The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-08-18
ey EottoNp SHELL.
nlosTRNIEo BY
RMSAwERFsELp

did not appear to notice it, and to
Pennington, who shook his head.
The stout man lit up cheerfully.
Discretion" he observed senten-
tiously, lis the better part Of valor!
With a bit Of luck, Moorhouse, old
son. we shall arrive at your palatial
of tear
The pentSup feelings of Denis Moor
house at length found utterance-
''They were numbering that girl, &"
he said.
Chinese Pennington dropped a heavy
hand on the others shoulder.
81 should make yourself quite easy
on that score. Chai-Hung doesn't
murder pretty women who are likely
Guaya was aware of 1t or not, the
ambush we were within an ace Of
walking into had been long and care
fully prepared"
THAT doesn't account for the
screams"
Some people scream before they
are hurt
81 don't quite follow you"
He means to say" put in Dawson,
inhaling tobacco smoke with the air
of a parched traveller in the desert
quenching his thirst, that the bandit
merely threatened her. He can be a
mighty unpleasant spectacle when he
likes"
Il hope to heaven you're right"
1.-THE more I think of it." pursued
Pennington, "the more feasible It
seems. -Guaya, you must remember.
is a consummate actress-and her eff
forts certainly struck me as highly
theatrical"
Where are we now?" demanded
Moorhouse gloomily.
"A shade better off than when we
started. We know that the Yellow
Seven are here in considerable force,
and that the united efforts of three
perfectly good white men armed with
automatics would be about the for
lornest hope ever embarked upon"
They passed through the screen of
cocopalms and emerged on to the strip
Of grassland in which Moorhouse's
bungalow lay.
Moorhouse, hardly awake, reached
down automatically for the blanket at
the bottom Of the bed. Suddenly, as
his benUmbed faculties began to re
turn to him, he started and blinked
vacantly at the white canopy above
him. Somewhere close at hand dog
was barking. Ten seconds later ne
Ia n RI 10 .
was the black chow and that the sound
came from the veranda.
shut up, Hitam! Lie down."
And then-something Lack AMI
shadowy slid noiselessly within the
rectangle Of light and out Of 1t again.
The D. o., experiencing that I'M
| comfortable sensation that is iuva-
riably associated with a surprise in
| the early hours, forced his muscles to
act and CROPPED under the pillow for
| his automatic. His fingers touched
nothing but the crumpled edge of the
sheet. Always a restless sleeper, his
pillow lay-a hapeless mass-to one
side, and the weapon had presumably
| dropped to the floor without waking
| him. Swearing softly to himself, he
| reached down, cropping uncertainty in
all directions. The f1imsy curtains,
blowing hstlessly in a light breeze
| touched his cheek and, bringing his
head suddenly upward, he saw-as if
oangled from the bedpost-a silver
hand. The thing lowered there, gilt
| tering in the patch of light, and for
| some moments he starred at it. He
/ withdrew his gaze with an effort, a
Y l. ~
| "Guayar" The words formed them.
selves upon his lips. He had not seen
her since that strategic retreat from
the bandits sentries. Perhaps she had
sought him on the veranda and, fail
| ing to find him there, had come to his
room. He looked up again. The
apparition was still where he had
| first seen IT He pushed himself up.
ward on his arms-then sank back
mute with silent horror. The thing
was a left hand-the gauntlet that
| Chai-Hung had stolen!
He wriggled over on to his face
and sent his trembling fingers over
the rough floor. They knocked
presently against something soft
and warm-a human foot! He set
bis teeth grimly. He must somehow
manage to slip out from the other
side-and snatch up the water jug
anything with which to defend him.
self. The bed creaked as he moved
and the curtains parted. A lean
hand fell upon either wrist and, from
out Of the corner Of his eye, he saw
that the silver hand had vanished
There hung in its place a knife with
a long thin blade and a hilt that he
knew was yellow
He aimed kick at the arm which
held it suspended, but it moved swift
ly upward and the force OF his blow
was spent upon empty air He could
catch its shadowy- outline as it hest
tated before descending, and then
the door of the room swung open
and the light of hurricane-lamp il
Illuminated the whole apartment. The
grip on his wrists relaxed and tight
ened again before he could wrench
himself free. The lamp stood ua
guarded on the threshold, as if 1t hac
come there of its own accord. and
Moorhouse recognized at one and the
same time the man who held hin
and the creature with the knife: Nyi
Hau-and the great Chai-Hung!
He struggled with. renewed vic
lence. tore one hand from the power
full fingers that encircled it and hi
out at Nyi-Hau with all the force h,
could put behind it. The man re
coiled and the magistrate, rolling t.
one side. avoided the fall of the knit,