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Show iffaf YUAN ffWf HEEi SEE iisAX LAUGHS k.;. ROHMER ' HT By SAX ROHMER W.N.l. SERVICE CHAPTER VII Continued .rf-sald the Marconi man, "I I Mly 'Miss Kearney went :iVt Port Said. Advise com- agents'-or something of m!t'll do," ti Kattray. "ne's .send a message to me when a-It. I" e meantime, I shall ;f,o think how I'm going to re-But re-But don't be surprised, my ' voD hear the sound of a loud Vu toe Red 'sea. It'll only be Ison Haig had beard every of the conversation between l.mei and Joseph. It had been "-lacted directly above hg head, ;( crouched below the trap. Since :.m no eastern tongue, he was 'I;i:jl to both for speaking Eng- t treaty tones of old Moham-j Moham-j were nnmistakable. Mohara-' Mohara-' was the proprietor. And he .-rMed Joseph to be none other ;, He fortune teller whom he i: followed ashore, IsKr, he was to consider this jw of language again more ,!v: the curious circumstance these two did not address each n Arabic. It was destined lit a big part In his lone earn-;.t earn-;.t nalost the powers of Yu'an S(e. 3( detected the presence of Jo-l Jo-l s as he knelt above the trap, - t&g. ... be heard his retreat-: retreat-: footsteps. Then he Inhaled aiatitlmisly, and standing there :tkt drag-laden pit thought hard :! swiftly. M;ht shining through the chink 'A bis calculations that the :::ed end of the trap was to his -'. and that which opened, to his it There was no ring on the Mde, but he was not defeated. :-carried a pocketknlfe which was i W of small armory, containing :i;st Its armaments a strong iwew. It was pitifully short,' but It represented the difference a life and death, he decided, "4 that It must suffice. "" groped about above him. The 1 ran right and left parallel 1 Die ladder, and he could find i tort cross-battens. The planks i strong but roughly Joined. He (d a spot and set to work with :'Mkscrew., ;f food was tough, and his Im-at Im-at fragile. The tool survived j but his lungs were jibbing T -!. tached as they were with from the pit. Ihit slowly and cautiously, he , . breath and descended one J tae ladder. He pulled gently steel handle of the knife. - . .P responded, requiring little He descended a step lower Wfeed that his legs were l " hto the feathery, poisonous f :;:;t.:ouii grasp the ! iTn t0 be carefully oiled, (3 :; !nlng was almost sound-1 sound-1 H above him the dimly i .' "Waase, his first natural In-....""""wiidon In-....""""wiidon the knife and C Into cleaner air. But . Dawson Haig was a con-and con-and a scheme i 4' Je -reaching con-il'to con-il'to very "oment of i::t:itb r ,eft ?i - hiin.i the corkscrew, S Z perl,0,,s,y- 8"PPe1 5 ""'P0. Then, pull- Ct frame fu"y "own, :), hn ,,the passaSe above. WngM. to rise again Wf8'0015 exhallng wWsf,f,rnee WS lunSs of V ' Ss n, m He l00ked. 3 -ineV dim'y lighted N wj,? roo,n of the H 'I; h ! s no sound. 4 ::!SetlMr'Snih."Daw- ' ' &M f exp,ora-51 exp,ora-51 in Th re was D0 "e Hnl !f!lop or "oham-flf "oham-flf iCqnU te ''"hie to a ""C doors' iron- '.55' divorl h , "le r00,n 3 Val eh'n(J a "-indie tomatic i hand hM fi, he forh,"e tell-fry tell-fry :C f, ' We(1 the tZ, t0 the door-" door-" :,, 1 '"J the death ,ht ,,ndT" a narrow fot Cf of lle trap, "Ch safety zones old Mohninrued, with surprising agility, must have skipped when he had led him to what had been designed to be his finish. The Armenian dropped upon one knee, pushed the trap fully open, and secured It. Hnig craned cautiously forward. Joseph was peering down Into the "Bath of Feathers." He turned and walked to the door beyond, tried it, and uttered an impatient im-patient exclamation, llftig ducked behind the pile of carpets. The man circled the open trap, went back again by the way he had come, and in a few moments returned. re-turned. He walked past the raised trap and Inserted a key In the lock of the closed door beyond. Whereupon: "Hands up I" The Armenian droppec" to his knees in a flash, whisked around, drew a pistol from' his pocket with miraculous agility,, and 'fired as he crouched ! Crack of two shots came together. Joseph dropped his automatic, half rose . . . and