Show t H f 0 j 0 0 f 4 C arhe an AN 13 by y CYRIL mcneile SAPPER by bv it mun DOWN CO P H a scivio arv CHAPTER XIV 21 in which a murderer la 15 M murdered ur at maybrick hall you appear to lo have a wonderful faculty facility for remaining alive my young friend remarked ll peterson terson two minutes litter inter gazing benevolently nt at drummond over ills his clerical collar you cant imagine tile thi surprise it gave me die peterson continued gently when your charming wife hulled luy iny car so unexpected so BO delightful and when I 1 realized that you were running about nebout in our grounds here instead of being drowned us its that fool no 10 told me ine over the telephone uy by tho the way where la Is no 10 lie ile turned snarling on the Ittis but it was one of the men behind chair who un answered lies iles dead tills this guy threw him on tho the live wires do you dinean to say said the ilus stun blun in tits his harsh voice that it was vas only this man drummond Drumin und outside outa lilo you have guessed it adolph answered speaking inechen leally it had seemed tied to hini him suddenly that unseen by the others phyllis was trying to convey some message alone I 1 lid did it to say eny nothing of that squib need faced bird upstairs with the long arms in fact without wishing to ex I 1 think tile lie total lag bag Is live filat was she trying to make him understand and then suddenly site she began to laugh hysterically and lie halt half rose from lih bli seat only to sit down again abruptly ns is he fie felt the cold ring of a revolver pressed into tho the nape I 1 of ills neck three and two make live still said I half laughing anti half crying and one makes six I 1 worked it out tonight and it till nil come cattle right she went ou on aimlessly for a while in the sanie strain till the russian swung round on tier her with it snarl tin and told tier to shut tier her mouth ile ho was waa talking in low tones to peterson tin and with ono one searching look ut at hugh sho elm relapsed into silence there wivi was nu no hyst tiia in that look anti tits his henrt heart began to pound suddenly in ills his excite anent for playfair wag the number of aeter darrells telephone and aad ab nb jil flit could only ina an one thing that n got through to peter before sit 0 M I 1 tire cur and and it if that was so BO there was waa still hope if only lie he could conid gain tinte time first liow hove long did he want two houra ut tit least three if possible to round tit up all the lie gang and get cars in tile the middle of the lie night would take time two hours at the very least secondly tind there was ans the crux liow how aps lie going to get such stich n respite for this time lie ho could not hope for another nil mistake stake it was flit end and n t knew it no trace of mercy showed in the faces or of the three nien men opposite aim lie occasional remarks hail and after a while lie he realized what the wittier under tinder discussion was ral dently tile lie redheaded red headed russian was in favor of killing him film violently and tit nt once tind it was count who was ns advocating cail caution tion while peterson sat between oteen li them listening impassively with alth tits ills eyes fixed on drummond 1 I know the black gang was saying paying you dont and they know tile ine then lie he heard tho word neel accident dent repe ateL several times and at kongth shrugged tits ills shout ders and ami leaned back in tits his chair have it your our own way ho he remarked 1 I dont cure care how killed ni ng lorig ions as they are arc killed if you thinh its necessary to pretend there tins has been nn accident we well if have un an accident I 1 the lie only point Is what sort of tin all accident it was MIS left to carl peterson Peter sou to olt de eldo mut matters 0 bolh IO nothing lh ag la is easier lie ho remarked suavely find tin ills his eyes cies were still fixed on drummond we vo are discussing luy lay young friend lie cont hilled rals ink ing ills voice slightly tile the best way ot of getting rill rid of you aind your our charming wife I 1 regret that she lie must share your fate lint but I 1 see sec no way put cut of it to keep tier her permanently about the premises would be too great till nn inconvenience ven veni lence ence rind and since we cant lot let tier her go without involving ourselves in unpleasant notoriety I 1 fear as I 1 s said that site blie must inest join you my aly friend wishes to bayonet you ou both and bury you in tile thu grounds he fie has done a lot of that sort of thing thine in ills his time and I 1 believe I 1 am right in stating that tits ills hand lias has not lost its cunning nang since leaving russia A little yut of practice perhaps perli aps but the re aut ailt 19 