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Show 7,SF''TllrWrtTiaB7arMiMiMiiriaMfi'Ti I'i H. nriii r - -- i-.,-.-x:. .. .n.-at.y.w.rrivtT v - ' --- -? ,-,.-r-.-- ?a,7Trr, u : iJ" I II 111111 fs, q .A If JJfM???R I - , j I II i i I j Cops right by Six Rohmer. I Q II VTSV Service. M I I I I I I ' -t- --rT-rrre..Tir. sort of rave in a high wall presumably presum-ably the Cafe Magrabi. There was a wooden seat along one side, and a few low stools. There were no tables and there was nothing in the nature of a bar or counter. Four or five Arabs crouched In the shadows of the place. Outside on the footpath, two chairs were set. Haig, dropping down upon one of these, peered into the semi-darkness of the place anxiously. anx-iously. The tall "Arab" who had come from Cairo was approaching with long, leisurely lei-surely strides. A slovenly-looking negro emerged from the blackness at the end of the cave and approached. But Uaig had not yet discovered his man. Then he observed a customer In Hie would he set eyes upon the It. I M. S. Wallaroo. . . . The long, dark eyes of Orange Blos-soii) Blos-soii) narrowed and narruwed. until they were merely slits in her small, pale face. .She stood in a liny room peeling down through a little lallice Into a lacquered bedroom. She was watching a girl scantily chid ; a girl whose hair in the reflected sunlight sun-light gleamed like polished copper, whose slim shape, which was at least as nearly perfect as her own, yet had a symmetry which M as different ; whose skin whose skin, she thought was poisonously white. Yes, she was beautiful of a beauty totally dissimilar from Orange blossom's blos-som's a rose-like western beauty, which, In its quality, belonged to those cold, clammy countries which Orange Blossom so heartily detested. And the room had been refurnished. . . rose color. Orange Blossom nodded her wicked little head. Below, Eileen was moving from place to place, trying the doors, leaning over the balcony breathing quickly, almost panting. Her eyes were wide open. "Hideously "Hide-ously beautiful blue eyes although her lashes," thought Orange Blossom, "are not as long as mine. But all the same they are long and dark, and make her eyes look like sapphires. She has very beautiful arms!" Very, very softly, Orange Blossom closed the little grill behind the lattice. lat-tice. And, her small hands with their pink tinted nails tightly clenched turned away. A shadow blocked the entrance to the cupboard-like room. She moved forvard ... to confront Yu'an Hee See. "Little flower, what are you doing here?" "What you came to do," she replied. "I have been watching her the white girl." "Does she please you?" "She Is pretty as a lotus, my lord, tender and delicate. . . . She Is dangerous dan-gerous merchandise, Yu'an; you take too many risks." "You think so, Little Blossom? Have I ever failed In my trading?" The woman's long dark eyes were almost closed; she held her Imperious little head very high. The eyes of Yu'an Hee See to all appearances were said Winter blankly. "But a most extraordinary ex-traordinary thing has happened. Come up to the captain's room; he's expecting expect-ing you. Neither of the brths occupied occu-pied by the parties you've come out to arrest were slept in last night!" "Not slept in ! But. . . ." "1 don't know If they dropped Into the canal and swam ashore, or what happened but neither Doctor Oestler nor Miss Kdnam is on board!" Towards dusk, a motor boat raced towards a tiny 'port of the Red sea. This port, untouched by the most enterprising en-terprising tramps, neglected, since it was almost unknown, and protected by unnavigable reefs, was too small to afford af-ford anchorage to any craft larger than a dhow. I'ast a wooden pier the motor boat sped, swung around perilously, checked, and ran in to where ancient stone steps led up to a wharf. Two men sprang ashore and assisted a woman to mount the steps. One man went back on board ; the other and the woman climbed an unpaved street In silence for a time. Doctor Oestler broke this long silence. "1 wonder, Valerie, ' he said, speaking In German, "what our reception recep-tion will be?" "We have done our best," the woman answered sulkily. "We are lucky to be here." "We may be lucky, my dear," the doctor amended. "But if this unfortunate unfor-tunate Interference with Mr. King's plans means failure for those plans, then, I fear. . . ." The two travelers pursued their way up the hill, leaving the tiny, furtive town behind them. A high white wall broke a line of funereal trees on the right, and presently, in turn, was broken by a pointed gateway of sun-bleached sun-bleached teak. One wing of this gateway gate-way was open. Doctor Oestler and Valerie Ednam entered a large courtyard. court-yard. A very high wall lay immediately In front, and on the left, a lofty building, build-ing, with two tiers of mushrablyeh windows. They were brightly lighted and spilled a great smudge of amber light upon the paved courtyard. From the threshold of a doorway beyond be-yond which might be glimpsed a