Show L ww wv bulldog bull dog ji 0 yo or 40 X by the adventures of a mobilized demobilized De cyri y I 1 man eile officer who found peace dull sapper copyright by geo IL doron doran CO 1 CHAPTER X continued 1 15 stop it La kington ills his voice was tern stern as he be caught the others upraised arm enough for the time for a moment it seemed as it if lak ington would have struck peterson himself then he controlled himself 4 and with an ugly laugh flung the vi hip into a corner comer 1 I forgot he said slowly its the leading dog we ue want not the puppies that run after film tapping ile he spun round on his heel have you finished the rope artist bestowed a final touch to the last knots knot and surveyed Ms his handiwork with justifiable pride cold mutton he remarked tersely would be lively compared to him when he wakes up good then well bring him to La kington took some crystals from a jar on one of the shelves and placed them in a tumbler then he added a few drops of liquid and held the lie glass directly under the unconscious mans nose almost at once the liquid began to effervesce and in less than a minute drummond opened his eyes and stared bared dazedly round the room he F stop it La kington 11 his voice wat was stern as he caught the others upraised arm waked blinked foolishly as he saw longworth find and sinclair then he looked down and found he be was similarly bound him ballf finally he be glanced up at the man bending over him and full realization returned feeling better my friend with a mocking smile La kington laid the tumbler on a table close by much thank you henry murmured hugh alit ahl and theres carl lie he grinned cheerfully and laking ton toil struck him on the mouth you can stop that style of conversation captain drummond he remarked 1 I dislike it it hugh stared at the striker in silence accept my congratulations he said eald at length in a low voice which despite himself shook a little you are the first man who ho has hall ever done that and I 1 shall treasure the memory of that blow id hate it to be a lonely memory remarked La lackington kington so heres a another to keep it company again he struck him then with a laugh he turned on his big heel sly my compliments to miss benton he said to a roan man standing near the door and ask her to be good enough to come down for a few minutes the veins stood out on drummonds forehead at the mention of the girl but otherwise he gave no sign and in n silence they waited for her arrival she came almost at once a villain ous looking blackguard with her and ts as she saw hugh she gave a pitiful little moan and held out her hand to SIM mm why did you come boy she bhe cried you know it was only a for that note ahl was it said hugh softly was it indeed an all interesting point murmured lackington La kington surely if a charming girl li Is unable or unwilling to write herself to her fiance her father Is a very able person to is supply the deficiency especially if he be lias has been kindly endowed by nature with a special aptitude for er imitating writing but time presses and I 1 dont want to go eo without telling you a little about the program captain drummond unfortunately both sir mr peterson and I 1 have to leave you for tonight but we shall be ns tomorrow il morning lorning or at any rate I 1 shall you will alli be left in ch charge urge ot of Heinri clr you remember the filthy boche with wham you had words the other night As you amny expect lie he entertains feelings of great friendship and affe toil ion for you fo 10 you should not lack for any bodily co comforts in such as may be possible in your present somewhat cramped position then tomorrow when I 1 return I 1 propose to try a few experiments on you and though I 1 fear you will find end them painful its k a great thing to su suffer affer in the cause of science you will always have the satisfaction of knowing that dear little phyllis will be well cared for with a sudden quick movement lie he seized the girl and kissed her before slie site realized his intention the rope round drummond creaked as he be struggled impotently and Laking tons sneering ice seemed to swim in a red glow that Is quite in keeping Is it not he snarled to kiss the baily and to strike the man like this and tills this and this A rain of blows came down on drummonds face till with a gasping sigh the girl slipped balut fainting to the floor do La kington said peterson intervening once again have the girl carried upstairs stairs and send for heinrich Heln rich its time we were off with an effort La kington let his big hand fall to his side and stood back from his victim perhaps for or the he present it will he be said slowly but tomorrow t tomorrow captain drummond you shall scream to heaven for mercy until I 1 take out your tongue and ald you can scream no more lie he turned as the german came into the room 1 I leave them to you heinrich Heln rich he ro remarked marked shortly use the dog whip if they shout and gag theme them the germans eyes were fixed on hugh gloatingly they will not shout twice he said in his guttural voice the dirty docile boche to it himself will 01 see TWO we appear remarked hugh quietly a few minutes later to be in for a cheery night for a moment the german had bad left the room and three motionless moti onlest bound figures sitting