The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-06-06


 wharf, supposed, and it occurred to me that I could do no better than make use of t. F7ique-or Samuels-would have his hands full as I doubted if either Ie Balafre of Bee would be taken alive.
 Striking out for the barricale, I found finger and toe hold in the planking-as I had surmised, it had been thrown together with de- liberate careIessne5s- hoisted myself to the top-which was some two feet below the wharf.
 Inside the enclosure the launch I had expected to find, a powerful speedy looking craft, swung at it's moorings A rectangle of light de- Scended from a trap in the floor of the shed into the cockpit of the launch, which was empty. The light had made 1t possible to see the bar ricade. Iron bars driven into the piles gave access to the shed above. q learned afterwards that the Portuguese villagers had construct cd this subterranean approach to ] the wharf to facilitate their snug gling operationsJ
 As I dropped into the enclosure and clung to the side of the launch. I heard le Balafre's voice again.
 You will tell us what we desire to know, mademoiSelle.
 How can I tell you when I don't know? I've told you 50 a hundred timesl If Parados wasn't Lacote I don't know who Lacose is-where he IS! Oh, my wristl You are breaking ltl"
 Caroline's voice frantic with ter rorl If Parados wasn't Lacote" But he was Lacotel Nothing mat tered except those devils :. Bringing Caroline here hurt ing her Something inside my head exploded in bloody flame Two strokes brought me to the pile with the iron tars. Parados not Lacotel
 T shall break it if mademoiselle will not tell usl'
 "Oh, no, no. mol"
 "Ciceron, you will take that oth- CT arm [ t''s
 Do not have 1t, mon afnf9" A different voice, this one, but of the same wicked pitch. Come, ma pe- tite, It will be desagreable, those broken arms" "Mademoisellel" T cannot Oh. Allan, some one! My arm Pleasel''
 "A little more, my Ciceron, and she will open the heart. Come, mademoiselle :" I was not quite mad enough tol be blind to folly of what I was doing. As soon as my head appeared above the trap I'd get bullet be- tween my eyes. But couldn't help it. A man can stand only so much of some things As the top of my head reached the trap, the cross bar upon which my feet were set broke from the pile and I went down. My head struck the side of the launch and if I had not flung out my arm and clutched at the edge of the launch I should have gone down. I had come up on the other side of the craft. I began to haul myself aboard. lA as snta q t
 I had one leg over the side when I noticed that the shed had become silefit Perhaps Caroline had faint cd. I prayed that she had.
 Something had happened. A vital matter to Messieurs le Balafre and Bee, I thought. The silence pinned me to the floor of the launch.
 A whisper floated down.
 "Ciceron ca fenetre la"
 The windowl Some one was there. The man I had seen of course. had forgotten him, but I had sense enough not to move.
 Non, nonl" Ciceron Bee scream ed suddenly. Pas la penetre la porte."
 A door was opening! That would be Flique. It ought to be Flique. He would glory in this ironic fin ish. A pistol cracked.
 "Ah mon dieu!" the cry was strangled. Mon Ciceron La cote-Jules Lacote. :"
 "Lacote," he had said, Lacotel Had I gone entirely mad? was leaping to my feet when the falling body of man struck my chest, al- most pitching me overheard, and dropped in huddle at my feet. It was le Balafre. A pistol was in his hand. He would not need it any more. I reflected. as I wrenched it out of his grasp.
 The other pistol parked again and Ciceron Bee dropped as I stuck my head through the trap