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diff --git a/old/66738-0.txt b/old/66738-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b156ba3..0000000 --- a/old/66738-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5193 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Nick Carter Stories No 120 - 160 / Dec 26, -1914 - Oct 2, 1915, by Nick Carter - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Nick Carter Stories No 120 - 160 / Dec 26, 1914 - Oct 2, 1915 - Won by Magic; On a Dark Stage - -Author: Nick Carter - Roland Ashford Phillips - -Editor: Chickering Carter - -Release Date: November 15, 2021 [eBook #66738] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: David Edwards and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net (Northern Illinois University Digital - Library) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NICK CARTER STORIES NO 120 - 160 / -DEC 26, 1914 - OCT 2, 1915 *** - - - - - NICK CARTER STORIES - - _Issued Weekly. Entered as Second-class Matter at the New York Post - Office, by_ STREET & SMITH, _79-89 Seventh Ave., New York_. - - _Copyright, 1915, by_ STREET & SMITH. _O. G. Smith and G. C. Smith, - Proprietors._ - - Terms to NICK CARTER STORIES Mail Subscribers. - - (_Postage Free._) - -Single Copies or Back Numbers, 5c. Each. - - 3 months 65c. - 4 months 85c. - 6 months $1.25 - One year 2.50 - 2 copies one year 4.00 - 1 copy two years 4.00 - -=How to Send Money=--By post-office or express money order, registered -letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. At your own risk if sent by -currency, coin, or postage stamps in ordinary letter. - -=Receipts=--Receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper change of -number on your label. If not correct you have not been properly -credited, and should let us know at once. - - No. 133. NEW YORK, March 27, 1915. Price Five Cents. - - * * * * * - - - - - WON BY MAGIC; - - Or, NICK CARTER’S MYSTERIOUS EAR. - - Edited by CHICKERING CARTER. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE COMING OF JAI SINGH. - - -“Message for Mr. Carter!” - -The wireless operator of the steamship _Marathon_, in the linen clothes -and pith helmet ordinarily worn by white people in the tropics, came -along the steamer deck with a slip of paper in his hand and stopped in -front of a row of steamer chairs under an awning. - -“Where’s it from?” asked the occupant of one of the chairs, springing to -his feet. - -“From shore, sir--Calcutta.” - -Nick Carter, who was holding out his hand even as he got up from his -chair, took the paper quickly and glanced at the few words it contained: - -“Get up to Nepal quickly.” - -That was all. There was no signature, and the operator could not say who -had sent it. - -“It came from the main office of the telegraph company in Calcutta,” he -explained. “The operator told me a native man brought it in and paid for -it. He said there would be no answer, and his own name did not matter.” - -“It is many years since I was in Calcutta last,” observed Nick Carter, -to his companions, as the operator went back to the wireless room. “Then -it was only for a few days, and I did not make many acquaintances.” - -A tall, middle-aged man, whose square face and straight-seeing dark -eyes, as well as his decided manner of speech, were all suggestive of -the successful American business man, got up from one of the chairs and -looked over Nick Carter’s shoulder at the telegram he still held open in -one hand. - -“Get up to Nepal quickly,” he read. “Does that mean that my boy is -there, do you think, Carter?” - -“We don’t know that the telegram has anything to do with what has -brought us to India,” replied the detective. - -“What else could it be?” demanded the other sharply. - -Nick Carter shrugged his shoulders. - -“Well, Mr. Arnold, you are known here--by name, at least--as owner of -several ships, including the _Marathon_, and your agent, William Pike, -has vanished, in a rather mysterious way, from your office in Calcutta. -Perhaps the telegram may be from somebody who has seen Pike up in -Nepal.” - -“It may be, although I don’t know what Pike could want up in the back -country, away from civilization. He isn’t that kind of man, from what I -know of him. He is more likely to go over to Europe, or, if not, to get -to some other big city in India--Rangoon, Lucknow, Cawnpur, or -Hyderabad--where he can spend his money and be moderately out of the way -of arrest.” - -“At all events, this message agrees with our own ideas of the direction -taken by Leslie,” said Nick Carter. - -Jefferson Arnold did not speak for a few moments. He was not a -demonstrative man, and although his heart was wrung by the strange -disappearance of his only son, his face was as impassive as it generally -was when putting through some great business deal in New York, with -perhaps millions of dollars involved. - -Here, on the deck of the finest steamer of his fleet of merchant -vessels, with the gently rolling waters of the Bay of Bengal scuffing up -under the prow, and the engines, at half speed, gradually bringing the -ship nearer and nearer to the wharves of Calcutta, he might have seemed -to strangers to be a man to be envied. - -Yet, tearing at his heart was the greatest anxiety he ever had -known--the question whether his boy, whom he loved better than himself, -was dead or living. - -The scene was as beautiful a one as nature can produce in her most happy -mood. The blue waves, with their lacy-white crests, the panorama of -mountain and forest in the distance--still hazy, as the mists of early -morning hung before them--and the big city of Calcutta in the -foreground, its white buildings glistening fairylike in the glorious -sunlight, all combined to make the approach to this famous Asiatic port -one of the most fascinating in the world. - -“What’s that boat coming out?” suddenly exclaimed Jefferson Arnold. -“Couldn’t wait for us to get alongside the wharf, eh! We’re five miles -from shore, if not more. What do you make of it, captain?” he added, in -a louder tone to the skipper of the _Marathon_, who stood on the bridge -just over their heads. - -“Don’t know, Mr. Arnold,” replied Captain Southern. “Perhaps they’re -crowded for room at the wharf. Looks like it.” - -The commander had been gazing at the oncoming boat, as well as at the -distant shore line, through his binoculars, and, almost mechanically, he -gave orders to drop the anchors fore and aft. - -“Going to stop, captain?” asked the millionaire ship owner. - -“Yes. It will do no harm. And I want to see what these fellows in the -boat are after.” - -“I’ll come up on the bridge. I guess,” grunted Arnold. “Come on, -Carter!” - -The sacred bridge of a steamer is not going to be profaned by the feet -of an uninvited person unless he happens to be the owner or some one of -equal importance. - -Jefferson Arnold and his friends, of course, had the privilege. - -One of two young men who had been sitting in steamer chairs with Arnold -and Nick Carter seemed to have some idea of following them to the -bridge. But the elder of the pair shook his head. - -“It wouldn’t do, Patsy,” he whispered. “Old Captain Southern is a crank -about some things, and he looks on his bridge as a sort of private -office. Let the chief size it up and tell us afterward.” - -“I guess we’ll have to, Chick,” was the disgusted response. “But when -I’m working on a case I like to see all I can from every angle.” - -“Regular angleworm, ain’t you, Patsy?” chuckled Chick. - -“Oh, come off with the laughing-gas stuff! Better send that to the funny -papers,” snorted Patsy Garvan. “I’m talking serious business. I tell you -there’s more in young Leslie Arnold beating it out of Calcutta this way -than people think.” - -Chickering Carter, principal assistant of Nick Carter, stared for a -moment at Patsy Garvan, who was only next in importance to Chick himself -on the great detective’s staff--as if trying to get his comrade’s point -of view. Then he shook his head, as if he feared there was a great deal -in Patsy’s opinion. - -“What do you think of William Pike?” he asked, as he glanced around to -make sure neither Nick Carter or Jefferson Arnold overheard the -question. - -“What do I think?” blurted out Patsy. “I believe he’s the guy -responsible for it all. From what I hear, he always was as crooked as a -pig’s tail. Leslie Arnold was a good-tempered sort of kid, and it -wouldn’t be hard for this slippery Pike to make him do anything.” - -“And there was nearly a hundred thousand dollars in gold went with one -or the other of them,” observed Chick thoughtfully. “If Leslie Arnold -went up into the hill country to shoot tigers, he would hardly load -himself down with all that money.” - -“Who believes young Arnold went to shoot tigers?” asked Patsy -scornfully. - -“That’s all Jefferson Arnold has been able to hear about his boy,” was -Chick’s answer. “He told that to the chief when he persuaded him to come -all this distance to look into the matter.” - -“Well, I’m glad he came, anyhow,” observed Patsy. “I’ve never seen India -before, and it was a good thing he brought us both along. And old -Captain, too. Gee! I didn’t think he’d let the good old dog come. But he -may be mighty useful before we get through. You never can tell how you -may be able to use a trained bloodhound--especially such a good one as -ours.” - -Patsy stopped to pat an immense dog who lay stretched out on the hot -deck under the awning, too languid to move, except to let his great -eyeballs roll lazily in their sockets in appreciation of Patsy Garvan’s -caresses. - -Meanwhile, Nick Carter, Jefferson Arnold, and Captain Southern were -taking the strong, double marine glasses in turn to inspect the boat -which was working its way through the surf toward the _Marathon_. - -The four men at the oars were low-caste Hindus. They would not have been -doing this kind of work otherwise. - -They were picturesque-looking rascals. - -Naked to their waists, their brown skin glistened in the sunlight like -the top of a German loaf. Each wore the white turban that is part of the -costume of every Hindu, and on the wrists of some of them could be seen -heavy brass rings. - -In the stern of the boat--which was a wide, heavy craft, well able to -stand the tossing of the surf and to make good time before the steady -pulling of the oarsmen--stood a tall native who looked very different -from the others. - -This man wore a turban like the oarsmen, but there was a jewel fastened -in the front of the folds of snowy cloth that glistened like the lens of -a powerful flash lamp. - -While it was not easy to make out his feature at that distance, Nick -Carter saw, with admiration, that the limbs were lean and muscular, and -that every movement of the lithe brown body indicated strength and -activity. - -That this man in the stern was in command could be told in more ways -than one. He carried in his right hand a long lance, or spear, such as -is used by some of the Indian cavalry regiments, but without the pennon -which is generally attached. - -Occasionally he emphasized his orders to the crew by giving one or other -of them a rap across the bare shoulders with the staff of the spear, -always accompanying it with a roaring command. Nick told this from the -opening of his mouth, although he could not hear the sound. - -For a few minutes longer Nick Carter stared through the binocular glass -at the boat and its gigantic commander, while the captain and Jefferson -Arnold talked apart. - -Suddenly the big Hindu caused his boat to swing around as it approached -the ship, and he waved a hand frantically at the rail where Captain, the -bloodhound, had poked out his nose and was barking and whimpering -alternately in recognition. - -“Say, chief!” roared Patsy, looking up to Nick Carter. “That big busher -knows you and Captain, too. Look at him.” - -“Of course he knows the chief,” put in Chick, who had begun to make -signs to the Hindu. “He knows me, too. We’ve been in this part of the -world before.” - -“Well, who is he, anyhow?” asked Patsy. - -“He is a chief in the hill country, and he calls himself Jai Singh.” - -“Calls himself?” repeated Patsy. “Isn’t that his real name?” - -“Why, yes. I suppose it is. But there was a famous rajah named Jai -Singh, who lived about two hundred years ago, and who built -observatories at Jaipur and Delhi. The remains of them are still in -existence, and astronomers say they were magnificent structures for that -time, and would be even in this day.” - -“Gee! Where did you get on to all that?” asked Patsy, open-mouthed. -“You’re a wonder, Chick.” - -“Oh, that’s nothing,” returned Chick. “When I was here with the chief -before, we learned a whole lot about India. It was our Jai Singh himself -who told us about the rajah and his observatories. He’s a good fellow, -but he’s a terror when he gets into a fight. Don’t forget that.” - -“He makes those sun-baked bluffs at the oars attend to business, I -notice.” - -“Yes. They know that when Jai Singh is behind them, they have to keep -moving,” returned Chick. “Hello! He’s coming aboard.” - -Even as he spoke, the boat came up to the steamer, and Jai Singh, -putting a hand on one of the anchor chains, held his small craft firmly, -in spite of the tossing of the waves. He seemed to have a grip of iron. - -In another minute or two the boat was secured to the anchor chain by a -rope, and the tall Hindu climbed aboard like a monkey, spear and all. - -Once on deck, he ran up to the bridge, and putting his right hand to his -forehead, made a deep salaam to Nick Carter. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -UP INTO THE HILLS. - - -“Sahib, I am here!” said Jai Singh, in English, in a deep, guttural -tone. - -“I’m glad to see you, Jai Singh,” responded Nick Carter. “But I did not -expect to find you so many miles from your home.” - -“It is to help the sahib that I come,” replied Jai Singh, with dignity. -“The men of the hills have taken one who must be saved.” - -“Great Scott!” broke in Jefferson Arnold. “What does he know about it? I -always have contended that these Indians know more than seems possible -unless they have supernatural powers at their back.” - -“It is Sahib Leslie Arnold,” went on Jai Singh calmly. “In the temple it -was told to me that you would come.” - -“What kind of bunk is that?” whispered Patsy. “Who told him, do you -think?” - -“Keep quiet, Patsy,” warned Chick. “He’s liable to hear you. Don’t you -know that India is the land of mysteries? If you never believed in -ghosts and demons, and all that kind of thing, you’ve got a surprise -coming to you. You will find that things are not always what you see in -this country. Houdini, Herrman, and Keller are not in it with some of -these men when it comes to the black art.” - -“Black rot!” muttered Patsy, entirely unconvinced. - -Jai Singh was a noble figure. His light dress, suitable for such a -climate, emphasized his physical grace and strength. The white shirt was -open at the throat, and the white linen trousers, coming just below the -knee, allowed the muscles of his powerful legs to be seen as they moved -about under the dark satin skin like living things. - -There were heavy golden armlets clanking at his wrists, and circlets of -the same precious metal were around his ankles. - -The one thing out of keeping with his picturesque Orientalism was the -heavy automatic pistol which hung to a light cartridge belt around his -waist. - -The latter was well supplied with cartridges, and the naturalness with -which the hand of the owner dropped upon the butt of his revolver now -and then suggested that he was no novice in the use of that particular -weapon of the white man. - -“What do you know of my son, Jai Singh?” demanded Jefferson Arnold. “I -am Mr. Leslie’s father.” - -“Jai Singh knows that,” was the reply. “He sees Leslie’s face when he -looks at you. I cannot tell anything of Sahib Leslie except that he has -gone into the great mountains far up the Brahmapootra.” - -“Did you see him?” - -“No. But some of my young men have.” - -“When?” - -“It is many days, sahib. I cannot tell how many times the moon has come -and gone since. But I came down to the sea to find those who might -belong to Sahib Leslie.” - -“Yes?” - -“And I burned certain herbs in the forest, and I called to me those who -tell me what I want to know. They told me you and Sahib Carter, and his -friend, who is Chick, were to be here. So, in my boat, with my men, I -came. I am here.” - -Jai Singh made another obeisance. Then he waited for some one else to -speak. - -As is customary with Hindus of high caste, Jai Singh had enough dignity -for a justice of the supreme court, added to a certain grace and -nobility that belongs peculiarly to his race when they feel themselves -entitled to consideration. - -“You came down in the boat all the way along the Brahmapootra River?” -asked Nick. - -“Yes.” - -“Why didn’t you use the railroad?” - -“I do not know anything about that,” returned Jai Singh. “Only once have -I been carried along by the smoke and fire, and that was with you. It -has been the custom of my fathers to go where they would in their boat. -I did the same as they,” returned Jai Singh simply. “But I will go in -the train with you.” - -“All right! There is no time to lose.” - -Nick Carter turned to Captain Southern. - -“Can you run right in to the wharf without trouble, captain?” - -“Yes. I only waited to see what those fellows in the boat were after. -Calcutta is a white man’s city--not the sort of place where lawlessness -is likely to be found. But you never know. Not so many scores of miles -in the back country the people are as wild as those in Calcutta are -quiet and commonplace.” - -“That’s true,” agreed Jefferson Arnold. “Every time I come to India I am -struck by the fact that it is a land of amazing contrasts. It never -could surprise me to meet a tiger walking along the streets, arm in arm -with a cobra de capello, right there in Calcutta. It isn’t New York by a -long chalk. Yet you will find white women, in European clothing, -shopping in that city, over there, just as you will in Thirty-ninth -Street and Fifth Avenue.” - -Jai Singh was instructed to get his boat, as well as the crew, on board -the ship, and the captain immediately gave orders to steam up to the -regular wharf belonging to Jefferson Arnold. - -Nick Carter got Jai Singh in a retired place on deck, and the two talked -earnestly for nearly half an hour. At the end of that time the great -detective had a plan of action laid out which he followed as soon as the -_Marathon_ was warped up to her regular landing place. - -Telling Chick and Patsy to keep somewhere near the wharf, so that they -could be found when he returned, Nick Carter strolled off with Jefferson -Arnold and Jai Singh to the office of the Arnold corporation on one of -the several business streets of the ancient city. - -There were white and Indian employees about the place. But in the office -was only one young man, an American, who had been brought up in his -native city, New York, until he had taken the position of assistant -manager in the Calcutta branch of the importing and steamship house of -the Arnold Company, a year before. - -This young man’s name was John McKeever, and he was as keen as a newly -ground bayonet. - -“Hello, McKeever!” was Jefferson Arnold’s greeting. “What has become of -Pike?” - -“Gone,” replied McKeever laconically. - -“Know where?” - -“No idea. He just simply dried up. I came here one morning and he had -cleaned out the safe and decamped. I went to the bank and found he had -not deposited much of late, but that, two days before, he had taken out -most of the company’s balance.” - -“And they let him have it without question, eh?” put in Nick Carter. - -“Certainly. It was not an unusual thing for him to take out all the -money he had there--or most of it, especially when one of the ships of -the company was nearly due. Everybody knew that the steamer _Jefferson_ -was expected about that time.” - -“The _Jefferson_ is the sister ship of the _Marathon_, Carter,” -explained Arnold incidentally. “They are the two finest vessels of our -fleet.” - -“So he had no difficulty in getting the money,” continued McKeever. “It -was supposed he meant to ship the cash to the home office in New York.” - -“I see,” nodded Nick Carter. “Pretty well managed. But what about Leslie -Arnold, Mr. McKeever?” - -“He had been in the office two or three times. He said he was going -tiger hunting soon, but that he thought he’d wait till the _Jefferson_ -came in, so that he could hear something about his father and affairs at -home generally by direct word of mouth from the captain.” - -“But he did not wait, after all?” - -“No. He vanished just about the time Pike went,” replied McKeever. “We -are not sure that there is any relation between the two in appearances. -But there are the facts, just as I give them to you.” - -“A hundred thousand dollars, you told me in your telegram, McKeever,” -observed Jefferson thoughtfully. - -“That’s what I figure it,” answered the young man. “But I cannot swear -that Pike didn’t fix the books.” - -“H’m! Very likely he did,” grunted Jefferson. “Well, we’ll get out on -the night train. Jai Singh will have to be our guide. He seems to have -some idea of where we may find Leslie. What do you say, Carter?” - -“That’s the only thing to do,” answered the detective. “We will get what -things we need and go. There is nothing to be done here. Fortunately, I -know both your son and Pike. So does my man Chick. My other assistant, -Patsy Garvan, has never seen either of them. But I can rely on him to -help when the time comes.” - -“Will you take your bloodhound?” asked Jefferson Arnold. - -“Certainly! Old Captain has been useful in too many cases for me to -leave him behind.” - -“I was hoping you would take him,” said Jefferson. “We are likely to -find ourselves against some of the tough tribes when we get up the -country, and a dog who can follow a good scent will be a mighty -comfortable friend in the party.” - -“Well, that’s all, then,” remarked Nick Carter. “I just wanted to know -from your assistant manager the exact status of the case.” - -“I beg your pardon,” interrupted the millionaire, putting an -affectionate hand on John McKeever’s shoulder. “You spoke of McKeever as -‘the assistant manager.’ You should have said ‘manager and confidential -agent.’ This is his position here now. He takes William Pike’s place.” - -There was a general handshake, with John McKeever’s sharp eyes a little -dulled by emotion. Then his employer and Nick Carter went out into the -simmering streets. - -Seeking as much shade as they could, they strolled slowly back to the -wharf where they had left the others. - -Calcutta is a hot place in the afternoon, and nothing could be done -until the sun began to go down. Then those who had been curled up in any -partly cool place they could find for the inevitable siesta, stirred -themselves, and the little party made its way to the railroad station. - -Nick Carter, Jefferson Arnold, Chick, and Patsy Garvan all gathered in -the coach reserve for high-caste natives and white persons, while Jai -Singh and his men took their places in a car of lower class, to smoke -cigarettes and doze throughout the night. - -Captain was in the baggage car, where he made friends with the native -train men, and seemed to be as contented as he always was anywhere so -long as he had enough food and water. - -They had begun the first stage of what might prove to be a long journey -in the hunt for the missing Leslie Arnold. