Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-30
Mystery of the Blanched Soldier
Test of Skill for Sherlock Holmes

II wanted to be sure that all was
we'll with you, Godfrey. l saw you
that night when you looked into my
window. and l could not let the mat
ter rest till I had cleared things up.
"Old Ralph told me you were there,
and I couldn't help taking peep at
YOU. l hoped you would not nave
seen me, and l had to run to my
burrow when heard the window go
up" :; 4Do
natter" -, ;,
"Well. it's not a long story to tell,
said he, lighting a cigarette. gu
remember that morning fight at But
felsspruit outside Pretoria on the
Eastern railway line. You heard l
was hit?"
Yves, I heard that but ] never got
particulars" a.
'.Three of us got separated from
the others. It was very broken coun-
try. you may remember. mere
was Simpson.-the fellow we called
Boldly Simpson--and Anderson ana L
We were clearing brother Boer, but
he lay low and got the three or US.
The other two were killed. got an
elephant bullet through my shoulder;
[ stuck on to my horse, however, and
tainted and rolled off the saddle.
when l came to myself 1t was
nightfal1. and l raised myself up, feel
ing very weak and i'll. To my sur
prise there was a house close beside
me, a fairly large house with broad
stoep and many windows. 1t was
deadly cold. You remember the KIND
of numb cold which used to come at
evening, q deadly, sickening sort or
cold, very different from a crisp,
healthy frost. Well, ! was chilled to
the bone, and my only hope seemed
to lie in reaching that house. L stag
gered to my feet and dragged myseif
along, hardly conscious of what | did,
| have a dim memory of slowly
ascending the steps, entering a WIDE
| opened door, passing into large
room which contained several beds,
and throwing myself down with a
gasp of satisfaction upon one OF them.
| 1t was unmade, but that troubled me
not at all l drew the clothes over
my shivering body and in a moment
! I was in a deep sleep.
| ut was morning when l wakened,
and 1t seemed to me that instead OF
| coming out into world OF sanity |
had emerged into some extraordinary
nightmare. The African sun flooded
through the big, curtainless windows,
and every detail of the great, pare,
white washed dormitory stood out
hard and clear. In front OF me was
standing a small dWarf-like man with
| a huge. dubious head, who was jabber-
| ing excitedly in Dutch, waving TWO
horrible hands which looked to me
like brown sponges. Behind him stood
a group of people who seemed to be
intensely amused by the situation,
but a chill came over me as looked
at them. Not one of them was a
normal human being. Every one was
| twisted or swollen or diSfigured in
| some strange way. The laughter OF
these strange monstrositSes was a
dreadful thing to hear.
! * X X x
GIT seemed that none of them could
l. speak English, but the situation
wanted clearing up, for the creature
with the big head was growing Iufi'
ously angry and, uttering wild oeasf
cries: he had laid his deformed hands
upon me and was dragging me out o.
bed, regardless of the fresh flow o.
blood from my wound. The little
monster was as strong as q bull, and
don't know what he might have done
to me had not an elderly man who was
clearly in authority been attracted to
the room by the hubbub. He said
a few stern words in Dutch and my
prosecutor shrank away Then he
turned upon me, gazing at me in the
utmost amaZement.
80 How in the world did you come
here?' he asked, in amaZement. Wait
bit! I see that you are tired out
and that wounded shoulder of yours
wants looking after. / am doctor
and I'll soon have you tied up. But
man alive! You are in far greater
danger here than ever you were on
1.-THE battlefield. You are in the Leper