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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d5d0c33 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66750 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66750) diff --git a/old/66750-0.txt b/old/66750-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 98e0617..0000000 --- a/old/66750-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5301 +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 - The Man They Held Back; Dared For Los Angeles - -Author: Nick Carter - -Editor: Chickering Carter - -Release Date: November 16, 2021 [eBook #66750] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: David Edwards, Chuck Greif 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. 136.= NEW YORK, April 17, 1915. =Price Five Cents.= - - - - - THE MAN THEY HELD BACK; - - Or, NICK CARTER’S OTHER SELF. - - Edited by CHICKERING CARTER. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -A MAN IN A MASK. - - -“You’ll pass for a Mexican in those togs, chief.” - -“The ‘togs,’ as you call them, Chick, don’t necessarily make any -character. But there is nothing about a Mexican to distinguish him from -other men except his costume, so I dare say I shall be a good-enough -Mexican for the purpose.” - -Nick Carter, the famous detective, regarded his reflection in the mirror -rather disgustedly, and his speech came in angry jerks, unlike his usual -calm, even tones. - -“You’ll be masked, of course?” observed his assistant, Chickering. - -“Certainly. It is a masked ball. If it were not, I should have very -little chance of catching my men. They would know me at once.” - -“I hope they will be there.” - -“They will, in all probability--unless they suspect that I may be on the -lookout for them. But I wish the costumer hadn’t made this mistake about -my dress. I told him distinctly I wanted the uniform of a Spanish -officer--a colonel, if he had it. Evidently he considered this rig--with -the trousers split at the bottoms, and this big sombrero--was near -enough, when he found he had not just what I ordered.” - -“Pity we hadn’t got the costumes in our own wardrobe.” - -“Yes. We have all kinds of disguises,” returned Nick. “But we seem to -have overlooked both a Spanish officer and a Mexican of this particular -type. I could have gone as a vaquero without bothering anybody outside. -But I have been seen in that dress, and this gang of counterfeiters we -are after are as cunning as any set of men I have ever met. They’d smell -me out, as a vaquero, as soon as I went into the ballroom.” - -“I’d like to be going with you,” said Chick, with a shade of envy in -his voice. “Those big balls at the Hotel Supremacy are always worth -seeing. I dare say I could have got an invitation.” - -“I am going on business, Chick,” returned his chief coldly. - -“I know that. Still, some business is pleasanter than others,” persisted -Chick. “You are going to do the tango, I suppose?” - -“I shall not dance,” was the answer. “I intend to go up in the balcony -to look on. I’ll get into a private box if I can.” - -The telephone bell rang, and Chick answered. Then he turned to Nick. - -“It’s Corliston, the costumer.” - -“Find out what he’s after. I suppose he wants to apologize for sending -me the wrong costume.” - -That was exactly what Corliston did want. There had been a Spanish -officer and a Mexican both ordered, and through an error on the part of -some of his men, the Spanish officer had gone to somebody else. He hoped -Mr. Carter would not be much inconvenienced. If there was anything he -could do, et cetera, et cetera. - -“Tell him it is all right,” directed Nick shortly. - -He put a light overcoat over his Mexican rig, and went down to the taxi -waiting for him at the front door. - -There had been some counterfeits of big bills worrying the treasury -department of late, and Nick Carter had been asked to help in gathering -in the persons who were making and “shoving” the bad bills. - -Information had reached Nick that some of the guests at the mask ball at -the big hotel might be the men he was after. - -The hint had come to him anonymously, and he did not like it. Ordinarily -he would have hesitated about giving such a message serious attention. -He had the contempt of all decent people for unsigned communications of -this kind. - -But he surmised, from the general appearance of the letter, as well as -its wording, that it had been written by somebody who had been in the -gang, and had left it with a feeling of being illtreated. So he felt -that he could not afford to throw it aside without investigation. - -When he reached the hotel, and, with his heavy, bullion-trimmed sombrero -in his hand, went up in the elevator to the ballroom floor, he found -that the gathering was likely to be a large and gay one. - -One of the features of the main ballroom of the Hotel Supremacy is the -ring of private boxes overlooking the large floor. The boxes are -immediately below the open balcony, so that they are shadowed and give -plenty of privacy to guests who may desire to see without being -observed. - -Nick was standing just inside the ballroom, looking over the floor -through the eyeholes of his black mask, and trying to determine whether -any of the disguised men promenading or dancing were likely to be his -counterfeiters, when an attendant touched him on the elbow, and -whispered: - -“This way, sir!” - -It was one of the rules of Nick Carter to follow any lead that might be -thrown out to him, just to see where it would take him. Also, he never -permitted himself to show surprise. - -He turned to the uniformed attaché and calmly surveyed him, ere he -answered quietly, and in a tone very much unlike that of his natural -voice: - -“All right! Go ahead!” - -Without a word, the attendant preceded him to the wide, carpeted -staircase leading to the corridor at the back of the private boxes. He -stopped at number thirty-six, which was painted on the box door in gilt -figures. - -Nick Carter took his seat in the box, and leaning his strong chin on his -hand, watched with interest the moving throng on the floor below. - -“I don’t believe Martin or any of the gang are here,” muttered Nick, -after half an hour’s steady contemplation of the promenaders and -dancers. “He’s heard that I’ll be here, and he’s keeping dark still. -Well, I’ll get him yet. I shall stay for a couple of hours, anyhow. He -and Lawton, or some of the gang, may come later. They’re going to get -rid of some of those hundreds to-night, unless that informant of mine is -a liar or very badly mistaken.” - -There was a little disappointment in Nick Carter’s bosom. This man, -Shoreham Martin, was a man who had always covered his tracks -successfully. At the same time, there was little doubt on the part of -Nick Carter that he was the prime mover in one of the most audacious and -successful counterfeiting organizations in America. - -“If I don’t get Martin to-night, it will only be putting off the happy -day,” continued Nick, to himself. “I have that comfort for my soul.” - -A soft tap-tap at the door made him swing around and look into the gloom -at the back of the box. - -The tapping was repeated, and Nick got up and opened the door. - -A slender girl, in the black-spangled robes of a “Queen of Night,” -stepped inside and closed the door. - -She was masked, but Nick could see a beautiful chin and white temples, -which satisfied him the “Queen” was young. Probably, also, attractive of -face. - -“I beg pardon----” he began. - -“Hush!” - -She held up a finger for silence and motioned toward the curtains at the -front of the box. - -“Draw them together, quick!” she whispered. - -Nick Carter had not the slightest idea what this was all about. But the -mystery of it appealed to his love of adventure, and he closed the -curtains at once. - -“Be careful, Marcos,” went on the girl, in a tense, hushed voice. “They -know you are here.” - -“The deuce they do!” thought the detective. - -“I have had a warning,” she continued. “They are going to send you up -something to drink. But you must not take any of it.” - -Nick Carter stared down at the masked face, and noted the general poise -of the slight figure with admiration. Mingled with it was perplexity. - -“I am sure you are making a mistake,” he told her. “Who do you think I -am?” - -“Don’t be foolish!” she rejoined impatiently. “I tell you there is -danger. I told you not to come here. But you insisted. Now see what has -happened. Don Solado and Miguel have recognized you already.” - -A loud knock came at the door. The girl leaped away, and her eyes shone -through the slits in her mask like half-hidden incandescent lights. - -“There! I told you!” she gasped. “Where can I hide?” - -In a corner of the dark box Nick Carter’s voluminous light overcoat hung -on a peg. The girl slipped behind the coat and was completely hidden. -Unless some one should come and make a thorough search, there was no -fear of her being discovered. - -“I don’t know who Marcos is,” thought Nick. “But it seems as if I am to -assume his name for the present. So here goes. I need a little -excitement, to make up for my disappointment over Martin.” - -When he swung open the door, all he saw was a liveried attendant, with a -silver salver. On it was a small coffeepot, with sugar, cream, and a cup -and saucer. - -“Who ordered that?” demanded Nick. - -“I have been sent to ask if you would like a cup of coffee, your -highness,” said the man imperturbably. - -The attachés of the Hotel Supremacy are used to meeting highnesses, -kings, lords, tycoons, viceroys, effendis, and so forth. There is -nothing in the way of a title that can disturb them. If the Ahkoond of -Swat came along, they might wonder to find that historical personage -still alive, but they would announce him as coolly as they would “Mr. -Jones, of Penn Yan.” - -“I’m a ‘highness,’ am I?” thought Nick. “Marcos must be somebody worth -representing, anyhow.” - -He made a sign for the man to put the tray on the small table that was -part of the furniture of the box. - -When he had gone out and the door had closed, the girl came out from -behind the overcoat, and put her hand on Nick’s arm just as he was -reaching for the coffeepot. - -“You don’t believe me?” she protested, with a catch in her voice that -showed she was hurt. “I tell you I saw Solado whispering to that man who -brought in the coffee, and Solado gave him a yellowback bill. That -coffee is drugged. They are going to prevent your getting out of New -York somehow.” - -“Even if they have to dope me?” smiled Nick Carter. “Well, I assure you -I had no intention of drinking that coffee. It is not my habit to eat -or drink anything that comes to me with so much mystery.” - -“There is no mystery in it to me,” she rejoined. “I know those men, and -so ought you, Marcos--I mean, your highness.” - -Nick Carter laughed softly, as he put his hand to his mask. - -“You will insist that I am somebody else,” he said. “The best thing I -can do is to let you see my face.” - -The black satin mask was off with one twitch, and the girl gazed at him -steadily for several moments. It seemed as if she could hardly believe -the evidence of her own vision. - -“Well?” queried Nick. - -“You are not Prince Marcos. But you are wonderfully like him. You might -be twin brothers, except that your eyes are a little darker than his, -and your mouth is firmer. But the shape of your face, your expression, -and even your voice are almost identical. It’s marvelous!” - -She said this in a low voice, as she inspected Nick Carter’s countenance -in a way that might have been embarrassing to a less self-possessed -person. To him it was only amusing. - -“What I can’t understand,” she continued, “is how you come to be in this -box, number thirty-six, and why you are in the costume that the other -gentleman ordered this afternoon. I know he asked for a Mexican dress, -and that the clerk showed him this one--or one like it, for I was with -him at the store.” - -“I believe I can explain part of the mystery,” returned Nick. “As a -matter of fact, this is not my costume. I ordered an entirely different -one from Corliston’s----” - -“Corliston!” repeated the girl. “Yes, that was the firm we went to.” - -“The usher who put me into this box judged me by my dress, I suppose,” -smiled Nick. “He had been told to put a Mexican into thirty-six, and he -did as he had been instructed. So we can’t blame the man.” - -Nick Carter could see that the cheeks of the girl were gradually losing -their pallor, as if she had been relieved of some great anxiety. - -“Are you sure this coffee is drugged?” he asked. - -“There is no doubt about that,” she answered quickly. “There are two men -below who have mistaken you for the--for the other gentleman, and they -are going to do him injury if they can.” - -“Why?” - -“That I can’t tell you. But the men are very dangerous. Moreover, if -they find out that I have come here to warn you, they will kill me.” - -“I hardly think that,” answered Nick Carter. “This is New York. It is -not safe to kill people here. Still, some men will take chances. -Especially foreigners, and the names you have mentioned have that sort -of sound. Did you say Solado and Miguel were watching this box?” - -“Yes.” - -“Very well. If you will permit me to walk with you, we’ll make a tour of -the ballroom and see what we can find out. I give you my word they -shan’t kill you while I am with you,” he added, with one of those -confident smiles which had given courage to so many persons with whom he -had had dealings in the past. - -She hesitated, but the detective knew she would do as he had suggested. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -WHAT NICK FOUND IN HIS SLEEVE. - - -“Do you realize that, if Solado and Miguel believe you to be Prince -Marcos, your own life may be in danger--even in this ballroom?” asked -the girl. - -“I don’t think it will.” - -“Why should you trouble yourself about something in which you have no -interest?” she persisted. - -“Who says I have no interest in it?” was his rejoinder. “Since I find -myself in this affair, I should like to see it through. You do not know -me, but I assure you it will give me pleasure to help you, if I can. -There is one thing I can tell you, and that is that Prince Marcos is -probably in the uniform of a Spanish colonel. That was what I ordered, -and if I have his dress, most likely he has mine. Corliston’s have mixed -it up, that’s all.” - -“It seems likely,” she murmured. - -“More than likely. Will you come?” - -“Yes. I must tell Marcos that Solado is here. But you must not go in -that costume.” - -Nick Carter had already readjusted the black mask over his face, but the -girl could tell, from the set of the firm chin, that this man, a -stranger to her, was determined to have his way. - -“I have never yet seen the man of whom I was afraid,” he returned. -“There will be no danger, I assure you.” - -She could not resist his masterful manner. He held out his hand. She -took it, and he led her out of the box. - -They walked along the corridor, the girl leaning on his arm, and so down -the staircase to the ballroom. - -As they entered, a dance was just over, and the dancers, chatting and -laughing, were leaving the floor. - -“All the better,” he whispered, behind his mask. “We shall have plenty -of room to walk, and a good opportunity to look at everybody as we go -along.” - -Nick Carter, a gallant figure in his gay Mexican dress, and with the -sombrero pulled well down over his forehead, strode around the ballroom, -the “Queen of Night” by his side. - -They had almost entirely encircled the great hall without seeing -anything of a Spanish officer, either on the floor, in the balcony, or -in any of the boxes. - -“It seems as if he isn’t here,” remarked Nick to his companion. - -She did not answer, but her fingers suddenly tightened on his arm. - -“Don’t look into that alcove on the right,” she whispered. “Solado and -the other man I mentioned are in there, watching us.” - -They walked on a few paces. Then Nick Carter, in a natural manner, -looked around him, as if taking a general view of the scene. - -He saw two men, in the rich garb of Indian princes, with jewels blazing -all over them, moving away from the alcove in the direction of the wide -doorway at the other end of the ballroom. - -It was the only way by which any one could enter or leave. There were -several emergency fire exits, but all were fastened shut. They would -open automatically in case of need, but were not used otherwise. - -This was an invitation affair, and the famous society leader, Mr. van -Raikes, was the hostess. - -“You see?” she murmured. “Do be careful, sir. They are desperate and -dangerous men.” - -“Desperate and dangerous men are the kind one often has to meet in this -world,” he replied lightly. “What do you suppose they are going to do -now?” - -“They will try to prevent your getting away,” was her response. “I feel -sure of that. They have seen me with you, and they will know I have told -you about them. Of course, they think you are Prince Marcos.” - -“That means that you are in danger,” returned Nick, rather more -thoughtfully than he had spoken heretofore. “We shall have to----” - -“It makes no difference about me,” she answered, drawing a quick breath. - -“I beg your pardon. It matters a great deal. I don’t know what this is -all about, nor who Prince Marcos and these other men are. But it looks -as if there is something that puts you in an awkward situation. -Therefore, I must ask you to depend on me.” - -“I do depend on you,” she declared gratefully. “But what are we to do?” - -“I am going out of this room, and you are coming with me,” returned the -detective promptly. - -They went out of the ballroom just as another dance began, passing -through several of the carpeted corridors, which were generally used by -ballroom guests for promenade. - -Nothing was to be seen of the two Indian princes until they reached the -end of one corridor and turned a corner into a narrower one. - -As they did this, the two men stepped out of a doorway directly in their -path. - -With a half scream the girl stepped behind Nick Carter, still holding -his arm for protection. - -“Pardon me!” said the shorter man of the pair, in a somewhat truculent -tone. “I should like to have a word with you.” - -“With me? Why, my dear sir, I don’t believe I know you,” responded Nick -carelessly. - -“We have no time for joking, your highness,” retorted the man, in a -thick, angry voice. “Prince Miguel and I have been trying to get to you -for several days. We found out, at a costumer’s, this afternoon, that -you would be at this ball to-night.” - -“Once more, let me ask, who are you?” was Nick Carter’s rejoinder. “I -don’t know that you have any reason to be interested in my doings or -whereabouts.” - -With a strange oath, the taller man interposed, jumping forward and -pushing his companion aside. - -“What is the use of this pretense?” he growled. “I know you are my -cousin, and I want to know what you intend to do when you get back home -to Joyalita.” - -Nick Carter permitted himself a laugh of intense amusement--a laugh that -evidently grated on the other person’s nerves, for he broke out with -another oath--in Spanish, or something like it. - -“Either you have mistaken me for somebody else, or you are crazy,” -declared Nick. “This lady and I want to pass on.” - -Nick Carter pushed his way forward, regardless of the gesticulating -stranger. - -Together, and with a lightninglike movement, the two men flung -themselves upon him. - -Nick had anticipated something of the kind, however, and as the shorter -man came to the proper distance, the detective shot out his hard -American fist straight from the shoulder. - -There was a loud splat, as the blow landed on the masked face, and down -went Don Solado--for it turned out to be he--flat on his back, evidently -knocked out. - -“What?” bellowed the taller man, Prince Miguel. “Is that your game? -Well, we’ll see!” - -He flung his arms around the detective, trying to force him backward. - -It was a sharp tussle, but there were few men who could overcome Nick -Carter in a wrestling match, either impromptu or otherwise. - -While the trembling girl watched the fierce, but almost silent, combat, -her escort gradually made his adversary give way. At last Nick got the -other man where he wanted him. - -“Had enough?” asked the detective. - -“No! Curse you! I’ll----” - -The tall stranger never finished the sentence. With a sudden heave, Nick -Carter swung him clear off his feet and threw him high in the air, -helpless and kicking. - -“Oh!” cried the girl, half in terror and half in admiration of the -strength and activity of her champion. - -Nick Carter’s blood was up now, and he determined to finish the job in a -thorough manner. - -Exerting all his strength, he flung Prince Miguel bodily to the floor. -The prince fell like a bag of sawdust, and with no more animation. - -His head struck against the wall, and as he fell sprawling across the -body of the unconscious Don Solado, there were the two of them dead to -the world. - -The girl covered her face with her hands. For a few moments she saw -nothing. When she looked up again, Nick Carter was calmly adjusting his -mask, which had slipped slightly to one side. - -His eyes were on her, and he beckoned. When she went over to him, he -said, in a cool voice, without any symptom of disturbance: - -“The corridor seems to be clear. We can do nothing more here. Let us -go.” - -Drawing her hand through his arm with the courtly ease that came -naturally to him, the detective stalked down the side hallway in which -the encounter had taken place, until they were in the main corridor. - -“I think I will go home now, if you will have somebody call a taxicab -for me,” she said. “I wish I could thank you, as I ought. But--but, you -see, I do not even know your name.” - -“My name is Carter--Nicholas Carter.” - -“Carter!” she repeated. “I shall not forget that name.” - -He took a cardcase from his pocket and from it drew a card, on which was -his address, as well as his name. - -It did not strike him as peculiar that she did not seem to have heard of -him--or, if she had, did not connect him with the detective of -international renown. - -He knew that such a girl as this, who, presumably, lived a sheltered -life, in a home where police matters were very much detached from her -existence, was quite likely never to have heard of Nick Carter. It -pleased him just as well to think that she never had. - -“My services are small enough,” he answered, with a smile. “Should you -desire them at any time, I shall always be pleased to aid you. I cannot -help thinking there may be a sequel to this adventure of to-night. If -there is, I should like to be in it.” - -“You mean that?” - -“I most certainly do.” - -Nick Carter turned his head as he heard a scuffling and loud talking -behind him. - -What he saw was the shorter and thicker of the two figures in the dress -of Indian princes at the other end of the corridor, supported by two of -the hallboys of the Supremacy. He seemed unable to walk. - -The detective did not wait to see whether Don Solado would recognize him -or not. - -As a taxicab drew up under the porte-cochère, in response to his call, -Nick handed his fair companion into the vehicle. - -She told the chauffeur to go to Riverside Drive. Then, waving her hand -to Nick, as the taxi glided away, she sank back in the seat and seemed -to give herself up to her own thoughts. - -Another taxi drove up for the detective, and he told the man to take him -to his home in Madison Avenue. On the way, he glanced at his bruised -knuckles and smiled calmly. - -“Rather jarred my fist,” he muttered. “But I think I jarred that -fellow’s jawbone worse. I don’t know who Prince Marcos is. But I think -he was in luck when Corliston got our costumes mixed. Those two fellows -meant mischief to-night if they had caught the real Marcos.” - -When he got home and was in his library, he threw off the Mexican -jacket, glad to get rid of it. Something glittering fell from one of the -sleeves and dropped upon the floor. - -“Hello! What have I won?” he exclaimed, as he stooped to pick up the -object. “A jeweled watch! It must be worth three or four thousand -dollars, I should say. That certainly was a swell crowd at the Supremacy -to-night. These diamonds and rubies on the watch are magnificent, and -the watch alone is a fine one in itself.” - -It was indeed a splendid thing. It was incrusted with diamonds and -rubies. All were large, and three of the diamonds were of exceptional -size. Attached to the watch was a fob of black ribbon, with a jeweled -cross attached. - -Nick Carter remembered his scuffle with the taller man, and he had no -doubt that the watch had become entangled in his sleeve at that time. - -“Well, when I see him again, I’ll give it back. But I am not inclined to -run after him.” - -He dropped the watch and fob into the drawer of his big table and locked -the drawer. Then he went to bed. - -Looking into Chick’s room on his way, he saw that his assistant was -snoring away, in utter unconsciousness that anybody had opened the door. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -SUSPECTS AND SUSPECTS. - - -“I am sorry to trouble you, Mr. Carter. But the loss of this watch at -the ball really becomes a personal matter with me.” - -Nick Carter, sitting in the luxurious boudoir of Mrs. Clement van -Raikes, two mornings after the great ball at the Hotel Supremacy, bowed, -without speaking. - -“It was my ball,” went on the lady. “As one of the acknowledged leaders -in New York society, I was anxious that it should be perfect in every -way. It was the first fancy-dress affair I ever had given, and I had -spared no pains to make it everything it should be.” - -“It was a brilliant ball, Mrs. van Raikes,” put in the detective. “I can -testify to that personally, for I dropped in for a few minutes.” - -“Indeed? I am glad to hear that, because it may help you in tracing this -valuable watch. Of course, intrinsically it would not be of sufficient -importance for me to engage the services of the most famous detective in -America, nor would you consider it on those grounds.” - -She paused for Nick Carter to make some remark. He merely bowed gravely. -Mrs. van Raikes had spoken the truth, so there was nothing to be added. -He certainly was not the man to be sent after a stolen watch, unless -there where extraordinary circumstances surrounding the theft. - -“The watch is worth four or five thousand dollars, I understand,” -continued the lady. “But that is not the point. It was the property of a -very distinguished man, who was one of my most honored guests.” - -“Yes?” - -“The watch was a present to him from his father, who was a monarch----” - -“A king, do you mean?” asked Nick, with a sudden accession of interest. - -“Well, I believe they called him a prince. He was a ruler of a small -country on the Caribbean Sea--a place called Joyalita. It was settled by -some Spanish grandees several centuries ago, and it has always been -nominally a monarchy ever since.” - -“Nominally?” asked Nick. “Do you mean that it is not one in reality?” - -“I don’t know. I have heard people say that the South American and -Central American republics would not permit it to exist so near to them -if it really were what it calls itself. It has a constitutional -government, and is more nearly a republic than some other countries that -call themselves such.” - -“I see,” interposed Nick Carter, anxious to help the lady out of the -morass in which she was floundering. “At all events, the prince is the -head of the government, and, as I understand it, he takes his position -by right of heredity, instead of election?” - -“Yes, Mr. Carter, that is it,” assented Mrs. van Raikes, with a sigh of -relief. “You have explained it exactly.” - -“Who did you say it was who lost it?” - -She had not said anybody, but the detective was curious to know who was -the owner of the watch that had come so strangely into his hands, and -which watch was put away securely in the safe in his library at that -very moment. - -“It was Prince Miguel, a cousin of the reigning prince, Marcos----” - -“Marcos?” interrupted Nick involuntarily. - -“Yes. Do you know him, Mr. Carter?” - -“I can’t say I know him. In fact, I doubt whether I ever saw him. But I -have heard his name.” - -“That’s quite likely,” smiled the lady. “You detectives know everybody, -of course.” - -“It is our business. Was it Prince Miguel who told you of his loss?” - -“No. The prime minister of Joyalita, Don Solado. He came here less than -an hour ago. As soon as he had gone, I telephoned you. And, by the way, -I must thank you again for coming so quickly. I know what a favor I was -asking in suggesting that you touch this case at all.” - -“Why didn’t he complain to the hotel management?” asked Nick. “You tell -me Prince Miguel discovered his loss soon after midnight on the night of -the ball. Why did he wait so long before announcing his loss?” - -“I can’t say, Mr. Carter,” returned Mrs. van Raikes, shrugging her -shoulders. “These princes and their advisers are not like us. They have -their own ways.” - -“He does not suspect anybody, you say?” - -The lady did not answer for a moment, but stared out of a window across -Central Park without seeing anything, apparently. - -“The fact is, Mr. Carter, Don Solado does suspect one person--a man with -whom he had a few angry words outside the ballroom.” - -Nick Carter looked up quickly. He was going to hear something -interesting now, he thought. - -“What was his name? Does Don Solado know?” - -“That is a question I cannot answer. Don Solado did not say so. He only -told me the man was dressed as a Mexican. I happen to know that one of -my guests, a very important man in his own country, intended to come to -the ball in a Mexican costume.” - -“And you will not let me know who he was?” - -She shook her head with a little, apologetic smile. - -“I am afraid I cannot, Mr. Carter. It would not be proper to reveal a -secret that is not my own.” - -“A secret?” - -“Well, it may be a secret. I do not know much about foreign politics, -especially those of a place like Joyalita, which seems to be different -from most other countries, large or small. That is why I am careful not -to say more than I can help.” - -“Then that is all?” asked Nick Carter, rising. “If I hear anything about -this jeweled watch, I will report to you. I think you told me there is -an ‘M’ in diamonds as part of its ornamentation?” - -“Yes. I know this is a very small case, Mr. Carter. But my husband -persuaded me to call you up. He thought the fact of its being the -property of a very important personage, and because there is a value -attached to the article entirely distinct from what it would bring if -offered for sale, could weigh with you.” - -“It does,” replied the detective. “I should like to have known the name -of that man they think might have stolen the watch, however.” - -“Perhaps you will find out yourself,” smiled Mrs. van Raikes. “I am -sorry I cannot tell you.” - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -CLAUDIA COMES FOR HELP. - - -It was with an amused smile that Nick Carter leaned back in his taxi -after leaving Mrs. van Raikes’ home in Millionaires’ Row, Fifth Avenue, -on his way down to his home in Madison Avenue. - -He would restore the watch to its owner when he found out who was -supposed to have stolen it. - -His busy brain had enabled him to see that there was an intrigue of some -kind in which the three men and this girl who had interested himself so -much were concerned, and he felt that the watch was perhaps the key to -it. - -At all events, he would not give it up until he knew what the attack -upon the Mexican at the ball really meant. - -When he stepped into his own house he was met in the hall by his -assistant, Chick. - -“Say, chief, there’s a girl in the library.” - -“A girl? What kind?” - -“A peach,” replied Chick enthusiastically. “She wants to see you.” - -“Did she give her name?” - -“No. She said you would know her when you saw her. But she was -determined to wait till you got back.” - -“Must be something important,” remarked Nick, as he went upstairs. - -“Oh, Mr. Carter, I am so glad you have come! I want your advice about -something.” - -This was the greeting of the girl who had been waiting as Nick opened -the door of his library. - -It was the “Queen of Night,” whom he had met at the ball at the Hotel -Supremacy, and in whose company he had had so queer an adventure. - -He bowed and pointed to the chair from which she had arisen. - -“Sit down, and we’ll talk it over, whatever it is,” he answered, with a -smile. “I hope you are not in any trouble.” - -“I am very much perplexed about something, and I feel that if something -is not done quickly, there may be a tragedy that I ought to prevent.” - -This was all mysterious enough to make Nick Carter glance inquiringly at -his fair visitor. - -She was dressed in the plain but expensive garments of a wealthy woman, -and everything about her appearance, as well as her speech, proclaimed -one who had always been used to the refinements of life. - -There was a slight foreign tinge to her accent, but her English was -flawless in its choice of words, as well as in the pronunciation. - -“You did not ask my name when you met me at the Hotel Supremacy on the -night of the ball, notwithstanding that you gave me protection when it -was much needed.” - -“Unless you volunteered the information, I could hardly ask for it,” -smiled the detective. - -“I am Claudia Solado, and----” - -“Solado was the name of one of the Indian princes whom I found myself -treating rather roughly, I am afraid, and----” - -“You did right,” she interrupted. “Don Solado is my--my uncle. I am -sorry to say that he is a scoundrel.” - -She made this statement coolly, as if it were an incontrovertible fact, -although regrettable. - -“If I had known he was a relative of yours, I might have been a little -more gentle, nevertheless,” declared Nick. - -“I am glad you were not. He cares nothing for anybody else, and he would -sacrifice anybody or anything to further his own schemes. But I need not -trouble you about that. What is worrying me is that I am afraid the -enemies of Prince Marcos----” - -“The person you think I resemble?” asked Nick, with a smile. - -“The same,” she answered. “You are very much alike. You will see it -yourself if ever you meet Marcos. I know he was all right on the night -of the ball.” - -“Afterward or before?” asked the detective. - -“Afterward. I went to his home and saw him in the taxicab you were kind -enough to get for me.” - -“Yes?” - -“I did not give the cabman the address at the time, because I did not -know who might be standing around the hotel to overhear me. So I -directed the man to take me to Riverside Drive. Afterward I gave him the -prince’s New York address. It is a house called Crownledge. It looks -over the Hudson and faces the Palisades.” - -“I know the place,” remarked Nick. “Stands in its own rather extensive -grounds, and runs right down to the river bank.” - -“That describes it,” she smiled. “About Marcos, I was going to say that, -although he is strikingly like you in the face, he is not so strong, nor -so--so----” - -“Impetuous?” laughed Nick Carter. “I’m afraid I did seem so that night. -But----” - -“I was going to say brave,” interrupted Claudia Solado. “I live on the -other side of the river, a few miles above Crownledge. When I found -Marcos was safe, I had the taxi man take me to the ferry at One Hundred -and Twenty-ninth Street, and I went home.” - -“There is something more, is there not?” asked Nick. - -“Yes,” she confessed, after some hesitation. “I was satisfied when I -found Marcos had not been followed on the night of the ball, and I did -not go to see if he was at home until this morning.” - -“Yes?” - -“He and I have always been playfellows--like brother and sister, in -fact--and it was natural for me to go and see him. Besides, his mother -is living with him in New York, and I may say, without conceit, that I -am a favorite of hers.” - -“I can quite believe it.” - -Nick had not meant to say this. But it slipped out as he looked at her -beautiful, animated face. - -She only smiled in acknowledgment of the involuntary tribute, and went -on calmly: - -“When I went to Crownledge this morning, I could not get in. I rang the -electric bell several times, and thumped on the door. There was no -response.” - -“Where were the servants?” - -“They were not in the house. Neither was the princess, Marcos’ mother. I -always call her Aunt Laura. But I remembered that she had talked of -going to Newport to visit some friends for a few days, so, when I came -to think, I was not surprised that she was absent. That did not explain -the absence of Marcos and the servants, however.” - -“Hardly!” threw in Nick, as she paused. - -“The house is not a large one, but there are two maid-servants there, as -a rule, besides Prince Marcos’ own man. The maids were brought by Aunt -Laura from Joyalita. She travels a great deal, and always likes to be as -comfortable as possible when away from home. She looks after Marcos, -too, when she is with him. Her own maid had gone with her to Newport.” - -“Didn’t you find out anything that would explain the house being -untenanted?” - -“I can only surmise. My uncle, Don Solado, and Prince Miguel, are in New -York for the sole purpose of keeping Marcos away from Joyalita for the -present.” - -“Why?” - -“It is one of those political arguments that come up in small countries -now and then--and perhaps in big ones, too,” she answered simply. -“Joyalita has always been an independent State, ruled by the same family -for generations.” - -“I have heard that,” commented Nick. “It has seemed a peaceful and -prosperous community, too.” - -“Yes. That is the reason Marcos is opposed to any change. In that he has -the backing of most of his advisers. But there is another party that is -not satisfied. It is made up of men who think they would get more for -themselves if there were a different form of government.” - -“You find such men in every country,” observed the detective slowly. - -“In a few words, here is the state of things,” continued Claudia: -“Joyalita has been asked to join an alliance with some of the smaller -States in South America--for mutual protection and advantage. That is -the way it is put by the agitators. Marcos is bitterly opposed to the -change, but unless he can get home before the eighteenth of this month, -there is every fear that it will go through.” - -“And these two gentlemen who jumped on me at the ball are doing their -best to keep him here?” suggested Nick. - -“That’s it exactly. A big vote will be taken at a council meeting in -Joyalita on the eighteenth, but if Prince Marcos is there, he will sign -a negative resolution, and the whole scheme will fall through. This is -the tenth, so there are eight days in which Marcos could get back home. -He could get there in very much less time than that, but he meant to go -at once, so that there should be no danger of his arriving too late.” - -“What do you want me to do?” - -“Marcos has been taken away from Crownledge, I am convinced. He will be -held somewhere until too late to get to Joyalita by the eighteenth. If -you could suggest some way of finding out where Marcos is----” - -“The enemy has taken away the servants, too,” mused Nick, half aloud. -“They did their work thoroughly, while they were about it.” - -“That is what will make it so hard to trace Marcos,” she murmured, -shaking her head. “We can’t even get into the house.” - -“But that is just what we will do,” corrected Nick. “And as for our -tracing Prince Marcos; well, I have an assistant who will be a great -help, unless I am much mistaken.” - -He touched a bell, and Chick came in from the other room, glad of an -opportunity to gaze again upon the lovely Claudia Solado. - -“Where’s Captain?” asked Nick. - -“Downstairs,” was Chick’s answer, as his glance wandered to the fair -face of the visitor. - -“All right! We’ll use him this afternoon,” announced the detective. - -“May I go with you with this gentleman--Captain--Captain--what is his -name?” asked the girl. “Is he a soldier?” - -Nick Carter and Chick both laughed. The former answered, with -considerable emphasis: - -“Yes, Captain is very much of a soldier, in the sense that he is always -ready to fight--and to obey orders. He is our bloodhound, trained to -police work, and, we think, one of the finest dogs in the world.” - -“Oh! I should like to see him. I may go, may I not?” - -“If you will,” returned Nick. “You will be a great help, and we will try -to keep you from harm.” - -“I’d like to see the man that will harm you when I’m around,” blurted -out Chick, clenching both fists. - -“Chick!” warned Nick Carter. “That will do. Miss Solado has perfect -faith in you, I have no doubt. Meanwhile, do not frighten her by making -her think we shall meet people who will put your chivalry to the test.” - -Claudia gave Chick a smile that quite counterbalanced his chief’s gentle -rebuke. