The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-20

has lost a little of it's force. Perhaps
you will have the goodness to look it
over and to show us how we can set it
right
Il took the lamp from him, and I
examined the machine very thorough
/ ly. 1t was indeed gigantic one, and
capable of exercising enormous press
ure. When l passed outside, however,
, and pressed down the levers which
controlled it, ! knew at once by the
whishing sound that there was slight
leakage which allowed a reorganization
of water though one of the side cylin-
ders. An examination showed that one
of the india rubber bands which was
round the head of a driving-rod had
shrunk so as not quite to fill the SOCK
ct along which it worked. This was
| clearly the cause of the loss of power,
and l pointed it out to my companions,
who followed my remarks very care
| fully, and asked several practical
questions as to how they should pro-
ceed to set it right. When l had made
| it clear to them, j returned to the
main chamber of the machine and
too good look at it to satisfy my own
| him. Had he observed a carriage the
| night before waiting for me? No, he
| had not. Was there a police-station
anywhere near? There was one about
+! three miles off,
at was too rar for me to go. weak
and i'll as | was. | determined to wait
until | got back to town before telling
| my story to the police. 1t was a little
past six when ! arrived SO l went first
| to have my wounds dressed, then the
| doctor was kind enough to bring me
/ along here. | put the case into your
/ hands, and shall do exactly what you
advise"
We both sat in silence for some lit
| tie time after, listening to the extraor-
binary narrative. Then Sherlock
! Holmes pulled down from the shelf
one of the ponderous commonplace
books in which he placed his cuttings.
Here is an advertisement that will
! interest YOU" said he. 'It appeared
| in all the papers about year ago Lis
| ten to this: Lost, on the 9th inst, Mr..
| Jeremiah Hayling, aged twenty-six, an
| hydraulic engineer. Left his lodgings
, at ten o'clock at night and has not
| been heard of since. Was dressed in,
etc, etc. Ha! That represents the last
time that the colonel needed to have
his machine overhauled, I fancy
Good heaven!" cried my patient.
''Then that explains what the girl
said
Undoubtedly. It is quite clear that
the colonel was cool and desperate
that nothing should stand in the way of
his little game, like those out-and-out
pirates who will leave no survivor
from a captured ship. Well every
moment now is precious. so if you feel
equal to it, we shall go down to Scot
land Yard at once as a preliminary to
starting for Eyford."
Some three hours or so afterwards
we were all in the train together,
bound from Reading to the little Berk-
shire village. There We're Sherlock
Holmes, the hydraulic engineer, In
spector Bradstreet, of Scotland Yard
plain-clothes man, and myself Brad
street had spread an ordnance map of
the country out upon the seat, and was
busy with his compasseS drawing a
circle with Eyford its centre.
"There you are said he. "That
circle is drawn at a radius of ten miles
from the village. The place we want
must be somewhere near that line.
You said ten miles, | think. sir"
ut was an hours good drive
And you think that they brought
you back all the way when you We're
unconscious -
They must have done so. / have a
confused memory, too, of having been