Show the ne BlACK GANG GANGA A Sequel to Bulldog Drummond er MCNEILL sAPPER cz U. U DOT CO WA N. N C. C J n. vi r-vi e. e y CHAPT CHAPTER R IX Continued IX-Continued Continued 13 13 In certain eventualities Captain Drummond I propose to send nn an anonymous letter to Scotland Yard Surprised though they would be to get It It might help them to clear up the mystery of Mr Latter's Insanity It It may prove rather unpleasant for you of course but that cant can't be helped Its kind of you ou to give me a n loophole loophole loop loop- hole of escape said Bald Drummond pleas antly What are the eventualities i to which you allude The non return to me of a little bag containing diamonds remarked I the hunchback quietly They were ere In Inthe Inthe Inthe the desk which was wreck wrecked ell by the bomb Dear dear said Hugh Am 1 I supposed to have them In my possession posses lion sion I can only hope most sincerely for your sake that you have have returned the theother theother other Otherwise Im I'm afraid that letter letter let let- letI I ter will go goto to the police For a while Drum ond smoked In silence then with a lazy smile on his face he sat down In an armchair facIng facing fac fac- ing long the hunchback There are one o O. two things I have to say to you before depriving myself of the pleasure of your company By Bythe Bythe Bythe the post following the one which carries carries car car- ries rles your Interesting disclosure will go another letter addressed to Sir Bryan Johnstone himself I shall he be beIn heIn heIn In the when he opens It It and and we shall both be roaring with laugh laughter tel over the extraordinary delusion that I quIte quite the biggest fool tool of ot his ac- ac could could possibly be the leader of ot the Black mack Gang And as It If to prove the utter absurdity of ot the suggestion this second letter will be from the leader of ot the Black mack Gang himself elt In it he will state that he be was present at 5 6 Green street Hoxton last night In nn an endeavor or to obtain possession of ot the anarchist and BolshevIst Bolshevist Bol itol literature stored there That he took with him a professional burglar burglar bur bur- glar to assist him In opening the safe and other things which might he be there and that while engaged In this eminently eminently emi emi- virtuous proceeding he found that he was trapped In the room by hy some mechanical device de And then will come a n tery disclosure lIe He will state how suddenly he saw Baw through a n crack In the door n a pair of 01 eyes looking nt at him And their color colors s see see e what Is the color of ot your our ryes eyes gray blue very ery noticeable Much the SlIme same as ns old Longmoor's though Longmoor's though his are a little bluer And then the theoner owner o of the eyes yes was so Inconsiderate ate as to throw a n bomb homb In the tho room I a bomb which killed one of the men I and wre wrecked ked the desk lesk So o that trie tue owner of ot the eyes gray gray-blun eyes jU Just t like ilkI yours Is a murderer a a common i murderer And we e hang men In England Eng Eng- land tand for tor murder He lie pulsed paused and stored at nt the hunchback This Is a n Jolly game tame Isn't It And you ou really imagine said the hunchback contemptuously I that even en your our police would believe such mch a n story stol that a n tuna man would wreck his own of of- flee when on your own showing shoeing he had the men trapped Inside It Probably not said Drummond af nf ably fl Any more than they would hell believe eve that I the leader lender of the Black Gong Gang So fo since they're the re such h n a wretched crowd of ot unbelievers I 1 dont don't think Its It's much good int that game Wat-te Wat te of time Isn't lint It Sn So n I vote ote we piny play another one all nil on nn our own own own-n n little game of make believe like we used to play pIny In the nursery I haven't an nn Idea IMn wi what lilt youre you're 11 01 talkIng talk talk- Ing about Captain 1111 11 sill said mild II the hunchback shifting f uneasily In his chair For lor all trace e of hid vanished d from prom the till fa face e of the man nun opposite him to be hI replaced II by nn an expression which made Mr Me Atkinson pass his tats tongue on once or twice over cuer lips that hart hod suddenly gone dry Itry you jou 01 you 01 rat wild said Drummond Drum Drum- mond quietly 11 Then Ill I'll tell you ou Jut t for the next fI five minutes minute were we're going to pretend that these thep t two o astonishing statements which the police stupid police stupid va wont won't wont won't believe are true truo Were We're goins going to pretend pretend only only pretend mind I the leader of the you you lint that am Black Gang and were we're going to pretend pretend pre pre- tend that you are all the man who ho nun Hung flung the bomb last st night Just for five minutes only then we we po go 0 hack to reality reality real ity and unbelieving policemen five minutes min minn And If during the following follo utes strange sounds pound were wen heard h by Denny In the room below he was fur far too toe accustomed to the sounds rounds of breaking furniture to tn worry