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -WHERE THE BABOO LOST OUT. - - -“Say, Chick, what kind of a hang-out is this we’re in?” asked Patsy -Garvan, as he surveyed his surroundings some hours after they had -alighted from the train up in the hill country. “I don’t see much -besides trees, muddy water, and monkeys. I bet there are plenty of -snakes, too, but they are under the leaves on the ground, I suppose. Is -this still India?” - -“Yes. We are getting toward the borders of Nepal,” answered Chick. - -“Come again? Is there any difference between Nepal and the rest of this -forsaken country? Gee! I’d----” - -“Keep quiet, Patsy!” warned Chick. “Jai Singh speaks as good English as -we do. He doesn’t like to hear any reflections on his country.” - -“Does he belong to Nepal?” asked the irrepressible Patsy. - -“He’s a Hindu, and the whole of India is sacred to him,” was Chick’s -grave reply. “He’s got the boat ready. We’d better be getting over -there.” - -It was a small town at which the railroad had come to an end--the -extremity of a branch of the main line--and if it had not been for Jai -Singh, there would have been difficulty in going any farther. - -Hindus of various castes were here, most of them of inferior kind, and -they were not disposed to be friendly. - -Like all natives of India in out-of-the-way places, they were ever on -the lookout for alms, and Nick Carter, like most Americans, would have -dealt with them on the basis of many tips if he had been left to -himself. - -As it was, Jai Singh, with his noble appearance and the prestige he -derived from high caste, made the natives get around at his will. He -gave a few annas here and there, because you could not deal with men of -this kind in any other way, but his tips were never large, and he -ordered them about in the offhand manner that had made him a power among -his own people. - -“A boat that will hold ten men,” had been his order to a surly looking -native who stood near the platform when the train came to a halt. -“Quick!” - -“I have no boat,” had been the short reply. - -“Get one! And listen to me, dog of an unbeliever!” added Jai Singh. “If -it isn’t ready before the sun goes down behind those palms yonder, -why----” - -He finished the admonition by raising his spear and flourishing it with -a graceful dexterity that the other man understood at once. - -The boat was ready at the time set, and Jai Singh superintended the -putting into it of such stores as he thought they might need on their -journey into the wild country they contemplated invading. - -Rice, canned meats and fish, fruits, a bag of hard biscuits, and several -skins of water were put in the boat. - -“What’s the idea of putting water in the boat?” inquired Patsy. “Isn’t -there enough in this river for us to drink?” - -“Poison to white men,” replied Jai Singh curtly. “None must drink of the -river.” - -“It does look kind of yellow,” observed Patsy. “Thick, too! Still, that -might not be so bad if a fellow happened to be hungry. Meat and drink -all in one--like an oyster stew. I don’t know but what----” - -“Patsy!” interrupted Nick Carter. - -“On deck!” responded Patsy, with a facetious military salute. - -“Please reserve your comments on things in general till we’re on the -boat and out of this village,” ordered the detective, rather sternly. - -“Gee! What’s biting the boss?” whispered Patsy to Chick, as Nick Carter -turned away. - -“You’re liable to offend somebody about here if you talk too much about -the river,” answered Chick. “This is a branch of the Ganges, the most -sacred stream in India. The chief doesn’t want a fight on his hands just -because you talk too much.” - -“I wouldn’t say another word if the Ganges got up on its tail and gave -me back slack from here to--to--wherever we’re going,” replied Patsy, -who was always bound to have the closing speech if he could get it. - -The boat was a large, clumsy-looking craft, which would hold all their -party, with the baggage, without overcrowding. Moreover, it was not so -clumsy as it appeared, for afterward, when the four natives under Jai -Singh’s orders settled down to work with their oars, they showed that -they could make good time even with a sluggish current against them and -in the oppressive heat that even as the sun approached the west, made -the white men gasp for breath. - -They were not started yet, however. - -Jai Singh, Nick Carter, Jefferson Arnold, and Chick were all on the -rough landing stage, looking at the boat, to see that everything was -stowed in that might be required, when there was a shout behind them. -Half a dozen natives were stalking in their direction, and there was an -indescribable air of official determination pervading the whole -procession. - -“Hello!” ejaculated Arnold. “What’s broken loose here? What do those -black scalawags think they want?” - -“Let the sahib keep quiet,” requested Jai Singh, in a low voice. “It is -I who will talk to them.” - -“Just as you like,” returned the millionaire, with a shrug. “I’m quite -willing to keep out of the powwow, so long as it does not hold us up on -our journey after my poor boy.” - -“We shan’t be held up,” put in Nick Carter. “I’ll promise you that.” - -Jefferson Arnold nodded. - -“Stop!” - -Jai Singh, with upraised hand, shouted this peremptory order. At the -same time he allowed the butt of his lance to drop with a loud bang upon -the planks under his feet. - -All the men stopped but the one in the lead. - -Nick Carter recognized him as the surly fellow they had met when they -got off the train, and who afterward had provided them with their boat. - -The rascal had demanded enough money to have bought such a boat twice -over in India. But on Nick Carter’s whispering that it was the best way -to avoid delay, Jefferson Arnold had paid it without demur. - -“I could get it for you at about half that price,” Nick had added. “But -it would mean several hours of bargaining, and that would keep us here -till the morning. It is desirable to get away to-night.” - -Jefferson Arnold would rather have paid four times the worth of the boat -than be kept another twelve hours in this village. - -“What do you want?” demanded Jai Singh now, as the surly native stalked -forward. - -Nick Carter observed that the native had put on clean white raiment, and -that there was a ruby holding together the upper garment on his chest. -His turban was new and white, and there were more gold anklets and -bracelets on him than had been there when they first saw him. - -“Who’s the pretty boy with the curtain rings on him?” observed Chick. - -“Hum! He is an official of some rank,” whispered Nick Carter. - -“Yes, and he’s dolled himself up so that we shall know it,” was the -assistant’s smiling reply. “He might be a rajah or a begum or something -of that kind, judging by his manner.” - -“I want pay for the boat,” returned the man, answering Jai Singh’s -question. “I am Baboo Punyah.” - -“Say, Chick!” called out Patsy Garvan, from the boat, in a loud whisper. -“What in blazes is a baboo?” - -“It means ‘gentleman,’” replied Chick quickly. “Shut up, will you?” - -“If that’s what it means, I don’t believe that guy’s it,” grumbled -Patsy. “I thought it was some kind of monkey.” - -“You have been paid,” was all Jai Singh condescended to reply to the -demand of Baboo Punyah. “Go back! We proceed on our way in our own -boat.” - -But Baboo Punyah, having by this time eight or ten natives behind him on -whom he believed he could rely at a pinch, was not to be lightly -dismissed. - -“The pay for that boat is much more than I have received. It will be two -hundred rupees more or you cannot go!” he shouted, extending both hands -impressively. “I wait for the money.” - -Standing there, his arms folded across his breast, his gold anklets and -bracelets, as well as the jewels in his turban and at his breast, -glistening in the red light of the dying sun, Baboo Punyah was a -dignified figure. - -He had the attitude of one who would be as immovable from the position -he had taken as the great Rock of Trichinoply itself. - -But it is often insignificant things that take the dignity out of the -most determined of men. It was so in this case. - -Captain, the big bloodhound, had been loaded into the boat, and was -lying comfortably in the bottom, with his head between the knees of -Patsy Garvan. - -Whether Patsy whispered in his ear, or perhaps gave him a sly hoist -behind will ever remain in doubt. - -What is certain is that Captain betrayed a sudden interest in Baboo -Punyah which made Patsy chuckle silently, but which was not observed by -any one else. - -Getting on his feet, the dog knocked Patsy backward, and contemplated -Baboo Punyah as if he were some new production that had never come -within his range of vision before, and was somewhat of a puzzle to his -canine mind. - -“Get him, Captain!” whispered Patsy. - -This was enough for Captain. He had no particular grudge against Baboo -Punyah, but he did want to know something more about this loud-talking -Hindu. - -What he did was to jump ashore and carom into the baboo with such -violence as to knock him over on his back. - -Nor was this all. Captain did not want to hurt the man, but his play was -too rough to please the dignified native. He aimed a kick at the dog, -but missed him. - -“Look out, Chick!” shouted Patsy, standing up in the boat. “Don’t let -him hurt Captain.” - -It was evident that Baboo Punyah had for the moment forgotten his -intention to demand more pay for the boat in his determination to deal -with the bloodhound. - -Nick Carter had been watching the little comedy with a grave smile. He -would have interfered to keep the dog away, only that he felt the Hindu -deserved some punishment for his bare-faced effort at extortion. - -But when he saw Baboo Punyah draw a keen dagger from the folds of his -white garment, there was no time for more quiet contemplation. - -The knife had just come clear of the fellow’s clothing, and the long -dark fingers were clutching the ivory handle savagely, as he held the -point above Captain’s head. - -Another instant and the dagger would have come down with a powerful -stroke that might have brought it into the bloodhound’s heart. - -But Nick Carter was too quick for the fellow. - -With a swinging cuff, he caught Baboo Punyah on the side of the head and -sent him scurrying along the platform. Then, without giving the man time -to recover, Nick took him by the scruff of his neck and the seat of his -white linen breeches, and swung him into the air. - -There was a terrified yell from the natives in the background--a shout -that was in perfect chorus--but they did not attempt to help their -leader. - -Nick Carter had Baboo Punyah straight out above his head, holding him -there a moment, as if trying to decide what he should eventually do with -him. - -He made up his mind quickly. With a mighty heave, he sent the Hindu -flying over his head, backward and headfirst into the river. - -Luckily, it was fairly deep where Baboo Punyah plunged in, and the worst -he suffered was the wetting. - -Jai Singh dragged him out as he came to the side of the river, the -yellow stain of the water marking his white clothing. - -Without saying anything more, the disgruntled Hindu walked away, taking -his friends with him, and there was nothing more said about additional -pay for the boat. The ducking had settled that bit of extortion. - -As the four oarsmen began to urge the boat upstream, Nick Carter, -sitting in the stern, by the side of Jai Singh, who steered, saw that -most of the inhabitants of the village was staring after them curiously. - -“I wonder how much those fellows know about Leslie Arnold’s -disappearance,” muttered the detective. “Well, whatever they may know, -they will not tell. Fortunately, I think we can do without their help.” - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -A STRANGE CRY AT NIGHT. - - -All night the boat moved up the yellow stream, the oarsmen working with -the dogged industry of men who were laboring because they had to do it, -and not from choice. - -Jai Singh kept them up to their task with an occasional gruff word, and -now and then he swung the long staff of his spear over their heads as a -hint that he would not permit any “soldiering.” - -It was early morning when he said quietly to Nick Carter: - -“If the sahib would like, we will stop here. It is time for food and -drink, for the coming day.” - -“You mean breakfast, eh?” put in Patsy eagerly. “Good idea! You’re all -right, Jai.” - -Jai Singh glanced at Patsy as if half inclined to call him to account -for his familiarity. But he didn’t. He had taken a great liking to Nick -Carter’s good-humored second assistant. Therefore, he was inclined to -permit him liberties he would not brook from anybody else. - -The men rowed the boat inshore, and Jai Singh jumped out and held it -while the four white men disembarked. - -They helped him pull the boat far up on the bank, and Nick Carter -secured it by a strong rope to the trunk of a deodar, which is another -name for the Himalayan cedar. - -“There’s a cataract not far ahead, I should say, from the way the water -rushes down,” observed Nick Carter to Jai Singh. - -“The sahib is right. The big falls are not far above. We must carry the -boat around. But our men will do it. There will be no trouble for the -sahibs. We will build a fire now.” - -“Look here, Jai,” broke in Patsy. “How far are we to go before we get -action on Leslie Arnold. Aren’t we nearly up to the place he is in?” - -“The young sahib, Arnold, is in the Land of the Golden Scarab,” replied -Jai Singh. “It is near, or far, as it may happen. I cannot tell. The -people of that land are men who move often.” - -“That may be so,” interposed Nick Carter. “But they have a city of their -own, with a temple and many people. That much I know.” - -“Right,” acknowledged Jai Singh. “If the young Sahib Arnold is there, we -can go to him. If he is with some people of the Golden Scarab, somewhere -else, we may have to travel long. We shall see.” - -“Not much encouragement in that, Carter,” grumbled Jefferson Arnold, as -Jai Singh moved away to superintend the building of a fire. “Still, I -suppose we cannot do better than to let him lead us on.” - -“It is all we can do at present,” was the detective’s reply. “It is safe -to trust Jai Singh, but we must let him do it in his own way.” - -“I wish his way wasn’t so slow,” interjected Chick. “Anyhow, he is going -to give us a breakfast, so we should be thankful for that. He makes good -coffee,” he added, sniffing appreciatively. - -In a short time Jai Singh set forth a breakfast, from the stores they -carried, that might hardly have been expected in such a wilderness. - -Not only was there coffee, made with the skill that only the native-born -East Indian ever attains, but it was softened with condensed milk kept -in small air-tight cans, and sweetened with very good sugar. - -There were fruits, all kinds of canned sweetmeats, and some of the dried -fish of which so much is used in tropical climates, with curried rice -and other viands distinctly Indian. - -The four oarsmen had built their fire at a considerable distance, and -down the wind, so that its smoke should not annoy the white people. - -The laborers, who were of the coolie caste, knew their place, and never -presumed to even look at Jai Singh unless he addressed them. - -Even then they usually kept their faces averted, as if the light of his -countenance were too dazzling to be met by their unworthy eyes. - -After the meal, Nick Carter and Jefferson Arnold sat smoking, as they -rested in the shade of the spreading trees around them, amusing -themselves by looking at the distant oarsmen. - -“They are big, strong fellows,” remarked Nick Carter. “But they are full -of superstition. You can see, by the way they huddle together, that they -are afraid of what might come out of the woods. I do not mean wild -animals, or even snakes--although there are plenty of them in the -forests of this country. What these fellows fear is something of -preternatural shape. If they weren’t so thoroughly in awe of Jai Singh, -I am inclined to think they would get away and leave us.” - -“That is true, sahib,” broke in Jai Singh, in a deep growl. “But the men -are not to be blamed. Many strange things happen by night. Even I, who -am afraid of no man, have known the chill fingers of fear on my shoulder -ere now in such places as this. If all tales be true, the country back -here is full of strange things, of which it is not wise to speak.” - -“Oh, cut it out, Jai!” interrupted Patsy, with a shiver, half real and -half in mockery. “What kind of guff are you giving us?” - -“There are tales of men going into these forests and being swallowed up. -No man has seen them again, not even their bones.” - -“Wow!” howled Patsy. - -“Others have gone in, or been driven in, alone and unarmed, by powers -they could not stand against. After many days they have come out with -their skin a silver gray, all cracked and dried. They have had neither -eyes to see, nor tongue to speak, nor fingers to make signs with, so -that none could tell what had befallen them.” - -“Cheerful old cuss, isn’t he?” whispered Chick to his chief. - -Nick Carter nodded thoughtfully. He had heard similar, and even more -gruesome, tales himself. He knew these parts of India better than Chick. - -“Don’t be too ready to laugh,” he answered. “No white man ever has -understood Indian magic--probably never will. When you have never been -brought face to face with it, you may not believe it. When you come -right to it, you can only wonder.” - -“I know,” answered Chick, with a shrug. “I have heard of the Indian -fakir who stands in the middle of a wide, open space out-of-doors and -throws a rope into the air. The rope straightens out till the top of it -is lost in a cloud that gathers in the otherwise clear atmosphere at the -fakir’s bidding. Then down the rope climbs a boy, who proves that he is -flesh and blood by going around the ring of white people who have been -watching, and lets them feel his hands.” - -Nick Carter shook his head slowly. - -“That is one of the common tricks of the wise men of this country. It -has been told so often by different people that I see no reason to doubt -it. There are other things done by these fakirs quite as unaccountable. -In the face of them, you can hardly deny that there is more mystery in -this land than in most others in the world.” - -The talk flagged now. It was becoming too hot for conversation, and -everybody composed himself for sleep in the shade of the trees. - -Nick Carter and Jefferson Arnold would have liked to press on. But they -knew traveling was out of the question in the tropical heat of the day. - -Soon after sundown they were on the move. - -As Nick Carter had remarked, there were rapids not far from where they -had stopped for sleep, and it was necessary to carry the boat and stores -around the cataract on land, and put it into the river again at a safe -distance above. - -By the time this was accomplished, the night had advanced so far that -Nick was afraid they would not make much more time before daylight. - -He was strengthened in this belief by the fact that the whole party was -pretty well exhausted by the labor of getting the boat and stores -around, and was obliged to rest. - -It had meant a walk of more than two miles, and everybody had been -obliged to do his full part. The labor had been much heavier than Jai -Singh had anticipated. - -It was easy for all of them to fall asleep. The slumber they had had in -the daytime was not so refreshing as this, with blackness around them -and even the ordinary voices of nature stilled. - -Chick had laid down by the side of the bloodhound, and was one of the -first to lose himself. It had been arranged that they were to sleep for -an hour and then go on. - -The others each dropped down into any attitude that seemed comfortable, -and in a few moments all were as oblivious to the outer world as Chick -himself. - -Suddenly a strange cry echoed through the blackness of the forest. It -was a shriek of agony that echoed and reëchoed until it died away into a -wailing moan. Hardly human, yet a sound that no animal could have -produced. - -Captain heard it; Chick knew that by the way he stirred and whimpered. - -“What was that?” whispered Nick Carter. - -In the deep gloom, Chick could see the detective sitting up, ready for -action, his rifle across his knees. - -“You heard it, did you?” asked Chick quietly. “It woke me.” - -“Hush!” - -The cry arose again, but was more faint than before. - -“What kind of game are they giving us?” muttered Jefferson Arnold. “Is -it a screech owl?” - -Jai Singh, without speaking, picked up his spear and waited for what was -to come. - -For the third time the scream sounded through the forest--long drawn out -and ending in a sobbing wail. - -“It is the devils of the forest. There are unclean spirits walking -near,” muttered Jai Singh. - -“Spirits or no spirits, clean or unclean,” said Nick Carter. “I am going -to see.” - -He struck a match, but, so powerful was the ghostly influence even upon -the detective’s usually steady nerves, that his hand shook, and he -dropped the match. - -Perhaps he did not try much to hold it, for it seemed to him, even as -the light broke out, that it was hardly a wise thing to do until he knew -what was in the vicinity. - -“I have my flash light in my pocket,” he muttered to himself. “But, on -the whole, I guess we’d better investigate in the dark.” - -From the four coolies, some two or three hundred feet away, there came -no sound. Whether they had heard the cry or not Nick did not know. -Certainly, they made no sign. - -Captain continued to whine in a low tone, as if frightened. Nick put -his hands on the dog’s back and found it wet with the perspiration of -fear. - -“That settles it,” he thought, as he got a grip on himself. “When a dog -is frightened--especially a dog as good as Captain--it is time to look -into it.” Then, aloud, to Jai Singh: “Stay here with the dog, Jai Singh, -and mind your four men don’t run away. We are going to see what made -that racket in the woods.” - -Nick Carter led the way into the black thicket. He was closely followed -by Chick, Patsy, and Jefferson Arnold. Each man carried a rifle, as well -as a revolver in his belt. - -If the mysterious disturber in the forest turned out to be dangerous, -they would find out whether bullets would not put an end to the noise. - -On the other hand, if it really came from spirits, it would be well to -find that out, too. