TREASURE HOUSE OF MARTIN HEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20362, 17 September 1929, Page 16

TREASURE HOUSE OF MARTIN HEWS.

AN INSPIRING SERIAL BY A FAMOUS AUTHOR. BY E. PHILLIPS OPt'EN'HEIM.

CHAPTER XXXlV.—(Continued). We stepped out and the lift shot up again, probably to the attic! In the little hall there were scant traces of the struggle which had taken place, except for Peters lying upon his back', very white and still,. an ' overturned chair,' and "the telephone recti Vers ffoin the two boxes wrenched from' their places and thrown upon the ground. Outside, however, pandemonium reigned. Police whistles and •motor horns were all going nt the same time. There ' was still u stream of taxicabs driving as near as they could to the restaurant and disgorging little parties of six men from each vehicle, who, notwithstanding their dinner jackets, were certainly not ordinary visitors.

I looked around in amazement. ' The top of the glass door leading to the hairdresser's shop was smashed, and although the small lounge outside seemed to be quiet, there was .a commotion of some sort in the grill room, to judge by the raised voices and the crashing of crockery. I pushed Isaacs out on to the pavement, and found one of the porters, half scared to death, and cowering against the wall. The commissionaire, a line-looking fellow, who had attempted to deal with the first taxiful of raiders, was lying upon the pavement, stone dead. "Don't go down toward the restaurant, sir," tne porter begged me. "They're driving the people in there like sheep. There's murder going on. Look at poor Charles! These d d Communists! Get up on the top floor somewhere, sir, and out on the roof if you can. I'll show you the way if only Jim would bring the lift down." Are there no police here ? " I asked. I've seen barely half-a-dozen, sir, and there ain't one of them" alive, I should think. They seem all off the streets. A gentleman who just came in said he hadn't set eyes on a single one all the way from Charing Cross. Besides, what's the good of them in twos and threes? There's hundreds of these fellows hero and they've all got guns." " we find a telephone anywhere Sn theplace?" I suggested. " They went for them directly they fame, sir," the man replied, " anil smashed the lot. That's where Peters got Lis."

" Why don't yon try to ret n taxicab to Scotland Yard? "

They wouldn t let nie pass the corner of the street, sir," he declared. " There's *• dozen of them watching everyone who comes out. There's Jim coming down with the lift. Hi you ! Stop it! Stop there!" ;He bolted inside. I took Isaacs by the * r ™"rid turned him toward the Strand. They won't htirfc you/' I said reus* saringly. It's only (lie people coming Juto the restaurant they're after Goodbye and good Juck to yon !" He started off with more conra"e than 1 had expected. 1 turned round and step-' ped into the vortex.

