Evening star., 1941-10-01

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the rope, lowered it to the ground.
Immediately the rat. as fast as the
rope would permit, hurried toward
pile of wood.
Warburton frightened the rope
and dragged the rat back to the
wall of the house. When he al
lowed the rope to slacken once more
the bedeviled creature headed in a
new direction. Again Warburton
pulled 1t back. This he kept up pa
tiently until, on the fourth attempt,
the rat did as he desired. Straight
ahead it went, turned to gain a
mound of refuse and the movement
swung the trailing rope directly into
the glowing Goals beneath the huge
pot.
The hand Of Warburton frightened
gently, not exerting enough force
this time to drag the rat back; the
rat strained for the offal heap and
as result the rope was buried
deeper in the now smoking embers.
The rope snapped, the rat vanished
and the blush smoke became a tiny
tongue of flame.
Warburton began to draw in the
rope. moving it gently, across the
ground, nursing the glowing tip.
When it left the grourft1 he hauled
in more swiftly, then leaped from
Furness' shoulders with the ropes
end in his grasp.
The straw, men!" said he, blow
ing upon the smouldering strands.
Rake it into a pile"
A Desperate Gamble.
The scattered straw became a
pyramid, then Warburton asked
FurneSS if he felt equal to the task
OF breaking the wooden bench with
his bare hands. The feat was be-
yond Warburton or Carewe. but
mighty muscles dwelt in the squat
body of Furness.
FurneSs placed an end OF the
bench against the wall, then seated
himself on the floor. He thrust his
feet against the thick planking,
grasped it with his hands and his
body bent double as he exerted every
ounce of his great strength
1t was over quickly. The shirt
split open down the back of the
laboring man; there came a sharp
creek, the body Of Furness straight
ened like a released spring. and a
section of the bench flew out of his
hands, narrowly missing Carewe,
and crashed against the opposite
wall.
Warburton turned to the pile of
straw. Inserting the burning rope
under a few crumpled wisps he
breathed upon it again until the
straw cracked into flame.
The blaze frightened filling the
room with the grotesque shadows
of the men huddled about it War
burton tossed more straw onto it,
then thrust the jagged ends of the
bench into the fire. The room was
filling with smoke. which was a
part Of his plan. With smoke pout-
ing through the window and seep-
ing under the door, the servants of
Winston would be quick to fore
stall a possible confiagration.
He heard them at the door even
sooner than he had anticipated. He
handed Furness one of the blazing
pieces OF wood. Stand as far from
the door as you can. When I at
tack them from the rear, do you
charge into them"
Reach Great Room.
They had hardly time to station
themselves before the door swung
open and men burst into the room
to pause chokingly as they found
themselves enveloped in a cloud OF
smoke.
The door was kicked shut, anG
then Warburton was upon the con.
fused servants swinging his flame
tipped fail. He swung savagely
and blindly, and over his own
thudding blows he could hear the
cracking of FurneSS weapon against
heads and bodies. The men re-
treated before the attack of club
and fire, dropping their arms ano
yelping for mercy.
Warburton wasted no time wher
the servants had been driven into
a corner. "Pick up the swords" he