grotesquely in their chairs were alone how did they get you toby halt half a dozen of ern em suddenly appeared answered sinclair shortly knocked me on the head bead and the next nest thing I 1 knew I 1 was he here r e in tills this d d chair Js Is that when you got your face asked hugh no said toby and his voice was grim we share in the me matter of faces old man La kington again was it said hugh softly dear heaven I 1 if I 1 could get one hand on that ile he broke off and laughed what about you algy 1 I went blundering in over the 1 way ay old bean returned that worthy and some dam fellow knocked my eyeglass off so as I 1 see to kill him I 1 had to loin join the picnic here hugh laughed and then suddenly grew serious by the way you see a man chewing gum on the horizon did you when I 1 made my entrance tier ber suit and face like a motor mas cot thank god I 1 was spared that remarked algy goedl returned hugh hes probably a awny away with it by now and lies no fool for im thinking its only peter and him between us and he left lilt remark unfinished and for a violle there mere was silence jerry Is over in france still putting stamp paper on ills his machine teds beds gone up to teo see that potts Is taking nourishment and here we nie sit like three well preserved specimens in a batty bally museum broke in algy with a rueful laugh What ll they do to us hugh but drummond did not dot answer and the speaker seeing the look on his face did not press the question slowly the hours dragged on until the last gleams of daylight had f faded a ded from the skylight above and a solitary tr Y electric light hung centrally g gave ave the only illumination periodically heinrich Heln rich had come in to see that they were ere still secure but from the sounds of the hoarse laughter which came at ln lami mi through the half open door it was evident that the german had found other and more con congenial genial company at length he be app appeared eared carrying a tray with bread and water on it which he placed on a table near hugh food flood tor for you you english swine 1 he be remarked looking gloatingly at each in turn nerr herr La kington the order gave so that you will fit at be tomorrow morning fit for the torture lie ile thrust his flushed face close to drummonds and ther deliberately spat at him algy longworth gave a strangled grunt but drummond took no do notice with a quiet balet smile aralle lie he louried up at the german how much my friend frU iid he be remarked tire are you getting for this the gernian german leered at him ellough Il lough to see that lint you tomorrow are here 11 lie said and I 1 always believed that yours was a business notion laughed hugh why you poor fool ive got a thousand pounds in notes in my cigarette case you hot hof hot hof you the german grunted then the filthy boche will for you ot of them take care hugh looked at him angrily if you do he cried you must maist let me go the german leered still more Na you shall out of the houie houge at once walk he stepped up to drummond and ran his hands over his coat while the others stared at one another in amazement surely hugh imagine the swine would really let him go he wod merely take the money and probably spit in his face again then they hard h ard him speaking and a sudden gleam of comprehension dawned on their rates caces have to undo one of the ropes ny lay friend before you can get at it said cald hugh quietly for a moment the german hesitated nn ile looked at the ropes carefully the one that bound the arms and the upper part of the body was separate front from tile rope round the legs lege even it he did undo it the fool englishman was wag still titell bel helpless ples and he be knew that he was unarmed had he be inot cot himself removed his revolver as he lay unconscious in the hill ch what risk was there utter after all besides if he called some cne cine else to ID he h would have to sharp share the money and as he watched the germans indecision Ind cleon hughs hugh forehead grew damp with sweat would he undo the rope would greed conquer cau call tlona at last the boche made up his mind and went ant behind the chair hugh felt him tumbling fumbling with the rope and flashed an urgent look of caution at the oth othar lir two youl toua better be careful Helt irlen he be remarked that none of the others see or you might have to share the german ceased undoing the knot and grunted the english swine had of brightness and he went ever find and closed the floor door then he resumed the operation of untying the rope and since it was performed behind the chair he was in no position to see the look on drummonds face only the two bio spectators could sae sec that and they bad almost censi ceased breathing in their excitement e that lie he had a plan they knew what it was they could not even guess at last the rope fell clear and the german sprang back put tile case on the table lie he cried having not the slightest intention of coming within range of those formidable arms certainly not said hugh until you undo my legs then you shall have it quite loosely he was holding the case in one hand but the others watching his face saw that it was strained and tense first I 1 the not notes must have the german strove to speak conversationally but all the time he was creeping nearer and