toppled forward into the "Bath of Feathers." A stifled cough came up from the drugged pit Haig stood still listening. To the sickly sweet fumes had been added the tang of powder. Clouds of feathery feath-ery dust were rising from the Bath. He circled around to the door. The key was still in the lock. .He opened it A flight of wooden steps led downwards. Descending, he found himself in a small square cellar. cel-lar. On his right was a stout low wooden door communicating with the base of the pit. Before him he saw a narrow packing case undoubtedly un-doubtedly designed as his coffin I Eileen woke from a troubled dream, vaguely wondering what was obstructing the porthole of her cabin. cab-in. Something to do with Doctor Oestler. Was it that Doctor Oestler was standing between herself and THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING Matt Kearney, young American living in London, says good-by to his sister Eileen, on board the Wallaroo. The ship la conveying 2,000,000 In gold to Australia. Kearney meets Inspector Dawson Haig, of Scotland Yard, very much In love with Eileen. Haig Is on the trail of opium he is convinced is concealed In Jo Lung's warehouse. Called to other duty, he delegates Kearney, with Detective Norwich, to visit the place and find out what he can. While there Kearney picks up and carries away a notebook, which he turns over to Haig. Tu'an Hee See, leader of a band of international interna-tional thieves, is at Jo Lung's. He sends two of his followers after Norwich Nor-wich and Kearney, one of whom he realizes must have picked up the notebook. note-book. Haig is puzzled over cryptic notes in the book. Soon after leaving Kearney Norwich Is murdered, but Kearney is not overtaken. While Haig Is poring over the book, a monstrous creature enters, seizes it, and escapes. Yu'an confers with his lieutenant, Aswami Pasha, over a mysterious coup they are planning. Haig boards the Wallaroo at Marseilles, disguised. From radio messages he decodes, he realizes that members of Yii'an's gang are- on board, and that they have recognized him. A Chinaman tries to throw Haig overboard but goes over himself In a desperate struggle. At Port Said Haig, trailing Eileen, is lured Into a drug-impregnated "bath of feathers." Eileen mysteriously disappears. the porthole or was he standing outside on the deck? Certainly he had some part in It,-although she couldn't actually see him. . . . An unfamiliar stewardess was holding her head, and very gently urging her to drink something. "Haig, chief Inspector Scotland Yard on board. . . ." That was a queer thing to think of! Several years elapsed or so she calculated years of the most wretched suffering, mental and physical phys-ical At some time during this unaccountable un-accountable period she realized the meaning of that awful premonition which had claimed her at the London Lon-don stocks. She saw a great ship sinking In a calm sea. There seemed to be a booming noise as the vessel dived Into blackness. Terrified, she screamed, and seemed to hear the voice of Billy (Who was "Billy"? She couldn't think who Billy was, only that she wanted him wanted him desperately). He said, "It's all right, darling. I'm here, . . ." The kindly, unknown woman was there, soothing her. "Don't worry so, cherle don't worry. Have courage. cour-age. While you are with me you are safe. . . ." A Frenchwoman. . . . There were no French stewardesses on the Wallaroo. Wal-laroo. . . . But when true awakening awaken-ing came Eileen was unable to recognize rec-ognize It. She could not accept her surroundings. She saw a lofty room, one end of which was open. Beyond was a flower-laden balcony. It had four pillars she counted them over and over again: One, two, three, four. They were stone or plaster, but partly concealed by flowers. . . . Of course it couldn't be real! She touched the silken coverlet of the bed on which she lay, pinched herself detected the fragrance of clustering roses. She saw that there was a tray beside her bed. set upon a lacquer table, which contained con-tained a very comprehensible medicine medi-cine bottle, a glass, and a Jug of water. Beside