Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-29
By Edgar w allace.
ly been monkeying about with

ably been monkeying about with
the"
At that moment the lights went out.
Instantly Wade drew his torch from his
pocket and turned it on. Elk raped
on the wall, but there was no answer.
"You noticed the green water stains
on the walls?" asked Elk suddenly.
John Wade nodded. Now he began to
understand.
Il think I know why they all cleared
out tonight, too," he said quietly. 1T
wasn't because they heard we were
coming
The air in the room had grown heavy;
it was an effort to breathe. But pres
entity Wade felt cool breeze, and al
most instantly from the far end of the
room came a strange gurgling sound.
Water" said Elk. Remember what
that copper of yours said? A very high
tide tonight. It'll be too high for US,
I'm thinking"
They leaped for the table, and in an
incredibly short space of time the water
was up to their ankles.
| Across the roof. Immediately above
their heads, ran rusted iron bar. They
Sprang for it as the table f1oated from
under them.
THE river must be terribly high"
said Wade, but it can't be as high as
this"
He made a rapid calculation. Even
supposing the water had risen above
| the level of the wharf, it should not
have been higher than their waists as
| they stood upon the table. Now it was
| tapping about their chins as they chung
| to the bar, their faces flat against the
brick vaulting above.
| Suddenly the whole building seemed
| to shake. And then. with extraordinary
rapidity. the water began to descend.
whats happened?" gasped Elk.
| The mystery was susceptible of only
one solution: portion of the wall had
collapsed under the pressure. and the
water was finding lower level.
Drop into the water" Wade cried.
I'VE must find the breach"
| He swan along the wall until he felt
! his legs sucked from under him. and,
bracing himself against the brickwork,
he CROPPED down. Presently he found
| the hole: a section of the wall, feet
wide and 3 or 4 feet high, had burst
under the pressure of the water. but
| to say. The movement of the water
had ceased. Both men were. now able
to stand.
There must be deeper level here"
said Wade zone of us will have to see
where it leads"
THAT one will be you." said Elk.
Wade recalled the plan of the neigh
borhood Adjoining the Mecca was an
old warehouse, occupied by firm of
provision merchants. He knew the
place. It had a deep cellar in which
former occupant had erected refriger--
ating plant. He had once paid visit
to the cellar in company with river
thief TO identify stolen property.
Again he dived, struggled through the
hole, and came up on the other side.
His feet no longer touched bottom.
Treading water, he kept close TO the
wall. Now he knew where he was. 1t
was only necessary to find the exit.
Diving back through the hole, he told
Elk what he had found.
This is evidently the limit of the
Mecca cellar, and the water has gone
to the deeper cellar of the warehouse.
There must be a way out of that"
The two men dived through the hole
and came UP to the vault of the ware
house. They made slow progress, push
ing their way between the floating cases.
After 10 minutes of swimming through
the debris, John saw sight that glad
dened his eyes. Within a few feet of
him a fight of stairs led out of the
water to a small door. Presently they
were dragging themselves up the stairs
10 al lICll QOOI.
To Wade's relief and surprise it was
not locked, and, sliding it aside, he
found a short flight Of stone steps that
led to a large door, obviously on the
street level. He was unbarring this
when an authoritative voice hailed him.
1t was the night Waterman, who held
in leash a ferocious- looking Alsatian
police dog.
Police, are you? Let's have a look
at you," said the skeptical man.
It took some time to convince him,
and then he explained what, to Elk's
orderly mind, was the supreme mys-
terry of the evening-why the iron door
into the warehouse cellar had been
unlocked
81 knew the floods were up, and I've
just sent message to the fire br1-
gade.' said the Waterman. II left
it unfastened for them, in case they
wanted to do some pumping. But
it'll be hours before the river goes
down. They're flooded out at the Nee
ca, by all accounts. and a couple OF
men who were down in the wood-cel-
lar were nearly killed. The water
came over the top SO suddenly. What
they were doing down in the cellar
don't know"
The Waterman let Wade and Elk out
OF the WAREHOUSE, anu lIlcy NShe pdSh,
ankle-deep in water, to the club. in
time to arrest the activities of rescue
party that was preparing to force its
way into the cellar in last despair
ing hope of getting them out alive.
A launch carried them back to one
of the police boats, and, as they were
changing their clothes, after hot
bath, Elk was loquacious.
mo. I'm not scared-I was, though"
he admitted 1--WE ruined perfectly
good suit. and who's going to pay for
that? But what worried me at first
was the thought that these india rubber
boys had caught me. I see now it was
an act of Providence"
was it?" asked John Wade quietly.
There was somebody there to close
down the ventilating shaft and put out
the light-you'll probably find a con-
troll in the house. I'm going back to
do little investigating"
CTo Be Continued)