3 tile the same sallie on the other hand ant gudown ovva whom you know of ol 01 J quite rightly out that there are the of your ridiculous gang ganc who know about him aind might very easily find out about gibout me die anti and when aliea in a 11 few days our motor car Is isolated hoisted ovit out of the water and Is IB traced by the reg tion number us its being yours lie he fora that flint not only may 10 1 fi find things very ry awkward but that flint a certain of unenviable able fand un desirable limelight may be thrown on this part of nf tile the country cou and tally ou alla ibis house As my friend gadova roost most justly observed wo want nn an ac accident a real good bonafide ident which will relieve the world of your presence and will bring no scorching glare of publicity upon this house or uny of wy my contreres con freres who remain in fingland lin gland you muy may recall that that was my original idea only you seem in tile the most extraordinary way to have escaped from being drow drowned tied still ns as fur far us as it goes we have a very good foundation to build on your car duly perceived by the gentleman of limited intelligence who works the bridge went over the edge you were duly perceived in it strangely enough tits his eyesight must have bien been defective or else lie he was so flustered by your amazing action that lie he was incapable of noticing everything nt at such a moni moment ent lie ile cause he ha actually failed to see bee tant your charming wife was seated beside you in the moment of panic when she alia realized you find fainted she leant forward doubtless to try and throw out tile the clutch yes ills his eyes cold and expressionless were turned momentarily on phyllls 1 1 I think that Is what she must have done that accounts for the not very intelligent gat anto opener pener falling failing to see tier but that she was there lg Is certain because captain drummond both bodies will be recovered from the river the day after tomorrow shall we eny some borne two or three miles downstream down stream lie ile was leaning forward his elbows on the table and for the first farst time understood something ething of 11 K I 1 you appear to have a wonderful faculty for remaining alive my young friend remarked peterson the diabolical hatred which peterson felt tor for him tie ile lind had never shown it before lie he was far too big it ninn ever to betray tits his feeling unnerves dartly but now as he be fint him gently rubbing his big biff white 11 ands together drummond understood thank Ilin you n thou thousand times he repented repeated in tile the same gentle voice bolce and since you tire are so BO concerned about the matter I 1 tell you my plan some detail I 1 need hardly say unit that tiny suggestions you make on any points that may strike you will receive my inott careful attention when the cur car into the water it curried carried you and your wife with it you were both liui leLl out us its the car plunged into the water and somewhat naturally you ou were both thrown forward blead foremost you will note drummond you left the car and your leads heads struck tile tho stonework of the opposite pier with sicken lg forre just before you readied reached the water in fact a marked e of the case when tills this dreadful accident Is reported in tile the papers wilt will be the force with whick you both struck that pier your two licanda were opre terribly buttered battered in fact I 1 have but little doubt that the coroner will decide when your bodies tire are recovered some few miles downstream tillit hint you were vere not in reality drow drowned lied but that taw terrific impact on oil the stone pier killed you instantly do you think its sound up to date 1 I think its ita d d unsound remarked marked drummond languidly if you propose to take me and endeavor to milk make 0 my head impinge on a stone wil wall it someone Is going coins to got get n thick ear lie liasides sIdes the bridge open and even evell your pal the not too intelligent might stick in tits his lues lies a bit of course he added hopefully lynu you might say you were doing it for the alic anoles tell him youre charlie chaplin but that you dressed dres seil in such it 11 hurry laurry youve forgotten your mustache tile red bended russian was snarling venomously let die 1110 get at him chief ile wont try being funny again tile russian half rose to its his feet ills teeth catli bared und and Ile tenon pulled him buck back into ills chair get your chance in n moment or two Yul lip gemni ked savagely then lie he turned once more on oa drummond and the lie genial look had bad vanished front from his face Doubt doubtless les your humor tip appeals peals to some people it does not to me moreover I 1 ani am in rather