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE MAN IN THE SUMMERHOUSE. - - -It was early in the afternoon when the well-appointed limousine motor -car belonging to Nick Carter--seldom used, although always -ready--skimmed along Riverside Drive, going uptown. - -The driver was the detective’s trusted chauffeur, Danny Maloney, and -there were four passengers: Nick Carter, his assistant, Chick, Miss -Claudia Solado, and Captain, the big bloodhound. - -Nick had chosen the limousine, in preference to the powerful touring car -he generally used in expeditions of this kind, because the closed -vehicle shut off any prying eyes that possibly might be trained upon -them. - -“I don’t like to put you to all this trouble, Mr. Carter,” declared the -girl. “It may be that Prince Marcos will be at home now. There is no -certainty that he has been taken away against his will. Strange -coincidences occur sometimes. One of them may account for the -simultaneous absence of my Cousin Marcos, the servants, and Aunt Laura.” - -“All that is possible,” conceded Nick, “but does not seem probable. At -all events, we’ll go and see. By the way, when did you see Don Solado -and Prince Miguel last?” - -“I dined with them at their hotel, the Constitutional, last night. It -was at the request of my uncle. My mother was with me. I have not found -out yet whether my uncle and Prince Miguel recognized me on the night of -the ball or not. I am inclined to think they did. They seemed to be -pumping me during dinner.” - -“They did not get much out of you, I’ll bet a dollar,” put in Chick. - -“I did not tell them anything, because I feel sure they are concerned in -Marcos’ disappearance now, and that they wanted to find out whether I -knew anything about it. I did not at that time, so I was able to appear -quite innocent. My mother is very deaf and something of an invalid. She -took no part in the conversation.” - -“Your mother was not at the ball at the Supremacy, was she?” asked the -detective. - -“No. She is not strong enough to bear much excitement. Indeed, she did -not know that I was there. But I had my own reasons for being present, -when I found there was a conspiracy against Marcos. You can understand -there is at least one person who would like to take the place as head of -this country.” - -Nick Carter nodded, without speaking. He understood the situation very -well. There was nothing to be gained by questioning Claudia further. - -They got to the gateway of Crownledge, and Chick opened the big iron -gates, which were unlocked. - -The limousine slipped around the curving roadway and stopped before the -front entrance of the house. - -The residence stood in a lonely part of the road, and as there was a -thick growth of large trees inside, the visitors were well screened from -the observation of any casual passers-by. - -Nick went up on the porch. One glance at the letter box told him no one -had been at the house for twenty-four hours, at least. The box was -stuffed with newspapers which had not been taken in after the mail -carrier had been there. - -“No doubt there are letters in the box, too,” muttered the detective. - -Turning to Chick, he ordered him, in an offhand way, to open the front -door. - -There was a lock on the door, and a good one. But Nick Carter knew his -assistant would make little of that if he were told to get in. - -It took Chick about five minutes to get the door open. He had used a -piece of thin wire to pick the lock, and had done it as skillfully as -would have been possible to a professional burglar. - -The two detectives and the girl entered, followed by Captain. Chick -closed the door behind them. - -The hall, spacious and lofty, ran straight through the house from the -front door to the back, and by it the girl led her companions to the -kitchen. - -“Nobody here!” she remarked, in a low, awe-stricken tone, such as comes -natural to many people when going through an empty house. “I thought I -might find one of the maids in the kitchen. Though that was not likely, -either, or they would have come to the front door.” - -“They must have got out in a hurry,” remarked Nick. - -He nodded toward the table--on which were the remains of a half-consumed -meal--and then at a coffeepot on the stove. - -After visiting the servants’ bedchambers, in which they saw other -indications of a hasty packing and departure, Claudia showed them the -door of the large bedroom in which Prince Marcos usually slept. - -Adjoining it was his mother’s chamber. It was large, like her son’s, and -more luxuriously appointed. - -The latter apartment was in an orderly condition, with the bed neatly -made and decorated with pillow shams. But the bedroom belonging to -Marcos showed that it had been disturbed by some rather turbulent -proceedings. - -“Seems to have been a fuss of some kind in here,” observed Chick. “A -regular rough-house, from the look of things.” - -It did look like a “rough-house,” as that term is used in its slang -sense. - -The window curtains were hanging in disorder from a broken pole, and the -mirror of the dresser was cracked in a star, as if something had been -hurled into the middle of it. The drawers were open, and their contents -strewn about the floor. - -Nick Carter carefully studied the room, and his brain worked rapidly in -piecing together the evidence before him. It did not take him long to -arrive at a definite conclusion. - -“The bed has not been slept in,” he remarked. “But you can see where a -person has been thrown down on it. The condition of the window shows -that somebody--perhaps the man who had been thrown down on the bed, -tried to escape by the window, but was overcome before he could raise -the shade.” - -“They attacked Marcos in his own home,” murmured Claudia. “It was Marcos -who was thrown on the bed, no doubt. The question is, where is he now?” - -“That’s what we are going to try to find out,” returned Nick. “Come -here, Captain.” - -The detective had picked up a pair of bedroom slippers that were partly -under the bed. He held them close to the broad nostrils of the -bloodhound. - -“Seek, Captain!” - -It took Captain a few moments to get to work. He seemed rather uncertain -at first. Soon, however, he realized what he was to do, and, after -padding about the carpet backward and forward, halting and sniffing at -intervals, he made for the doorway. - -“Come along!” whispered Nick. “He’s got the scent!” - -The dog went down the staircase, sniffing on each stair, until he was in -the lower hall. Then he crossed to what was obviously the drawing-room. - -The door was opened for Captain, and he took advantage of this to cross -the floor of the big room to the grand piano, which was open. Here he -smelled about for a little while, and then suddenly trotted off at a -tangent to one of the big windows that extended from floor to ceiling, -and gave upon a side porch. - -Nick Carter noted that the catch of this window was unfastened. He -pushed open the casement, and out went Captain, across the porch and -down the flight of steps close by. - -“It is easy to see that the tenant here is only temporary,” remarked -Nick, as he pointed to the neglected condition of the grounds. “The lawn -has been cut in a sort of way, but the flower beds have not been weeded, -and the edges of the lawn are grown up with long, straggly grass.” - -“That’s true,” agreed the girl. “Marcos has not lived here long, and he -would have been on his way home to Joyalita before this if there had -been no interference with him.” - -The hound moved slowly along. The scent appeared to be very weak. He -stuck to it, however, and at last, on reaching the end of the garden, -went to the door of a wooden summerhouse fashioned like a Chinese -pagoda. - -It was built solidly of hard woods. The door was shut. - -There was a wide wooden step in front, and here Captain crouched, his -nose to the slit under the door. - -There was no mistaking the meaning of the dog’s movements. Something or -somebody was in the pagoda carrying the scent he had been following. - -A cry of terror and apprehension broke from the lips of the girl. - -“Oh, Mr. Carter, he is in there, I know. Suppose he should be dead!” - -Nick Carter gave Chick a look he understood, and attacked the padlock -which held a hasp in place and secured the door. - -Chick touched Claudia on the arm and beckoned her away, as if he had -something important to say. Nick, with a piece of wire, picked the -padlock as deftly as his assistant had the lock of the front door of -the house, and threw open the door. - -One look inside was enough. Again he turned and gave his assistant the -warning look on which he had acted so promptly before. - -Chick was not quick enough this time, however. The girl slipped past him -and was in the pagoda almost as soon as Nick. - -Uttering a gasp of horror, she forced her way farther into the little -place. - -Nick Carter was between her and the object she tried to see, and he was -busy. - -On a wooden bench, with a perforated seat, which ran around three sides -of the summerhouse, lay a man, unconscious apparently. He was bound hand -and foot, and the ropes about his body had been run through the -perforations of the seat, as well as around the whole bench itself. - -Whoever had done the work had used cruel ingenuity to make sure the -prisoner should not break loose. - -“It is not Marcos!” suddenly exclaimed Claudia. - -Nick Carter first of all pulled from the mouth of the captive a -handkerchief that had been tightly fastened about his lips. As he did -so, a wedge of cloth dropped from between the teeth. - -“Is it murder?” asked Chick, trying to look over his chief’s shoulder. - -“Looks like it,” was Nick Carter’s curt reply. - -It did indeed look like it, for the victim’s lips were blue, his face -livid, and his eyes had closed. - -The detective cut the bonds with two or three slashes of his -pocketknife, and Claudia Solado heaved a deep-drawn sigh. - -“Poor fellow!” she murmured. “I believe I know who he is. Unless I am -much mistaken, he is Marcos’ valet.” - -Nick Carter knelt by the side of the still figure and listened intently -at the chest. A moment later he got up, and took one of the nerveless -wrists in his cool, steady fingers. - -“There is a slight pulse,” he murmured, half to himself. “I think we can -bring him around.” Then, louder: “Chick! Give me a hand! Let us put him -on the floor. We shall have a better chance of handling him there.” - -They stretched the unfortunate valet on the floor, where Nick Carter and -his assistant applied “first-aid” methods, rubbing his limbs, loosening -his clothing, and so forth. - -Claudia did not remain. She had darted away while the two detectives -were taking the man from the bench, and went to the house. - -In a few minutes she was back, with a decanter and a glass. As she -poured some strong brandy into the glass, to give to Nick Carter, he -noticed that her hand was bleeding, and commented on the fact. - -“I couldn’t help it,” she returned. “There was no time to get to the -front door, so I broke a glass panel at the side and got in that way.” - -“You have pluck!” observed Nick Carter, in simple admiration. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -A CLEW BY WATER. - - -It was not long before the treatment had its effect on the injured -valet. The chafing and massage, aided by the brandy, restored him much -quicker than might have been expected. - -He was looking about him wildly when Nick decided that his complete -recovery would be accelerated if he were carried into the house. - -“Give me a lift, Chick!” - -The two raised the man from the floor, and laid him over one of the -brawny shoulders of Nick Carter. - -The valet was heavy and large, but the detective carried him along -without apparent effort into the house, up the stairs, and into one of -the bedrooms. - -“If you can find something warm for him to eat, Miss Solado,” remarked -Nick, as they put the man on the bed, “it will help as much as anything. -We will put him to bed in the meantime.” - -Claudia was only too glad to do anything she could. She went to the -kitchen and foraged for supplies. She was fortunate enough to find a can -of soup. This she cooked on a gas stove, and soon had it ready for the -invalid. - -When she came to the bedroom again she found him sitting up in bed and -talking. As he attacked the hot soup, his strength came back faster, and -he told his story in a fairly connected way. - -It all resolved itself into this: On the morning before, he went to call -his employer, as usual, and, as he passed the windows of the house, he -noticed a handsome private steam yacht anchored in the river, not far -from shore, so that it should be out of the regular channel of traffic. - -In Prince Marcos’ room he heard a scuffling, while his employer’s voice -was raised in anger and protest. - -When the valet got there--which he did as fast as he could--he found -Marcos struggling with two men. - -Before the valet could give any help, another man appeared from -somewhere and knocked him senseless with some heavy weapon--perhaps a -revolver, although he could not be sure. - -“Would you know that yacht if you saw it again?” asked the detective. - -“I am almost sure I should,” was the quick reply. - -“Good! What is your name?” - -“Phillips, sir.” - -“Now, Phillips, what became of Prince Marcos after that, so far as you -know?” - -“I came to my senses again, and staggered to the window, because I saw -that the prince had gone from the room. Down in the garden two of the -men were carrying him to the waterside, where a skiff was tied up to the -private landing.” - -“And they took Prince Marcos to the yacht in that skiff?” - -“That’s what I suppose. I didn’t see it, because they caught me when I -went out of the house--to help the prince.” - -“You did that, Phillips?” interposed the girl. “That was very brave of -you.” - -Phillips’ eyes lighted up at this praise from the beautiful Claudia, as -he replied simply: - -“I did it, of course, Miss Solado. I had to, because the prince would -have done it for me. He is not afraid of anything. However, I wasn’t -able to help him. I wasn’t strong after being knocked over the head, and -when two of them came for me at once, I had to go under.” - -There was no “grand-stand play” about Phillips. He told his story with -perfect simplicity, and as if he had done only what any other man must -have done under the circumstances. - -“It was very hard on you to lie there on that bench so many hours,” put -in Chick. - -“I thought it was death,” was the reply. “I felt myself growing weaker -and weaker, and at last I was all in, my senses gone. The gag had -prevented my shouting, or I might have attracted the attention of people -going past, either on the river or the road. It would have been only an -off chance, at that, but better than nothing.” - -“You did not know any of the men?” asked Nick. - -“They were all strangers to me.” - -The girl could not help giving a slight sigh of relief. At least, her -uncle had not taken a personal part in the attack on the valet. - -These men who had come were doubtless hired rascals. She had heard of -such men. There were bravos in all countries. - -“Which way was the yacht headed when you saw her?” - -Nick asked this question without expecting to gain any useful -information, no matter what the reply might be. It was an easy matter to -turn a vessel another way, especially one propelled by steam. - -“She was headed up the river,” replied Phillips. - -Nick thought for a few minutes. He argued that there would be no -particular object to be gained by going up the Hudson, unless it was the -intention of the men who had stolen Marcos to get him ashore as soon as -convenient and spirit him away to some retreat in the mountains--the -Adirondacks, perhaps. - -On the other hand, he reflected that these men were very cunning, and -would be quite likely to follow his own line of reasoning, with the -purpose of circumventing him. - -“They may go down the river, because they would think that I should -regard that as the least desirable for them, and thus they would try to -fool me. On the other hand, they might go up, and----” - -He stopped his half-audible musings and laughed. He was just where he -had started. His reflections did not lead him anywhere, it seemed, and -he would have to depend on chance, after all. - -“You will let me get up now, won’t you?” asked Phillips. “I want to go -and find the prince.” - -“No,” returned Nick, with a positive shake of the head. “You must remain -in bed for the rest of this day, anyhow. I will leave my assistant with -you. I shall go and look for Prince Marcos, and if he is to be found at -all, I will get to him.” - -“But do you know that Prince Marcos is in great danger--from political -enemies, who will----” - -“Yes, Phillips,” interposed Claudia. “This gentleman knows all about it. -You need not worry. He will find Prince Marcos if any one can. You have -heard of Nicholas Carter, of course?” - -“What? The great detective, who caught that gang of thieves in South -America two years ago?” broke in Phillips. “Is this the great Nicholas -Carter? It seems impossible that I can be talking to one whom I have -thought of so often. Wonderful!” - -Phillips delivered himself of these sentiments with the simple sincerity -with which he said everything. He could hardly bring it to his -understanding that he was actually face to face with Nicholas Carter, -the greatest detective in the world. - -“I shall have to send you home before I do anything else,” said Nick, -turning to Claudia. “My chauffeur, Danny Maloney, is thoroughly -dependable. He is much more than a chauffeur to me. He is often a very -able assistant in my professional work. - -“I have no doubt that he would take me home safely,” replied the girl. -“But--I cannot go home now.” - -“Cannot go home? Why?” - -“I must go with you.” - -“Go with me?” echoed Nick Carter. “I’m afraid that would be impossible. -You could not run into the danger that may face me when I come up with -the rascals who so nearly killed poor Phillips. You can see from that -how desperate they are.” - -“Nevertheless, I must go,” returned Claudia, with gentle firmness. - -“It would be altogether too dangerous.” - -“I expect it to be dangerous. That is why I want to come.” - -This was unanswerable, although Nick tried to answer it. He soon saw -that he might as well spare his breath. - -With a shrug and smile, he turned to his assistant. - -“Well, Chick, keep close watch here, and take care of Phillips. Miss -Solado intends to go with me, and there is nothing much to be said. I -will go down to the boathouses and see whether I can get a power launch. -Will you wait here till I return?” he asked the girl. “I shall not be -long. I’ll go down in the motor car.” - -“I will wait,” she answered quietly. - -A few minutes later Nick Carter was in his limousine, and Danny Maloney -was bowling him along Broadway to the place where the detective knew he -could hire a launch. - -“Joe Travers will have one, I know,” he told himself, as he leaned back -comfortably, while Maloney drove on with his usual unconcern. - -Joe Travers was an old acquaintance of Nick’s, and he was only too -pleased to take the detective into his boathouse and show him where he -had, under shelter, a power launch which proclaimed itself at first -glance a fine specimen of its class. - -It was about five o’clock when Nick Carter chugged up to the boat -landing of Crownledge and fastened his craft to the big iron ring. - -Before he could get up to the house, Claudia came running down to the -riverside, with Chick and the bloodhound close behind. - -Chick was glad of the opportunity of helping the pretty girl into the -boat. Soon she was comfortably seated in the stern. Then Nick again took -his place at the engine and steering wheel. - -“Look after Phillips, Chick! When he seems able to take care of himself, -as he will by the morning, I feel sure--you can go home, with Captain, -and keep close to the telephone. I may call you up at any time.” - -The engine in the launch was a powerful one, and the boat went shooting -up the Hudson as if prepared to overhaul any other craft that might come -in its way. - -“Do you think we shall find Marcos, Mr. Carter?” asked Claudia, after a -rather long silence, broken only by the chugging of the engine and the -swish of the water past the hull. “Have you any idea where he is likely -to be?” - -“I may be mistaken,” replied Nick. “But I can’t help feeling that we -shall get on his trail before morning.” - -And, as he hustled the launch along, he believed thoroughly what he -said. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -ON THE BRINK OF BATTLE. - - -“There’s a light across the river, in the shadow of the Palisades,” -remarked the girl, when they had gone several more miles. “It is some -boat, or ship, of course. Might not that be the yacht?” - -Nick Carter smiled, without letting the girl see his face. This was not -difficult, for his back was turned toward her. He knew that lights on -the Hudson were common enough, and that it was a hundred chances to one -against this particular light belonging to the yacht they were after. - -He swung the boat diagonally across the river to see. - -“It isn’t a yacht at all,” he remarked, in a low tone, to the girl. -“Just a barge, loaded with broken stone--to ballast the railroad over -here, I guess. We’ll have to go farther.” - -As they were on that side of the river, in the shadow of the Palisades, -Nick kept his launch parallel with the bank, taking note of all the -lights he saw, but not finding any that belonged to the kind of steam -yacht he wanted to find. - -They got to the end of the fifteen miles of Palisades, and found -themselves moving along opposite the irregular hills and bluffs one sees -farther up the river. - -Houses nestle among the hills at intervals, and many dusty ribbons of -roadway may be discerned criss-crossed here and there, peeping out of -thickets, twisting around the shoulder of a hill, or coming seemingly -straight out of the ground. The scenery along the Hudson is generally -diversified and always beautiful. - -Suddenly a fair-sized house appeared to jump from the blackness of a -wooded slope they were passing, with lights in some of the windows. - -“That’s a pleasant-looking home,” observed Nick Carter, as he kept his -wheel steady while glancing at the shore on his left. “Within easy -motoring distance of New York, and yet out in the country entirely.” - -The girl said something quietly in assent. Then she broke out, in a -tense tone: - -“Isn’t that the yacht we want? It looks different from the others we -have seen, and it agrees with the description we got from Phillips so -far as I can make out.” - -“You’re right, I think,” returned Nick, in a low tone. “But don’t speak -loud. If that is the yacht, we may be sure they are on the watch for -attack. They will think the police may hear of their performance at -Crownledge. That would naturally mean pursuit.” - -He ran the launch silently toward shore, the maneuver bringing the -outline of the yacht between him and the faint moonlight showing in the -sky. - -“I see a man in a chair on the roof of the cabin,” he whispered. “He is -smoking.” - -“You have good eyes, Mr. Carter,” remarked the girl. “I don’t see -anything on the yacht at all.” - -“The red light of his cigar appears now and again, as he shifts his -position,” explained the detective. “Now I catch the odor of the cigar. -The wind is blowing this way. Don’t you get the Havana fragrance? It is -very faint, but it is there.” - -But Claudia’s senses were not as keen as Nick Carter’s. She could -neither see nor smell the cigar. - -Nick ran the launch up to the bank, and found a small landing stage, -with several iron rings. - -Up the hill he could make out one of the lights in the house he had -discerned from the middle of the river. This landing stage was placed -here for the use of the occupants of the house, of course. - -Once the launch had been secured, Nick looked about him for some means -of getting to the yacht without being perceived by the man smoking on -the cabin, or anybody else who might be on watch. - -“I can’t take the launch,” he muttered. “The chugging of the engine will -attract attention at once. I’ll have to drift in with the tide and -paddle with that emergency oar to get there at all. But I cannot handle -such a cumbersome craft as the launch in reconnoitering. I want to go -right under their counter.” - -It was true that Nick had shut off the engine of the launch when some -distance from the yacht. He had also put out the one light they had -carried. - -His object was to make the people on the yacht suppose it was some gay -party taking a ride on the river at night--a common-enough -proceeding--and that the ceasing of the engine sound was due merely to -the launch passing on its way. - -The detective was accustomed to consider all contingencies when working -on a case, and it was seldom, indeed, that any of his plans miscarried -through carelessness or lack of foresight on his own part. - -“I could swim out there,” he reflected. “But that would be stupid, if -there is anything else. Let me investigate.” - -Cautioning the girl to sit still in the launch, he went ashore and found -his way to a well-equipped boathouse, with a padlock on the door. - -The padlock was not fastened. It was hanging loose in the hasp, and -there was a key in it. - -“Somebody has been in this place lately,” thought Nick. “Or there may be -a man or two in it at this moment. There is only one way to find out, -and that is to go in.” - -The door was slightly ajar, and the detective pulled it wide enough to -permit the passage of his body. - -He was in the deep shadow, for the door was at the side, while the lower -end of the structure ran out over the water, so that boats could be -slipped out of the house into the river down the greased runways without -much exertion. - -Nick Carter was used to boathouses and boats. He had a boathouse of his -own at a country home he owned, but which he seldom occupied for more -than three or four weeks each year. - -It did not take him long to decide that the house was empty. This was -what he had hoped, for he wanted to help himself to a skiff. - -The opening into the river, at the end of the runways, was guarded by -double doors, bolted inside, but not locked. - -Nick selected his skiff--a small, but substantial craft, rather broader -in the beam than might have been desired if he had meant to make high -speed. - -Soon he had it on the runway, ready to shoot down into the water when -released. - -He opened one of the doors, took his place in the skiff, and let slip -the catch. - -The boat slid easily down, struck the water with the slightest sound of -a splash, and lay gently rocking while Nick Carter got out the light -oars to take him out to where the yacht lay at anchor. - -It was too dark for him to see the launch. But there was no sound from -that direction, and he was satisfied that Claudia Solado was sitting -where he had left her, obeying his instructions to make absolutely no -noise while he was gone. - -He muffled his oars with a handkerchief and one of his kid gloves, so -that there was no sound as he stole up to the yacht and paused in the -shadow of her rather broad stern. - -He was so close that he could steady himself by one of the rudder chains -as he listened. - -Nothing seemed to be going on in the yacht, and if he had not seen the -man on the cabin roof, still enjoying his cigar, he might have thought -everybody on board was asleep, watch and all. - -“What the dickens they want to stay on the yacht at all for if they -belong to that house is more than I can explain,” muttered Nick. “At -least, until I have looked into the matter a little more.” - -He deliberately threw his painter rope around the rudder chain, and -secured the skiff in that way. - -So long as the yacht was at anchor--as he had seen she was, swinging to -the tide with her bow pointing upstream--there was no danger of harm to -the skiff. - -Of course, if the yacht were to start, a different story might be told. - -Nick could climb anywhere that a man might expect to be able to go, and -soon he went nimbly up the stern of the yacht, taking advantage of every -ledge and protection on the way, until he was safely on deck. - -He lay down flat behind the log cabin. - -It was a handsome vessel, this yacht. Polished brass, white paint, -silken curtains at the windows, and every equipment perfect of its kind, -told the detective that no expense had been spared to make the vessel a -fine one. - -Nick Carter was a yachtsman, and he could appreciate every point of -excellence--many of which might have escaped the eye of a person who -knew less than himself about such things. - -Cautiously he crept to the side of the cabin on the landward side. Here -he was in deep shadow, for the slowly rising moon, partly obscured by -clouds, was on the opposite side of the river. - -“That fellow either has a very large cigar, or he smokes it very -slowly,” muttered Nick Carter. “I wish he’d get through and go below. -Then there might be a chance for me to find out whether Prince Marcos is -aboard.” - -He pulled himself to his feet, so that, when he stepped upon a block, -his eyes were above the level of the cabin roof. - -Here he had a good view of the smoker’s feet, only a few yards away, and -could see that the man was leaning back comfortably in a deck chair, -apparently quite content with the way things were going. - -“I wish I could see that chap’s face,” reflected Nick. “His general -shape is like that of the bigger of the two men I had the argument with -at the Supremacy. Still, there are thousands of men in New York of -about his build, so that proves nothing.” - -This did not satisfy Nick Carter, however. - -Putting two and two together, and considering that this was almost -certainly the yacht in which the abductors of Marcos had carried him -away from Crownledge, it was quite reasonable to suppose that this big -man in the chair on the cabin roof was really Miguel--as Claudia Solado -had given his name. - -Prince Miguel was calmly smoking throughout these surmises of the -detective--for it may as well be admitted that the big man really was -Miguel--and Nick tried to determine what should be his next move. - -“I might get up there and tackle him unawares,” he muttered. “Then, if -we did not make noise enough to attract the attention of the crew or -others on the yacht, I might squeeze a confession out of him. All I want -is this Marcos. Then I don’t care what is done.” - -He turned this over in his mind for a few minutes. Then he decided it -would not do. - -There could hardly fail to be a great deal of racket if he were to -scuffle with Prince Miguel. The latter was a powerfully built fellow, -and would make a desperate resistance, no matter how the combat might -come out in the end. - -As it happened, Nick Carter was not called upon to decide the question -for himself. - -While he stood on his block, peering under the railing around the roof -at the man in the chair, another man came carefully up the steep iron -steps to the roof and stood statuelike behind the unsuspecting Miguel. - -The attitude of the newcomer was that of one who had deliberately chosen -the best way to make a sudden onslaught. - -Nick Carter caught his breath in stern enjoyment of the contest he felt -he was about to witness. