THE GOLD WORSHIPPERS

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 288, 2 December 1905, Page 11

THE GOLD WORSHIPPERS

Sy J. B. HABBIS BUEIAITO. i getter of "Dacobra," "Br. M<jtor

■. CHAPTER XXIV. jv•■■":■■"■■ ; " THE PIT.

jiy revolver was on the desk. Playle teen 'thoughtful enough to leave • t behind. I picked it up and handled ! jfc'il6vingly. I fc was loaded in every , c j, s jjiier, and each cartridge, used with

! proper care and skill, was good for' ■the life °* a mau - •*- "went to a drawJer and pu fc a dozen more oi the small tubes in my pocket. It would poof shooting if I could not kill a jnaa in eighteen shots. • ;-i. exMßined. the weapon and polished 'ft gently with my handkerchief. I jud never before realised its true value. Hitherto it had been merely a a means of defence against •real or imaginary But it • lad now acquired a new dignity, compared, to which its former position ' seemed mean and. paltry. It was the J ]jtt]e metal shrine of vengeance, and I I ajjnost worshipped its smooth blue bar--1 , jp]. Sere, in my hands, was the arbiter of life and death. I raised it • to ray h'ps and already, in my imagina- '■ tion, I saw Playle's lifeless body, and 'tie hideous silent iace upturned to the ■skyI placed the revolver in my pocket, took a long draught of brandy, and left the house. My brain wa-s in a ' 'feyer, and my sore and battered body .thrilled with excitement. 1 felt that jt would be impossible to sleep that

i night, impossible to rest until I had accomplished my mission. I had no thought of the consequences. I only fcnew that I must kill.

. The moon shone brightly in a clear \sy overhead, but the sea and marshland were shrouded in mist. Behind the house the fog was luminous and 'starred with glowing lights, while ebuntlesfs shadowy figures moved to and fro like ghosts. My new palace ;was. still rising foot by foot to the j skies.

I left the house and walked towards

Btandinghoe with no clear purpose in my mind. It was very unlikely that I should encounter Playle at that time of night. v But I could not rest. Some invisible power drove mc forth from the shelter of my home. Perhaps it

was the instinct which teaches wild 'beasts to roam by night. Perhaps it •was the vague hope that I might find the man' who had killed Loring. But

whatever its origin, it was all-eoinpell-jng and irresistible. I longed for the night air and the silence. The four Walls of a house would have been a ■prison to mc. Like some animal, I found pleasure in creeping through, the darkness.

I walked along the bank to Standing'hoe, and stood for a few minutes agairfst the wall of Playle's house.. All 'the rooms were in darkness and I could hear nothing hut the splash of the waves on the "hard" below. I 'wondered if he were still awake, and, whether Mary Playle were awake, and, : if so, whether she might be thinking "of mc. All my love for her seemed to have died out of my heart. She - Kad appeared in a new light —as the •cause of her uncle's brutal violence; as the origin of the blood-lust that had

entered my soul. '■I examined the fastenings of the doors and windows, and then crept silently away from the house. As I passed through the village, a dog barked. I whistled softly, and it came crawling out of the shadow of a garden wall. I'knew the animal well; it was a small mongrel terrier that had '(belonged to Loring. It crept to my ,leet and whined, with its tail between

its legs. , „ "Good dog," I said softly, ''good dog, W, stooping down, I patted it on tne head. Then suddenly I was seized with an uncontrollable desire to skill. 1 'caught the half-starved animal by the 'throat with one hand, gripped its jaws with the other, and strangled it to ideath. ■ When its last convulsive struggles had dred away, I rose to my feet ana Wed at the lifeless little body with a smile of triumph. How easy it was to kill. How delightful to see the work ot one's hands, i dropped on one knee and lifted one of the limp little paws. I thought of Playle's great heavy fist, and laughed with pleasure. Then 1 sprang to my feet and strode away from the small wim,e lump of stiffening flesh. , I left the village behind mc, and, inBtead of walking back towards Trunions, look the path that ran westward along the edge of the creek. I iafl no particular object in view, and Jrowled aimlessly along. ( Now; a I look back on my action that night, I realised how stupendous was the power that kept mc moving ■ile after mile through the darkness. &y limbs were stiff and bruised, my face was cut and bleeding, my whole body had been battered to a jelly. Yet for all that, I was endowed with a superhuman strength that made light of pain and fatigue. I moved on and on, from place to place; now walking along the bank, now descending to the edge of the mud on one side, or the edge ,oi the dyke on the<other; listening for •feyery sound, peering into,the curtain of »ust. to see if anything else was moving save myself in that silent wilderness of marsh and creek. .Then I heard the report of a shot, *nd then two more in quick succession, *nd then a long scream of agony, i 1 stopped, and taking out my revolver, stared hard at the wall of vapour • Niich surrounded mc. I could see no-

