New Britain herald., 1923-08-27

A lean face was thrust into the opening of the tent and man, who was sitting alone over some papers spread on case around the base of 8 hurricane-lamp, looked up sharply.
 Are you Pennington?"
 The man with the Chinese eyes rose to his feet.
 That's my name"
 An expression of relief spread over the newcomers countenance.
 -"Tve been searching for your head - quarters for the best part of two hours. I'm Clay. I arrived in this forsaken island a matter of five days ago, pattin' myself on the back at havin' knocked across a soft billet and here I am in the wilds of Bor- neo, with company of black devils and fifteen pounder gun that l haven't the remotest idea what to do with! I've instructions from Cap tain Hewitt--Commissio of Police at Jeaelton-to report to you for duty"
 He squirmed through the narrow aperture, stooping low to avoid bump ing his head, unconcernedly disposed six feet three inches of manhood on . length of sacking that covered a neat pile of kerosene tins.
 Good man! I was beginning to wonder when you were going to turn up Where are your men?''
 "Standin' very much at ease out side. split 'em up into platoons and spread 'em out bit. We'd have been here earlier if it hadn't been for that confounded gun. It got stuck regularly every half hour. Last night we had to hack down tree to get it out. Forty-seven and half hours forced marchin'. my boy and every man present."
 Pennington laughed. He tacitly admired Hewitt's good taste in se- lecting Clay for the job. He sat for some moments, stroking an unshaven chin, then, removing a portion of the case, extracted a square bottle and a pair of tumblers.
 I've a sort of skeleton force of my own scattered round the base of the hill," he said. measuring out the precious fluid with generous exacti- tude. They're tough little chaps who can find their way easily in the jungle. We've installed a telegraph system by means of Dusum gongs hung in trees"
 If you're pouring that out for me-" broke in the other, I'll have an inch more soda. So Chai-Hung's up there, is hep
 Pennington nodded.
 We've cornered him at last-and tomorrow's got to see the end of the Yellow Seven.''
 Clay shifted his long legs into a more comfortable position and tapped . pipe on the heel of his riding boot.
 '.D'you know" he confessed sud denly, beyond the fact that Mir. Chai- Hung's not nice sort of chap to meet, I remain in sublime ignor- ance of the real reason of all this ex- pended energy. You don't glean much from a sudden 'phone-call from a harassed official. y'know. What I'm tryin' to get at by all this is: who is Chai-Hung, when he's at home and what in the name of all that's holy is the Yellow Severn"
 'The Yellow Seven is the name of secret society the members of which are exclusively of Chinese origin, and whose symbol is a yellow Chinese playing -card ornamented with seven black dots. Hewitt cabled for me when the trouble had grown too big for him to cope with. formed a Iittle band of native enthusiasts and secured the country from one end to the other, posing sometimes as a Celestial, at others as a tribesman. Y0u see, Clay, the organization was too vast to suppress by sheer force ofsI ssms, the island swarmed with Chai- Hung's spies and the only possible nnsthod of achieving success was to separate the brigand from the bulk of his followers, hem him in at a spot | where the chances of egress were re- mote and converge upon him from all points at once. Chai-Hung and his | bodyguard have been | driven from the forest into a small, | arid plateau A few of his disciples | still cling to him, but the vast ma ! jority, obeying false signals arranged by myself, are concentrating in re- mote portions of British North Bor- neo, where Hewitt is on the lookout | for them"
 A few moments later native in greasy velvet jackeet and a rusty sarong entered silently and stood at