Show 4 4 L T 4 I f fr r y YU TA rJ t J tr COPYRIGHT Oy SAX ROHMER SERVICE CHAPTER V Continued V-Continued B 8 8 She slipped a hand Into a n pocket of her Jumper and produced a half sheet of thin paper When I saw she continued and her voice olce grew rew very ery serious I thought you ought u ht to know at once lIal removed Mr 31 Ir r. r Smiths Smith's' glasses and took the torn sheet from Eileen's hand Scribbled in pencil upon the paper were the following following fol tol- fol- fol lowing vIng words Haig chief Inspector Scotland Yard on board lIoard Identify and advise ad- ad vise Alone once more Dawson Haig bent over his notes Eileen Elleen hind had slipped f In Sn unnoticed d. d Sheer She luc luck nn and her ber keen wit colt had come to his nl old aid Doctor penciled scrawl was obviously a translation of ot the tile message e hea head keeper searchlight ht near home stop know tell Its deadly simplicity betrayed genius The was elementary the letters being merely those next n the alphabet to but the fact tact that Head Keeper Searchlight meant t Chief Inspector Scotland Yard was one which no cr cryptographer cryptographer pher could ever eer be expected to dig cover er Near home evidently corresponded corresponded corresponded cor cor- responded to On board Known to 10 Identify Tell to advise It was a system of analogies and antI lie he proceeded eded to apply it to the other other oth- oth er messages with the result that by lunch time he lie was satisfied that I nt t it least the gist of these was In his 1 possession He Tie leaned leane back hack In his chair and antI andi i whistled softly Five members of at this mysterious organization professedly professedly pro pro- strangers to one another were traveling In the Wallaroo and Doctor was evidently the chief hl f. f Three were booked to Port Said since Len Chow had arranged ed to to can cancel his further passage two 4 10 to Australia hits What did their presence In the ship mean And what was the co connection con con- with the LImehouse murder murkier murler mur mur- kier ler He was baffled Perhaps the most alarming feature of the case was owns the tile fact that these people seemed to be supplied with deadly accurate Information In n. n Durham had been leen Identified so much was evi evl- dent Now the they knew that he Halg Haig was on board I Since he could not recall having ever eer seen one of the lU u IH In his life life Franz Hartog et excepted he excepted he Inclined to the Idea z that Durham ns as ns well as ns himself had wr tI freen notified to Doctor from some well informed source Ho He bent over the messa messages es which I he had decoded Those sent by the woman obviously related to the chief engineer one of or them reading read read- ring ing 1 Organ grinder sure stop big boy and next of or kin not running signed r fill Yal This he had trans translated as follows Chief engineer captured Corn Com wander mander and chief officer no good Tal dal That this meant that Corcoran had been bought over and become becom a party to some crooked deal Halg Haig Haigs l. l s dId not believe bellee for a moment He read read It to mean that the Infatuated engineer was playing Into the womans worn worn- ans an's hands lie He was to be used In some Some way without his knowledge But nut But Halg stared up at the tile porthole porthole porthole port- port hole and aner asked the question q es on aloud In what way Doctor radio correspond- correspond Sr tence f nce frankly defeated him He lIe could find nd no parallel among the ships ship's company Compan to the strange nam names em em- em i ed And he had come to the conclusion that It related to something some some- thing taking place elsewhere Evi I Evidently dently Doctor was a n sort of or chief of or staff his tits out going mesag messages message's mes mes- I I sages ages ag s tool took th the form torm of Inquiries as asto asto asto to the whereabouts of certain persons persons per per- sons and the Ule replies replica presumably f contained the desired Information which however ve conveyed eyed nothing at all to Dawson Ual Haig These messages were sent to a telegraphic address In Paris which he Lad bad no means of tracing It was all nil very ery maddening because because be be- cause ause one fact tact emerged from tram all this mystification ThIs j complicated conspiracy con con- had nothing to do with drug running That enterprise had hall been merel merely a side line nell abandoned at the first hint of or danger What then did It mean menn 1 Dawson HaIg sat his head rest- rest in upon one upraised hand hand for for five tl minutes minutes for for ten minutes f thinking very hard hard very hard hartI How had Jo Lung or the man of or whom Jo 30 Lung was merely a creature creature creature crea crea- ture learned of ot the Instructions sent S Sydney They had hall been sent from rom the Yard In code to the chief customs customs cus cus- toms U Halg Is suddenly stood up tip By heavens I 1 he whispered They cant can't nave M they known known they cant can't have haveR c. R known I It was a definite change of oC plan on the tile part of ot the gang They removed their precious consignment because Because of ot what CHAPTER VI THE IlE night train from Cairo to Asuan pulled Into the station at atI Kench eneli I Only two first-class first passengers passengers