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE SNAKE CHARMER. - - -Through the heavy foliage they forced their way, and had gone several -hundred yards before Nick Carter suddenly stopped. As he did so, the -others banged into him, just as the horrible cry broke forth once again. - -“Look!” whispered Nick. - -Some two hundred feet ahead, so far as they were able to calculate, a -patch of greenish light, faint and elusive, darted about among the dank -undergrowth. - -The light seemed not to have any defined source. It was a mere blur in -the blackness--hardly more than a vapor. Yet it was unmistakably there. - -“Keep behind me and don’t make any more noise than you can help!” warned -Nick, in a scarcely audible tone. - -The soft click of the lever as he slipped a cartridge into the chamber -of his rifle made itself heard, and his three companions likewise -prepared their weapons for use. - -As they proceeded, the ground grew more open, the trees standing farther -apart. Always that pale-green light was before them, becoming stronger -as they advanced. - -“Here we are!” breathed Nick at last, in an awestricken voice. - -He was peering from behind a huge creeper-entwined tree into a large -clearing. Whether this strange ring in the midst of the forest had been -made purposely by man, or whether it was merely a freak of nature, none -of them could tell. - -One thing was evident, however, and that was that it had been used for -generations for whatever hideous rites were performed there. The ground -had been beaten and stamped flat, and it was so hard that it had -withstood even the fierce rains that sometimes tear up the whole -landscape in India. - -In the center of the ring was a shapeless lump, whose character Nick -could not determine, try as he would. The green light bathed it like a -curious moonlight, while the silence of the place was oppressive. - -“What do you make of that thing in the middle of the clearing, Chick?” -asked the detective. “It seems as if it might be----” - -His sentence was cut in two by another of the unearthly shrieks which -seemed to come from nowhere in particular. - -“Look!” gasped Chick. “For Heaven’s sake, look!” - -The shapeless lump in the center began to move--slowly and rhythmically. -Suddenly, with a hoarse croak, it ceased its swaying to and fro and -sprang suddenly into life. - -Rearing upright, it revealed itself as a tall, nearly naked Hindu, with -the lean and haggard face of what is strangely called, in India, “a holy -man.” - -His only clothing, besides the inevitable turban, was a loin cloth, and -his long, lean arms and legs, his scraggy neck, and the fiercely burning -eyes, set deeply under his shriveled forehead, gave him an eerie aspect -that was indescribably terrible. - -For a few moments he stood raised to his fullest height--for he had -reared himself on his toes--as he took from the ground at his feet a -small bag suspended from some kind of string that looked like part of a -shriveled vine. - -Besides the bag, which he hung around his neck, he had a collection of -gruesome objects. They seemed to be withered parts of animals or -reptiles, bones, and other horrors. - -Beyond question they were charms of various kinds, and equally certain -this wretched creature was a medicine man or dealer in “black art.” - -Nick Carter knew that there were thousands of fanatics in India who -practiced all kinds of strange rites. Many of them were horrible, and -there were tales of murders done for sacrifices to their gods. These -murders the British government had never been able to stop. - -The man began to dance around in uncouth gyrations. The green light was -always upon him, and the collection of strange things suspended about -his body rattled horribly at each movement. - -Now and then he paused in his dance to bend his ear to some object he -gripped in his right hand. Through it all there was a dreadful hypnotic -influence emanating from him which held Nick Carter and his companions -spellbound. - -For five minutes and more this continued, while Nick Carter, grasping -his rifle in his left hand, fought back an almost irresistible impulse -to raise his weapon and shoot the half-human creature gesticulating in -the clearing. - -It was just when Nick felt as if he could not stand the suspense any -longer that the man turned slowly toward a certain part of the forest -surrounding him and beckoned with one of his skinny hands. - -For a second or two there was no response. Then the dense growth of -creepers on that side parted and from it stepped a young Hindu, dressed -like the medicine man, in a loin cloth and turban. - -He was a finely built young fellow, and, as he had nothing on to speak -of, they could see his muscles ripple under the dark skin as he came -forward. They also observed that his chest was heaving, as if he had -undergone some extraordinary strain. - -He moved slowly and in jerks. His eyes unnaturally distended, and once -or twice he made a violent effort to drag himself back, as if resisting -the power of the skinny claws beckoning him forward. - -Finally the young man stood in the middle of the clearing, rigid and -motionless, his staring eyes still fixed on the strange man who clearly -held him under a hypnotic spell. - -The medicine man took from his loin cloth a small reed and began to -blow on it, producing a low, crooning noise, like a bagpipe rather out -of tune. - -He kept this up for some little time without any result. Then, suddenly, -from somewhere--seemingly from the solid ground--a score or more of -ugly, venomous-looking snakes came forth and seemed to be moving to the -cadences of the small reed. - -“Snake charmer!” muttered Chick. - -“Yes,” returned Nick, in a scarcely audible tone. - -“Gee! Here’s a circus. But I’d hate to take a girl to see it,” added -Patsy Garvan. - -Jefferson Arnold said nothing. But he stared intently, for he believed -he recognized the young man who had been drawn to the center of the -ring. - -“Say! What are we going to do about this?” exclaimed Patsy, in a subdued -tone. “The snakes are crawling up on him.” - -It was true. There was a sharp change in the melody--if it could be -called that--of the pipe, and several of the snakes began to circle -closely around the young man. Some of them seemed to strike in his -direction, but their fangs never quite reached him. - -The whole performance was one that snake charmers in India have carried -on for ages, but it was none the less eerie and extraordinary to those -who now saw it for the first time. - -One of the snakes--the largest of the squirming collection--was halfway -up the young man’s leg. - -The reptile did not stop there, however. It went up to his shoulder, and -finally crawled around his neck till its head was close to the victim’s -livid face. - -The young fellow shuddered, but did not try to shake the creature off. -It looked as if his power of will had been taken from him. He could only -suffer. - -“Carter!” whispered Jefferson excitedly. “We’ve got to save that boy.” - -“Of course we must,” answered Nick. - -“I know,” rejoined Jefferson impatiently. “You can take it easily. But I -_know_ him.” - -“Who is he?” - -“I can’t be quite sure, because it is dark, and that infernal green glow -doesn’t tell much. But I believe it is Adil, the young fellow my boy -engaged as a sort of body servant. He says all white men in India have a -servant of that kind.” - -Nick Carter’s grip tightened on his rifle. - -“Keep cool, Mr. Arnold! We’ll save him!” he promised, in low, tense -tones. “But we must be cautious.” - -“It _is_ Adil!” came from Arnold. “I feel sure of it. Every move tells -me so. I’ve half a mind to shoot that black scarecrow who is doing it -all. I can do it without much trouble. Those snakes are doing just as he -tells them. That big one is going to strike Adil before he gets -through.” - -“I don’t think so,” declared Nick. “The old fakir doesn’t mean to let -that happen.” - -“What’s he doing it all for?” - -“I can’t tell yet,” confessed Nick Carter. “Nobody understands these men -thoroughly. They may have any of a hundred reasons for what they do. -This probably is merely an incantation of some sort. Or Adil--if it is -Adil--may be a prisoner.” - -“He is a prisoner. I’m sure of that,” rejoined Jefferson Arnold. “He -would not be going through this buncombe otherwise. He’s too -level-headed for that. But if this medicine man has him hypnotized, as -it seems, what can the poor fellow do?” - -“We’ll get him out of it,” repeated Nick. “But we must have just a -little patience. The game of the snake charmer is to keep him in -suspense for an hour or so, and then probably let him go--unless there -is some object in keeping him that we do not see.” - -“That’s just it,” quickly replied Arnold. “There may be a lot of rascals -with this blackguard who is doing all the mischief. We don’t know who -may be hiding behind those trees.” - -“That’s so,” assented Nick Carter. “But we must wait and see. We may get -a clew to the whereabouts of your son right here, if we don’t spoil it -by rushing things. I could pick that snake off with my rifle, without -touching the man. But it wouldn’t be safe, because the snake might bite -him in its death struggle.” - -This was obvious, and Jefferson Arnold nodded assent. - -“Listen!” he whispered nervously. “What did I tell you? There are a lot -of people among the trees.” - -Proof of this was furnished by the sudden rising of a weird, not -unmusical, dirgelike chant from the blackness surrounding the clearing. - -The fakir straightened up to his full height again--a favorite gesture -of his, it seemed--and answered the chorus with a few notes on his pipe. - -Then he settled himself down to play for the snakes. Striking a -plaintive minor, he brought forth more music out of the reed than either -Nick Carter or any of his companions had supposed was in it. The result -was that all the snakes began to move in time to the notes. - -“I wish I could shoot that rascal down,” muttered Jefferson Arnold. “I -feel that I owe it to poor Adil, anyhow.” - -“Not yet,” whispered Nick Carter. “When we do strike, we want it to be -of real effect.” - -Bang! - -Whether the nerve of Chick had suddenly given way under the strain, or -whether he had fired by pure accident, he never could tell. All he knew -was that he had pulled the trigger of his rifle before he realized what -had happened. - -He had not taken aim at anything in particular, but it chanced that the -head of one of the whirling snakes on the ground was in the direct line -of fire, and was blown off as clean as if it had been severed with an -ax. - -With a shriek which explained who had been guilty of the unearthly -screams that had first disturbed Nick Carter’s party, the medicine man -whirled around as if looking for the person who had fired. Then he put -his reed to his mouth and blew a loud, steady whistle. - -It was a signal to the snakes which all understood. The big snake that -had been around Adil’s neck loosened itself and fell with a flop to the -hard ground. The others began to dart about in all directions. - -The medicine man, bewildered, made a dash for cover. But here his haste -was unlucky for him. It chanced that he trod squarely upon the body of -the big snake. - -Probably, now that the music had ceased, the snake was no longer under -the man’s control--or it may simply have been frightened. - -However that may have been, it uttered an angry hiss, flung back its -head and arched neck, and like a stroke of lightning, buried its poison -fangs twice in the bare leg of the fakir. - -With a screech of agony, he flung up his long, skinny arms, ran around -stumblingly in circles, still screaming, and at last fell in a heap in -the middle of the clearing. - -As he did so, something that he had been tightly holding in his right -hand from the beginning fell to the ground and rolled in the direction -of Nick Carter. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -A RUNNING SKIRMISH. - - -“What’s that?” involuntarily exclaimed Nick, as he tried to make out the -nature of the object. - -“Looks like a stale doughnut,” offered Patsy Garvan. “But the old guy -who dropped it is all in just the same.” - -“Adil!” called out Jefferson Arnold. - -“Hush!” warned Nick Carter. “Keep quiet till we see.” - -“I do see,” insisted the impetuous millionaire. “That’s Adil, and I----” - -“I’ll save him,” interrupted Nick. “But we’ve got to wait till we see -what is behind those trees.” - -Jefferson Arnold recognized the justice of this, and restrained himself -from dashing out into the open, as he would have liked to do. - -Adil seemed to have been released from his hypnotic trance by the jar of -the rifle report. He stood still and looked about him with a light of -intelligence in his eyes that had not been there before. - -For a minute he seemed uncertain which way to go. Then, with a -half-uttered ejaculation, he sprang over the body of the medicine man -and the snake, and raced in the direction of the tree behind which Chick -was still crouching. - -The report of the rifle, and perhaps its flash, was the guide to the -young East Indian, who, such a short time before, had been helpless, -with the venomous snake twined about his neck. - -As he dashed across the clearing, he stooped and picked up something -about halfway. It was the object that had fallen from the dead snake -charmer’s fingers, and which Patsy had said looked like a stale -doughnut. - -Holding this thing, whatever it was, tightly in his hand, the fugitive -kept on till he reached the edge of the open space. - -“Come on, Adil!” shouted Jefferson Arnold, regardless of everything -except the fact that the young man was running to him. “This way, my -boy!” - -Adil stumbled as he got to the shelter of the trees. Then, with a gasp -he fell into Arnold’s arms, in a dead faint. - -“He isn’t hurt, is he?” asked Patsy, trying to see Adil’s face, but, of -course, failing, in the darkness. “What’s the trouble? Fainted?” - -“Leave him to me,” returned the millionaire. “I’ll take care of him.” - -“How?” - -“Let me get any kind of a start, and I’ll have him to our camp and into -the boat before this gang can get out. There is a big crowd of rascals -in the wood, over there.” - -“There’s no doubt about that,” observed Nick Carter. “We’ll hold them -there, too.” - -“Sure we will!” declared Patsy energetically. “We can stand off all they -can bring over. Eh, Chick?” - -“I guess,” was Chick’s brief reply, as he brought another cartridge -forward in his rifle. “You get, Mr. Arnold.” - -“That’s what I’m doing,” was the pithy rejoinder. - -He swung the light, but sinewy form of Adil over his shoulder, and broke -his way through the wood the way they had come. Jefferson Arnold was a -New York business man. But he had also hunted big game in several -countries, and he was a woodsman who knew the game. - -Hardly had Arnold gone, when a crowd of dark-skinned men broke cover -across the clearing. They had knives and spears in their hands, and they -were bent on mischief. - -“Let go, boys!” cried Nick Carter. - -He fired his rifle as he spoke, and simultaneously there was a report -from the gun of each of his two assistants. They fired two more shots -apiece as fast as they could pump them out, and the Hindus stopped in -amazement that was dangerously near panic. - -Yells of anger arose from them, but they did not seem to know what to do -in the face of this sudden attack by the white men. - -Nick Carter and his two assistants took advantage of the check they had -given to dart to fresh cover, a hundred feet or so to the rear. - -“It’s a good thing those dubs haven’t got guns,” remarked Patsy. “It’s a -wonder they haven’t. What do you think they are?” - -“Just ordinary ruffians, I suppose,” returned Nick carelessly. “They may -be a gang from the hills, for anything I know. Look out! Here comes a -spear!” - -It was immediately apparent that, although there were no guns in the -ranks of the dusky enemy, they could hurl spears with precision and -viciousness. - -Four or five of these weapons--exceedingly dangerous when in skillful -hands--came hurtling among the trees. - -The aim was good, too, for Chick had only just got behind a deodar when -two spears came singing along and stuck in the trunk of the tree just -where his head had been a moment before. - -Patsy had a narrower escape than Chick, for one of the spears caught the -sleeve of his white linen coat and fastened it to the tree. - -“Gee! There goes a new coat sleeve!” exclaimed Patsy, with comic anger. -“They’ve taken out a three-cornered bit just above the elbow, and I’ll -have to go in rags till I get to a city where I can buy another coat. -Holy mackerel! I’m always ‘it’ when there’s bad luck going about.” - -Meanwhile, Chick found himself hard pressed. He could not get out from -behind his tree without offering himself as a target for a spear, and he -could not stay where he was indefinitely. - -He had only six more shots left in the magazine of his rifle, and no -time to reload. - -“I’ll give them all I’ve got,” he muttered. “If that doesn’t clear the -way, I’ll have to go out there and get into a rough-and-tumble scrap, -taking chances.” - -He fired a couple of shots into the ranks of the oncoming Hindus, hoping -to hit some of them, but without knowing exactly where his bullets would -go. It was impossible to take steady aim under the circumstances, and he -did not try. - -“I’ll fire low,” he thought. “That’s one of the fundamental rules in -sharpshooting. Then, if you hit anybody, you are pretty sure to do -something worth while.” - -“Look out, Chick!” came excitedly from Patsy. “The woods are full of -them! Mind they don’t crawl up behind. Gee! Here’s where I’ll beat it -for the Bowery--or as near as I can get.” - -“Back!” suddenly shouted Nick Carter. “Get back, both of you! They are -working around on my side. They’ll cut you off in another minute!” - -“That’s what!” roared Patsy. “But we can do some cutting ourselves. -Whoop! Get out of my way! You black skunks! Come on, Chick!” - -“Of course I will,” replied Chick, with the calmness of desperation. “I -hear them on my left, but they haven’t got us yet. Hold together, boys! -We’ll beat ’em!” he went on, hardly knowing, in his excitement, what he -said. - -Sending one more shot in the general direction of the enemy, Chick -turned and lunged back into the darkness. - -“Whoof!” - -It was Nick Carter who made this involuntary ejaculation, for, in the -blackness, Chick had plunged headlong into him. - -“I beg your pardon!” blurted out Chick. - -“That’s right!” laughed his chief. “Never forget your manners, old man. -Bend low and run! It’s our only chance at this stage of the game.” - -Side by side, the three detectives raced over the rotting undergrowth -and leaves, and it was surely luck that prevented any of them dashing -their brains out against some tree. - -They had become somewhat used to the darkness by this time. What had -appeared at first as merely a black wall resolved itself now into a -forest, with trees spaced so that it was possible to get around them -with some ingenuity, plus a great deal of agility. - -Dodging, swerving, stumbling over fallen limbs and upheaving roots, -occasionally gasping for breath, and conscious all the while that the -enemy was gaining, the trio rushed on. - -Not only was there danger from those who were making a rear chase of it. - -Some of the natives had flanked them. Their spears glistened as they -were brandished fiercely, while their owners uttered low guttural -threats which sounded supernaturally awful in the darkness. - -Nick Carter had had experience enough as an army officer to know a great -deal about military strategy. He was aware that the menace of a flanking -movement was something whose importance no general overlooked. - -If once the wings of their black pursuers outstripped them far enough to -close in and get them in a ring, they would be as helpless as rats in a -trap. - -“Get to the river!” was Nick’s low-voiced instruction to his two -assistants. - -“How far ahead is it?” asked Patsy. “I’ve lost track of distances since -I’ve been in this wood.” - -“A hundred and fifty feet,” replied Chick. “Keep quiet! Don’t talk! Save -your breath!” - -“I notice you’re not using any sign language yourself!” retorted Patsy. -“And you don’t sound as if you had more breath than the rest of us, -either.” - -Patsy Garvan could not have kept out of an argument if there had been a -spear within six inches of his heart. He dearly loved the last word, no -matter where he was. - -A sullen gleam of water could be made out through the tangle of trees. -Surely they could cover the short distance between them and their boat, -lying at the river bank before the foe cut them off. - -They were not there yet, however. - -A dark figure shot up ahead of the three flying detectives. Hardly had -this one figure come into view, when there was another and another. - -“They’ve closed us in!” cried Chick. “Just what I was afraid of.” - -“Looks like it,” assented Nick Carter. “Well, there’s only one thing to -do. We must rush them and take our chances of breaking through.” - -“They’ll be taking the chances--not us!” shouted Patsy, with his usual -drive-ahead cocksureness. “We could lick that bunch if our arms were in -a sling.” - -“Of course we can, but we’ll have to fight. There’s more of them every -moment. Blaze away, both of you, and fire from the hip. Don’t take the -time to aim. After that, revolvers! Come on, boys!” - -Nick Carter’s tone was full of confidence, and his two assistants would -have charged a regiment at that instant. - -Several spears whizzed in front. But the darkness caused them all to go -wild, although they were near enough to be uncomfortable. Patsy insisted -afterward that one scraped the skin off the end of his nose and mussed -his hair. - -“Here you are!” shouted Nick. “There’s a hole in their line.” - -“Where?” questioned Patsy. - -“If you don’t see it, make one!” snapped Chick. “Rush through somehow!” - -Shoulder to shoulder, Nick Carter and his two men charged at the yelling -natives and went through their formation like the center rush in a -varsity football game. - -It was at this moment that they heard Jefferson Arnold roaring -excitedly: - -“Swing to the right, Carter! Swing out to the right!” - -The three obeyed this injunction, just as there came some more flying -spears. - -At the same instant two rifles spoke from the river bank. The shots took -the Hindus by surprise, and for a few seconds they were completely -demoralized. - -Nick and his two assistants dashed through the undergrowth and gained -the edge of the wood. They caught a glimpse of the river and their boat, -with the four oarsmen seated, ready to row away at the word of command. - -Patsy gave a low chuckle of satisfaction. As he said afterward, that -boat, with the four black men as crew, looked very good to him just -then. - -Standing on the bank, close to the boat, were Jefferson Arnold and Jai -Singh, each with a rifle in his hand. It was their shots that had taken -the nerve out of the enemy. - -“Jump for the boat!” bellowed Jefferson Arnold. - -“Jump!” echoed Jai Singh. - -They did jump. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -ADIL TELLS HIS STORY. - - -It was a big leap in the darkness, especially for men half spent by a -laborious run. But the three were all strung up, and they had more -spring in them than might have been expected. - -They dropped into the boat higgledy-piggledy, and immediately Jefferson -Arnold and Jai Singh followed. - -“Hack away that rope at the bow!” roared Arnold. - -Jai Singh, ax in hand, obeyed, just as one of the pursuing natives -poised his spear to send it at Chick. - -Nick Carter had seen the action in time, however. Although the detective -had dropped into the boat all in a heap, he had kept his automatic -pistol in his right hand, while holding the now unloaded rifle in his -left. - -Up went his revolver as the Hindu raised his spear. The pistol roared -before the spear could leave its owner’s hand. - -The native crumpled up as the bullet reached him. His companions did not -press forward quite so fast. They were disposed to be cautious now, -although none the less vindictive. - -The boat swung out to the middle of the river, as the rowers dug in -their oars to save the yawl from yielding to the strong current made by -the falls a little distance below. - -As the coolies bent to their work, two spears flew at them. One went -clear over their heads, but the other caught the stroke oarsman in the -forearm, making a nasty, jagged wound. - -The injured man rowed on doggedly, only glancing carelessly down at the -great red scar in his brown arm, as if to see how bad it might be. He -seemed satisfied that it would not disable him, and the shrug with which -he took his eyes off it told how little he cared for what did not seem -such a trifle, after all. - -The river was wide at this point. So, five hundred yards farther up, and -about that distance from the shore, Nick Carter directed Jai Singh to -let go the light anchor they carried. - -As the tall Hindu obeyed, the boat swung gently around to her cable. - -In the after part of the boat there was an awning of bamboo, thatched -with palm leaves. At Nick’s suggestion, lanterns were lighted under this -awning, so that they might look themselves over and see what damage had -been done. - -First of all, Nick took a roll of antiseptic bandage from his pocket and -bound up the wound on the arm of the stroke oar, putting on some salve -that he always carried in his “first-aid” kit. - -The man submitted in stolid silence while Nick examined the arm. When it -was bound up, he said “Thank you!” in English. That was all, except that -he looked rather curiously at the barbed head of the spear which lay in -the boat where it had fallen. - -The detective picked up the spear and made a close examination of the -barbed point. - -“No poison, I should say,” he remarked briefly. “If there were any, it -would show in a sort of sticky glaze. Still, the antiseptic salve I’ve -put into that gash on the arm won’t do any harm. Besides, it will help -to close the wound quickly.” - -The patient went back to his seat, and Nick glanced at Jefferson -Arnold, who was speaking to Adil, as the young man lay, still nearly -exhausted, on a blanket under the awning. - -“What does he say, Mr. Arnold?” asked Nick. - -“He has told me something about my boy,” answered Arnold, in shaky -tones. “Carter, we’re going to catch up with him soon.” - -“One day’s journey,” put in Adil, in a feeble voice. - -“Who are those fellows who had you, Adil? And how did you come to be -where you are?” asked Jefferson Arnold. - -“We came to them farther up the country. Sahib Leslie wanted to hunt -tigers, and he told me to be ready. I did what I was told.” - -“Who else was with my son?” - -“Sahib Pike.” - -“Ah! He went tiger hunting, too?” - -“Yes.” - -“Well?” - -“We had gone far up, near the head of the Brahmapootra, when Sahib Pike -he go away. Sahib Leslie he sorry, but nothing could be done. He was -afraid Sahib Pike got hurt, but he did not know.” - -“I’ll bet he didn’t get hurt,” threw in Patsy Garvan wisely. “This Pike -person was working a frame-up on Leslie Arnold, for a dollar.” - -“There seems reason in your opinion, Patsy,” nodded Nick Carter. “But we -haven’t heard it all, remember.” - -“I don’t see where we want to hear much more,” growled Jefferson Arnold. -“It’s