Show f 1 err r a ry i l id 1 J i h r r r SAX t ROHMER vp COPYRIGHT By SAX ROHMER SERVICE CE CHAPTER X Continued X-Continued Continued 16 16 I HI know who you are She told me Listen only listen This Is s theof the work of the Chinese hell hell It Is Said Sold from who has bas taken the little one They have drugged her again I think The poor batty baBy They will take her to I and from tram there to the house of ot Hassan Suk es-Suk at This house I know It I know It I Halg Haig interrupted Interrupted Interrupted In In- Impatiently Go on t 1 Go Goon Goon Goon on There are two motor boats In Inthe the harbor In one of ot them sh she will willbe willbe be taken For Gods God's sake save her ber t Here Dere It Is bad u en ugh but but h-but but there I Stop th them m I You must stop them I But nut tel teU me where Is my best chance chance- I There Is only one wn way she said it lilt Is through the gate But nut If you could only reach It the blacks would never question you And all nIl those pigs are away awny Halg Haig raced down the stone steps As It chanced a collapsible ladder used for pruning purposes was lyIng lying lying ly ly- ly- ly ing on a path where one of ot the gardeners had left leCt It t It was heavy but long A passionate rage gave Dawson DawHon Halg Haig additional strength Fully e ex extending extending ex- ex tending the ladder he leaned It up against the high wall mounted and stood on the top The road rand far nr below below be be- low was deserted from end to end Poked Poised perilously he be began to draw the ladder up an nn operation calling for tor great muscular effort and a nice sense of equilibrium A sort of savage e exultation lent him the powers of an nn acrobat He got the ladder poised like a see saw on top of the wall Then realizing that he could not turn It he lowered the narrow end onto the baked hard rand mud of ot the path below Swiftly he slid down jerk Jerked d the tall ladder from the wall closed Its three sectIons sections sec see and dropped It amongst rank under undergrowth In a ditch He reached the outskirts of ot the little UWe terraced town unchallenged unchallenged- Indeed without meeting a n living creature The palm lined street on the left which contained what appeared appeared ap ap- ap to o be the only cafe In the place was deserted None of ot the squat equal buildings of ot plastered mud mud- brick and woodwork exhibited any sign of life Tied up to the steps was a looking dingy y motorboat the motorboat the fame came or Its Us twin In which he be had crossed from Then a distant distant distant dis dis- tant murmur checked him In his bis stride Shading his eyes he stared Another motorboat motorboat-a a mere dot In Inthe Inthe Inthe the blue was blue was rapidly disappearing around the tall of ot the Island r I r He Be set out running again but had hadnot hadnot hadnot not gone fifty yards when a second time be he was pulled up sharply From the north far over the sea beyond the rocky headland which T ti ys r r ra raP P 1 Poised Perilously He Ho Began to Draw the Ladder Up Upp embraced the port beyond the file Island Island island Is Is- land came camp echoing and echoing re-echoing the sound ot of a 8 mighty pi ex-pi 0 sion Blon ti Jack chief officer of ot the Wallaroo was US a powerful po swImmer swim swIm- mer When that rain of Yuan ma ma- gun Chine had swept the sea sen he had hod ducked under tinder the protection of lot the hunting deck chair lie r fC ert covered d hy by resting g his chin chint t Upon a piece and swimming steadily Ete he could propel It without any uny v very r arnt short effort He lie knew L provided h he could escape a bullet F that I It 1111 would hi be he possible to kI we keep CP e afloat for hours But that ghastly t stretch around the wreck was now bristling with sharks sharks' fins Ons I t There were fewer sounds from the tile few ew poor survivors But the protecting deck chair so far had escaped the attention both of ot the marksmen and antI of ot the sharks s. s Rattray Rattray- summoned all aU his re re- re- re sources He meant to survive th the tragedy He must survive IL It t A floating deck chair and one mans man's undaunted spirit meant the difference difference differ differ- ence between Immunity for these ghastly murderers and that day of ot reckoning which he swore with clenched teeth should come to them A gentle almost Imperceptible current was bearing him seawards He trI tried to visualize a chart of ot the Red fled sea sen and the approximate positions post position tion of ot steamers He was many miles mlle off oft 01 the track and dusk was was near His proper course then was to steal southward on this gentle ge Ue current and then edge In toward the tall of ot the rocky Island since rescue by a passing steamer was almost out of ot the question He was now more than a mile from the scene of ot the disaster He swung around The submarine and the dhow the latter with two boats bonts In tow was making for tor the head of the Island It was a screen from behind which doubtless they operated op op- And so carefully does Fate weave wea those comedies In which willy-nilly willy we all play a part that It was almost almost al al- al most exactly at nt this moment that Dawson Halg Haig walked 1 down the tile little lit tle tie Jetty to where the motor cruiser cruis