The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1913-01-16
CHAPTER IX.=Continued.


There's no other explanation he
decided, conclusively.
"You mean he committed suicide?"
Call it what you like, sir
"But there was no reason for him
to do such a thing" l objected.
81 understand he's been pretty i'll,
sir"
"I}e was i'll, yes. But he was on the
road 10 recovery" And then, with the
realization that l was speaking Of
Camera. in the past tense, as though
it were already settled that I should
see him alive again, a shiver
of horror swept owe me. I know Mac
Leod observed it, for he said:
There's been a drop in the tenn
p%erature, in the last half-hour. It'll
be more comfortable in my cabin, sir,
If you don't mind coming in, and talk
ing the thing over a bit"
Good Heavens, Macleod" I eX-
claimed, turning on him with nervous
savagery, do you expect me to sit
down and talk calmly at such a mo-
ment? | can't. It's all l can do to
stand still here, for a minute at a
time. feel ! must do something. It's
torture to have ones hands tied this
g. way"
81 think l know how you feel, sir.
But walking the deck will do no good,
and if you could calm yourself enough
to talk it over quietly, we might get
down to something that would guide
us, so to speak,"
>. Guide us?" l repeated.
"Yes, sir. It's not impossible, you
know, sir, that when he went over
board he was picked up"
The light from his cabin portfolio
Illuminated us both, and now as he
looked at me he must have seen my
perplexity.
You said yourself, sir" he ex-
the exhaust of some sort O. craft not
far away"
1t was this reminder, l think, which
brought back my wool-gathering wits
and steadied me to a perception of the
real Importance of the captains plea.
OF one thing, at least, l was assured:
Cameron was not a suicide. How he
could have gone over the taffrail with
out my seeing or hearing him, l should
never be able to understand. But gone
he was, and 1t lay upon me to dis
cover by whose assistance this mar
velous disappearance vas accom-
plished. And so it zane about that,
oD~4rc11;r~ INV fyfi11 ,rrncf uyoc
presently seated in MacLeod's swivel
chair, while he, from a place on the
side Of his berth, fired pointed ques-
lions at me, which l either answered
as best l could or returned in kind.
"Now maybe it's none of my bust
ness, Mr.. Clyde, but in view of to-
nights occurrence I think it's peril
lent to know why there was such a
thorough inspection Of the Sibylla be-
fore we sailed, and such a lot of eau
ton regarding the crew." That was
the first of his volley, and for a mo-
ment it staggered me. l recognized,
however, that this was not a time for
for years a staunch soldier in Gamer.
on's army Of employees, l saw no
harm in letting him know the truth.
"Ill tell you," l returned, frankly,
but It's not to go any further. In the
past nine weeks Mr.. Cameron has
been receiving a series Of threatening
anonymous letters. The last one came
q week ago today; and in it this was
named as the date for the climax"
Climax" he repeated, questioning
".
Eyes. Today, the letter stated, Mr.
Cameron would disappear"
The calm, phlegmatic young captain
did not start. He simply narrowed hi:
eyes IN thought.
That's odd," he said, gravely
damned odd" And then. after a sec
ond's consideration. he asked: IVA
that-but Of course 1t was-why b,
took this cruiser"
NO." l told him. THAT was not hi
reason: though it was mine"
did not mean to be %enigmatic, bu
suppose l was. for Macleod showed