The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-11-02
By Sax Rohmer


Copyright by The North American CompanyJ
There is another danger" replied Smith. THE fact
that you are at the top OF the building enhances that dam
ger. Do you recall anything of the mysterious epidemic
which broke out in Rangoon in 1sos-the deaths due to the
Call OF siva?"
II read of it in the Indian papers," said Guthrie. un.
easily. Suicides. were they not?'
Nor snapped Smith. "Murders!"
There was a brief silence.
From what l recall of the cases.. said Guthrie "tha,
seems impossible. In several instances the victims threw
themselves from the windows of locked rooms. and the
windows were quite inaccessible"
Exactly" replied Smith, and in the dim light his re-
volver cleaned duly. as he placed it on the small tabis
beside the bed. Except that your door is unlocked, ths
conditions tonight are Identical Silence. please-I hear :
clock striking"
1t was Big Ben. 1t struck the half hour. leaving the
suIihes& complete. In that room high above the activity
which yet prevailed below. high above the supping
crowds in the hotel, high above the starving crowds on
the Embankment, a curious chill of isolation swept about
Again l realized how, in the every heart of the great
metropolis. a man may be as far from aid as in the
heart of a desert I was glad that / was not alone In that
room marked with the death mark of Fu-Manchu; and I
am certain that Graham Guthrie welcomed his unexpected
company.
/ may have mentioned the fact before; but on this
occasion IT became SO peculiarly evident to mo that I am
constrained TO record 1t here-I refer to the sense OF inn
pending danger which invariably preceded a visitor from
Fu-Manchu. Even had / not known that an attempt was
to be made that night, 1 should have realized Il. as. strung
to high tension, l waited In the darkness. some invisible
herald went ahead of the dreadful Chtnaman, proclaim.
ing his coming to every n<eve In ones body. 1t was uks
a breath of astral incense, announcing the presence Of
the priests OF death.
A wall. low but sihgulariy pentrating. falling In minor
cadenees to a new silence. came from somewhere cioss At
hand.
MY Godg' Kissed Guthrie; what was sh.t,"
The Call of stva,' whispered Smith Don't stir. for
your lifeg'
Guthrie was breathing hard.
i knew that we were three, that the hotel detective
was within hail; that there was a telephone in tho room:
that the trarsc OF the Entertainment moved almost beneath
US; but l knew. and am not ashamed to confess. that
King Fear had Icy fingers about my heart II was awful.
that tense Notwithstanding
Three tans sounded very 3fs4trc4iv ,,naa - -{rA
Graham Guthrie started SO as to shake the bed. ITS
supernatural he muttered-ali that was Celtic In his
blood recoiling from the omen. Nothing human can
reach that window"
"sshr'-from Smith. Don't STIR
The tapping was repeated.
Smith softly crossed the room. My heart was beating
painfully. He threw open the window. Further inacuon
was impossible. l joined him, and We looked out into the
empty aar.
Don't come too near. Peu4er' ne warned over hs
shoulder.
One on either side Of the open window. we stood and
looked down at the moving Enbanknent lights, at the
glitter of the Thames, at the silhouetted buildings on the
farther bank, with the shot tower starting above them all.
Three taps sounded on the panes above as.
IN all my dealings with Doctor Fu-Manehu / had had
to face nothing SO uneanny as this. What Burmese
ghoul had he ioosed2 was it OUTSIDE. in the air. Wa
it actually in the room?
Don't let me 60, Petrie." whispered Smith suddenly,
Get a tight hold on mel
That was the last straw, for thought that some
dreadful fascination was fmpeling my friend 10 hurl hin-
self out Wi'dly / threw my arms about him. and Gushrta
ieaped forward to help.
S&"ANh iGaAGd Af0b4 tHc NfHoo@ aAi coHGa NJ #
one choking cry he gave-smothered inartfcuIate~and
I found him slipping from nay grp-oeing drawn out Of
heNwtndow-drawn TO his DEATH
Hold him. Guthrle+' l gasped hoarseiy. My God,
he's going! Hold him.
My friend writhea in our grasp. and saw him stretch
his arm upward, The crack OF his revolver came. and he
collapsed onto the door. carrying me with him.
But. as I fell, / heard a scream above. Smiths revolt
yer went hurting through the air. aud hard upon 1t went
a black shape. flashing past the open window into the galf
Of the night
The hgnt. The hight" 7 cried.
Guthrie ran aud turned on the light
Maryland Smith. his eyes starting from his head. his
face swollen, lay plucking at a siken cord which showed
tight about his throat.
1T was a thing screamed Guthrie. Get the rope
on He's choking.
My hand atw4tch, seized the strangilns cord.
"A knife! quick / cried. Il have lost miner'
Guthrie ran 10 the dressing table and passed rne an
open penknite. somehow got the blade between tho rope
and Smiths swollen neck. and severed the deadly siiksn
thing.
smith made a choking noise. and fell back. swoon,ns
in my arms,
thing which had been brought In from where 1t lay, Smith
showed me a mark on the brow-close beside the wound
where his bullet had entered.
1.-THE mark OF Kali" he said. The man WAS a phAn-
sigar-a religious stranger. Since Fu-Manchu has dacoits
in his service. / might have expected that he would have
thugs. A group OF these hends would seem to have nea
into Burma; so that the mysterious epidemic in Rangoon
was really an outbreak or tnusgee-on slightly improved
fines! had suspected something OF the kind. but nat
uraHy had not looked for thugs near Rangoon. My un-
expected resistance led the stranger TO eungie the rope.
You have seen how 1t was fastened about my throatf
That was unscientiac. The true method, as practiced by
the group operating in Burma, was 10 throw the line
about the victims neck and Jerk him from the window. A
man leaning from an open window is very nicely poised.
1t requires only a slight jerk to pitch him forward No
loop way used. but a running line, which. as the victim
fell, remained in the hand of the murderer! No clue!
Therefore, we see at once what commended the system to
Fu-Manrhu!'
Gransm Guthrie, very pale. stood looking down at the
dead stranger.
Il owe you my life. Mir. smith, he said III you
had come I'VE minutes later"
He grasped Snshs hand.
"You see" Guthrie continued, no one thought OF look
ing for a thug in Burma. And no one thought of the ross!
Ybese fellows are as active as monkeys. and where an
ordinary man would infalnbly break his neck, they ala
entirely u home, might have chosen my room speciality
for the business. I'm quite isolated. and there Is a lire
ladder to the roof at the end of the corridor"
"He slipped in late this evening said Smith. The
hotel detective saw him. but these strangers are as e.u-
siye as shadows, otherwise, despite their having chanstd
ina cen OF their operations not one could have sar.