CHAFFER XXXV. ) The utter confusion of the scene, was beyond description. The courtyard was completely blocked with taxi-cabs, and cars filled with men und women, in evening dress, who had dined or were mean-' t ' mg to sup, shrieking to the drivers of their vehicles to back out, to get away at . any cost. Along the pavements, the raiders were still streaming, some of them making direct for the hotel, other fling- ' ing open the doors of cars and taxi-cabs indiscriminately, dragging out the occupants, and forcing them to enter or reenter the restaurant. 1 here was a giy&t deal of shouting, arid half a dozen small fights going on, ,/ but i» a general way it was recognised that resistance was useless, and men and women together were being herded into 'h the entrance hall like sheep. I joined on to one ol the parties, who had decided that discretion was the better part of valour, but directly 1 had passed through / ■. the swing doors 1 realised how difficult my task was to be,. The system of the raid was clear. Tlie guests as they arrived, and those who had already arrived, were y being bullied and driven down into the ' main restaurant, where, so far as I could tell, there seemed to be at least a hundred and fifty raiders. Along the ' dancing floor were rows of brown leather bags, and into these fell a constant stream of glittering gems, torn from the wrists / and necks of shrieking women, and an occasional morocco pocket book. As soon as' one bag was full, it was picked up and carried off to the Embankment z entrance, and an empty one brought in i its stead , I permitted myself only a few seconds in which to watch this amazing spectacle -—then 1 turned my attention to my own difficulties. 1 had to reach the private offices, but between me and them were the. open reception desks, whero there were evidences of a fierce fight. .Upon > the floor space all around were at least a score of prostrate bodies—one of them a clerk, whom 1 had known, but mostly apparently marauders. Here, as it seemed to me then, and as I afterwards found to be a fact, the most gallant and unexpected resistance-had been encountered.from the small company of "suave-looking, welldressed young men, mostly foreigners, who were responsible for the coming and ' going of the visitors. Hehind the solid mahogany desks, seven or eight of them—including the bookstall man, and the theatre agent—were crouching, the' 1 tops of their heads and the gleam of their guns, or whatever weapon they had been able to get hold of, all that was visible. Even as 1 stood there wondering how to join them, a score of new arrived marauders came dashing through the smashed windows by in the side ot the swing doors, and, apparently by arrangement flung themselves into the fray. Their leader stopped abruptly, seemed almost to lean upon the 7'-little stab of red flame, and spun round, shot dead from the cashier's desk. % The second man followed him, but the 'third and fourth, advancing from my end, almost reached their destination. 1 managed to dispose of both of them however, f chiefly owing to ths unexpectedness of my attack, and. taking my chance from the defenders, vaulted the desk, which .had been in danger, and came down among them. ' f " It's all right," ,1 called out. " I'm Owston. Message for Mr. Bretzgel." A bullet flicked my already, wounded car, and 1 dropped on, to my knees just in tjme to escape anoiher. For a moment • I hesitated I was aching to mako my rush for the office, through the glass doors of which . 1 could see Bretzgel, the </ manager, standing with an automatic in Itis hand, but it seemed to me that tjie situation here was too dangerous to leave. Ofte of the clerks, who had risen iiicliscreetly, had just been shot through the shoulder, and three 'or four of . the marauders were perilously near I took the place.of the wounded man, / hut action of any sort was difficult, as only a few yards behind the raiders was a screaming phalanx of guests, struggling /to escape. 'All the time,' the marauders were creeping closer, a(id one of them, iialf feinting at the next desk, made a hudden leap forward at mine. I hesitated 'to shoot at such close quartors, and, in that second of indecision, ho struck the gun from my hand with his life preserver, and had his knee upon the counter

I lie slipped a little, however, upon the smooth surface;'and I seui him smashing to the floor. The man, who had been 1 preparing to take his- place, apparently thought better of it, and took shelter ■ behind a pillar, from which he fired a wicked, but ineffective shot at me. Afterwards there was a moment's lull. I crept nearer the office, and found my--7 self next to a young man whom I remembered as one of the sauvest and most polite of the young ' reception clerks in the daily execution of his duties—his blood-stained, his eyes on fire, his gun, which he held like one utterly unused to firearms, clenched in his hand. 'Wiici'e do they come from ?" he asked ■ breathlessly, "ls.it a revolution?" ; ' , ; V .A-ngarig from the: East End," I told. "V " There's a very strong force of police out looking for them. They can't

(ConrniGHT.)

be long Listen—it's quiet here novvyou can do without me for a time. 1 must get to die safe." . f '. 1 crept on my hands arid knees along those lust few yards to tlio office door. Air. IJretzgel. who was there on guard, with half-a-dozen of the staff around him, drew the bolts and let me in. 1 stood up and drew a little breath of relief. Half of my task was now accomplished. In a general way, this office was one of the most orderly, I have ever entered, but at this moment, it presented an amazing spectacle.

The manager, with his two deputies, was entrenched behind an overturned rosewood desk. Three firemen were there with a hose in their hands, and the' light of battle in their.eyes. There was also a moderate company of valets, porters, commissionaires, and maitres d'hotel, each with some sort of a weapon prepared to defend the safes.

"Von had word .from Mr. Ilews. that 1 was coming,' 1 said to Bretzgel. " I've just got through from the court. You know what I want."

IJretzgel nodded, and turned to one of his assistants, who rose slowly from his knees.

" Wliero the devil did all this riff-raff come from T" Mr. Brotzgel gasped. "And where the hell arj the police? We'vo sent messages in every direction." " Joseph's gang from the East End," 1 told him briefly " Alost dangerous lot of criminals London has ever harboured. The police are out after them, three hundred strong. They'll be here any minute now What about the safe?"

I was let into the secrets of the room. The ordinary safe stood there, portentious, to all appearance unassailable. The assistan: manager., however, had lifted a magnificent rug behind where he had been kneeling, pressed a button, which released a slat ot wood, turned a key, and pulled back what 1 saw now was a long strip of revolving metal, which opened and disclosed a small vault.

"No time for receipts," ho said. " Drop your treasure in. We know all about it."