tiling, 1 called out, but no one answered. I could not locate the sounds I had heard, but I calculated that something had happened within a hundred .'•■ yards of mc. , .-.lmoved stealthily along the foot of the bank, picking out a smooth path so ' that even the swish of the grass should Hot give warning of nay approach. The fought struck mc that perhaps there *as something to kill, and a great joy telne into my heart. I had no thought ; •f- danger. The hot blood leapt in my 'Jems. If there was fighting, I wanted : to be in the thick of it—on either side, i ■pc muse did not matter. It was only ft c". opportunity of killing that appealed to mc. -1 walked along for about 50 yards, »nd then I saw a dark patch on the , Pass at the foot of the bank. I stop- : ped and looked at it carefully. It did. ■ :B °t move. I advanced towards it, and ? a w that it was the body of a man ly-■ tt glace downwards. ! ■ .i came close to it, and turned the face * 7< * to tj-e moonlight, The features *?To horribly crushed and distorted, but * Recognised them. The limp mangled ! that lay at my feet was all that gamed of Mr Rosick, ihe great de"•.v.V. >W

I have the murderer here, in-my hand, Rq.sick had said to mc, and again I shall certainly find him a week from to-day." I smiled grimly as I remembered the man's words. It was quite evident that Kosick had been almost too successful m his quest. I stooped down and examined his body. Then I rose to my feet and looked round into the mist, revolver in hand.

'It was quite clear to mc how the -detecuve had met his death. His crushed and mangled frame told its own story. I recalled the body of the burglar who had been found in the study at Trunions—the limp, distorted limbs huddled and pressed together, the look oi terror on the face, and the ghastly bloodlessness of it all. I knew well enough how Rosick had died. But it was not clear to mc how he had allowed himself to be overtaken by his fate. He was well armed and on the alert for danger. He was a shrewd, powerful man, and hardly likely to be caught una-wares. I was certain that he had succumbed not to stratagem, but to superior force, and that the snake alone would have met its match in the encounter.

A further investigation confirmed this theory. In one of Rosick's pockets 1 found a loaded revolver. There were cartridges in all its chambers, and, as I held the barrel up against the moon, I saw that the inside of it was clean and bright. It was clear that the detective had not used thia weapon. Yet I could find no other revolver, though 1 searched long and diligently over an area of many square yards. But the three shots had undoubtedly been fired by the unfortunate man. He bore no trace of any wound, and I knew, moreover, that when I last saw him he was armed with two revolvers. I asked myself what had become of the other one.

There was only one answer to this question. The , revolver had been taken from him. Apart from the fact that I had made a thorough search for it it was very unlikely that a man who was lighting ror his life would fiin<* away one of his weapons. It had undoubtedly been taken from Mm, and I realised that no snake m all the world could have accomplished such a feat. There were clear traces of a man's handiwork, and i. f 5° doubt that Jt was the man who had killed Loring. Then I recalled ° Rosick's boastful words: I have drawn in my net foot by foot I have not found him. hut 1 know that his hiding place is within a certain area, which, roughly speaking is about a square mile in extent." 1 looked round the small white circle which the light of the moon had cut out I* surrounding mist. Was it possible that the detective had run his quarry to earth, and had died in tfie Very ho lu . „£ hi, triumph? If 80 , the secret lay, perhaps, within a few yards of Ms deaa body. It was conceivable that I might carry on the work which the dead man had co nearly brought to a successful conclusion. But, on the other .hand, I. knew nothing of the mental process by which he had narrowed down the he Id. .of his operations, .and the final solution of the problem might yet be locked for ever in his silent brain

