Show BULLDOG BULL ULL ado DOG the adventures of a mobilized demobilized De officer who found peace dull D RU by CYRIL SAPPER mcneile copyright by 67 geet H drifts co CHAPTER IX conti continued nu d 1 14 4 ile he felt singularly wideawake 0 e and after a while title lie fie gave up lip al attempting tt dempt ing to go eo to sleep the rhe new development raich bad como com to light that evening was tit in ills his thoughts and BS as he lay there covered only with a n sheet for the night was visa hot the whole vile scheme unfolded itself before his imagination tile the american was ras right in his big main idea of that he be had no DO doubt and in his big minds eye he be saw the great crowds of idle foolish men led by a few hotheaded hot headed visionaries vision aries and paid blackguards black guards guardi to their so called utopia starvation misery ruin utter and complete talked linked in tits ills nientai picture spec terol disputed disguised as great ideals but grinning under their ma masks maks ks ali and mice again he seemed to hear the toe loc toe toc of machine guns as he had bad heard them night offer after night during the llie years gono gone by but this time they were mounted on the pa pavement paiement ement of the he tomus row us of england and the lie swish of the bullets which had swept like swarms of cock chafers over no mans land now flow whistled down the lie streets between rows of of squalid houses boures and once again a fly pinged hinged past his hesed bend with a ge gesture ture of annoyance lie waed his arm it was hot insufferably hot and he was beginning to regret that he blast followed the earnest advice of the american to sleep with mith his windows shut and bolted what on cm earth could on do to him in a rain at tile the ritz but he arid promised the file detective end and there here it was as curtains drawn draun window bolted door locked Blore moreover over and lie smiled grimly to bant hl olf as he remembered it he had eien een gone so tar far as to emulate the hysterical maiden lady of fiction and peer under the bed the next moment the smile cen ceased ed abruptly and be lay rigid with every none alert something had moved in the room it had only been a tiny movement nio mo ement more like the sudden creak of a piece of furniture than anything else but it was not quite like it A gentle slithering sound round had bull preceded tile the creak the sound such its as a man would wool make who he with infinite precaution against making a not note noise e was mag moving in a dark room a stealthy uncanny noise hugh peered into the darkness tensely after tin first moment of t his brain was quite cool ile he had looked under the bed he had hung his coat in the cupboard anti and save eave for those thoe two obvious places there was no con coer er for a cat cal and yet m with ith tile the sort of sixth sense that four years of war had given him he knew that noise had been made by some human agency human alie thought of tile cobra at the elms flashed bashed into tits his mind and tit his mouth set more grimly what if peterson had introduced some of tits bis abominable menagerie into the room then on once e more the thing like a fly sounded ion loud in his ear and was ana it his imagination or tin and he heard beard a faint sibilant siti llant hiss just before suddenly it struck him film that he be w was is at t as a terrible disadvantage the ahng ali ng whatever it was knew at any rare rale approximately his position he tin lind not the slightest notion where here it was nas arid and a blind titan man boxing a man mail who ho comila see would mould have felt just about rs as safe with hugh fuels a conclusion meant instant redo action it tillight be dangerous on the floor door it most certainly was wag far more so in heil bed lip II 11 felt for his torch find and lien will fill nil oin conclusive bound he was stand by the door will his hand blind on the electric haht switch then lie paused and listened intently not a mound aund i could lie be hear llie ilip tiling whatever wh ili ateer steer it was had become motionless at his sudden ino emen foran for an appreciable lime lie mood there bi his eyes searching seni fliming llie file ilar kness imi bool even ne could we ep nothing staff it h cursed the american ills his breaid tie he would time hlib af glen n for eien een the lisp faintest art grey v llant so that top be could have some men ide of what hot it was and v where here it write was now lie felt utterly helpless while eiery moment be imagined imagine some onto klait i crawling ng witching touching MB 1418 bare bar feet creeping up lip on fill him he pulled himo himself self together lusht essential and tit nt once hut if lie he switched it on there would mould tie he n moment when ithen the thing would w film before he could see pop the thing anil and such moments are not nol h there only remained biet torch fill binl on oil the ancee on oil one occasion lin lie he ban stated his life by jt judicious q use ofie the men man one of those amile apine lie in in blackness far more impenetrable penetrable titan than tile the blackest night for the he roan man in front Is dazzled ile he can call only hoot at t the torch wherefore hold it to one side and in front of 3 ion nil the ight flashed out darting round tie lie room kingl