The San Francisco call., 1896-04-19


up the dark-lantern and use it in his ex.
plorations. He searched the remotest cor
ners OF the bureau-drawerS and then began
gently to rip up the edges of the carpet
lie found a gem here and there. Finally
he had made thorough search of thai
room without interruption from Kah mo
who still sat in pitifuI helplessness on
the bed, no part of him except his ewes
having moved. Queltin now decided to
examine the other cham bers of the suite
His contempt for Kahmo was complete
He was even so foolhardy as to make a
grlmace and feint of striking as he passed
the bed on his way. to the open door
Kahmo lodged, barred his teeth and
growled, and for the first time his ewes
blazed with light. QueItin chuckled
softly.
While searching the inner room the
burglar, whose attentive ear had caught
no sound, felt chill air. He was on his
knees pressing the carpet with his fingers
at that side of the room farthest from the
communicating door. His lantern sat on
the floor, its blazing eve directed toward
the door and throwing its light upon a
French window in the front of the room
where Mr.. Martin lay, nearly forty feet
away. To his astonishment he discovered
that the shade covering this window had
been raised to the top and that the two
broad hinged sashes were wide open.
Queltin even noticed that the light from
his lantern, after passing through the
open door and window, fell upon a blank
white wall on the opposite side of the
street.
He was puzzled and alarmed. How
could the window have been opened and
for what purpose? The rooms were on
the first floor. Underneath them were
shops. Directly above was a suite occu-
pied by an elderly woman who taught
school and lived alone. She could not
have reached the window without passing
through the room in which Mr. Martin
lay. and the window could not have been
approached from without except by the
aid of a ladder to the fire-escape.
At last an idea struck the burglar-the
ape had escaped by means of the window.
That seemed simple and natural
But it was dangerous to have the win
dow open and the curtain up-the NOV
ing light might attract the police Quel-
tin was putting forth his hand to shift the
light before closing the window, when two
1.-the, long and powerful arms closed ST.
lently upon him, pressing his own arms to
his sides.
''Kahmo!' he gasped, as the brute's
grasp frightened.
The orang had seized him from quar-
tering rear approach. Both were seated
on the floor. Queltin was at great dis
advantage. Only his hands were free, but
he could reach nothing with them, not
even his knife, which was pressed firmly
between his body and the apes.
The burglar made no resistance at pres
ent except to stiffen his muscles against
the crushing force of Kahmo's embrace.
He needed time to think and also to re-
cover his nerve, for an unspeakable fear
sat cold upon his heart. There must be
no haphazard work here; no blind ex
peuditure of precious strength and endur
ance, and yet no dangerous loss of time.
The apes terrible strength and the cum
ming, silence and daring with which he
had planned the attack appalled, the help
less man. The steadiness and increasing
force of Kahmo's grasp were straining the
prisoners ribs, shortening his breath and
giving his head an ominous sensation of
fullness.