WATCHING EYES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21469, 18 April 1933, Page 15

WATCHING EYES

By T. C. BRIDGES (COPTMGIIT) Author of " Messenger'a Million," " The Price of Liberty." " The Other filan's Crime." Etc., Etc.

ABSORBING NARRATIVE OF LOVE AND ADVENTURE

CHAPTER XT.—(Continued) Jim was silent, but his thoughts wore busy. So this was tho solution of tlio mystery. Yes, an upright man like Mr. lorson would no doubt have disapproved of smuggling. Yot it did soem rather drastic to have turned Harvey down altogether, for, after all, smuggling, though an offence against the law. is not generally regarded as a crime. Harvey was watching Jim. He seemed to be reading his thoughts. " If you do tho same, Jim, I can't blame you. I can't expect you to see things from my point of view." " How do you mean? " Jim asked. " Good Lord, man, surely it's plain enough. Here was I coopod up in Crag Head. No society—not a darned thing to do but shoot and fish, both of which boro me stiff. Then I ran into Fowler. At first I disliked him. As you say, his face is certainly not his fortune. Then ho began to tell mo things and I got interested. " Ho suggested that I should come in with him. I asked what ho thought I had to offer, and ho told mo that I could be very useful in distributing the smuggled stuff. Also that the cove was an ideal place to keep a launch. And when he told me of tho profits to bo made my last scruples went overboard. There you have the whole story in a nutshell, and as I say, if you follow Undo James' example and tell me to go to blazes, there'll be m> ill-feeling." Jim shook his head. " I don't feel that way, Harvey. And I don't think I blame you. Smuggling doesn't appeal to me, but I can't 6eo there's anything specially wrong about it, and I think I can realise tho excitement. No, I'm hanged if I turn you down." " And you'll keep your mouth shut about wliat I've told you? " " Naturally. There's only one condition. I'm not going to have you keep smuggled stuff at Crag Head or use it as a centre for distribution." Harvey laughed. " That, of course. But I may keep my boat there? " " Yes, certainly." " That's very decent of you, Jim. And hero's tho cove." Ho swung tho launch and next minute they were through the channel and in the calm water of tho cove. Jim asked him to stay for dinner, but ho refused. " Cliowno hates me," ho said. " No, I'll go home." Ho paused, " Jim, these bonds you told me about. You can't find them? " " Not a sign." "Bit embarrassing, eh? Can you carry on? " " For a bit." " If you're in trouble call on me. Blood's thicker than water." "That's good of you, Harve ( v," said Jim warmly. "But it'll be ail right. I'll find those bonds before I'm a lot older." " I hope you will," said Harvey. " Good-night." •»**»** Jim meant to find thoso bonds, and next day started a fresh search. In spite of what Chowne had said, ho could not help believing that there,was a hiding Elace, for ho know that many an old levonshire farmer keeps his " stocking " under the hearthstone. Ho even went down into tho cellar, a dark, damp place cut in tho solid rock of the crag. ' . He spent two whole days on the 30b but found nothing. The next day he felt he must get out. and so went fishing. He had a lovely basket of trout out of the brook and came back rather tired, very hungry, and amazingly cheerful. The day following was wet, and Jim got all