something hit the rl eve of his but still be ef mid te isee nothing noth lof the bed with the f lollies clothes throan vack back the washstand ills in chair with his hl troup trousers ers and nd shirt was vlas as it had been when then lie ineil ii eil li it rid nd jhen he be a sec 1 olied and clear it cm fr in lilah up tit near the ceiling cel ling and nd hi bee tit hihl the og cupboard cup buard and od true led up tit it rea reached cheil the top lop and rested there fixed and steady ready framed in the middle of it peering oer tile edge ede WT ki k i it little hairless hairl rss brown fae face holding ln kling aliu like a tube in jtb I 1 hugh had stop one glimpse of a lark dark skinny hand ion putting something in the tube little and then lie switched 0 off llie file torch and ducked just as another fly hinged pinged over oer his liend head and lilt hit the wall in bt hind one tiling thing tit at any an T rate was wag certain the other occupant of the room was human and with that realization oil all tits his nerie returned there would mould be time litter later on to find out lie how he pot got there still and lint those strange pinging noises had biad been cringed caused by lut lu t at that moment only one tiling thing was on tle tie program anti and without It hOUt a sound he be cr pt round the bed toward comard the flip cupboard to ti put front that hat one thing into effect in ili lilt hia usual direct manner twice did it lie lipar hear the little whistling ahls from above e hot but nothing sang going rust past ills head evidently the man had lost liim jilin and ant haq was probably still ol 01 aiming m at the door and then with v ith hands bande that barely toothed tow lied it lie felt elt the outlines or of tile cupboard it was a stranding ding oil an inch or two from the wall and lie slipped lili ahli lingers fingers behind the back on oil one side ride he listened rota moment nt but bill no move movement meAt came front from above then half hal facing the wall all lie he put one leg against it IL there them was one quick lii ik trenten tremendous dous heave il a crash chich sounded deafening then silence and once again lie switched clied on oil ills his torch lying on llie file floor by the window a mas as otte one of tile smallest t men he be had flat eer seen lie was a natle native of sorts anti and hugh turned him over with his foot lie was quite ancon clous and tile hunia on oil bi his head beat where it had lilt hit the floor was ai a i rapidly su swelling elling to tile size of a large orange in his bis liand land lie still clutched aluk hed the little tube and hugh gingerly removed it placed la in position at one oise end was a long splinter of wood mood with willi a sharpened point slid and by the light of ilia his torch hugh saw that hint it was faintly discolored with mitts some bi brown biown own stairs stain lie he was ma still examining it with etli interest when a thunderous knock cume come 1 4 1 1 1 r I 1 3 I 1 if its if all the same to you I 1 wish remove him tilt till the dinoi lie he strolled over wid uma sw ditched itched on oil tile llie electric light then tic lie elicited tile llie door an ali excited eglit porter theil ri ru lud in ili followed liy fly to atto or chree other oilier people in arbing in alire Kl ire tor of undress uni un diess in anti and kloppel III 1111 at llie acne atif heavy eipl ciril 41 will lilt a great i nil k tier himi ili alir hark back lily four downward downard ard lilt flur llie file brintle mill liv lay culled up and 1111 le s title lne sit of the liniel pets qu red 1 I b parn anly fighting a Cig gretle if its im nil llie file labin to you yell I 1 isal gibli yulu 1 1 remove him blin lie wax wase oh nil find ni ins it il une tin on the iho lot lop of the clipboard it api that me night porter fould i aik i ik it also appeared that tile llie littly lady tile the room below had forth decarl 9 to ile he led to its tile basel tient under antler the mis that hut war lint had again beon declared jec lared find and the miana were ere boruh ing carls anti and risen to crown everything while hilo th uproar was at its height tile lie native on the floor opening one heady beddy and somewhat nome what dazed eye realized that things thing looked unhealthy unnoticed he lay doggo for a while then like a rabbit which has hn almost been tr olden on he dodged between betwee nt the legs leg of the men in the room still and through thron gli the he open door tak taken ell by surprise for a moment no one moved then simultaneously they dashed into inlo the paw passage tage it was wan empty and hugh glancing up raw MW them Ame detective adver elis toward them along the corridor what the trouble ili bl stoked as a he joined the group A friend of the management elected to spend the night on the lop op of my cupboard mr green ansu answered ered drummond men and got cramp tin halfway half if way ay through the american gazed at the wreckage lo in silenea then he looked at hugh and what he be saw on fron that woi thys face apparently decided him to main aln that policy in fact it it was not till the lie night porter and his hia attendant minions had at last and lery cry dubiously withdrawn that he again opened his mouth looks like a hectic beetle night he be murmured murin in a red what happened hugh told hlin him what