a hurry I 1 do not propose cap fain drummond Drum roond to take you to the bridge and endeavor to make your head fiend impinge on oil a wall ns you cull call it there la Is another fur far simpler method of producing the same sueae result the impinging will anke place in this house As a soldier you should know tho the result of a blow over the head with the butt of a rifle and I 1 cun can assure you that there will be no bungling this time Yul bulowski Is tin nn expert in ill such mutters matters and I 1 shall stay perso personally nully to see tint that it Is done passed lili ills tongue over tits hla lips and despite himself ills his voice shook a little am I 1 to understand ho he said otter after a moment that cwi arri propose to let that man mail butcher us here in this house with a rifle ride just so answered peterson that mint Is exactly what you are to understand der stand you tire going to let him hash bash my wife over the head fiend with it a rifle butt 1 I am going to order him to do so BO said peterson mildly and very shortly at that we must not have tiny any mistakes over tile lie length of time little youve youre both been dead I 1 confess it sounds drastic hut but I 1 can assure you it will be quite sudden us I 1 told you Is nn an expert ile he iid hid a lot of experience in russia you devil I 1 muttered drummond ditz dazedly edly you can to do whitt what you ou like to me but for sake let tier her boffl ue ile was waa staring ot at the russian who had risen and crossed to a cupboard in the wall there was soi almost maniacal in the lie took look on tits fitce face tho the look 1001 of a savage elvage brute beast confronted with tho prey it desires impossible my dear young friend murmured peterson Ic terson regretfully it affords nib me no pleasure to have tier killed but buti 11 have no alternative to see ece you dead I 1 would cross aiosa two continents ts lie snarled suddenly but and tits his voice became normal again only bitter necessity compels me to adopt such measures measure with phyllls you see she knows too much handled ills his rifle lovingly and tits ills teeth showed allowed in a wolfish grin which shall I 1 take first chief he said bald carelessly the point la Is immaterial returned peterson Pc terson 1 I think perhaps the woman drummond tried to speak nud and failed ills tongue was clinging to the roof of ills his mouth ever everything thing in the room ans ab nb dancing before tits his eyes dimly lie he saw the redheaded red headed brute swinging his rifle ride to test it dimly lie saw phyllls phyllis sitting bolt upright with a calm scornful expression on hr face while two men held tier glicr by tile the arms so that abe could not move and suddenly lie croaked horribly then lie he saw put down tile the rifle ride and listen intently for a moment the mutter matter snapped feterson irritably do you sou hear the different note to that dyn dennino di namo nino sald eald what tile the li ls Is that flint got to do with it roared peterson Peters nn bet on with it d n boti ou and attend to the dynamo afterward Yul bulowski nodded and picked up hl rifle again the lost last time lie fie said turning on drummond Dru nimond with it dreadful look of evil tn in tits hta face hint tills this rifle was used by me ine was in a collar in russia on even more exalted people than you I 1 brought it specialty specially with me as a memento never thinking I 1 should have the pleasure of using it ngali lie ile swung it over tits lilg licad head and drummond dm ID mood shut tits hla eyes to open them again a moment later P ci q tile the door was lung filing open and a ninn man distraught with terror dashed in the black gangl lie fie shouted wt wildly hundreds il of them thein all round the house cut the wires with a fearful curse peterson leaped t to 0 his feet and the nien men holding drummond dumfound cd nt at the sudden turning the til tibbles bles let KO go tits his arms Yul bulowski stood staring foolishly nt at the door and what happened then wag so PO quick tant none of the stupefied onlookers raised a finger to prevent it with tile the howl how of an enraged beast drummond hurled himself on tile the itus ilus sinn blind nind mad with fury and when two seconds later a dozen black black hooded figures edme siv i in through the door for one instant they paused in cheer horror pinned to the wall with his own bayonet which stuck out six sir indies inches beyond his back was a redheaded red headed red bearded man gibbering horri horribly tily in n strange language whilst creeping toward a benevolent clergyman who crouched in a corner val a m mail m they recognized as 03 their leader so PO lip pallIng was vas tile the look oi of malignant fury on in tits hla face TO 70 rin nn |