I sat down on the grass within a few feet of the body and resolved to watch till daybght. I had no fear of falling asleep. My mind was strung up to such a pitch of excitement that I did not even feel tired. The accomplishment ot my desire was in sight, and once more the lust of blood had given way to the lusfc of gold. Wealth, incalculable stupendous, illimitable, lay somewhere withm reach—perhaps less than a stone's throw from where I sat. I could not rest till I had found the man who had killed Loring and Rosick, and forced him to restore the treasure he had stolen from me>

. H after hour I kept my lonely C « Old night air had ™ P° w « to chill the fierce fires that blazed with in mc The silence, the danger that lurked hi the mist, produced no sense of fear in my mind. There was even no regret at Rosick's death, though a few hours I before all my hopes had hung on his -success I had taken up the sword from Ins dead hand. I myself would strike the blow. He had sharpened the weapon It was left for mc to wield it with all the strength of my arm and brain The moon sank, and I was left in darkness. I did not stir from my place, but strained every nerve to catch the faintest sound from the thick night that enveloped mc. Then at last the gloom began to lighten, and a faint greyness stole mto the black fog. I was seized with a fierce joy. The day was at hand, and the clay's work was waiting for me.' The sun rose, red and hiisre, into the wall of mist. I welcomed it with outstretched arms. I did not see that it was the angry eye of Cfod piercing all the horrors that the nisfht had veiled

The mists still lay thick on the marsh, but I knew that the sun would soon disperse tLem. I rose to my feet and began my eearch. I had no thought for the dead man. To mc he was merely a central point round which to pursue my investigations; save as a mark on the grass, I dismissed him from my thoughts.

I climbed to the top of the bank, which was nearly twelve feet in height. From this point of vantage I could see Over the layer of mist that lay upon the water and the marshes. It stretched round mc mile after mile like a sea of white foam. I stood in the sunlight under a canopy of blue sky, but at my feet the carpet of vapour hid everything from my sight.

I walked a couple of hundred yards up the side of the creek. Then the bank turned suddenly to the left, and I saw that I had come to one of the numerous little inlets which break the smooth lines of these wide estuaries. As a rule they only run a few hundred yards inland, but the pedestrian has to make a tedious' and irritating detour to skirt them. Their narrow mouth is impassable. At high tide it is full of water, and at low tide the surface of the bottom is so thickly covered with slime that a man can only attempt to cross it at risk to his life. The far ends of them afford snug mud berths for yachts in the winter.

As I walked round the inlet, a large black mass loomed out of the mist. I recognised it at once as one of the numerous old hulks which lie rotting in the mud of the creeks. Piteous spectacles they are for the most part, the carcases of boats which were once perhaps the pride and joy of the men who sailed in them; some mere ribs and backbone, others clothed with battered and broken planks, but one and all emblems of the indomitable strength of the sea, which grips men and vessels in its iron fingers and leaves only the bones for the sun and winds to laugh