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -NICK WINS A POINT. - - -“This is a tangle all around,” he said to himself. “Who the deuce is -this fellow, getting ready to lay out our friend Miguel? Can it be----” - -He did not finish the sentence. At that instant some unexplainable -impulse made Miguel swing around in his chair. - -He saw the tall figure standing there, and, without hesitation, he -picked up the deck chair on which he had been sitting and flung it full -at the head of the other man. - -Nick Carter saw the man put up his hands to protect his head. Then the -chair smashed into him and he reeled backward across the cabin roof, -holding the chair in front of him. - -In the darkness, Nick was unable to see whether the chair had struck him -in the face or not. Certain it was that it had taken him off his -balance, and that he seemed to have been weakened in some way. - -He staggered backward across the roof and fell hard against the low -railing. For an instant he tried to save himself. - -But he had nothing to clutch at, and could only go. Turning almost a -complete somersault, he went off the roof and down into the water with a -loud splash. - -“A good thing he didn’t strike the deck on his head. That would have -settled him. Even in the water he may not be altogether safe.” - -This last thought made Nick let himself down quickly from the block and -sent him scurrying to the stern of the yacht, where he could get to his -skiff. - -It was not an easy task to get down without being seen, for the noise of -the scuffle had attracted three men who slept forward, and were part of -the deck crew of the vessel. - -But Nick reached his skiff, and, as he heard a gasping cry for help some -distance out in the river, he rowed rapidly in that direction. - -He was only just in time. In the faint moonlight he made out a ghastly -white face--it was Prince Marcos’. Nick saw that he was swimming on his -back almost unconsciously. - -There is little doubt but that, if Marcos had not been a magnificent -swimmer, he would have drowned before the detective reached him. - -As it was, his arms and legs moved practically of their own volition. -They had been used so often in swimming that they went through the -motions mechanically so long as he had strength enough to use them at -all. - -As Nick Carter reached for him, the nearly unconscious man grabbed at -the boat, while the water gurgled in his throat and seemed to be choking -him. - -It was an unfortunate grab. The skiff tipped over, and before the -detective could save himself, he was in the water with the man he had -come to rescue. - -Now began one of those awful struggles that good swimmers dread so much, -and yet which may come to any of them at any time. - -Nick Carter knew it would be useless to expostulate with the drowning -man. He must try to beat him off. It would be the only way to save both -their lives. - -But Marcos was strong, and in the water he could use his strength to the -disadvantage of his would-be rescuer, even though Nick was much the more -powerful of the two. - -At the first collision, they went down together. Here was Nick Carter’s -chance. The detective had often practiced holding his breath for long -periods, so the ducking was not so trying to him as it was to Marcos. - -For this reason Nick deliberately stayed below the surface as long as he -could, with the object of taking all the life out of the other man. It -would be possible to handle him if he were unconscious. - -But Marcos had good lungs, and though they were under the water long -enough to have rendered many a person unconscious, they came up without -any material change in the condition of either. - -Marcos had recovered somewhat from the blow of the chair, which had been -the main cause of his dazed condition. The water had revived him to some -extent, but he hardly knew what he was doing. - -He fought wildly with Nick, trying to hold to him, and down they went -again. - -This time, however, the detective contrived to loosen himself a little. -Getting to the surface with a frantic effort, he delivered a jolt under -the chin of Marcos that knocked him out entirely. - -“I’m sorry for that,” muttered Nick. “But I had to do it. There was no -other chance for either of us. Now, how am I to get him to shore?” - -He got the senseless man across his shoulder, and struck out vigorously -in the general direction of the launch and away from the yacht. - -“Hello! They’ve lowered a boat from the yacht. They are not going to let -their man drown, if they can help it, I suppose. Well, they don’t get -him.” - -A boat with three men in it had left the yacht, and Nick could just make -out its dark outline as he looked toward the half-lighted sky in the -vicinity of the dull moon. - -“If they get this fellow, we shall be just where we were before,” was -the detective’s reflection. “I’ve got to prevent that. It will be a hard -swim to shore. But I believe I can make it if I am not interfered with.” - -The boat was rowing swiftly toward him, and soon there came a long flash -of white light across the water which struck him squarely in the face. - -Simultaneously, the man who sat in the bows, looking ahead, called out, -in a gruff tone: - -“Pull hard! And you, at the helm, steer toward the shore a little. I see -him right ahead!” - -“Aye, aye, sir!” - -Nick Carter was quite aware that he could not beat the boat to shore. -Even if he had been unencumbered, he could not have expected that he -would swim faster than a husky man could pull a light boat containing -only three persons. - -But it was not the habit of the detective to yield until he was overcome -by the enemy. “Fight to the end,” was his motto, and he had won many a -seemingly hopeless battle by adhering to this determination. - -“I wish you could swim a little yourself,” he said, in a gasping -whisper, to the unconscious man who now weighed so heavily across his -shoulder. “I’ll have to get you in some other position, I am afraid, or -you’ll drag both of us under.” - -He began to shift his burden a little, but without much advantage, when -suddenly there came to his ears the low chugging of the launch. - -“She hasn’t got all the power on,” he muttered. “But, by Cæsar, she is -moving it a little. I always knew that girl was better than the average. -She’s as good as a man in many things that you wouldn’t expect a girl to -know much about.” - -His quick ear had told him just what had happened. Claudia had loosened -the launch from the landing stage, and putting on some of the power, was -coming rather slowly to his aid. - -“If she can get to me before the skiff, it will be a good thing,” he -muttered. “I wish she’d hurry up that engine a little. What a pity I did -not give her a lesson while we were coming up the river! However, it’s -too late now. I’ll have to be grateful that she can do as much as this.” - -It soon resolved itself into a three-cornered race, with the chances -about equal. - -If the launch were to get to Nick and the unconscious Marcos first, the -probability was that the men in the boat would be circumvented. There -was still another chance. Even if Nick could swim away in the darkness, -so that the searchlight could not pick him up, it would not be bad. - -On the other hand, if the boat got to him before the launch, then the -whole purpose of the expedition up the river would be frustrated at -once. - -It was soon apparent to the detective that Claudia was handling the -launch very well so far as the steering was concerned. - -She did not quite understand the engine. Therefore, she hesitated about -opening the throttle too wide, with the result that her speed was less -than it need have been. - -On came the boat, while the launch bored her way forward steadily in the -other direction. - -Nick Carter never allowed his exertions to flag for an instant. Whatever -the boats might do, he knew that it would be better for him to get as -near shore as possible. - -“There he is!” exclaimed the gruff voice he had heard before, as the -small white light sought out his face again. “He’s swimming for shore. -We’ve got him now!” - -“Have you!” muttered Nick, quickening his stroke. “I’m not so sure of -that, my friend!” - -He saw that the launch was about the same distance from him on one side -as the skiff was on the other. - -Allowing for the difference in speed--for the launch was coming much -faster than the rowboat, even without the full pressure of her -engine--Claudia ought to get to him a minute or so sooner than the -skiff. - -Once he could get Marcos on board the launch, the detective was not -afraid of anything that might happen to himself. - -He did not believe the men on the yacht would know that he had been -their assailant at the ball, and he was satisfied that when they knew -who he was, the power of his name, as that of a detective who had been -heard of even in Joyalita, would be his protection. - -“If that is not enough protection,” he told himself grimly, “then I have -a pair of active fists that have never failed me yet.” - -He increased his efforts, but was swimming now straight for the launch, -rather than for the shore, although in a general way he was going -shoreward, too. - -“Stop!” bellowed the gruff voice. - -Nick Carter did not answer, but the girl, trying to increase the speed -of the launch, somehow got her hand on the valve that governed the -whistle, and a mocking scream was the consequence. - -The detective grinned. It was a good answer to the skiff, he thought, -although he was rather surprised that the girl had hit on it so -opportunely. - -“She’s learning the launch pretty fast,” he told himself. “It’s made -them mad, I guess.” - -“If you don’t give up, it will be the worse for you, Marcos!” came from -the gruff man in the skiff, as he waved his light about. - -“Marcos, eh?” thought Nick. “This is the right man I have here, after -all. I thought I recognized him. Well, he isn’t going on board that -yacht again, if I know myself--and I think I do.” - -He felt a thrill of satisfaction as he saw how the launch was cutting -through the water, faster than at first. - -“She’s getting the hang of it,” he muttered. “Hope she won’t run us -down. I can’t do much dodging with about a hundred and seventy pounds of -Joyalita prince on my back. Whew! He gets heavier every second.” - -In another minute he saw there was no doubt about the outcome of the -race. The launch was gaining rapidly. - -The man in the bow of the skiff recognized this fact, and he was -swearing in Spanish with such gusto that it might be wondered where he -had learned so many oaths. - -“He’ll have to swear in another tongue if he keeps on,” laughed Nick. -“The Spanish language won’t be rich enough for him much longer. Why -doesn’t he give us a few of those in English? Or in Chinese? That’s a -language with good profane possibilities.” - -If it may seem strange that Nick Carter could laugh under such -circumstances, let it be said that it was the way of the detective to -enjoy himself when things were coming his way, no matter how great might -be his peril. - -It was his disposition to see the humorous side even of a very serious -situation that accounted for much of his success. - -“Marcos!” called out Claudia. - -“All right!” responded Nick. “Come along! Look out you don’t run us -down!” - -“Thank Heaven!” she gasped, with unmistakable fervor. - -The girl had learned a great deal about the launch even in the short -time in which she had been guiding it from shore, and it was with -considerable skill that she reduced its speed now, preparatory to -running alongside of the two men in the water. - -When she had been talking about the resemblance of Nick Carter to Prince -Marcos, she had mentioned the fact that their voices were so much alike -that it would be easy for one to be mistaken for the other. - -Now, when Nick called out to her to come on, in response to her cry of -“Marcos!” she supposed it was her cousin calling. - -“Here, Marcos!” she said, as she came near. “Climb into the boat. I’ll -hold it as still as I can.” - -“I’m afraid we shall have to lift him in, Miss Solado,” suggested Nick. -“He isn’t able to help himself!” - -“Oh, Mr. Carter!” she replied. “Is it you I am talking to? But you have -my cousin--haven’t you?” - -“Yes. He’s here. But he is not quite as well as he might be. Steady! -Keep the boat where it is, and we can get him in. Never mind about that -man in the rowboat. He can’t get to us in time. Let him blow.” - -The gruff-voiced man had never ceased his torrent of profanity and -threats. They came rumbling across the water as violently as ever. In -fact, they increased now that he saw there was a boat by the side of the -swimmer and his charge. - -“Stop, Marcos!” he bawled. “You’d better, if you know what is to your -advantage. We won’t stand any more of this nonsense.” - -“Let him talk!” said Nick Carter, in a low tone, to the girl. “Can you -get hold of Marcos’ shoulder? That’s right! Catch him by the coat lapel -and pull, just as I give him a heave!” - -“Oh! We must save him!” panted the girl. “But you, Mr. Carter! What will -you do if----” - -“Never mind about me. Up with him!” - -It was with an almost superhuman effort that the detective managed to -get the upper part of Prince Marcos across the gunwale of the launch. - -Fortunately, the craft was strong and firm in the water, so that it did -not tip much. - -“Can you push a little more, Mr. Carter?” - -“I’ll try!” - -Getting underneath the unconscious Marcos, Nick gave another tremendous -heave. Claudia pulled with all her strength at the same moment, and the -helpless man lay across the launch. His legs were hanging over the side, -but not enough to drag him out. - -“Swing the boat around!” called out Nick. “Put your wheel over to the -left as hard as you can! That’s right! Make a wide circle! You’ll get -there all right!” - -The girl maneuvered the little craft neatly until it was headed -downstream. - -Nick saw it with strong approval. - -“That’s the way! Now put on all the power you can and hustle down to New -York! We’ve fooled them, after all!” - -“But, Mr. Carter!” she called out. - -“Go ahead!” was all he said. “Get to New York! That’s all you have to -do!” - -Claudia Solado would have liked to stay and pick up the detective. But -she was a girl of real sense, and she knew better than to fly in the -face of a man who had saved her cousin against almost overwhelming odds. - -So she opened the throttle wide, and, with the unconscious Marcos lying -across the boat--his head on a mat at her side, and his feet -occasionally dipping in the choppy waves as she raced along--she soon -left Nick Carter and her pursuers far behind. - -She had not gone far, however, before the skiff ran up to where the -detective was swimming hard toward the shore. - -With an oath the gruff-voiced man seized him by his water-soaked coat -collar. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -RASCALITY TRICKED. - - -“Aha! You didn’t get away, after all, did you?” was the fellow’s -triumphant shout, as he turned the light of his flash light full upon -the detective’s face. “It’s no use, Marcos! You may have things your own -way in Joyalita, but you can’t do it here.” - -He tried to drag Nick into the boat. But the light craft had not the -steadiness of the launch, and it was evident that if he persisted, there -must inevitably be an upset. - -“Get in, Marcos!” growled the man. “You can help if you will. No matter -what happens, you are better off in the boat than swimming around in -that cold river.” - -“Think so?” jeered Nick. - -“Why, yes. Even if you swim to shore, we shall be by your side and catch -you as you come out of the water.” - -“What would be the use of my going with you to the yacht?” demanded -Nick. “You would keep me there, and you know I have to be in Joyalita on -the eighteenth.” - -The gruff man gave vent to a loud guffaw. - -“That’s just what we don’t want,” he returned. “We are going to keep you -till the eighteenth is past. But come on! You may as well argue in the -boat as in the water. Better, I should say. It will be more comfortable -for you.” - -Nick Carter acquiesced in this opinion. He saw that he had been mistaken -for Prince Marcos, and it occurred to him that it would be well to keep -up the deception for a short time--at least till Marcos had got away for -his own country. - -After that he would let these scoundrels know who he was, and enjoy a -laugh at their discomfiture. - -“Give me your hand!” he called out. - -The other man clutched him firmly by the hand and wrist. With a spring, -Nick Carter raised himself in the water, and landed in the boat, neck -and heels, but without capsizing. - -The detective had noticed that Marcos’ clothes were a dark business -suit, so much like his own that only a very close observer would detect -the difference. - -When they were soaked in water, it would be impossible to tell one from -the other unless the observer were very familiar with the pattern and -cut of both. - -“Well, Marcos!” began the gruff man, as the oarsman turned the boat -around, with the assistance of the sailor who was steering, “I hope you -are convinced that it is useless for you to try and get away from us.” - -“I nearly did it that time,” rejoined Nick. - -“Not at all. You came near to being drowned. That’s all. If that fellow, -whoever he was, hadn’t seen you struggling in the water and gone after -you, there would have been an end of Prince Marcos, and the people in -Joyalita never would have known what had become of you.” - -“You wouldn’t want that, would you?” asked Nick. - -“Oh, I don’t know that it would have been so very bad for me,” was the -slow reply. “I wouldn’t kill you, of course. I am not an assassin. But -if you were to die accidentally, who would be the heir to the throne but -your humble servant and cousin, Prince Miguel?” - -“Prince Miguel!” thought Nick. “I suspected as much. Well, I’ll have -something to say to Prince Miguel in New York if he doesn’t behave -himself.” - -Miguel was looking at him by the light of his flash light, shaking his -head with an amused smile. - -“You are very wet, my cousin,” he broke out, after a short pause. “Who -was that person who tried to get you out of the water and whom you put -on that launch?” - -“How should I know?” - -“A stranger, eh?” - -“What else would he be?” demanded Nick. “Do you suppose I know anybody -up here?” - -“There was a lady in the launch,” went on Miguel. “She seemed to be much -interested in you.” - -“Probably a friend of the man who tried to save me from drowning,” -suggested the detective. - -“Ah! Very likely! She got away in a great hurry when once she had the -man aboard. He looked as if he were in worse condition than you.” - -“He was.” - -“So that the rescuer became the rescued, eh? That was funny. Still, you -have always been a good swimmer, and I never knew the time when you -could not hold your own in athletic sports generally. It is a pity you -are so obstinate with it all.” - -Nick Carter did not reply. They were by the side of the yacht now, for -the distance back had been much less than that covered in rowing from -it, when a large curve had been described in the river. - -Several men were on deck, and there were half a dozen lights flitting -about. - -Down one side of the yacht to the water was a short ladder--brass -mounted and finely finished, like everything else about the vessel. - -“Hello! You got him, then?” - -A man in ordinary clothing stood at the gangway looking down at the -boat. - -“Yes, Solado!” returned Miguel. “We have him!” - -“Glad he wasn’t drowned.” - -Nick Carter was sure he could make out, in the way this was said, that -the speaker’s sentiments were just the opposite to those he expressed. - -“Well, he was nearly drowned,” replied Miguel. “Some stranger went after -him with a small boat, and it tipped over. After that the two of them -were nearly gone.” - -“What saved them?” - -“A launch came along, with a woman in it, and the other man was shoved -into it. Marcos was just going to follow when I begged him to come with -me. With his usual complaisance, he did what I asked.” - -The two rascals indulged in a duet of laughter over this. They little -thought that the supposed Prince Marcos was enjoying a joke of much -finer texture than their own. - -Once on the yacht, the supposed Marcos was shown into a stateroom, where -a man who seemed to be the personal servant of Miguel, or Don Solado, or -perhaps of both, pointed respectfully to a complete outfit of clothing -lying on the bed and chairs. - -Nick was glad to see that clean underwear, as well as white shirt, -collar, necktie, et cetera, were all included. - -“The bathroom adjoins, sir, as you know,” said the man softly. “I have -prepared the water about as you like it. If it is too hot or cold, and -you would like me to change it, will you kindly touch the bell?” - -“If there are faucets at the bathtub, I can change it myself if -necessary. Let me see, your name is----” - -“Jean, sir!” - -“Ah, yes! Jean!” repeated the detective. “Well, that is all at present. -I will remember the bell if I want you.” - -“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” - -Jean went out of the stateroom, and Nick Carter heard the key turn in -the lock. - -“Jean is polite--almost servile, in fact,” muttered Nick Carter. “But he -does not forget that I’m a prisoner. Well, this is an amusing affair. I -never expected it to come out this way. However, so long as Marcos gets -back to Joyalita, I guess I can attend to my friends on board the -yacht.” - -He had been taking off his wet clothing while reflecting thus, and now -carefully transferred all his personal property to the pockets of the -dry suit he intended to put on. - -There was an automatic pistol, which, in its waterproof case, was quite -unharmed by its plunge into the river. Also, Nick brought out his -pocketknife, with its many useful tools packed in the handle, his -waterproof wallet well supplied with bank notes, and several other -articles that he always carried. Among them was a pair of nickel-plated -handcuffs, very light, but as strong as the heaviest kind made. - -“I don’t suppose I shall have to use them,” he muttered, as he stepped -into the bathroom, and found the water in the tub was just as he liked -it--cold, but with the raw chill taken off. “Still if there should be -too much trouble with my friends aboard, I should not hesitate to slip -them on.” - -No one came near him as he enjoyed his bath, and afterward dressed -carefully in the clothes that had been prepared for him. - -“I’m not such a bad-looking prince,” he said to himself, with a smile, -as he looked at himself in the mirror. “These garments are the kind you -buy in New York. Yet, somehow, knowing they belong to a prince, I fancy -I detect an odor of royalty about them.” - -He laughed at his own conceit. Then, finding that a box of cigars, of a -well-known brand, was in a little cupboard at one side of the stateroom, -he selected one and nipped off the end. - -“It is possible these cigars are drugged,” he muttered. “But I don’t -think so. Anyhow, it is so long since I had a smoke, that I shall have -to take the risk.” - -He puffed away comfortably for more than a quarter of an hour, deep in -his own thoughts, as he sat in one of the two chairs in the cabin, and -was beginning to think he would not be disturbed till morning, when -there came a tap at the door. - -“Considering they have me locked in, I don’t see that they can expect me -to open the door to see who is there,” he said to himself, with a smile. -Then, aloud, he called: “Come in!” - -There was the faint grating of a lock, and the door opened. It was Don -Solado who entered. - -“Well, Marcos! I thought I’d come in and see how you are after your swim -in the river,” began Solado. - -“Hadn’t you better lock the door?” suggested Nick, with a mocking smile. -“You shouldn’t tempt me.” - -“There’s no fear of your getting away, if that’s what you mean,” was the -comfortable rejoinder. “You wouldn’t want to swim again, I’m sure, and -you couldn’t leave us even that way, for we have men watching the whole -deck.” - -“Yet, to get to Joyalita by the eighteenth is so important to me, that I -don’t know that I should hesitate to swim if it would get me there by -that time.” - -“Why do you want to get to Joyalita by the eighteenth?” suddenly -demanded Solado, in a different tone, as he leaned forward to look -closely into the detective’s face. “What is Joyalita to you?” - -“What do you mean?” - -“What do I mean?” broke out Don Solado, so savagely that his tone became -almost a shriek. “What do I mean? Why, I mean that you are a fraud!” - -“A fraud?” asked Nick Carter composedly. “In what way am I one?” - -“You say your name is Marcos--Prince Marcos?” howled Solado. - -“Do I say so? I don’t remember saying anything of the kind. Still, you -know me, don’t you?” - -“Yes, I do know you! Curse you! I thought there was something wrong -about you as they brought you on the yacht a little while ago. That’s -why I came down here to look at you again, and particularly to hear you -speak. Now I know you are an impostor!” - -“Who do you think I am, then?” asked Nick. - -“I don’t know who you are, except that I believe you are the man who -assaulted me at the Hotel Supremacy a few nights ago.” - -“You were assaulted there, then?” - -The coolness with which the detective asked this question evidently -increased the rage of the other, and he snorted inarticulately. - -“It was I who assaulted you--most likely,” went on Nick Carter. “I was -obliged to teach a lesson to a masked man there, because he attacked -me. I am pleased to meet you again, under more peaceful conditions.” - -“You’ll find they are not so peaceful, perhaps!” - -Don Solado’s tones had risen to a shriek again, and he shook his fist at -the quietly smoking detective. - -“Don’t do that,” advised Nick calmly. “It annoys me.” - -“I’ll do what I please. I don’t know who you are, but I know you are not -Prince Marcos!” - -“Well? And then?” - -“You have helped him to escape. Now escape yourself--if you can!” - -As Solado shouted this last sentence, he jumped up and flung himself out -of the door. - -It closed with a bang, and Nick heard the lock turn. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -CHICK REPORTS PROGRESS. - - -For five minutes after the departure of the infuriated Don Solado, the -detective remained in his seat, smoking and pondering. - -He might have got to the door before Solado if he had tried, and for a -fleeting moment he had some such idea. Then he decided that it would -have been premature, and might have interfered with a plan he had been -forming during the latter part of the interview. - -“If they go after Marcos at once, they may catch him,” he thought. “It -isn’t likely but they might. Let them stew over it a while.” - -Nick Carter knew that Marcos would have plenty of money for his -traveling expenses, and that Claudia Solado would help him in every -possible way. - -“Whether that young lady is in love with Marcos, or whether it is merely -cousinly regard she feels for him, is of no consequence,” he murmured. -“The point is that she seems to be entirely devoted to the young man. I -hope they won’t be so foolish as to stop long at Crownledge. That is not -a safe place for him just now.” - -He decided in his own mind that Claudia was too sensible to let her -cousin get into a trap again in a hurry. - -“She may take him to her own home, on the other side of the river,” he -reflected. “Of course Don Solado knows where she lives, but, unless he -suspects his niece of helping Marcos, he never would think of looking -for him there.” - -It was characteristic of the famous detective that he was troubled only -about Marcos, and thought little of his own predicament. - -One thing was that he knew he was on the Hudson River, in a neighborhood -where there was plenty of traffic, both afloat and ashore, especially in -daylight. If the worst came, he would be able to attract the attention -of somebody on passing craft and get released that way. - -There was a good-sized window to his stateroom, overlooking the deck and -the water. It was secured by iron bars, so that he could not escape that -way, although no doubt the bars had been built in to keep marauders out, -instead of the occupant in. - -Occasionally he had seen one of the crew pass by. But no one looked in -his direction. They had had their orders, no doubt. - -It was late now, and for the last ten minutes that he had been sitting -by the open window, letting the smoke from his cigar go through, he had -not seen anybody. - -Neither had there been any sounds in the saloon or the other staterooms. -It was clear to Nick that Solado and Miguel had both gone to bed, -satisfied that nothing could be done to-night to catch Marcos--if they -had any such intention. - -“I am glad it is so,” thought Nick Carter. “By the morning I shall have -my plans ready to work. I don’t want to be disturbed any more now.” - -He switched off the two electric lights in his cabin, and resumed his -seat by the window in the dark. He was not ready to go to bed yet. - -It was getting to the still hour for the morning when everything seems -dead, preparatory to bursting into life a little later by another day of -activity. - -A few lights twinkled here and there on the water or along the shores. -But, aside from them, there was nothing to suggest that many thousands -of people were within sound of his voice if he should shout aloud, while -a few miles down the river a metropolis of four or five millions lay -slumbering. - -He got up and went to the door to examine the lock. - -“Easy!” he murmured. “I know the locks on boats of this kind. They are -supposed to be so safe that they are more vulnerable than those which -have not such a reputation. I’ll get out of this room when the time -comes. But that is not just yet.” - -He went back to the window and again looked out. - -It was more than an hour later when he fixed his gaze on something that -looked like the shadow of a wave a little way off. - -“A boat, and hanging about, looking at what there is here,” was his -inward comment. “If I hadn’t good eyes, I doubt whether I could have -seen that. It’s coming nearer to the yacht. I wonder---- There will be -no harm in trying. I don’t suppose any one will notice it. If they do, -what matters?” - -He put his face close to the window and whistled part of the refrain of -the popular melody, “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary!” - -The whistle was like that of a man who is not thinking much of what he -is doing, but it had a penetrating quality which is not often heard in -that sort of music. - -Members of Nick Carter’s household all declared that they would know his -whistle whenever they heard it, no matter what tune it might give -forth--or even no tune at all. - -The detective was testing the truth of this assertion at this moment. - -There was short pause as he finished the line of “Tipperary,” and then, -in answer, came another part of the melody, taking it up where he had -left off. - -The person whistling in response was somebody that Nick Carter could -swear to. He smiled gently in the darkness. - -“Chick, by all that’s lucky!” he muttered. “He’s in that boat, and he -knows I’m here. Well, that means I must get out of this stateroom -without loss of time.” - -He whistled again, but shut off in the middle of a measure. This was a -code signal between them, meaning “Wait!” - -Quite well assured that Chick would wait till he heard again from his -chief, and that he would contrive to keep out of sight of any watchers -who might be on the yacht, Nick went to the door, a small wire in his -fingers. - -It was with this wire that he intended to open the door, and in a few -minutes he had proved that he could carry out his intention. The lock -shot back with a faint click, and there was nothing to prevent his -opening the door when ready. - -He stood just inside and listened intently for at least two minutes. -Then he turned the handle softly and looked out into the corridor. - -It was empty. - -One electric light cast a dim light from end to end. It showed Nick the -way to the outer door. - -There was a short flight of brass-bound steps and a heavy door. Beyond -was the deck. - -What would he meet when he opened that door? That was the question he -asked himself, as he took his automatic pistol from its waterproof case, -and made sure it was charged with cartridges, ready for action. - -The mocking smile which had been on his face during the interview with -Don Solado, and which had not quite faded as he sat in the darkness, was -gone entirely now. Stern business was the expression--that and nothing -else. - -On the deck he met nobody. He was overlooking the taffrail. In the -shadows beyond he made out the boat in which sat his assistant. - -Nick whistled another line of “Tipperary,” and at the same time sent a -short flash of light from his pocket electric lamp in the direction of -the small boat. - -There was immediate response in the shooting forward of the boat until -it was directly below where Nick stood leaning on the rail, looking down -at the water. - -The detective had not been idle during the approach of Chick’s boat. He -had found a coil of light rope and fastened one end to the rail. The -other dropped to the water. - -“Chick?” he whispered. - -“That’s who it is, chief!” was the prompt reply. “What shall I do? Come -up?” - -“Yes. But first make sure your boat won’t get away. Make it fast to a -rudder chain.” - -It took Chick only a fraction of a minute to do this. Then he seized the -line and gave it a tug to test its strength. - -“It will hold you all right,” whispered Nick. “Come on!” - -Chick could climb like a monkey, and in a remarkably short space of time -he was by the side of his chief. - -The two shook hands with the silent earnestness of men who had often -been in peril together, and who knew that each could depend on the -other. - -“Well?” asked Nick. “How are things at Crownledge?” - -“Marcos is there.” - -“Is he? I’m sorry to hear that,” returned Nick. “That’s where these -fellows are liable to look for him. I didn’t think he’d venture there.” - -“That’s all right,” was Chick’s confident rejoinder. “He’s got enough -people there to hold off any kind of gang. Besides, he isn’t going to -stay. He’ll be gone before daylight. Probably he is away now.” - -“I hope he is. It has been a narrow tug for all of us. How did you get -up here so quickly, and who told you I was here?” - -“That peach, Miss Solado. She was with Marcos, and she told me in a few -minutes all that had happened up here.” - -“Well?” - -“I borrowed the launch from her, and, believe me, I made that gas barge -hustle up the river. I got everything out of her that was in her -engine.” - -“I didn’t hear it. How was that?” asked Nick, in a slightly mystified -tone. - -“That was easy,” grinned Chick. “I had a skiff trailing behind, and when -I got pretty close to the yacht, but still too far away for the launch -to be heard plainly, I tied up and came on with the oars. They’re -muffled, so you did not hear even them.” - -“We can get to the launch without trouble, I suppose?” - -“Unless the bottom of the skiff falls out,” returned Chick, with a -laugh. “Now, what have we to do?” - -“Just this, Chick,” answered Nick Carter sternly: “I am going to take -those two rascals off the yacht and hold them till I know Marcos is out -of the country. You and I have to do it now.” - -The difficulty of this enterprise seemed not to strike Chick. He merely -answered “All right!” and looked at his chief for further instructions. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -WHAT THEY ALL SAY. - - -“The crew are all forward,” explained Nick, in low tones, as the two -kept well in the shadow of the cabin, where they could look along the -deck. “It won’t be difficult if we are careful. I know the layout of -this yacht very well. It belongs to Judge Millings, and it has been -leased to these people for two months.” - -“I didn’t know that,” admitted Chick. - -“You could have found it out if you had made inquiries, as I did,” -answered Nick quietly. “We can get to the cabins of these two men and -open them very easily, without disturbing anybody else. We’ll have to -gag and bind them. But we can tackle each one separately, so it won’t be -hard to do.” - -“That sounds all right. Are we to begin the job now?” - -“Yes. There is nothing to wait for. We’ll get Solado first, because his -stateroom is nearest to the companion-way.” - -Nick led the way to a corridor on the other side of the boat from the -one that communicated with the cabin he had occupied, and which he had -locked when he came out, in case there should be any one prying about. - -“Here’s the door, Chick. I’ll open it.” - -Softly and skillfully, Nick Carter introduced his wire and turned the -lock. - -He stepped inside, closely followed by Chick, both walking on their -tiptoes, and without the least noise. - -It was quite dark. But the detective knew where the bed was, and he -moved over to it without hesitation. Then he uttered a low exclamation -of surprise. - -The bed was empty! - -“Hurry, Chick! Let’s get out of this! There’s something going to happen. -They’ve found out that I have got away!” - -“Where’s the other cabin?” - -“Farther along! Let me see!” - -Nick rushed forward. He was not astonished when he found that the other -cabin was not only unoccupied, but that the door was unlocked and partly -open. - -“Let’s get out, Chick! I guess the whole yacht is on the qui vive! The -rascals have laid a trap for us.” - -“Do you think they know I am aboard?” - -“I hope not! That will give us an advantage if we can surprise them by -being two, instead of one. Come on!” - -Nick led the way to the short flight of steps leading to the big door -that gave upon the deck. - -As he had expected, the door was fastened. The only bolt was inside. But -there was a lock that could be operated either without or within. - -“The lock is nothing, Chick! We can burst that!” whispered Nick. “Now! -Together!” - -The two hurled all their weight against the door. The lock broke away, -and Nick Carter found himself in the arms of Prince Miguel, the bigger -of the two ruffians. - -There was a desperate struggle for a few minutes, and then Jean, the -valet who had been attending Nick when he came aboard--showing him his -dry clothing and explaining to him that his bath was ready--tried to -help his master. - -It happened that Nick was held in such a way that his left arm was free. -He sent a swing at the valet that knocked him spinning down the deck, -where he lay without movement. - -The sailors at the other end of the yacht had not been told of what was -to take place. - -As Nick had said, the yacht was hired for two months from the -multimillionaire, Judge Millings, and all the crew went with the vessel. -It was not likely the sailors belonging to the yacht would take a hand -in anything that looked too bad. - -“Don’t you suppose they knew Marcos was a prisoner?” Chick had asked. - -“Not likely. Marcos was allowed to go about the yacht as he chose. We -have proof of that in the fact that he attacked Miguel when he was -sitting on the deck, smoking. They relied on there being no boats handy, -and on the watchfulness of that scoundrelly valet, Jean, who was really -his guard, I should judge.” - -Now that there was a quiet, but strenuous battle on, the crew were in -blissful ignorance. Miguel and Solado had thought they were quite -capable of holding Nick Carter until they should be ready to take him to -some place ashore. - -They were finding their mistake, for, as Nick sent the valet flying to -the deck, senseless, Chick flew at Solado just when that worthy was -going to help Miguel. - -“You may be a big man in your own country,” observed Chick, as he -twisted Don Solado’s arms behind him until he gasped with pain. “But in -America we have better men than you in jail.” - -He forced Solado to his back on the deck, and then slipped a pair of -handcuffs on his wrists. - -This had been swift work with Chick. But Nick Carter had been equally as -speedy. - -Miguel had been taken very much aback when he saw Jean going to the -deck, and the detective had taken instant advantage of this fact to jam -him against the taffrail and put on him the light, but powerful, -nickel-plated handcuffs referred to in a previous chapter. - -“Now, are you going to come quietly, or shall we have to wake up the -crew and tell them you are a couple of rascals the police are after?” -asked Nick Carter sternly. - -“You shall pay for this!” hissed Solado. - -“We shan’t pay as much as you will,” was the detective’s rejoinder. - -“Keep quiet, Solado!” warned Miguel. - -“Are you going to let them do what they want?” growled Solado. - -“Yes.” - -There was something in the way this word “Yes” was uttered that put Nick -Carter on his guard. - -He made no comment, however. Instead, he directed Chick to open the -gangway where the ladder led down to the water, and then to go down by -the rope to the skiff and bring it around. - -“I will take care of the prisoners while you do it,” added Nick. - -“Prisoners?” echoed Miguel indignantly. “Do you know who we are?” - -“I know you have tried to kidnap the Prince of Joyalita, and that I got -him away from you.” - -“Well, what have you to do with the affairs of Joyalita?” - -“Nothing. But I have something to do with sustaining the laws of the -United States,” was Nick Carter’s swift rejoinder. “You can’t kidnap -people here without being compelled to suffer for it.” - -“But how is it any business of yours? You are not a policeman.” - -“I am a detective,” answered Nick briefly, as he looked over the rail to -see that Chick was bringing the boat around. “That is a policeman, I -believe.” - -“A detective, eh?” put in Don Solado sneeringly. “I don’t believe it. -What is your name?” - -“My name is Nicholas Carter.” - -The two scoundrels stiffened as they heard that dreaded name. It was -evident that they never had suspected that they were dealing with a man -who had once brought two criminals from the very borders of Joyalita -back to New York to answer to a charge of piracy they had committed near -Sandy Hook. - -Don Solado struggled to regain his composure. - -“Even if you are Nicholas Carter, that gives you no right to treat us in -this way,” he barked. “Who gave you authority to put handcuffs on us?” - -“I took that on myself,” replied Nick. “Here’s the boat at the foot of -the ladder. Come on! I’ll explain to the crew in the morning where you -are.” - -“I’ll not go!” roared Solado. “This is an outrage. It is not as if -either of us had committed a crime. You can’t prove that we kidnaped any -one.” - -“Can’t I?” cried Nick Carter. “I believe I