cruls er was moored A pockmarked negro whom he remembered and antI an Arab boy were on board They stood up and stared at him him suspiciously as ns he came burr hurrying hurrying hur bur r along the tile stone pavement Orders he said sharply Ko seir 1 I but as ns he sprang on board the crew of ot two continued to regard regard regard re re- gard him with doubt and tion Hurry Burry I he cried and swung the formidable club he carried The negro glanced helplessly at the boy and and the latter threw off oft the rope At last the game was If Ip his hands By ny dawn he he would be back In Ko seir There was a wireless station statton and anel a n small En English lIsh colony He was no longer Joseph but had become again In spirit and In fact Detective e Inspector Dawson Halg Haig He peered anxiously ahead The leading motor cruiser was not hot insight In Insl sl sight ht Even If It a n car waited at Ko Ko- seir which he be suspected would be bethe bethe bethe the case he could have It Intercept intercept- ed The game was In his hands The course as he remembered lay may due northwest from the bay for forthe forthe forthe the first forty orty or fifty miles There out of ot sight of ot the mainland It skirted that long low Island Thence It bore north along a desolate desolate des des- coast for three hours or more then westerly again sweeping out seaward to pass Jeddah and nor northwest t to the petrol pe station He might find himself In do difficulty there Probably they had some means of ot communication Exultation doubt fear fought for or supremacy In his mind They were three hours out from the base and the long low Island was dropping dropping dropping drop drop- ping astern Four more hours before before before be be- fore that swing around which would point their bows to the African coast which const which would seem to bring him nearer to Eileen 1 I They were drawing In to the main coast again Suddenly Halg Haig sprang to his feet shouting excitedly Almost Almost Almost Al Al- most under their starboard bow floated a piece of ot wreckage which looked like a deck chair Then beside It a bead head bobbed up up- Pasha swathed In bandages bandages band band- a ages es came out of ot Doctor room on the ground floor of ot the old palace Into a tiled corridor He walked alon along to that lobby which opened on the tile courtyard Inside the entrance gates 1 tes He would be disfigured for Cor life Ufe Kid Brown In passing his cunning fighters fighter's brain keyed Iwed up by the Im ID Imminence of death had left this Ineffaceable Ineffaceable Ineffaceable In In- effaceable mark of ot his trade upon the man whose bullet had hatI sped him All the rod piston rod force of that phenomenal phe pile left had been bee put Into the Job the job the final Job job ot of pulverizing beauty Certainty that that Grecian nose was smashed flat fiat had sweE sweetened the Kids Kid's last agony Jacques the creole known as the Jackal waited In the lobby his thirty shifty eyes tearfuL fearfuL Chief the man gasped gasped Chief Chief It Is Joseph he Is gone I Gone one lit litlIe lie Ile Is 18 nowhere I He does not come lorne to relieve me at nt four o'clock He lie Is he he Is gone gonel I There here was a n moment of silence Go back to your duty said salt the Egyptian lie He walked out alon along the corridor up a n flight of stairs and entered that office once exotically furnished fur fur- furnished with Its voluptuous paintings paint In tugs ings s and statuettes Dropping down upon a n divan he sank his bandaged face In his sands He was already a 0 very wealthy wenIth man Ills His share In this last coup would matte make him a n millionaire It was as ns aswell aswell well since henceforward whatever of ot pleasure he be could secure he secure he must bu buy lIe He would always be hid bId Men Ien would shun his com com- pany Women would fly from him He struggled to regain mastery of ot himself himself to to remember what he had planned before the they had hatI set setout setout out on tills this expedition against the Wallaroo Was there any connection between between between be be- tween his compact with Orange I Blossom and the absent Joseph He must find out Pasha unlocked cd a n heavy studded Iron-studded door and entered a covered ered court courtyard Yuan Yunn nee flee See a n blue tinge showing under his lem lem- on-colored on skin fixed his Ms ls eyes upon him The woman has hns gone the gone the AmerIcan American Amer Amer- ican lean woman I had chosen Do you realize what that means A cold terror clutched Pashas Pasha's heart Well enough he knew his danger But he rested gratefully upon the cunning of ot Orange Blossom Blos Blos- som some Celeste the l French rench woman 1 he suggested I Yuan Inn nn Hee See reflected There Is deep treachery ry here You will take tale talethe the French plane with Anton as ns pilot I am nm thinking now not of ot my pleasure but of our safety It Is too late to establish contact with Hess In He will have left for Cor Cairo Hassan we cannot reach Go my friend You have much to do Pasha choked d down an nn exclamation of ot relief and went out The disappearance of ot Joseph he decided decided decided de de- de- de not to report It ml might ht be bea a part of ot Orange Blossoms Blossom's plan Perhaps It had been necessary ne to kill the guard