The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-07-24
6eayepsw CAPTAIN Bunker


there accidentally or in order to make
you suspect me. Plainly. he sue
ceeded."
nuendo. But" he protested again,
you suspected that-What do you
mean? Whom did you suspectf"
81 don't know"
You don't know whom you sus-
pected?"
mo; l don't. Some one-I don't
know who-left note in my state
room asking me to warn you to be
careful, that an attempt might be
made to get at the papers. l thought
is was hoax, but | warned you nev-
ertheless. But my warning failed"
But who wrote the note?"
II don't know, found it on the
dresser in, my stateroom."
But WHO left it there7 You must
have some suspicion
Bess shook her head. 81 haven't an
idea," she said AT first ! thought it
might he Harry trying to play joke
on me. Now / don't know what to
think"
But you must think Listen to me.
l opened the safe this afternoon.
unlocked the inner drawer and looked
at the packet 1t was secure, just as
1t was when | put it there three days
ago. locked it up again. l locked
the safe. / will swear to it. Half an
hour ago / opened 1t again. The lock
of the inner drawer was. broken. The
packet had been opened and sealed up
hon L. a Io
beneath it. If it had not been for the
broken lock, I might not have noticed
that the safe had been entered and
might not have thought anything of
your handkerchief being there. But
the lock spoke for itself / opened
the envelope and read the Instructions.
They were explicit. They ordered me
to go to a certain island. They warned
me that | should probably, be followed
by one or more ships. They told me
to evade them at all hazards-that it
was matter of life and death. Life
and death, you understand. And here
-here-Tve simply got to find out
who's on board spying for them, be-
fore 1t is too late. And you've got to
help me. Consider a moment. Who
touiu nave SOtteh lhto youi Stdtciooluf
Did you leave it locked?'
"NO."
Then anybody who could have come
aft could have gone in. We may take 1t
that it wasn't your or your mother or
| your brother How about Miss Dens-
| lOw?"
Miss Denslowl" Bess cried out the
word. "Oh ii couldn't have been Miss
| Denslow! We haven't known her very
| long. hut she came to as from Miss
| Van Kull. OF course, 1t couldn't have
| been she"
"Humph!'' Captain Bunker seemed
only half satisfied. I'm glad. Miss
Denslow seems very pleasant lady
and I'd hate to think her guilty of
such treachery. How about Lord
George? I suppose he Is genuine
nObleman?"
Genuine! Good gracious Mother
would have duck fit IL he wasn't.
| She met him-Oh, Df course. What
was | thinking about! The British
ambassador introduced him to Mrs.
Paxton, and Mrs. Paxton introduced
him TO mother
"How about your maid7"
| We've had her for years and years.
Besides. / know her writing, and this
wasn't hit like it,
| "That settles the passengers" Cap
tain Bunker tugged at his beard. 1--WE
| had my officers for years, and can
| trust them That leaves only the
crew Only the steward is allowed
aft. He's new to me. Have you no.
ticed him?''
| Bess nodded. Yes" she said
THAT is. I've noticed him casually
| lie looks rather above Il stewards
place But"
81 guess he's the thief. III attend
to him. all right" Captain Bunker's
Jaws set themselves grimly. But
I'm afraid it's too late to stop him
from sending word to his employers ="
His employers?"
YES. OF course, he's not working
for himself He's working for the peo.
Pile who murdered that man Morbach
and who stole the map. When they
found that ii didn't tell where the is
land was they sent II to your mother
and then managed to follow her.
There isn't do :bt Of 1t. And
and"
Captain Bunker turned on his heel
and pointed toward the northern hori-
zOn, now dark with the shadows of
coming night. Look" he said. prob
ably you can't see II, but that smoke
yonder comes from boat that has
been hanging on my heels ever since
we left New York. 1t is swift, amaz-
ingly swift, and silent, amazingly ST.
lent 1t comes without lights. But
once in so often a fash of sparks from
its funnel betrays its presence. It's
following us, trying to find out where
we are going. And some scOundrelly
spy on board of us is helping It, And
and - Captain Bunker chOked-"nO
doubt he's sent the information long
ago"