gers sers alighted there n man and anda a woman a small very cry slender woman The woman shivered ns as ns they entered entered en en- a saloon car ClU which awaited them In charge of ot a Nubian r chauffeur chauffeur chauffeur and groom You Tou shiver little one said Yuan flee Hee See The woman leaned against himI himI him I am so cold Yuan she explained ex ex- In two da days s 's you will be In your own apartments apartments amongst amongst among your scents and j Jewels wels and those other toys you love with service Ice and warmth and those treasures amid which I delight to see you pla playing He stroked her slender knee with witha a plump tapering hand and his words came as a high croon Where a large mosque grotesquely grotesque grotesque- I ly affected the continuity of ot the houses they swung Into a narrow narro side turning The driver skirted one high wall wan of the mosque came Into the very ery shadow of ot the mInaret minaret minaret min mIn- aret and turned left again Twenty yards alon along they pulled up The Nubian groom deftly unrolled d I a length of or carpet across the muddy path to a gate bate which was suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly opened in an otherwise blank wall An old Arab black robed and white turbaned stood there holdIng holding hold- hold Ing ins a lantern high above e his lis head bead Its yellow light fell eU upon a wrinkled face which had bad earned for Its owner owner owner own own- er the title of ot Father of Cunning Yuan lunn nee flee See and the woman oman passed across a roughly paved pa court court- I yard Light shone out from rooms on the ground floor and there was an outer staircase leading up to a balcony balcony bal bal- balcony cony Illuminated by two fine lattice windows Yuan Lice Hee See Sec Secand and his companion compan compan- ion entered a lighted room On the threshold they were met by Pasha He bowed low over o the extended extended extended ex ex- tended hand of Orange Blossom deeply l saluting Yuan lIce Hee See We have done our best my lord he be said I III trust you ou will be happy here for Cor one night He lIe clapped his bis hands and an old Arab woman appeared u I My lady ladr he bowed to Yuan Lice Hee Sees See's companion your apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment Is prepared will wUl attend attend attend at at- tend you Orange Blossom Coli followed owed the a aged ed attendant from the apart apart- ment All are here Yuan asked upon a ver very high note which betokened anxiety All I have bave the list showing sho where each man Is tonight Yuan flee Hee See waved a plump hand I do not wish to see It The detective fr from m Scotland Yard who Is on the Wallaroo has been Identified He is In touch with the American girl Sir whom your excellency has taken under your our protection 1 It Yuan Hee See began very ery softly to hiss It Is almost certain then that this man bad read the notes In my lOr book before 7 I I I fear so Excellency I Yuan Uee See his e eyes cs apparently apparent apparent- ly lv quite closed nodded slowly Even Een so sal said the he E Egyptian alone lie he could do nothing He lie tins has had time to Inform oth oth- ers But nut he cannot know all aU Yet this It was who followed me to toI Singapore a n year ear ago ngo and has hag escaped me since The Hangman hangman Hang lIan- man Is on board 1 he whispered He lIe Is A pause then Instruct Doctor said Yuan Hee lice See Sec Pasha nodded nodell compre compre- whereupon Yuan lice flee See began to laugh his red reel lips seeming to swell but his teeth never showing the oblique slits sIlts of at athIs his eyes ces turned turnell Jr k the Egyptians Egyptian's direction The laughter of or Yuan flee Hee See reached a note so high as to be almost almost almost al al- al- al most audible S a Dawson lIal sat In the room of or Jack Rattray the chief officer or rather he sat at nt Intervals Inter pacing up and down like a wild Its a most unholy business business' ss said In his slow fashion CashIon Ive e been lIcen looking on an and Ive I've seen things l' l First thing youre you're spotted spotted spotted spot spot- ted I know know and I cant can't read Oest- Oest lers ler's messa messages cs They're In a perfectly perfectly perfectly per per- undecipherable code Second thIn thing Rattray went on Two members member of this sUm slimy gang an are watching Eileen meaning Doctor Doctor Doctor Doc Doc- tor 0 O. nn and Mr Chow What for She's not In their way Is she Dawson turned turnell Just inside the cabin door and stared at the speaker speak speak- er Then Youre right Jack he said Ive le seen them myself I dont don't like It and I 1 dont don't understand It It But Dut what's It all about Rattray Rat Rat- tray asked helplessly What are all these birds doing on board In They're a pretty unsavory crew my reckoning anyway rs r's plausible enough but theres there's a nasty brute hidden under that amiable smile As for the snake e charmer shed she'd drown her own twins Then there are the two Chinks on D deck The learned one with the glasses glasses- the little lItile bloke I mean Len Chow doesn't seem In the Number One list to me But Dut his long Ions pal with the strangled face ought to be put overboard If it f Im I'm any Judge Then theres there's the big German Hartog he Hartog-he he seems harmless