can. Anyhow, there is -something else you will be called on to explain, that may get you into -an American jail, in spite of the titles you wear in your own country.” - -“What is that? What are you talking about now?” - -“I am talking about a very valuable jeweled watch that you took from -Prince Marcos without his knowledge, and that you lost at the ball at -the Hotel Supremacy.” - -The two rascals glanced at each other in the dim light of the dawn that -now showed itself, and the detective saw that they were trembling. - -“What do you know about such a watch?” demanded Miguel. - -“I know that you had it, and lost it. I also know that Don Solado went -to see Mrs. van Raikes, the hostess at that ball, and confessed to her -that the watch was lost.” - -“Well, where is the crime, even if what you say is true?” blustered Don -Solado. - -“It consists in the fact that you stole it from Prince Marcos----” - -“What rubbish!” interrupted Miguel. “Is it likely I would condescend to -such a contemptible crime as picking a pocket?” - -“I don’t know anything about that,” returned Nick. “But I do know you -took the watch. Moreover, I know where it is now. It will be brought up -in evidence against you if necessary.” - -“Where is the watch?” asked Solado. - -“In the possession of Prince Marcos.” - -“Are you sure of that?” - -“Quite.” - -“Then there is nothing in that to warrant your making us prisoners,” -retorted Solado triumphantly. - -“We’ll see about that later,” answered Nick. “The charge of abduction -will do for the present. Ready, Chick?” - -“All ready!” replied Chick, from below. - -“Come on, gentlemen!” said Nick, leading his two prisoners to the -gangway. - -They looked around, as if to seek some avenue of escape. Then, giving it -up, they went down the ladder and seated themselves in the stern of the -skiff, as Chick directed. - -“Throw your gun on them, Chick!” called out Nick Carter. “I want to -speak to one of the gentlemen of the crew before I go. Shoot, if either -of those men gets too obstreperous.” - -In the absence of the captain and first mate, the second mate had been -left in charge of the yacht. - -The second mate had been in his stateroom, and so little noise had been -made by Nick Carter and Chick in making the two temporary owners -prisoner that he had not been disturbed till the door was broken open. - -Even then he had not got up at once. - -He was an honest, heavy-headed sort of man, who was a good-enough -sailor, but afflicted with an abnormal love of sleep when once he got to -his bed. - -The fact that he could keep on deck forty-eight hours at a stretch if -required--as he had done on one occasion when fighting a tearing gale in -an old-fashioned windjammer in the China trade--did not interfere with -his ability to sleep almost as long when there was no demand upon him. - -“These gentlemen are going with me, Mr. Jarvis,” said Nick politely. “I -am Nicholas Carter. You know me, I think, for I recognize you.” - -“Of course I know you, Mr. Carter. You sailed with me to the South once -for more than a week. I don’t forget any one I’ve once known. What is -all this about? I’ll have to tell the captain, you know.” - -“Say they went away with me,” answered Nick. “I’ll see the captain when -he comes to New York next week. I know where he always puts up in town. -Good night, Mr. Jarvis.” - -“Good night, Mr. Carter! Good luck!” returned the worthy second mate. - -He watched the skiff row away, with Chick at the oars, and then, with a -yawn, returned to his bunk. - -“It’s a funny thing, those two gentlemen going away like this,” he -muttered. - -A moment later he noticed the valet lying along the deck, and in a -scandalized tone he ordered one of his men to “wake up that souse -there.” - -They found Jean was not much hurt. When he had been doused with water -outwardly, and warmed up within with a serving of grog, he was as good -as new, according to the seafaring men who fixed him up. - -“I’ll go ashore later,” decided Jean. - -Then he went to bed, regardless, in his still-dazed condition, of what -had become of his employer. - -“Are you going to take these fellows to the Tombs, chief?” asked Chick, -as they transferred to the launch and went rushing down the river toward -the city, with Nick Carter at the wheel. “Or is it a police station we -want?” - -“Police headquarters,” was Nick’s reply. “I think a little third degree -will help matters materially.” - -“You shall pay for this, Mr. Nicholas Carter!” hissed Don Solado. - -“That’s what they all say,” returned the detective, with a shrug. - - -THE END. - -“The Seal of Gijon; or, Nick Carter’s Ice-house Fight,” will be found in -the next issue of the NICK CARTER STORIES, No. 137, out April 24th. The -further adventures of the great detective with the potentates of -Joyalita are given in the forthcoming number. - - * * * * * - - - - - Dared for Los Angeles. - - By ROLAND ASHFORD PHILLIPS. - - (This interesting story was commenced in No. 134 of NICK CARTER - STORIES. Back numbers can always be obtained from your news dealer - or the publishers.) - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -THE UNEXPECTED. - - -Elliot Nash was puzzled, the morning following, when Hooker came to the -shack and said that Sigsbee wished him to call at his office. Nothing -was said concerning the previous night’s adventure, and while Nash was -eager for an understanding, he determined to wait until after the -interview with the Los Angeles politician. - -He reached San Fernando at noon, and the local train set him down at the -Fifth Street Station, Los Angeles, shortly after one o’clock. After the -few months’ absence, the city appealed strongly to the engineer, and he -spent all of an hour walking slowly in Broadway, Main, and Spring -Streets, looking into the store windows, enjoying the scene of the -hurrying throngs of shoppers, and amused or amazed now and then at the -volley of questions fired at him by the curious, excited tourists. - -The big restaurants were filled, and always in front of them stood a -group of thrifty strangers, studying the bill of fare posted in the -windows, and trying to decide what to order, and just what it would -cost, before venturing inside. - -Nash was more than interested in the types around him, who made the Los -Angeles streets as lively and colorful as those of some foreign city. -Here came a bevy of chattering, laughing girls, probably residents, all -in white, with glowing complexions; jostling elbows with them, a -Japanese family would wend their way, dressed in fashionable clothes, -and carrying themselves with an air of importance--the City of Angels -has many Japanese millionaires. Here and there a Spanish landowner, one -of the real settlers of southern California, who still frown upon the -“gringos,” as they style the Americans, swarthy of face, erect of -figure, strutted past like a soldier on parade. Quaint Mexican women, -bareheaded, barefooted, garbed in loose gowns of brilliant coloring, -stepped in and out, following their lords and masters--thin-faced, -evil-eyed, cigarette-smoking “greasers” in grimy linen suits and wearing -huge, silver-trimmed, and costly sombreros--in most cases, more hat than -man. - -Shy, unsociable Chinese; stolid-faced men, dainty women, and big-eyed, -beautiful children, all in gorgeous, flowing garments, pattered -noiselessly through the crowd, apparently unconscious of the staring and -remarks made by the gaping farmer from Iowa, who, with his wife and -family, had spent his savings for a few glorious months in this -California paradise. - -Nash strolled aimlessly down Spring Street, and went into the Big -Alexandria Hotel, and on through the crowded lobby to the grill. Here he -ordered lunch, and enjoyed every morsel. It was nearly half an hour past -the appointed time when he presented himself to the stenographer who -guarded the inner offices of Mr. J. Sigsbee, in the big Equitable Bank -Building. Sigsbee, while serving the city on the aqueduct construction, -was interested in a large law firm. - -When Nash found himself in the presence of Sigsbee, and discovered him -to be none other than the man he had been refused an introduction to the -previous night at Camp Forty-seven, he knew that, instead of clearing -the problem was becoming more intricate. - -His first impression of Jim Sigsbee was far from an agreeable one, -although he was taken aback at the pleasant manner with which the -politician greeted him. He imagined that the first thing Sigsbee would -do would be to mention something of last night’s meeting. But in this he -was disappointed. - -“I am very glad to meet you, Mr. Nash,” he said frankly, extending his -hand and smiling. “Please sit down.” - -Sigsbee cleared away the papers from his desk, and gave orders to the -girl in the outer office that he was not to be disturbed. - -“Mr. Nash,” he began, swinging around in his chair, “I am a blunt man, -and when I approach a subject I strike for the heart at the first blow. -I have asked you here to talk over certain matters that have come to my -notice. As one of the aqueduct board, these affairs interest me -strongly. I have been elected to this board by the honest votes of the -Los Angeles citizens, and I intend to do my duty toward them. You have -found certain irregularities on foot in Camp Forty-seven. I want to -compliment you, Mr. Nash. Men of your caliber are the men we desire on -the great undertaking. I am not going to deny these irregularities, but -I intend putting a stop to them _immediately_. Mr. Hooker, the foreman, -is, in a measure, responsible. I have relieved him of the foremanship. -The position is open to you. Will you accept?” - -Nash did not attempt to mask his surprise. - -“You wish me to take Mr. Hooker’s place?” he asked. - -“Exactly. Hooker has proven himself to be unreliable. Camp Forty-seven -is a most important station. It must be commanded by an upright, -fearless man. I think you measure up to that standard, Mr. Nash.” - -“This is a big proposition, and a sudden one,” Nash said. “But--well, if -you will allow me to run the camp according to my ideas, I’ll accept.” - -Sigsbee smiled and nodded vigorously. “Good! That’s the spirit I like to -see. Since the beginning, I have interested myself in this particular -camp, because I have been awarded a small steel contract. I want you to -assume full charge and accept all the responsibility. Can I depend upon -you?” - -“You can, Mr. Sigsbee,” Nash answered. “You may hold me directly -responsible for all matters of which I have charge. I believe that is -one of the specifications in all the contract work, isn’t it?” - -“Yes. Each foreman is supreme. To him is given all the praise, and -likewise all the blame.” - -“When will you want me to begin?” - -“Right away--to-morrow.” - -“That is agreeable to me.” - -“Very well.” Sigsbee turned back his chair. “I will notify the aqueduct -board at its next meeting--that is Monday. Your orders will come through -me.” - -“I shall obey them to the letter.” - -“I’m sure of that,” said the politician, rising. “And let our motto be -‘All for Los Angeles.’” He accompanied the engineer to the outer office. -“Will you step down and have a drink before going?” - -Nash asked to be excused, to the other’s surprise. “Don’t indulge, eh? -Not even one?” - -“I’ve a lot of work ahead of me,” said Nash. “It’ll need a clear head. -Thank you just the same.” - -“You’ll smoke, won’t you?” - -Sigsbee held out a cigar. Nash accepted it, and thanked him. He enjoyed -a good cigar. Once down on the busy street, he lighted the weed, and -walked slowly down to Fifth, and along this thoroughfare to the station. -He was so busy with his own thoughts that he paid scant attention to -what went on around him. So much had happened within the past -twenty-four hours that it was small wonder he appeared preoccupied. - -A hundred unanswered questions pounded at his brain; no sooner did he -try to reason out one than a dozen rushed in. So, with a shrug of his -shoulders, he resolved to give it all up and allow the problems to wag -for a while. - -“I’ve enough to do in minding my own affairs,” he told himself. “The -other things will solve themselves.” - -He reached the station just in time to catch a train back to San -Fernando. He swung up on the last car, and made his way into the smoker. -With a sigh of relief, he sank into the nearest seat. - -“Well, there’s one thing certain,” he said, addressing the endless -orange groves that stretched on either side of the track. “And that is, -Camp Forty-seven is going to be heard from, and in the right way, for -work accomplished and the cost of it.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -ON THE HIGH TRAIL. - - -The installation of the new foreman at Camp Forty-seven provoked no -little discussion, not alone in the camp concerned, but all along the -busy line of aqueduct construction. It was the abruptness of the affair -which probably affected the majority of the workers, and a dozen -different stories were in circulation as to the real cause of the -change. - -Doubtlessly the men arrived at as satisfactory a conclusion as did Nash -himself. While he had no great respect for the Los Angeles -politician--Sigsbee--still Nash admired him for the apparent -determination he had expressed in their interview that day--a -determination to rid Camp Forty-seven of graft. - -Whether this was Sigsbee’s object or not, or his main reason, for -changing foremen, Nash speedily took matters into his own hands and put -his ideas into execution. He studied out a system, held weekly -consultations with his subforemen, and saw to it that they followed the -lines he had drawn. There was considerable grumbling at first, -principally because each man had been in the habit of doing what he -pleased. - -“That’s why you don’t accomplish more,” Nash told them. “You don’t pull -together. Teamwork is the thing that counts.” - -Gradually he gained his ends, and as gradually the work on the aqueduct -allotted to his camp showed improvement. Never before had Nash worked so -earnestly and with so much confidence. He felt as if on his shoulders -alone rested the success or the failure of this wonderful waterway. He -instilled the same fervor, the same enthusiasm, into the work of those -under him, and soon the complaining wore away, and every man of them -entered into the struggle with that supreme, indomitable spirit that -recognizes no such word as failure. - -One blistering hot afternoon, when he was riding slowly over the high -trail that led from the main road to the camp, Nash heard the wild -gallop of hoofs behind him. Before he could turn, a frightened horse -dashed past, careening madly down the path, threatening each second to -topple into the ravine below. - -Nash drew rein. “That horse was saddled,” he said aloud. “I wonder if -there’s been an accident?” - -He struck his pony sharply, and descended the trail. Half a mile on he -stopped, uttered an exclamation, leaped from his saddle, and knelt -beside the quiet form of a woman. She was lying in a matted clump of -scrub oak, where the horse had probably thrown her. - -Carefully he drew an arm away from her face. There was a cut above her -closed eyes, and the crimson had run down over her cheek, staining the -lace on her collar. She seemed so quiet, so very white, that for the -instant Nash believed she was dead. It was only when he took his -handkerchief and wiped her forehead that she sighed and allowed her eyes -to flutter open. - -“Just in time,” he said encouragingly. “Not hurt much, I hope?” - -She seemed conscious suddenly of where she was, and of what had -happened. She sat up and passed a limp hand across her eyes. - -“I--I guess not,” she faltered unsteadily. “My horse threw me. I--I -remember falling, and then----” - -“Your forehead’s cut,” Nash said; “not very deep, though. You’ve this -brush here to thank for your escape. If you had fallen to these rocks, -there would have been real damage.” - -He helped her up. She was a trifle dizzy at first, but it soon wore -away. She allowed him to bind his handkerchief about her head. - -“There!” he said, finishing with the improvised bandage. “That will keep -the dust out. Do you live near here?” - -She nodded. “Over at the Elkhorn Ranch.” - -“I should advise you to get back as quickly as you can,” he told her. -“Have the wound washed and dressed. I don’t think there’s a drop of -water this side of the camp.” - -“Oh,” she said, turning quickly to face him, “you’re from the -construction camp, then?” - -“Yes, from Forty-seven, about two miles down the trail. I was just going -back when your horse dashed past me.” - -Her eyes were shining now, and a quick color had rushed to her cheeks. -Nash told himself that it had been a long time since he had seen a -prettier girl. He reasoned quickly, by the hue of her skin, that she was -a stranger to this part of southern California. - -“You haven’t been here long, have you?” he said. - -She shook her head. “No. This is my first day at the ranch. I’m visiting -friends there.” She hesitated a moment, and looked frankly into his -bronzed face. “How did you guess?” - -He laughed. “Why, this sun will leave its mark on you. It’s the champion -long-distance artist. You’ll soon change that New York white for -California copper.” - -She stared at him bewilderedly. “How did you know I was from New York?” -she asked. - -“Well,” he admitted. “I haven’t been away from there long myself. I -thought you were from the East by your accent.” - -“You’re a regular fortune teller,” she replied, smiling; and he laughed. - -“Now, you take my pony and ride along to the ranch,” he said. “It’s only -a short walk for me--by cutting across the hill yonder. You can return -the mount to-morrow, or any time convenient. Meanwhile, I’ll keep an eye -out for your horse.” - -She demurred at first, but Nash insisted; so it ended by the girl being -helped into the saddle. - -“I’m so interested in this--this aqueduct,” she said, after he had -finished looking over the saddle straps. - -“Then you must come over to the camp--any day--and I’ll show you -around,” he said. “I am always glad to interest myself in others who are -interested in what I’m doing.” - -“Are you--the--boss?” she asked. - -“I’m the foreman,” he answered. “Naturally I take a great deal of pride -in the work of construction.” - -For the instant, as he looked at her, he fancied he detected a new -light--a cold, different light--come into her eyes; and he could have -sworn her hands were trembling as they rested on the pony’s neck. - -“Then--then you are Mr. Nash?” she said presently. - -He nodded. “That’s an excellent guess.” - -Her fingers found and gripped the reins, and, as if composing herself, -she straightened in the saddle. - -“I--I will return your pony promptly, Mr. Nash,” she said, in a voice -that seemed to issue from strange lips. “And thank you very much for -what you have done.” - -With a puzzled frown, Nash watched her as she galloped up the trail and -disappeared from view behind a shoulder of rock, riding her mount with -the ease of an experienced horsewoman. - -“She’s no beginner when it comes to the saddle,” Nash muttered. -“Elkhorn Ranch, eh?” he said, a moment later. “Odd I never heard of it -before.” - -Then he turned on his heel and wended his way down the rough slope, -deserting the trail for the cut-off in the direction of the camp. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE NIGHT ALARM. - - -Before he was halfway to his cabin he came upon the runaway horse, -peacefully cropping the grass in a little hollow between the high hills. -It was but the work of a moment to catch it, and, after satisfying -himself that the animal was free from injuries, Nash adjusted the saddle -and sprang into it. - -Arrived at the camp, he turned the horse into the stable where the -others were kept, but concluded then to take the saddle up to the cabin, -where it would be safer. - -Finishing with supper and lighting the lamp in the big room of the -cabin, which he used as an office, Nash noticed a piece of paper in the -middle of the floor. He picked it up and unfolded it. Then he frowned -and looked around the room, as if expecting to find the owner watching -him. Traced upon the paper was a small but excellent map of the entire -Los Angeles Aqueduct route, showing the intake at Owens Lake. The -different elevations, the telephone stations were marked in red ink, -while the numerous tunnels, beginning with the long one at Elizabeth and -ending with the Reever Bore above San Fernando, were denoted by heavy -crosses. - -Nash studied the map for a long time. “Now, where in the world did this -come from?” he muttered. “It’s an exceedingly clever drawing.” Suddenly -he lifted his head and whistled. “By Jove, that’s it! It fell from the -saddle pocket.” - -He examined the saddle, which he had dragged to one corner. Sure enough, -there was a pocket under one of the flaps. He drew out several other -drawings; one of them proved to be an enlarged map of Camp Forty-seven. -Under it was written, in pencil, and partly erased: - -“I think his name is Elliot Nash. Let me know positively.” - -The signature was obliterated. - -Nash returned the papers to the pocket. Then he went back to his chair -before the long table, where some blue prints were unrolled. - -“I wonder if those maps belong to the girl, or to the person owning the -saddle?” he asked himself. “They’re not the kind used by any of the -engineering corps. They’re prepared especially on the finest kind of -paper. And some one has written my name upon one of them.” He took in a -deep breath, and reached for his pencil. “Well,” he mused, “I’ll ask the -girl--when we’re better acquainted.” - -He was still poring over his figures at ten o’clock, when one the -subforemen came hurriedly in with the information that a big water main -had burst and threatened to flood out a part of the freshly laid -conduit. - -“Never heard of such a thing in this weather,” Nash said, catching up -hat and coat. - -“Came all of a sudden,” the other announced. “The watchman telephoned -in. I’ve been trying to get you for the past fifteen minutes, but your -wire must be out of order.” - -In ten minutes, Nash, accompanied by the man who had brought the news, -was upon the scene. The sight was enough to make his blood boil. Several -hundred feet of concrete, laid that day, was washed out. He managed to -get the water shut off, and then hurried to inspect the pipe. The bright -moonlight proved his first suspicions correct. - -“Bring that torch here!” he called to one of the men. - -The torch was brought. Nash knelt down and examined the broken length of -cast-iron pipe. - -“Just as I thought!” he muttered. “It’s been smashed--probably with a -sledge.” He turned to the subforeman. “Where’s the regular watchman on -this job?” - -The man was called and questioned. No additional light was shed upon the -case; the watchman had seen no one in the vicinity of the pipe, and the -sound of escaping water and falling concrete was his first intimation of -anything wrong. Nash felt that the man was telling the truth. - -These water mains had been laid long before the actual construction work -on the aqueduct had been started; this undertaking, together with the -stringing of telephone and electric-light wires--all preliminary to the -main project--had cost the city of Los Angeles more than two millions of -dollars. Water, to the different construction camps, was a valuable -asset, since the great part of the work lay through arid mountains and -vast stretches of the Mohave Desert. - -While Nash was puzzling over the situation, a shout interrupted, and one -of the men came running up with a sledge hammer he had discovered a -couple of hundred feet up the slope. - -“That’s the answer!” exclaimed Nash. “Find the owner of this, and we’ll -have the man who smashed our pipe.” - -Before leaving the scene, he spoke again to the subforeman: - -“You’d better double your watchmen from now on. We can’t afford to take -any risks. There’s five hundred dollars’ worth of a conduit ruined -to-night. Tell your men to hold any suspicious strangers they may run -across. If necessary, shoot first, and ask questions afterward.” - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -OUT OF THE SHADOW. - - -Nash slept little the remainder of the night, for the smashing of the -water main and the total destruction of the newly built conduit worried -him. Things had been running so smoothly for the past few months that -this interruption came as a shock. He did not like to suspect any of his -own men of the outrage, yet it seemed impossible that an outsider could -elude the watchmen and perpetrate such an act. - -Early the following morning he called together all his subforemen, -warning them not to allow a stranger within the camp limits unless he -showed the proper credentials. - -“Without water,” he told them, “our construction work cannot go on. We -must guard it as we would our lives. Use as many watchmen at night as -you think best--better too many than not enough. Now, let’s see if we -can’t nip this thing in the bud. I’m willing to pay a substantial reward -for the capture of these culprits.” - -The men responded eagerly, and Nash felt confident that they would do -all in their power to prevent another such outrage. - -Late that same afternoon, while at work in his office, Nash was -interrupted by a knock on the door. - -“Come in!” he shouted. - -The door was opened, and the girl of the previous day’s adventure stood -before him. She was dressed in a khaki riding habit, brown boots, and a -wide-brimmed sombrero. - -“Oh!” Nash said, smiling. “Pardon my shouting, won’t you? I thought it -was one of the men. Come right in and sit down.” - -She thanked him, drawing off her riding gloves, and sinking into the -chair he had hurriedly placed for her. “You see, I’ve kept my promise. -Your pony is outside. He’s a little beauty--sure-footed as a deer. And -mine----” - -“I found yours halfway to camp,” he answered. “It’s in the barn. I’ll -give orders to have it brought around. Your saddle is here.” He pointed -to the corner. “I thought it would be safer. Is it your own saddle?” he -asked. - -“Yes.” - -He went over to the telephone. So those little maps really belonged to -her, he said to himself. What use could she have for such technical -drawings? And what was the meaning of his name and the note on one of -the drawings? - -“Hello!” The barn boss was on the wire. “Send over the horse I brought -in last night, will you?” said Nash. “No, only the bridle. The saddle is -here. Right away, please.” - -He hung up the receiver and turned to his visitor. - -“I believe you’re getting tanned,” he said, searching her face -critically, thoughtfully. - -She laughed. “Really? And in one day? Well, I have to begin some time, -don’t I? And if I stay at the ranch for six months I suppose I’ll be as -dark as an Indian.” - -“Oh, then you’re going to be a permanent visitor?” - -She nodded. “Shall I be a welcome one?” she ventured. - -“At Camp Forty-seven, yes,” Nash answered. - -“Oh, I’m carried away with this wonderful country!” she exclaimed, her -eyes sparkling. “How much I’ve missed by living all these years in the -East! And this aqueduct building is so interesting. You don’t realize -how I enjoy watching the work. I should have been a man, I guess. I’d -really love to get down with the laborers and mix cement.” - -“Well,” Nash returned, in mock seriousness, “perhaps I can give you a -job. It would be a novelty for our camp, at least.” - -They laughed. Presently the girl’s horse was brought around to the door. - -“Maybe you’d like to take a little inspection trip with me?” he -suggested. “I generally make the rounds about this hour.” - -She gladly assented. - -Nash had the saddle adjusted. - -“Do you know,” he said abruptly, just before helping her into the -saddle, “you haven’t told me your name?” - -“Miss Breen,” she told him. “I really should have introduced myself -yesterday. I was too upset, I guess.” - -They jogged along the main street of the camp, and then struck sharply -up the winding trail, reaching the summit of the hill after a -ten-minute climb. From this point of vantage a five-mile view of the -conduit construction was visible. - -“There!” he said, drawing rein and sweeping his hand up and down the -valley. A little, amazed cry escaped her lips. - -“Oh, it’s wonderful, isn’t it?” - -“It is more than that, Miss Breen,” he replied. “I don’t know where -there is a greater undertaking on the face of the earth than this one. -Why, every time I ride here and look over that lengthening line of -conduit, I feel like shouting to the very heavens. And to think that my -city is doing it all!” - -She turned curiously, moved by his tone. “You--you’re a Los Angeles -man?” - -“To the core!” he answered. “Do you blame me for being proud? How many -cities would dare even to dream of such a marvelous waterway? Oh, out -here in the West, Miss Breen, men are doing the impossible!” In a calmer -voice, he added: “This will be the longest aqueduct in the world--two -hundred and fifty miles. Think of it! It will carry ten times as much -water as all the aqueducts of Rome combined.” - -The girl did not answer, but her gaze was riveted upon the winding, -glistening length of concrete far below. - -“We’re bringing the snow waters of the great Sierra Nevada Mountains -across the Mohave Desert,” he continued, “across the deep cañons, -through many tunnels, and finally beneath the Sierra Madre range. And a -city of three hundred thousand people voted a bond issue of twenty-five -millions to accomplish this feat of daring.” - -“It must be a great satisfaction to a man to know that his brain and his -hands are helping this dream of a city to become a reality,” Miss Breen -remarked, after a pause. - -“Yes,” said Nash. “We forget it is work. Wasn’t it Kipling who said the -highest pleasure that could come to a man was in the realization of a -task well done?” - -“‘Each for the joy of the working,’” the girl quoted softly. “I think -that’s the verse.” - -For a little time they were silent, wrapped in their own thoughts. The -girl was idly fingering her pony’s mane; Nash was watching the white -plumes of steam that arose from the big dredges, far in the distance. -Then he swept his eyes to an opposite part of the valley. - -“Over there,” he said quietly, but with a touch of pride, “I’m starting -a ‘coyote.’” - -The girl looked to where his finger pointed. She could barely make out a -black hole a few yards below the summit of a hill. - -“What’s that?” she asked. - -“A coyote is the name we use for that little tunnel. You can barely make -out the mouth of it from here. We’ve got to level off the top of that -hill. To accomplish it, we send in a drift; then, at the end of it, we -hollow out a big chamber. This is filled with dynamite--a half a hundred -boxes probably. Wires are laid from it across the valley and to the top -of another hill. At the proper time, an electric battery is attached to -the wires, a button is pressed--and bang! The top of the hill goes up in -the air.” - -“Oh!” she exclaimed, gripping her hands. “It must be a wonderful sight. -May I watch it?” - -“It won’t be ready for another week yet,” he answered. “But when we -touch off the battery you’ll see the prettiest exhibition of fireworks -this side of Manhattan Beach.” - -In a little while they rode down the slope once more and along the busy -line of operations. He explained everything to her, in the simplest -terms; she appeared deeply interested, and asked a hundred questions, -some of which puzzled Nash, not because of their difficulty, but rather -because they were so unexpected. It seemed strange to him that a girl -like Miss Breen, apparently in this part of the country for health and -recreation, should manifest such a keen desire for technical knowledge. - -She betrayed immediate interest in the humanlike electric shovels, and -at the grinding, growling, dust-hidden cement mixers, and at the -spiderlike derricks that picked up tons of steel with the ease of a man -lifting a sheet of paper. - -Finally he took her to where the first siphon was being erected. - -“You see,” he explained patiently, “when we come to a valley, or to any -depression, we’re compelled to use these immense steel mains. Through -them the water is shot down one side and up the other. This one building -is ten feet in diameter. In New York, if you remember, there is a siphon -bored through solid granite, running beneath the Hudson River, and -bringing water from the Catskill Aqueduct. With the exception of a small -length of pressure pipe in use at Niagara Falls, our siphons are the -largest and longest in the world.” - -“I should think the force of the water would soon burst even the best of -steel,” she announced suddenly. - -“It would,” Nash replied, smiling at her remark. “Water will break steel -like an eggshell, unless, of course, the steel is of a certain thickness -and tensile strength.” - -Miss Breen went over and looked at a huge section of steel pipe which -was almost ready to be riveted in place. - -“It doesn’t look very strong,” she said. - -Nash laughed. “The aqueduct engineer spent many months figuring out the -right thickness. Specifications to the thousandth of an inch are given.” - -“And do you order the steel?” she asked. - -He nodded. “That is one of the easy jobs,” he said. “’Most anybody can -follow printed specifications.” - -It was growing darker steadily. They had been so interested that the -time had been forgotten; turning from their observations, they saw that -the men had deserted the conduit work, and that all the big machines had -stopped. - -“How quiet it is!” Miss Breen said, as they walked back to where the -ponies were hitched. - -“I’ll ride with you as far as the high trail,” Nash volunteered, drawing -out his watch, and surprised that the hands marked six o’clock. “Are you -afraid to go on to the ranch alone?” - -“Of course not. I haven’t been afraid since I left the East. Somehow, -one forgets there is such a word out here.” - -As he swung into his saddle, his coat flew up a little, and disclosed a -weapon in his hip pocket. - -“A revolver!” she exclaimed. “Why, what are you afraid of, Mr. Nash?” - -“It isn’t that I’m afraid,” Nash told her gravely; “but in an argument, -the man with a gun generally wins out.” - -“I suppose, being a Californian, you’re a good shot?” Miss Breen said. -“I suppose it comes natural, doesn’t it?” - -Nash shook his head and smiled into her anxious face. “What makes you -think that? All Easterners think the same. They want to believe that -every man between here and the Colorado line carries a six-shooter or -two. Nothing could be more absurd. The real gunman is found in the big -cities. Why, I’ll wager there are more men in New York City to-day -carrying guns than in the whole State of California.” - -“Well,” she returned, “I always imagined because one was in the West -that----” She stopped suddenly. “Look there! A snake!” - -Nash jerked the gun from his pocket, aimed it swiftly, and tightened his -finger upon the trigger. The hammer fell in obedience to the pressure on -the trigger, but only a hollow click resulted. - -“Jove!” he exclaimed, realizing the truth instantly. “I used this -revolver last night, and forgot to load it again.” - -“An unloaded gun isn’t of much use, is it?” Miss Breen said, laughing -with him, and watching the snake crawl safely away. - -“On the contrary,” Nash responded, “it is.” - -She frowned. “But how? Why, the other man could----” - -“Could, but wouldn’t,” Nash interrupted. “It’s the gun he’s afraid of, -not the bullet. And being gun-shy is about the commonest of human -traits. As a general rule, you’ll find it is the Eastern man who is most -likely to pack around a gun. He considers it a necessary part of his -Western equipment--the same as fringed gloves, chaps, knotted bandannas, -and jingling spurs.” - -She did not answer him immediately, and they rode on in the silence. The -twilight still lasted; an awesome hush brooded over the purpling hills. -The hard outlines of the slim pines and the gaunt ridges of rock -softened in the tender light. The air, sweet with the fragrance of wild -flowers, tempered by the banks of snow on the higher ranges, swept to -the faces of the riders. - -“What is that?” Miss Breen asked abruptly, pointing below, to where a -black line wound along the foot of the cliff. - -“That is part of our water main,” Nash responded, following the -direction of her finger. “It is piped from camp to camp. A half mile on -down the line is where----” - -He stopped so unexpectedly that the girl bent forward in her saddle and -peered into his face. Nash had caught sight of a dark form slipping -along the pipe line. The outrage of the previous night was instantly -recalled to his mind. - -He dropped from his saddle. “You’d better remain right where you are, -Miss Breen.” - -Luckily they had stopped well within the shadow of a cliff. The man -below them came on cautiously, unable to distinguish the two who waited -on the trail. - -Miss Breen had slipped from her saddle and had joined Nash. Both were -crouching behind a jagged point of rock. - -Nash’s eager, searching eyes had discovered something that fairly made -his pulses race. The advancing man was carrying a long-handled hammer -over his shoulder. - -“What--what is it?” the girl stammered, awed by the silence. - -“You’d better not stay here,” Nash told her again. - -“What are you going to do?” - -“I’m going to capture this man,” he declared. “He may be armed. You had -better get back of----” - -The man was so near now that Nash could distinguish the wide-brimmed -sombrero and the glistening silver ornaments on the band. At the moment -his eyes gathered in these details, he was surprised by a quick, choking -cry that fell from Miss Breen’s lips. - -The advancing man must have heard, for he stopped, rigid as a statue. -His face, protected by the big hat, was shrouded in shadow. - -Although mystified at the girl’s action, Nash knew no time was to be -wasted. He jerked out his gun, and stepped from the shadow. - -“Hands up, you!” he exclaimed grimly. - -The man reeled back. Nash spoke again sharply. The arms shot skyward, -the heavy hammer crashing to the rocks behind him. - -“Keep them there,” cautioned Nash. “Now, walk forward! Careful! No -tricks, or I’ll----” He moved his revolver suggestively. - -The man came forward slowly, step by