a pretty clear case, I think. I’ll fix Pike when I meet him. It is -all his doings. I am confident of that.” - -“You haven’t told us how Leslie Arnold got into the power of these men -up in the hill country,” Nick Carter reminded Adil. - -“We were in camp one night, when Pike called out that there was danger. -Sahib Leslie was asleep, in his blanket, to keep off the snakes that go -about at night in the forest. We had a fire, but it had gone down.” - -“You bet it had gone down,” remarked Patsy Garvan. “I never knew a camp -fire that didn’t go down, unless you lay down before it and blew it most -of the night.” - -Nick Carter and Chick both smiled. They gave Patsy credit for close -observation. Both had noticed this peculiarity of camp fires themselves. - -“There was a fight, and I believe Sahib Leslie killed some of them,” -continued Adil. “We could not tell how many there were. But it seemed as -if fifty men jumped out of the darkness and grabbed at him.” - -“They wanted to take him prisoner, eh?” - -“That’s what they did at last,” answered Adil. “But for a while there -was a fight which was good. I stood by the side of Sahib Leslie, and we -shot four--five--many men. They had spears like that.” - -He pointed to the lance that had wounded the oarsman in the arm, and -which lay in the bottom of the boat. - -Nick Carter had taken the implement in his hand, and was looking it over -thoughtfully. - -He had seen at a glance that it was different from any of the weapons -used by the Sepoys or other men in the lower part of Hindustan. Still, -it was well made, and there were strange figures burned into the iron -head with some strong acid. - -“The party must have divided, Adil,” he suggested. “You were brought -down here a prisoner. But Mr. Leslie went somewhere else.” - -“Yes. Those who brought me wanted much money before they went back to -their own country. They said they would make me get it for them.” - -“I see. You were to be a decoy?” - -Adil evidently did not exactly understand this word “decoy,” but he -knew, in a general way, what it meant, and he nodded. - -“What did you tell them?” - -“I would not speak,” replied Adil. “That is why they told the medicine -man to make me see clearly what must be done.” - -“The blackguards!” ejaculated the millionaire. “They were trying to -torture him into obeying them.” - -“Say, chief!” interrupted Patsy. “Let’s pull out of this. We ought to -get after the gang that have Mr. Arnold’s son without wasting any more -time. Adil can take us to the place, can’t he?” - -“If he can’t, I can,” boomed the deep tones of Jai Singh. “These men are -of the low caste who are servants of the men of the Golden Scarab.” - -“What’s a scarab?” asked Patsy. He always liked to get to the bottom of -things without loss of time. - -“It is a beetle, Patsy,” replied Nick Carter. “Go on, Jai Singh. What do -you know about it?” - -“I know there is a country far up above the hills where the snows are, -and that the Golden Scarab is their god. They are big men, who fight -well, and they have cities as fine as any in India, with great temples, -on which are signs cut in stone by their ancestors, and where they -worship the Golden Scarab. It is in one of those cities that we shall -find Sahib Leslie.” - -“Holy pancakes!” broke out Patsy. “I feel as if I were going nutty. I’ll -be glad when I get back to the good old United States. This India is too -rich for my nerves.” - -“Keep quiet, Patsy,” admonished Chick. “I want to get at the rights of -this thing. So does the chief. What’s the use of you interrupting all -the time?” - -“Interrupting?” echoed Patsy. “If I didn’t say something once in a -while, I’d blow up.” - -“Go on with your story, Adil,” requested Nick Carter. “And, Patsy, -please do not ask any more questions. I’ll do the cross-examining, if -there has to be any.” - -“They brought me to the forest over there, where you saw me, and the -medicine man passed his hands before my eyes, so that I had to do what -he said, and keep on moving about in the clearing. He had made me take -off my clothing, except for what I have on.” - -“I see,” nodded Nick. “Go on.” - -“The medicine man had something in his hand that he kept on putting to -his face. It seemed to talk to him.” - -“Bosh!” growled Jefferson Arnold, below his breath. - -“You picked it up, did you not?” asked Nick. - -“Yes. It is still in my hand.” - -He opened his hand and revealed the curious object that Patsy had -described as a stale doughnut. - -Nick Carter took it in his fingers and shuddered slightly. The thing was -the ear of some image. It was about twice the size of a man’s ear, -carved elaborately out of gray soapstone. - -“What is it?” murmured Nick, as a strange feeling, uncanny and -enervating, stole throughout his whole being. - -“It is the ear of one of the little gods of the Land of the Golden -Scarab,” rumbled Jai Singh. “When you find the image it belongs to, you -will also find Sahib Leslie Arnold.” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -READY FOR INVASION. - - -“Well, the thing to do is to push on,” decided Nick Carter briskly, as -Jai Singh handed back the soapstone ear to him. “We’ll keep this pretty -relic as a sort of cue for what we are to do when we get to the Land of -Golden Scarab. Are we on the right road to that interesting place?” - -“Straight up this river till we get to where it pours out of the sacred -rocks among the Himalayas,” replied Jai Singh. - -“It is on the borders of Nepal, isn’t it?” asked Chick. - -“Not far from there,” returned Jai Singh. “It would be well to take up -the anchor and go on.” - -“Aren’t we going to have another mix-up with that bunch of -coffee-colored robbers over there?” grumbled Patsy. - -“They have gone away,” Jai Singh told him gravely. “We may meet them -when we get to the city beyond the snow. They are not likely to follow -us now. No doubt they know a quicker way to get to the place where the -Golden Scarab is supreme. But I do not know it. We can only go the way I -will show.” - -The anchor was lifted, and the four oarsmen settled down to their work -in the dogged, matter-of-fact manner characteristic of them. - -It was the middle of the next day when they reached the headwaters of -the branch of the famous Ganges up which the boat had been toiling. - -They had not seen anything of their enemies of the day before, and it -seemed as if the men who had been with the medicine man were none too -eager to avenge his death. - -Soon the rest of the journey would have to be done on foot, with the men -carrying such supplies as they might need on the way to the home of the -Golden Scarab. - -Although they had neither seen or heard anything of the men belonging to -the medicine man who had given them such a lively tussle when the snake -charmer met his death, they had a strange sense of being watched, -without being able to explain exactly what the feeling was. - -There had been several places where, on account of rapids or shallows in -the river, it had been necessary to carry the boat around. - -Each time this had happened, they had posted a guard to look out for -lurking enemies, but nothing had been seen of the rascals they believed -were not far away. - -Patsy had expressed his disgust on each occasion because there had been -no chance of battle. - -But Patsy always had a chip on his shoulder. So Chick only laughed at -his pugnacious comrade, while Nick Carter pretended to be wholly -oblivious. - -“I wish they’d come out of their holes,” grumbled Patsy. “I’d rather -have them sting me than stay back there, where you can’t tell what they -are after. What do you think about it, chief?” - -“Ask Jai Singh,” was Nick Carter’s response. - -Jai Singh spoke for himself, without being questioned. - -“Such is not their way,” he told them, in his deep voice. “So long as -they see we keep guard, they hide away deep in the forests. Yet they -watch--they watch! Look you! See you that way to the left--far away, -above the big trees yonder above the sun. It looks like a pinch of -wind-driven dust?” - -“What is it?” asked Jefferson Arnold. - -“They are forest birds, disturbed by their scouts,” replied Jai Singh -impressively. “Aye, you may laugh. But my eyes are keen, and I tell you -that it is so. It is a warning.” - -They gazed at the snow-capped mountains some distance ahead of them, and -which were hazy on that account. Nick Carter knew them for part of the -great range of the Himalayas, mysterious and grim--as if they locked in -their bosom the secrets of ages. - -The forest land near the head of the river soon began to open out on -either side into a barren plain, and the stream constantly dwindled, -until it was scarcely a hundred yards across and flowed sluggishly over -the shoals that gave hardly depth enough for the flat-bottomed boat to -navigate. - -“By all accounts, the Golden Scarab country should lie over there, -beyond the mountains,” was Nick Carter’s comment. “Little is known of -it, and I cannot even give it a better name than the one I have just -used. But there is no doubt in my mind that it exists, and that it is -such a place as Jai Singh has described.” - -“I speak according to the knowledge that has come to me,” put in the -tall Hindu, with dignity. - -“I pray heaven that my poor boy is safe, and that we shall not get there -too late,” was the fervent hope of Jefferson Arnold. “Does anybody know -the time of day and the date? It must be many weeks since my son was -captured.” - -“My watch got full of water coming up the river, when we moved the boat -at the big falls,” remarked Nick. “Time is a matter of guesswork in -these regions. All we can do is to push on as quickly as we can.” - -“That rascally Pike does not mean to let us find my boy if it can be -helped,” returned Jefferson, with a sad shake of the head. “I suppose he -was afraid Leslie would keep after him to get back that hundred thousand -dollars--or, failing in that, bring the scoundrel to justice. That is -the secret of my son’s disappearance, I feel sure.” - -“Probably,” conceded Nick. “If it is, we may have strong hope of saving -him. Jai Singh says the feasts of the Golden Scarab, when there are many -living sacrifices of human beings, are few and far between. We shall get -there before the next one, if we keep on steadily as we are doing now.” - -Jefferson Arnold leaned forward to look into the detective’s face. - -“Do you mean, Mr. Carter, that there is actual danger of my boy being -killed in some fanatical ceremony among those people over there?” - -“I mean that we must go after him quickly, Mr. Arnold,” was all Nick -Carter would say. “Let me take a look at those mountains through my -glasses.” - -For perhaps two minutes the detective stared through his double field -glasses at the mighty hills in the distance. When at last he took the -glass from his eyes, there was a smile of satisfaction just visible at -the corners of his mouth. - -“From what I can make out, there is some sort of pass on the right -shoulder of the main peak,” was his decision. - -“The sahib has spoken truly,” agreed Jai Singh. “There is such a pass. -So far as I know, it is the only one where a man may pass in safety.” - -“You have been through it?” queried Chick. - -“No.” - -“Gee! How do you know about it, then?” interjected Patsy Garvan. “Just a -hunch?” - -“The wisdom of the hills where I live is not understood by white men,” -returned Jai Singh gravely. “I know what I know.” - -“Well, you know a great deal more than I do about this forsaken -country,” muttered Patsy. “I wouldn’t care if I didn’t find out any more -about it, either. If we weren’t going after young Mr. Arnold, and that -crook, William Pike, I’d be satisfied to quit right here. I’m not -inquisitive--about some things.” - -“Yet, how do you know about the pass?” pressed Nick Carter. - -Jai Singh did not reply at once. He bent his head and seemed to be in a -deep reverie for some moments--almost as if in a trance. Suddenly he -straightened up, and speaking in a low, dreamy tone, answered: - -“How can I tell exactly how it is that I know? It may be that, long -years ago, before I was born, my people forced their way through to -battle with those who worship the Golden Scarab. Sometimes, in the -night, I seem to see a picture of men of my race and caste going through -a pass, with spears ready to strike.” - -“Punk!” muttered Patsy. - -Nick Carter gave his second assistant a sharp glance. Jai Singh did not -hear the remark, apparently, for he continued, in the steady monotone he -had been using: - -“One of our royal house may have been in the battle, and I, who am of -his blood, keep it in my memory.” - -“That may be all so,” commented Jefferson Arnold. “But I didn’t take -much stock in this second sight, or whatever you call it. That sort of -thing doesn’t go in business; I know that.” - -So matter-of-fact a person as the millionaire, who had made his money by -plain hard-headedness and commercial acumen, was not likely to make much -belief in, or patience with, the occultism of the East. He was not -ashamed of his skepticism, either. - -“Yet will I prove that my words are true,” was Jai Singh’s dignified -rejoinder. “We shall soon meet men of the Golden Scarab.” - -As he said this, he skillfully brought the boat to a stop in the shallow -water near the shore, and jumping in, followed by his four oarsmen, -pulled at the craft till it was firmly fixed in the soft mud of the -bank. - -With the four men to help, the labor had been nothing. - -“This is as far as we go on the river,” announced Jai Singh. “Now we -walk. Will the sahib give orders to the men?” - -Nick Carter nodded and directed the oarsmen to line up in front of him. -Adil, without being told, took his place by the side of the oarsmen. - -“Not you, Adil,” put in Jefferson Arnold. - -“I go with the others,” returned Adil briefly. “I must find Sahib -Leslie, and yonder is the way.” - -“You shall go, of course,” Nick Carter told him. “But not all these four -men. Some of them must be left behind, and I am going to find out which -ones by drawing straws. It is a custom in my country. You may stand -with my two young men from America.” - -He indicated Chick and Patsy Garvan, and Adil willingly enough took his -position by their side. - -“What about these others?” asked Jefferson Arnold. “If they can fight as -well as they row, they’ll be useful fellows to take with us.” - -“I’m going to talk to them,” replied Nick. Then, turning to the four -oarsmen, he began: “We go yonder, across the mountains, to find the -white man who has been taken away. You know that?” - -They bowed with the native dignity of all men of their race and muttered -an unintelligible assent. Nick continued: - -“It is a strange country, and the men there are fierce and cruel. They -have strange worship, and their gods are not yours. Whether we will come -out of that country alive no one can say. It is possible that the white -man who went into the forests with Sahib Arnold may have taken him into -the strange land beyond the mountains, and that he will tell the men of -the Golden Scarab enough about us to give them power we cannot beat.” - -“Not by a jugful!” interrupted Patsy Garvan. “I’ll bet we lick them if -ever we get within striking distance. That’s a cinch.” - -“We will all go,” said one of the oarsmen. “It is not necessary to draw -lots. We will save the young sahib.” - -“I knew it!” exclaimed Patsy. “Those boys are the goods, if they _are_ -the color of an old tan shoe.” - -But Nick Carter shook his head. - -“Only two can go. The other two must stay and take care of the boat and -what is in it till we get back.” - -But the detective knew, even as he said this, that it would be useless -to talk. Surely enough, when the procession began to move, the whole -four oarsmen were included. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -OVER THE PRECIPICE. - - -With the boat hidden in the reeds which grew along the river shore, and -everybody carrying some of the baggage that Nick believed might be -required, the party plunged into the foothills and slowly arose toward -the lower ridges of the mountains. - -All the rifles had been cleaned and oiled by Nick Carter and his two -assistants. Then the former had inspected them all carefully. - -“It would be awkward if some of these guns were to jam just when we were -in the middle of a scrimmage with the people over there,” he observed, -after he had pronounced them all right. - -They came to a belt of forest where the ground rose sharply. On the -other side of the thicket was a bare, precipitous rock, which formed a -natural barrier to the mysterious land where the rites of the Golden -Scarab threatened the existence of Jefferson Arnold’s only son. - -They were traveling in the daytime now. The fierce heat of the lower -country had become tempered by the breezes from the mountains, and Nick -Carter desired to have the benefit of the light now that they were in a -region that even Jai Singh did not know very well. - -They were obliged to skirt the bare rock for several miles. The silence -was awesome, and the glare of the sun on the rock became more and more -oppressive as they went on. - -Ahead of them was the opening that Nick divined was the entrance to the -upper passes. The little party swung in to get to it as quickly as -possible. - -It was lucky that they did swing in, for at that instant an arrow -whizzed by them and struck with a sharp ring of metal against the face -of the rock. - -“The people of the Golden Scarab use the weapons of their fathers,” -remarked Jai Singh calmly. “Their arrows kill when they strike.” - -“Poisoned?” asked Nick. - -The tall Hindu shrugged his shoulders, as he repeated, in a significant -tone: - -“I have said that they kill.” - -Nick Carter, Chick, and Patsy had all thrown up their rifles almost -simultaneously with the passing of the arrow. But Jai Singh called out: - -“Don’t shoot! There may be more of them. Keep under cover! If you shoot, -the sound would carry far, and would bring the others down on us. I saw -the one who sent the arrow. Leave him to me.” - -“I’d like to get that fellow myself,” grumbled Patsy. - -Nick Carter motioned him to lie down close against the rock, where the -others had already thrown themselves, and Patsy had to obey. - -But Chick broke through restraint. He simply could not lie there while -an exciting incident was in progress in which he felt he could take a -useful part. So, while Nick Carter was holding Patsy down, Chick -followed Jai Singh over the rocks and into the heart of the mountain. - -Chick carried his rifle, and his revolver was in his pocket. Jai Singh -had his spear--a weapon which, in his capable hands, was equal to any -firearm--and he kept it ready in his muscular fingers, ready to hurl it -when a foe should appear. - -The fellow who had sent the arrow was too cunning to allow himself to be -seen. When he had drawn his bowstring he was some eighty yards away, and -above the party headed by the detective, and he had kept out of sight. - -Jai Singh and Chick had covered a good half of that distance before the -foe could notch another arrow to the string. - -Just as the two pursuers showed themselves above a ledge of rock, an -arrow flashed toward them. - -It was like a striking snake, and the “whang” it made sounded to Chick -as if it were right in his ear. - -But there was another flash just as the arrow came. It was Jai Singh’s -spear. - -He swept it sideways just in time to prevent the missile burying itself -in Chick’s chest. There was a sort of snapping sound, followed by the -tinkle of metal on stone. - -Jai Singh had cut the arrow in two with one stroke, and it was the -barbed-iron head falling upon the rock that had caused the tinkling -Chick had heard. - -The barbed arrow point had been so near to Chick that the side of it had -grazed his shoulder, tearing the white linen of his coat, but not -breaking the skin below. - -“Go ahead, Jai Singh!” sang out Chick. “We’ve _got_ to get that fellow!” - -The Hindu and the detective dashed up the rough slope until they came -to a narrow, slanting ledge about two hundred feet above the narrow -chasm in which the rest of the party were standing. - -They were jammed against the side, so as to be out of reach of possible -arrows or spears. - -Jai Singh forced his way ahead of Chick and was at once almost on top of -his man on a path where there was hardly room to turn around. - -Just as Jai Singh was about to seize the fugitive, the latter dropped to -his knee, holding the point of a spear aimed at the chest of his -assailant, while the butt of the weapon rested on the ground. - -Jai Singh could not stop himself. He had the choice either of hurling -himself upon the spear or falling over the precipice. - -“Wait a moment!” shouted Chick. “I’ll get him!” - -He had his rifle poised, but he could not shoot while Jai Singh was in -the way. - -There was little time for consideration. - -The latter had already decided what to do, and, as Chick rushed forward, -determined to close with the enemy at any cost, Jai Singh disappeared -into the abyss. - -Chick could not look to see what had become of him. Urged on by his own -impetuosity, he was flung upon the man with the spear. - -How he managed to avoid the point of the weapon he never could tell. But -he did it somehow. - -The sudden disappearance of Jai Singh over the precipice disturbed the -Golden Scarab warrior, and his spear dropped almost to his side. - -He did not hesitate to fight, however. - -It was a desperate combat in which Chick found himself. Even without the -threatening spear, there was peril enough to have satisfied the most -reckless searcher for adventure. - -Chick noted, even as he grasped the fellow’s two arms in his strong -hands and forced him backward, that there were certain points of -resemblance between the dark, scowling faces before him and those he had -glimpsed in the forest when the poisonous snake had made an end of the -fanatical “holy man” who had tortured Adil. - -“It’s one of the same gang,” thought Chick. “Those fellows weren’t down -the river for nothing.” - -He and his foe were both on the very brink of the precipice. The ledge -was only a few feet wide. To make it worse, the ledge sloped slightly -toward the great chasm, and Chick instinctively drew back as he felt -himself slipping toward the edge. - -“One of us has to go over,” he muttered. “I’ll try to prevent the pair -of us taking the leap. But--” - -There was a sudden movement by the native, as he glared evilly into -Chick’s face, and Chick felt himself going past his enemy and slipping! - -For one wild moment he glanced about him, to see whether there was hope -of rescue anywhere. - -He saw that Nick Carter, Patsy, Adil, Jefferson Arnold, and the four -natives of the party were gazing at him anxiously, and he knew that Nick -had waved to him, while saying something that Chick could not make out. - -“It’s no use!” he groaned. “This is where I pass in! Well, I’ll take -this brute with me!” - -He struggled frantically to keep on the sloping ledge, while holding -tightly to the other man’s arm. - -“You go!” grunted the native, in laconic English. “You go!” - -“Wonder whether that is all he knows of United States,” thought Chick. - -It may be wondered that Chick would pay attention to such a triviality -as this Hindu’s knowledge of English at such a time, when inevitable -death seemed to stare him in the face. - -The answer to that is that, in moments of awful danger, the mind will -often run on things that are of no importance. Many a soldier in a wild -bayonet or cavalry charge goes to his death humming ragtime without -knowing what he is doing. - -“You go!” repeated the tugging, straining man from the mountains. - -As he said this again, Chick’s foot slipped from the sloping rocky -ledge, and he was hurled into space! - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE LOST ONE FOUND. - - -For the merest splinter of a second, Chick was in a confusion of -mentality that took no note of anything. Then, before he could realize -that he was plunging to a horrible death, there was an agonizing tug at -his right wrist, and he thought his hand had been taken off by some kind -of saw-edged knife. - -“Ugh!” he ejaculated involuntarily. - -Something swept past his eyes, and just as he knew that it was the body -of his foe plunging downward into the valley, he also understood that he -was hanging by one arm over the awful depths! - -His hand had caught in a crevice in the rock, and though his wrist was -bleeding and