CHAPTER XXlll.—Continued.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13462, 29 June 1907, Page 6

CHAPTER XXlll.— Continued.

"Ha! Ha!" he shouted suddenly, pointing a finger at him, " I the Prophet, the Patriarch, Moses, the sacred keeper of the Flying Scroll, I know you, John Strangways, the cursed son of a cursed father!". Strangways made a motion towards him, and Ricardo, taking advantage of the gap thus left in the doorway, bolted out into the arms of a sailor, who promptly 'Secured him by the collar. 111 Stand back ! Stand back 1" shouted Peter Tidey, "dare to touch the anointed. I know you, John Strangways, and if you moye a step I will blast you with the power that has been given, me. Did I not say that your father should die, and he died! He left my sister to starve-r-he, with his millions, when he discovered that I was her brother. He said I was a blasphemer. He refused to give my sister money for me, because she was my sister, though he loved her. Ay ? and he lived in a hell of anguish for the rest of his life-, as I told him he would, as I told him when we parted those nineteen years ago: But I knew he had money, and I meant to have it. And I mean to have it yet. I meant to get it through my sister ; to force him to pay ; but she fle,d from me and hid herself, and when I tracked her down time after time she fled again, purposely avoiding me. But the Patriarch could wait. I waited, and at lost I came upon her daughter; his daughter, when she was dead. And I determined that he should i die and that you should die, and that ; all your money should be mine through her. Was I not the reincarnation of Moss's ? Was I not to do as I wished ? Who was to stand in my wayP" . He paused, his lips trembling with the eagerness of his words, his hand pointing tremblingly at Strangways, his eyes burning like live coals in his head. " I followed your father to London and struck him down in your flat. Only once I struck him, on the forehead, and he died — he who had made a mock of me. And when they arrested you for the murder I laughed. Had they hung you my path 'would have been clear. But thoy didn't hang 1 you, curse them ! I had to do tho business myself. Three times I tried. Once that meddling fool Modhur3t was struck for you. I thoughl then I had killed you., But I saw, you at one of my meetings, your cursed face was always turning up, standing in the way between me and my desires. I had you followed to Yorkshire. One of my faithful, your coachman, I ordered to slay you. But you wero warned, this time by my nieije. When I fpund you weron't killed I determined to dink you in the ' Alice.' But you didn't 1 go on board, and we had our trouble for no purpose. But now ."the hour for vengeance has come." He raised- both his hands übove his head, his hands tight clenched. " I shall blast you with my curse. I, the Patriarch, the sublime Moses, whom thousands of the faithful believe in." , Suddenly ho stopped and looked round hirof. '

" But Inhere is the man who has betrayed me?" He stepped quickly off the settee and advanced down the saloon.

Hardly knowing why, Strangways stepped aside. The group of ladies melted before, the madman's approach. Evon tho sailor, who bad hold of Conrad, loosened his grip on his prisoner's collar. Tho Patriarch strode majestically up to him, and as he approached the man sunk limp and frightened on the, dock, a horrible terror in his eyes. Peter Tidey fixed his burning eyes upon his face. " Come* he said, holding out > his hand, and before anybody thought of stopping him, he dragged the trembling man to his feet, and half pushed him on to the open. debk.

Fearing mischief, Beeton and Strangways followed quickly. But with a look of lofty unconcern the Patriarch waved them back. Ricardo stood before him, cowering like a whipped cur, the while the madman fixed him with his glittering eyes. " Yon have betrayed me," he said. " I bade you kill John Strangways,. and he is alive." , Ricardo edged away from him. "For God's sake save me from this madman," he moaned. Hardly were the words out of his mouth when the Patriarch rushed at him, seized him sin his arms, and with almost superhuman strength rushed down the narrow passage between the deckhouse . and the ship's side.

Strangways and two of the sailors sprang after him, but he ran swiftly as if he carried nothing in his arms. Leaping on to one of the seats, he rested a foot on the. light iron railing, and looked round at his pursuers. \

"Stop him! Stop him!" yelled Strangways. But before anyone could reach him, even just as the foremost sailor's hands touched his coat, he uttered one wild demoniacal laugh and plunged headlong with his burden into the sea. So rapidly did the tragedy take place that Strangways could hardly realise what had happened till he heard the splash of tho two bodies striking tho water.

, The officer on duty on the bridge stopped the engines. As quickly as possible a boat was let down ; but though for two hours they rowed round and round the spot where the sea had swallowed up the two miscreants, no sign or trace of them appeared on the surface. >

As the boat hung once more at the davits and the ' White Rose ' gathered weigh, towards England, Beeton turned to Strangways —

" That was, perhaps, the best way it could end," he said, in a solemn voice.