enough and not In Inthe Inthe inthe I the same gallery at all I dont don't know what to make of ot Jt it It And I said Dawson Halg Haig continuing continuIng continuing con con- his restless pacing dont know what to make of ot my report to the chief Im I'm acting on Information Information Information tion Rattray that this scheme whatever er It Is comes to a head before before before be be- fore we reach rench Aden And as I dont don't know what the scheme may be I cant can't reasonably expect Scotland Yard to go go on granting me leave leae of ot absence and paying my expenses Indefinitely Indefinitely- You ou see fee Im I'm supposed to be in charge of ot the Limehouse murder case easel 1 I know ow said Rattray nn and produced produced pro pro- his slow smile Its never been clear to me what the passenger list of the Wallaroo had to do with It It It Isn't clear to me mc Haig con con- fesse But I know now there Is a connection And I know I ha have ye my hand on the solution of the mystery If only I can grasp It It ItHe He lie pace paced up and down awhile longer then Do liDo you remember Jack he jerked suddenly the loss of a bIgGerman big bigGerman bigGerman German freighter somewhere off oIT about two years ago Jack Rattray shook his beadI head bead I wasn't on this run two years ears ago Why hy Well Pell theres there's no point polut In telling you wh why It If you ou dont don't remember the case Halg replied But do you ou recall the wreck of ot the AmerIcan American Amer Amer- ican lean steam yacht Miss Minnesota r Clear Clearly We were only fort forty miles off ocr at the time l I An aunt of at Eileen's Lady Elteen's Lady was was lost lostIn lostIn lostin In her What's the thc chief idea Iden grillIng grilling grill grill- ing lug In your brain pan There are several Ideas But I admit they're a trifle ha hazy hay y DI Did you yon get set an S 0 O S from herNot her her- Not a thing Then how do you ou know leno you were forty miles off ocr at the time Ran Uan Into bits of wreckage age and figured It out It funny they didn't send out a call caU for help Dawson Halg Haig asked Rattray stared starell at him him- No he replied In my opinion they the hit some small heavily laden craft and the pair of or em sank almost at once But Dut surely there would have been a few survivors Have you yon ever had a n good look at a shark said Jack Rattray grimly Followed Followell a short silence then DaIs Halg asked Is there much drug smuggling down that way Lots I Hashish for Egypt mostly most most- ly Also the good od old oId slave sla trade flourishes exceedingly I I But where can cantile tile the markets be Jack Theres Mecca That's Tints still a closed city Fez up In ha Africa And Im I'm told theres there's a small sort of exclusive exclusive ex ex- market somewhere on the Nile In Egypt A rap on the door floor Come In I Rattray called Thedoor Thedoor The Thedoor door opened and Eileen entered closing It carefully behind herIve her lIer Ive I caught them I 1 she declared her eyes sparkling with excitement at at last l I What Dawson Halg demanded I hI saw the snake charmer slip sUp a 0 note Into the hand of at Mr Ir Len Chow as the they passed on the promenade deck three minutes ago o I There was a dance after dinner that night THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING Matt laU Kearney young youns American living In London says good by to his hla sIster slater Eileen on board the Wallaroo The ship Is la conveying in tn ingold gold sold to Australia On his way home Kearney meets Inspector tor Pawson Dawson of or Scotland Yard very much In love 10 with Eileen Hale Halg Is la on the trail ot or opium which he lie Is convinced Is la concealed In Jo Lungs Lung's warehouse Called to other duty Hale delegates Kearney with Detective Norwich to visit the tho place and find out what he can While In the warehouse Kearney picks up and carries away a notebook which ho he turns over to HalS' HalS Yuan lIce Flee Sec See leader lender of or a a. band of or International thieves Is at Jo Lungs Lung's Ho lIe sends Bends two two or of his followers after Norwich and Kearney one of or whom he be realizes must havo have picked up the not notebook book is puzzled over cryptic notes In n the book referring to the Wallaroo Soon after leaving Kearney Norwich Is murdered but Kearney la is not overtaken While Hall Is la poring porIng poring por por- ing over the book a n monstrous creature enters seizes It and escapes escapee At Cairo Yuan confers with his lieutenant Pasha over a Il mysterious mys- mys coup they are planning Mali Halg boards the Wallaroo at Marseilles disguised From radio messages ho decodes ho he realizes that members of ot gang gans are on board and that they have recognized him Dawson desperately worried worried wor wore ried went up onto the boat hoot d deck k quite deserted at the moment and anil leaned over the starboard rail at fit n a point Just aft art the bridge e. e staring across 3 calm sea sen In the direction of or orthe the African COil coast st st. lie He tried to think to to think calmly The problem was one demanding the exercise e of nil all his powers And AmI set like n a Jewel In this dark affair was Eileen Eileen n a distracting figure he could not be he blind to the truth and one upon which all too often i he found his thoughts focused That |