There were many . Each hulks round Stahdinghoc, and I had often seen this one. before. But in the.light of-recent events it had assumeci- • a new import;-aaee-i'lt. was; not far from Rosick's 'b°dy£,aiidj;wa.s a possible hiding place. The, marsh and the mud and the water could afford no possible refuge.to a man who wished to evade pursuit for any length of time. There were no caves, no woods, no place ■ where any man could conceal himself. But here was at least a break in the surrounding flatness. , ■ . I went dose to the hulk and examined it carefully. It had been beached at an exceptionally high spring tide, for the sea lavender and glass-wort grew thick round its black timbers, and the last high water mark was several yards away from it. It was an old barge, and time had. not yet stripped it of all its planks. Aft it was a mere skeleton, but forward the foc's'le still remained intact save for a few gaps in the deck and sides. I went up to one of these holes and peered into it. ' Then I remembered that, of course, every one of these hui«.s had been carefully examined by the police, and probably two or three tunes over. My uncle's disappearance and Loring's death, together with the huge reward I had offered for tne discovery of the murderer must have ensured the strictest examination of every inch' of ground within several miles of Trunions. But in spite of the obvious futility of searching over ground that had already been subjected to a fierce and minute scrutiny, I decided to make a personal examination of the hulk. I remembered that eiianci often throws things in the path of fools, while clever men had searched for them in vain. 1 went to the after part of the vessel, climbed in through the gaping ribs, and made my way through weeds and rotting timber to the fore bulkhead. I scrambled up this, and lying down on the deck, peered through the hatchway. The sunlight streamed through the gaping planks and lit up the interior sc clearly that I could see every inch of it. The focVle was empty, and there was no sign of its having been occupied as a hiding place. The timbers of the flooring were sound and unbroken. The fides, too, were sound enough to a height of four feet. The slime which lay thick over all the rest of the boat's bottom had been kept out by the' bulkhead. It was a place where" a hunted man might well choose to sleep on an emergency, but there was no trace of anyone having been recently in the place. I let myself down through the hatchway, , and then, for the first time, I noticed a peculiar smell, and I had an idea that it was not unfamiliar to mc. The sense of smell is a powerful aid to memory, and after thinking for a few moments I recalled the time when a similar odour had come to my nostrils. The terrified faces of the workmen, the huge reptile that beat and writhed on the floor, the dark opening in the wall of the cellar. The whole- scene, came back to mc, and in a flash I realised that the scent was hot, and that somewhere or other within the rottifig timbers of this old hulk lay the solution of the problem that had baffled some of the keenest detectives in England. I continued my search with renewed vigour, and placing my revolver on the floor by my side, I took out a knife and thrust it into the seams of the planking to see if any of them were loose. But the whole woodwork seemed as solid as when it had first been laid down in the builder's yard. Then suddenly and without even a sound to act as a warning, the whole floor slid from under mc. I caught at the edge of a plank, and hung there for a second by my hands, and struggled to raise myself so that I could get one elbow over the edsre. Then something gripped mc by the feet, tore mc from my hold, and I dropped down into the darkness. CHAPTER XXV. THE GOLiD WORSHIPPER. When I came to my senses, I found myself lying on a cold floor of stone. My hands were tied together with a piece of grass rope, but my feet were free. A couple of yards away from mc the dark figure of a tall man squatted on the floor. He was silhouetted against a lamp which stood a little way behind him. The light was dim and I could see nothing else save a faint outline of great baulks of timber which seemed to loom from both roof and walls. I raised myself on one elbow and tried to discern the features of the man who confronted mc. "O most excellent fool," he said abruptly in almost perfect English. The remark called for no answer, and I was silent. "O most distinguished donkey," he continued. "You have, indeed, nearly bitten through the rope by which you was fastened to the earth." . ''Who are you?" I asked in a sullen voice. "Let mc see you, damn you." For reply the man moved the lamp so that the light fell upon his face. I saw that his features were huge and moonlike. TKeir impassive mask was only brightened by the eyes, which glittered through two narrow slits in the broad slab of flesh. His form was gigantic, and as he squatted on the floor he reminded mc of some great heathen idol. "You are the man who killed Loring?" I said slowly. "Who killed Rosick ; I am glad I have found you." "O most illustrious fool," he replied, "I am indeed the humble man who has ventured, to interfere with the destinies of your noble friends." "And you intend to kill mc, I suppose ?" "Kill?" he said with an impassive smile. "The followers of the great Kiao Lung do not kill any. save the meanest of their foes. With so noble and exalted a person as your illustrious self they use persuasion. They teach, they explain, they reason." "I understand," I said, quietly enough. "They torture to death?" '•"Mere pain," he replied; "a little bodily pain to save the soul from the torment of the seven devils hereafter." '•'That is very thoughtful of you," I said with a smile.' "Well, to come to the point, what do you want with mc?" "I did not seek you out," he answered gravely; "I do not want you. You came of your own free will. You have come, and — you shall stay as my honoured guest." "I do not see how my death or agony will benefit you." "It will amuse mc, most illustrious one." ,r Will you let mc go," I pleaded, "if I swear not 'to molest yon, or seek for you again?" "You could not keep the oath," he replied. "The madness of Kiao Lung is upon you. You have tasted the gold fruit, and the lust of blood and gold will be in your heart till you die. That is the curse of Kiao Lung. I, Min-shan, the unworthy priest of the Golden Temple,' say it, and what I say is truth."