the rough edges of the stone seemed to be cutting him to -the bone, still he was hanging in comparative safety. - -“Bad enough; but it might have been worse,” he muttered philosophically. - -Even if he could not get up to the ledge, at least he had not yet dived -to certain death on the bowlders and ridges that floored the cañon. - -“Hold on, Chick!” shouted Nick Carter, at the top of his voice. “We are -coming!” - -Chick did not hear what his chief had said, but he knew that he must -have been seen by his friends below. The only question was whether he -could bear the pain and hang on where he was till they got to him. - -For three minutes, which seemed to Chick like three hours, he hung -there, with the edge of the rock digging deeper into his flesh, and his -heart skipping beats oftener and oftener as his strength seemed to be -leaving him. - -“I’ll lose my senses soon,” he thought. “I can feel myself going. Well, -the sooner the better!” - -“Keep still, sahib!” - -It was the deep voice of Jai Singh, and it seemed to be behind, as well -as below, him. The sound gave Chick new courage. - -“Hello, Jai Singh!” he managed to reply. - -“I come up soon. We both get out!” went on Jai Singh. “Only, don’t let -go. That would end it. Wait till somebody comes.” - -So Jai Singh could not help him! Chick had hoped at first that the -powerful Hindu was in a situation to lend him a hand. - -As a matter of fact, Jai Singh had had a narrower escape than Chick. He -had grasped the root of a shrub growing from a crack in the face of the -rock, and thus had saved himself from going to the bottom. - -If the shrub had not happened to be of a tough species, the root would -have broken off under the tremendous strain put upon it by the weight -and thrust of the falling Hindu. - -But Jai Singh did not fear. - -With the fatalistic calmness of his race, he retained his grip, and, -though he felt the root giving way a little under his weight, decided -that it would hold him--unless the fates had decided that his time to -die had come. - -In either case, there was nothing he could do except to wait and see. - -Suddenly two arrows came whizzing from above. One struck close to Jai -Singh, the other narrowly missed Chick. - -Instantly there was the response of three shots from below, echoed by -shouts from somewhere around out of sight. - -“What is happening?” muttered Chick. “Are they fighting over me, and I -not able to make a move for myself? If I could only get up to that -ledge!” - -Jai Singh said nothing. He knew perfectly well that he was an open -target for the men who were sending their arrows from some safe cover -above him. But, since he could not help himself, why should he give way -to futile lamentations? - -There were no more arrows. Instead, a chorus of shrieks and oaths in a -strange tongue burst forth. Then Chick saw a white man tearing down a -narrow path which wound around the face of the rock above him. - -Seemingly there was nothing to prevent him diving over the edge when he -should come a little farther. - -Chick had just time to see the fugitive on his headlong way, and to note -that two dark-skinned men who resembled the rascals they had met when -the medicine man had been killed by the snake in the forest were -following. Then something else seemed to leap into his vision from -nothingness, although common sense told him it had been there all the -time. - -The something was a cleft in the rock at the edge of the precipice. It -was only a few feet from that which held him by his one wrist. - -“If I can reach that crack,” he murmured, “I might be able to drag -myself up, and----” - -Chick did not finish the sentence even to himself. Taking a firm grip of -himself, so that he should not allow mere pain to swerve him from the -purpose he had formed, he swung, with all his power, in the direction of -the crevice he had just noticed. - -As he did so, it seemed as if the wrist held in the other fissure might -be torn apart. But he persisted, and, as the tips of his fingers caught -the rough rock, he pulled himself up. - -It was indescribable agony, because he was obliged to pull to some -degree on his maimed wrist. - -Nevertheless, he did not flinch. With a tremendous tug, he raised -himself so that half his body lay on the rock. - -“If I can pull up the rest of the way, I’ll make it yet,” he thought. -“That chap above will be over if I don’t stop him.” - -The young man--hatless, and with his white garments rent in all -directions--still showed in his face and general aspect not only that -he was a gentleman, but that he was not of a nature to be easily -subdued. - -“By George!” was Chick’s exclamation, as, with a last painful effort, he -got to the narrow path and lay panting for breath. “It looks like----” - -He got to his knees and braced himself for a shock that would mean life -or death to two people. - -The white stranger had lost control of himself entirely now. There had -been curves in his downward path on the face of the rock that he had -taken advantage of to check himself twice. The second time he had almost -stopped. - -Now he was on the last bit of path, and there was nothing to hold him -back. Twenty steps more and he would be on the narrow ledge where Chick -crouched, waiting! - -It was out of the question that the flying man could stop there. He must -keep on! Then--the leap to death! - -“What can I do?” thought Chick. - -It was not in a despairing tone that Chick asked himself this question. -He put it to himself seriously, and with the object of finding an -answer. - -Of course, he had not the time to go into it in detail. This was only -his general idea. - -Fortunately, Chick was in the habit, in an emergency, of taking action -instinctively, and generally such action turned out to be wise and -effective. - -So now, as he saw the white stranger coming toward him at frantic speed -and utterly beyond self-control, Chick curled himself up in the path, -planted his two feet firmly against some slight equalities of rock near -him, and prepared for a tremendous concussion. - -He got it. Hardly had he taken the position in which he hoped to be able -to stop the helpless man, when the latter plunged down the last few -feet. - -“Throw yourself flat!” yelled Chick. “Come at me headfirst! Come on! I -can hold you! Right down!” - -Before Chick had finished shouting his instructions, the man had obeyed -the first one. - -He let himself go like a ball player sliding to first base. Flat on his -stomach he hurled himself, and into the diaphragm of Chick went his -head. - -The shock was tremendous. Chick had braced himself to receive the -charge, so that not all the breath was knocked out of him. - -He had not much left, but what he had he utilized in warning the man he -had saved to hold on for dear life. - -“Lie still!” he shouted. “You’re all right! Don’t stand up! They’re -after you!” - -Chick had seen that three of the pursuing natives were dashing down the -mountainside. - -Each of them carried a spear, and there was no reason to doubt that he -could hurl it with the precision of Jai Singh himself. - -The only reason they did not send their weapons ahead of them now seemed -to be that they had not time. - -At least, that was Chick’s first reading of it. Then he changed his -mind, as he saw that the spears were fastened to them by a cord that -passed around their neck and over one shoulder. - -The cords had become entangled in some way, and all three of the men -were trying desperately to get them loose. - -Down they came! Then--just as they were going to throw themselves upon -Chick and the young man he had saved, and neither of whom had had time -to get to his feet--there was a bang, and the foremost of the three -rascals threw up his hands, whirled around, and went over the precipice! - -“Get the other two!” roared the familiar voice of Patsy Garvan, as his -good-tempered face appeared above the edge of the rocks at the back. - -He was seen to be hurrying along to get to the narrow ledge, and his -rifle was ready to send another shot at the companions of the fellow he -had shot. - -“Hold on!” roared Jefferson Arnold. “Don’t shoot! You might hit my son!” - -“Your son?” cried Patsy. - -“Yes,” replied Jefferson. Then darting forward until he was close to the -young fellow who had come tearing down the rocks, he held out both -hands, as, in sob-choked tones, he cried: - -“My boy!” - -It was Nick Carter who saved Jefferson Arnold from pitching over the -precipice, by throwing both his arms around the millionaire as he leaped -forward to grasp the hands of his son. - -“What? Is this Leslie Arnold?” shouted Chick, bewildered. - -It was not necessary to repeat this question, for the two Arnolds, -father and son, had dropped each other’s hands, and Leslie now had his -arms around his father’s shoulders. - -“Look out!” roared Patsy. “Here they come, twenty of them!” - -He pointed up the way the scoundrels had followed Leslie Arnold, and by -which they had suddenly retreated. - -It was apparent why the two men had gone back, although Nick Carter was -the first to see it. - -“Take cover! Quick!” he thundered. “Those two are bringing the whole -pack about our ears.” - -Everybody rushed behind rocks, rifle in hand, except Nick. He was -looking over into the chasm. - -“Chief!” cried Chick anxiously. “What’s the matter? What are you doing -out there? They’ll fill you full of arrows and poison. Come back here!” - -Nick Carter waved his hand to silence his terrified assistant. Then he -flung himself flat upon the narrow path, with one of his long, sinewy, -capable arms stretched down over the precipice. - -There was a momentary strain, a quickening of the great detective’s -breath. Then--a tall, dark, lean figure, in scanty white clothing, -topped by a large white turban with a jewel in the center, leaped -lightly upon the narrow path. - -“Thank you, sahib!” said Jai Singh calmly, as, taking Nick Carter’s -hand, he dragged him to the safety of the overhanging rock. - -It was not Jai Singh’s way to offer effusive thanks, even for the saving -of his life. But the detective knew that, even if he could not have -depended on Jai Singh to the last drop of his blood before, he certainly -could command it now. - -“How many of those men are there, Mr. Arnold?” asked Nick of Leslie. “I -mean, of those fellows from the other side of the mountains.” - -“About twenty here,” was the reply. “In the whole country where they -worship the Golden Scarab, many thousands.” - -“I don’t care about the thousands,” answered Nick Carter. “What we have -to attend to is the twenty or more who followed you.” - -He put his head a little away out from the rock. A dozen of the -peculiarly fashioned arrows rattled around him. - -“Poor marksmen, those people,” remarked the great detective, with a -smile, as he drew back his head. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -NICK’S MOST POWERFUL WEAPON. - - -“They were taking me up in the hills,” explained Leslie Arnold, in reply -to a question from his father. “I broke away two days ago, and have been -wandering about ever since.” - -“Without food?” - -“No. I managed to get enough of the cakes they use over there in Bolongu -to keep me alive. I took them from my guards when they were sleeping. -Only half of them were ever awake at one time. Generally they left five -or six to guard me, while the others rested.” - -“Must be a tired lot,” remarked Patsy, as he peeped a little way out -from the rocks to see what the enemy was doing. - -“Who took you up there, and how was it?” went on the elder Arnold. “Was -Pike in it?” - -Leslie Arnold clenched his teeth and drove one fist hard into the palm -of his other hand. - -“Yes. The scoundrel! He took the money from the business, and he is over -there, in Bolongu.” - -“The Land of the Golden Scarab,” put in Jai Singh quietly. “It is also -called Bolongu. I did not tell you.” - -“If you had, I should have known a great deal more about it,” remarked -Nick Carter. “Bolongu is a comparatively familiar name to me. I had -heard of the Land of the Golden Scarab only occasionally. Pike is up -there, is he?” - -Leslie Arnold would have answered, but just then there came a concerted -howl from above that indicated an intention on the part of the enemy to -do something and to do it quickly. - -Adil had been scouting without the knowledge of any of the party. He -returned now, with a grave face. - -He turned toward Nick Carter, as if to tell him something, when he -caught sight of the face of Leslie Arnold. With a cry of pleasure there -could be no mistaking, he rushed at his young employer and grasped both -his hands. - -“Adil!” - -“Sahib!” - -“Where did you come from, Adil? I thought they’d killed you.” - -“They tried. But Sahib Carter would not let them. The medicine man died -by a snake. The others ran away when Sahib Carter and the others from -America bade them. But you, Sahib Arnold? How is it?” - -“I got away four days after they took you down into the hills to offer -you as a sacrifice in the land you came from. That was to make the -sacrifice good for that part of the country,” answered Leslie. - -“Gee! These people from Bolongu, or the Land of the Golden Crab, or -whatever it is,” put in Patsy, “never overlook any bets. I suppose if -they were going to sacrifice me, they’d frame it up in the Bowery or -Union Square, so as to make it stick in New York. They make me sick.” - -“What have you found up there, Adil?” asked Nick Carter, who had been -waiting with what patience he could command to question the young Hindu. - -“They are coming down all at once. They have been commanded to do it, -even if some are killed. I heard them talking.” - -“In English?” asked Chick. - -“Yes. They use the tongue of the white man all over India,” supplied Jai -Singh. “Even in Bolongu, which is outside the pale, they still carry on -the language they learned from the white man two hundred and fifty years -ago. The tribes over the Himalayas have all been in Lower Hindustan at -different times.” - -“I know that to be true,” remarked Nick Carter. “That is why they are so -dangerous. Always, when Oriental races pass under the influence of the -Caucasian, they must be kept in close communion with him ever after, or -they will forget his civilization, and retain only his cunning.” - -Patsy Garvan had heard this with some signs of weariness. He wanted -action, not dissertations on the white and Hindu races. - -“Are we going to try out those guys up there, chief?” he asked. - -“We shall have to hold them back. Where are the four men of Jai Singh?” - -“They are here, sahib,” returned the tall Hindu composedly. “I called -them while I hung over the rock.” - -“Gee! There’s nothing slow about Jai Singh,” observed Patsy. “He’s as -slick as Jay Gould ever was.” - -“Are the boys all here?” asked Nick Carter. - -“They are here,” was the grave response. - -“They’ll have to fight,” put in Jefferson Arnold. “Have we guns enough -to go around, with one for my son?” - -“He can have my rifle,” answered Nick Carter. “I will depend on my -revolver. It is a weapon I am used to, and I have more confidence in it -than in a rifle, especially at close quarters.” - -Leslie Arnold took the rifle with a smile and word or two of gratitude. -As he handled it familiarly, making sure that the magazine was properly -supplied with cartridges, Nick had no fear that the young man would not -give a good account of himself if there should be a mix-up with his late -captors. - -The detective, having seen that his party were all properly armed, -determined to reconnoiter before going out to meet the enemy. - -Even with everybody counted in, including the two Arnolds, Adil and Jai -Singh, the four coolies, himself, and his two assistants, he could -muster only eleven. - -Captain, the bloodhound, had been left to guard the boat. He would have -made the twelfth, and Nick rather regretted he had not brought the -faithful animal with him. - -“Captain always makes good,” said Patsy Garvan emphatically. “He could -lick six of those Bolongu citizens, and then put a crimp in the hide of -the Golden Cat, to make it more binding. I’d bet on good old Captain -every time.” - -“There are twenty against us,” observed Nick. - -“At least that,” nodded Leslie Arnold. “There may be two or three over -that number.” - -“So that they have odds of at least two to one,” observed Chick. “Well, -that isn’t bad. They haven’t any guns--have they?” - -“They have their bows and arrows,” answered Leslie. “Their marksmanship -is something that we cannot afford to despise, either. They have been -shooting with bows and arrows for many centuries, and they get what they -aim at.” - -“Funny they never took to guns,” remarked Patsy. “They must know about -them.” - -“Of course they do,” returned Leslie. “But they despise them. At least, -the fighting men do. I dare say there are people back in their -cities--wise people, too--who would not know a gun if they saw one.” - -While talking thus, they had been busy getting ready for the charge Nick -Carter meant to make. He had seen that they did not mean to let Leslie -Arnold go if they could help it, and that there would have to be a fight -to keep him out of their hands. - -“What are they so anxious to hold you for, Leslie?” asked his father. - -“They know that you are a very rich man,” replied Leslie briefly. - -“Well?” - -“Pike has told them they can get many sacks of gold from you for me.” - -“I see!” grunted old Arnold. “A plain case of holdup, eh? Brigandage and -ransom? Well, we’ll see.” - -Jefferson Arnold grimly examined his rifle and pistol, and looked at -Nick Carter inquiringly. - -The detective said nothing. He stepped away from the others, and, -concealing himself behind a huge bowlder, managed to get a good view of -the rascals who were perched about the rocks above them, ready to make a -concerted rush at the command of their leader. - -“Come on!” whispered Nick to his party. “We’ll steal as near them as we -can, and then let fly at them all together!” - -“That’s the stuff!” chuckled Patsy. - -Cautiously, Nick Carter went forward, with Chick and Patsy close behind. -Then came the other two white men, with the four coolies. Jai Singh and -Adil brought up the rear. - -They had managed to advance until they were within about fifty feet of -the big rock behind which Nick knew the advance guard of the Bolongus -was stationed. - -There were four in this group, and Nick intended to overcome them first -if he could, thus paving the way to the next lot. - -If once he could get the weapons away from these twenty odd, he could -safely leave them where they were, or send them down the river, bound, -in care of the four coolies. Then he could take his own time about -coming back with the Arnolds, unless they should determine to follow -Pike over the mountains. - -Whatever plans Nick Carter might have formed, they were quickly knocked -aside by the fact that the whole twenty-four--which was the number of -Bolongus ahead of them--came rushing down at once, while another party, -whose presence they had not suspected, surged up from below, hemming -them in. - -“Let drive!” commanded Nick. “No quarter! It is fight or die now!” - -He laid low two of the rascals who were preparing to drive their spears -into them. Then he caught another who had taken his bow from his -shoulder and was fitting an arrow to the string. - -Chick and Patsy made good use of their pistols. Then they rushed -forward, with a yell, to clean out everybody in front of them. - -The skirmish became lively at once. - -Nick Carter soon perceived that Leslie and Adil had either made a great -mistake in the number of the men who had been bringing them down from -the other side of the Himalayas, or else that the party had been -unexpectedly augmented by other Bolongus that he had not thought were in -the neighborhood. - -In any case, it did not take him long to realize that they were -surrounded, and that there must be lots of determined fighting if they -were to get out at all. - -“Keep close, Patsy! Mind they don’t get in between you and Chick, or -me,” he warned, as he continued to pump bullets into the enemy. “Keep -your heads low, both of you! They can’t send their arrows near the -ground, because the rocks are in the way.” - -“I noticed that,” returned Chick, as he shot down a big rascal who was -about to hurl a spear at him point-blank. “Their spears are worse than -their arrows, it seems to me.” - -“Look out, Carter!” suddenly bawled Jefferson Arnold. “They’ve got -Leslie again!” - -This was true. In some ingenious way, the dusky warriors had contrived -to get Leslie separated from the others, and were forcing him to their -rear. - -“Come on, boys!” called out Nick Carter. - -That was all he said, but both Chick and Patsy knew, from the tone, that -it meant business. - -Disdaining cover, the detective jumped into the middle of the path and -rushed into the crowd of dark-browed Hindus who were shooting hatred -from their black eyes as fast as they were sending arrows on their vain -mission of death. - -“Club your rifles and knock them down,” was Nick Carter’s order. - -He swung his heavy revolver--he had no rifle--and brought down the -foremost man like an ox struck by a sledge hammer. Then he darted -forward until he was by the side of Leslie Arnold. - -Two powerful natives were holding the young man by the arms, but in his -right hand he still gripped the repeating rifle which he was no longer -able to use. - -With one blow of the revolver, Nick sent the man on Leslie’s left to the -ground, and shooting out his left fist almost simultaneously, he caught -the other fellow and laid him flat by the side of his comrade. - -“Get to work with your gun, Leslie!” shouted Nick Carter. “Here come -more of them!” - -Indeed, it seemed as if there were no end to the evil-looking rascals -now. - -They came from below, as well as above. There was murder in every one of -their fierce, scowling faces. - -“It’s no use!” exclaimed Leslie Arnold. “They have us now. We can only -try to fight our way down the hill, and get clear if we can.” - -“You bet we can!” yelled Patsy Garvan, who had been fighting so hard -that he was bathed in perspiration. “We can wipe out the whole works, if -we stick to it. Come on, Chick! Watch me lay out that crooked-eyed -citizen in front--the one who is swinging the spear.” - -Chick had emptied the magazine of his rifle, but the weapon made a -splendid club, and he circled it viciously in the air, so that it -cleared the way all around him. - -But, fight as they would, it was apparent that the small party could not -hope to prevail against all these savage Hindus. There seemed to be -fifty, at least. - -It was now, when the situation looked hopeless, that an inspiration came -to Nick Carter. - -He saw that his party could not win with ordinary weapons. But he might -use something else. It was worth trying, at all events. - -With a loud shout of “Look! All of you!” he raised his hand and held -before these men from the Land of the Golden Scarab, something upon -which the sun shone redly and seemed to endow with life as he waved it -about. - -For a space while one might count three there was silence. Then, as Nick -stepped forward, holding the object, whatever it was, in his hand, and -pushing it into the face of the first man in the rank, an awful shriek -arose, and the whole crowd turned and fled. - -“Holy Gumbert!” cried Patsy. “What’s the answer?” - -“Chase them!” ordered Nick. “After them!” - -“What’s struck them?” asked Chick. - -“Never mind!” returned Nick. “We’ve got those fellows on the run! Keep -them there!” - -That the whole gathering of Bolongus had been seized with unreasoning -panic was perfectly plain. - -They kept on running, throwing down their spears and bows and arrows, -and still Nick Carter and his party kept after them. - -It was well into the night before Nick gave up the chase and called his -men together. - -“It wasn’t necessary to go after them so far, I guess,” he said. “But I -wanted to make sure that they were fairly on their way. We are not quite -into their country. But I think we may go there at some future time, if -we can get a force together large enough to make sure that we shall be -able to get back. For the present, we must be satisfied with having -rescued Leslie Arnold.” - -“That’s enough for me,” interposed Jefferson Arnold, as he put an arm -over his son’s shoulder. - -“But what about William Pike?” objected Leslie. “I don’t like the idea -of his getting away with all that money.” - -“We’ll nail him some time, my boy,” was Jefferson’s cool response. “He -can’t stay over there in that wild country always, you know. It is a -good place to get to when a man is running away from the law, I have no -doubt. But a white man wants to get back to his own kind of people -sooner or later.” - -“Nevertheless, I’d like to get my hands on William Pike,” replied -Leslie. “I’d choke that money out of him before he could spend much of -it, I’ll stake anything on that.” - -“We are pretty sure to get Pike some day,” put in Nick Carter. - -“If you say so, Carter, I’m sure of it,” said Jefferson Arnold. “But, -say, what is that thing you have in your hand, that scared them all and -sent them flying back just when they seemed to be on top.” - -“Here it is,” answered Nick, opening his hand. “It seems to have the -most marvelous power I ever heard of in a small, ordinary-looking thing -like this.” - -“I don’t think it is very ordinary looking,” remarked Chick. “But it -certainly has the ‘punch.’ It is the ear of some idol, isn’t it?” - -“Yes. It is the thing that fell from the hand of that snake charmer. I -never supposed it would serve us such a good turn as it has now.” - -“When the priests and wise men of Bolongu find that the ear of the great -Mashonu is in the hands of a white man, it will most likely mean the -death of all those.” - -It was Jai Singh speaking, and he swept his arm in all-embracing fashion -to include all the men who were racing away in a cloud of dust a mile or -more away. - -“The ear of the idol Mashonu, eh?” observed Nick Carter musingly. “I -have heard of that idol. I did not know I held such a precious relic. -Well, I’ll take care of it. Now, everybody! Right about face! Our cue is -to get back to the lower country before we have any more trouble.” - -“Thank Heaven I am taking my boy back with me!” said Jefferson Arnold, -in a voice that trembled with gratitude. - - -THE END. - - -“The Secret of Shangpore; or, Nick Carter Among the Spearmen,” will tell -you more about the adventures of the famous detective and his assistants -in India. This story will be found in the next issue of NICK CARTER -STORIES, No. 134, out April 3d. - - - * * * * * - -ON A DARK STAGE. - -By ROLAND ASHFORD PHILLIPS. - -(This interesting story was commenced in No. 127 of NICK CARTER STORIES. -Back numbers can always be obtained from your news dealer or the -publishers.) - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -CURTAIN UP! - -Klein did not join the throng in the ballroom, but went out upon the -broad porch, paced it from end to end, studied the windows, and ran a -critical eye along the green hedge that bordered the pebbled road. -During a lull of the orchestra, the dull roar of the surf came to his -ears. Remembering something, Klein walked out along the narrow -footbridge to the summerhouse on the cliff edge. - -There he bent down and examined a bundle that was hidden beneath a large -rock, assured himself that everything was complete, then retraced his -steps. Midway on the bridge he stopped. - -Far below, the surf, its edges sparkling, rolled against the base of the -cliff. Overhead, the white moon poured down its stream of silver. - -Reaching the porch again, Klein met Mr. Lydecker and another man. One -glance into the latter’s face started a flood of memories. - -Mr. Lydecker greeted Klein, then turned to his companion. - -“Permit me. Mr. Klein, Mr. Jarge.” - -Their hands barely touched. “I believe I have had the honor of meeting -Mr. Klein before,” Jarge said quietly, his black eyes searching Klein’s -face. - -“Yes,” answered Klein, just as quietly; “I believe we have met. It was -on the Fall River boat, about a month ago, was it not?” - -“Bless my soul!” exclaimed Mr. Lydecker. “Is that really so? What a -coincidence, to be sure! I happened to meet Mr. Jarge on the Fall River -boat, and it couldn’t have been more than a month ago.” - -“It was the same night,” Klein said. “I remember seeing you on board, -Mr. Lydecker.” - -Klein instantly recalled the night in the smoking room, when he had -watched Mr. Jarge following Mr. Klein and his daughter. - -“Since that night,” Mr. Lydecker was saying, “I have always had a warm -place in my heart for Mr. Jarge. He was the ship detective, you know, -and bless my soul if he didn’t return my daughter’s jewels before we -even knew they had been stolen. Quite remarkable, don’t you think so, -Mr. Klein?” - -“Very remarkable,” answered Klein dryly. - -Jarge, to all appearances, did not relish the conversation, and with a -mumbled excuse he sauntered away. - -“Yes, sir,” Mr. Lydecker repeated, once they were alone, “Mr. Jarge won -my instant admiration. I don’t mind telling you, Mr. Klein, that I have -engaged this man to mingle with my guests to-night. The robbery of last -week has naturally made me nervous, and I concluded I would take -measures to prevent another incident like that.” - -“You say that this Mr. Jarge was a detective on the Fall River boat?” -Klein asked. “How did you find that out?” - -“Why, he told me himself,” replied Mr. Lydecker. “Besides, he returned -all my daughter’s jewelry, which she was foolish enough to leave in her -stateroom when we went to dinner.” - -“And I suppose Mr. Jarge caught the thief, and you prosecuted him?” - -“Why, no; not exactly. You see, Mr. Jarge asked me to keep the matter -quiet. We did so.” - -“How does it happen that Mr. Jarge is in Hudson?” asked Klein. - -“He has left the boat, and started in business for himself. He is very -successful, too, I believe. I had almost to force him to take my case -to-night.” - -“Is that so?” Klein smiled to himself. “But did it ever occur to you, -Mr. Lydecker, that this Jarge might have had a good reason for gaining -your friendship in the manner he did?” - -“Why--why, what do you mean?” sputtered the older man. - -“Do you really know anything about him, other than what he had told you -himself?” - -“I can’t say I do,” Mr. Lydecker admitted reluctantly. “But I do not see -any reason for doubting----” - -“If you had taken the trouble to inquire at the Fall River offices in -this city, you would have learned that they do not, and never have, -employed private detectives on any of their boats.” - -“Nonsense, Mr. Klein!” broke in the other, “I cannot believe that Mr. -Jarge would deliberately lie to me. Besides, he has done me a great -favor, and I appreciate it.” - -“You are allowing your daughter to wear some of her most valuable pieces -of jewelry to-night, are you not, Mr. Lydecker?” Klein questioned, -apparently changing the subject. - -“Why, yes, I have allowed her to do so. You see, it is her birthday.” - -“And the majority of the women present are doing the same, I believe?” - -Mr. Lydecker admitted that such was the truth. “But,” he asked, “what -has that to do with Mr. Jarge?” - -“It might not have a thing in the world to do with him,” responded -Klein; “and again, it might.” - -They were interrupted at that moment, and the conversation was dropped. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - -A NEW TWIST TO THE PLOT. - - -Klein went indoors, and mingled with the guests. He saw that Tod was -playing his part like a veteran. After one of the dances the two managed -to exchange a few words. - -“There’s some surprise in certain quarters,” Tod ventured, smiling. - -“Well, it won’t do any harm, now,” Klein answered. “I knew you would be -recognized, and for that reason I wanted you to keep under cover until -the right time.” - -“Where have you been?” - -“Talking with a friend of yours,” Klein observed. - -“Friend of mine?” - -“Yes; Mr. Jarge.” - -“Is that man here?” exclaimed Tod. - -“Very much so. Mr. Lydecker has engaged him as a private detective -especially for this dance to-night.” - -“Good Lord!” The colt reporter whistled softly. “What do you make of it, -Klein?” - -“I intend making a lot of it, a little later on,” responded Klein. “At -least, I hope so. At present there is just one little gap to bridge. -However, don’t you forget your part in the drama.” - -“There isn’t a chance in the world of my going up in the air now,” Tod -replied, in a confident voice. “So, whenever you’re ready to ring down -the curtain, go ahead; I’ll be in the picture.” - -With this they parted, Tod hurrying back to the dance that was just -starting, while Klein, avoiding Miss Lydecker, who seemed puzzled -because he refused to join in the festivities, went out of the door, and -stood for a time in the friendly shadows of the wide porch. - -A sudden bustle among the dancers, following a waltz, told him that they -were about going in for supper. - -“My cue at last,” he murmured to himself, thrilling a bit at the thought -of the scene that was to come. “All the guests will be in the dining -room now.” - -Swiftly he crossed the porch, gained the footbridge that led to Eagle’s -Nest, traveled its length, found the bundle he had previously examined, -took it, and went into the summerhouse. He remained there for all of -five minutes, and when he emerged he was wearing a long raincoat. He -came back over the bridge, gained the shadow of the house, and was on -the point of entering, when he stopped short. Hurrying around the -corner, and coming to a halt within a few yards of where Klein had -paused, came the detective, Jarge. - -At the same moment a window, just above his head, opened and something -flashed in the moonlight. Jarge’s hand went out. It was all done before -Klein could fully realize the meaning. Then swiftly it dawned upon him. -He had expected it, but not at this moment. - -Now, instantly alive to the situation, despite the fact that the scenes -were being juggled, Klein stepped forward. Until that time Jarge had -not seen him. At the first sound, however, the detective whirled. - -“Well?” he snapped, taken off guard, his voice far from a natural one. - -“I’ll trouble you for that necklace you just caught,” Klein announced -quietly. - -“I--I don’t know what you mean.” Jarge was plainly upset, and was -sparring for time. - -“Don’t hedge. I saw it. A necklace was dropped to you from that window. -Give it to me!” - -“I don’t know----” began the other. - -Klein advanced another step, gripped Jarge’s wrist with one hand, and -allowed the other to drop into the detective’s pocket. Quick as a flash -Jarge turned, but not in time to prevent the discovery. Klein’s fingers -brought forth the necklace from the pocket. - -“You----” gasped the enraged detective. - -“Don’t waste your good breath,” Klein interrupted, placing the necklace -in his own pocket. “If I’m not greatly mistaken, you’ll need all of it -later on. By the way, do you happen to have Miss Lydecker’s brooch with -you to-night? I mean the one you got away with last week. Rather a neat -plan, Jarge. Posing as a detective is quite a help, isn’t it? And -winning the respect of Mr. Lydecker by first stealing his daughter’s -jewels, then returning them, is another clever move on your part. You’re -an artist!” - -Gradually Jarge was recovering from his first shock. And as Klein -finished with his accusations he shrugged his shoulders and laughed. - -“Very good, Mr. Klein,” he announced curtly. “Your deductions are well -conceived. You’re almost as clever an artist as myself.” He laughed -again. “But whatever you’ve discovered--and I admit it isn’t a thousand -miles from the truth--you’ll keep to yourself. If I have been clever in -one way I have been in others. You see, Mr. Klein, I work out all my -plans according to system, and they seldom fail me.” - -“I’m afraid this will fail,” Klein answered. - -“Not at all. Momentarily interrupted--that is all. You had better run -along and forget what you have just seen.” - -“You appear to be extremely confident that I----” - -“It is a confidence inspired by careful scheming and mature -deliberation,” broke in the detective, his voice once more assuming that -quiet drawl, which since the first had interested Klein. “And of course -you will not think of mentioning to-night’s incident, Mr. Klein, -realizing the circumstances that surround you.” - -“I know of but one circumstance that could seal my lips,” replied Klein, -“and that would be an extreme one. As there are slight prospects of such -a miracle taking place, I’m afraid, Mr. Jarge, you will be compelled to -accompany me into the house. I’m sure Mr. Lydecker will be interested in -learning the identity of the----” - -“Don’t you think the police of New York City would be as interested in -finding you, Mr. Klein?” interrupted Jarge. - -Klein’s lips hardened. This, then, was the weapon with which the -detective hoped to club him into silence. - -“I am quite willing to return to New York--after to-night,” he replied. - -“It would be rather unpleasant, would it not? A man accused of assault -to kill is not granted many favors. I do not like to see you -deliberately put your head into a noose, Mr. Klein. Especially as I -have twice saved you from capture.” - -“What’s that?” Klein’s heart started throbbing just a trifle faster than -normal. “You saved me?” - -“Yes. I was the unknown who aided you to escape that night in Mrs. -Wold’s boarding house. And several nights later, on board the -_Providence_, I saved you from a certain zealous newspaper reporter, who -had taken passage with the intention of apprehending you.” - -Klein could have shouted aloud at this unexpected confession. He was -glad of the heavy shadows, for his face must have mirrored his thoughts. -Only a wooden man could have remained stolid under similar -circumstances. - -That Jarge was the unknown who had pushed him through the door that -night in Mrs. Wold’s boarding house, with a whispered “Run for it!” in -his ear, thereby saving him from the police, came as the proverbial bolt -from the blue. Yet, instead of cowering Klein, as the other had -naturally expected it would, the confession served to bridge the few -remaining gaps in the otherwise perfect wall of the Delmar case. - -“So in view of this, Mr. Klein,” the detective spoke up after an -interval of silence, apparently satisfied that his case had been won, “I -presume you have no objections to returning the necklace. Also, that you -are not as anxious to report what has taken place within the past -fifteen minutes.” - -“On the contrary,” Klein broke in sharply, “I have no intention of -returning the necklace, other than to its owner. And as for repeating -what I have just witnessed, I think such a statement would sound better -from your own lips. Come along, Mr. Jarge!” - -The detective objected strenuously to such an arrangement, until Klein -produced a revolver. The polished barrel was sufficient inducement, and -he walked meekly ahead of Klein. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - -THE CLIMAX. - - -Klein and his unwilling prisoner entered the large room, to find it -cleared of all women. The men were grouped at one end of the room, and -were talking in whispers. In a chair sat Tanner, his face colorless, his -collar torn, his shirt rumpled. At his side stood Tod, flushed and -triumphant. In front of both was Mr. Lydecker. - -The moment Klein entered upon this scene, preceded by Jarge, an -exclamation fell from Mr. Lydecker’s lips. Tanner, looking up, started -visibly, and a silent signal seemed to flash between him and Jarge. -Klein alone noticed it, but said nothing. - -“Bless my soul!” exclaimed Mr. Lydecker, unaware for the second that -Jarge was a prisoner. “I’m glad you’re here, Mr. Jarge. We have -discovered a painful----” - -“Mr. Jarge is not talking at present,” Klein interrupted. “At my request -he is here to return the necklace which his confederate, Tanner, dropped -to him from the window.” - -“D-dropped to him?” stammered Mr. Lydecker. - -“Exactly. I am glad that we managed to catch both men at the same time.” -He beamed upon the excited reporter. - -“I nabbed my man just as he opened the window,” Tod said. “I guess he -dropped the necklace at the same time.” - -Klein motioned Jarge to be seated. The detective obeyed sullenly. Then -Klein brought the necklace from his pocket and handed it to Mr. -Lydecker. - -“Will you kindly return this to its rightful owner?” he said. - -Mr. Lydecker accepted the necklace with trembling fingers. “This--this -is all a mystery to me,” he gulped. “I cannot understand. I--I----” He -stopped, and looked helplessly at Klein. - -“Perhaps Mr. Jarge, with the proper persuasion, will return your -daughter’s brooch, which he took last Saturday night,” Klein said. - -“You’ll have to prove that,” snarled Jarge, his black eyes blazing. -“This whole affair is--is a mistake.” - -“A very serious mistake on your part,” Klein answered. Then, facing -Tanner squarely, he said: “What have you to say?” - -“Nothing,” replied Tanner. - -“Following your instructions, Klein,” broke in Tod, “I had the police -called here.” - -Hardly had the words left the reporter’s lips when the chief of police -himself, accompanied by two detectives, entered the room. - -“What is the trouble, Mr. Lydecker?” the chief asked sharply. “Another -robbery?” - -Mr. Lydecker nodded. “I--I guess Mr. Klein will explain the whole -painful matter to you. I am all upset.” - -The chief turned to Klein, who, in a very few words, explained how he -had come upon Jarge under the window just as the necklace was being -dropped. - -“This is the man who dropped it?” asked the chief, nodding toward -Tanner. - -“Yes,” said Tod eagerly. - -“And it was caught outside the window by this man?” the chief went on, -nodding toward Jarge. - -Klein answered in the affirmative. Then he added: “Do you happen to know -of a Mr. Jarge, who is at the head of a private detective association?” - -“Never heard of either one of them,” was the blunt answer. - -“If there was such an organization in the city you would undoubtedly be -aware of it?” - -“Certainly I would.” - -Klein smiled. “Mr. Lydecker has been imposed upon by a pair of clever -crooks; one of them an actor, whom you have probably seen in the Hudson -Stock Company; the other passing himself off as a detective. Last week -they got away with Miss Lydecker’s brooch, and to-night they probably -figured upon a greater haul.” - -“How do you happen to know so much concerning them?” demanded the chief, -plainly impressed, yet at the same time perplexed. - -“I have been interested in the case for the past month,” Klein answered -frankly. - -“Are you a detective?” - -“I am an actor, who for a certain reason found it necessary to play the -rôle of a detective,” announced Klein. - -“And that reason?” insisted the chief. - -“The best reason in the world--for self-defense!” - -“It is rather unusual for a man in your position to assume such a task -without----” - -“Will you allow me five minutes for a full explanation?” Klein asked. -The chief agreed. - -“A month ago,” began Klein, “a friend of mine, Charles Delmar, was found -unconscious on the roof of his boarding house, in New York City.” - -“I recall the case,” broke in the chief, nodding. - -“Previous to his assault, I was with him. I had stopped in on my way to -the Albany Hotel, where I expected to get a theatrical engagement. I -found my friend desperately in need of money--he had been ill and out of -work for six months. In sympathy for him I forced him to take my -clothes--his own were in rags--and apply for the position. I remained in -his room until midnight, and as he did not return, was compelled to -leave, wearing his clothes. On my way through the hall I was seen by the -landlady, who, before I could explain, imagined I was a thief, and -called the police. Before their arrival, however, I was aided in -escaping by an unknown person, whom I learned to-night, from his own -lips, to be Mr. Jarge. The next day I was astounded to hear of my -friend’s death, and still more surprised to learn that he was discovered -on the roof of the house, clad in a suit of gray clothes.” - -“What was so surprising about that?” - -“The simple fact that when I last saw him he was wearing my clothes, and -they were of a peculiar shade of brown,” Klein said. - -The chief frowned, but nodded for Klein to proceed. - -“An hour or two previous to my discovery I met a friend who declared he -had seen a man entering the Albany Hotel wearing my suit. He was so -positive of it that I came to the conclusion that this man was after the -stock engagement sought by Delmar, and that he had assaulted my friend -and changed clothes with him for the identical reason I had in changing -clothes with Delmar. Realizing my own position in the matter, and the -strong circumstantial evidence against me, I determined to take this -clew, slight as it was, but the only one, apparently, and run it to -earth. To clear myself of suspicion I had to apprehend the real -criminal. - -“Mr. Tod”--indicating the reporter--“is a representative of the New York -_News_, and has been commissioned by his paper to find me. I outwitted -him in New York, but he managed to trace me aboard the Fall River boat, -and was on the point of having me arrested when this same obliging -gentleman, Mr. Jarge, interfered and prevented it. - -“I continued on to Fall River, after parting from Jarge at Newport, and -from there traveled to Hudson, where the stock company in question is -located. Here, as a supernumerary, I started my quest. I soon learned -that the manager had signed three men that night in New York--Metcalfe, -Tanner, and Dodge. So this was a more difficult problem for me to solve. -I had to discover which of the three men was the right one, and at the -same time keep my intentions secret. By substituting a photograph of my -friend, Delmar, for another picture used in one of the scenes, I -eliminated Dodge, and narrowed the suspicion down to Metcalfe and -Tanner, both of whom had shown much concern over the photograph, and -later demanded its removal from the frame. - -“One night, in my dressing room, Tanner dropped a newspaper clipping, -which I found and read, and which I thoughtlessly wrapped about a stick -of grease paint, and placed in my make-up box, little thinking it would -prove to be of any consequence. Last Saturday night, at a dance given in -this house, Miss Lydecker’s brooch was stolen. At first the case -appeared to be a most puzzling one, since none of the men had left the -room, and all of them readily submitted to a search. After I arrived -home that same night I recollected that just before the brooch was -missed, Tanner had opened a window. I saw instantly that in this way the -brooch had been dropped to a confederate below. I also remembered that -earlier in the evening Miss Lydecker had seen a man skulking along in -the shadow of the hedge. I made a search, but found nothing. This man -Jarge evidently had been Tanner’s confederate.” - -“Why did you not inform me of this?” broke from Mr. Lydecker, who was -greatly agitated over the explanation. - -“Because I was not positive,” Klein replied, “and I did not care to make -accusations until I had the proofs.” - -“Please continue, Mr. Klein,” said the chief of police. - -“Three days ago,” Klein resumed, “while on a trip to Fall River, I was -fortunate enough to save Mr. Tod from the hands of several enraged -strikers. While this meeting was a surprise to me, and to him as well, -the fact that he was wearing my brown suit--the suit taken from Delmar -on the roof of his boarding house--was a still greater one. From Mr. -Tod, who then refused to believe me guilty of the Delmar assault, owing -to my action in protecting him, I learned he had been in Boston, and -while there had chanced to overhear a conversation between two strangers -which convinced him that Jarge was not a detective, but a clever crook -posing as one, and known to those of the underworld as ‘Doc.’” - -The attentive chief of police exclaimed sharply: “Doc? Why, that man is -wanted in half a dozen parts of the country!” - -“Then you’ll have the honor of arresting him,” Klein replied. -“Meanwhile,” he went on, picking up the thread of his story, “Tod -informed me that he had purchased my suit in a pawnshop opposite the -station in Fall River. In searching the pockets we found a piece of -folded newspaper. I saved it. A part of the paper is torn, and the -clipping Tanner dropped from his pocket that night in my dressing room -just fits that torn part!” - -Tanner, who had remained silent while the evidence was piling up against -him, suddenly leaped to his feet. - -“It--it’s a lie!” he burst out. “A lie! You can’t----” - -Tod jerked him back to his chair. “Sit down!” he commanded, glorying in -his position. “When we want you to talk we’ll let you know.” - -“Mr. Tod recognized Tanner as one of Mrs. Wold’s roomers,” Klein -continued, “and that same night I sent her a telegram. In answering it -she mentioned the fact that Tanner had occupied a room adjoining -Delmar’s, and on the morning of the assault had disappeared. She said, -also, that a slim, black-eyed stranger was a frequent visitor to this -room. From then on my case was as good as finished. I enlisted the -services of Mr. Tod, and together we have managed to bring the little -drama to a satisfactory conclusion.” - -Tanner, white-lipped, trembling with suppressed agitation, was on his -feet again, despite Tod’s effort to prevent him. - -“There isn’t a shred of truth in that yarn!” he cried hoarsely. “I--I -didn’t take the necklace--nobody saw me! I don’t know a thing about this -Delmar case! Never heard of it! I tell you it’s all--all a lie!” - -Klein, awaiting the favorable opportunity to spring his final and -greatest surprise, suddenly stripped the raincoat from his shoulders, -and faced the stammering, protesting Tanner. - -A dead silence followed--few realized the situation--broken sharply by -a scream from Tanner, as, wild-eyed, his nerves shattered by the strain -he had labored under, and the story he had been compelled to listen to, -beheld the telltale brown suit on its rightful owner. - -One staring, agonized look, as though on the accusing face of his -victim, and Tanner’s spirit was broken. He was no weakling, but before -this unexpected and daring stroke of Klein’s the actor collapsed. - -Another outburst followed the first, and, as if desirous of fleeing from -further torment, Tanner whirled, knocked the astounded reporter aside, -and sprang through the window. