“X 14.”

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7196, 30 June 1933, Page 9

“X 14.”

Instalment 27.

CHAPTER XVlll.— '(Continued.; Suddenly the road curved sharply to the left, taking me out of the rays from the head -lamps, which were already quite close. For another fifty yards I ran on in darkness. Then I jumped on to the 14ft side walk and threw myself flat against the wall before the car came roaring round the bend, casting a blaze of light ahead. It lit up a wooden gate in the opposite wall, well back near the oorner, and as it flashed by it showed me an unexpected solution to my problem. My position was sufficiently out of the direct beams to escape notice, but I heard the sound of skidding tyres. The driver seeing the road empty in front of him, Md jammed on his brakes. Before he could draw up the letter had gone, and I was racing back towards the gate. I reached it just as the leading runner came round the bend. (He shouted when he saw me. The others were close behind him. I hurled my self against the gate, only to find the confounded thing was locked, and then turned at bay to make a fighting finish of it. The first man measured his length in the dust, but the odds were hopeless. I was borne down by sheer weight of numbers, like a fox being worried (by hounds. Half a dozen of them were on top bf me at once. Some one struck me on the back of my head, making my senses swim, another drove his knee into my stomach, winding me, while a third threw a cloth over my face, stifling the cry for help on my lips. It was all over in less than fifteen seeoiids.

My memory far the next few minutes is rather hazy. The world seemed to be going round me, and my one desire was to get my breath back. I know thfit rough hands went through my pockets as I lay writhing on the ground, but they didn’t find what they were searching for. The letter had disappeared. The German o&me up after the others, puffing hard, and struok me across the face in the anger of his disappointment. The blow hardly stung, for I was too far gone to feel much. When the car came baok Brown jumped out and personally went ever my pockets again with equal success. Then they tied my wrists and feet with handkerchiefs, bundled me into the car, and drove back to the house. Before we started Brow gave orders to search the road, and on the way he sat beside me with a revolver pointed at my heart. A lead pencil would have been equally effective, for the strength had gone out of my limbs. On arrival I was carried into the hall and laid upon the floor. Brown gave me a kick, and shook Ms fist in my faoe. “Your number Is up, you awine, he hissed, “i’ll teach you to hit your betters. Where is that letter, damn you?" I shook my head as if too dazed to understand, and he went through my pockets for the third time. Finally I was dragged upstairs to an attlo and dumped on to a bed—strangely enough the very one under which I had lain hidden on that other memorable evening. My light bindings were exchanged for strong ropes. Then evoryone cleared out except a squint-eyed fellow who stayed on guard, and I was left to my ow thoughts. They had got me at last, and I was in tho deuce of a fix, but, thank heavens, they had not got the letter. It was nearly half an hour before Brown reappeared. He came in with the other (three chief conspirators, and a glance told me that they had failed In their quest.

"Stop playing the fool,” he growled, harshly. “You have got to speak, and we mean to make you. Where is it?”

I tried to pretend -that his words conveyed nothing to me, and stared at him blankly. "Here, Schultz,” he said to the German, “twist his arms. Perhaps a little gentle persuasion will bring him to reason.”

Sohultz caught hold of my hands and bent them baok against the rope until I thought the joints would break. It was no part of my game to get hurt needlessly. Delay was my object, and I had still another course open to me. “Don't, don’t,” I moaned. “What do you want?” "Thats better,” said Brown, with a laugh. “Now, my beauty, listen to me. You got away with a certain paoket. Wo want it baok. Where is it?

“Haven’t you found it?" I asked, looking surprised. “'The letter was in my pooket when you were chasing me. Didn’t you take It out?" “No," he said. I made a movement towards my right side, and he dived his hand under my coat —of course, finding nothing. “Was that where it was?" “Yes." “Well, where is it now?" I shook my head. “If you didn’t And It, I must have dropped it." "Dropped it he gasped. “Where?" “How in the dickens sh-onld I know?” I said, pretending to rouse myself “You chivvy me Into a wood, drive me out again, knock me on the head, pick by pockets, and then want me to tell you where your beastly letter is.”

“Haven’t you any idea of what became of it?" asked the other Englishman. .