I was silent. The man's words broke in upon my darkened mind lite a blinding flash of light. I saw why, I could, not rest till I had found'tie globe again. It was no personal weakness of my own will. It was but the fulfilment of the law. All pleasure attendant pain. Even- ordinary-riches seldom bring happiness. And it was clear that the secret of Kiao Lung, which was' able to endow a man "with, fabulous wealth, demanded its own price from the man's nature. With gold it gave also the undying lust for gold, and, perhaps, also the lust of blood, the desire to kill for the mere sake of killing. I had accepted the gift, and must pay the price. I was in the power of forces that I could not fight against. Then I realised that "after all it did not matter. For the present I had only to consider how best to escape from the hands of the man who desired to kill mc. "You are mistaken," I said after a long pause. "I have complete control of my own desires. I have wealth enough." "You are the richest man in the world/ he replied, "and yet you desire more gold. I know your desires; I know how you have sought for me —not to avenge the death of your servant, but to recover that which I have taken from you; that which I came to restore to its lawful owners. I know that you will not rest till you have found it. Of what value is your oath to mc V' "You are mistaken," I said firmly. "My uncle was in possession of the secret for years. He conquered the desire for gold. He died almost penniless. And even before he commenced to give away 1 his riches he had only as much gold as I have made in a single day." A faint smile crossed the Chinaman's huge flat face. "Your illustrious relative," he said gravely, "may serve as an example of what I have said to you. He was a man of great strength of will; a giant compared to you. He fortified himself with all the weapons of his own religion; a religion which holds up poverty as a virtue to be much desired. Yet his God was deaf to his prayers. He could not break free from the curse that was laid upon him." I did not answer. I recalled the night when my uncle had called out to mc from the hall door. The night he had sped past mc in the darkness; the ring I had found in the mud close to where I had hidden the yellow box. I had long suspected that he had never quite overcome his desire for wealth, an 1 now the suspicion was strengthened. Yet I required proof. I was not concerned with the past, but I wished to show Min-shan that I was able to keep my oath. "His money?" I muttered. "It was so little I could have made it in one day. Tell mc what became of all the gold he must have made if he conquer the desire. Tell mc that, and I will believe you." The Chinaman stretched out his great arms, and I noticed that the forefinger of his left hand was missing. "Do you think that I made this hidingplace, most ignorant one?" I looked round. I could see nothing but dim baulks of timber in the somidarkness. I had no idea of it's nature or extent, but I knew well enough that no one could have made such a place without plenty of time and leisure to do his work. Then the meaning of his words flashed upon mc. 'Do you mean that my uncle made it?" I asked suddenly. "It was made years before your uncle was born," he replied; "by robbers who hid their stolen in this land; by— I do not remember the name by which you call them." "Smugglers?" I suggested. "That is the word," he said. "It was made by these men, and your illus i trious relative found the place, and made use of it. The ship above our heads belonged to him, and here—bnt I will show you the place, and you shall see with your own eyes." He rose to his feet and loomed gigantic in the dim light. Then he gripped mc l»y the arm and pulled mc up from the ground. "Come with mc." he said. "I will show you that which will -send the blood more quickly through your veins." He picked, up the lomp from the floor and led mc across the stone flags to a wall that seemed to be made of small dingy yellow bricks laid one on the top of the other without any mortar or cement. Then he reached up his hand into the darkness high over my head, and held out one of the bricks. "Take this," he said. I stretched out my open palms, and he laid the brick on them. I clutched it with my fingers, but it broke through ■ my clasp and fell with a metallic ring on the pavement. It was so heavy that I could not hold it with unbound hands. "Gold?" I asked in a low whisper. "Gold," he replied, "nothing but gold. Tlie bricks stand six feet in thickness against the earthen wall. He moved round the chamber, and I followed him. As far as I could roughly guess, it was about forty feet square .and "' ten feet high, and, save for two doorways, every inch of the walls was lined a couple of yards thick with solid gold. The heavy baulks of timber that I had seen from my seat on the floor stood away from the wall, and were placed as pillars to shore up the great beams of the roof. The walls were all of gold—an inconceivable amount of gold. I tried vaguely to work it out in cubic feet, but my brain reeled at the figures. "Here," said Min-Shan gravely, "lies the work of your uncle's life"- This is the use to which he put his wealth. He desired none of the things that money can buy. But he could not conquer the desire for gold. Year after year Tie made it and buried it beneath - the earth. Beyond this room there is yet another,, and beyond that yet another again. I did not speak idly when I said that none could escape the curse of Kiao Lung." I stood in silence, and for one brief moment I realised that I was helpless in the toils of my fate. Then I thrust the thought from my mind, and ti*e lust of gold seized mc with such violence that I trembled in every limb. 1 would escape and make this vast treasure my own. Min-Shan might depart with his accursed secret. This stupendous hoard of wealth would gratify al? my desires. "Let mc go free," I said, after a long pause. "There is gold enough here to satisfy the lust of any man. You cannot take it with you. Leave England and let mc have this. It is more than I want." Mm-Shan smiled. 'Were it a thousand times as much," he said, "it would not be enough. You would still want more. You cannot escape the curse of Kaio Lung." I,did not reply, and, in the silence which followed, all my ambitions and desires seemed to be drawn off mc, as a veil might be pulled from a woman's face. I realised that I was cold, hun'4