It wasn't until the hunchback pulled a n knife that Drummond warned warmed to his hili work hut hid from that moment nt he hI lost his temper And because the hunch hunchback hunchback back was ns a 1 though hunchback though en n endowed dowel dowed withal by Nature with It strength It jarred Jarrell on I Drummond 10 to tight him h no us It If h he hud had been a normal man So he flogged him with a rhinoceros hide whip till his arm ached and then he flung him Into a chair gasping cursing and scarcely human You shouldn't be fco fo realistic In your stories Snooks Snook I shall call you Snooks he remarked affably though his hll I eY were still tIll merciless as aR he looked nt at the writhing figure nure And AndI I feel fel quite quilt sure that that Is what th the lender leader of ot the flack Black Gang would have hale done If It he Ire had met the peculiar humorist hu monist who threw that bomb last night Bad habit throwing habit throwing bombs With a final curse ure the hunchback staggered to his feet and his face fuce was diabolical In Its lis fur fury You shall pay puy for that Captain Drummond stroke by stroke and lash Insh b by lash he said In a n shaking voice olce Drummond laughed shortly All the same old patter he remarked re re- marked Tell old lId Longmoor with my love love love- lovelIe lIe He paused and grinned No on second thoughts I think Ill I'll tell his reverence at myself at the appointed appointed ap nit- pointed time What will you tell him sneered the hunchback Why that his church Isn't the only place where where rot dry has set In Its It's prevalent amongst amongst his pals as well Must you go Straight down the stairs and the card tray In the hallIs hall hallIs Is only plate electro so you might leave It With a great effort Mr r. r Atkinson pulled himself together Can Cnn we conic come to an un understanding Captain Drummond he remarked quietly I 1 can assure you of ot course I u d dI dt V t I I 1 Someone Has Ha Been Seen In This Room Denny Said Drummond that you have hn made u a terrible mistake In thinking that flint It was I J who threw that bomb at rat yu ml ni la last 1 night At t me laughed short I ly Who said sold you'd ouli thrown It at me That wasn't the gone game at nt all ull Snooks You threw It at nt the lender leader of the Black Bluck tiling Gang Cut Int we P put nut our curds on the table returned the other with studied moderation I know that you ou are that lender you know It It though though It I Is po possible that no one CIne else Ite would e belle it It 1 was WitS ron wrong to threaten jou you ou I should ha have e known better I. I apologize hut But if I l may say II so fco I e Lave hud bud nay tny nt hll Now o us Ins to tn man mantill nun man Hume come to terms can Iun till we WI I t am nut waiting said Hugh briefly I Kindly be us liS con concise ise us nB possible Those diamonds Drum Druna mond Rightly or wrongly ly I l feel teel tolerably tol tol- ubly certain that you jou either have bine them In your our possession Io l' l or Unit that you jou OU know where Ihl they tire Lire Now those diamonds dia dIu monds mond were wert not mine mine did did you 1 0 speak No Nu o. o Vell tar to resume The file diamonds he hall had been de do deposited were tre not mot mine JUIne t they posited In the desk k in m my ray un un- Imo r t tn JUt me Then lieu this fool whom fool-whom whom you jou foolishly think wan waa J threw myself threw the lomb homb Into the ollice oHice to kill you ou I 1 it It he lie told me we nil 1111 about It lie He did not kill you jou OU t for Jr which fact If I Imm Ium um mm soy guy so fin I 1 am ery glad glut Youre You're a Ii aiu anik nik iu und lord youve you've ou fought like Ilke a 0 t sr Jut hut but our tight Captain has hum been over oter other matt mat out t t rs The fhe diamonds are ru u a show side and hardly concern you and und me Ill I'll tie lIe frank with you jou ou they are the sale zenith sawed saved by hy a Ilan nobleman from the Bolshevist t outrages He lie deposited deposited de- de posited them In my of Ike during III my i absence with win tilt flu Idea of oe 11 my selling S hem for him and nud and now he and his family foully must starve sturn And t so bO o what lull I 1 propose Is isI is- is I J dolt don't think I 1 warn want to he hear bear r your your proposal Snooks sold said kindly Doubtless 1 I looK a fool foul doubtless I 1 am am a fool tool but hur 1 like Ilke to A A think that Im I'm not a I. congenital Idiot Im I'm glad lad you yon have discovered that it Its It's not mu much h use threatening me met but butto to tell teU you lon the strict truth 1 II prefer proter threats to nauseating hypocrisy So much so In fact that the thought of that starving nobleman Impels Impel ra me to take more exercise Ever read AlI Alice e eIn In Wonderland Snooks A charming hook book book-a a masterpiece of ot English litera ture two And there Is le one singularly touching not to say lay fruity bit which concerns Father William and and a genteel gen genn teel tell young man With a look of ot complete bewilderment bewilderment bewilder bewilder- ment on his his' face Mr Atkinson felt himself propelled through the door