step. Then, just as his features -were beginning to grow distinct, Miss Breen lifted a shrill, frightened -voice: - -“Run, run! His gun isn’t loaded!” - -In a flash, hardly before Nash could realize what had been said, the man -dropped his arms, vaulted the line of pipe, and was instantly swallowed -by the shadows. - - -TO BE CONTINUED. - - * * * * * - - -BREATHING THROUGH THE NOSE. - - -It is all important, in order to preserve the system from shock and the -danger of contamination by foreign substances, that before the air -enters the lungs it should be made as nearly as possible of the same -temperature as the blood, and should be deprived of all particles of -dust, which might be a hindrance to the bodily functions. - -The entire course of the tortuous nasal canal is lined with mucous -membrane, and this membrane is of a highly vascular structure. That is -to say, the whole tissue is flushed with blood by a perfect network of -vessels, over which the air we breathe passes, and from which it borrows -the requisite heat. The mucus which is secreted by the membranes is also -advantageous in rendering the atmosphere suitably moist. - -In the light of these considerations, the difference between air -breathed in through the nose and that taken in by the mouth becomes at -once apparent. In the first case it is gently drawn in through the -winding canals, and is tempered and purified on the way, while the air -which reaches the lungs by way of the mouth comes upon them all at once, -and is identical in nature with the surrounding atmosphere, whether that -be warm or cold, dry or moist, full of dust or free from it. - -Of no less importance than the benefits accruing to the whole system -from properly breathing through the nose are those which result to the -nasal membranes themselves. In the process of imparting heat and -moisture to the air as it passes over them, the tissues are prevented -from accumulating an oversupply of mucus, and any excess by blood -pressure in the parts is relieved by the contact of the cold air which -is constantly breathed in. One investigator has even gone so far as to -assert that many forms of colds may be greatly benefited by a correct -breathing exercise taken every few hours. - -However that may be, it is certain that the disadvantages of mouth -breathing are too numerous and glaring to be lightly passed over. - - * * * * * - - -THE NEWS OF ALL NATIONS. - - - - -Never Rode on Railroad Train. - -Joseph McGinnis, aged eighty, is dead, in Findlay, Ohio. It is said that -he had only been in three towns during his lifetime, and that he had -never ridden on a railway train. - - - - -Ban on One Carnival Sport. - -Coney Island and other amusement places of New York State will have to -struggle along this summer with “red-hots” and scenic railways and other -athletic diversions without the aid of that soothing exercise of hitting -with a baseball the head of an “Ethiopian” as it protrudes from a hole -in the canvas sheet and win a cigar. This is the depressing news which -comes from Albany, N. Y., where a fussy legislature is interfering with -the cheap and simple pleasures of the poor. - -The bill, if passed, prohibits, on pain of fines ranging from $100 to -$500, the earning of an honest though hazardous living by exposing the -skull to the aim of snipers at Coney. Many persons who have no more -profitable use for their heads will join the army of the unemployed, and -the millions which throng Coney each week will have to content their -violent natures by throwing baseballs at wooden heads instead of at the -“African brother.” - - - - -Big Steer Hurled from Train. - -A Northwestern east-bound fast fruit and stock train, while running at a -terrific speed, lost a big steer between Logan and Woodbine, Iowa, when -the side door of the car became unfastened. - -The steer, after performing a series of acrobatic stunts, picked himself -up minus one horn, and walked to the F. C. Hodges yard on the Plumer -farm. Railroad men say that the accident is without a parallel. The snow -drifts along the track may account for the steer escaping fatal injury. - - - - -Beware of Food “Jag.” - -“Many popular artificial foods, which people imagine to be good food in -concentrated form, contain more alcohol than sherry wine, and will cause -intoxication if enough is taken,” said Doctor Franklin W. White, of -Boston, Mass., in speaking on “Food in Health and Disease” at the -Harvard Medical School. - -Comparing the relative value of foods, according to the “glass-of-milk” -and “bread-and-butter” standards, Doctor White asserted that a glass of -milk was equal in food value to twenty glasses of soup or broth, and -that a small slice of bread and butter equaled a large plate of beans or -a dozen oysters. He emphasized the nutritive value of olive oil, a -spoonful of which, he said, equaled in value a glass of milk. - -“A lot of money is spent for flavor instead of for real food value,” -Doctor White said. - - - - -Fed Hens Auto Grease. - -As hen food and an egg producer, automobile grease is now more popular -in Brielle, N. J., than corn. Ralph T. Pearce, an engineer, made the -discovery. - -Recently one of his hens discovered a quantity of grease that had been -spilled near the yard. In his capacity as bookkeeper to the bird, Pearce -found that her productivity increased suddenly and remained at the new -high level. Investigation gave him an idea. Now all his hens have a -grease course in their menu. - -The engineer says that not only do his birds lay better, but their new -diet costs less than recognized varieties of hen food. - - - - -Heiress Scorns High Life. - -Miss Lillian G. Carter, of Atlanta, Ga., who inherited $2,000,000 from -her father, Josiah Carter, still declares that she will devote her life -to settlement work. She does not care to be a social butterfly, she -says. - - - - -Close Call for Aged Woman. - -When Mrs. Marcus W. Church, seventy-one years old, of Wheeling, W. Va., -was overcome by a paralytic stroke, a maid sent at once for Mrs. -Church’s son, Frank Church, who, on reaching home, thought his mother -was dead. He called an undertaker, who arrived two hours later. - -When the undertaker began preparations to embalm her, Mrs. Church sat -up, rubbed her eyes, and asked: “What’s the matter here?” A few minutes -later she was able to be about the house, and in the evening she partook -of her dinner as usual. - - - - -“Ferocious” Bear is Captured. - -The bear that has been bothering people around Poland, Ohio, has been -caught. Like an ordinary criminal, the animal was run down by a posse. - -A crowd of men and boys tracked the animal to a hiding place in a -thicket, and then “rushed” the place in a body. They found bruin in the -spot, but he didn’t want to fight. On the contrary, he seemed glad to -see the crowd, and wanted to play. It was then found that he wore a -muzzle, and was hungry. - -The bear hunters were at a loss to know what to do with their catch -until a gypsy appeared and claimed bruin as his own property. - - - - -Regains Voice Calling Cat. - -Mrs. Grace Lambert, of Pinewood Avenue, Toledo, Ohio, was able, the -other day, to use her voice for the first time since March 4, 1914, when -she lost her speech following a long attack of bronchial pneumonia. Mrs. -Lambert’s voice suddenly returned when she called “Pete,” the family -cat, to breakfast. - - - - -When Ballet Skirts Grew Short. - -In the earlier days of the ballet the dancers were dressed in the -elaborate and fulsome costume of the period--the women in hooped -petticoats falling to the ankle, with their powdered hair piled up a -foot or more upon their heads, the men in long-skirted coats, set out -from their hips with padding. - -So long as this costume was worn, the dance was necessarily confined -almost entirely to the dignified and gliding movements of the minuet. It -permitted none of the airy and intricate steps which are peculiar to -the technic of the ballet proper. - -Noverre, the eighteenth-century maître de ballet, who is chiefly -responsible for giving the ballet its present form, wrote as follows: “I -wish to reduce by three-quarters the ridiculous paniers of our -danseuses. They are opposed equally to the freedom, the quickness, and -the prompt and animated action of the dance.” - -Mlle. de Camargo, the famous dancer, started the innovation in dress. -She was the first to execute the entre chat, a light and brilliant step, -during the performance of which the dancer rapidly crosses the feet -while in midair. In her dances, therefore, she took the precaution of -wearing the caleçon, from which the tight-fitting fleshing of the ballet -dancer was subsequently evolved. - - - - -Two National Forest Blazes. - -There is the possibility of a dangerous spring and summer fire season in -the national forests in the West, as presaged by reports that two forest -fires occurred in January. Moreover, the snowfall in much of the Rocky -Mountain region and in the foothills has been much below normal. - -January fires are almost unheard of in the national forests, and the -snow reports are regarded as especially significant, as they indicate -that, unless the deficiency is made up, the forests will be dry earlier -in the spring than usual, with a consequent increase of the fire menace. - -The fires occurred in the Pike forest, in Colorado, and the Black Hills -forest, in South Dakota, the latter believed to have been of incendiary -origin, according to the district forester at Denver. About seventy-five -acres were burned over, all told. They were the only national forest -fires reported for January. - -The district forester at Ogden, Utah, in charge of the national forests -in Nevada, Utah, and southern Idaho, reported that the snow in this -region also is far below normal. - - - - -Two Beds for Eighteen. - -A dapper young man breezed into the Teneyck Hotel, at Albany, N. Y., and -said to “Doc” Benedict, its assistant manager: - -“I want to engage two double rooms with bath.” - -“For how many persons?” asked Benedict. - -“Well,” explained the young man, “twelve men are to occupy one room, and -six women the other. I want a double bed in each room.” - -“This hotel won’t rent one room for twelve men or even for six women,” -said Benedict. - -“If I were to tell you,” pleaded the young man, “that I am the advance -agent for a lilliputian show, and that none of the twelve men or six -women weighs more than thirty-five pounds, would you rent the rooms?” - -“Oh, that’s different,” said Benedict, and he switched the register -around for the advance agent to sign. - - -Thief Returns Santa Claus Picture. - -“Golly,” the famous pickaninny Christmas painting by Angus Peter -McDonall, has come back to the Santa Claus Association, in New York. - -No one knows who stole it last December, and no one knows who left it on -the twelfth floor of 347 Fifth Avenue. Yet it was returned by a friend -of “The Meanest Thief” who stole it. With the painting he left a letter -explaining that conscience and inability to pawn the work of art had -influenced him to bring it back. - -A man with three days’ stubble on his face and poorly dressed placed a -letter and package in the hands of one of the officials at the -headquarters of the association. He disappeared down the elevator before -any one could learn his identity. The letter read: - - “Here is the oil painting I stole from you last December. I was - hungry and had no place to sleep when I took it. I did not know - what it was or what it was for when I stole it. If I had known that - it was used to cheer up the kiddies for Christmas I would never - have stolen it. - - “I tried to pawn it two times, but couldn’t. The first pawnbroker I - offered it to showed me the name of the association on it. This was - the first time I found out who owned it. I tried to wash off the - name, but couldn’t do so. The second pawnbroker also refused to - take it. - - “I have kept it with me ever since. I have often thought of how - happy I was after Santa had been to my house when I was a boy. My - mind bothered me so much that I could not sleep at times, and I - decided to send it back by a friend of mine. I would have carried - it back myself, but I was afraid of being recognized by some one in - your office. - - THE MEANEST THIEF.” - - - -When the officials recovered from their amazement they sent a telegram -to Mr. McDonall at his home, in Westport, Conn., notifying him of the -return of his painting. - -Golly shows a little pickaninny standing in front of a fireplace in his -mother’s cabin on Christmas morning. On the hearth is a Christmas tree, -with lighted candles and packages of candy, and a few toys are scattered -over the floor. Youthful happiness spreads over the child’s face as he -gazes on the bounty of St. Nicholas. - - -Wireless Machine is Carried on an Auto. - -What is probably the first automobile wireless apparatus in the country -belongs to O. E. Ruckgaber, Ithaca, N. Y., a senior in the College of -Civil Engineering at Cornell University. - -Ruckgaber is already sending wireless messages from his car for a -distance of about ten miles when the atmospheric conditions are good, -and he hopes to send messages for much longer distance in a short time. -Ruckgaber attached the wireless to the car two weeks ago. At first he -sent messages but short distances to his fraternity house, but he has -improved the machine recently. - -All that can be seen of the apparatus are two wires running from the top -of the car and meeting at the outer point of the engine hood. The -sending and receiving apparatus is placed on one of the seats. - - - - -To Make Lard Out of Corn Oil. - -After determining that corn oil is an economic substitute for olive oil, -Dean L. E. Sayre, of the Kansas University School of Pharmacy, is -experimenting to determine whether it is a satisfactory substitute for -lard. Some of the liquid oil, which is heavy and brown, has been -hydrogenated. In this condition it appears white and has about the -consistency of cocoa butter, and melts at the temperature of beeswax. - -Dean Sayre has been experimenting with corn oil for more than a year. He -found that it makes a very good substitute for olive oil in salad -dressings, and believes that the hydrogenated oil can be used in place -of lard. The patented frying mediums are hydrogenated cottonseed oil. - -Corn oil is extracted from the soft white center of the corn, where the -life spark dwells. It is a by-product of the manufacture of starch, -glucose, and the better grades of corn meal. - - - - -Giant Reptile Seven Million Years Old. - -Between seven and ten million years ago, in what is known as the -Jurassic Age, there lived a group of giant reptiles called Dinosaurs, -one family of which, the Stegosauridæ, or plated lizards, is perhaps the -most fantastic and curious in all natural history. The most perfect and -complete fossilized skeleton of the genus Stegosaurus, a smaller branch -of this remarkable family group, is on exhibition in the new building of -the United States National Museum, at Washington, just as it was found -and dug out of the sandstone rock. Near at hand is a natural size and -very lifelike restoration in papier-mâché so weird and monstrous in -appearance as to give one the horrors. - -Back in the very early days of the world, this armor-plated, lizardlike -monster dwelt in the western part of the United States in what is now -the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, although at that time the -mountains did not exist. - -He roamed about in the marsh and swamp lands of that region, feeding on -the tropical grasses and plants, the fossil remains of which are found -buried with his skeleton. The specimen mentioned above comes from Quarry -No. 1, in Fremont County, near Cañon City, Col., where it was found by -Mr. M. P. Felch in 1885. Brief articles concerning it were written from -time to time, but it was not assembled and mounted until two years ago, -and never completely described until recently. - -With the exception of the removal of some of the sandstone which -surrounds this valuable specimen, it has been left in the position in -which it was discovered so that the relation of the various bones and -skin armor may be seen and studied by scientists. In order that the -lower side of the skeleton and the back plates may be seen, two mirrors -have been placed beneath it in such a manner as to reflect the exact -structure and location of the various bones. - -The undisturbed position of the bones and the surrounding sandstone -indicates that this monster died in the water, or on the bank of a -stream, and from some natural cause. It is possible that the carcass -floated down the stream, as the arrangement of the different bones and -spine plates indicates a gradual washing and tipping over, rather than -the crushing action of a heavy force. The skeleton is quite complete and -lies partly on its side and back, with nearly all the bones in their -relative positions, rendering it of infinite value to scientists for -study and as a reference type. - -In life this peculiar reptile, of such gigantic proportions, must have -presented a forbidding appearance; it measures about nineteen feet in -length, was evidently more than eleven feet in height at the hips, and -was covered with a very tough and horny scalelike skin, studded here and -there with bony buttons or knobs of armor. Along its back were arranged -great sharp-edged plates, set alternately and projecting upward like the -teeth of a huge saw. This odd armor plate extended from the small, -wedge-shaped reptilian head all the way back and well down the tapering, -lizardlike tail, which was tipped with four long, sharp spines. Its legs -were not unlike those of a lizard or other reptile, except that the -forelegs were rather short and much weaker than the hind ones, an -indication that the great animal could sit up like a kangaroo, and was -perhaps descended from a bipedal ancestor. - -From a study of its teeth it has been determined that this prehistoric -beast was a plant eater, as is suggested by its habitat. Further -investigation of its head, which is so small as to be quite out of -proportion to its massive body, reveals the fact that it had scarcely -any brain. Although the body of the Stegosaur is supposed to have -weighed more than that of an elephant, the brain of the latter is fifty -times as heavy, which fact appears an excuse for the immense amount of -defensive armor with which it was equipped, making it practically -impregnable as far as its enemies were concerned, provided it had any. -Its bones alone weigh nearly a ton, and it has been estimated that in -life the Stegosaur weighed between seven and ten tons. - - - - -Panama-Pacific Fair is Now Open. - -The greatest day in California’s history has been recorded. Responding -to the touch of President Wilson’s fingers on a telegraph key, the great -Panama-Pacific International Exposition was formally opened, and 400,000 -visitors joined in the cheering, the singing, and the first tours of -inspection of the stupendous show as seen in full running order. - -It came through flawlessly. There was no hitch in the ceremonies. From -the dawn, when San Francisco was awakened by a volume and variety of -noise such as never was imagined before, until late in the evening, when -the heavens were lit with the great play of lights from the exposition’s -wizards of illumination, the program of the opening day was carried out -as it was planned in the minds of the fair’s builders. - -Shortly before noon a great procession of citizens, headed by the mayor, -marched onto the grounds. Charles C. Moore, president of the Exposition -Company, informed President Wilson by direct transcontinental telephone -that his wireless flash had been received, and the president conveyed -his greetings and good wishes. Thus the two latest methods of -long-distance communication vivified the fair opening. Ceremonies of -dedication and acceptance as brief as possible inaugurated the -exposition. - -Forty-five foreign nations, forty-three States, and three Territories -are represented at the exposition. - -“To-day is the triumph,” said Governor Johnson, speaking for the State. -“It is the triumph of San Francisco that nine years ago was a city that -lay in ruins.” - -Secretary Lane was present as the personal representative of President -Wilson. He brought greetings of the president to the people of -California and to the exposition management. - -Mr. Lane, after expressing the greetings of President Wilson, said that -he expected that Mr. Wilson would be in San Francisco within a month. “I -come as a token bearer to speak a feeble foreword to the rich volume of -his admiration for your courage, your enterprise, and your genius,” he -said. - -The first day’s attendance at the exposition exceeded the records of all -previous great American expositions on their opening day. Two hours -after the gates had opened to admit the first person, there had been -180,000 admissions to the grounds, and there remained great crowds in -the lines to pass through the turnstiles. On the first day of the -Chicago World’s Fair there were 137,557 admissions, and at St. Louis, in -1904, there were 178,453 admissions on the opening day. - -The telegraph key touched by President Wilson was studded with gold -nuggets. It was the same key that President Taft used to open the -Alaska-Yukon Exposition. The ceremony was held in the East Room of the -White House. - -As seen from the hills of San Francisco, the exposition presents a great -parti-colored area, perhaps best described as resembling a giant Persian -rug of soft, melting tones. The roofs of the palaces are a reddish pink, -the color of Spanish tile; the domes are green, and gold and blue are -set within the recesses of the towers. The general color plan is a faint -ivory, the color of travertine stone. - -It was a new field, this painting an entire city with the colors of the -rainbow. Expositions of the past had been “White Cities,” with the -exception of slight uses of color in the last two, but the directors of -the Panama-Pacific International Exposition wanted a “Rainbow City,” -whose colors would provide a splendid feature. - -Cost of Panama-Pacific Exposition, $50,000,000. - -Cost of World’s Columbia Exposition in Chicago in 1893, $33,000,000. - -Attendance on opening day of San Francisco Fair, nearly 400,000. - -Largest exhibit, United States Steel Co. display, weight, 1,500 tons. - -Smallest exhibit, three grains of radium, weight, one-sixtieth of troy -ounce. - -Most unique display, one hundred tons of carved woodwork and hand-made -wares sent by China. - - - - -Bits of Interesting Information. - -Since natural gas was discovered in Cleveland several months ago, more -than one hundred successful wells have been sunk within the city limits. - -A new dustpan that a woman has patented has a handle on one side and in -front a guard plate, over which dust is brushed into a pocket. - -Argentina is one of the few important countries in which no coal is -mined. - -Six thousand an hour is the speed of a new machine for sealing and -stamping letters. - -A steering wheel instead of the familiar handle bars features a new type -of bicycle. - -Switzerland uses a greater proportion of its available water power than -any other country. - -A Spanish syndicate is considering building a railroad across northern -Africa, 1,864 miles long. - -For motorists there has been invented a cloth-lined rubber pail that -folds flat when not in use. - -Rubbing with unsalted butter, followed by bleaching in the sun, will -cleanse ivory ornaments. - -Scientists have estimated that more than fifteen per cent of the earth’s -crust is composed of aluminium. - -To prevent waste of tooth powder or paste is the purpose of a new cup to -hold a small amount, into which a brush may be rubbed. - -Explosions of a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gases drive the engines -in a new French submarine boat. - -The newest foot rest for a bootblack’s stand is equipped with clamps to -hold a patron’s shoe stationary. - -Lemon juice in water is an excellent tooth wash, as it not only removes -tartar but sweetens the breath. - -Of French invention is a hammock that can be converted into a -comfortable seat that holds a person erect. - -Self-propelled steam machinery for clearing land of stumps after -lumbering operations has been invented. - -Peru is making its own Portland cement, which heretofore it has imported -from Europe and the United States. - -A Missouri inventor’s comb is made of metal and mounted on a block that -will retain heat a considerable time. - -For fumigating books in public libraries there has been invented an -airtight case, in which they can be subjected to sulphur fumes. - -A new cabinet for raising bread dough is provided with the desired -temperature by heating a stone and placing it in the bottom. - -A nonsinkable lifeboat of German invention is equipped with doors that -automatically close upon its occupants should it upset. - -In Japan recently there was completed a railroad bridge nearly seven -miles long, built of native materials at a cost of $375,000. - - - - -Oil Tanker Rides a Sea of Flames. - -The tale of an oil tanker laden with benzine, which rode through a sea -of fire and made the Azores by dead reckoning, was told by Captain -Dekker, master of the Holland-American freighter _Zaandyk_, upon landing -in New York. He got the story second hand at Horta, but he thought it -was true and even more thrilling than the account related to him. - -He heard also that one of the tanker’s lifeboats, containing the chief -officer and seven men, had been blown away and was never seen again. - -Any man who would take a cargo of benzine from the west coast of South -America to London in the winter, and buck through the worst weather of -the year, he thought, was capable of fighting his way through a sea of -fire. - -When the _Zaandyk_ came in from Rotterdam, Captain Dekker was asked if -he had seen any mines in the North Sea. No, he hadn’t seen any mines, -and he had not been molested by any craft of the warring nations. - -Yes, he was late, but that was the weather. Fighting westerly gales and -head seas that kept his bow awash and his propellers clear too often to -be comfortable, ate up his coal before he was halfway across, and he had -to run into the Azores. - -It was pretty dirty weather, but he didn’t mind that. He didn’t carry a -benzine cargo, like the other fellow, and what happened to the other -fellow was perhaps worth telling. - -The other fellow was Captain Bugge, the mighty master of the Norwegian -tanker _La Habra_, who had tried conclusions with the benzine cargo from -the west coast. He had had a fire on board that cleaned up his charts, -sextants, compasses, and chronometers, and let it go at that. - -Captain Dekker thought it was like the prank of a mean sailorman who -would catch a shark, chop off his tail, and then turn him adrift, to die -or be devoured alive by its mates. - -“I didn’t get over to see the tanker,” said Captain Dekker, “but she -was making repairs when we put into Horta. Her experience was known all -over the Azores.” - -According to what he had learned about her, _La Habra_ left Talara Bay, -passed through the Panama Canal, and steamed east from Colon. Gales from -the southwest and northwest did not bother her much, but when she got -within about 400 miles southeast of the Azores the wind shifted to -northeast, and she got a pounding which almost foundered her. - -Several times she nearly went over on her beam ends, and the treacherous -fluid cargo was badly shaken. The engine and fire-room crews feared that -at any minute a tank compartment might break and drive a flood of -benzine into the fires. It was sure death for all of them if this -happened, and they hadn’t much faith in the security of any tank in -weather such as they were then running through. - -While this northeaster was doing its worst, a terrific explosion -occurred aft of the house. It is not known whether the men below stuck -to their posts but those on deck sought safety, some huddling together -on the bow and others at the stern. - -Now, Captain Bugge had carried oil before. He knew his ship and was -ready to save his men. - -“There isn’t any use of you fellows getting away up aft and forrid -there,” the skipper shouted, “because if there’s another blow-up, you’ll -have nothing but the sea.” - -He knew what was going to happen if the benzine became ignited. - -The lifeboats, tackle, and falls would go up like chaff, and all hands -would have the choice of drowning or sticking to a red-hot tanker. - -Calling his men from their perches, Captain Bugge ordered all lifeboats -dropped over the side. Although another explosion was expected -momentarily, the sailormen obeyed orders. The chief officer and five men -got into the after-starboard lifeboat, and, making it fast, played out -their line until they drifted astern 100 yards. With this boat out of -the way, the men were prepared to jump and make for it if the fire got -to the benzine. Captain Bugge stuck to the bridge until a great wall of -water heeled the vessel over and ripped open a tank. - -Benzine mixed with the spindrift swashed into the flames and drove a -liquid blaze over the house. The bridge and chart room were soon -stripped of everything in them not made of metal, and the compass, -falling from its supports, rolled into the sea. Presently the terrific -heat burst another tank and sprayed the sea with fire. - -The water-soaked line to the trailing lifeboat astern soon crumpled into -ashes under the terrific fire the northeaster blew upon it, and, with -its occupants, the boat bounded on to the southwest. It was never seen -again. The other boats, charred and battered, were useless. - -When hope had been abandoned, a great wave swept _La Habra_ from stem to -stern, and when it passed the flames were gone. The fire was out for -good. - -Throughout the battle with fire and storm no benzine got into the fire -room. The broken tanks were now burned out and the tanker was at least -safe from fire. - -Although badly battered by the storm, the tanker’s engines were not -damaged, and under her own steam she started on her course to the -northeast. - -Captain Bugge had nothing to guide him but the sun. His bridge compass -was gone, and the one astern made useless by the fire. He said he had -an idea where the Azores might be, and finally got into Horta safely. - -Captain Dekker, of the _Zaandyk_, said he believed that the Norwegian -master would eventually get to London with the remainder of his benzine -cargo. - - - - -Ore-steal Stories of the Early Days. - -Stories of famous steals put across when ore was sampled in the -old-fashioned way are being retold by old-time miners of Denver, Col. -Tales of the stirring days when Leadville was a city of tents and -Colorado miners, hot-blooded young fellows who came West to dig gold -from the earth or die, are being circulated around hotel lobbies and -office buildings of Denver, just as they went the rounds of Colorado -mining camps forty years ago. - -The story of the $41,000 difference between the Cresson mine people and -their smelting company over the assaying of samples taken from the -wonderful golden chamber discovered in the great strike in their Cripple -Creek property has quickened the memories of the old miners and brought -to their recollection tales of the good old days, when they wielded the -pick and shovel. - -“Yes, I suppose smelting companies were cheated out of hundreds of -thousands and perhaps millions of dollars by crooked sampling deals in -the old days,” said one old-time prospector. “And, on the other hand, -certain practices of theirs shortened up the profits of the miners -considerably, so I guess it was about an even break. - -“You see, the old-fashioned sampling of ore was done this way: The ore -haulers drove across the hills from the mines to the smelter, hauling -the ore in great, heavy wagons. At the smelter the custom was to sample -ten to one-hundred-ton lots of the ore. The wagons would drive up to the -smelter, and the husky hauler would throw one shovelful into the sample -bin, then three shovelfuls into the general bin, in succession, until -the load was exhausted. - -“Some of the smelting companies beat the miners out of a good deal of -money by always turning in an assay report a little below that of the -miner. Then they’d offer to split the difference. Supposing the miner -split with the company on a two-ounce difference in silver smelting; -that would make one hundred ounces to the hundred ton. With silver at -$1.19 an ounce, which it sold for in the old days, that made $120 lost -to the miner with the smelting of every hundred-ton lot, the sum being -put into the pocket of the smelter owners. - -“One way some of the miners got it back on the smelting companies was in -the loading of their sample wagons. They would put a layer of the -highest-grade ore procurable in the bottom of the wagons. Then they’d -fill them up with lower-grade ore. When the hauler bent his broad back -over the shovel at the smelter he had a distinct understanding with his -employer that he was to shovel from the bottom of the wagon into the -sampling bin and from the top into the general bin. - -“Old One-eyed Ike, of Leadville, pulled a very neat trick on a smelter -company. Ike made a strike in his silver mine. A good deal of it was -just a fair grade of ore--nothing wonderful. But Ike wanted to get rich -quick. So he fixed up a rubber bulb, which he fastened under his arm -with a long tube running under his coat sleeve to his left hand. - -“The bulb was full of chloride of silver. When the sample would get down -small, Ike would press his arm on the bulb and add a good deal of -weight to the sample with the silver that would rush out of the tube. He -got by with this trick for months. But finally the smelter people began -to think that Ike’s samples were running pretty high. So they began to -watch him. They couldn’t find a thing wrong, except that he wore his old -blue coat right through the hottest days. - -“Ike was mopping the sweat from his brow with his old red bandanna one -sultry August noon, when a bee lit on his left hand and crawled up his -sleeve. An expression of agony stole into Ike’s one bleary eye. He -squeezed the bee through his coat sleeve, but it only stung harder. - -“I couldn’t tell you what he said. Nobody but an old-time miner would be -qualified to pass on Ike’s language. Finally he could stand the torment -of that stinging bee no longer. He tore off his coat, revealing the -tube, and ran for the creek, tearing his shirt to ribbons on the -low-hanging branches of the pines and spruces. The smelter man noticed -the tube when Ike took off his coat, and his little game was over. But -he had got away with $50,000 or $100,000, which the smelter people were -never able to get back.” - - - - -Brace of Big Birds are Slain. - -C. H. Lewis, a prominent merchant of Randolph, La., saw two large birds -light in the mill pond here. Securing a gun, he succeeded in killing -them. The birds are of an unknown kind, but they resemble huge white -cranes. They measure over five feet from tip to tip, have web feet like -a duck, and are almost snow white except a little dark blue on their -backs. - - - - -A Notorious Bandit’s End. - -The body of Frank James, the former outlaw, who died on his farm near -Excelsior Springs, Mo., has been cremated at St. Louis. The ashes have -been returned to a safe-deposit vault in this city, in accordance with -the last wish of James. The ex-bandit said he did not wish his grave to -be a mecca for sightseers. - -Whatever may have been the faults of Frank James, he kept his word and -was a respected citizen when death summoned him. In the thirty years -since he surrendered to the Governor of Missouri at Jefferson City, -James clung to his determination to live an upright life. The latter -part of his career furnished a good illustration of the doctrine that a -man can quit if he wants to and stay quit if he wills to. James knew -what a man could do if he only made up his mind to do it. That is the -real moral of his story. Supporting himself and his family by honest -work, he won a good place in public opinion and made friends wherever he -went. - -A writer, long a friend of the former bandit, visited James several -years ago to get information to be used in a proposed book. - -“I promised the governor, when I surrendered, that I would never write a -book about myself or permit one to be written,” said James. Though he -was offered $10,000, he kept his promise, dying without having told the -details of his seventeen years of wild life. It has been his wish to -live down his former reputation, and he died with the satisfaction that -he had done so. - -James was seventy-one years old. Apoplexy caused his death; he had been -ill for many months. - -Fifty years ago, when the report spread in any one of the hundreds of -small towns in the Middle West, and especially in that section of -Missouri which borders on Kansas, that the James boys were coming, a -reign of terror invariably resulted. Stores were closed, the townspeople -armed themselves with the long rifles in vogue in that day, and a guard -surrounded the local bank. Women and children were usually placed in -cellars and under strong guard for safety. The word “James” was one with -which to conjure terror, for the reputation of Jesse and Frank was known -to every one, from the oldest inhabitant to the smallest barefooted boy. - -Frank and his brother, Jesse James, joined Quantrell’s Guerillas in the -Civil War and took part in the sacking of Lawrence, Kan. Scores of -persons were shot and killed at that time, and their relatives swore -vengeance on every one who had a part in the raid. Jesse and Frank were -singled out, and, as the latter often said in excuse for his action, -were persecuted until they turned outlaws in order to gain a living. - -Their first big robbery took place one year after the war, when, -accompanied by a band of desperadoes, Frank and Jesse rode into Liberty, -Mo., and surrounded the Commercial Bank. One bank defender was killed -and $70,000 in cash was taken. The audacity of the crime caused -widespread indignation, and a price was set upon the heads of the -desperadoes. - -After minor raids in southern Missouri, the James boys, as they became -known, rode into Russellville, Ky., one morning in 1868. Their band did -not wear masks; instead, they darkened their faces with berry stain. -They shot up the town and took $17,000 from the local bank. A month or -two later word was received in Gallatin, Mo., that Jesse and Frank were -in the neighborhood. They were and soon were in Gallatin. Captain John -W. Sheets, cashier of the bank, fired a fusillade at the band and -instantly was shot down and killed. - -Then followed a series of raids and train holdups which netted the band -thousands of dollars and made their name a household word throughout the -West. - -Word was received by the State authorities in 1875 that Jesse and Frank -were in the James homestead near Kearney, Mo. On the night of the -twenty-fifth of that month a lighted bomb was thrown into the house, -killing Archie James, the bandits’ brother, and tearing off the arm of -their mother. - -“We weren’t at home,” Frank afterward said, “but we were in the -neighborhood. We found out that the men throwing the bomb were making -toward Kansas City, and we overtook them. ‘What would you do if you saw -the James boys?’ I said to the leader. ‘We’d shoot them,’ he told me. -‘Well, here we are; so shoot!’ Jesse shouted. Not a one of them was left -alive.” - -In 1882, after Jesse James had been shot and killed in his home in St. -Joseph, Mo., by Bob Ford, also a bandit, for a reward of $30,000, Frank -James surrendered in Jefferson City, Mo. He spent a year in jail -awaiting trial. He finally was acquitted. He never was in the -penitentiary and never was convicted of any of the charges against him. - - * * * * * - -TOBACCO HABIT You can conquer it easily in 8 days, improve your health, -prolong your life. No more stomach trouble, no foul breath, no heart -weakness. Regain manly vigor, calm nerves, clear eyes & superior mental -strength. Whether you chew; or smoke pipe, cigarettes, cigars, get my -interesting Tobacco Book. Worth its weight in gold. Mailed free. E. J. -WOODS, 230 K, Station E. New York, N.Y. - - * * * * * - - -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, 1915. -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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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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. 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. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Nick Carter Stories No 120 - 160 / Dec 26, 1914 - Oct 2, 1915</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0;'>The Man They Held Back; Dared For Los Angeles</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Nick Carter</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Editor: Chickering Carter</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: November 16, 2021 [eBook #66750]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: David Edwards, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Northern Illinois University Digital Library)</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NICK CARTER STORIES NO 120 - 160 / DEC 26, 1914 - OCT 2, 1915 ***</div> -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/cover.jpg"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" height="500" alt="" /></a> -</div> - -<table cellpadding="1" summary="deprecated" -style="border:3px solid black; -padding:.5em;"> -<tr><th class="c"><a href="#THE_MAN_THEY_HELD_BACK">THE MAN THEY -HELD BACK;, </a></th></tr> -<tr><td class="c"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER: I., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_II"> II., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_III"> III., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IV"> IV., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_V"> V., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VI"> VI., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VII"> VII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII"> VIII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IX"> IX., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_X"> X., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XI"> XI. </a> -</td></tr> - -<tr class="c"><th><a href="#Dared_for_Los_Angeles">DARED FOR LOS ANGELES., </a></th></tr> -<tr class="c"><td> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER: XII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XIII"> XIII., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XIV"> XIV., </a> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XV"> XV. </a> -</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_1" id="page_1">{1}</a></span></p> - -<p class="cbig250"> -<img src="images/nickcarter.png" -width="500" -alt="NICK CARTER STORIES" /></p> - -<p class="c"> -<i>Issued Weekly. Entered as Second-class Matter at the New York Post Office, by</i> <span class="smcap">Street & Smith</span>, <i>79-89 Seventh Ave., New York.<br /> -Copyright, 1915, by</i> <span class="smcap">Street & Smith</span>. <i>O. G. Smith and G. C. Smith, Proprietors.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p class="c">Terms to NICK CARTER STORIES Mail Subscribers.</p> - -<p class="c">(<i>Postage Free.</i>)</p> - -<p class="c">Single Copies or Back Numbers, 5c. Each.</p> - -<table cellpadding="0" summary="deprecated"> -<tr><td align="left">3 months</td><td align="left">65c.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">4 months</td><td align="left">85c.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">6 months</td><td align="left">$1.25</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">One year</td><td align="left">$2.50</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">2 copies one year</td><td align="left">4.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">1 copy two years</td><td align="left">4.00</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c"><b>How to Send Money</b>—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.</p> - -<p class="c"><b>Receipts</b>—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.</p> - -<p class="c"> -<b>No. 136.</b> <span style="margin-left: 2em; -margin-right:2em;">NEW YORK, April 17, 1915.</span> <b>Price Five Cents.</b><br /> -</p> - -<h1><a name="THE_MAN_THEY_HELD_BACK" id="THE_MAN_THEY_HELD_BACK"></a>THE MAN THEY HELD BACK;<br /><br /> -<small>Or, NICK CARTER’S OTHER SELF.</small></h1> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_2" id="page_2">{2}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="c">Edited by CHICKERING CARTER.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.<br /><br /> -<small>A MAN IN A MASK.</small></h2> - -<p>“You’ll pass for a Mexican in those togs, chief.”</p> - -<p>“The ‘togs,’ as you call them, Chick, don’t necessarily make any -character. But there is nothing about a Mexican to distinguish him from -other men except his costume, so I dare say I shall be a good-enough -Mexican for the purpose.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter, the famous detective, regarded his reflection in the mirror -rather disgustedly, and his speech came in angry jerks, unlike his usual -calm, even tones.</p> - -<p>“You’ll be masked, of course?” observed his assistant, Chickering.</p> - -<p>“Certainly. It is a masked ball. If it were not, I should have very -little chance of catching my men. They would know me at once.”</p> - -<p>“I hope they will be there.”</p> - -<p>“They will, in all probability—unless they suspect that I may be on the -lookout for them. But I wish the costumer hadn’t made this mistake about -my dress. I told him distinctly I wanted the uniform of a Spanish -officer—a colonel, if he had it. Evidently he considered this rig—with -the trousers split at the bottoms, and this big sombrero—was near -enough, when he found he had not just what I ordered.”</p> - -<p>“Pity we hadn’t got the costumes in our own wardrobe.”</p> - -<p>“Yes. We have all kinds of disguises,” returned Nick. “But we seem to -have overlooked both a Spanish officer and a Mexican of this particular -type. I could have gone as a vaquero without bothering anybody outside. -But I have been seen in that dress, and this gang of counterfeiters we -are after are as cunning as any set of men I have ever met. They’d smell -me out, as a vaquero, as soon as I went into the ballroom.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_3" id="page_3">{3}</a></span></p><p>“I’d like to be going with you,” said Chick, with a shade of envy in -his voice. “Those big balls at the Hotel Supremacy are always worth -seeing. I dare say I could have got an invitation.”</p> - -<p>“I am going on business, Chick,” returned his chief coldly.</p> - -<p>“I know that. Still, some business is pleasanter than others,” persisted -Chick. “You are going to do the tango, I suppose?”</p> - -<p>“I shall not dance,” was the answer. “I intend to go up in the balcony -to look on. I’ll get into a private box if I can.”</p> - -<p>The telephone bell rang, and Chick answered. Then he turned to Nick.</p> - -<p>“It’s Corliston, the costumer.”</p> - -<p>“Find out what he’s after. I suppose he wants to apologize for sending -me the wrong costume.”</p> - -<p>That was exactly what Corliston did want. There had been a Spanish -officer and a Mexican both ordered, and through an error on the part of -some of his men, the Spanish officer had gone to somebody else. He hoped -Mr. Carter would not be much inconvenienced. If there was anything he -could do, et cetera, et cetera.</p> - -<p>“Tell him it is all right,” directed Nick shortly.</p> - -<p>He put a light overcoat over his Mexican rig, and went down to the taxi -waiting for him at the front door.</p> - -<p>There had been some counterfeits of big bills worrying the treasury -department of late, and Nick Carter had been asked to help in gathering -in the persons who were making and “shoving” the bad bills.</p> - -<p>Information had reached Nick that some of the guests at the mask ball at -the big hotel might be the men he was after.</p> - -<p>The hint had come to him anonymously, and he did not like it. Ordinarily -he would have hesitated about giving such a message serious attention. -He had the contempt of all decent people for unsigned communications of -this kind.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_4" id="page_4">{4}</a></span></p> - -<p>But he surmised, from the general appearance of the letter, as well as -its wording, that it had been written by somebody who had been in the -gang, and had left it with a feeling of being illtreated. So he felt -that he could not afford to throw it aside without investigation.</p> - -<p>When he reached the hotel, and, with his heavy, bullion-trimmed sombrero -in his hand, went up in the elevator to the ballroom floor, he found -that the gathering was likely to be a large and gay one.</p> - -<p>One of the features of the main ballroom of the Hotel Supremacy is the -ring of private boxes overlooking the large floor. The boxes are -immediately below the open balcony, so that they are shadowed and give -plenty of privacy to guests who may desire to see without being -observed.</p> - -<p>Nick was standing just inside the ballroom, looking over the floor -through the eyeholes of his black mask, and trying to determine whether -any of the disguised men promenading or dancing were likely to be his -counterfeiters, when an attendant touched him on the elbow, and -whispered:</p> - -<p>“This way, sir!”</p> - -<p>It was one of the rules of Nick Carter to follow any lead that might be -thrown out to him, just to see where it would take him. Also, he never -permitted himself to show surprise.</p> - -<p>He turned to the uniformed attaché and calmly surveyed him, ere he -answered quietly, and in a tone very much unlike that of his natural -voice:</p> - -<p>“All right! Go ahead!”</p> - -<p>Without a word, the attendant preceded him to the wide, carpeted -staircase leading to the corridor at the back of the private boxes. He -stopped at number thirty-six, which was painted on the box door in gilt -figures.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter took his seat in the box, and leaning his strong chin on his -hand, watched with interest the moving throng on the floor below.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe Martin or any of the gang are here,” muttered Nick, -after half an hour’s steady contemplation of the promenaders and -dancers. “He’s heard that I’ll be here, and he’s keeping dark still. -Well, I’ll get him yet. I shall stay for a couple of hours, anyhow. He -and Lawton, or some of the gang, may come later. They’re going to get -rid of some of those hundreds to-night, unless that informant of mine is -a liar or very badly mistaken.”</p> - -<p>There was a little disappointment in Nick Carter’s bosom. This man, -Shoreham Martin, was a man who had always covered his tracks -successfully. At the same time, there was little doubt on the part of -Nick Carter that he was the prime mover in one of the most audacious and -successful counterfeiting organizations in America.</p> - -<p>“If I don’t get Martin to-night, it will only be putting off the happy -day,” continued Nick, to himself. “I have that comfort for my soul.”</p> - -<p>A soft tap-tap at the door made him swing around and look into the gloom -at the back of the box.</p> - -<p>The tapping was repeated, and Nick got up and opened the door.</p> - -<p>A slender girl, in the black-spangled robes of a “Queen of Night,” -stepped inside and closed the door.</p> - -<p>She was masked, but Nick could see a beautiful chin and white temples, -which satisfied him the “Queen” was young. Probably, also, attractive of -face.</p> - -<p>“I beg pardon——” he began.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_5" id="page_5">{5}</a></span></p> - -<p>“Hush!”</p> - -<p>She held up a finger for silence and motioned toward the curtains at the -front of the box.</p> - -<p>“Draw them together, quick!” she whispered.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter had not the slightest idea what this was all about. But the -mystery of it appealed to his love of adventure, and he closed the -curtains at once.</p> - -<p>“Be careful, Marcos,” went on the girl, in a tense, hushed voice. “They -know you are here.”</p> - -<p>“The deuce they do!” thought the detective.</p> - -<p>“I have had a warning,” she continued. “They are going to send you up -something to drink. But you must not take any of it.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter stared down at the masked face, and noted the general poise -of the slight figure with admiration. Mingled with it was perplexity.</p> - -<p>“I am sure you are making a mistake,” he told her. “Who do you think I -am?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be foolish!” she rejoined impatiently. “I tell you there is -danger. I told you not to come here. But you insisted. Now see what has -happened. Don Solado and Miguel have recognized you already.”</p> - -<p>A loud knock came at the door. The girl leaped away, and her eyes shone -through the slits in her mask like half-hidden incandescent lights.</p> - -<p>“There! I told you!” she gasped. “Where can I hide?”</p> - -<p>In a corner of the dark box Nick Carter’s voluminous light overcoat hung -on a peg. The girl slipped behind the coat and was completely hidden. -Unless some one should come and make a thorough search, there was no -fear of her being discovered.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know who Marcos is,” thought Nick. “But it seems as if I am to -assume his name for the present. So here goes. I need a little -excitement, to make up for my disappointment over Martin.”</p> - -<p>When he swung open the door, all he saw was a liveried attendant, with a -silver salver. On it was a small coffeepot, with sugar, cream, and a cup -and saucer.</p> - -<p>“Who ordered that?” demanded Nick.</p> - -<p>“I have been sent to ask if you would like a cup of coffee, your -highness,” said the man imperturbably.</p> - -<p>The attachés of the Hotel Supremacy are used to meeting highnesses, -kings, lords, tycoons, viceroys, effendis, and so forth. There is -nothing in the way of a title that can disturb them. If the Ahkoond of -Swat came along, they might wonder to find that historical personage -still alive, but they would announce him as coolly as they would “Mr. -Jones, of Penn Yan.”</p> - -<p>“I’m a ‘highness,’ am I?” thought Nick. “Marcos must be somebody worth -representing, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>He made a sign for the man to put the tray on the small table that was -part of the furniture of the box.</p> - -<p>When he had gone out and the door had closed, the girl came out from -behind the overcoat, and put her hand on Nick’s arm just as he was -reaching for the coffeepot.</p> - -<p>“You don’t believe me?” she protested, with a catch in her voice that -showed she was hurt. “I tell you I saw Solado whispering to that man who -brought in the coffee, and Solado gave him a yellowback bill. That -coffee is drugged. They are going to prevent your getting out of New -York somehow.”</p> - -<p>“Even if they have to dope me?” smiled Nick Carter. “Well, I assure you -I had no intention of drinking that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_6" id="page_6">{6}</a></span> coffee. It is not my habit to eat -or drink anything that comes to me with so much mystery.”</p> - -<p>“There is no mystery in it to me,” she rejoined. “I know those men, and -so ought you, Marcos—I mean, your highness.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter laughed softly, as he put his hand to his mask.</p> - -<p>“You will insist that I am somebody else,” he said. “The best thing I -can do is to let you see my face.”</p> - -<p>The black satin mask was off with one twitch, and the girl gazed at him -steadily for several moments. It seemed as if she could hardly believe -the evidence of her own vision.</p> - -<p>“Well?” queried Nick.</p> - -<p>“You are not Prince Marcos. But you are wonderfully like him. You might -be twin brothers, except that your eyes are a little darker than his, -and your mouth is firmer. But the shape of your face, your expression, -and even your voice are almost identical. It’s marvelous!”</p> - -<p>She said this in a low voice, as she inspected Nick Carter’s countenance -in a way that might have been embarrassing to a less self-possessed -person. To him it was only amusing.</p> - -<p>“What I can’t understand,” she continued, “is how you come to be in this -box, number thirty-six, and why you are in the costume that the other -gentleman ordered this afternoon. I know he asked for a Mexican dress, -and that the clerk showed him this one—or one like it, for I was with -him at the store.”</p> - -<p>“I believe I can explain part of the mystery,” returned Nick. “As a -matter of fact, this is not my costume. I ordered an entirely different -one from Corliston’s——”</p> - -<p>“Corliston!” repeated the girl. “Yes, that was the firm we went to.”</p> - -<p>“The usher who put me into this box judged me by my dress, I suppose,” -smiled Nick. “He had been told to put a Mexican into thirty-six, and he -did as he had been instructed. So we can’t blame the man.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter could see that the cheeks of the girl were gradually losing -their pallor, as if she had been relieved of some great anxiety.</p> - -<p>“Are you sure this coffee is drugged?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“There is no doubt about that,” she answered quickly. “There are two men -below who have mistaken you for the—for the other gentleman, and they -are going to do him injury if they can.”</p> - -<p>“Why?”</p> - -<p>“That I can’t tell you. But the men are very dangerous. Moreover, if -they find out that I have come here to warn you, they will kill me.”</p> - -<p>“I hardly think that,” answered Nick Carter. “This is New York. It is -not safe to kill people here. Still, some men will take chances. -Especially foreigners, and the names you have mentioned have that sort -of sound. Did you say Solado and Miguel were watching this box?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Very well. If you will permit me to walk with you, we’ll make a tour of -the ballroom and see what we can find out. I give you my word they -shan’t kill you while I am with you,” he added, with one of those -confident smiles which had given courage to so many persons with whom he -had had dealings in the past.</p> - -<p>She hesitated, but the detective knew she would do as he had suggested.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_7" id="page_7">{7}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.<br /><br /> -<small>WHAT NICK FOUND IN HIS SLEEVE.</small></h2> - -<p>“Do you realize that, if Solado and Miguel believe you to be Prince -Marcos, your own life may be in danger—even in this ballroom?” asked -the girl.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think it will.”</p> - -<p>“Why should you trouble yourself about something in which you have no -interest?” she persisted.</p> - -<p>“Who says I have no interest in it?” was his rejoinder. “Since I find -myself in this affair, I should like to see it through. You do not know -me, but I assure you it will give me pleasure to help you, if I can. -There is one thing I can tell you, and that is that Prince Marcos is -probably in the uniform of a Spanish colonel. That was what I ordered, -and if I have his dress, most likely he has mine. Corliston’s have mixed -it up, that’s all.”</p> - -<p>“It seems likely,” she murmured.</p> - -<p>“More than likely. Will you come?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. I must tell Marcos that Solado is here. But you must not go in -that costume.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter had already readjusted the black mask over his face, but the -girl could tell, from the set of the firm chin, that this man, a -stranger to her, was determined to have his way.</p> - -<p>“I have never yet seen the man of whom I was afraid,” he returned. -“There will be no danger, I assure you.”</p> - -<p>She could not resist his masterful manner. He held out his hand. She -took it, and he led her out of the box.</p> - -<p>They walked along the corridor, the girl leaning on his arm, and so down -the staircase to the ballroom.</p> - -<p>As they entered, a dance was just over, and the dancers, chatting and -laughing, were leaving the floor.</p> - -<p>“All the better,” he whispered, behind his mask. “We shall have plenty -of room to walk, and a good opportunity to look at everybody as we go -along.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter, a gallant figure in his gay Mexican dress, and with the -sombrero pulled well down over his forehead, strode around the ballroom, -the “Queen of Night” by his side.</p> - -<p>They had almost entirely encircled the great hall without seeing -anything of a Spanish officer, either on the floor, in the balcony, or -in any of the boxes.</p> - -<p>“It seems as if he isn’t here,” remarked Nick to his companion.</p> - -<p>She did not answer, but her fingers suddenly tightened on his arm.</p> - -<p>“Don’t look into that alcove on the right,” she whispered. “Solado and -the other man I mentioned are in there, watching us.”</p> - -<p>They walked on a few paces. Then Nick Carter, in a natural manner, -looked around him, as if taking a general view of the scene.</p> - -<p>He saw two men, in the rich garb of Indian princes, with jewels blazing -all over them, moving away from the alcove in the direction of the wide -doorway at the other end of the ballroom.</p> - -<p>It was the only way by which any one could enter or leave. There were -several emergency fire exits, but all were fastened shut. They would -open automatically in case of need, but were not used otherwise.</p> - -<p>This was an invitation affair, and the famous society leader, Mr. van -Raikes, was the hostess.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_8" id="page_8">{8}</a></span></p> - -<p>“You see?” she murmured. “Do be careful, sir. They are desperate and -dangerous men.”</p> - -<p>“Desperate and dangerous men are the kind one often has to meet in this -world,” he replied lightly. “What do you suppose they are going to do -now?”</p> - -<p>“They will try to prevent your getting away,” was her response. “I feel -sure of that. They have seen me with you, and they will know I have told -you about them. Of course, they think you are Prince Marcos.”</p> - -<p>“That means that you are in danger,” returned Nick, rather more -thoughtfully than he had spoken heretofore. “We shall have to——”</p> - -<p>“It makes no difference about me,” she answered, drawing a quick breath.</p> - -<p>“I beg your pardon. It matters a great deal. I don’t know what this is -all about, nor who Prince Marcos and these other men are. But it looks -as if there is something that puts you in an awkward situation. -Therefore, I must ask you to depend on me.”</p> - -<p>“I do depend on you,” she declared gratefully. “But what are we to do?”</p> - -<p>“I am going out of this room, and you are coming with me,” returned the -detective promptly.</p> - -<p>They went out of the ballroom just as another dance began, passing -through several of the carpeted corridors, which were generally used by -ballroom guests for promenade.</p> - -<p>Nothing was to be seen of the two Indian princes until they reached the -end of one corridor and turned a corner into a narrower one.</p> - -<p>As they did this, the two men stepped out of a doorway directly in their -path.</p> - -<p>With a half scream the girl stepped behind Nick Carter, still holding -his arm for protection.</p> - -<p>“Pardon me!” said the shorter man of the pair, in a somewhat truculent -tone. “I should like to have a word with you.”</p> - -<p>“With me? Why, my dear sir, I don’t believe I know you,” responded Nick -carelessly.</p> - -<p>“We have no time for joking, your highness,” retorted the man, in a -thick, angry voice. “Prince Miguel and I have been trying to get to you -for several days. We found out, at a costumer’s, this afternoon, that -you would be at this ball to-night.”</p> - -<p>“Once more, let me ask, who are you?” was Nick Carter’s rejoinder. “I -don’t know that you have any reason to be interested in my doings or -whereabouts.”</p> - -<p>With a strange oath, the taller man interposed, jumping forward and -pushing his companion aside.</p> - -<p>“What is the use of this pretense?” he growled. “I know you are my -cousin, and I want to know what you intend to do when you get back home -to Joyalita.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter permitted himself a laugh of intense amusement—a laugh that -evidently grated on the other person’s nerves, for he broke out with -another oath—in Spanish, or something like it.</p> - -<p>“Either you have mistaken me for somebody else, or you are crazy,” -declared Nick. “This lady and I want to pass on.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter pushed his way forward, regardless of the gesticulating -stranger.</p> - -<p>Together, and with a lightninglike movement, the two men flung -themselves upon him.</p> - -<p>Nick had anticipated something of the kind, however, and as the shorter -man came to the proper distance, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_9" id="page_9">{9}</a></span> detective shot out his hard -American fist straight from the shoulder.</p> - -<p>There was a loud splat, as the blow landed on the masked face, and down -went Don Solado—for it turned out to be he—flat on his back, evidently -knocked out.</p> - -<p>“What?” bellowed the taller man, Prince Miguel. “Is that your game? -Well, we’ll see!”</p> - -<p>He flung his arms around the detective, trying to force him backward.</p> - -<p>It was a sharp tussle, but there were few men who could overcome Nick -Carter in a wrestling match, either impromptu or otherwise.</p> - -<p>While the trembling girl watched the fierce, but almost silent, combat, -her escort gradually made his adversary give way. At last Nick got the -other man where he wanted him.</p> - -<p>“Had enough?” asked the detective.</p> - -<p>“No! Curse you! I’ll——”</p> - -<p>The tall stranger never finished the sentence. With a sudden heave, Nick -Carter swung him clear off his feet and threw him high in the air, -helpless and kicking.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” cried the girl, half in terror and half in admiration of the -strength and activity of her champion.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter’s blood was up now, and he determined to finish the job in a -thorough manner.</p> - -<p>Exerting all his strength, he flung Prince Miguel bodily to the floor. -The prince fell like a bag of sawdust, and with no more animation.</p> - -<p>His head struck against the wall, and as he fell sprawling across the -body of the unconscious Don Solado, there were the two of them dead to -the world.</p> - -<p>The girl covered her face with her hands. For a few moments she saw -nothing. When she looked up again, Nick Carter was calmly adjusting his -mask, which had slipped slightly to one side.</p> - -<p>His eyes were on her, and he beckoned. When she went over to him, he -said, in a cool voice, without any symptom of disturbance:</p> - -<p>“The corridor seems to be clear. We can do nothing more here. Let us -go.”</p> - -<p>Drawing her hand through his arm with the courtly ease that came -naturally to him, the detective stalked down the side hallway in which -the encounter had taken place, until they were in the main corridor.</p> - -<p>“I think I will go home now, if you will have somebody call a taxicab -for me,” she said. “I wish I could thank you, as I ought. But—but, you -see, I do not even know your name.”</p> - -<p>“My name is Carter—Nicholas Carter.”</p> - -<p>“Carter!” she repeated. “I shall not forget that name.”</p> - -<p>He took a cardcase from his pocket and from it drew a card, on which was -his address, as well as his name.</p> - -<p>It did not strike him as peculiar that she did not seem to have heard of -him—or, if she had, did not connect him with the detective of -international renown.</p> - -<p>He knew that such a girl as this, who, presumably, lived a sheltered -life, in a home where police matters were very much detached from her -existence, was quite likely never to have heard of Nick Carter. It -pleased him just as well to think that she never had.</p> - -<p>“My services are small enough,” he answered, with a smile. “Should you -desire them at any time, I shall always be pleased to aid you. I cannot -help thinking<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_10" id="page_10">{10}</a></span> there may be a sequel to this adventure of to-night. If -there is, I should like to be in it.”</p> - -<p>“You mean that?”</p> - -<p>“I most certainly do.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter turned his head as he heard a scuffling and loud talking -behind him.</p> - -<p>What he saw was the shorter and thicker of the two figures in the dress -of Indian princes at the other end of the corridor, supported by two of -the hallboys of the Supremacy. He seemed unable to walk.</p> - -<p>The detective did not wait to see whether Don Solado would recognize him -or not.</p> - -<p>As a taxicab drew up under the porte-cochère, in response to his call, -Nick handed his fair companion into the vehicle.</p> - -<p>She told the chauffeur to go to Riverside Drive. Then, waving her hand -to Nick, as the taxi glided away, she sank back in the seat and seemed -to give herself up to her own thoughts.</p> - -<p>Another taxi drove up for the detective, and he told the man to take him -to his home in Madison Avenue. On the way, he glanced at his bruised -knuckles and smiled calmly.</p> - -<p>“Rather jarred my fist,” he muttered. “But I think I jarred that -fellow’s jawbone worse. I don’t know who Prince Marcos is. But I think -he was in luck when Corliston got our costumes mixed. Those two fellows -meant mischief to-night if they had caught the real Marcos.”</p> - -<p>When he got home and was in his library, he threw off the Mexican -jacket, glad to get rid of it. Something glittering fell from one of the -sleeves and dropped upon the floor.</p> - -<p>“Hello! What have I won?” he exclaimed, as he stooped to pick up the -object. “A jeweled watch! It must be worth three or four thousand -dollars, I should say. That certainly was a swell crowd at the Supremacy -to-night. These diamonds and rubies on the watch are magnificent, and -the watch alone is a fine one in itself.”</p> - -<p>It was indeed a splendid thing. It was incrusted with diamonds and -rubies. All were large, and three of the diamonds were of exceptional -size. Attached to the watch was a fob of black ribbon, with a jeweled -cross attached.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter remembered his scuffle with the taller man, and he had no -doubt that the watch had become entangled in his sleeve at that time.</p> - -<p>“Well, when I see him again, I’ll give it back. But I am not inclined to -run after him.”</p> - -<p>He dropped the watch and fob into the drawer of his big table and locked -the drawer. Then he went to bed.</p> - -<p>Looking into Chick’s room on his way, he saw that his assistant was -snoring away, in utter unconsciousness that anybody had opened the door.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.<br /><br /> -<small>SUSPECTS AND SUSPECTS.</small></h2> - -<p>“I am sorry to trouble you, Mr. Carter. But the loss of this watch at -the ball really becomes a personal matter with me.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter, sitting in the luxurious boudoir of Mrs. Clement van -Raikes, two mornings after the great ball at the Hotel Supremacy, bowed, -without speaking.</p> - -<p>“It was my ball,” went on the lady. “As one of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_11" id="page_11">{11}</a></span> acknowledged leaders -in New York society, I was anxious that it should be perfect in every -way. It was the first fancy-dress affair I ever had given, and I had -spared no pains to make it everything it should be.”</p> - -<p>“It was a brilliant ball, Mrs. van Raikes,” put in the detective. “I can -testify to that personally, for I dropped in for a few minutes.”</p> - -<p>“Indeed? I am glad to hear that, because it may help you in tracing this -valuable watch. Of course, intrinsically it would not be of sufficient -importance for me to engage the services of the most famous detective in -America, nor would you consider it on those grounds.”</p> - -<p>She paused for Nick Carter to make some remark. He merely bowed gravely. -Mrs. van Raikes had spoken the truth, so there was nothing to be added. -He certainly was not the man to be sent after a stolen watch, unless -there where extraordinary circumstances surrounding the theft.</p> - -<p>“The watch is worth four or five thousand dollars, I understand,” -continued the lady. “But that is not the point. It was the property of a -very distinguished man, who was one of my most honored guests.”</p> - -<p>“Yes?”</p> - -<p>“The watch was a present to him from his father, who was a monarch——”</p> - -<p>“A king, do you mean?” asked Nick, with a sudden accession of interest.</p> - -<p>“Well, I believe they called him a prince. He was a ruler of a small -country on the Caribbean Sea—a place called Joyalita. It was settled by -some Spanish grandees several centuries ago, and it has always been -nominally a monarchy ever since.”</p> - -<p>“Nominally?” asked Nick. “Do you mean that it is not one in reality?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. I have heard people say that the South American and -Central American republics would not permit it to exist so near to them -if it really were what it calls itself. It has a constitutional -government, and is more nearly a republic than some other countries that -call themselves such.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” interposed Nick Carter, anxious to help the lady out of the -morass in which she was floundering. “At all events, the prince is the -head of the government, and, as I understand it, he takes his position -by right of heredity, instead of election?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Mr. Carter, that is it,” assented Mrs. van Raikes, with a sigh of -relief. “You have explained it exactly.”</p> - -<p>“Who did you say it was who lost it?”</p> - -<p>She had not said anybody, but the detective was curious to know who was -the owner of the watch that had come so strangely into his hands, and -which watch was put away securely in the safe in his library at that -very moment.</p> - -<p>“It was Prince Miguel, a cousin of the reigning prince, Marcos——”</p> - -<p>“Marcos?” interrupted Nick involuntarily.</p> - -<p>“Yes. Do you know him, Mr. Carter?”</p> - -<p>“I can’t say I know him. In fact, I doubt whether I ever saw him. But I -have heard his name.”</p> - -<p>“That’s quite likely,” smiled the lady. “You detectives know everybody, -of course.”</p> - -<p>“It is our business. Was it Prince Miguel who told you of his loss?”</p> - -<p>“No. The prime minister of Joyalita, Don Solado. He came here less than -an hour ago. As soon as he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_12" id="page_12">{12}</a></span> gone, I telephoned you. And, by the way, -I must thank you again for coming so quickly. I know what a favor I was -asking in suggesting that you touch this case at all.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t he complain to the hotel management?” asked Nick. “You tell -me Prince Miguel discovered his loss soon after midnight on the night of -the ball. Why did he wait so long before announcing his loss?”</p> - -<p>“I can’t say, Mr. Carter,” returned Mrs. van Raikes, shrugging her -shoulders. “These princes and their advisers are not like us. They have -their own ways.”</p> - -<p>“He does not suspect anybody, you say?”</p> - -<p>The lady did not answer for a moment, but stared out of a window across -Central Park without seeing anything, apparently.</p> - -<p>“The fact is, Mr. Carter, Don Solado does suspect one person—a man with -whom he had a few angry words outside the ballroom.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter looked up quickly. He was going to hear something -interesting now, he thought.</p> - -<p>“What was his name? Does Don Solado know?”