richly furnished room stepped a gigantic negro In uniform. There was a brief "But except in respect of exact Information Infor-mation regarding the ship's position, I don't think the situation is serious." "You don't think so?" Yu'an Hee See whispered even more softly. "A radio message will tell the truth to the world, aud we shall be helpless to silence It." "I have provided for that," the Egyptian Egyp-tian answered. "Emil Graft was one of the four best gunners In the German navy. Before any notice Is given he must shoot down the mainmast. This will disable the radio. If he should miss, which is unlikely, there Is the second quick-firer in charge of Jo Lung, your own gunner." Yu'an Hee See began hissing again; then : "We cannot know how much has leaked out; cannot know. This new danger is one we owe to the man Haig. He died too easily. I should, have liked to supervise his death. It may mean disaster, but we can only hope. Furthermore, It will have to be a torpedo, after all. Do you realize this?" AswamI Pasha inclined his head. "I had already arranged for it." "Your staff work, my friend, has been good but not excellent. Myself, I should have diverted the Fokker direct di-rect to our base, since Doctor Oestler may be In possession of details touching touch-ing our personal security. Well, It Is perhaps unnecessary that I should detain de-tain you any longer. Have you added to your collection recently? Does some new gem of loveliness call you to clinging arms?" "No, Excellency. . . . And yourself?" your-self?" Yu'an Hee See raised closed eyes to Aswami. "Yes," he answered upon a tremulous flute note: "a fragrant western rose. But I fear the thorns, my friend. I could not resist But I fear I have been rash. . . . For her sweet sake I heve imperiled our enterprise enter-prise our lives. This you know. But Chinese are gamblers, and those who join them in play must gamble also." Dawson Haig adjusted the dead man's tarbush. Sea breezes and a touch of African sun already had lightly light-ly tanned his naturally pale face. And, as he saw in the mirror above the wash bowl, the effect was not so bad. He did not In the least resemble the U-! FSSin if J2&&A mm mm WW, CHAPTER VIII Continued 10 "I'm expecting him at any moment." "Good enough. Have you ever heard of a man called Ilassen es Suk In connection con-nection with Keneh?" "No." The British consul shook his 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 by the JtrUlsh consul, Dawson Haig si.t, grim-faced, grim-faced, planning planning plan rung. That the duty appointed to the fortune teller, now nailed In the box designed for himself, had been to dispose of his body and then report to a certain lias-Ban lias-Ban es-Suk In Keneh was clear er gh. A brief note presumably that "letter "let-ter of travel" referred to had been in the man's Inside pocket. It consisted of an unsealed envelope simply addressed, ad-dressed, "For Joseph." The superscription super-scription was typed, and the enclosed note also. This ran: "Report at once to Hassan es-Suk at Keneh. This is yonr Introduction. 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 re-moved and retained the man's greasy tarbush. Eileen, perhaps, had been taken to Keneh I That she had been lured into the "Bath of Feathers" Haig was not prepared to believe. Yu'an Hoe See had not ordered her death, but had ordered or-dered her to be taken living. What for? The answer was one which Haig hadn't the courage to face. He wus In possession of evidence Indicating that Yu'an Hee See was a slave dealer on a large scale, possibly the most Important Im-portant trader now left In that evil traffic. Stories had reached his ears, during his previous pursuit of this elusive Chinaman, of midnight caravans out on the old slave route of hidden camps In the desert of a central clearing clear-ing house at some spot unidentified of unhappy negroes from Central Africa, Af-rica, rounded up by the 'fierce Arabs who from time immemorial have looked upon blaekbirdiug as a legitimate legiti-mate trade. That thousands of such wretched captives were distributed around the oriental world, performing menial tasks upon the estates of great landowners, was a generally accepted fact. 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 of a United States official, as black Slaves were sold, would be utterly Impossible. Im-possible. The most reckless buyer would hesitate to bid for such merchandise. mer-chandise. Such a slave would be difficult diffi-cult to retain, Impossible to subjugate. FOR NEW READERS: THE STORY FROM THE OPENING CHAPTER Matt Kearney, young American living in London, Bays eood-by to his sister Eileen, on board the Wallaroo bound for Colombo. The Wallaroo Is conveying 2,000,000 In gold to Australia. Kearney meets Inspector Dawson Haig, of Soot-land Soot-land Yard, very much In love with Eileen. Haig, convinced opium is concealed in Jo Lung's warehouse, delegates Kearney, Kear-ney, with Detective Norwich, to visit the place and find out what he can. While there Kearney picks up a notebook. Yu'an