INSPECTOR HIGGINS HURRIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21793, 7 May 1934, Page 16

INSPECTOR HIGGINS HURRIES

A GRIPPING MYSTERY SERIAL

CHAPTER XXXlll.—(Continued)

" A nico gang of toughs, Chief, I must say. What tho deuce wo can hold 'em for I don't know, though I don't doubt but what we've got a few outstanding warrants for somo of 'em at tho Yard. And — Hallo! What's the excitement?"

A group of constables from tho Horton polico station were gazing over the rail at something in the water. " Man overboard, sir!" " Chuck him a lifebouy, then " —in a matter-of-fact tono of voice.

" Wo have, sir. Wo'ro waiting for him to grab hold of it. Goodl Now then, lads! Heave!"

Inspector Higgins leaned over tho side. Seated on the inside rim of tho lifebouy, like a trapozo artist resting between stunts, was the bedraggled figure of u man, obviously all in. Willing hands assisted him over the rail. Ho all but collapsed 011 tho deck. Then he gave one startled look around and tried to clamber back over tho rail. It was Foxy-face Stanmore. CHAPTER XXXIV 7 P.At. "A gathering of tho clans. This is Exhibit A," explained Inspector Higrrins to his Chi el. " Tho king-pin ot all is still at large, but I'll get him one day. What we.ro you doing at Horton police station, sir? " " 1 called there 011 my way back from Sungate. I've been over the debris ot that" house thore. It's cooled oil' a bit now." " Find anything? " "Yes. A reporter." "What do you mean, sir? " Perhaps you've forgotten ! had a —er —slight accident at tho Yard, Hig-

gins? " , ~ " Gosh, sir. I'm sorry. How s the head?" —somewhat belatedly. " Not so bad —an' not so good, either. The Sungate police found a cove messing about tho ruins of the house there who said he was a reporter, though all the local papers disowned him. lhey thought perhaps it was my reporter who had attacked me at tho Yard, all d, as I was tho only, one really capable or identifying him. I went to Sungate to see. Mv, but old Hoc Pape was wild! Threatened to throw up the case. l)ryan chuckled wickedly. " c— T er 7T had a few words. Anyhow, I went, it wasn't my reporter at the lard, but it was an old pal, all the same.

"Who?" T • xi „ "it was the cove I saw in the cellar of the house there messing about with a rum-looking cigar-box, the one who appeared out 0' nowhere and ... " Hobinson. That cigar-box was the bomb which blew up tho house."

" How nice! " "1 heard all about him from Hefty and Baker." " Have the.v split? " Inadvertently—yes." " Rough stuff:-' "—sharply " lN'o —guile." , ~ , "Good: l never did like the third decree " > " What of Robinson? Did hp give anything away? " " He seemed at the moment of arrest to be particularly interested in what had once been a tiit box, so the Sungate police told me. I got them to bring it to the station. A tinload of scrap-iron, that was all! " " 1 see. There's another here. Their conversation was interrupted by a series of short, sharp, car-splitting blasts from a ship's siren, remarkably close at hand. The two Scotland Yard men ran to the rail. , , ~, .•, u Jerusalem! My destroyer! said Higgins proprietorially. " Ahoy, there! Ahoy, there! came an irate voice across the short intervening space. » . "That's Commander Isasmythe. rsice feller," commented the Inspector. "Ahoy there! Where the blankety blank do you think you're drifting! More impatient hoots from the siren. Suddenly it was borne upon Inspector Higgins, that, if anyone were in charge of this ship, ho was! A hasty glance shorewards. Jerusalem, they Mere almost aground. And not a seaman among them. Higgins walked to tho batch of prisoners and beckoned to ono likely looking fellow. " I want to drop anchor. How about

it? " Stolidly the m»n led the way forrard, picking up a hammer on the way. " You see that there pin there, sir, don't you? Well, all you 'as to do is to knock it out like that, au The rest of his explanation was drowned by the noise of the cable flvinc through the hawse-pipe, 1 hat was that. "Hi! You can't anchor there! from the bridge of the destroyer.. " Oh, can't we? " yelled back Higgins through his cupped hands, and felt tho better for his cheerful defiance. " I'll - have the River Police on to you! You know damn well you can t anchor there!." "River Police! That will be nice. There's already about a hundred and forty aboard." ~,-1,111 " Then what the blankety blank do they mean by leaving their launch untended in midstream —a menace to navigation?" , With these words floating across the intervening space, tho River lolice officer came to life, and he rushed to the rail, his eyes scanning the river for t-ome sign of his lost command. ~ . " Where is she? Is she all right? he shouted. " All right? She's all wrong, lit you ask me. Haw, haw, haw! Your engines might fetch a dollar as scrap-iron.. The officer blenched—Higgms felt a mild compassion.. After all, lie was indirectly responsible. "Would you mind sending , lier across? " he called placatingly.