had occurred ant and the detec detective tie whistled softly blowpipe and poisoned pol darts he said shortly returning the tube to drummond narrow escape d d narrow look at pillow hugh looked embert led in the linen were four pointed splinters similar to the he one he held in his big hand by the door vele three more I 1 ing ua on the floor an engaging eng biging little bird he laughed lau ebed but blat nasty to look at lie ile extracted the little pieces of wood and carefully placed them in at an empty natch hox box the tube he put pill in to 0 o bi his cl cigarette arett evas case might conte conar if in handy you know he remarked casually they might if you stand quite still sald said the american with a sudden sharp command in his voice pont dont move hugh stood motionless staring at I 1 the he speaker who with alth eyes fixed on his right forearm had stepped forward from the loose elcee of his pajama cost coat the detective detec detect the ioe gently pulled another dart and dropped it luto into the buntch box not far off getting you that time captain rapt aln he cried cheerfully now inow louie got the lle whole blamed outfit THREE it was the coffe de guy who hoarded boarded the boat express at the care du do nord the next day it was carl peterson who stepped ot off tho the boat ex tires at boulogne ant and it lits as only positive assurance which the he american that the two characters were mere the some same man lie ile was filling oer the sido side of the boat reading a telegram ft hen lie he first aw hugh ten minutes after the hoit boat alad left tile the harbor wid ond if he hold hoped for a different result to the incident of the night before no sign s of if fit it t s honed homed on oil ham face lirt instead pail he laed a cheerful greeting to drummond th this s s a pleasant surprise he remarked marked afra affably bly ahne you been to pars paris too loo I 1 lir or a drummond looked nt fit etim nir narrowly roily was wag it a stupid bluff or 1 was I tile the man jiin so sure of his power of f di eliise shot he arned with certainly he lind had not lievi lierni d and it suddenly airsick hugh that live for that one telltale tell fell tale in 1 it a habit which in all lo 10 probability petern n win huelf elf was wag of lit in mould oil not hale haie reci blin yes tie be ans answered Ight kightly ly 1 I come over to awe t rv lie liou you yon behaved beli aved bour our elf if what a pity I 1 know id JP iemon fill a rood humored chuckle chuck I 1 e lie he in em ellent spirits as 9 he it cart fully tore tilt telegram into tiny peres dropped Im piped tin thim in we laite lind av oilier of or homely lilt litter chair dints mpr s amp gnp supper t where ld did you yon kiy t at llie life ibitz and tou ion 1 I always ini tit at tile llie arltol sin an ieiri iiii eweler than ilion tile the I 1 alink FOUR walk richt in fit mr green sri gaii litspy llna h a ai 4 b aurit litter later they got goi out 1111 or of A taxi lii in fit half moon rb l is nit fit little ri ril liliie bit hutch lie ile f file ill american up of 1116 flaurr filed and pi odin 4 41 l ills file latchkey I 1 lemire lie be bild eun elen lija rt it in ili tile llie hole hele site door jet filing often also annl I e fr er dorroll facing him ideros ide roi relief in ills his face tile lord I 1 ord yoo you tive ve conn come old oil sors mill be cried irh a brief look of at tile theres sot something rom ethIng do ini down don at Go dalming I 1 dont like lip ho fol followed lomed hugh hire the mills kitting g room at twelve today toby rang up tip ile he was talking qulie quite ordinarily you know the twirl of rot rol hp ho usually in ceta orf off his ches chet che t when lie quite short t and sali said lly ir cod whitt do you want I 1 could lell fell hed looked ap because his voice was error lied fled then there was wag the sound of a scuffle I 1 heard toby eure curse then noih doth ing more I 1 rang anti and rang and rang no answer what nh did yote you dol do drummond alib a letter lo in his hand bond which he ba hul taken off the mantelpiece waa busts affix ll 11 sensing grimly algy was here lie he ino colored r tonight off to soe ft it if 1 he could field out best aati was bronc I 1 stopped mopped bere ln re top 0 tell lell ou on from him not a dorrit therso there foul foot play w or ill 11 II pu eat my mj aistro h lint hul hugh huch did ot not an angner giter with it on n hl hip face ubach vets peter alti MM M to M ln foit lie he on us ro rullis rul lii ja life letter it was nos short and to tit the point hut but he read it three times thaes before he be spoke when did this ronie cattle he asked an hoor ago age jin answered sered the ot elior r 1 I ery cry nearly opened it read it sold quit hugh ile he handed hin deil it to peter ieter stiff and went to the door penny denny lie shouted 1 I want mant my cur car round at once their lie be cattle hack back into tile the room if hurt one oise hair of of her ter head he said sat his olce full of a smoldering fury ill murder that gang une one by one with ith my I iare bare are hands fly captain may I 1 see this elds letter salt said the american and hugh nodded for sake come at once read tile detective detec the tie aloud the bearer of this Is ig trustworthy lip he thoughtfully picked his teeth 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