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - -UNTANGLING THE WEB. - - -“Watch Jarge!” cried Klein to one of the detectives, as he sprang -through the window, followed by the chief of police. - -Tanner fell upon the porch, scrambled madly to his feet, gazed -bewilderedly about him, then dashed away over the narrow footbridge that -led to Eagle’s Nest. Klein and the chief were a few paces behind. - -At the summerhouse Tanner hesitated, vainly searching for an avenue of -escape, seeming to realize, for the first time, that he was trapped. -Suddenly, with a despairing cry, followed by a mocking, hysterical -laugh, the actor-crook deliberately hurled himself against the frail -railing, and as Klein darted forward with a cry of horror on his lips, -Tanner disappeared over the edge of the cliff. - -“Good Lord!” exclaimed the chief, reaching Klein’s side. “The man must -have been mad!” - -The two men peered over the cliff’s edge. The white surf dashed at the -rock base, thundering its eternal song, and the curling foam glistened -in the moonlight like lace. That was all. - -The men retraced their steps. As they reached the porch the chief said: - -“There’s a strong undertow along here, but I’ll have my men look for the -body.” - -When the news was given to those inside the house, Jarge’s cloak of -indifference dropped. Tanner’s death broke his nerve. He huddled back in -his chair, as if fear had come to him for the first time. - -“I--I guess there’s little use--in playing the game--to win, now,” he -murmured, his voice all but a whisper. “Let me congratulate you, Mr. -Klein. You’ve whipped me at my own game. Tanner and I overheard you that -night in Delmar’s room. We were both pretty well down and out. We -decided to get the engagement in Hudson, and----” He stopped, and was -silent for a moment. “Well, you see how it has all turned out. Tanner -hit Delmar, but he didn’t intend to kill him. All he wanted was the -suit; his own was in rags. I saved you--later in the evening--because I -thought if you were caught your story would set the police on a new -trail. As long as you were suspected, and kept out of sight, suspicion -would not be turned our way. I did the same trick on the boat. I stole -Miss Lydecker’s jewels and returned them to Mr. Lydecker, passing myself -off as a ship detective. I did this so that I might win his friendship. -Tanner and I had long planned to rob this house.” - -“Bless my soul!” was all that Mr. Lydecker could say. - -“And what about this suit?” questioned Klein. - -“I pawned it in Fall River.” - -“And it was you, a week ago, whom Miss Lydecker saw?” - -“Yes.” Jarge put a hand into his waistcoat pocket, and brought out the -brooch. “I haven’t much use for this, now,” he said. “I have carried it -about with me because I didn’t care to trust it to any one else, and I -believed detection was next to impossible.” - -The chief of police took it, and handed it to Mr. Lydecker. - -“I guess that is all,” Jarge said, his hands falling limply into his -lap. “And I’m glad it is over.” - -Metcalfe, the juvenile man, who had been a silent witness to the whole -affair, suddenly stepped forward. - -“Perhaps you’ve wondered why I was so upset the night you put Delmar’s -photograph in that ‘prop’ frame. Well, I suppose it was foolish of me at -the time. But it happened that on the very day Delmar was assaulted, and -probably just before you came, Klein, I visited Delmar in his room, and -we had an unpleasant argument. Delmar was for throwing me out. We talked -rather loud in the hall, and I noticed that a number of the roomers were -taking some interest. Then, when I read the next morning that Delmar had -been found unconscious, I--I instantly recalled our words, and fancied -suspicion would fall upon me. That explains my actions.” - -“I was puzzled at first,” Klein told him, “when both you and Tanner -acted so suspiciously. And it was not until I had the case well -unearthed that I realized you could have had no vital concern in the -matter. Now, of course, your explanation clears everything.” - -Mr. Lydecker offered the use of his automobile to the chief, and it was -readily accepted. The two detectives, with Jarge between them, left the -room. As the chief followed he turned to Klein. - -“You’ll be the important witness in this case, Mr. Klein. I suppose Mr. -Lydecker will vouch for your appearance?” - -“Willingly, sir,” answered Lydecker. - -“Just a minute,” broke in Tod. “Will you take me to the city? I’ve got -to send my story in to the _News_.” - -“Plenty of room,” the chief answered, smiling at the colt reporter’s -eagerness. - -“Can you imagine Reed’s surprise when he gets this?” Tod whispered aside -to Klein. “Great Scott! This is one of the scoops you read about! See -you later.” And he hurried out to the waiting automobile. - - * * * * * - -After the publication of Irving Tod’s sensational scoop, Mr. Reed, the -editor of the _News_, came to the conclusion that, after all, a -son-in-law like Tod was not the worst thing that could be wished upon -him. As for Claire Reed, she admitted, in time, that the possession of a -devoted husband was more to be desired than a life sacrificed to the -stage. - -Hobart Klein is still a member of the Hudson Stock Company, but his name -goes on the billing as “Owner and Stage Director.” As actor-manager he -has been called upon to assume many rôles, but his most successful one, -from a personal viewpoint, has been that of a husband; and he is upheld -by a very able critic, Mrs. Helen Lydecker Klein. - - -THE END. - - - - -HIS EXACT SIZE. - - -There is a kind of selfish smartness which makes a man think well of -himself, but which renders him a laughingstock, nevertheless. One rainy -day, when a shoe shop was full of customers, a man entered hurriedly, -and speaking to an assistant, who was fitting a lady, said: - -“Can you show me some of those you advertise? I am in great haste.” - -Excusing himself to the lady, the assistant proceeded to wait upon the -newcomer. Pair after pair of boots were tried on, and finally a perfect -fit was secured. - -“Now, what make are these boots?” inquired the man. “They fit me like a -glove. Just write down the make, with the exact width and length.” - -The salesman did as required, and the man drew on his old shoes and -started for the door. - -“Don’t you want the boots, sir?” inquired the surprised assistant. - -“Oh, no,” responded the man. “I just wanted to get my size. I have a -friend in the wholesale business who can get them for me at a good deal -less than your price,” and he went off, followed by the unspoken opinion -of the salesman and the laughter of several customers who had witnessed -the affair. - - - - -A HINT TO TEACHERS. - - -Two teachers of languages were discussing matters and things relating to -their profession. - -“Do your pupils pay up regularly at the end of each quarter?” asked one -of them. - -“No, they do not,” was the reply. “I often have to wait for weeks and -weeks before I get my pay, and sometimes I don’t get it at all. You -can’t well dun the parents for the money.” - -“Why don’t you do as I do? I always get my money regularly.” - -“How do you manage it?” - -“It’s very simple. For instance, I am teaching a boy French, and on the -first day of the quarter his folks don’t send the money for the lessons. -In that event I give him the following sentences to translate and write -out at home: ‘I have no money. The quarter is up. Hast thou got any -money? I need money very much. Why hast thou not brought the money this -morning? Did thy father not give thee any money?’ That fetches them.” - - - - -WHERE’S THE JOKE? - - -Daniel Webster liked to make remarks of a character intended to puzzle -simple minds. Stopping to dinner one day at a country inn on his way to -Marshfield, he was asked by the hostess if he usually had a good -appetite. - -“Madam,” answered Webster, “I sometimes eat more than I do at other -times; but never less.” - -The inhabitants of the village where this profound Hibernicism was -uttered, have probably been at work ever since trying to comprehend its -exact purport. - - * * * * * - -THE NEWS OF ALL NATIONS. - - - - -Eat More Corn Bread. - - -The suggestion that the American people get better acquainted with corn -as a breadstuff, made in Mr. Boyce’s talks recently, has brought many -commendatory letters. Mr. Boyce called attention to the fact that corn -is a universal crop in the United States. Demand from Europe has made -wheat prices high, but Europe has not yet learned to eat our corn. - -“Your advice should be heeded by everybody, in the cities and in the -smaller places and country,” says one letter, from an Iowa town. “Corn -has been selling at from seventy-two to seventy-seven cents a bushel. -Bulk cornmeal of good quality can be bought for three to five cents a -pound. As you say, there is no better food in the wintertime. People -have been eating too much wheat.” - -Another says: “We should eat more corn, instead of so much wheat, and -also more graham flour and oatmeal. They all furnish the best kind of -nutriment.” - -Eating of potatoes, rye bread, rice, oatmeal, and similar foods is also -advocated. More attention should be paid to vegetables as a partial -substitute for bread. - -Corn is as healthful as it is economical. Those who make a practice of -eating corn bread rarely suffer from indigestion, constipation, or -kindred complaints. - - - - -Eighty-three, But He’s a Speeder. - - -Though Alfred S. Hensley, of Stanhope, N. J., is eighty-three years of -age, he would not be “dared” by some of his cronies, who wagered that he -would not ride a motor cycle. Hensley was telling them how some years -ago he was a “speed maniac” with a motor cycle. They laughed, and the -old man jumped on the seat of a motor cycle and was off down the -Stanhope-Newton Road like a shot. He went about half a mile and then -turned back, covering the last quarter of a mile in sixteen seconds, and -as he set the machine against the curb, he pocketed a wager with the -remark: - -“Well, I guess I’m still one of the young uns.” - - - - -All Five Shots Hit Villain of a Play. - - -Lewis Benton, who has lived near Shingletown, Cal., fifty miles from a -railroad or town, all his life, came to Sacramento the other day to -settle up a timber claim at the United States land office. - -Benton, who had read a great deal about the white-slave traffic and had -heard something about moving pictures, looked up a newspaper reporter -who had spent the summer with him, and together they attended a picture -show. - -Real trouble was reeled off at the theater. The films showed a stirring -play, in which a deep-eyed villain with a silk hat and a cane did his -worst for three reels. During the most thrilling portion of the play, -when the villain tried to hurl one of his fair victims from the sixth -story of a building, Benton could contain himself no longer. - -He whipped out his forty-four-caliber revolver and began shooting at the -screen. After the police had seized and hustled Benton away, the screen -was examined, and it was found each of the five shots hit the curtain -within the space of a silver dollar. When the pictures were run again, -it was found that the villain was struck between the eyes by every -bullet. - -The newspaper man had a hard time explaining Benton’s action to Police -Judge Waldo Thompson. The judge finally consented to let Benton return -to Shingletown minus his “shooting iron.” The revolver was sent to him -by parcel post. - - - - -Finds Money in a Chimney. - - -When he moved into a recently purchased house, Floyd Wilkins, of -Georgetown, Del., was overjoyed to find a sum of money hidden behind a -loose brick in the chimney. The money is supposed to have been placed -there by the former owner of the house, who died several years ago. -Wilkins has not disclosed the amount. - - - - -Pathetic Romance of Aged “Lonesome Bill.” - - -While hunting for coon in the mountains north of Big Laurel, Va., the -hunters came upon the cabin of old “Lonesome Bill,” and seeing no light -in the house, investigated and found the old man dead. Whether the aged -hermit froze to death or died from illness no one knows, but it is -thought that he had been in poor health for some time, and it is likely -he succumbed to old age. - -His exact age is not known, as all his family have long been dead or -moved away, but it is supposed that he was near one hundred years old, -probably older. The old man was seldom seen away from his mountain home, -and how he lived is still a mystery. It is said that at the age of -eighteen or twenty he came to the mountains from the eastern part of the -State, with his father, mother, and three sisters. They were all nice -people, and Bill was well educated, having graduated from some Eastern -university. He fell in love with one of the mountain girls near where -his father had bought a large farm, and was about to marry her when his -father, Mark Alexander, interfered. - -There was some trouble between father and son, but the son finally -succeeded in securing his father’s consent to the marriage, but before -the day came for the wedding the girl was taken sick and died after a -few days’ illness. - -From the day of her death, Bill Alexander was a changed man. He went -into the forest, high upon the mountainside, and built himself a rude -cabin, where he lived until he died. At first he would see no visitors, -and came near killing several persons, including his father. - -Not many months later his father died and two sisters married, leaving -his younger sister and mother alone. He received them in his cabin, and -they remained with him for two days, when they sold out the farm, with -the exception of his house and one acre, and left the country. The two -sisters who married had already gone away with their husbands. - -So Bill Alexander, the dashing young college man of eighty years ago, -came to be simply “Lonesome Bill” to the mountain people, and he was -left to brood over his lost love alone. All traces of his people having -been lost, he was buried by the side of the cabin he called home. The -cabin contained nothing of importance, further than an old tintype of a -young and pretty girl dressed after the fashion of the mountaineers a -century ago. - - - - -Suit Over Nail in the Bread. - - -A nail and a tooth of a woman’s comb or a piece of a toothpick found in -loaves of bread that had not been touched by a human hand in the -preparation or baking or delivery are the causes of a suit for damages -brought by C. A. J. Qeek-Berner against the Ward Bread Company before -Judge Aspinall and a jury in the Kings County Court, New York. - -Mr. Qeek-Berner claims he found the nail and the other foreign -substances with his teeth, and in so doing inflicted damage to said -teeth and mental anguish to himself to the value of $50,000. The -plaintiff testified he found a wire nail an inch and one-half long in -one loaf of bread, and in trying to masticate it, he ruined five teeth. -Later, in another loaf, he found a tooth from a woman’s comb. Counsel -for the defendant insisted that it was but a common toothpick. - - - - -Thirty-mile Race to Save $25,000. - - -With a package containing $25,000 in cash perilously near falling out of -the open door of an empty express car, a Union Pacific fast-mail train -speeded westward, from Omaha, Neb., pursued by a special train carrying -the messenger who had missed his car. - -The race continued for nearly thirty miles before the mail was -overtaken. The package of money was found just a few inches inside the -open doorway. - -The money package was delivered just before the train started. It was -placed just within the open door, and while the messenger was -registering, the train of exclusive express cars pulled out of the -station. The chase immediately was begun. - - - - -Flood Kills Caged Beasts. - - -Flood and storm conditions approaching those which swept southern and -central Arizona with disastrous results a month ago were repeated -several days ago. Two cities--Globe and Miami--were isolated. In the -Salt River Valley damage amounting to more than $100,000 has been done. -In Phoenix the streets were rivers, and animals valued at $30,000 were -drowned in a menagerie. - -Ranchers in the lowlands were caught unprepared and scores were rescued -from trees and housetops by boats after their homes had been swept away. -Many productive areas between here and Bisbee are still covered by the -flood, which in places reached the highest stage recorded in twenty -years. - - - - -$25,000 to Girl Who Kept Nice and Quiet. - - -Just how golden constant and well-regulated silence can be made was -evidenced when Miss Bertha Gretsch of New York, learned that Jacob Hyman -had bequeathed her half of a $50,000 estate because she didn’t laugh and -talk when he took her fishing. - -Hyman, who was seventy-three years old when he died lived with Miss -Gretsch’s parents for many years, and since her early childhood she was -his constant companion. Being of a silent and contemplative nature, the -aged man enjoined her to always sit still and not be giddy when she was -about with him, particularly when he went angling. She was, however, -permitted to utter monosyllables in monotone when he made an unusually -good catch. - -Regarding a loud laugh as one of the disturbers of philosophic calm, Mr. -Hyman was opposed sternly to visible and risible mirth. And because Miss -Gretsch could fish without giggling or otherwise impeding the sound of -absolute silence, she is now an heiress. She is twenty-two years old and -is a graduate of Erasmus Hall High School. Mr. Hyman was noted during -the latter years of his life for his benefactions to Jewish -institutions. He was in business for some time at 5 Beekman Street. - - - - -Another Man Restores Stealings. - - -W. H. Chapin, convicted of larceny by bailee in Portland, Ore., for -appropriating to his use $3,500 belonging to Mrs. Marion Annie Grace, -was given a full pardon by Governor Oswald West, who executed the -instrument upon receiving a bond signed by Chapin’s friends guaranteeing -that he would make restitution. - -Mrs. Grace and her husband, an aged couple, alleged that they had placed -their savings in Chapin’s hands for investment, and that he had -converted the money to his own use. - -Governor West notified Chapin that if he would guarantee full -restitution, a pardon would be forthcoming. - -“It seems more important,” wrote the governor, “that these old people -should be provided for than that Chapin should go to the penitentiary.” - - - - -Government Plan to Aid Unemployed. - - -The Federal department of labor has completed the preliminary work in -connection with the Federal employment bureau, and necessary blanks are -being sent employers throughout the country and to post offices for -distribution to persons seeking employment. - -It is the purpose of Secretary Wilson and his department to act as a -clearing house for those who seek employment and those who have -employment to offer. Both union and nonunion workers and proprietors of -open or closed shops throughout the country are interested in these -operations of the department. - -It is Secretary Wilson’s intention, it is further stated, to try to -induce municipalities which contemplate building projects and public -improvements to begin their work as soon as possible. Mr. Wilson -believes the greater part of this work should be done in times of -industrial depression and less should be done during periods of great -industrial activity. - -Finally, the secretary of labor believes it will be necessary ultimately -for the Federal government to actually put the unemployed on the land. -He favors a plan much like the one provided for Ireland by the Gladstone -bill. The government bought the land, cut it up into small farms, built -houses and other improvements, placed a family on each farm, and -received payment in amounts little larger than taxes. - - - - -War Costs Germans Trade in Chemicals. - - -The German exports of chemical products, in the manufacture of which -that country undoubtedly led the world, have been virtually entirely cut -off since the outbreak of hostilities. Last year they attained the -enormous figure of about $250,000,000. - -German experts in this trade, however, express no fear as to the future. -They are of opinion that the competition which has started in other -countries will, after the cessation of the war, only tend to sharpen the -edge of the inventiveness of German chemists, who will, they say, be -able to make further chemical discoveries which will place them in a -position at least equal to that which they have hitherto held. - - - - -Quitting Booze and Smokes. - - -Under the conditions that he neither smokes nor uses intoxicants until -he is thirty years of age, Charles Gordon Emery II., of Watertown, N. -Y., is left the sum of $50,000 in trust by the will of his grandfather. -Charles G. Emery, the tobacco millionaire, filed for probate here -to-day. The estate amounts to between four and five million dollars. - - - - -Bear Curfew in Jersey. - - -Women and children of Vernon, N. J., are staying indoors nowadays from -fear of bears. Two or three have stolen sheep and beehives lately, -carrying their loot into the woods and swamps on the outskirts of the -town. Hunters are organizing to put a stop to the bear raids. - - - - -Thanks Good Samaritan of ’61. - - -A resolution was adopted by the legislature of Vermont commending Mrs. -Bettie van Metre, of Berryville, Va., for her care of Lieutenant Bedell, -of Westfield, Vt., after he was injured during the Civil War. - -Lieutenant Bedell’s leg was broken by a shell in a battle at Opequon, -Va., and he was left behind by his regiment. He was picked up -unconscious and carried to the house, where he was left in an attic room -for three days without proper care, until Mrs. van Metre, then a girl of -twenty years, heard of his condition, and insisted on acting as nurse. -She watched over him, regardless of criticisms, until he was able to be -moved back to his Vermont home. She then accompanied him on a troop -train, and afterward returned to Virginia. - - - - -Indians’ Football Dates. - - -The athletic officials at the Carlisle Indian School have announced the -1915 football schedule, which contains one game less than last season. - -Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, Notre Dame, and Syracuse have been -dropped, and Harvard, Bucknell, and Fordham take their places. - -It has not yet been decided as to who will coach Carlisle on the -gridiron during the coming season, although there are a number of -applicants, among whom are former Indian football stars, as well as -graduates of leading universities. - -The schedule follows: - -September 18, Albright College vs. Carlisle Indians, at Carlisle; -September 