Evening star., 1927-11-18
stay the

longer, only local conditions as he
found them must decide.
He shrugged his shoulders suddenly.
Neither Howard Locke nor any other
man would make of himself a him
drance-hindranceS were removed.
But there was another point, an out
standing point. After Manwa Island
there was-America. True, he had
brought Runnells with him, while he
had said good-by to Paul Cremarre,
who had departed for Paris, and there.
after for such destination as his fancy
prompted, for the period, mutually
agreed upon, of six months-but he,
Capt. Francis Newcombe, was not
prepared to say when, or where, IL
ever, he intended to utilize, in the
same manner as before, the services
of either Runnells or the Frenchman
again. Certainly not in America, if
lone hand promised better there! He
proposed to play lone hand at this
Manwa Island. 1t might well be that
he would continue to do so there
after. And in America an intimacy
with Howard Locke, such as this pro.
jected cruise offered, would help amaZ.
ingly to spread and germinate the
seed already sown by Polly Wickes.
Polly Wickes was his private prop
erty!
Capt. Francis Newcombe smiled
confidently at the angry waters.
Yes" he said, Il think it is quite
possible that he may be able to per.
suade me-
He turned abruptly away from the
rail, making for his cabin, which was
on the deck above and on the opposite
side of the ship. And presently, halt
ing in the lighted alleyways before
his door, he turned the key in the lock
and entered.
And then, Just across the threshold
he stood for the fraction of second
like a man dazed-and the door, torn
| from his hand by fierce gust of wind,
slammed with a bang behind him
| The cabin was on the windward side
the window was open, and outside the
| window, indistinct, shadowy, as though
almost it might be an hallucination OF
the mind mans form suddenly
| loomed up. There was a flash, the
roar of a revolver shot, muff1ed, al
most drowned out in the thunder OF
the storm-and Capt. Francis New
combe lay fiat upon the cabin floor.
The next instant he flung himself
over beside the settee, and, protected
| here from another shot, raised his
head. The form had vanished from
! the window.
A cold fury seized upon the man.
From his pocket he drew his own re
volver, and, covering the window as
he backed swiftly for the door
wrenched the door open and made for
the first egress to the deck. Too late
of courSei The deck was deserted. He
stood there, grim faced, .tight-lipped
straining his eyes up and down the
length of the deck through the dark
| ness, the rain beating into his face.
And then he began to run again
| like dog seeking scent. There We're
a dozen places up here where a man
might hide-the juts of the super
structure, the great, grotesque, loom
ing ventilators, the openings Though
to the other side of the deck. But he
found nothing. no one-there was only
the deserted deck, the drenching rain
And the howl of the wind metamor
| phosed itself into ironical shrieks.
4 Capt. Francis Newcombe returned
| along the deck, and halted outside his
cabin window. He examined 1t crit
| ically. 1t had been pried open from
| the outside-the marks were distinctly
| indented on the sill, as though
| Jiiitin1 VI lFOl DdE OL SOIIlc hAliu AieA1
| been used.
| He stared at it, his jaws clamped. II
was unpleasant. Some one on the shiI
had deliberately, premeditatedly, at
tempted to murder him. There was
something Of hideous malignancy 1r
it. To pry the window open, and wait
there patiently in the storm for the
sole purpose of ending a mans life
1t hadn't succeeded because intuition
or, perhaps, better, an exaggerated In
stinct Of self.preservation born OF the
years in which he had fiaunted de
fiance of every law in the face Of hi:
fellow men, had prompted him, though
taken unawares, to act even quicker
than his assailant who lay in wait
and to fling himself instantly to the
floor of the cabin.
Who was It? Why was It? Who, or
board the ship, had any incentive, an,
reason, any cause to murder him
Save for Locke, the young American
he knew no one on board, barring
Runnells, Of course. except in the ordi
nary, casual way of shipboard &C
quaintAnceship struck UP since thu
ship had left Liverpool. It could no
sbe any ,one OF these-at least, not Iogi
cally. And Of them an If certaiiily