“If you haven’t got it,” I repeated, “it must have dropped somewhere. I certainly.had it in my pooket in the wood. After that—well, there are lots of places where it might have fallen." The four men looked at each otner. What I had told them was manifestly true.,..i If the: letter had been in my possession it must either still be in my pooket,, or somewhere along .-or. near my line of flight.. I had had no opportunity of communicating with anyone else, but there were plenty of spots' where the envelope' might be lying unnotioed.. : . ; on,- we- will have another try ” said Brown, and they went out, leaving me alone onoe more with my ferocious looking gaoler. That night seemed to be endless. The seoond 1 searoh took longer, although it, was equally-fruitless. Again my tormentors came back and attempted to get more information out of me, but I stuck to my point. The missing package must have been dropped somewhere. What more, “could they expect me to a ay? li also

By I. M. GILBERT

happened to be the truth, but not quite all the truth, and the longer the delay the greater my chance of suooess. About four in the morning Brown came in alone. He brandished a pistol, put the muz}e against my ear, and said he was going to shoot me there and then unless a more satisfactory explanation was forthcoming. I was pretty sure it was only a ■threat, for my death wouldn’t help him, but I didn’t And it difficult to simulate fear. Acting as if scared out of my life, I repeated my original story, and I think It convinced him. Anyhow, ho left me alone after that. The telephone bell had been ringing almost continuously throughout the night, and there was a lot of coming and going. I knew the whole crowd was on the jump, but towards dawn things began to quieten down. The message from X 14 had shown that the cat was very nearly out of the bag. However, nothing ooourred, and no attempt was made to rescue me, Brown and his friends must have begun to feel more secure. I lay wondering what was happening. My aunt would he deeply distressed at my non-appearance,, and would certainly go to the police that morning if she hadn't already gone the night before. How bitterly I regretted not having been able to give her a fuller description of the place. The light began to filter through the tiny attic window, and for a variety of reasons 1 was glad to see it. Somewhere round about eight o’clock Jude relieved my guard. He was Inclined to be talkative, but as most of his conversation consisted of gruesome details of what they were going to do to me, I didn’t reply. After a time he dried up, and sat reading a book in the corner. I didn’t expect any breakfast, and wasn’t offered any. It must have been nearly ten when I heard the oar arriving. It had been away most of the night. A few minutes later someone dame up the stairs. The door opened, and a tall figure stood in the entrance. It was X 14.

CHAPTER XIX. My arch enemy came over to the bed and looked down at me. “We meet again, perhaps sooner than you expected," he whispered, with an evil srnile. “I am glad my oomrades haven’t really hurt you, because that is a pleasure I hoped to reserve for myself. They tell me you have been playing rather an ambitious part, and I only trust you have done nothing unworthy of your model.” He chuckled, and turning to Brown, who had followed him into the room, pointed to the ibruise left by my fist on his face. "That wasn’t a vary tactful thing to do to your chief host, and you wll probably regret it later..’ I was longing to know what had happened in Scotland, but a sioken--Ing dread made mo hesitate to speak, X 14 guessed my thoughts. "Haven't you any qusetlons to ask about your two friends?" he said. "Howover, they hardly matter, for you are unlikely ever to meet them again. What Is more important is the whereabouts of certain documents. If we don’t find them, a young gentleman called Graham will, have only one desire——that death will come to him quickly.” “He still maintains that he doesn t know what became of the letter, Brown remarked. “We will see about that after breakfast,” answered X 14. “I am sorry not to be able to ask you to join us,” he went on, looking down at me again, “but It would only be a waste of good food—like the last hearty meal the condemned criminal is always supposed to enjoy. It is a pity, for we have a vacant place. Comrade Waoe was most useful to me, but unfortunately he has gone on a long journey." He laughed to himself, and, making a mock bow, went out of the room with Brown. How I hated him. Even the way he spoke made me shiver. And yet I couldn’t help admiring his cold-blooded courage. When the ordinary person would have feverishly continued the search for the missing letter, he calmly ate his breakfast. Thinking over the situation, I realised that Xl4 must have overheard my parting instructions to Henderson at Lathy Keep. He knew, therefore, that my whereabouts was a mystery, and the fact that no inquiries had been made since the loss of the letter almost proved to him that it still lay hidden in the immediate neighbourhood. For over an hour nothing further happened. My head was throbbing from the blow I had received, and I asked my guard for a drink of water, but his only reply was a stream of abuse. Apart from the pain, the waiting got on my nerves, and in spite of what it might mean I felt almost relieved when an order oame to take me downstairs. The man who delivered the message was the murderous little Cockney known as "The Nipper." The memory of his crouching figure on the fire esoape was still very vivid. I could see that he fairly gloated over me. Between them the two men carried me to the dining room, and threw me on to a sofa. The scene was almost identical with the one of the night before, the chief difference being that the real X 14 sat at the head of the table. The other four were all present. They ■were talking about me, and didn’t even stop when I was brought in. As far as they were concerned I might have been a corpse, for they considered me as good as dead. ■ I was still alive only because they thought themselves safe, and hoped to get some information from me. ;' . „ . . “We Intend shooting him at the first sign of danger," Brown was saying. Xl4 remarked that it would have been a pity to kill me like that. “Shooting is much too pleasant a method for him. 'Besides, he may be able to help us. Perhaps he knows more than you imagine he . does.” “But 'we have searohed everywhere," Brown argued. “The envelope is white, and would show up at once." Schultx shook his head. lam not satisfied," he said. "De vool is very vat you ball dense. De letter might still be dere." To be continued