The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-07-06
CHAPTER I.

The sun shone hot in Hamburg tina
day, and nowhere was the heat NOR
intense than on that last narrow strip o
a street clinging desperately to the land
but crumbling off now and again IL
blistering wharves and deserted piers
this piles of which were water-rotted
while the surface boards showed whit
and dry-scorched above. Most of tn
sailors and 'longshoremen bad fount
refuge in the many rathskellers witt
which the wharf districts of Hambur.
are populated
1t was Saturday afternoon, nearly al
cargo had been unloaded from thu
thronging vessels. some with barba
rously painted tunnels. others with hug'
tobacco-brown sails.
Christopher Poe sauntered along thu
strip of street, stopping now and ther
to inspect with fond eyes the striking
lines of some fast freighter, or to scar
one or another OF the huge warehouses
lining the other side of the street
Strange warehouses they were, hlleo
with heaven knows what, from HEAVIER
knows where. There is no such port in
the world as Hamburg for strange mer.
chandise. Even in the glow of the hot
sun the place bristled with romance
suggesting strange and fascinating pos
sibilities to Christopher Poe, who hao
once been a sailor himself, as his
squared, thick-set chest and keen eye
indicated. He had skipped away from
his banking duties in New York and
was touring through parts of the world
as familiar to him as Fifth Avenue or
the Bowery. In his quiet criminal in
vestigations, his diversion from his bril-
liant work in banking. he had come to
nf ~
world. and this Hamburg wharf district
had ever been close to his heart since
he had sailed into the wonderful place
when little more than a boy
Twice he stopped in the silent, cobbled
thoroughfare and listened carefully, then
shrugged his shoulders and strolled on,
unmindful of the intense rays of the sun.
At length, as he neared a great wharf,
where no ship rode at anchor and on
which a huge iron-bound warehouse
stood, the rear square against the water.
he stopped and strained forward. listen
ing.
There came a sudden roar. a strange,
resounding reverberating roar. 1t
would have been deafening had it not
been for the fact that it seemed muf-
fed within the huge warehouse. the
entrance to which was still obscured
from Poe, for it faced on the nearby
side street.
There developed as he listened a
wild mingling of noises, chorusing up
in a perfect babble. Out of the tumble
some of the more insistent. penetrat-
ing. stentoTian sounds came clear to his
taut eardrum.
There was a shrill scream, like that
of a strange water fowl. the deep.
rumbling roar of a bear. the screech
of some big cat, the piercing note of
a trumpet-tongued beast.
He dashed forward, turned the cor
ner. his nostrils sensing the smell of
smoke. In that narrow street, lending
itself so nicely 10 vibration, the air
was utterly deafening with a confu-
sion of jumbled sounds. dangerous,
There was strange throng quickly
collecting in front Of the warehouse.
Poe read in flash the German sign
stretching alone the front of the
Haggerup & Co, Dealers in
WILD ANIMALS.
huge plate glass window in front,
barred with heavy iron rods five inches
apart, was belching forth smoke
through which the burning sun shone
fully, Illuminating a smashed plate
glass tank right in front, with thou
nd strange fish Tapping and flashing
on The floor amid the smoke and con-
fusion.
"Feuer, Feuerw screamed the ex-
cited mob of sailors and longshore-
men. The huge iron-bound door had
evidently been burst open from within
at the first alarm, and men went
olunging through the cavernous OPEN
ng with hastily snatched pals of
water. and men came struggling out,
cropping, almost overcome with smoke. |
SorIe We're wildly demanding that the
ioor be closed. declaring that tn ami |
nails had all broken loose from their |
ages and would spring upon the |
srowd, fre-maddened. In support of |
heir statement several flare-eyed |
'corch haired monkeys had bounded !
through the door. screaming.
Then the fire wagon changed up. |
Amid that hail of noise there came an |
instantaneous lull. Christopher Poe, on |
he edge of the crowd and near the long |
ide Of the building extending back to
he water, felt that he heard a far-or /
plash, as though some huge animal,
naddened by the flames, had plunged
nto the water somewhere in the rear of |
he building. But duller and less watch
ul ears would not have caught the
ound at all, for an instant later the
lubbub had broken out afresh, even
more multitudinous. There came a sud-
en metallic ring amid the vociferation:
he heavy nozzle Of the fire hose had al
eady been rushed into service, and had
Hanged against an iron shield to the
liz door.
Another hose was directed through the
zig broken window IN front. and the
remen's helmets glistened holly through
he smoke as the sheet of water was
lined within. II
1t was all over IN an astonishinglS
hort time. Everyone looked relieved,
ut for vague apprehension of the ANNA,
ries. The smoke was almost gone.
team now welled up through the door
nd window. Evidently the fire had been
hecked in the right moment. for it was
ut. and a few firemen were already q,
ushing within. IL
Something possessed Poe; he chafed
1der the yoke of inaction. SEEKING an {;
xtra helmet from the wagon nearby, b
e dashed into the building rearlessly, I
1ough there was no telling whether he |
light expect the spring of a crazed Nu-
idian lion, the bone-crunching embrace {
: a frantic bear. or the strike of furi- q
US hooded snake. No one stayed his I
rogress; II had all happened SO quickly 1
lat not even a police line had been
,rmed. In
Once within, Poe charged amid the ]