungalow was a big one all he had said it was and miles from anywhere Modern furniture mixed with some fine rat-an pieces and set off by delicate oriental decorations. I have no servants, mr. Are you doing fine? Can I help? No, just be comfortable. You do your own housework. I've late I'm forced to I cannot find servants too far off from town. They'll not work for me No, if it were not for the filth of the town, I would live there But I cannot tolerate filth not after this place and so I remain here in my terror all come on Yet you know mr. Steele I Can understand something for instance. I told you Rajrani has killed two men this year in each case They themselves went to her She did not come to them look over. It's true mr. Steele and I can understand Better finish your drink. They had to go to her They were fascinated by her that I can believe they resisted for a time then succumbed But I will not mr. Steele. Oh, yes. I I confess she fascinates me She's very seldom out of my mind. She's quite a girl chum. Let's face it She's very very annoying There's no better word The English language is rich, but it contains no better word for her. Who were these two fellows? She killed Two natives two natives whose heads were full of voodoo nonsense. Do you know how a vampire kills? I know how the vampire bat kills Punctures a tiny hole in the skin and feeds on the blood of its victims Yeah, and in that manner the two natives died mr. Steele the throat's punctured Please look through the window Look through the window There she is She's out there She stood there near one of the rose bushes the moonlight shimmering around her It was queer, but I felt a sort of cold shiver Suddenly there was something about that girl's beauty It gave me the creeps When a guy has vampires on his mind, that's one thing but when the vampire is a beautiful jungle gal That's something else This particular vampire was the original sarong girl Okay, so Barney always a strange country with strange people's living in it So maybe this is the kind of experience that had to come from there It happened along the Faman River The scene was a gorgeous one the moon looking like it was hanging on the top branches of a tall palm tree the jungle Just beyond the cultivated grounds of the gleaming white bungalow of a retired trader named yon rockin I was rockin's guest for the night and we'd both seen Rajrani staring at the bungalow I'm no judge of human vampires, but if Rajrani was one there was a lot to be said for her species Out there somewhere among the bushes or the trees Out there waiting Waiting for what for one of us for me to go out there Why don't you take the chance? Are you joking mr. Steve? Where'd she come from a village a hundred miles up a river. Oh, she was driven away from her village. Yeah I hear breakfast. Thank you and she came down here. Mr. Steel She destroyed three men in her own village all three of them, huh? Of course, you don't believe any of this What do you know about her? Who is she? Her grandfather was English, but she's native. Oh, yes. I Don't see any sign of an hour Does she speak any English English or Dutch they all do yeah English most likely have you ever spoken to her? No As anyone around here. I mean I don't know But where does she live who knows somewhere close to where we first saw her tonight, but where among the trees in a cave perhaps What does she live on? Did you ask? We waited for Rajrani to show herself again, but she didn't I had every intention of going out to her Maybe because I had to convince myself She was as normal as I was but the night passed without further incident and next morning John Brock and drove me back to town Isn't this the place where we saw her last night? Yes. Will you stop stop? Yeah by all means You see during the day. She is harmless I can be brave brave enough to take a walk over there. I walk. Yeah, we may see her Well, I or you can wait here. No, no, no, I do not care to be left alone here. Well, let's take a look around, huh? Very well there Are several small caves just beyond these trees we can look into a few of them She's across there Smiling at us and stay here. Yes Be careful mr. Steel Hello, hello Rajrani, they tell me that's your name. Yes, and you do speak English. Oh, yes a lot of rocks around here may I sit down? You have a sense of humor, right you are funny man you talk like you think I'm child I'm woman I'll buy that buy it figure of a speech forget it Who are you? I'm not on your mailing list. You wouldn't know me. My name is steel John steel John It was my grandfather's name. Oh, that's all did he teach you English Why do you frighten my friend back there? I make fun? I love when he's frightened. He says everyone is frightened of you I know they frightened You are not frightened. No Do you want me to be no? You want food? What do you have fruit many nuts not now? That all you eat is all I can get I cannot hunt I Cannot kill animals. Well, wouldn't you like to live in a house? No, look Would you like me to bring you some food? Yes, some cooked meat bread things of that sort. Would you like that cooked me? Yes, you bring that to me. I'll bring it to this place after sundown Would you be here? Oh, yes, I will be here. You bring to me. I'll bring you a mess of sure and some milk You like milk? Yes, you bring please See you tonight then. Goodbye now. I wait for you. Yeah, that'll be fine So you will meet her tonight after sundown and you will take her food Yeah, I resent this mr. Steel you what I resent it very strongly You shouldn't drink so much in the morning fellow. What can she mean to you? Oh, so that's it But you will do well not to go to her. You're all mixed up chum. Oh, no No, mr. Steel. I am not mixed up. I am and I confess this freely fascinated by that girl And I resent your your audacity your reckless courage. Look you take her the food go on my place You know I won't you can thank you. No, I'll set yourself Why did you tell her that you'd go there tonight? Why not during the day? Well, you say she's harmless during the day. Oh, you deliberately But what was it like being so close to her? You you took her hand once What what did it feel like? I felt my heart pounding mr. Steel I I wanted to rush over there just just to be as close to her After a while I left Reichen I bought a lot of food had it packed up Then one upstairs to my room later in the day I went down again to eat a meal rock and was still there