Hee See, whom Haig has long been seeking as the leader of a band of International thieves, is at Jo Lung's. Discovering the loss of his notebook, he sends two of his followers after Norwich and Kearney, one of whom he realizes real-izes must have picked It up. Norwich Is found murdered. Haig is puzzled over cryptic notes In the book. While he is poring over them, a weird creature enters, seizes the book, and escapes. Man's story of hearing horrible laughter at Jo Lung's satisfies Haig his quarry was there, he recognizing the peculiar malignancy of Yu'an's laugh. At Marseilles the inspector boards the Wallaroo, disguised. From radio messages he decodes, he realizes passengers on board are -members of Yu'an's gang and that they have recognized him. A Chinaman tries to throw Haig overboard but goes over himself. him-self. At Port Said Haig, trailing Eileen, Is lured into a "bath of feathers." Eileen disappears. Haig escapes the deadly trap, and shoots Joseph, one of the plotters. Eileen, drugged, regains consciousness In Yu'an's headquarters. The Effect Was Not So Bad. who, unlike the rest, did not smoke cigarettes ... an Arab, apparently, muffled up in many-colored rags, and crouched in a dim corner. A glass rested upon a small stool beside him. And this eccentric Arab In the corner cor-ner smoked a meerschaum pipe ! "Hassan es-Suk," said Haig sharply. The negro nodded, retired into darkness, dark-ness, and presently returned. He indicated indi-cated that Haig should follow. Haig crossed the reeking little room, almost brushing the garment's of the meerschaum meer-schaum smoker. A door on the right of an uncarpeted passage was open, four steps descending to a sunken chamber. As the negro withdrew, Haig watched the curtained doorway. The first test was about to come. Another door at the further end of the room opened, and a venerable Arab entered, his peering face a wrinkled mass of cunning; but his first words lifted a great load from the inspector's mind. "It surely can be none other than Joseph who delights my eyes!" he said In excellent Biblical English. "You are late, Joseph but welcome. Give me the letter, son." Haig silently placed the letter in the claw-like hand of the old Arab. Hassan Has-san es-Suk barely glanced at It, but, plunging his fingers beneath his robe, produced another, Identical In appearance. appear-ance. "It is well, Joseph," he said. "The wise man cultivates paucity of speech but abundance of observation." He watched, as Haig, noting that the second sec-ond envelope bore the same typewritten typewrit-ten superscription: "For Joseph" opened It and took out the slip of paper pa-per It contained. This was what he read : "You will leave immediately by car for Koseir. Ileport at the house of Dr Julian Hess. Chief." Dawson Haig nodded, and placed letter let-ter and envelope in his pocket "I am ready, Hassan," he said, "to obey my orders, when I have cooled my body and moistened my throat." (TO BE CONTINUED) closed entirely. Yet these two watched each other, standing perfectly motionless; mo-tionless; until: "Have I offended my lord?" the woman wom-an asked softly. "Only In disobedience," came the flute tones, "which I have learned to expect of you. This slight fault can easily be remedied by an exercise of that virtue of silence which I have frequently fre-quently recommended." His stillness was alarming. His arms were locked behind him. Orange Blossom smiled disdainfully, caught up her jade-green robe, gathering gather-ing it more closely about her. Walk-lug Walk-lug slowly, she passed Yu'an Hee See where he stood. She crossed the polished pol-ished mahogany tioor to a curtained doorway, and through this she went out. The curtains were still swaying when Yu'an Hee See began to laugh. . . . The Wallaroo was nearing the end of the Bitter Lakes when Doctor Oestler Oest-ler entered the Marconi room. The operator, with fixed earpieces, was listening-in to a message, and continued to scribble Industriously. The message which came ticking out read as follows: "Commander RMS Wallaroo on authority au-thority Scotland Yard following passengers pas-sengers will be arrested at Suez stop Doctor Oestler Miss Valerie Ednam stop Signed Robert Shale British consult con-sult Port Said." Jackson, the operator, pushing bacn his earpiece, looked up at Doctor Oestler. "Excuse me, doctor. Message for the commander." And he pulled aside a curtain communicating with an inner room. "Davis!" he shouted. "Carry "Car-ry on. I've got to go up to the bridge." Davis, the second operator, came out. "You want to send a telegram, sir?" Doctor Oestler nodded gravely, reaching reach-ing for the message pad. Not a word had escaped his keenly attuned ears. Whatever message he had intended to dispatch, this was the one he wrote out : "Julian Hess care of post office Koseir Suez searchlight In sight further fur-ther communication impossible stop Will advise later signed Oestler." OIT Port Tewfilt there was rather more than the usual delay. A police officer came off In a launch. He was met at the top of the