it was a big bowl of cut rosos. Wildly she stared across the room toward the balcony; but beyond she " Id see nothing but a cloudier "r '"""'tmle. Her limbs, t00, truth of", " feeUnK' IUlt' "s of ''er surroundings crashed ' Pon her mi,ul, sl,e threw off' 1 he CHAPTER VIII F)AWSON ruiG staved down at the long oblong box lying upon md brick floor. Respect for the efficiency of the Hee See gang be-gan be-gan to claim him. Jo Lung of Lime-house Lime-house was no more than a spoke in the wheel. Doctor Oestler was merely another. There was a directing di-recting intelligence greater than any of these, by whom the smallest detail was never neglected. He marveled at the man:s knowledge knowl-edge of psychology the man who had laid this trap for him. How could he have anticipated that his, Haig's, professional curiosity would have led him to seek for that other oth-er entrance upon the pretext of leaving the shop by a shorter route? This oblong box was ready for him. It was packed with straw; a loose lid rested upon the floor beside be-side It A tin of nails, he saw, and a stout hammer. What had they planned to do with his body when It had been nailed in the box? Obviously Ob-viously the duty of the insidious Joseph, having hauled him out of the trap in the pit, had been to secure se-cure him in this coffin, and then what? Certain "porters" were coming for the crate "at sunset." he recalled. These "porters" .must not see him. He must escape from the premises of Mohammed. Mohammed! . . . That name had occurred in the diary of Yu'an Hee See! . . . and under the date of the Wallaroo's arrival at Port Said ! Eileen's abduction had been planned in London ! "Calm, Billy!" he said aloud, "Pull yourself together. ... Go easy." He considered the trapdoor ; and now he observed hanging upon a hook beside It a sort of grappling Iron attached to a long rod. The door possessed two rings by which obviously It was intended to be" raised ; there was a big bolt at the top by means of which it might then be kept In place. He hesitated no longer. Stepping forward, he grasped the rings, lifted lift-ed the trapdoor, and secured the bolt. A suffocating stench from the feathers all but choked him. He took down the iron from its place on the wall, thrusting it through the mound and Into the pit. He groped about until, sickeningly, the hook established contact with what he knew to be a human body. Leaning back heavily, he dragged, dragged, until at the edge of the door there came a hitch. He read-Justed read-Justed the iron. And so, presently, through that mound of feathers-covered feathers-covered with feathers suffocated in feathers out came the victim. One glance sufficed to show that the man was dead. His contorted face was horrible to see. But Dawson Daw-son Haig had little compassion to spare. first the keys! He found them. Next, he emptied all the dead man's pockets, transferring the contents haphazard to his own. Finally, he heaved the body Into the straw-lined straw-lined box and set the lid In place. Holes for some twenty nails were alrondy bored In It Then, lowering the heavy trap, he stood still, listening. Footsteps sounded In the courtyard above. Haig darted lightly up the stairs, regained the passage, and there stood still, waiting. Two men entered. They talked together In subdued voices in Arabic Ara-bic He knew that they were removing re-moving the chest. Presently, heavy dragging footsteps told him that they were carrying It up the stairs to the courtyard beyond. He heard a dull bump as they laid it down. One of them returned and closed the door. Muffled sounds, voices ; and, finally silence. The Wallaroo had left her berth, and the pilot was taking her down the Canal when Dawson Haig burst into the office of Shale, the British consul. The consul, standing just behind his desk. looked up. "Thank God !" he exclaimed. 'Inspector! 'In-spector! yon have found her?" Dawson Haig shook his head savagely sav-agely "But I know where she was kkln'aped," he replied. "What I don't know Is where she has been taken. But first of all, It Is most Important that my presence here shall not be known to a soul outside this office. Not a word that anyone has seen me! The gang we are up asainst think me dead, and I Intend In-tend them to go "on thinking .t. Do von understand?" ' The four men in the consul s office signified that they understood. 