In a car specially equipped for tor forthe forthe the desert Journey and belonging to the manager of ot the Ole Italian mines near Dawson Halg Haig was headed headed head head- ed cd for the Nile NUe Valley Palley He lIe had done ever everything that It wa was possible to todo todo todo do at nt the seaport Jack Rattray the Wallaroo's first officer whom he had picked d up at nt sea had stayed behind at nt the wireless station busIly busily bus bus- ily sending messages The motor motor mo mo- mo tor boat with her crew of ot two had been detained He had left the establishing of ot contact with the police and Cairo to Jack Hour after hour the dusty Journey journey Jour jour- ney noy continued He was burning to reach CHAPTER XII XI E EILEEN ILEEN for Cor the second time since she had set out on that Ill fated Yo voyage age from London found herself groping In the dark trying to remember remember remember re re- re- re I member what had happened It was something to do with drinking drInkIng drinkIng drink- drink Ing a cup of coffee correa And AntI Celeste poor Celeste had not been there The risk Is too great a mans man's voice had said Its madness J This may ruin us The price Is low my friend for such Her legs are too thin for the taste of ot his Serene Highness It was this last remark which had finally aroused Eileen She opened her e eyes es looked down at ather ather her own bare body and bod and galvanized Into fife ICe sprang upright She was In a large saloon with a matting matting- covered floor and closely shuttered windows She had been lying on ona ona ona a divan covered with faded tapestry tapes try above which hung a n lighted lamp Before BeCore her one plump hand raised to his hairless lip Up as If It In Inconsideration Inconsideration inconsideration consideration was a stout greasy greasy- looking person wearing European clothes Beside him stood stood a very dirty old Arab Eileen lleen looked swiftly about her There was no substitute for a garment garment gar gar- nr- nr ment In the place Taking a swift step forward and conquering a deadly nausea nausen she struck the hesitating hesitating hesi hesi- tating buyer on his fat nt face I Once she struck twice 1 Hassan Suk es-Suk clutched her In his sinewy old oltI hands With one knee she kicked him viciously In the stomach He released her She kicked him again But nut this spurt of ot strength which had flared up under the sense of ot outrage now deserted her She staggered swayed forward followed followed fol fol- fol lowed an Interval of ot complete un un- consciousness And then a voice the the voice of ot the Arab again What could I do Said brought her to me How ow was I to know she was reserved Here was wasa a famous Jewel jewel and and money Is money But she struck All AU Mahmood Mahmoud Mah Mah- moud mood In the face I And he had offered of of- my my heart henrt bleeds one bleeds one thousand thousand thou thou- sand English pounds for her 1 He Me withdrew his o otter offer I presume presume pre pre- sume Immediately lIm She has ruined me Also the American pl pigs s know she Is 18 here At any moment moment mo mo- ment meat the cute cafe may be raided Forget this fear Hassan I had thought the chief eunuch of the prince a wiser man But nut m my money is as ns good as ns his and I also collect fair women Twelve hundred pounds English Hassan 7 Your share will be he a n bl big one Eileen opened her eyes She lay Iny In that dark stuffy saloon The lIIa villainous old A Arab ruh was there the theother theother theother other mans man's features were nere Indistinguishable been because use of ba bandages but through th these theu C wart C. C eyes S watched her greedily You have havo nothing to fear from fromme fromme me my child said the tall tail Egyptian tIa tian n. n Although you ou Just offered to buy me I You miserable cowardly dog Do you think you ou or an any other man could buy me A door at the tile further end of the saloon opened swiftly Yuan Yunn flee Hee Sec See came down the steps The E Egyptian stared at nt the Chinaman Chinaman China China- man as ns though hells hell's gates had Jand opened and Satan had stepped forth Yuan lice See stood still for a n awhile awhile while hissing softly So this Is the story m my friend he said saltI the quivering flute notes sounding unlike un un- like anything human I 1 passed through the tho tall tail end of the sandstorm sandstorm sand sand- storm which forced you down In Inthe Inthe inthe the desert It dela delayed your Journey Jour jour- ney but ney-but but not mine A fortunate accident accident ac nc- ac- ac for me not me-not not for you ou Always always I always I suspected But nut last nI night ht or very late this R y t bar s st sr r vA t r r 1 t I r r. r r f fl l 11 He Was on His Knees Beside a aPathetic aPathetic aPathetic Pathetic White Figure morning I forced the truth from our little Orange Blossom As forced the truth you truth you understand understand understand under under- stand 7 He began to laugh and It was dreadful laughter laughter laughter-laughter laughter which for years afterwards haunted Eileen's Elleen's Ei El- leens leen's dreams Pasha seemed to be choking Come my friend said Yuan Yunn Hee flee See checking his Ills laughter I have matters to discuss with you which I do not desire this lady to overhear o He |