</p> - -<p>“That is a question I cannot answer. Don Solado did not say so. He only -told me the man was dressed as a Mexican. I happen to know that one of -my guests, a very important man in his own country, intended to come to -the ball in a Mexican costume.”</p> - -<p>“And you will not let me know who he was?”</p> - -<p>She shook her head with a little, apologetic smile.</p> - -<p>“I am afraid I cannot, Mr. Carter. It would not be proper to reveal a -secret that is not my own.”</p> - -<p>“A secret?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it may be a secret. I do not know much about foreign politics, -especially those of a place like Joyalita, which seems to be different -from most other countries, large or small. That is why I am careful not -to say more than I can help.”</p> - -<p>“Then that is all?” asked Nick Carter, rising. “If I hear anything about -this jeweled watch, I will report to you. I think you told me there is -an ‘M’ in diamonds as part of its ornamentation?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. I know this is a very small case, Mr. Carter. But my husband -persuaded me to call you up. He thought the fact of its being the -property of a very important personage, and because there is a value -attached to the article entirely distinct from what it would bring if -offered for sale, could weigh with you.”</p> - -<p>“It does,” replied the detective. “I should like to have known the name -of that man they think might have stolen the watch, however.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you will find out yourself,” smiled Mrs. van Raikes. “I am -sorry I cannot tell you.”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.<br /><br /> -<small>CLAUDIA COMES FOR HELP.</small></h2> - -<p>It was with an amused smile that Nick Carter leaned back in his taxi -after leaving Mrs. van Raikes’ home in Millionaires’ Row, Fifth Avenue, -on his way down to his home in Madison Avenue.</p> - -<p>He would restore the watch to its owner when he found out who was -supposed to have stolen it.</p> - -<p>His busy brain had enabled him to see that there was an intrigue of some -kind in which the three men and this girl who had interested himself so -much were concerned, and he felt that the watch was perhaps the key to -it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_13" id="page_13">{13}</a></span></p> - -<p>At all events, he would not give it up until he knew what the attack -upon the Mexican at the ball really meant.</p> - -<p>When he stepped into his own house he was met in the hall by his -assistant, Chick.</p> - -<p>“Say, chief, there’s a girl in the library.”</p> - -<p>“A girl? What kind?”</p> - -<p>“A peach,” replied Chick enthusiastically. “She wants to see you.”</p> - -<p>“Did she give her name?”</p> - -<p>“No. She said you would know her when you saw her. But she was -determined to wait till you got back.”</p> - -<p>“Must be something important,” remarked Nick, as he went upstairs.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mr. Carter, I am so glad you have come! I want your advice about -something.”</p> - -<p>This was the greeting of the girl who had been waiting as Nick opened -the door of his library.</p> - -<p>It was the “Queen of Night,” whom he had met at the ball at the Hotel -Supremacy, and in whose company he had had so queer an adventure.</p> - -<p>He bowed and pointed to the chair from which she had arisen.</p> - -<p>“Sit down, and we’ll talk it over, whatever it is,” he answered, with a -smile. “I hope you are not in any trouble.”</p> - -<p>“I am very much perplexed about something, and I feel that if something -is not done quickly, there may be a tragedy that I ought to prevent.”</p> - -<p>This was all mysterious enough to make Nick Carter glance inquiringly at -his fair visitor.</p> - -<p>She was dressed in the plain but expensive garments of a wealthy woman, -and everything about her appearance, as well as her speech, proclaimed -one who had always been used to the refinements of life.</p> - -<p>There was a slight foreign tinge to her accent, but her English was -flawless in its choice of words, as well as in the pronunciation.</p> - -<p>“You did not ask my name when you met me at the Hotel Supremacy on the -night of the ball, notwithstanding that you gave me protection when it -was much needed.”</p> - -<p>“Unless you volunteered the information, I could hardly ask for it,” -smiled the detective.</p> - -<p>“I am Claudia Solado, and——”</p> - -<p>“Solado was the name of one of the Indian princes whom I found myself -treating rather roughly, I am afraid, and——”</p> - -<p>“You did right,” she interrupted. “Don Solado is my—my uncle. I am -sorry to say that he is a scoundrel.”</p> - -<p>She made this statement coolly, as if it were an incontrovertible fact, -although regrettable.</p> - -<p>“If I had known he was a relative of yours, I might have been a little -more gentle, nevertheless,” declared Nick.</p> - -<p>“I am glad you were not. He cares nothing for anybody else, and he would -sacrifice anybody or anything to further his own schemes. But I need not -trouble you about that. What is worrying me is that I am afraid the -enemies of Prince Marcos——”</p> - -<p>“The person you think I resemble?” asked Nick, with a smile.</p> - -<p>“The same,” she answered. “You are very much alike.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_14" id="page_14">{14}</a></span> You will see it -yourself if ever you meet Marcos. I know he was all right on the night -of the ball.”</p> - -<p>“Afterward or before?” asked the detective.</p> - -<p>“Afterward. I went to his home and saw him in the taxicab you were kind -enough to get for me.”</p> - -<p>“Yes?”</p> - -<p>“I did not give the cabman the address at the time, because I did not -know who might be standing around the hotel to overhear me. So I -directed the man to take me to Riverside Drive. Afterward I gave him the -prince’s New York address. It is a house called Crownledge. It looks -over the Hudson and faces the Palisades.”</p> - -<p>“I know the place,” remarked Nick. “Stands in its own rather extensive -grounds, and runs right down to the river bank.”</p> - -<p>“That describes it,” she smiled. “About Marcos, I was going to say that, -although he is strikingly like you in the face, he is not so strong, nor -so—so——”</p> - -<p>“Impetuous?” laughed Nick Carter. “I’m afraid I did seem so that night. -But——”</p> - -<p>“I was going to say brave,” interrupted Claudia Solado. “I live on the -other side of the river, a few miles above Crownledge. When I found -Marcos was safe, I had the taxi man take me to the ferry at One Hundred -and Twenty-ninth Street, and I went home.”</p> - -<p>“There is something more, is there not?” asked Nick.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” she confessed, after some hesitation. “I was satisfied when I -found Marcos had not been followed on the night of the ball, and I did -not go to see if he was at home until this morning.”</p> - -<p>“Yes?”</p> - -<p>“He and I have always been playfellows—like brother and sister, in -fact—and it was natural for me to go and see him. Besides, his mother -is living with him in New York, and I may say, without conceit, that I -am a favorite of hers.”</p> - -<p>“I can quite believe it.”</p> - -<p>Nick had not meant to say this. But it slipped out as he looked at her -beautiful, animated face.</p> - -<p>She only smiled in acknowledgment of the involuntary tribute, and went -on calmly:</p> - -<p>“When I went to Crownledge this morning, I could not get in. I rang the -electric bell several times, and thumped on the door. There was no -response.”</p> - -<p>“Where were the servants?”</p> - -<p>“They were not in the house. Neither was the princess, Marcos’ mother. I -always call her Aunt Laura. But I remembered that she had talked of -going to Newport to visit some friends for a few days, so, when I came -to think, I was not surprised that she was absent. That did not explain -the absence of Marcos and the servants, however.”</p> - -<p>“Hardly!” threw in Nick, as she paused.</p> - -<p>“The house is not a large one, but there are two maid-servants there, as -a rule, besides Prince Marcos’ own man. The maids were brought by Aunt -Laura from Joyalita. She travels a great deal, and always likes to be as -comfortable as possible when away from home. She looks after Marcos, -too, when she is with him. Her own maid had gone with her to Newport.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t you find out anything that would explain the house being -untenanted?”</p> - -<p>“I can only surmise. My uncle, Don Solado, and Prince Miguel, are in New -York for the sole purpose of keeping Marcos away from Joyalita for the -present.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_15" id="page_15">{15}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“Why?”</p> - -<p>“It is one of those political arguments that come up in small countries -now and then—and perhaps in big ones, too,” she answered simply. -“Joyalita has always been an independent State, ruled by the same family -for generations.”</p> - -<p>“I have heard that,” commented Nick. “It has seemed a peaceful and -prosperous community, too.”</p> - -<p>“Yes. That is the reason Marcos is opposed to any change. In that he has -the backing of most of his advisers. But there is another party that is -not satisfied. It is made up of men who think they would get more for -themselves if there were a different form of government.”</p> - -<p>“You find such men in every country,” observed the detective slowly.</p> - -<p>“In a few words, here is the state of things,” continued Claudia: -“Joyalita has been asked to join an alliance with some of the smaller -States in South America—for mutual protection and advantage. That is -the way it is put by the agitators. Marcos is bitterly opposed to the -change, but unless he can get home before the eighteenth of this month, -there is every fear that it will go through.”</p> - -<p>“And these two gentlemen who jumped on me at the ball are doing their -best to keep him here?” suggested Nick.</p> - -<p>“That’s it exactly. A big vote will be taken at a council meeting in -Joyalita on the eighteenth, but if Prince Marcos is there, he will sign -a negative resolution, and the whole scheme will fall through. This is -the tenth, so there are eight days in which Marcos could get back home. -He could get there in very much less time than that, but he meant to go -at once, so that there should be no danger of his arriving too late.”</p> - -<p>“What do you want me to do?”</p> - -<p>“Marcos has been taken away from Crownledge, I am convinced. He will be -held somewhere until too late to get to Joyalita by the eighteenth. If -you could suggest some way of finding out where Marcos is——”</p> - -<p>“The enemy has taken away the servants, too,” mused Nick, half aloud. -“They did their work thoroughly, while they were about it.”</p> - -<p>“That is what will make it so hard to trace Marcos,” she murmured, -shaking her head. “We can’t even get into the house.”</p> - -<p>“But that is just what we will do,” corrected Nick. “And as for our -tracing Prince Marcos; well, I have an assistant who will be a great -help, unless I am much mistaken.”</p> - -<p>He touched a bell, and Chick came in from the other room, glad of an -opportunity to gaze again upon the lovely Claudia Solado.</p> - -<p>“Where’s Captain?” asked Nick.</p> - -<p>“Downstairs,” was Chick’s answer, as his glance wandered to the fair -face of the visitor.</p> - -<p>“All right! We’ll use him this afternoon,” announced the detective.</p> - -<p>“May I go with you with this gentleman—Captain—Captain—what is his -name?” asked the girl. “Is he a soldier?”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter and Chick both laughed. The former answered, with -considerable emphasis:</p> - -<p>“Yes, Captain is very much of a soldier, in the sense that he is always -ready to fight—and to obey orders. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_16" id="page_16">{16}</a></span> is our bloodhound, trained to -police work, and, we think, one of the finest dogs in the world.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! I should like to see him. I may go, may I not?”</p> - -<p>“If you will,” returned Nick. “You will be a great help, and we will try -to keep you from harm.”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to see the man that will harm you when I’m around,” blurted -out Chick, clenching both fists.</p> - -<p>“Chick!” warned Nick Carter. “That will do. Miss Solado has perfect -faith in you, I have no doubt. Meanwhile, do not frighten her by making -her think we shall meet people who will put your chivalry to the test.”</p> - -<p>Claudia gave Chick a smile that quite counterbalanced his chief’s gentle -rebuke.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.<br /><br /> -<small>THE MAN IN THE SUMMERHOUSE.</small></h2> - -<p>It was early in the afternoon when the well-appointed limousine motor -car belonging to Nick Carter—seldom used, although always -ready—skimmed along Riverside Drive, going uptown.</p> - -<p>The driver was the detective’s trusted chauffeur, Danny Maloney, and -there were four passengers: Nick Carter, his assistant, Chick, Miss -Claudia Solado, and Captain, the big bloodhound.</p> - -<p>Nick had chosen the limousine, in preference to the powerful touring car -he generally used in expeditions of this kind, because the closed -vehicle shut off any prying eyes that possibly might be trained upon -them.</p> - -<p>“I don’t like to put you to all this trouble, Mr. Carter,” declared the -girl. “It may be that Prince Marcos will be at home now. There is no -certainty that he has been taken away against his will. Strange -coincidences occur sometimes. One of them may account for the -simultaneous absence of my Cousin Marcos, the servants, and Aunt Laura.”</p> - -<p>“All that is possible,” conceded Nick, “but does not seem probable. At -all events, we’ll go and see. By the way, when did you see Don Solado -and Prince Miguel last?”</p> - -<p>“I dined with them at their hotel, the Constitutional, last night. It -was at the request of my uncle. My mother was with me. I have not found -out yet whether my uncle and Prince Miguel recognized me on the night of -the ball or not. I am inclined to think they did. They seemed to be -pumping me during dinner.”</p> - -<p>“They did not get much out of you, I’ll bet a dollar,” put in Chick.</p> - -<p>“I did not tell them anything, because I feel sure they are concerned in -Marcos’ disappearance now, and that they wanted to find out whether I -knew anything about it. I did not at that time, so I was able to appear -quite innocent. My mother is very deaf and something of an invalid. She -took no part in the conversation.”</p> - -<p>“Your mother was not at the ball at the Supremacy, was she?” asked the -detective.</p> - -<p>“No. She is not strong enough to bear much excitement. Indeed, she did -not know that I was there. But I had my own reasons for being present, -when I found there was a conspiracy against Marcos. You can understand -there is at least one person who would like to take the place as head of -this country.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter nodded, without speaking. He understood<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_17" id="page_17">{17}</a></span> the situation very -well. There was nothing to be gained by questioning Claudia further.</p> - -<p>They got to the gateway of Crownledge, and Chick opened the big iron -gates, which were unlocked.</p> - -<p>The limousine slipped around the curving roadway and stopped before the -front entrance of the house.</p> - -<p>The residence stood in a lonely part of the road, and as there was a -thick growth of large trees inside, the visitors were well screened from -the observation of any casual passers-by.</p> - -<p>Nick went up on the porch. One glance at the letter box told him no one -had been at the house for twenty-four hours, at least. The box was -stuffed with newspapers which had not been taken in after the mail -carrier had been there.</p> - -<p>“No doubt there are letters in the box, too,” muttered the detective.</p> - -<p>Turning to Chick, he ordered him, in an offhand way, to open the front -door.</p> - -<p>There was a lock on the door, and a good one. But Nick Carter knew his -assistant would make little of that if he were told to get in.</p> - -<p>It took Chick about five minutes to get the door open. He had used a -piece of thin wire to pick the lock, and had done it as skillfully as -would have been possible to a professional burglar.</p> - -<p>The two detectives and the girl entered, followed by Captain. Chick -closed the door behind them.</p> - -<p>The hall, spacious and lofty, ran straight through the house from the -front door to the back, and by it the girl led her companions to the -kitchen.</p> - -<p>“Nobody here!” she remarked, in a low, awe-stricken tone, such as comes -natural to many people when going through an empty house. “I thought I -might find one of the maids in the kitchen. Though that was not likely, -either, or they would have come to the front door.”</p> - -<p>“They must have got out in a hurry,” remarked Nick.</p> - -<p>He nodded toward the table—on which were the remains of a half-consumed -meal—and then at a coffeepot on the stove.</p> - -<p>After visiting the servants’ bedchambers, in which they saw other -indications of a hasty packing and departure, Claudia showed them the -door of the large bedroom in which Prince Marcos usually slept.</p> - -<p>Adjoining it was his mother’s chamber. It was large, like her son’s, and -more luxuriously appointed.</p> - -<p>The latter apartment was in an orderly condition, with the bed neatly -made and decorated with pillow shams. But the bedroom belonging to -Marcos showed that it had been disturbed by some rather turbulent -proceedings.</p> - -<p>“Seems to have been a fuss of some kind in here,” observed Chick. “A -regular rough-house, from the look of things.”</p> - -<p>It did look like a “rough-house,” as that term is used in its slang -sense.</p> - -<p>The window curtains were hanging in disorder from a broken pole, and the -mirror of the dresser was cracked in a star, as if something had been -hurled into the middle of it. The drawers were open, and their contents -strewn about the floor.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter carefully studied the room, and his brain worked rapidly in -piecing together the evidence before him. It did not take him long to -arrive at a definite conclusion.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_18" id="page_18">{18}</a></span></p> - -<p>“The bed has not been slept in,” he remarked. “But you can see where a -person has been thrown down on it. The condition of the window shows -that somebody—perhaps the man who had been thrown down on the bed, -tried to escape by the window, but was overcome before he could raise -the shade.”</p> - -<p>“They attacked Marcos in his own home,” murmured Claudia. “It was Marcos -who was thrown on the bed, no doubt. The question is, where is he now?”</p> - -<p>“That’s what we are going to try to find out,” returned Nick. “Come -here, Captain.”</p> - -<p>The detective had picked up a pair of bedroom slippers that were partly -under the bed. He held them close to the broad nostrils of the -bloodhound.</p> - -<p>“Seek, Captain!”</p> - -<p>It took Captain a few moments to get to work. He seemed rather uncertain -at first. Soon, however, he realized what he was to do, and, after -padding about the carpet backward and forward, halting and sniffing at -intervals, he made for the doorway.</p> - -<p>“Come along!” whispered Nick. “He’s got the scent!”</p> - -<p>The dog went down the staircase, sniffing on each stair, until he was in -the lower hall. Then he crossed to what was obviously the drawing-room.</p> - -<p>The door was opened for Captain, and he took advantage of this to cross -the floor of the big room to the grand piano, which was open. Here he -smelled about for a little while, and then suddenly trotted off at a -tangent to one of the big windows that extended from floor to ceiling, -and gave upon a side porch.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter noted that the catch of this window was unfastened. He -pushed open the casement, and out went Captain, across the porch and -down the flight of steps close by.</p> - -<p>“It is easy to see that the tenant here is only temporary,” remarked -Nick, as he pointed to the neglected condition of the grounds. “The lawn -has been cut in a sort of way, but the flower beds have not been weeded, -and the edges of the lawn are grown up with long, straggly grass.”</p> - -<p>“That’s true,” agreed the girl. “Marcos has not lived here long, and he -would have been on his way home to Joyalita before this if there had -been no interference with him.”</p> - -<p>The hound moved slowly along. The scent appeared to be very weak. He -stuck to it, however, and at last, on reaching the end of the garden, -went to the door of a wooden summerhouse fashioned like a Chinese -pagoda.</p> - -<p>It was built solidly of hard woods. The door was shut.</p> - -<p>There was a wide wooden step in front, and here Captain crouched, his -nose to the slit under the door.</p> - -<p>There was no mistaking the meaning of the dog’s movements. Something or -somebody was in the pagoda carrying the scent he had been following.</p> - -<p>A cry of terror and apprehension broke from the lips of the girl.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mr. Carter, he is in there, I know. Suppose he should be dead!”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter gave Chick a look he understood, and attacked the padlock -which held a hasp in place and secured the door.</p> - -<p>Chick touched Claudia on the arm and beckoned her away, as if he had -something important to say. Nick, with a piece of wire, picked the -padlock as deftly as his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_19" id="page_19">{19}</a></span> assistant had the lock of the front door of -the house, and threw open the door.</p> - -<p>One look inside was enough. Again he turned and gave his assistant the -warning look on which he had acted so promptly before.</p> - -<p>Chick was not quick enough this time, however. The girl slipped past him -and was in the pagoda almost as soon as Nick.</p> - -<p>Uttering a gasp of horror, she forced her way farther into the little -place.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter was between her and the object she tried to see, and he was -busy.</p> - -<p>On a wooden bench, with a perforated seat, which ran around three sides -of the summerhouse, lay a man, unconscious apparently. He was bound hand -and foot, and the ropes about his body had been run through the -perforations of the seat, as well as around the whole bench itself.</p> - -<p>Whoever had done the work had used cruel ingenuity to make sure the -prisoner should not break loose.</p> - -<p>“It is not Marcos!” suddenly exclaimed Claudia.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter first of all pulled from the mouth of the captive a -handkerchief that had been tightly fastened about his lips. As he did -so, a wedge of cloth dropped from between the teeth.</p> - -<p>“Is it murder?” asked Chick, trying to look over his chief’s shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Looks like it,” was Nick Carter’s curt reply.</p> - -<p>It did indeed look like it, for the victim’s lips were blue, his face -livid, and his eyes had closed.</p> - -<p>The detective cut the bonds with two or three slashes of his -pocketknife, and Claudia Solado heaved a deep-drawn sigh.</p> - -<p>“Poor fellow!” she murmured. “I believe I know who he is. Unless I am -much mistaken, he is Marcos’ valet.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter knelt by the side of the still figure and listened intently -at the chest. A moment later he got up, and took one of the nerveless -wrists in his cool, steady fingers.</p> - -<p>“There is a slight pulse,” he murmured, half to himself. “I think we can -bring him around.” Then, louder: “Chick! Give me a hand! Let us put him -on the floor. We shall have a better chance of handling him there.”</p> - -<p>They stretched the unfortunate valet on the floor, where Nick Carter and -his assistant applied “first-aid” methods, rubbing his limbs, loosening -his clothing, and so forth.</p> - -<p>Claudia did not remain. She had darted away while the two detectives -were taking the man from the bench, and went to the house.</p> - -<p>In a few minutes she was back, with a decanter and a glass. As she -poured some strong brandy into the glass, to give to Nick Carter, he -noticed that her hand was bleeding, and commented on the fact.</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t help it,” she returned. “There was no time to get to the -front door, so I broke a glass panel at the side and got in that way.”</p> - -<p>“You have pluck!” observed Nick Carter, in simple admiration.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.<br /><br /> -<small>A CLEW BY WATER.</small></h2> - -<p>It was not long before the treatment had its effect on the injured -valet. The chafing and massage, aided by the brandy, restored him much -quicker than might have been expected.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_20" id="page_20">{20}</a></span></p> - -<p>He was looking about him wildly when Nick decided that his complete -recovery would be accelerated if he were carried into the house.</p> - -<p>“Give me a lift, Chick!”</p> - -<p>The two raised the man from the floor, and laid him over one of the -brawny shoulders of Nick Carter.</p> - -<p>The valet was heavy and large, but the detective carried him along -without apparent effort into the house, up the stairs, and into one of -the bedrooms.</p> - -<p>“If you can find something warm for him to eat, Miss Solado,” remarked -Nick, as they put the man on the bed, “it will help as much as anything. -We will put him to bed in the meantime.”</p> - -<p>Claudia was only too glad to do anything she could. She went to the -kitchen and foraged for supplies. She was fortunate enough to find a can -of soup. This she cooked on a gas stove, and soon had it ready for the -invalid.</p> - -<p>When she came to the bedroom again she found him sitting up in bed and -talking. As he attacked the hot soup, his strength came back faster, and -he told his story in a fairly connected way.</p> - -<p>It all resolved itself into this: On the morning before, he went to call -his employer, as usual, and, as he passed the windows of the house, he -noticed a handsome private steam yacht anchored in the river, not far -from shore, so that it should be out of the regular channel of traffic.</p> - -<p>In Prince Marcos’ room he heard a scuffling, while his employer’s voice -was raised in anger and protest.</p> - -<p>When the valet got there—which he did as fast as he could—he found -Marcos struggling with two men.</p> - -<p>Before the valet could give any help, another man appeared from -somewhere and knocked him senseless with some heavy weapon—perhaps a -revolver, although he could not be sure.</p> - -<p>“Would you know that yacht if you saw it again?” asked the detective.</p> - -<p>“I am almost sure I should,” was the quick reply.</p> - -<p>“Good! What is your name?”</p> - -<p>“Phillips, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Now, Phillips, what became of Prince Marcos after that, so far as you -know?”</p> - -<p>“I came to my senses again, and staggered to the window, because I saw -that the prince had gone from the room. Down in the garden two of the -men were carrying him to the waterside, where a skiff was tied up to the -private landing.”</p> - -<p>“And they took Prince Marcos to the yacht in that skiff?”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I suppose. I didn’t see it, because they caught me when I -went out of the house—to help the prince.”</p> - -<p>“You did that, Phillips?” interposed the girl. “That was very brave of -you.”</p> - -<p>Phillips’ eyes lighted up at this praise from the beautiful Claudia, as -he replied simply:</p> - -<p>“I did it, of course, Miss Solado. I had to, because the prince would -have done it for me. He is not afraid of anything. However, I wasn’t -able to help him. I wasn’t strong after being knocked over the head, and -when two of them came for me at once, I had to go under.”</p> - -<p>There was no “grand-stand play” about Phillips. He told his story with -perfect simplicity, and as if he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_21" id="page_21">{21}</a></span> done only what any other man must -have done under the circumstances.</p> - -<p>“It was very hard on you to lie there on that bench so many hours,” put -in Chick.</p> - -<p>“I thought it was death,” was the reply. “I felt myself growing weaker -and weaker, and at last I was all in, my senses gone. The gag had -prevented my shouting, or I might have attracted the attention of people -going past, either on the river or the road. It would have been only an -off chance, at that, but better than nothing.”</p> - -<p>“You did not know any of the men?” asked Nick.</p> - -<p>“They were all strangers to me.”</p> - -<p>The girl could not help giving a slight sigh of relief. At least, her -uncle had not taken a personal part in the attack on the valet.</p> - -<p>These men who had come were doubtless hired rascals. She had heard of -such men. There were bravos in all countries.</p> - -<p>“Which way was the yacht headed when you saw her?”</p> - -<p>Nick asked this question without expecting to gain any useful -information, no matter what the reply might be. It was an easy matter to -turn a vessel another way, especially one propelled by steam.</p> - -<p>“She was headed up the river,” replied Phillips.</p> - -<p>Nick thought for a few minutes. He argued that there would be no -particular object to be gained by going up the Hudson, unless it was the -intention of the men who had stolen Marcos to get him ashore as soon as -convenient and spirit him away to some retreat in the mountains—the -Adirondacks, perhaps.</p> - -<p>On the other hand, he reflected that these men were very cunning, and -would be quite likely to follow his own line of reasoning, with the -purpose of circumventing him.</p> - -<p>“They may go down the river, because they would think that I should -regard that as the least desirable for them, and thus they would try to -fool me. On the other hand, they might go up, and——”</p> - -<p>He stopped his half-audible musings and laughed. He was just where he -had started. His reflections did not lead him anywhere, it seemed, and -he would have to depend on chance, after all.</p> - -<p>“You will let me get up now, won’t you?” asked Phillips. “I want to go -and find the prince.”</p> - -<p>“No,” returned Nick, with a positive shake of the head. “You must remain -in bed for the rest of this day, anyhow. I will leave my assistant with -you. I shall go and look for Prince Marcos, and if he is to be found at -all, I will get to him.”</p> - -<p>“But do you know that Prince Marcos is in great danger—from political -enemies, who will——”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Phillips,” interposed Claudia. “This gentleman knows all about it. -You need not worry. He will find Prince Marcos if any one can. You have -heard of Nicholas Carter, of course?”</p> - -<p>“What? The great detective, who caught that gang of thieves in South -America two years ago?” broke in Phillips. “Is this the great Nicholas -Carter? It seems impossible that I can be talking to one whom I have -thought of so often. Wonderful!”</p> - -<p>Phillips delivered himself of these sentiments with the simple sincerity -with which he said everything. He could hardly bring it to his -understanding that he was actually<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_22" id="page_22">{22}</a></span> face to face with Nicholas Carter, -the greatest detective in the world.</p> - -<p>“I shall have to send you home before I do anything else,” said Nick, -turning to Claudia. “My chauffeur, Danny Maloney, is thoroughly -dependable. He is much more than a chauffeur to me. He is often a very -able assistant in my professional work.</p> - -<p>“I have no doubt that he would take me home safely,” replied the girl. -“But—I cannot go home now.”</p> - -<p>“Cannot go home? Why?”</p> - -<p>“I must go with you.”</p> - -<p>“Go with me?” echoed Nick Carter. “I’m afraid that would be impossible. -You could not run into the danger that may face me when I come up with -the rascals who so nearly killed poor Phillips. You can see from that -how desperate they are.”</p> - -<p>“Nevertheless, I must go,” returned Claudia, with gentle firmness.</p> - -<p>“It would be altogether too dangerous.”</p> - -<p>“I expect it to be dangerous. That is why I want to come.”</p> - -<p>This was unanswerable, although Nick tried to answer it. He soon saw -that he might as well spare his breath.</p> - -<p>With a shrug and smile, he turned to his assistant.</p> - -<p>“Well, Chick, keep close watch here, and take care of Phillips. Miss -Solado intends to go with me, and there is nothing much to be said. I -will go down to the boathouses and see whether I can get a power launch. -Will you wait here till I return?” he asked the girl. “I shall not be -long. I’ll go down in the motor car.”</p> - -<p>“I will wait,” she answered quietly.</p> - -<p>A few minutes later Nick Carter was in his limousine, and Danny Maloney -was bowling him along Broadway to the place where the detective knew he -could hire a launch.</p> - -<p>“Joe Travers will have one, I know,” he told himself, as he leaned back -comfortably, while Maloney drove on with his usual unconcern.</p> - -<p>Joe Travers was an old acquaintance of Nick’s, and he was only too -pleased to take the detective into his boathouse and show him where he -had, under shelter, a power launch which proclaimed itself at first -glance a fine specimen of its class.</p> - -<p>It was about five o’clock when Nick Carter chugged up to the boat -landing of Crownledge and fastened his craft to the big iron ring.</p> - -<p>Before he could get up to the house, Claudia came running down to the -riverside, with Chick and the bloodhound close behind.</p> - -<p>Chick was glad of the opportunity of helping the pretty girl into the -boat. Soon she was comfortably seated in the stern. Then Nick again took -his place at the engine and steering wheel.</p> - -<p>“Look after Phillips, Chick! When he seems able to take care of himself, -as he will by the morning, I feel sure—you can go home, with Captain, -and keep close to the telephone. I may call you up at any time.”</p> - -<p>The engine in the launch was a powerful one, and the boat went shooting -up the Hudson as if prepared to overhaul any other craft that might come -in its way.</p> - -<p>“Do you think we shall find Marcos, Mr. Carter?” asked Claudia, after a -rather long silence, broken only by the chugging of the engine and the -swish of the water past the hull. “Have you any idea where he is likely -to be?<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_23" id="page_23">{23}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“I may be mistaken,” replied Nick. “But I can’t help feeling that we -shall get on his trail before morning.”</p> - -<p>And, as he hustled the launch along, he believed thoroughly what he -said.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.<br /><br /> -<small>ON THE BRINK OF BATTLE.</small></h2> - -<p>“There’s a light across the river, in the shadow of the Palisades,” -remarked the girl, when they had gone several more miles. “It is some -boat, or ship, of course. Might not that be the yacht?”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter smiled, without letting the girl see his face. This was not -difficult, for his back was turned toward her. He knew that lights on -the Hudson were common enough, and that it was a hundred chances to one -against this particular light belonging to the yacht they were after.</p> - -<p>He swung the boat diagonally across the river to see.</p> - -<p>“It isn’t a yacht at all,” he remarked, in a low tone, to the girl. -“Just a barge, loaded with broken stone—to ballast the railroad over -here, I guess. We’ll have to go farther.”</p> - -<p>As they were on that side of the river, in the shadow of the Palisades, -Nick kept his launch parallel with the bank, taking note of all the -lights he saw, but not finding any that belonged to the kind of steam -yacht he wanted to find.</p> - -<p>They got to the end of the fifteen miles of Palisades, and found -themselves moving along opposite the irregular hills and bluffs one sees -farther up the river.</p> - -<p>Houses nestle among the hills at intervals, and many dusty ribbons of -roadway may be discerned criss-crossed here and there, peeping out of -thickets, twisting around the shoulder of a hill, or coming seemingly -straight out of the ground. The scenery along the Hudson is generally -diversified and always beautiful.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a fair-sized house appeared to jump from the blackness of a -wooded slope they were passing, with lights in some of the windows.</p> - -<p>“That’s a pleasant-looking home,” observed Nick Carter, as he kept his -wheel steady while glancing at the shore on his left. “Within easy -motoring distance of New York, and yet out in the country entirely.”</p> - -<p>The girl said something quietly in assent. Then she broke out, in a -tense tone:</p> - -<p>“Isn’t that the yacht we want? It looks different from the others we -have seen, and it agrees with the description we got from Phillips so -far as I can make out.”</p> - -<p>“You’re right, I think,” returned Nick, in a low tone. “But don’t speak -loud. If that is the yacht, we may be sure they are on the watch for -attack. They will think the police may hear of their performance at -Crownledge. That would naturally mean pursuit.”</p> - -<p>He ran the launch silently toward shore, the maneuver bringing the -outline of the yacht between him and the faint moonlight showing in the -sky.</p> - -<p>“I see a man in a chair on the roof of the cabin,” he whispered. “He is -smoking.”</p> - -<p>“You have good eyes, Mr. Carter,” remarked the girl. “I don’t see -anything on the yacht at all.”