the letters out of the safe and started to read them through in tho hope of finding some referenco to tho money. Some of tho letters were quite interesting but none was helpful- Next day he began on the contents of tho writing table, but Harvey turned up with a suggestion they should go sea fishing, and Jim could not refuse. They went out to the Wrestlers, a reef nine miles from shore, and had a fine take of pollack and a couplo of largo dogfish. Every day Jim spent at Crag Head he loved it better and better. The air was splendid, Mis. Chowne was a first-class cook, and Jim grew brown and hard and uncommonly fit. Tho lifo suited him to perfection. With Cynthia to sharo it, tho place would be a paradise, but how could lie possibly ask any girl to share a. house that 110 had no money to keep? The lost bonds obsessed him, and he spent every spare hour in searching. In the meantime 110 lived as cheaply as possible, and this was not difficult, for there were quantities of rabbits, any amount of fresh eggs, and three cows which provided more milk, butter, and cream than the small household could use. Besides these supplies Jim could always catch fish. There were hardly any bills except for groceries, flour and tobacco, and if ho had had the money to pay tho Chownes' wages he could havo carried on almost indefinitely. On a morning of bright sun and strong wind Jim was busy in tho garden when he heard a car coming up tho drive. It was Brandon's two-seater, and he hurried to meet him. " Bill, how splendid!" lie cried. " Splcndid's a good word," said Brandon with a chuckle. " I never saw you look so fit. Being a landed proprietor seoms to agree with you." " I love it," said Jim frankly. " Tho trouble is that tho land is the only thing I am proprietor of." Brandon gave him a quick look as Jim opened tho door for him. " I thought the old lad loft you a pretty good wad," 110 remarked. " Ho did, but I can't find it. Sit down and I'll get you sonio cider. Then I'll tell you all about it." Brandon's silence was proof of his interest. Ho did not say a word until J.im had finished his story. " But it's plain as the noso on your face, Jim," 110 said at last. " This fellow, Fowler, is tho thief—ho or one of his gang." " That's what I've thought all along, but Chowne won't havo it. Ho is certain there has been 110 burglar in the house, and Cliowno is pretty reliable. Besides, tho safe hasn't been broken open. If anyone got at it they had a key." " Lot's soo it," said Brandon, and Jim took him into the study. " Why, it's nothing but an iron box," he said. " It would be simple as pie to get a key that would open it." " Not so easj' as you think," replied Jim. " Look at the key. It's an unusual shape." Brandon examined it. " Yes, but if anyone had got hold of it long enough to take a wax mould, it would be easy to make a duplicate." " Fowler could never havo done that. Tho key was always in Mr. Torson's pocket or under his pillow." " Then it looks as if ho had an accomplice." Ho thought a moment. " What about Lunt?" " He's the person I suspected until I came to know him. Now that I know him I've definitely counted him out. Why, he's even offered to lend mo money." Brandon grunted. " You ought to know. Now see here, Jim, is there no way of getting these securities duplicated? You have records of tho holdings. Won't the companies replace them when they.' hear what has happened?"