nearer to the back of the chair then I 1 your legs undo and you way may go alays warning cry rang out simultaneously with the lightning dart of tile the boches hand band as he snatch e d at t the he with a sudden quick movement he seized the girl and kissed her before she realized hla his intention cigarette case over drummonds Drum monda shoulder and then drummond laughed a low triumphant laugh it was the move lie he had been hoping for and the ger germans man a wrist was held fast in his viselike vise like grip ills his plan had succeeded and longworth and sinclair who had seen many things in their lives the remembrance of abl which ch will be with will them till their dying d day ay had never seen een and are never likely to see any tiling thing within measurable distance or of flat they saw in the next fe few W minutes slowly I 1 inexorably the germans german s arm was being misted while he uttered gasping cries and brat beat impotently at drummonds Drum monda head with wit ills ls rree free hand then at last there was a dull crack as the arm broke and a scream or of pain as he be lur lurched clied round the chair and stood in 1 front of the soldier who still held the cigarette case in his big left hand they saw drummond Drum open tle the or ie arette case and take from it what looked like a tube of wood then lie he felt in ills his pocket and took out a matchbox match box containing a number of long thin splinters and having fitted one of the splinters into the tube he put the other end in his big mouth with a quick heave they saw him jerk the german round and catch his unbroken arm with his free left hand and the two bound watchers looked at hughs eyes as lie he stared at the moaning boche and saw that they were hard and merciless there was a sharp whistling hiss and the splinter flew from the tube into the germans face it bung from his big cheek and even the ceaseless movement of his head tailed failed to dislodge it 1 I have broken your arm am boche said drummond at length and now I 1 have killed you tm put sorry about it I 1 particularly anxious to end your life but it had bad to be done the german hardly conscious of what he be had said owing to the pain in his arm was vias frantically kicking the English mans legs still bound to the chair but the iron grip on his bis wrists never slackened and then quite suddenly came the end with one dreadful convulsive heave the german jerked himself free and fell doubled up on the floor fascinated they watched him writhing and twisting 1 until at last he lay still the boche was dead what was that blowpipe blow pipe affair cried sinclair hoarsely the thing they tried to finish me with in paris last night answered hugh grimly taking a knife out of his waistcoat pocket let ws us trust that none of hla his pals come in to look tor for him A minute later he stood up only to sit down again abruptly as his legs gave way they were numbed and stiff with the hours he be had bad spent in the same position and for a while he be could do nothing but rub them with his hands bands till tile the blood returned and he could feel once more then slowly and painfully he tottered across to the others and set them free as well they were in an even worse condition than he had bad been and it seemed as it if algy aigy would never be able to stand again so completely dead was his big body from the waist downwards but at length after what seemed an eternity to drummond who realized only abo too well that should the gang come were almost as helpless in their present condition as if they were still bound in their chairs the other two recovered all fit now good weve were got to think what were going to do for were not out of the wood yet by two or three miles lets get the door open remarked algy and explore cautiously they swung it open and stood motionless the house was in absolute silence tile the hall was wag deserted switch out the light whispered hugh well wander round they crept for forward waid stealthily in the darkness stopping every now and then to listen but no sound came to their ears it might have been a house bouse of the dead suddenly drummond who was in front of the other two stopped will a warning hiss A light was streaming out from under a door at the end of a passage and as they stood watching it they heard a mans voice coming front from the same saine room some one else answered him and then there was silence once more at length hugh moved forward again and the others followed and it was not until they got quite close to the door that a strange continuous noise began to be no noticeable ti ceable a noise which came most distinctly from the II 11 bated room it rose and fell with monotonous regularity at times it resembled a brass band at others it died away to a gentle murmur and occasionally it was punctuated with ith a strangled snort great scott muttered hugh excitedly cit edly the whole boiling bunch tire are asleep or ill eat my nat then who ijo was it spoke said algy at least two of em are awake right enough and as it if in anser to ills his question there came the voice again from inside the room wal mr darrell I 1 guess we can pass on and leave this bunch with one laugh of joyful amazement hugh flung open the door and found himself looking front from the range of a yard into two revolvers |