Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-27

descended from the bridge and went
to his own quarters. The barometer
was nicely high and steady. The wire
less weaI,lS- reports were good. In a
few minutes the second dinner bugle
would sound. All was well in Cap For
syth's world, and he was cheerfully
conscious of 1t as he pulled open the
door of his cabin.
He was dressing when there was
tap at the door.
Come in!" he shouted. and swung
face deathly white. Whats the trou-
BILE. Jervis?"
The purser wiped a brow that was
beaded with moisture.
bad trouble. SIR" he said. There's
been murder on board"
The captain stared at him. Muir
der? Another of those Lascar feuds, I
suppose-where' the first officer?"
This isn't the first officers job, sir
it's NINE" replied the purser. TITS one
of the passengers"
"What?" cried the captain incredu-
lousy. "A passenger? Who is it?"
Man in No. 43. sir, B deck. for
ward end-first-claSS passenger. His
steward found him. He reported it to
me-"
Capt. Forsyth forgot his rule. He
whistled. The murder Of a first-class
passenger at sea meant trouble.
Here's the passenger list, sir" said
the purser, producing a folded sheet
and spreading it out. He indicated q
name with a trembling finger. Allan
SollaS, he's described as. Age, 43. Sim
gle. Bound for Bombay from London.
It's bad business, sir"
eft &c oScnrQ1Iu q had hY,Si-
ness" agreed the captain grimly. II
don't want to get hung up over a
murder trial-nor you, either. Get
taken of the ship for month or two,
perhaps. Who did it?"
Il wish I knew, sir. There's not the
slightest indication. The steward saw a
trickle of blood under the door. 1t was
fastened on the inside. He worked up
the catch, went in and found him-ly-
ing across his bunk, with knife stick
ing in him. He was like that when I
saw him."
But" said the captain, a sudden
hope in his voice. chow do you know
it's murde-' You say the door was
fastened on the inside. The man must
have committed suicide"
Hardly, sir. A man can't very well
stick knife in his own back. You'll
see it for yourself, sir. I've left him,
just as he was. I've told Macy not to
say a word. He's locked the door of
the cabin, and he's just SWabbed the
to See"
THE captain pulled on his gold
= braided jacket. Well get the
DOCTOR" he said.
The purser looked at rim anxiously.
wouldn't it be better to wait, sir
until after the dinner bugle? If the
passengers see you and the doctor and
me going along the corridor at this
hour, they'll think something his &C.
curred-and it's just as we'll they
shouldn't know anything about tiff
We can manage it,"
mot much chance Of keeping this
quiet" said the captain But perhaps
you're right. We don't want 'em all
guessing at the criminal We want to
catch the brute first. Isn't there
anything that gives hint to him
nothing of suspicion at alp"
mo, sir. Hot the least. Cabin didn't
seem to have been interfered with"
How are We going to catch him?
When you think of it, it isn't so easy.
1t might be any one of the crew, any
one Of the 80 first-class passengers, any
one-though not so likely-of the 200
steerage people. It isn't difficult to go
slipping along the corridors when every
body is changing for dinner" He also
sat down, in his chair. Heaven knows.
I'm pretty good at running ship, but
I've never set up for being a detective"
mo, sir. Nor l." agreed the purser
well, let's get busy with It, anyway"
sat In iva Ta<, k,1v
some idea to help us. We can't afford
What sort of fellow was this chap?"
Very quiet, sir. Asked for a table
to himself. Didn't seem to mix with
any Of the other passengers. Used to
sit by himself. and read all day. Well
off. I should imagine. He paid for two
berths to have the cabin to himself"
Hin! Who's on either side of him?"
mo one in Al, strand that's the end
cabin up that way. No. As has old
Mrs. Laverstoke-you know, Sir-the
funny old woman. She's alone in her
cabin also. Her maid sleeps with Mrs.
Waldron'S maid In No. 80. I'm terri
fed Of her getting to know this. And
she's bound to notice, If No. 43 doesn't
go in or out"
"She mustn't" said the captain. He
thought for a moment What .bout
sending fellow in to make leak in
the water-pipe while she's up on deck
tomorrow-soak the cabin-and put her
in a better one, with abject apologies?
That settles her. But 1t doesn't
help u.s. Who else is there?
There's couple of larky young lads
In No. At. sir" He referred to his
sheet. walter Osborn and Henry
Mackwith Strong-aged "a and 25-
lieutenants. both of them - Indian
army. 1t would be a safe bet that they
were in the smoke-room when the
murder was DONE"
Who else?"
No. 40 has Col. and Mrs. Black,
Sir--they asked me if I couldn't move
them little farther from the young
gentlemen in No. Al. I can hardly see
either of them doing it." He smiled,
wanly.
ANY one else likely?"
WELL there's the whole ship to
choose from, strand, il you ask me,
one is as likely as the other. I can't
imagine any of them doing it,
What about the crew? Those con-
founded LaScars slip along like ghosts. ]"
quite, sir. It may be one Of them;
but Macy said he didn't see any of the
CIcW-l dSheu INN. III says CnaC, a1Uer
putting out the dinner clothes of his
passengers, he was standing with the
stewardess-that's Mrs. Halkett, sir, you
know-at the entrance to that corridor
from the companion staircase, and he
swears that no one but passengers
passed him. He would have stopped
any Of the crew, Of course"
And the stewardess-what does she
say?"
II haven't asked her, sir. No one
knows anything about 1t, except Macy,
and you, and me-and the murderer
himself, whoever he is"
you haven't told the doctor?"
"Not yet, sir. thought, when the
passengers were out of the way, per-
haps he would go along with you.
There's the dinner CALI" he added, as
the notes Of bugle came from several
quarters Of the ship. "Give 'em 10