Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-05-26

play Of tie tongue that seemed to
mock him with The deadly hunnor OF .
Asnd.- He was willing 70 risk his life.
II need b, to prevent the escape OF
the dark. subtle enemies whose de-
moniacal ingenuity had caught him IN
such trap. for trapped he seemed to
be beyond the possibility Of escape.
! That they had matched their cunning
against his cold, hard, Occidental skill
/, and common sense, only made him the
! more determined to outwit, outplay.
Outright them.
mo. doc" said the detective firmly.
| TT was my fool carelesness that left
| that gun on that table, and It's up to
me to get 1t. You hold me fast and sit
tight, and II anybody gets stuug, tin
| be me"
Once again Britz, warily watching
the snake, stretched forth his arm.
! stretched his fingers until he could al
most feel them crack and strained
his muscles almost beyond endurance.
the while his nerve was subjected to
| the severest test of all his experience.
At last he nipped the smooth amber Of
the pipestem's mouthpiece between
the tips Of his first and second I'M
gers. 1t was the slightest Of grasps;
but so steady were the nerves of the
/; Headquarters man that although the
cobra in its swayins seemed to ap-
proach ever nearer Sle arm and naked
] wrist that shrank invo-untarily from
/ the fancied death-thrust of those
cleaning fangs, still he did not finch
/ He chung to the pipestem, his fingers
i steadily drawing it toward him until
| he had a firm clutch on the rubber
tube. Then with powerful upward
and backward heave, he regained his
position on the chiffonier, the twisting
hose gripped In his hand. The other
end of the pipestem still was attached
to the bowl of the narghileh. AS the
tube festooned between the table and
the chiffonier, 1t went close to the
head of the cobra. Lightning-like, the
head dashed toward 1t, faugs bristling,
and only quick twitch of the detec-
tive's fingers snatched the stem be-
yond the reach of those poison-freight-
ed ivory needles.
That jerk freed the other end Of
the tube from the pipe bowl, and
, Britz quickly looped it in his hands.
| Holding both ends of the long stem,
| he knotted a single loop in the mid
die and flung it like a double lariat
upon the table beside the pistol Slow.
ly dragging the pipestem back, he
pulled it. after several trials, about
the chamber of the weapon. Then,
handing one end of the tube to the
doctor, Britz took hold of the other,
explaining his purpose to Fitch in a
| few words. The detective stretched
! his arm away from the chiffonier at
one end; the physician did the same
] at the other. and they stool pulling
| in opposite directions, thus tightening
! the loop about the pistol. When the
| grip Of the tube on the weapon was
firm enough, it was compare lively
easy to swing the revolver from the
table to the chiffonier. Britz sripped
| the gun with an intake of breath that
betokened satisfaction.
Nov. then, doc" he said briskly.
Let's see If we can't put the reverse
English on that Garden Of Eden cpl
sode. Here's where the seed of the
1 woman bruises the serpent with his
| heel"
Il would advise you to do your
bruisins at long distance" said Fitch,
/ and unless you have more cartridges
| about you, wouldn't waste a shot.
You won't find it easy to hit him"
| Britz in moment or two realized
! the doctor spoke true. The swaying,
neutral-tinted body was no easy mark
for the most practiced marksman.
| His first shot went wide. The bullet
imbedded itself in leg of the table
with rasping sound that only infurt-
nerve slightly shaken by the miss,
fired again quickly, shivered. the bowl
OF the narshileh, and caused the
snake to oscillate more and more VIC
lently. 1t became apparent he would
gain nothing by aiming at its head.
"I'n have try at him 'midships. %
he said.
Only three loaded cartridges re-
NAMED in the revolver, and as Britz
lOuuU uO extra ones IN any OF MS
pockets, he knew he must make the
most Of those he had. third time
! the pistol cracked. The bullet grazed
the serpent's flesh. It did not injure
the spine. Quickly the appraised part
Of the body sank upon the coil, but 1t
reared itself again in an instant, and
the furious darting of the tongue re-
vealed that the reptile was more en-
ragged than ever.
Want to take a crack at 1t, doc?"
asked the detective, handing the
weapon to the physician.
Fitch had no poor idea Of himself
rs a fancy shot, but he found his
muscular control too sadly shaken by
his narrow escape from the cobra to
shoot straight. His shot-the fourth
was wider miss than any of the de-
tective's had been. He handed the
pistol back to the Headquarters man
and shook his head.
You're the man to stay on the mr..
ing line" he said.
Britz eyed the revolver grimly. In
| its blue-steel chamber we're four
empty cartridges and only one that
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