soaking up liquor. I stayed away from About five that afternoon. I was back in my room doing some writing. I didn't hear you knock chum. I Did not knock mr. Steel be careful with that gun. I am drunk mr. Steel Capable of anything you look at me and you see the flabby hulk of a man that you despise But you are wrong in one respect mr. Steel. I am possessed of considerable courage at this point I am drunk with it shall we say yeah, let's say that the package on your bed Is that food for rush honey? Yeah, I will pay for it. I will take it with me Oh, I am taking your place mr. Steel not in that condition in this condition as one gentleman to another I Am going in this condition you better sleep for an hour I can't get that girl out of my mind mr. Steel No matter if she must destroy me. I must go to her you see I am Drunk and I'm not afraid that gun you must not follow me mr. Steel Okay, okay, but you will hmm. I can read it in your mind You will try to take her away from me. I can't let you interfere with me Stephen You would have followed me John Bracken was drunk when he fired at me he couldn't miss I was standing only four feet away But his hand wavered I felt a red hot pain the bullet clipped the side of my neck just barely touched it And I went on living my reflexes are good I didn't even think I just dropped to the floor and stayed there sure I was dazed but I had sense enough not to be overly heroic a second bullet might have finished me off Reichen was satisfied He picked up the food package. I'd bought for Raj Rani and ran out of my room She must be around here somewhere Oh Don't you hide from me? I know you're here. I have some food for you right? I bought you a lot of nice food you hear me Please don't make me wait Oh You're so beautiful, please please do not go away. I want to touch you You are so beautiful. I do not care what you are Look, here's the food. I bought you in this package Take it still there Raj Rani. I Do not see you I am so sleepy. I am so sleepy. I Must sleep for a little while Just You're so beautiful Oh, yes, a man could die for the kiss of a girl like you. Oh No Not my throat Not my throat She was my fault don't be a foal still this this blood this blood on my throat What she came to me the vampire. She came to me as I stepped. I Don't kiss me than I felt Here hold it hold it. Let me look at your throat I'm not awakened. I woke up in time. I felt her there. I bust our way I heard her laugh at me steal. She must be destroyed There's two ways only still to destroy her kind the silver bullet of a sharpened wooden stand up you idiot I thought oh my throat. She was killing me. I would have died if I'm not working when I did Come on stand up I feel sick I ought to slug you for that bullet forgive me. I was drunk. I was not myself Come on The past over there Now either go home and sleep or go back to town to town of course But what are you going to do? Never mind me? Go on you'll get out of here There were tiny marks on brocken's throat there were traces of blood in a country like Borneo That was all the proof necessary It was one thing for a few natives upriver to accuse Rajrani of being a vampire But if the European walked into town with a kind of evidence rockin could show Rajrani's goose was cooked laid a hundred down and make sure she was dead And somehow I couldn't quite go along with a vampire theory. I Don't know what I expected to accomplish But after rockin had left me I lay down in the same place where he'd been lying the grass was wet The bug started crawling over me, but I waited quite sure that Rajrani was watching me. So that's it Rajrani Come here Yes Look, you're in serious trouble. You know that Will you trust me? Yeah, give me your hand. Let's get away from here. Yeah, there's some islands off the coast I have a lot of friends on one of them. I'm going to take you there. You'll be safe there safe You don't even know what it's all about. Do you? You know we'll have to get down to the beach without being seen we're lucky we may be able to borrow a boat You see across there out to sea. Yes, that's cripple and that's an island They've got to get over there many boats on Sam Problem is to find one with oars in it Yeah Come on keep well down. They may start shooting. I'll have the sail up in a jiffy and we'll be on our way There was an offshore breeze it filled the big sail of the catamaran and we glided away from the beach towards the island I saw of rockin and half a dozen town tuffs running towards the beach They fired a few shots the catamaran was hit in several places, but she kept to float We reached the island in about an hour and a half and I took Rajrani to a friend of mine the resident missionary and his wife I told them about Rajrani and that was all there was to it. They took her in Well friends, you've just heard vampire The answer was simple superstition and a readiness to believe in any kind of voodoo in each case the men who had died had been drinking to fight Their fear of the vampire and once drunk they had driven themselves to go where they thought Rajrani would be waiting Maybe she always was as when Vrocken went to her and once there their senses left them Sure, they were killed, but death was the result of self-hypnosis plus something else Something did puncture their throats Something punctured the skin of my throat as I lay where Vrocken had been lying in the grass a particularly vicious species of tick and I brushed it off but real fast and So much for the vampire be around next week for a story. I like to call skid roll Maybe you think it's Bleecker Street, New York City east of 6th Avenue or in San Francisco At any rate, it's the longest street in the world It's anywhere you go from Skipper Street and Antwerp to Wallamaroo Sydney, Australia from the lime house causeway in London to Gore Street, Calcutta It was back some years ago when I first ran into a guy named Sailor Jones I'd seen him before that and I saw him afterwards But it was in 1948 in Calcutta where my association with him began and his strange story unfolded Heard with me on this transcribed John Steele adventure were Wendell Holmes and Inga Adams I'm Don Douglas So until next week then and skid roll remember adventure is where you find it, but don't look for it It may find you Remember to be with us next week for another episode in the series John Steele adventure This is the United States armed forces radio and the television service