gry, and exhausted with fatigue.' The fires that had warmed mc during the past twenty-four hours seemed suddenly to have died away into grey ashes. My physical- needs asserted themselves." My visions of wealth faded. I only knew, that I wanted food and rest. . For the. I moment nothing else in the world seemied to matter. I looked piteously into the inscrutable face of Min-Shan. Heread my thoughts. "You are tired," he. said quietly. "You are hungry. You shall have food and A gleam, of hope flashed across my mind. "T thank you," I replied. "You mean well by mc, after all? You will let mc go?" <> "We Easterns do not change our minds," he replied. "But you will need all your strength, and it is ill work playing on a broken harp." He left mc, and I shuddered. A chill seemed to have crept into my bones. I ascribed it to fear of what awaited mc. But I know now that it was partly due to the events of the last few hours, and that my midnight vigil on the damp grass and in the cold fog had left its mark on my exhausted frame. In a few minutes he returned. A faint yellow light streamed from a half-open door and died away into darkness. Then he came to my side bearing a tray of rough unpolished boards, on which reposed a dozen oysters taken from the creek, part of a wild duck, three small fish, and a jug of water. He laid the tray on the ground, fastened my feet securely together, and untied the rope round my wrists. Then he bade mc eat, and retiring to a short distance seated himself on a small rug, and appeared to be lost in meditation. I devoured every scrap of the cold repast with wolfish eagerness, tearing the flesh off the duck with my teeth, and crunching up the fish, bones and all. When I had finished, the Chinaman advanced, and picking mc up arms carried mc to another part of the room, and laid mc down on a bed of dried rushes. I turned over with a sigh of content, and, though I was still shivering with cold, I soon fell asleep from sheer bodily exhaustion. Even the thought of what the future held for mc was powerless to keep mc awake. I do not know how long I slept, but when at last I opened my eyes I was in darkness. I could hear the quiet breathing of some one; that and the belting of my own heart were the only sounds in the silence. "Are you awake, Mm-Shan?" I said drowsily. "I have kept watch," he replied. "I trust you are refreshed, O illustrious one." "I feel better; I am grateful for your kindness." ; "Do not thank mc," he said quietly. •'I have dealt with you as your police deal with a murderer who has tried to cut his own throat. The whole art of medicine is employed to nurse him back to life in order that they may have the pleasure of hanging him." I shuddered at the sound of his voice. It seemed strange and terrible in the darkness. "When do you start?" I asked. "When I have taken my rest," he replied, "and .have thought out some pleasant way of dealing with you. There is no need for haste. It will be a slow business, most eminent one, but worthy of your rank and wealth." "I do not see how my death will benefit you," I said in a voice that showed my willingness to discuss the matiter in a calm and impartial spirit. "On the other hand, if you let mc go free I can help you to escape from England to your native land." "You are kind," he replied; "but I have made my own arrangements. I have fought single-handed so far—and with success." 1 did not answer him. I was suddenly seized with a strange desire to know something more of this man, who had sprung so silently from the sea, and achieved his purpose in the face of almost insuperable difficulties. "You speak remarkably good English," I said abruptly, as though anxious to turn the conversation from my own affairs.

