Evening star., 1921-05-03
Continued from Yesterdays Star. }

! At last the Boche made up his mind
and went behind the chair. Hugh
felt him fumbling with the rope. and
| the other two.
! You'd better be careful, Heinrich"
; he remarked, that none of the others
see; or you might have to share
! The German ceased undoing the
knot, and grunted. The English
swine had moments of brightness.
i and he went over and closed the door.
| Then he resumed the operation of
untying the rope; and, since it was
performed behind the chair, he was
| in no position to see the look on
Drummonds face. Only the two
spectators could see that, and they
! had almost ceased breathing in their
excitement. That he had a plan
| they knew: what it was they could
not even guess.
/ At last the rope fell clear, and the
| German Sprang back.
| Put the case on the table" he cried,
having not the slightest intention of
| coming within range of those formid-
Certainly not" said Hugh, until
you undo my legs. Then you shall
have it,"
! Quite loosely he was holding the
| case in one hand: but the others.
| watching his face, saw that it was
strained and tense.
First / the notes must have" The
| German Strove to speak conversa
| tionally, but all the time he was
| creeping nearer and nearer to the
back of the chair. Then l your legs
! undo, and you may co.
! Algys warning cry rang out si-
| multaneously with the lightning dart
! of the boche's hand. as he snatched
! at the cigarette case over Drummond's
| shoulder. And then Drummond
! was the move he had been hoping
| for, and the Germans wrist was held
fast in his viselike grip. His plan
had succeeded.
And Longworth and Sinclair. who
had seen many things in their lives,
the remembrance of which will be
with them till their dying day, had
never seen and are never likely to
see anything within measurable dis
tance of what they saw in the next
few minutes. Slowly, inexorably, the
Germans arm was being twisted,
while he uttered hoarse, gasping
cries. and beat impotently at Drum
; mond's head with his free hand. Then
at last there was dull crack as the
/ arm broke, and a scream of pain, as
! he iurched round the chair and stood
/ helpless in front of the soldier, who
! still held the cigarette case in his left
hand
/ They saw Drummond open the Gig
! arctic case and take from it what
looked like a tube of wood. Then he
! felt in his pocket and took out
matchbox containing a number of
/ long thin splinterS. And. having fit
ted one of the splinter. into the tube
he put the other end in his mouth.
: With q quick heaye they saw him
{ jerk the German round and catch his
I unbroken arm with his free left hand.
! And the two bound watchers looked
at Hugh's eyes as he stared at the
moaning boche, and saw that they
were hard and merciless.
There was "A sharp. Whistling hiss,
and the splinter flew from the tube
: into the Germans face. II hung from
his cheek, and even the ceaseless
movement of his head failed to dis
lodge it.
II have broken your arm. boche."
said Drummond at length. land now
! ! have killed you. Pm sorry about
It, I wasn't particularly anxious to
end your life. But il had to be done.
: The German. hardly conscious of
! what he had said owing 10 the pam
in his arm. was frantically kicking
. the Englishman's legs, still bound to
the chair: but the iron grip on his
+ wrists never slackened. And then
quite suddenly came the end. with
; one dreadful. convulsive heave the
. German jerked himself free. and fell
: doubled up on the floor. Fascinated,
! they watched him writhing and twist
+ ing. until. at last. he lay still.
. The boChc was dead.
My Cod" muttered Hugh. wiping
! his forehead. Poor brute
) what was that blow-pipe affair.""
f; cried Sinclair hoarsely.
| The thing they tried to finish me
with in Paris last night" answered
Hugh grimly, taking a knife out Of
! his waistcoat pocket. Let us trust
that none OF his pals come in to look
for him"
/ minute later he stood up. only
to sit down again abruptly. as his
! legs gave way. They were numbed
and stiff with the hours he had spent
in the same position, and for a while
he could do nothing but rub them
| with his hands. till the blood return
! ed and he could feel once more.
Then, slowly and painfully, he tot
! tered across to the others and set
them free as well. They were in an
! even worse condition than he had
been: and it scemd as If AlgY would
iucycr be able 10 stand again, So COM