1 leaned down, and I laid the Buddha upon his back among great tolls of notes, and case" of jewellery. Once again I could have sworn that that single, wideopen eye flickered, that there was something like a malicious grin upon the steadfast lips. Then the roll of flexible metal went back into its place, the slat of wood covered it, a key was turned. The Buddha was safe!

1 "stood up, and suddenly 1 felt tho great urge of battle upon me. I was freed ot my responsibity. and even from the comparative seclusion of the office, 1 could hear tlie calling of women, " Got any cartridges, sir, for a number four automatic?" I asked.

IJretzgel gave me a pocketful of clips. He was a man of peace, as I very well knew, with a wife and family, but he had laid all that aside, and was waiting, bloodshed in his eyes, for (he strugglo if it should come. I charged my gun, mixed myself a drink from a bottle of whisky and a syphon of soda water, which 1 found upon the table, and made my way to the door.

Better stay here," Bretzgel advised. "We shall probably need you badly enough." " You won't," 1 assured him. I know something about this gang. They're- planning to make oft by the Embankment, and it's my belief that they're edging that way already. Your fellows at the desks are holding, their own, and you'll have the - place, full of police soon. I'm for the restaurant!"

Thev 'el me stealthily out of the office, and a'ftei lurking for a few moments behind the end counter. 1 crept into the hall, and made a run for the front stairs. Nobody; took any notice of me, and I descended. 1 went down the first flight without meeting a single raider. In the little space outside the cloakrooms, where otie drinks cocktails before descending to take.one's table, it was obvious that there had been a desperate struggle. A dozen wounded men were lying about—one, an old brother-officer of mine, with a bullet in his leg.

" Anything I can do for you, Hargrave?" 1 asked. " Are you badly hit?" " Not I," was-the reply, " but they're got me on my sound leg. the devils. I can't move. Don't bother about me. get into it if you can Owston. The women need help."

1 passed on, and looked down lor a second or two upon the most astonishing spectacle I have ever witnessed. For some reason or other, the struggle hero seemed to have taken place in the shape of a hundred small fights around the different iables. some of which were still in progress. In the far distance, the raiders were passing the brown bags, from one to another, and the end man was disappearing towards the Embankment entrance. Here and there at tho tables were fainting women, hero, and there a wounded man.

Tliere was an occasional shot, but a good deal more hand-to-hand fighting of a one-sided character, for even the raiders who made no use of their revolvers carried life-preservers. At one of the tallies near the entrance, a girl was screaming in the clutch of a man, who was stripping her fingers. Her escort was already prostrate upon the ground. I made a start there, took the marauder unawares, as I frankly admit, and sent him crashing among the broken furniture at the next table.

His companion, who had been receiving the spoils, and throwing them into the bag, came for me like a wild cat, and for a minute or two we fought, whilst lie struggled all the time to reach his hip pocket. I made no effort to use my own pun, for he was only a weakly guttersnipe, and in a very few seconds lie was lying across his fellow. The girl by this time was in absolute hysterics. I had never seen her before, but she threw her arms round my neck, sobbing, praying me to take her out. A strange wave of brutality seemed to have dried up all my ordinary instincts. I scarcely answered her, and pushed her on one side when she caught at my arm. I stood.'there, hesitating for a moment, at the top of the room, wondering in which direction mv help was most needed, and it was in those few seconds that I received the greatest shock of my life. i''or < some reason or other, a .large company of guests were being driven from the Embankment entrance and new extension on : to the dancing floor, and a certain section of them were making some show of resistance. • One man in particular 1 saw fighting furiously to cover the retreat of n small group of women. Two of Ihe raiders, who had snatched at a necklace hanging from the neck of one of them, "he shot deliberately. A third sprang forward only to receive apparently a bullet in his heart, for he spun round and fell, a crumpled heap, upon Hie edge of the floor. I took a quick step for ward, meaning to go to his assistance. One of the raiders'had closed in rpon him. /

Tliern was a brief struggle, aw! this mfifi, too. joinetl the others upon the lloor. I shouted encouragement, and started across the room The man, who had beep fighting so gallantly swung round towards me. His face and shirt front were blood-stained., his collar and tie were hanging loose The automatic in nis hand was smoking. He was standing a little free from the others, pausing apparently for breath—the protecting genius of a little line of hysterical women. For the hero of . a drawing room battle he was ft wild enough looking object, yet for all that, I recognised him—recognised him with the greatest thrill of surprise I had ever felt. The man who was fighting the raiders so gallantly was Mr. X,! (To be continued daily.)