25, Lebanon Valley vs. Carlisle Indians, at Carlisle; October -2, Lehigh University vs. Carlisle Indians, at South Bethlehem; October -9, Harvard University vs. Carlisle Indians, at Cambridge, Mass.; October -16, University of Pittsburgh vs. Carlisle Indians, at Pittsburgh; -October 23, Bucknell vs. Carlisle Indians, at Carlisle; October 30, West -Virginia Wesleyan vs. Carlisle Indians, at Wheeling, W. Va.; November -6, Holy Cross College vs. Carlisle Indians, at Worcester, Mass.; -November 13, Dickinson College vs. Carlisle Indians, at Carlisle; -November 20, Fordham University vs. Carlisle, at New York City; November -25, Brown University vs. Carlisle Indians, at Providence. - - - - -Has a Five-footed Pig. - - -R. S. Givens, living between Georgetown and Laurel, Del., has a hog -which has five perfectly formed feet. The freak is attracting much -attention from the residents in the western part of the country, and -hundreds have been to see it within the past few weeks. - - - - -Worked Fourteen Years, Never Asked Pay. - - -Here is a man who worked for about fourteen years as a clerk without -compensation. He is Edward A. Noonan, of New York, who went into the -employ of John Fox & Co., manufacturers of iron pipes, on August 23, -1900, but he never received anything for his work except a promise of -twenty-five dollars a week. - -The remarkable fortitude of Noonan in waiting fourteen years for a pay -day that never came around, figures in the accounting of the estate of -John Fox, late representative and president of the National Democratic -Club, which was filed in the surrogates’ court yesterday. Mr. Fox was -senior member of the firm that employed Noonan, and the latter has made -a belated claim for $19,500 back salary. - -Even while the affairs of the estate were being straightened out in the -office of former Surrogate Charles H. Beckett, attorney for the -executors, Noonan did some clerical work in connection with the estate. -But he never mentioned anything about his claim. The estate also -advertised for claims, but Noonan paid no attention. - -Not until the accounting was to be filed did he assert his desire to be -paid his salary. However, there will be no pay day for the unpaid clerk -in the near future, as the estate is not inclined to recognize the -claim, and it will be made the subject of a jury trial in the -surrogates’ court under the new law. - -The accounting shows that John Fox, son of the former politician, -received only $1,121 as his first year’s income from the estate, while -Eleanor B. Fox, granddaughter, received $1,000, and Mrs. Catherine -O’Brien, a niece, a similar amount. - - - - -1,827,000 Persons Get Aid in France. - - -Official statistics give the number of applications for government aid -as 2,116,000, of which 261,600 were refused. At present daily allowances -are paid to 1,857,000 persons, the average a family being two francs 10 -centimes--forty-two cents. The daily outlay is 3,900,000 -francs--$780,000. - - - - -Much Despised Weed Has Medicinal Value. - - -Thymol is an important antiseptic. For years it has been manufactured -almost exclusively in Germany, from a plant cultivated in India. At the -beginning of the European war the price of this medicinal chemical rose -from two dollars to seventeen dollars a pound. - -“Yet during all these years,” says Professor E. Kremers, of the -University of Wisconsin, “while we have been importing about ten -thousand pounds of thymol annually, a weed growing on the sandy areas -along the lower course of the Wisconsin River has probably been -producing enough thymol to have supplied the entire United States in the -present crisis.” - -Although attention has been directed again and again to this medicinal -agent, this weed has been allowed to go to waste. Because of its thymol, -it is not even touched by grazing cattle or sheep. Yet after the thymol -has been removed, the exhausted plant is eaten by animals, and may thus -be converted into a useful agricultural product. - -Now that the supply from Europe is cut off, requests for seed and plants -have been received at the Wisconsin pharmaceutical experiment station. - - - - -Once Rich, Now Beggar. - - -Unshaven and shabbily clad, “Colonel” William Wayne Beldin, who says he -was at one time independently wealthy, was found guilty of mendicancy by -Magistrate Deuel, in the Tombs police court, New York, and sentenced to -the workhouse for ten days. - -Beldin, who retains traces of his former gentility, says he was at one -time vice president of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. Unfortunate -speculation in Wall Street, he says, dissipated his fortune, and for a -time he was supported through allowances paid to him by relatives and -former friends. - -Five years ago these funds ceased to be forthcoming, and he obtained a -position as a waiter in a small restaurant. Finally he lost even this -humble position. - -According to Patrolman Gavan, of the Old Slip Precinct, Beldin was -begging Saturday night from passers-by opposite the Stock Exchange. -After he was placed under arrest, he told the police he had relatives in -the South who would be glad to care for him if he could find them. - - - - -One Day of Rest Upheld. - - -The constitutionality of the law securing to employees in factories and -mercantile establishments twenty-four consecutive hours of rest every -week, as applied in New York State, was upheld by a unanimous decision -of the court of appeals in that State. - -The decision was given in an appeal from judgments of the city court of -Buffalo convicting the Klinck Packing Company, of that city, of -violating the law. The statute is known as “the one day of rest in -seven” law. The employers will carry the case to the United States -Supreme Court. - - - - -Death Valley Now an Eden. - - -Death Valley, recently placed on the social map by a dance to which -girls were invited and provided with transportation by the bachelors of -the mining camps, is about to be transformed from an Eveless Eden into -an Eden densely populated with femininity. - -Following Death Valley’s great ball and the importation of music from -Los Angeles, a deluge of letters from Adamless Eves has descended on the -mining camps. - -The dance was arranged by young college men, mining engineers, and -employees in Death Valley. They invited girls from Goldfield, Ludlow, -and Los Angeles, providing each with railroad fare. An orchestra went -from Los Angeles. It was a gala affair. Robert M. Pease, who arranged -it, is being deluged with letters from women who want to move to Death -Valley. Pease writes: - -“Behold, I am being deluged with a hopeless mass of communications from -all ‘Adamless Eves’ in Christendom. I am receiving pounds of pressed -roses and violets; I am receiving offers to mend my socks, to sew my -buttons, to cook for me; requests for programs, requests for -photographs, and, yea, even requests for transportation.” - - - - -Facts You May Not Know. - - -The earliest record in journeying around the world was held by Magellan -at something less than three years--the latest stands at thirty-five -days and twenty-one hours. It has taken us nearly four centuries to -lower it to this extent. To reduce it in the next four hundred years in -the same proportion, we should have to make the circuit, in A. D. 2314, -in about a day. - -The California-Mexican border covers 152 miles. Arizona has 300 miles of -border on Mexico. New Mexico neighbors with the Mexicans for 410 miles, -and Texas lies along the Mexican boundary for more than 900 miles. - -A pipe organ has been installed in a Massachusetts church which produces -a tone so low that it can be felt rather than heard. - -The life of the domestic horse is about twenty-eight years, while that -of the wild one is thirty-eight years. - - - - -A National Forest is Lost. - - -Lost: A national forest. Last seen somewhere in Michigan. Three thousand -dollars reward. Finder please hold until called for. - -During the debate on the agricultural appropriation bill in the House, -at Washington, D. C., the reading clerk was interrupted by -Representative Fordney, of Michigan, when he read the item appropriating -$3,000 for the care of the Michigan national forest. - -“Mr. Chairman,” said Mr. Fordney, “I’d just like to inquire of the -chairman of the committee where that forest is located.” - -Chairman Lever confessed his ignorance, and no one else could enlighten -the Michigan man. - -The item was left in the bill, however, for fear the forest might be -discovered and left without provision. - - - - -Figure Seven His Lucky Number. - - -Calvin Ross, real-estate dealer, of Shelbyville, Ind., has just -celebrated his seventy-seventh birthday. Referring to his anniversary, -Ross said: “I was born at seven p. m. on the seventh day of the week and -the twenty-seventh day of the month in 1837. I was the seventh son and -the seventh and last child of my family.” - -He is convinced that he will live to be eighty-seven years old. He says -he has never been sick a day in his life. - - - - -Poor Man Proves Right to Patent. - - -After having been scoffed at for years while he struggled to achieve his -ambition and never once lost hope, Albert S. Janin has been declared -inventor of the hydroaëroplane, or flying boat. - -The decision was given against Glenn H. Curtiss, the famous aëroplane -builder, who had heretofore been credited with the creation of the -hydroaëroplane, by the examiners in chief of the patent office in -Washington, the appeal board in all questions of patents. - -Janin, a poor carpenter, living in a suburb of New York City, has for -years skimped his wife and seven children in the necessities of their -daily life, for the sake of carrying out his idea. He lost friends on -account of it; they pointed to their heads as he passed and said -“wheels.” The neighbors and the capitalists whom he tried to persuade to -finance his dream repeatedly told him he was going crazy. - -“It all came from the flying fishes and the sea gulls,” said Janin. “I -was what is called a cadet representing the government on a mail ship in -1899. I was detailed to a steamer running down South and used to stand -on the bridge and watch the flying fish rise in an arc from the surface -of the sea. I used to say: ‘If a fish can do that, I can make a machine -do the same stunt.’ That’s why I got the idea of the water machine -first, while the others worked on the land-machine idea. - -“The notion about warping the wings I got from the sea gulls that were -always sailing around us. So I began to make drawings of flying boats. -Right away my friends said: ‘Crazy.’” - -The difficulties through which Janin has made his way are hinted at in -the decision of the examiners in chief. Here, for example, is an excerpt -from their report: - -“Following the date of his conception--of the invention--Janin made -drawings, and in 1909 attempted to build a full-sized device himself. -He, however, was a poor man, evidently struggling to meet his current -living expenses. - -“From what his witnesses testify it is apparent that he was continually -striving to raise funds to develop his ideas, which were regarded by -many as illusionary.” - -Without the help of any one, and with no encouragement except the -sympathy of his wife, Janin persisted in completing his invention. The -value of the aid given him by Mrs. Janin can only be guessed from the -few words he said of her. - -“Everybody laughed at me except the family. They were game. My wife was -a sticker, even when there was sickness in the family, and a lot of -troubles that I won’t tell about. She believed in me all the way.” - -Finally, in January, 1911, Janin made application for a patent on his -design for the flying boat. August 22d of the same year Glenn H. Curtiss -applied for a patent on the same “counts.” The examiner in the patent -office gave the patent to Curtiss. Now that Janin has won on his appeal -to the examiners in chief, he will get a royalty on the flying boats -which will make him rich. - - - - -Warns of Boiler Danger. - - -There are over 500 boiler explosions in North America every year. The -records show that many of them are accompanied by fatalities. A little -invention which promises to do much toward preventing such accidents has -just been completed and patented by two Canadian engineers, John J. -Oglivie and Fred F. Dier, of Ottawa. It is called an “electric-signal -water column.” - -As the name implies, the invention is a column to be attached to the -boiler, answering the purpose of a water glass. By an ingenious electric -apparatus, the height of the water is recorded by means of small glow -lamps. As the water rises or falls, so the lamps at a corresponding -position are lighted or extinguished. Should the water fall below the -safety level, the next lamp below is a red one, and as soon as the water -reaches the level of this, the red globe shines forth and an electrical -alarm rings. The tube in which the water rises and falls is cast iron, -three inches in diameter, which eliminates any possibility of it -becoming clogged and thus registering a false level of water, which has -happened in ordinary gauges. - -A useful attachment to the water gauge on the boiler is an indication -board, a duplicate of the one on the boiler, which may be installed in -any part of the building where a steam boiler is run. Thus a -superintendent is constantly aware of the state of a boiler, as the same -lamps, globes, and alarm are used. The water column is made for use on -locomotives, ships, water tanks, or any mechanism where water levels -have to be registered. - -“The device is a fuel and labor saver as well as a life saver. It has -met with the approval of many of our boiler inspectors,” writes Oglivie, -who is chief engineer of the department of mines at Ottawa. - - - - -Catches Chickens With Net. - - -Lewis Johnson, a young man who lives on his uncle’s farm near Troutdale, -Ore., has invented a novel contrivance wherewith to catch timid chickens -without the customary breakneck chase. Lewis was commissioned to catch -the fowls for several large dinners, and it required a deal of chasing. -He now has a neatly woven net, a fishnet in resemblance, round in shape, -borders lined with auto drive chain, and a long rope attached to the -middle of the net. - -The net is compact and looks small enough, but when released by -throwing, much as a lasso is thrown, it spreads out uniformly to a -nine-foot circle. The spreading is automatic and the fall swift, so -there is little chance for the fowl to escape. - - - - -Spoon in Two Parts. - - -The germless spoon is to be added to the individual drinking cups, pie -plates, napkins, and other “use-once” devices. In a lunch place where -people are fed by hundreds, a spoon is thrust into a large number of -mouths during the course of its career, and should it be indifferently -cleaned, it would afford a playground for millions of germs, according -to the experts who study such things. The “germless spoon” has a new -bowl for every use. Only the handle is used more than once. The bowl is -of paper or compressed fiber. Means is provided for locking the two -parts together for use, after which the bowl is destroyed and the handle -goes to the kitchen for a bath. - - - - -HOW HE QUIT TOBACCO - -[Illustration] - -This veteran, S. B. Lamphere, was addicted to the excessive use of -tobacco for many years. He wanted to quit but needed something to help -him. - -He learned of a free book that tells about tobacco habit and how to -conquer it quickly, easily and safely. In a recent letter he writes: “I -have no desire for tobacco any more. I feel like a new man.” - -Anyone desiring a copy of this book on tobacco habit, smoking and -chewing, can get it free, postpaid, by writing to Edward J. Woods, 230 -H, Station E, New York City. You will be surprised and pleased. Look for -quieter nerves, stronger heart, better digestion, improved eyesight, -increased vigor, longer life and other advantages if you quit poisoning -yourself. - - * * * * * - -“THE MAGAZINE WITH A PUNCH” - - -TIPTOP SEMI-MONTHLY - -IT STANDS ALONE - -If you like rattling good stories about sport, adventure, and about -almost everything in this interesting world, read TIPTOP SEMI-MONTHLY. -It is a magazine with a definite purpose. That purpose is to publish a -semi-monthly magazine that will be read by every youth, and will be -welcomed by fathers and mothers, and by sisters, too. - - -CLEAN--BRACING--GRIPPING - -Buy TIPTOP SEMI-MONTHLY, and you will vow that you never got so much for -ten cents. Why? Because it is written, edited, and published for _you_, -exacting reader. And each issue will be better than the one that went -before. - - -Price Ten Cents - - -Issued on the tenth and twenty-fifth of each month - -The Nick Carter Stories - -ISSUED EVERY SATURDAY BEAUTIFUL COLORED COVERS - - -When it comes to detective stories worth while, the =Nick Carter Stories= -contain the only ones that should be considered. They are not overdrawn -tales of bloodshed. They rather show the working of one of the finest -minds ever conceived by a writer. The name of Nick Carter is familiar -all over the world, for the stories of his adventures may be read in -twenty languages. No other stories have withstood the severe test of -time so well as those contained in the =Nick Carter Stories=. It proves -conclusively that they are the best. We give herewith a list of some of -the back numbers in print. You can have your news dealer order them, or -they will be sent direct by the publishers to any address upon receipt -of the price in money or postage stamps. - - 704--Written in Red. - 707--Rogues of the Air. - 709--The Bolt from the Blue. - 710--The Stockbridge Affair. - 711--A Secret from the Past. - 712--Playing the Last Hand. - 713--A Slick Article. - 714--The Taxicab Riddle. - 715--The Knife Thrower. - 717--The Master Rogue’s Alibi. - 719--The Dead Letter. - 720--The Allerton Millions. - 728--The Mummy’s Head. - 729--The Statue Clue. - 730--The Torn Card. - 731--Under Desperation’s Spur. - 732--The Connecting Link. - 733--The Abduction Syndicate. - 736--The Toils of a Siren. - 737--The Mark of a Circle. - 738--A Plot Within a Plot. - 739--The Dead Accomplice. - 741--The Green Scarab. - 743--A Shot in the Dark. - 746--The Secret Entrance. - 747--The Cavern Mystery. - 748--The Disappearing Fortune. - 749--A Voice from the Past. - 752--The Spider’s Web. - 753--The Man With a Crutch. - 754--The Rajah’s Regalia. - 755--Saved from Death. - 756--The Man Inside. - 757--Out for Vengeance. - 758--The Poisons of Exili. - 759--The Antique Vial. - 760--The House of Slumber. - 761--A Double Identity. - 762--“The Mocker’s” Stratagem. - 763--The Man that Came Back. - 764--The Tracks in the Snow. - 765--The Babbington Case. - 766--The Masters of Millions. - 767--The Blue Stain. - 768--The Lost Clew. - 770--The Turn of a Card. - 771--A Message in the Dust. - 772--A Royal Flush. - 774--The Great Buddha Beryl. - 775--The Vanishing Heiress. - 776--The Unfinished Letter. - 777--A Difficult Trail. - 778--A Six-word Puzzle. - 782--A Woman’s Stratagem. - 783--The Cliff Castle Affair. - 784--A Prisoner of the Tomb. - 785--A Resourceful Foe. - 786--The Heir of Dr. Quartz. - 787--Dr. Quartz, the Second. - 789--The Great Hotel Tragedies. - 790--Zanoni, the Witch. - 791--A Vengeful Sorceress. - 794--Doctor Quartz’s Last Play. - 795--Zanoni, the Transfigured. - 796--The Lure of Gold. - 797--The Man With a Chest. - 798--A Shadowed Life. - 799--The Secret Agent. - 800--A Plot for a Crown. - 801--The Red Button. - 802--Up Against It. - 803--The Gold Certificate. - 804--Jack Wise’s Hurry Call. - 805--Nick Carter’s Ocean Chase. - 806--Nick Carter and the Broken Dagger. - 807--Nick Carter’s Advertisement. - 808--The Kregoff Necklace. - 809--The Footprints on the Rug. - 810--The Copper Cylinder. - 811--Nick Carter and the Nihilists. - 812--Nick Carter and the Convict Gang. - 813--Nick Carter and the Guilty Governor. - 814--The Triangled Coin. - 815--Ninety-nine--and One. - 816--Coin Number 77. - 817--In the Canadian Wilds. - 818--The Niagara Smugglers. - 819--The Man Hunt. - - -NEW SERIES - -NICK CARTER STORIES - - 1--The Man from Nowhere. - 2--The Face at the Window. - 3--A Fight for a Million. - 4--Nick Carter’s Land Office. - 5--Nick Carter and the Professor. - 6--Nick Carter as a Mill Hand. - 7--A Single Clew. - 8--The Emerald Snake. - 9--The Currie Outfit. - 10--Nick Carter and the Kidnapped Heiress. - 11--Nick Carter Strikes Oil. - 12--Nick Carter’s Hunt for a Treasure. - 13--A Mystery of the Highway. - 14--The Silent Passenger. - 15--Jack Dreen’s Secret. - 16--Nick Carter’s Pipe Line Case. - 17--Nick Carter and the Gold Thieves. - 18--Nick Carter’s Auto Chase. - 19--The Corrigan Inheritance. - 20--The Keen Eye of Denton. - 21--The Spider’s Parlor. - 22--Nick Carter’s Quick Guess. - 23--Nick Carter and the Murderess. - 24--Nick Carter and the Pay Car. - 25--The Stolen Antique. - 26--The Crook League. - 27--An English Cracksman. - 28--Nick Carter’s Still Hunt. - 29--Nick Carter’s Electric Shock. - 30--Nick Carter and the Stolen Duchess. - 31--The Purple Spot. - 32--The Stolen Groom. - 33--The Inverted Cross. - 34--Nick Carter and Keno McCall. - 35--Nick Carter’s Death Trap. - 36--Nick Carter’s Siamese Puzzle. - 37--The Man Outside. - 38--The Death Chamber. - 39--The Wind and the Wire. - 40--Nick Carter’s Three Cornered Chase - 41--Dazaar, the Arch-Fiend. - 42--The Queen of the Seven. - 43--Crossed Wires. - 44--A Crimson Clew. - 45--The Third Man. - 46--The Sign of the Dagger. - 47--The Devil Worshipers. - 48--The Cross of Daggers. - 49--At Risk of Life. - 50--The Deeper Game. - 51--The Code Message. - 52--The Last of the Seven. - 53--Ten-Ichi, the Wonderful. - 54--The Secret Order of Associated Crooks. - 55--The Golden Hair Clew. - 56--Back From the Dead. - 57--Through Dark Ways. - 58--When Aces Were Trumps. - 59--The Gambler’s Last Hand. - 60--The Murder at Linden Fells. - 61--A Game for Millions. - 62--Under Cover. - 63--The Last Call. - 64--Mercedes Danton’s Double. - 65--The Millionaire’s Nemesis. - 66--A Princess of the Underworld. - 67--The Crook’s Blind. - 68--The Fatal Hour. - 69--Blood Money. - 70--A Queen of Her Kind. - 71--Isabel Benton’s Trump Card. - 72--A Princess of Hades. - 73--A Prince of Plotters. - 74--The Crook’s Double. - 75--For Life and Honor. - 76--A Compact With Dazaar. - 77--In the Shadow of Dazaar. - 78--The Crime of a Money King. - 79--Birds of Prey. - 80--The Unknown Dead. - 81--The Severed Hand. - 82--The Terrible Game of Millions. - 83--A Dead Man’s Power. - 84--The Secrets of an Old House. - 85--The Wolf Within. - 86--The Yellow Coupon. - 87--In the Toils. - 88--The Stolen Radium. - 89--A Crime in Paradise. - 90--Behind Prison Bars. - 91--The Blind Man’s Daughter. - 92--On the Brink of Ruin. - 93--Letter of Fire. - 94--The $100,000 Kiss. - 95--Outlaws of the Militia. - 96--The Opium-Runners. - 97--In Record Time. - 98--The Wag-Nuk Clew. - 99--The Middle Link. - 100--The Crystal Maze. - 101--A New Serpent in Eden. - 102--The Auburn Sensation. - 103--A Dying Chance. - 104--The Gargoni Girdle. - 105--Twice in Jeopardy. - 106--The Ghost Launch. - 107--Up in the Air. - 108--The Girl Prisoner. - 109--The Red Plague. - 110--The Arson Trust. - 111--The King of the Firebugs. - 112--“Lifter’s” of the Lofts. - 113--French Jimmie and His Forty Thieves. - 114--The Death Plot. - 115--The Evil Formula. - 116--The Blue Button. - 117--The Deadly Parallel. - 118--The Vivisectionists. - 119--The Stolen Brain. - 120--An Uncanny Revenge. - 121--The Call of Death. - 122--The Suicide. - 123--Half a Million Ransom. - 124--The Girl Kidnapper. - 125--The Pirate Yacht. - 126--The Crime of the White Hand. - 127--Found in the Jungle. - 128--Six Men in a Loop. Dated February 27th, 1915. - 129--The Jewels of Wat Chang. Dated March 6th, 1913. - 130--The Crime in the Tower. Dated March 13th, 1915. - 131--The Fatal Message. Dated March 20th, 1915. - 132--Broken Bars. - - -=PRICE, FIVE CENTS PER COPY.= If you want any back numbers of our weeklies - and cannot procure them from your news dealer, they can be obtained - direct from this office. Postage stamps taken the same as money. - - - STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 79-89 Seventh Ave., NEW YORK CITY - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NICK CARTER STORIES NO 120 - 160 / -DEC 26, 1914 - OCT 2, 1915 *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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