" Righto! " ~ii Tiicy watched the motor-boat lowered from the destroyer, and within h\e minutes the police launch was towed alongside. The cheery first lieutenant was in charge of the convoy. It was unfortunate that ho should discover at the bottom of the rowing-boat, already alongside the vessel, the liedraggled remains of his best suit. He stared unbelievingly for a second, but refrained from comment bo remembered tho Navv's motto to remain " cool, calm and collected " in any emergency! The River Police officer, with a curt word of thanks to the naval officer, jumped into tho towed launch and immediately raised his hands to heaven when he saw tho extent of the damage to her engines. Then he threw a glanco upward toward tho group of prisoners, and if Foxy-faco Staumore s spine did not bristle, it ought to have done.

" What about getting your prisoners ashore?" queried Chief-Inspector. Dry an. , "I was just thinking about that, sir. I'm not at all sure that half of 'em have any right to ho prisoners at all. If I'm not careful, I shall put my foot in it! I think I'll leave a few police on guard for the timo being, merely taking ashore Staumore, Reilly, and the two seamen who attacked our worthy friend in the polico launch below. If we get them safely to the station, we shan't do so bad! As for tho loot, well —I think it would bo safer here, or aboard the destroyer. It would be asking for trouble to take that ashore—especially with the mysterious chief knocking about there somewhere."

- " Who's lie?" " Your old friend tho reporter, I believe." " I should like to meet him once more," commented Dryan quietly. Higgins called to ono of tho constables and told him to get the three boats ready. The River Polico officer

By CECIL FREEMAN GREGG Author of "The Murdered Manservant," <" Tho Three Daggers," Author or in • ■ The Brazen Confession "

(COPYRIGHT)

clambered aboard once more and walked toward the inspector with grim countenance.

" 1 Mippose you don't happen to know whore I can get hold of about a sack of fine sand?" he queried mysteriously.

As a matter of actual fact, the inspector knew exactly where li<* could lay his hands upon half a sack, and ho rubbed tho top of his head reminiscent],v, but ho countered: " Why?" " To chuck in tho engines below. If I'm to get the sack for tho damage to my launch, I may as well go the whoro hog." Higgins grinned. " I'll speak to the boss;" lie suggested. • " And a hell of a lot o' good that'd do," said the officer, and walked lugubriously away. A hail from below warned Inspector Higgins that the three boats had been got in readiness, and ho walked toward his batch of prisoners. Ho was pleased to note that one of tho constables h;}d made a rough sling for Rufus Reilly's damaged arm, and also that tho unfortunate helmsman had been given attention. The two seamen who had taken part in tho fight on deck had certainly recovered, but each looked pretty groggy.' Stanmoro alono was in roal Korr3 r plight as a result of his enforced swim, and, as ho could only blame himself, there was an element of poetic justice about his condition. And then all eyes were turned shoreward, for from tho town of Horton came the deep buzzing sound of a police whistle. A second's pause, and then it was taken up and repeated from different parts of tho town. The 'local policemen stood like hounds on the leash, and a vague unrest seemed to permeate the batch of prisoners. With the formor there appeared to bo an air of expectancy over and above that general tenseness which affects policemen on hearing the recognised call for aid. Inspector Higgins himself, though not imbued with any local spirit, could yet feel . . . And then it camo. A long drawn-out wail from a siren in tho middle of tho town, like that of a factory hooter. Immediately thero was a stampede for the boats. For ono brief instant, Higgins stared in amazement, then at last he found his voice. "Hi! Hi! What's the big idea?" The rush was stemmed, and the local police stared at hi;tn in wonderment. " General call, sir," volunteered one of the men. " Must be a riot or something in town." " What of it? Your job's here. Six of you stay behind to look after the gang here. Chief Dryan, will you take charge here?" u I suppose so. I woulan t be mucli use ashore." " Thank you, sir. Now the rest of us will push off—and I'll be in charge." Higgins ran to the ship's side and called °to the first lieutenant of the Throstle, whose motor-boat was just about to return to the destroyer. " What about you, sir? Can you send a landing party ashore?" The naval officer was horrified at the suggestion. " Daren't," he stated laconically. " Singly asking for a court-martial. Sorry! Red tape an' all that!" " I see. Come on, the rest of you." Willing, if inexpert hands seized hold of the oars when all were aboard the three rowing boats, while their amateur efforts were watched with sneering contempt by the batch of maritime prisoners, and with unconcealed envy by half a-dozen colleagues rpmaining 'behind. The river policemen were too busy with their damaged launch to take any interest whatever. Half-way ashore the repetition of the blast 011 the siren at Horton spurred the rowers to renewed efforts. " They waited till a batch of us were on special duty," gasped one constable. " It's always the same. They don't start trouble till there's no one to stop it." " Can't blame |em for that," murmured a more philosophical colleague. " Wonder what they're up to now." " We'll soon know." (To bo continued daily)