1 1 "I want Doctor Oestler and the woman Ednam arrested at Suez." Shale merely nodded and made a ' note. "I want you to get a party together," to-gether," Haig went on rapidiv. ''I ran easily describe the place 'they have to go to and here are the 1(eys. I have Just escaped from there m.vself. I want it to be searched from roof to cellar, and I want the man Mohammed, who is supposed to be the proprietor, to be under lock and key some time tonight. Is that plain, Mr. Consul?" The consul nodded and scribbled rapidly some notes upon a pad. This he thrust Into the hand of one of the men. "For .Captain Ellis! Bring him back as soon as ever you find blm !" "How do I get to Keneh?" Haig demanded. "She may be there! Anyway, rm going to see." "I'll make arrangements night train from Cairo." Shale pressed a bell button. "In the meantime, as she's an American citizen, can I leave it to you to advise Mr. Forman, her consul?" con-sul?" Haig asked. "I'm expecting him at any mo- ' ment." "Good enough. Have yon ever heard of a man called Hassen es-Suk In connection with Keneh?" "No." The British consul shook bis head thoughtfully. "But they , may know In Cairo. I'm having you met there." Alone In the single, rocking coach of the special train chartered char-tered by the British consul, Daw- i son Haig sat, grim-faced, planning planning planning. That the duty appointed to the fortune teller, now nailed in the box designed for himself, him-self, had been to dispose of his body, and then report to a certain Hassam es-Suk in Keneh was clear enough. A brief note presumably that "letter of travel" referred to had been in the man's Inside pocket. It consisted of an unsealed envelope simply addressed, "For Joseph." The superscription was typed, and the enclosed note also. This ran: "Report at once to Hassan es-Suk at Keneh. This Is your introduction. introduc-tion. Tickets herewith." And it was signed in Ink : "Chief." A second-class ticket, Port Said to Cairo, and another Cairo to Keneh, were folded inside the note. "The girl is safely on the way." . . . Those words, overheard, Haig had never forgotten. They drummed through his brain In tune with the clatter of the train. There was no other clue amongst Joseph's possessions, but Haig had removed and retained the man's greasy tarbush. Eileen, perhaps, had been taken to Keneh ! That she had been lured into the "Bath of Feathers" Haig was not prepared to believe. Yu'an Hee See had not ordered her death, but had ordered her to be taken living. What for? The answer was one which Haig hadn't the courage to face. He was in possession of evidence Indicating Indicat-ing that Yu'an Hee See was a slave dealer on a large scale, possibly the most important slave trader now left in that evil traffic. Stories had reached his ears of unhappy negroes from Central Africa, rounded round-ed up by the fierce Arabs who from time immemorial have looked upon blackbirdlng as a legitimate trade. But that white slaves were bought and sold by this organization he had never even suspected ; even now was not prepared to believe. What answer, therefore, remained to his question? To sell a cultured woman, daughter daugh-ter of a United States official, as black slaves were sold, would be utterly Impossible. The most reckless reck-less buyer would hesitate to bid for such merchandise. Such a slave would be difficult to retain, Impossible Impos-sible to subjugate. And the risks were Incalculable. Only one living liv-ing man had the power and the audacity au-dacity to perpetrate such an outrage. out-rage. . . . Dawson Haig clenched his fists and gritted his teeth at the thought. He stared out of the window, striving striv-ing for composure. . . . And there, steaming slowly along the Canal on her way down to Suez, was the Wallaroo! Wal-laroo! He stood up in his excitement. excite-ment. The passengers were waving their hands. (TO BE COXTIXVED) |