.Tim shook his hcnd. " Not in the case of bonds to bearer. They are like bank notes. You can't got the interest until you have cut and sent in tho coupons which are attached to tho bonds." " I see," said Brandon. " But, Jim, if that's the case won't tho thief bo collecting the interest?" " Exactly what I'm hoping. If ho does I've got him. The companies have been notified of tho disappearance of tho bonds and will, of course, let mo know tho name and address of anyono who sends up coupons." Brandon frowned. " But tho thief must have known that." " Unless he was a very ignorant sort of Bill Sykes, of course, he must have known it. That's what makes mo doubt they wero stolen. And yet, I've sea relied tho whole house, evon to the cellar." " Take me round," said Brandon. " Sometimes a stranger sees more than tho owner. In any case, I'd like to see tho house." Jim jumped up. " I'd love to show it you, Bill. I say, you'll stop for lunch?" " l'ni stopping for the day," laughed Brandon. " I thought I owed myself a holiday." " What about your patients?" " They're a singularly healthy lot, but Collier over at Paradino will take on if anyone really needs him." " That's fine," declared Jim, as ho rang for Mrs. Cliowne to tell her about lunch. Afterward he took Brandon all round, ending up by leading him down the steep rock steps into tho cellar. " This must have cost a bit," said Brandon as ho noticed the light of tho lantern which Jim carried reflected on walls of solid rock. " And I say, what's that noiso?" " Tho sea breaking on the crag. It's blowing pretty hard." Brandon stood listening. " It sounds as if it wero right underneath," ho said. " Listen to that queer, sucking noise." Jim stood silent, listening. The sound was certainly strange, for each boom was followed by a loud hissing and whistling, liko air escaping under pressure from a cavity. " I never heard that before, Bill," he said at last. " But then, I've never been down here when it was blowing. It strikes mo I'd better have a look round when it's a bit quieter." " 1 should." Brandon answered. " I'll lay odds there's a sea cave below this cellar. That's one hiding place you haven't searched yet." CHAPTER XII. TREASURE TROVE Jim sat frowning over a letter which ho had just opened. His excellent breakfast cooled, unheeded. The letter was from Bent, his lawyer friend in Plymouth, and it contained tho unpleasant news that the revenue authorities demanded between seven and eight hundred pounds legacy duty on the house and lands of Crag Head. " And I'm afraid," Brent wrote, " that you will have to pay it within threo months. I have put before them the fact that tho securities .are missing, but they refuse to make any allowance on this account. There are two alternatives, one to raise money on mortgage, the other to sell outright a portion of tho property." Jim frowned. " I won't sell. I swear I won't sell. I'll find those bonds." He got up and walked to the window. It was tho morning after Brandon's visit and a very lovely morning, too, but though tho wind had dropped, it was still too rough to explore the landward side of the Crag. " But the inner side will be all right. I'll start there. It's a slim chance, but better than none at all." Jim was conscious of a slight thrill of excitement as ho sculled the dinghy along the base of the crag. As he looked up at it he realised that there was more than one day's work before him. The length of the great tongue of rock was fully three hundred yards, while in height it varied from fifty feet where it broke from the cliff to thirty at tho point. The rock was limestone fissured and channelled by centuries of weather into every kind of fantastic shapo, and what made Jim's task more difficult was that abovo highwater mark it was covered with gorse, mountain ash, brambles and all. kinds of growth. He rowed the length and spotted several crevices which looked like mouths of caves. One was almost opposite the house, so lie decided to try this first, and having managed to land, scrambled up. Ho was disappointed. Tho hole was only a cleft some 6ft. deep. Jim climbed a little higher and found himself on a ledgo. Something grated under his foot and he picked up a rusty piece of iron which had evidently been the heelplate of a man's boot. Again came the queer little creeping thrill of excitement and he began to work along the ledge. He noticed that, though much overgrown and broken away in places, it looked as if it hacl been used as a path. A mass of brambles barred his way. Ho pushed them aside, getting badly scratched in the process, and found himself looking straight into tho mouth of a passage that went inwards as far as he could see. Now really excited, ho plunged in. Tlie passage drove straight into tho heart of tho crag, and though tho entraneo was low, there was headroom inside. Before he had gone a dozen steps ho was in darkness and lie pulled out his torch and switched it on. There was a flash, that was all. Tho bulb was gone. "Darn!" said Jim very emphatically, and scrambling out, yelled for Chowno. Presently a surprised face peered over the edge above. " Whatever be 'co doing, master? " demanded Chowno. " I've found a cave, but my torch has gono out. Bring somo candles and a ropo and be quick." " Ho be mazed," growled Chowne to himself, but all the same he obeyed and presently came scrambling slowly down tho bluff. It was steep, but not really difficult. Jim showed .him the tunnel. " Did you ever seo that boforo, Chowne? " " Be it likely, master? I hain't no rabbit. What do 'eo reckon to find in there? " " I'm looking for the bonds." There was an expression of pity rather than scorn on Chowno's rugged face as he looked at his employer. " Do 'ee see old master a-crawling into a place liko thiccy? " " No," snapped Jim, " but it may lead to somo place with another and easier entrance." > " I wish 'eo'd found that un first," said Chowne, but all tho same he lighted a candle and followed Jim in. The tunnel sloped upwards and barring a few rocks that had fallen from the roof, was easy going. Jim spotted a small white object and picked it up. " Look," ho said, showing Chowne tho bowl of an old clay pipe. " There's proof that someone has been in hero before us." " But it weren't old master. He nivver smoked them sort of pipes." " Of courso it wasn't. That pipe's a hundred years old or more. It's proof that this'placo was used by smugglers." Chowno's faco went curiously blank and Jim had a sudden suspicion that he knew more about things than ho had ever admitted. .(To be continued daily.)