ladder by the purser. "I know what you've come about," challenge In Arabic, a reply, and the big negro stepped further out Into the courtyard, raising a black hand and pointing. Above the tiers of lighted windows, higher yet upon the third floor of the great mansion, light shone out through the intricate pattern of a lattice window. win-dow. Doctor Oestler nodded in comprehension. comprehen-sion. He and the woman entered the room. Behind that high window, Yu'an Hee See, blue-robed and spectacled, bent over his Arab writing table. Aswami Pasha stood beside him. Yu'an Hee See was studying a number of messages, or, rather, staring star-ing at them through the lenses of his glasses with unseeing eyes. At last: "Since the man Haig is dead, how can this be?" he asked Aswami Pasha. "The message from the consul states clearly 'upon authority of Scotland Yard.' What can this mean? It Is certain cer-tain that he Is dead?" "Mohammed reported it," said the Egyptian. "The doctor confirmed the news, telling us that Haig was not on board when the Wallaroo left Port Said. Then came his last radio from the ship advising us that the police awaited his arrival at Suez. Finally, as my loi;d knows, we received a message mes-sage notifying us that he was back at Ismailia and claiming emergency air transport. My own Fokker was under orders to leave Heliopolis for Koseir. I got a message through to my pilot or I did my best to do so. It lie received re-ceived It in time, he will have alighted behind Ismailia to pick up the doctor. doc-tor. . . ." "In the Interval?" Aswami Pasha shrugged. "He may have been traced arrested. I have done my best. Julian Hess has been advised." "Yu'an Hee See hissed softly for some moments. "Is the man Joseph here?" lie asked. "His Instructions were to report to Hassan es-Suk, and Hassan's orders were to facilitate his Journey to Kis-elr, Kis-elr, where Hess will see him and arrange ar-range for his crossing." Yu'an Hee See rested a plump, tapering taper-ing finger upon the messages, and: "Good Intentions may lead to disaster," dis-aster," he said softly. "We have now no agent on board the Wallaroo and It. is late to alter plans so delicate." "J quite agree," the pasha replied. Joseph who had died, but he might have passed for one of the lighter skinned natives for -a Turk or for a Green. He had not availed himself of the accommodation provided by the second-class second-class ticket in the Armenian's possession. posses-sion. He was sole occupant of a first-class first-class sleeper. The "letter of travel" seemed to indicate in-dicate that the man called Hassan. es-Suk es-Suk did not know Joseph by sigiit. But, as the train was nearing Keneh now, one Important decision remained to be made: How was "Joseph" to account ac-count for his total ignorance of Arabic? Upon the correct solution his life might hang. The Cairo police had proved to be surprisingly efficient. Keneh had been advised, and a man whose job was to cover all his (Haig's) movements, was in the second-class section. But, fearful fear-ful above all things for Eileen, he had vetoed any raids or arrests not authorized au-thorized by himself. He knew something some-thing of the resources of Yu'an Hee See. One false move and she might be lost forever! As he pushed his way through the jabbering throng, making for the exit at Keneh, his hand rested upon the automatic In his pocket. A tall Arab jostled him. "Telephone on your right !" said an English voice. It was the man from Cairo. Haig called up the Mudir, as arranged. ar-ranged. "Inspector Dawson Haig speaking," he said. "You have been advised by Cairo?" "Quite right, inspector," the voice replied; to his great relief that of an Englishman. "I have arranged to have the place watched. It's the Cal'e Mag-rabi. Mag-rabi. Any one of the drivers outside the station will take you there. One of our fellows is inside. There's nothing noth-ing conspicuous about him except that he's smoking a very large meerschaum pipe! Hump Into him on your way out so that he drops his pipe. Stoop to pick It up and give him your next address." ad-dress." A tired-looking horse In the shafts of an arablyeh waited outside the station; sta-tion; and to the driver Dawson Haig said brielly, "Cafe Magrabi." The Cafe Magrabi fronted upon a street In which there were tawdry places of entertainment. Painted women's wom-en's faces peered out from upper windows. win-dows. Soon Uaig stood staring Into a Tho Long Dark Eyes of Orange Blossom Narrowed and Narrowed. And the risks were Incalculable. Only one living man had the power and the audacity 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 for composure. . . And there, steaming slowly along the Canal on her way down to Suez, was the Wallaroo! He stood up In his excitement. The passengers pas-sengers were waving their hands. lie dropped back into his seat as the big ship was lost from view. A grim foreboding. a foreboding in which were tne ipmlliirs of terror, seized upon him n-M'U-solessly. Something n voice i!mioin:,Mo-..-tod him tbit never again |