"My mother was an Englishwoman," he replied, "and for that reason I was chosen to lead this sacred expedition." "The whole story is a myaterv ' to mc," I said quietly. "I should like to hear more of it."

"I will tell you," he replied. "There is no reason why you should not know. Your lips are sealed?"

"My lips are sealed," I said quietly. "The dearth of your servant," he "began, "and the recovery of the sacred sphere was the crowning point of a task which has extended over many years. It was more than ten years be"fore we traced the yellow box to its hiding-place, and then I did not know that it was in your uncle's possession till after I had been cast up on tnis coast. We always believed it to be m the possession of a man called Playle, who escaped us, but who bears the mark of our handiwork to this very day. His humble birth and position baffled all our inqoiries, and it was many years before we traced hiih. Then there were preparations to be made, extensive and complete, and it was not till a short time ago that we anchored off your coast." He paused, as though the recollection of that awful night could find no outlet in speech. "I remember the night weil," I said. "I went out to the wreck with Playle." "I was the only man saved," he replied. "I came ashore on a piece of wreckage beneath the walls of your home. 1 clambered in at the window. Your uncle saw mc and fled with a cry of terror into the night. I asked myself why this stranger should be afraid of mc, and I followed him. He could not escape mc, turn and double as he would. I kept close to his heels, and he cried out that be had no reason to fear mc, and that he had cast the, box into the sea. Then" I knew the truth, and knew that what I sought was not in the hands of the man Playle." "Well," I answered, eagerly, "what then ?" "I ran my quarry to earth," continued the voice from the darkness. "Here in this hiding place, amid the gold that he had heaped up through all the long years." "And here," I said, gravely, "you killed him?" "No," the man answered slowly. "I did not kill him. It has been a long business. I fear that I shall not be able to spare so much time in your own ease." "Do you mean to say that my uncle is alive?" I cried out. "Yes," replied the voice, calmly, "your un-cle is. alive." (To be Continued Next Saturday.) FOUND OUT. He: "I always say just what I think." She: "I have often-wondered why you i.srere.so quiet."

