The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-08-04
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lay uppermost and Pennington turn
ed it over with his nail.
1t was Hyde who broke the silence.
1.-THE Yellow Seven!" he muttered
hoarsely. II wonder"
Before he could complete the semi
tence, Pennington had wrenchcT
open the door, sending Lai-Ho, who
had been listening on the other side,
pitching forward on his face. Some
thing shot from the region of his
waist and rolled to the planters feet.
1t was knife with long, thin blade
and handle of buffalo-horn.
Hyde stopped to pick it up and
Pennington, his hands resting light
ly on his hips, surveyed the pros
trate oriental with interest.
SECT up, my friend" he advised
him coldly. "There are many ques-
tions I would like to ask you" He
pointed to the card which still lay
on the table. "Who gave you that
Yellow-Sevcn? 2"
Lai-Ho scrambled to his feet ana
backed toward the DOORWAY. his.
eyes blazing fury. Suddenly, as
Pennington sought to intercept him,
the entire expression Of the swarthy
features changed and the English
man realized that Lai-Ho was looking
beyond him. At the same poment,
cry from Hyde brought Pennington
round on his heel in time to see
bamboo pole, propelled from without
shatter the lamp -glhss and plunge
the room into darkness. 4oar
The faint light from match the
planter held shaded between his fin
gers was sufficient to assure them
that Lai-Ho had disappeared.
What are you going. te do?" de-
manded Hyde, striking two, together
and mounting chair.
Pennington had already reached
the veranda-rall and was peering
into the blackness Of the tropic
night.
Follow, old son!" he shouted back
over his shoulder, "Follow for ali
I'm worth"
He vaulted lightly to the soft earth
below, and the planter, relinquishing
his attempt to re-light the lamp,
Joined him.
"Seen anything?"
The other nodded.
There were two of 'em. They
were making for the bottom of the
slope. Are you coming?"
Most certainly. It's ages since l
had any excitement to speak Of"
II fancy l can promise you some,"
returned Pennington grimly. "Come
on"
On the open ground between the
huts they encountered Sikh watch
man who had just passed two men
making for Bateson's side of the
plantation. He had noticed that they
were breathless with running, and
he thought one of them was the
managers servant.
Presently they were in the open
padi-lands, the incessant droning of
insects in their ears, and the two
| fugitives. clearly visible bare quar-
ter-of-a-mile distant. Pennington
was forging ahead at such pace
that the planter found it difficult to
keep up with him. In twenty min
utes they had halved the distance
that stretched between them AMI
their quarry. Half-an-hour later
and Hyde had recognized Lai-Ho. He
saw the white patch of his face as he
glanced apprehensively back, and
then he lost both of them in belt
of trees that rose like an oasis in
desert of sand. PenningtonS made
sudden squirt forward and vanished,
too. On the other side of the trees
the planter emerged alone to dis
cover nothing but moonlight ara
still more padi-land Wondering
greatly, he sank into u sitting posi-
ton on fallen log, and felt for his
pipe. A voice came to him from the
darkness.
Clyde! Where are you?"
"Here. Where are you?"
"1n the proverbial SOUP" returned
Pennington, dropping from bouah.
"They've split company-and got
clean away with it," He squatted on
the ground at the planters feet.
''Shall l tell you what, Hyde? There's
something ! don't quite understand
about all this. Lai-Ho could have
poisoned US both at DINNER, II he'd
wanted" II iiImhf hHG
Hyde glanced up from filling his
briar.
"Of course he could. He cooked
the stuff. What then?" }aaF ii't]E
"Then why all that elaborate para
phernalia of the Yellow Seven and
the knife and knockin' out the
damp?" He laughed aloud. Clyde,
old son, we've been duped!"
"Eh?"
"We were meant to follow them"
The planter was struggling with
match.
CONTINUED in Our Next lssue>