until he came clune to a halt hott at the Ule top tOl of the stairs Its a n little poem Snooks and some someday someday day I will recite It to you Just lust now I 1 can cnn only remember r the one singularly singular singular- ly Iy beautiful line which hn has suggested my new new form torm of exercise Mr Atkinson became aware of a atoot In the lower rr of ot his back toot boot portion and ami then the tile stairs seemed to rise up and hit him Elm lIe He finally came to rest In the hall against an old oak chest of ot the pointed corner type and for tor a moment mo mo- mo ment mont or two he lay Iny there dazed Then he Je scrambled to his lilt feet let to find three young YOUIl men who had l emerged from n a lower room mom durin during his flight gazing at JIm Impassively while standing nt at the tho top of ot the stairs down which he had Just descended and outlined against a o window was the huge motionless fig figure ure ore of Drummond Half Holt cursing half sobbing BobbIng he staggered to the front door and opened It Once more he look looked ell back not buck not one of the four men mell had moved mo They were wore Just staring at nt him himIn himIn In nb absolute silence and und with a sudden sudden sud sud- den feeling of pure terror Count alias Mr shut abut the thedoor thedoor thedoor door behind him and staggered Into the sunlit street CHAPTER X XIn XIn XIn In Which Hugh Drummond and the Reverend Theo- Theo Have a Little Chat Come up boys laughed Hugh The tog fog of war Is lifting slowly lIe He led the way back Into the study and the other three followed him That object Ted you will be pleased to hear henr Is the who threw the bomb at us as last night The devil lI It was cried liam ham I hope you gave gae him something I for tor me Incidentally how did he run run you to earth here Things have moved within the last lost two or three hours answered Drummond Drum Drum- mond slowly Who do you think Is stopping at the at the present moment Who do you think lunched with Peter and me today Why Why Why- Peterson my buck no os-no os no more and no less leBs Rot not I said suld Toby Sinclair Incredulously No Nomore more and no less Peterson himself himself disguised disguised as a clergyman called Longmoor And with him Is dear Irma encased In woolen garments Of Ot course they're mixed up with that swab Ive I've Just kicked down the stairs In In fact tact weve we've bolted the fox tox The Then nn n i sa nn n f it 1 t. t th a t b hw two hun ce a Ul u. 11 to s sand l UT y par g and two together they've spotted me as the lender leader of or our bunch How lIow I dont don't quite know but they Indubitably have They also think Ive I've got those diamonds dia dla monds h hence nce the visit of the hunchback hunch hunch- hack back who vho did not know they were In Inthe Inthe inthe the desk when he bunged the bomb In fact things are becoming clearer all aU the way round Hullo I What's this lie Ite had opened his desk as ns he spoke and was now staring fixedly at the lock Its been forced he said grimly Forced since this morning They've been over this desk while Ive I've been out Push the bell Ted Tile The waited In silence till Denny appeared In answer to the ring Someone has lias be ben been n In this room Denny Demty said Drummond Someone has hus forced this desk since hulf past half eleven this morning Theres Theres been no one In the house sir answered Denny except the man who came cone about the electric light I Electric grandmother snapped his lila master You paralytic Idiot why did you n le p Ip tte him alone ninnO Well sir Mrs Drummond was In Inthe Inthe inthe the house at lit the time time and and the servants were nil all round the place Denny nenny looked and felt aggrieved and after a u awhile while Drumond Drummond smiled What sort of ot a man mun was It you old fathead 7 A ver very respectable sort of man returned returned returned re re- re- re turned Denny with dignity I remarked remarked re reo marked to Mrs Denny how respectable re he was sir Why he actually went some distance dl down the street to call calla a taxi for fur Mrs Drummond to go to the Ritz lUIZ Ills His words died away as he stared In amazement at ut the expression on his musters hamsters face tuce What the devil Is It Hugh cried Tel Ted Jerningham He Ile culled called a taxi you OU say 18 mut- mut tend d Drummond The man who came callie here IlIre called a taxi Yes sir answered Cred Denny lie He was wua lea l lea the house at the same sune t nie and as there was none In la sight I hH said hed he'd send one along at once And Mrs Irs Drummond went In the taxi he sent Certainly sir said Denny In surprise sur Bur prise To the nitz nuz to Join you oil I 1 gave the order m myself elf to the driver The vein In t were standing out on Drummonds Drummond's forehead mad u.-d for a moment moment mo mo- ment bent It 11 seemed us liS I If f lit lie wits was going to hit his servant Then with an nn effort he controlled himself amid sank Batik back buck in his chair with a groan gronn TO Ua III co l French chemists have developed an nn artificial r resin train from which panels for fOI radio sets si are Ire to be mad mada r i. i J |