The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-26
The girl nodded. TIN trusting entire

The girl nodded. I'm trusting entire
" 20 you
Then listen to this: England doesn't
eXtradIte for political ofrenses. They
have been pFesumlng ON your ignorance.
X YOU like. | will go at once TO one
OF the under secretaries in the foreign
office, whom l know pretty we'll and III
tell him the whole story. What will
happen VIII simply be that Germany or
Russia, whichever IL happens to be. Will
be quietly told YOU arc a British subject
attempt is made TO interfere with you.
questions will be asked In parliament.
But before we do that II would be
screaming Joke TO sell them information
when we found out what il is they want
10 know, and earn your G5OOo and the
FREQ pardon for you"
The girl at once fell in with Sir Johns
plans. day or two later clipping
from one OF the morning papers was
sent her and Mural was peremlptorilY
ordered TO obtain full details and plans
OF the matter referred TO.
The clipping. was an extract from a
speech in the house of lords OF the sec
retary OF state for war. In the course
OF his remarks lie had stated that II was
purposed. during the course OF the next
two years. to re-aTm the whole OF the
British and Indian armies-at least that
would be the effect. What would really
happen would be that the guns would
| anIsm would take the place OF its Tor
| mer equivalent. The object OF the change
was TO keep the gun perfectly liked. aiter
the shot had been fired, at the exact aim
at which. II had been discharged. This
was n most valuable invention. and, he
added, IL was the work OF Captain Seton
Sir John looked grave as he came to
the end.
I'm afraid this is a more serious mat
ter than / had contemplated, Murlel. -,
But can't you get what they WANT?
mo / can't. And II l could. would
not. We are playing a gigantic hoaX
However, they won't expect any result
all In a minute-and meanwhile they
ought to be bled Now, your orders were
to supply me. in reason. with any money
1 wanted, weren't they?
"I was told ] could write for GlO.oOO.
provided that l was proceeding faVor-
'Well. I think the time is ripe for you
to report that want 10000 now.
BY return post came banknotes for that
In the meantime Sir John had formu..
lated his plans. and. in the name OF
Thompson" he wrote TO Armstrong
Mitchell 6 CO.. Ltd. He explained to
them that he had certain idea for an
Improvement In field guns. and wished
them TO make for him an experimental
gun from his instructions, so that his In
yention might undergo a practical test
II they would kindly advise him OF the
approximate cost he would be glad to
at once, remit that sum He presumed
he might trust TO the high reputc of
their firm that the details of his inVen-
ton, until they could be properly pro-
tected would not be divulsed. BY return
post lie received the required assurances,
and q figure was mentioned as the APP
proximatc cost. This he remltted. and
his payment was acknowledged and his
instructions asked for.
lie allowed a week to elapsc, and then
Muriei wrote TO her correspondent. say
ing that she must have further G2e00.
Notes for this sum were at once sent
and duly cashed.
Sir John then wrote that he found
very great difficulty in preparing the
necessary dra wings to explain his idea.
como TO his assistance? Would they pre-
pare. at his expense an accurate set OF
scaled drawings OF any modern field gun
OF which the details were public prop
erty and the supply of which would no,
be a breach of confidence on their part?
he felt certain he could make such alter
ations thereupon ias would sufficiently
explain to them the details OF his lnven-
tion.
sIdsas Then he y, sat down to wait. for on % the
OF the plan he had in his mind.
In about a weeks time set of draw
tnss arrived, with Il letter explaining
that the firm had prepared drawings OF
general character and hoped these
Sir John studied these drawings as he
had never studied anything else since
he had LETT school, and at last he had
mastered the mechanism OF gun. Al
that point he felt his fertile brain come
into play and at last he hit on
a scheme which he thought might an
swer. Briefly. his idea consisted OF sub
stituting for the recoil buffers In the
mechanism Of the present gun. which,
after allowing the rccoil full play
force -of gravity. when the gun came 10