COLD-BLOODED MURDERS. BEVOIjTING STOBIES PKOil THE CONGO. FIENDISH TKBATMEKT 05" NATIVES. A BAPTIST MINISTER'S KEVEIaATIOXS The Rev. John Harris, Baptist missionary,, lately returned from the : Oongo, in the "Dally .News." states terror is the pivot upon which the whole Congo regime turns. The fiend is met on every hand, hovers over the wretched transport carriers, -who are driven like dumb cattle; grinds out of the natives supplies of* food, aye, and evea women, for the white man and bis bullies; and compels them to scour the forests for building material. ■ ..*-■. * .... MORE BUBEER OR DIB. Let mc . give same instances of the methods by wnteh these fiends work. Ngolo, a native, crossed the river in order to look for When he returned, Bofosa, a sentry whose activities are known to mc in detail, said: "You want to shift your village, and you have been to look for a new site." The poor fellow reyiied, "That is not true; for, look there is my rubber." This, however, did not satisfy Bofosa, and Ngolo was immediately shot Banjangi, a chief, called Ms section together, and said: "Look here, I am tired of my people being killed every day for rubber, we will go and work rubber on the Lapori river, possibly the white man there is not so bad." Bofosa heard of this, and tracked the people as they were escaping; he with his retinue bound Banjangi to a tree and said: "Why are you running away from us?" Tne old man replied: "Because we ane being killed every day, and personally I do not want to die yet " Bofosa replied: "Oil, don't you; well, you shall die to-day," and forthwith shot him The wives of Banjangi were taken by Bofosa and his retinue, and held in ransom till the relatives of Banjangi redeemed them. Andengi agreed with others to endeavour to escape from his village, hut the sentries caught him land bronght them back tied neck to neck. Whilst in this position, Andengi smiled at some remarK passed by one of the captives. Bofosa, noting this, said: "Who are you laughing at. Andengi replied: "Should I dare laugh at H a^! ntry? " This rep,y Msexed Bofosa. who took Andengi out in the open and shot Him. HUNTED TO DEATH. Many of these hunted creatures live in the forest, their villages being unsafe. This applies especially to women and chiWren. Every effort is being made by -the rubber eentrtes to prevent this, and anyone found Wding or living in the forest is either imprisoned or shot The gentries spend much of then- time (hunting the forests for these "rnnawaye." The, murder of Eenmbl is a good example of this sort of |hing. She was the wife of Bolumbo and. in company with a few -women and children, Was living upon roots, leaves, and nuts in the forest. konJnroJo discovered her collecting leaves for the evening meal, and before the poor creatux© could escape he bad shot her. She wan only wounded, however, therefore, hie ''boys" came up and "chopped her with tfcjear knives till she died!" It is a rule (absolutely illegal, notwithstanding) that natives shall not leave Uieir villages without permission. Any infringement of this is punished by either white man or his seutry. An example of this is also supplied from the miserable Bongwonga. Bbengl went to visit befriends at Bmnendi, and on this account was shot as a warning to others. I have repeatedly called the attention of the authorities to this illegality. It was also condemned without reservation by the Commission d'Enqnete, and yet the thing still goes on. On May Bth of this year an illegal permit was issued at the Abir headquarters at Bassankusu "to a native, and for this he had first to bring the white man a fowl for his dinner. His illegal permit is in my possession. NO AVOIDING THE TORTURE. The crime on the Congo which knows no trial, no forgiveness, no staying of torture, no security from extermination, is that of shortage in rubber. This crime merits disgrace for the stray humanitarian official, flogging and imprisonment for the sentry, and massacre for the natives. For the crime of having sev-sn baskets short out of loa (5 kilo baskets), Lonkunjo ties up Mofcasumba and shoots her as a warning , - She was a "weak old woman." This is what happened to a man who had one basket short. Bafuka was eating caterpillars In his hut. Lonkunjo save: "Why is the rubber ebort? You have been getting caterpillars instead of searching for rubber." He calls to his boys, and tells them to tie him •to a tree. The "boys" said: "Lonkunjo, do not ehoot him; leave him to us.'' Then spears wer eimn throqgh (fcis stomach, his 'head cut off, and placed on a stake near his house. A case in which five baskets were shot led to this incident. "Guns" were expected, therefore Dengwa went along the path to watoh, and then give warning of the approach of the sentries, > but he was discovered, and shot before .he could give tine warning. Another scout, lema, who followed close to Dengwa, heard the report, and crept into the bush, took a circuitous route; one of the sentries, knowing the Bongwongia language, called out friendly messages. Yema, thinking it was one of his own people, came out and met them. He was immediately shot. A DIABOLICAL CRIME. On one occasion ten Baskets of rubber weTe short. The Bongwonga had divided the men of the village. Some went to hunt meat for the sentries' private use, consequently there were fewer for the' rubber, and when the rubber was measured up there were ten baskets short. Upon hearing this the whole village stampeded Jnto the forest. Just at this time the hunting party returned, quite merrily, because several animals had been caught. Taflabaitu was leading the file (they were Ignorant of the fact that the rubber was short). Ekwauga raised his rifie and shot TSafiabatu. The others threw down their nets and ran to the forest. Knowing having the basket short would mean "guns, ,, Libeswa; "the short" left home with his ivife and little one. They sought out an isolated spot in the forest, and concealed themselves behind a clump of trees. But the babe was cold, and under euch circumstances it might cry, and so reveal their hiding place. Libeswa, therefore, made a little fire, which was his undoing. SHOOTING A BABY. In turns they slept, watched, and nursed the infant. The blood-thirsty sentries were scouring the forests, and Intanga espied the tell tale smoke rising over the tops of the trees. Silently he crept through the undergrowth, and presentely came withlu gunshot of the little family. It was Libesvra's turn to watch, and he was chanting a native lullaby to keep the infant quiet. Intanga raised his rifle and shot LJoeswa. He was only wounded though, so he picked up his infant and ran aivay, at the same time calling to his wife to escape. I lutanga reloaded and killed the wounded man, at the came time mortally wounding fche Jufatrt. A section of the Bongwonga villages were shotr of its rubber, so tlio sen-tries-were sent to "sala etumba" (work a fight). Ifalajeva, owing to the approach of chlld-birtb, was unable to escape with her husband. She was tied up by Boeonso's retinue end shot in the back, then "opened," and the unborn babe dragged on to tfce ground and mutilated. ***~ -™ -