</p> - -<p>“The red light of his cigar appears now and again, as he shifts his -position,” explained the detective. “Now I catch the odor of the cigar. -The wind is blowing this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_24" id="page_24">{24}</a></span> way. Don’t you get the Havana fragrance? It is -very faint, but it is there.”</p> - -<p>But Claudia’s senses were not as keen as Nick Carter’s. She could -neither see nor smell the cigar.</p> - -<p>Nick ran the launch up to the bank, and found a small landing stage, -with several iron rings.</p> - -<p>Up the hill he could make out one of the lights in the house he had -discerned from the middle of the river. This landing stage was placed -here for the use of the occupants of the house, of course.</p> - -<p>Once the launch had been secured, Nick looked about him for some means -of getting to the yacht without being perceived by the man smoking on -the cabin, or anybody else who might be on watch.</p> - -<p>“I can’t take the launch,” he muttered. “The chugging of the engine will -attract attention at once. I’ll have to drift in with the tide and -paddle with that emergency oar to get there at all. But I cannot handle -such a cumbersome craft as the launch in reconnoitering. I want to go -right under their counter.”</p> - -<p>It was true that Nick had shut off the engine of the launch when some -distance from the yacht. He had also put out the one light they had -carried.</p> - -<p>His object was to make the people on the yacht suppose it was some gay -party taking a ride on the river at night—a common-enough -proceeding—and that the ceasing of the engine sound was due merely to -the launch passing on its way.</p> - -<p>The detective was accustomed to consider all contingencies when working -on a case, and it was seldom, indeed, that any of his plans miscarried -through carelessness or lack of foresight on his own part.</p> - -<p>“I could swim out there,” he reflected. “But that would be stupid, if -there is anything else. Let me investigate.”</p> - -<p>Cautioning the girl to sit still in the launch, he went ashore and found -his way to a well-equipped boathouse, with a padlock on the door.</p> - -<p>The padlock was not fastened. It was hanging loose in the hasp, and -there was a key in it.</p> - -<p>“Somebody has been in this place lately,” thought Nick. “Or there may be -a man or two in it at this moment. There is only one way to find out, -and that is to go in.”</p> - -<p>The door was slightly ajar, and the detective pulled it wide enough to -permit the passage of his body.</p> - -<p>He was in the deep shadow, for the door was at the side, while the lower -end of the structure ran out over the water, so that boats could be -slipped out of the house into the river down the greased runways without -much exertion.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter was used to boathouses and boats. He had a boathouse of his -own at a country home he owned, but which he seldom occupied for more -than three or four weeks each year.</p> - -<p>It did not take him long to decide that the house was empty. This was -what he had hoped, for he wanted to help himself to a skiff.</p> - -<p>The opening into the river, at the end of the runways, was guarded by -double doors, bolted inside, but not locked.</p> - -<p>Nick selected his skiff—a small, but substantial craft, rather broader -in the beam than might have been desired if he had meant to make high -speed.</p> - -<p>Soon he had it on the runway, ready to shoot down into the water when -released.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_25" id="page_25">{25}</a></span></p> - -<p>He opened one of the doors, took his place in the skiff, and let slip -the catch.</p> - -<p>The boat slid easily down, struck the water with the slightest sound of -a splash, and lay gently rocking while Nick Carter got out the light -oars to take him out to where the yacht lay at anchor.</p> - -<p>It was too dark for him to see the launch. But there was no sound from -that direction, and he was satisfied that Claudia Solado was sitting -where he had left her, obeying his instructions to make absolutely no -noise while he was gone.</p> - -<p>He muffled his oars with a handkerchief and one of his kid gloves, so -that there was no sound as he stole up to the yacht and paused in the -shadow of her rather broad stern.</p> - -<p>He was so close that he could steady himself by one of the rudder chains -as he listened.</p> - -<p>Nothing seemed to be going on in the yacht, and if he had not seen the -man on the cabin roof, still enjoying his cigar, he might have thought -everybody on board was asleep, watch and all.</p> - -<p>“What the dickens they want to stay on the yacht at all for if they -belong to that house is more than I can explain,” muttered Nick. “At -least, until I have looked into the matter a little more.”</p> - -<p>He deliberately threw his painter rope around the rudder chain, and -secured the skiff in that way.</p> - -<p>So long as the yacht was at anchor—as he had seen she was, swinging to -the tide with her bow pointing upstream—there was no danger of harm to -the skiff.</p> - -<p>Of course, if the yacht were to start, a different story might be told.</p> - -<p>Nick could climb anywhere that a man might expect to be able to go, and -soon he went nimbly up the stern of the yacht, taking advantage of every -ledge and protection on the way, until he was safely on deck.</p> - -<p>He lay down flat behind the log cabin.</p> - -<p>It was a handsome vessel, this yacht. Polished brass, white paint, -silken curtains at the windows, and every equipment perfect of its kind, -told the detective that no expense had been spared to make the vessel a -fine one.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter was a yachtsman, and he could appreciate every point of -excellence—many of which might have escaped the eye of a person who -knew less than himself about such things.</p> - -<p>Cautiously he crept to the side of the cabin on the landward side. Here -he was in deep shadow, for the slowly rising moon, partly obscured by -clouds, was on the opposite side of the river.</p> - -<p>“That fellow either has a very large cigar, or he smokes it very -slowly,” muttered Nick Carter. “I wish he’d get through and go below. -Then there might be a chance for me to find out whether Prince Marcos is -aboard.”</p> - -<p>He pulled himself to his feet, so that, when he stepped upon a block, -his eyes were above the level of the cabin roof.</p> - -<p>Here he had a good view of the smoker’s feet, only a few yards away, and -could see that the man was leaning back comfortably in a deck chair, -apparently quite content with the way things were going.</p> - -<p>“I wish I could see that chap’s face,” reflected Nick. “His general -shape is like that of the bigger of the two men I had the argument with -at the Supremacy. Still,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_26" id="page_26">{26}</a></span> there are thousands of men in New York of -about his build, so that proves nothing.”</p> - -<p>This did not satisfy Nick Carter, however.</p> - -<p>Putting two and two together, and considering that this was almost -certainly the yacht in which the abductors of Marcos had carried him -away from Crownledge, it was quite reasonable to suppose that this big -man in the chair on the cabin roof was really Miguel—as Claudia Solado -had given his name.</p> - -<p>Prince Miguel was calmly smoking throughout these surmises of the -detective—for it may as well be admitted that the big man really was -Miguel—and Nick tried to determine what should be his next move.</p> - -<p>“I might get up there and tackle him unawares,” he muttered. “Then, if -we did not make noise enough to attract the attention of the crew or -others on the yacht, I might squeeze a confession out of him. All I want -is this Marcos. Then I don’t care what is done.”</p> - -<p>He turned this over in his mind for a few minutes. Then he decided it -would not do.</p> - -<p>There could hardly fail to be a great deal of racket if he were to -scuffle with Prince Miguel. The latter was a powerfully built fellow, -and would make a desperate resistance, no matter how the combat might -come out in the end.</p> - -<p>As it happened, Nick Carter was not called upon to decide the question -for himself.</p> - -<p>While he stood on his block, peering under the railing around the roof -at the man in the chair, another man came carefully up the steep iron -steps to the roof and stood statuelike behind the unsuspecting Miguel.</p> - -<p>The attitude of the newcomer was that of one who had deliberately chosen -the best way to make a sudden onslaught.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter caught his breath in stern enjoyment of the contest he felt -he was about to witness.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.<br /><br /> -<small>NICK WINS A POINT.</small></h2> - -<p>“This is a tangle all around,” he said to himself. “Who the deuce is -this fellow, getting ready to lay out our friend Miguel? Can it be——”</p> - -<p>He did not finish the sentence. At that instant some unexplainable -impulse made Miguel swing around in his chair.</p> - -<p>He saw the tall figure standing there, and, without hesitation, he -picked up the deck chair on which he had been sitting and flung it full -at the head of the other man.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter saw the man put up his hands to protect his head. Then the -chair smashed into him and he reeled backward across the cabin roof, -holding the chair in front of him.</p> - -<p>In the darkness, Nick was unable to see whether the chair had struck him -in the face or not. Certain it was that it had taken him off his -balance, and that he seemed to have been weakened in some way.</p> - -<p>He staggered backward across the roof and fell hard against the low -railing. For an instant he tried to save himself.</p> - -<p>But he had nothing to clutch at, and could only go. Turning almost a -complete somersault, he went off the roof and down into the water with a -loud splash.</p> - -<p>“A good thing he didn’t strike the deck on his head.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_27" id="page_27">{27}</a></span> That would have -settled him. Even in the water he may not be altogether safe.”</p> - -<p>This last thought made Nick let himself down quickly from the block and -sent him scurrying to the stern of the yacht, where he could get to his -skiff.</p> - -<p>It was not an easy task to get down without being seen, for the noise of -the scuffle had attracted three men who slept forward, and were part of -the deck crew of the vessel.</p> - -<p>But Nick reached his skiff, and, as he heard a gasping cry for help some -distance out in the river, he rowed rapidly in that direction.</p> - -<p>He was only just in time. In the faint moonlight he made out a ghastly -white face—it was Prince Marcos’. Nick saw that he was swimming on his -back almost unconsciously.</p> - -<p>There is little doubt but that, if Marcos had not been a magnificent -swimmer, he would have drowned before the detective reached him.</p> - -<p>As it was, his arms and legs moved practically of their own volition. -They had been used so often in swimming that they went through the -motions mechanically so long as he had strength enough to use them at -all.</p> - -<p>As Nick Carter reached for him, the nearly unconscious man grabbed at -the boat, while the water gurgled in his throat and seemed to be choking -him.</p> - -<p>It was an unfortunate grab. The skiff tipped over, and before the -detective could save himself, he was in the water with the man he had -come to rescue.</p> - -<p>Now began one of those awful struggles that good swimmers dread so much, -and yet which may come to any of them at any time.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter knew it would be useless to expostulate with the drowning -man. He must try to beat him off. It would be the only way to save both -their lives.</p> - -<p>But Marcos was strong, and in the water he could use his strength to the -disadvantage of his would-be rescuer, even though Nick was much the more -powerful of the two.</p> - -<p>At the first collision, they went down together. Here was Nick Carter’s -chance. The detective had often practiced holding his breath for long -periods, so the ducking was not so trying to him as it was to Marcos.</p> - -<p>For this reason Nick deliberately stayed below the surface as long as he -could, with the object of taking all the life out of the other man. It -would be possible to handle him if he were unconscious.</p> - -<p>But Marcos had good lungs, and though they were under the water long -enough to have rendered many a person unconscious, they came up without -any material change in the condition of either.</p> - -<p>Marcos had recovered somewhat from the blow of the chair, which had been -the main cause of his dazed condition. The water had revived him to some -extent, but he hardly knew what he was doing.</p> - -<p>He fought wildly with Nick, trying to hold to him, and down they went -again.</p> - -<p>This time, however, the detective contrived to loosen himself a little. -Getting to the surface with a frantic effort, he delivered a jolt under -the chin of Marcos that knocked him out entirely.</p> - -<p>“I’m sorry for that,” muttered Nick. “But I had to do it. There was no -other chance for either of us. Now, how am I to get him to shore?”</p> - -<p>He got the senseless man across his shoulder, and struck<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_28" id="page_28">{28}</a></span> out vigorously -in the general direction of the launch and away from the yacht.</p> - -<p>“Hello! They’ve lowered a boat from the yacht. They are not going to let -their man drown, if they can help it, I suppose. Well, they don’t get -him.”</p> - -<p>A boat with three men in it had left the yacht, and Nick could just make -out its dark outline as he looked toward the half-lighted sky in the -vicinity of the dull moon.</p> - -<p>“If they get this fellow, we shall be just where we were before,” was -the detective’s reflection. “I’ve got to prevent that. It will be a hard -swim to shore. But I believe I can make it if I am not interfered with.”</p> - -<p>The boat was rowing swiftly toward him, and soon there came a long flash -of white light across the water which struck him squarely in the face.</p> - -<p>Simultaneously, the man who sat in the bows, looking ahead, called out, -in a gruff tone:</p> - -<p>“Pull hard! And you, at the helm, steer toward the shore a little. I see -him right ahead!”</p> - -<p>“Aye, aye, sir!”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter was quite aware that he could not beat the boat to shore. -Even if he had been unencumbered, he could not have expected that he -would swim faster than a husky man could pull a light boat containing -only three persons.</p> - -<p>But it was not the habit of the detective to yield until he was overcome -by the enemy. “Fight to the end,” was his motto, and he had won many a -seemingly hopeless battle by adhering to this determination.</p> - -<p>“I wish you could swim a little yourself,” he said, in a gasping -whisper, to the unconscious man who now weighed so heavily across his -shoulder. “I’ll have to get you in some other position, I am afraid, or -you’ll drag both of us under.”</p> - -<p>He began to shift his burden a little, but without much advantage, when -suddenly there came to his ears the low chugging of the launch.</p> - -<p>“She hasn’t got all the power on,” he muttered. “But, by Cæsar, she is -moving it a little. I always knew that girl was better than the average. -She’s as good as a man in many things that you wouldn’t expect a girl to -know much about.”</p> - -<p>His quick ear had told him just what had happened. Claudia had loosened -the launch from the landing stage, and putting on some of the power, was -coming rather slowly to his aid.</p> - -<p>“If she can get to me before the skiff, it will be a good thing,” he -muttered. “I wish she’d hurry up that engine a little. What a pity I did -not give her a lesson while we were coming up the river! However, it’s -too late now. I’ll have to be grateful that she can do as much as this.”</p> - -<p>It soon resolved itself into a three-cornered race, with the chances -about equal.</p> - -<p>If the launch were to get to Nick and the unconscious Marcos first, the -probability was that the men in the boat would be circumvented. There -was still another chance. Even if Nick could swim away in the darkness, -so that the searchlight could not pick him up, it would not be bad.</p> - -<p>On the other hand, if the boat got to him before the launch, then the -whole purpose of the expedition up the river would be frustrated at -once.</p> - -<p>It was soon apparent to the detective that Claudia<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_29" id="page_29">{29}</a></span> was handling the -launch very well so far as the steering was concerned.</p> - -<p>She did not quite understand the engine. Therefore, she hesitated about -opening the throttle too wide, with the result that her speed was less -than it need have been.</p> - -<p>On came the boat, while the launch bored her way forward steadily in the -other direction.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter never allowed his exertions to flag for an instant. Whatever -the boats might do, he knew that it would be better for him to get as -near shore as possible.</p> - -<p>“There he is!” exclaimed the gruff voice he had heard before, as the -small white light sought out his face again. “He’s swimming for shore. -We’ve got him now!”</p> - -<p>“Have you!” muttered Nick, quickening his stroke. “I’m not so sure of -that, my friend!”</p> - -<p>He saw that the launch was about the same distance from him on one side -as the skiff was on the other.</p> - -<p>Allowing for the difference in speed—for the launch was coming much -faster than the rowboat, even without the full pressure of her -engine—Claudia ought to get to him a minute or so sooner than the -skiff.</p> - -<p>Once he could get Marcos on board the launch, the detective was not -afraid of anything that might happen to himself.</p> - -<p>He did not believe the men on the yacht would know that he had been -their assailant at the ball, and he was satisfied that when they knew -who he was, the power of his name, as that of a detective who had been -heard of even in Joyalita, would be his protection.</p> - -<p>“If that is not enough protection,” he told himself grimly, “then I have -a pair of active fists that have never failed me yet.”</p> - -<p>He increased his efforts, but was swimming now straight for the launch, -rather than for the shore, although in a general way he was going -shoreward, too.</p> - -<p>“Stop!” bellowed the gruff voice.</p> - -<p>Nick Carter did not answer, but the girl, trying to increase the speed -of the launch, somehow got her hand on the valve that governed the -whistle, and a mocking scream was the consequence.</p> - -<p>The detective grinned. It was a good answer to the skiff, he thought, -although he was rather surprised that the girl had hit on it so -opportunely.</p> - -<p>“She’s learning the launch pretty fast,” he told himself. “It’s made -them mad, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“If you don’t give up, it will be the worse for you, Marcos!” came from -the gruff man in the skiff, as he waved his light about.</p> - -<p>“Marcos, eh?” thought Nick. “This is the right man I have here, after -all. I thought I recognized him. Well, he isn’t going on board that -yacht again, if I know myself—and I think I do.”</p> - -<p>He felt a thrill of satisfaction as he saw how the launch was cutting -through the water, faster than at first.</p> - -<p>“She’s getting the hang of it,” he muttered. “Hope she won’t run us -down. I can’t do much dodging with about a hundred and seventy pounds of -Joyalita prince on my back. Whew! He gets heavier every second.”</p> - -<p>In another minute he saw there was no doubt about the outcome of the -race. The launch was gaining rapidly.</p> - -<p>The man in the bow of the skiff recognized this fact, and he was -swearing in Spanish with such gusto that it<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_30" id="page_30">{30}</a></span> might be wondered where he -had learned so many oaths.</p> - -<p>“He’ll have to swear in another tongue if he keeps on,” laughed Nick. -“The Spanish language won’t be rich enough for him much longer. Why -doesn’t he give us a few of those in English? Or in Chinese? That’s a -language with good profane possibilities.”</p> - -<p>If it may seem strange that Nick Carter could laugh under such -circumstances, let it be said that it was the way of the detective to -enjoy himself when things were coming his way, no matter how great might -be his peril.</p> - -<p>It was his disposition to see the humorous side even of a very serious -situation that accounted for much of his success.</p> - -<p>“Marcos!” called out Claudia.</p> - -<p>“All right!” responded Nick. “Come along! Look out you don’t run us -down!”</p> - -<p>“Thank Heaven!” she gasped, with unmistakable fervor.</p> - -<p>The girl had learned a great deal about the launch even in the short -time in which she had been guiding it from shore, and it was with -considerable skill that she reduced its speed now, preparatory to -running alongside of the two men in the water.</p> - -<p>When she had been talking about the resemblance of Nick Carter to Prince -Marcos, she had mentioned the fact that their voices were so much alike -that it would be easy for one to be mistaken for the other.</p> - -<p>Now, when Nick called out to her to come on, in response to her cry of -“Marcos!” she supposed it was her cousin calling.</p> - -<p>“Here, Marcos!” she said, as she came near. “Climb into the boat. I’ll -hold it as still as I can.”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid we shall have to lift him in, Miss Solado,” suggested Nick. -“He isn’t able to help himself!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mr. Carter!” she replied. “Is it you I am talking to? But you have -my cousin—haven’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. He’s here. But he is not quite as well as he might be. Steady! -Keep the boat where it is, and we can get him in. Never mind about that -man in the rowboat. He can’t get to us in time. Let him blow.”</p> - -<p>The gruff-voiced man had never ceased his torrent of profanity and -threats. They came rumbling across the water as violently as ever. In -fact, they increased now that he saw there was a boat by the side of the -swimmer and his charge.</p> - -<p>“Stop, Marcos!” he bawled. “You’d better, if you know what is to your -advantage. We won’t stand any more of this nonsense.”</p> - -<p>“Let him talk!” said Nick Carter, in a low tone, to the girl. “Can you -get hold of Marcos’ shoulder? That’s right! Catch him by the coat lapel -and pull, just as I give him a heave!”</p> - -<p>“Oh! We must save him!” panted the girl. “But you, Mr. Carter! What will -you do if——”</p> - -<p>“Never mind about me. Up with him!”</p> - -<p>It was with an almost superhuman effort that the detective managed to -get the upper part of Prince Marcos across the gunwale of the launch.</p> - -<p>Fortunately, the craft was strong and firm in the water, so that it did -not tip much.</p> - -<p>“Can you push a little more, Mr. Carter?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll try!”</p> - -<p>Getting underneath the unconscious Marcos, Nick gave another tremendous -heave. Claudia pulled with all her<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_31" id="page_31">{31}</a></span> strength at the same moment, and the -helpless man lay across the launch. His legs were hanging over the side, -but not enough to drag him out.</p> - -<p>“Swing the boat around!” called out Nick. “Put your wheel over to the -left as hard as you can! That’s right! Make a wide circle! You’ll get -there all right!”</p> - -<p>The girl maneuvered the little craft neatly until it was headed -downstream.</p> - -<p>Nick saw it with strong approval.</p> - -<p>“That’s the way! Now put on all the power you can and hustle down to New -York! We’ve fooled them, after all!”</p> - -<p>“But, Mr. Carter!” she called out.</p> - -<p>“Go ahead!” was all he said. “Get to New York! That’s all you have to -do!”</p> - -<p>Claudia Solado would have liked to stay and pick up the detective. But -she was a girl of real sense, and she knew better than to fly in the -face of a man who had saved her cousin against almost overwhelming odds.</p> - -<p>So she opened the throttle wide, and, with the unconscious Marcos lying -across the boat—his head on a mat at her side, and his feet -occasionally dipping in the choppy waves as she raced along—she soon -left Nick Carter and her pursuers far behind.</p> - -<p>She had not gone far, however, before the skiff ran up to where the -detective was swimming hard toward the shore.</p> - -<p>With an oath the gruff-voiced man seized him by his water-soaked coat -collar.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.<br /><br /> -<small>RASCALITY TRICKED.</small></h2> - -<p>“Aha! You didn’t get away, after all, did you?” was the fellow’s -triumphant shout, as he turned the light of his flash light full upon -the detective’s face. “It’s no use, Marcos! You may have things your own -way in Joyalita, but you can’t do it here.”</p> - -<p>He tried to drag Nick into the boat. But the light craft had not the -steadiness of the launch, and it was evident that if he persisted, there -must inevitably be an upset.</p> - -<p>“Get in, Marcos!” growled the man. “You can help if you will. No matter -what happens, you are better off in the boat than swimming around in -that cold river.”</p> - -<p>“Think so?” jeered Nick.</p> - -<p>“Why, yes. Even if you swim to shore, we shall be by your side and catch -you as you come out of the water.”</p> - -<p>“What would be the use of my going with you to the yacht?” demanded -Nick. “You would keep me there, and you know I have to be in Joyalita on -the eighteenth.”</p> - -<p>The gruff man gave vent to a loud guffaw.</p> - -<p>“That’s just what we don’t want,” he returned. “We are going to keep you -till the eighteenth is past. But come on! You may as well argue in the -boat as in the water. Better, I should say. It will be more comfortable -for you.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter acquiesced in this opinion. He saw that he had been mistaken -for Prince Marcos, and it occurred to him that it would be well to keep -up the deception for a short time—at least till Marcos had got away for -his own country.</p> - -<p>After that he would let these scoundrels know who he was, and enjoy a -laugh at their discomfiture.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_32" id="page_32">{32}</a></span></p> - -<p>“Give me your hand!” he called out.</p> - -<p>The other man clutched him firmly by the hand and wrist. With a spring, -Nick Carter raised himself in the water, and landed in the boat, neck -and heels, but without capsizing.</p> - -<p>The detective had noticed that Marcos’ clothes were a dark business -suit, so much like his own that only a very close observer would detect -the difference.</p> - -<p>When they were soaked in water, it would be impossible to tell one from -the other unless the observer were very familiar with the pattern and -cut of both.</p> - -<p>“Well, Marcos!” began the gruff man, as the oarsman turned the boat -around, with the assistance of the sailor who was steering, “I hope you -are convinced that it is useless for you to try and get away from us.”</p> - -<p>“I nearly did it that time,” rejoined Nick.</p> - -<p>“Not at all. You came near to being drowned. That’s all. If that fellow, -whoever he was, hadn’t seen you struggling in the water and gone after -you, there would have been an end of Prince Marcos, and the people in -Joyalita never would have known what had become of you.”</p> - -<p>“You wouldn’t want that, would you?” asked Nick.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know that it would have been so very bad for me,” was the -slow reply. “I wouldn’t kill you, of course. I am not an assassin. But -if you were to die accidentally, who would be the heir to the throne but -your humble servant and cousin, Prince Miguel?”</p> - -<p>“Prince Miguel!” thought Nick. “I suspected as much. Well, I’ll have -something to say to Prince Miguel in New York if he doesn’t behave -himself.”</p> - -<p>Miguel was looking at him by the light of his flash light, shaking his -head with an amused smile.</p> - -<p>“You are very wet, my cousin,” he broke out, after a short pause. “Who -was that person who tried to get you out of the water and whom you put -on that launch?”</p> - -<p>“How should I know?”</p> - -<p>“A stranger, eh?”</p> - -<p>“What else would he be?” demanded Nick. “Do you suppose I know anybody -up here?”</p> - -<p>“There was a lady in the launch,” went on Miguel. “She seemed to be much -interested in you.”</p> - -<p>“Probably a friend of the man who tried to save me from drowning,” -suggested the detective.</p> - -<p>“Ah! Very likely! She got away in a great hurry when once she had the -man aboard. He looked as if he were in worse condition than you.”</p> - -<p>“He was.”</p> - -<p>“So that the rescuer became the rescued, eh? That was funny. Still, you -have always been a good swimmer, and I never knew the time when you -could not hold your own in athletic sports generally. It is a pity you -are so obstinate with it all.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter did not reply. They were by the side of the yacht now, for -the distance back had been much less than that covered in rowing from -it, when a large curve had been described in the river.</p> - -<p>Several men were on deck, and there were half a dozen lights flitting -about.</p> - -<p>Down one side of the yacht to the water was a short ladder—brass -mounted and finely finished, like everything else about the vessel.</p> - -<p>“Hello! You got him, then?”</p> - -<p>A man in ordinary clothing stood at the gangway looking down at the -boat.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_33" id="page_33">{33}</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, Solado!” returned Miguel. “We have him!”</p> - -<p>“Glad he wasn’t drowned.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter was sure he could make out, in the way this was said, that -the speaker’s sentiments were just the opposite to those he expressed.</p> - -<p>“Well, he was nearly drowned,” replied Miguel. “Some stranger went after -him with a small boat, and it tipped over. After that the two of them -were nearly gone.”</p> - -<p>“What saved them?”</p> - -<p>“A launch came along, with a woman in it, and the other man was shoved -into it. Marcos was just going to follow when I begged him to come with -me. With his usual complaisance, he did what I asked.”</p> - -<p>The two rascals indulged in a duet of laughter over this. They little -thought that the supposed Prince Marcos was enjoying a joke of much -finer texture than their own.</p> - -<p>Once on the yacht, the supposed Marcos was shown into a stateroom, where -a man who seemed to be the personal servant of Miguel, or Don Solado, or -perhaps of both, pointed respectfully to a complete outfit of clothing -lying on the bed and chairs.</p> - -<p>Nick was glad to see that clean underwear, as well as white shirt, -collar, necktie, et cetera, were all included.</p> - -<p>“The bathroom adjoins, sir, as you know,” said the man softly. “I have -prepared the water about as you like it. If it is too hot or cold, and -you would like me to change it, will you kindly touch the bell?”</p> - -<p>“If there are faucets at the bathtub, I can change it myself if -necessary. Let me see, your name is——”</p> - -<p>“Jean, sir!”</p> - -<p>“Ah, yes! Jean!” repeated the detective. “Well, that is all at present. -I will remember the bell if I want you.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”</p> - -<p>Jean went out of the stateroom, and Nick Carter heard the key turn in -the lock.</p> - -<p>“Jean is polite—almost servile, in fact,” muttered Nick Carter. “But he -does not forget that I’m a prisoner. Well, this is an amusing affair. I -never expected it to come out this way. However, so long as Marcos gets -back to Joyalita, I guess I can attend to my friends on board the -yacht.”</p> - -<p>He had been taking off his wet clothing while reflecting thus, and now -carefully transferred all his personal property to the pockets of the -dry suit he intended to put on.</p> - -<p>There was an automatic pistol, which, in its waterproof case, was quite -unharmed by its plunge into the river. Also, Nick brought out his -pocketknife, with its many useful tools packed in the handle, his -waterproof wallet well supplied with bank notes, and several other -articles that he always carried. Among them was a pair of nickel-plated -handcuffs, very light, but as strong as the heaviest kind made.</p> - -<p>“I don’t suppose I shall have to use them,” he muttered, as he stepped -into the bathroom, and found the water in the tub was just as he liked -it—cold, but with the raw chill taken off. “Still if there should be -too much trouble with my friends aboard, I should not hesitate to slip -them on.”</p> - -<p>No one came near him as he enjoyed his bath, and afterward dressed -carefully in the clothes that had been prepared for him.</p> - -<p>“I’m not such a bad-looking prince,” he said to him<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_34" id="page_34">{34}</a></span>self, with a smile, -as he looked at himself in the mirror. “These garments are the kind you -buy in New York. Yet, somehow, knowing they belong to a prince, I fancy -I detect an odor of royalty about them.”</p> - -<p>He laughed at his own conceit. Then, finding that a box of cigars, of a -well-known brand, was in a little cupboard at one side of the stateroom, -he selected one and nipped off the end.</p> - -<p>“It is possible these cigars are drugged,” he muttered. “But I don’t -think so. Anyhow, it is so long since I had a smoke, that I shall have -to take the risk.”</p> - -<p>He puffed away comfortably for more than a quarter of an hour, deep in -his own thoughts, as he sat in one of the two chairs in the cabin, and -was beginning to think he would not be disturbed till morning, when -there came a tap at the door.</p> - -<p>“Considering they have me locked in, I don’t see that they can expect me -to open the door to see who is there,” he said to himself, with a smile. -Then, aloud, he called: “Come in!”</p> - -<p>There was the faint grating of a lock, and the door opened. It was Don -Solado who entered.</p> - -<p>“Well, Marcos! I thought I’d come in and see how you are after your swim -in the river,” began Solado.</p> - -<p>“Hadn’t you better lock the door?” suggested Nick, with a mocking smile. -“You shouldn’t tempt me.”</p> - -<p>“There’s no fear of your getting away, if that’s what you mean,” was the -comfortable rejoinder. “You wouldn’t want to swim again, I’m sure, and -you couldn’t leave us even that way, for we have men watching the whole -deck.”</p> - -<p>“Yet, to get to Joyalita by the eighteenth is so important to me, that I -don’t know that I should hesitate to swim if it would get me there by -that time.”</p> - -<p>“Why do you want to get to Joyalita by the eighteenth?” suddenly -demanded Solado, in a different tone, as he leaned forward to look -closely into the detective’s face. “What is Joyalita to you?”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“What do I mean?” broke out Don Solado, so savagely that his tone became -almost a shriek. “What do I mean? Why, I mean that you are a fraud!”</p> - -<p>“A fraud?” asked Nick Carter composedly. “In what way am I one?”</p> - -<p>“You say your name is Marcos—Prince Marcos?” howled Solado.</p> - -<p>“Do I say so? I don’t remember saying anything of the kind. Still, you -know me, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I do know you! Curse you! I thought there was something wrong -about you as they brought you on the yacht a little while ago. That’s -why I came down here to look at you again, and particularly to hear you -speak. Now I know you are an impostor!”</p> - -<p>“Who do you think I am, then?” asked Nick.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know who you are, except that I believe you are the man who -assaulted me at the Hotel Supremacy a few nights ago.”</p> - -<p>“You were assaulted there, then?”</p> - -<p>The coolness with which the detective asked this question evidently -increased the rage of the other, and he snorted inarticulately.</p> - -<p>“It was I who assaulted you—most likely,” went on Nick Carter. “I was -obliged to teach a lesson to a masked<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_35" id="page_35">{35}</a></span> man there, because he attacked -me. I am pleased to meet you again, under more peaceful conditions.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll find they are not so peaceful, perhaps!”</p> - -<p>Don Solado’s tones had risen to a shriek again, and he shook his fist at -the quietly smoking detective.</p> - -<p>“Don’t do that,” advised Nick calmly. “It annoys me.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll do what I please. I don’t know who you are, but I know you are not -Prince Marcos!”</p> - -<p>“Well? And then?”</p> - -<p>“You have helped him to escape. Now escape yourself—if you can!”</p> - -<p>As Solado shouted this last sentence, he jumped up and flung himself out -of the door.</p> - -<p>It closed with a bang, and Nick heard the lock turn.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X.<br /><br /> -<small>CHICK REPORTS PROGRESS.</small></h2> - -<p>For five minutes after the departure of the infuriated Don Solado, the -detective remained in his seat, smoking and pondering.</p> - -<p>He might have got to the door before Solado if he had tried, and for a -fleeting moment he had some such idea. Then he decided that it would -have been premature, and might have interfered with a plan he had been -forming during the latter part of the interview.</p> - -<p>“If they go after Marcos at once, they may catch him,” he thought. “It -isn’t likely but they might. Let them stew over it a while.”</p> - -<p>Nick Carter knew that Marcos would have plenty of money for his -traveling expenses, and that Claudia Solado would help him in every -possible way.</p> - -<p>“Whether that young lady is in love with Marcos, or whether it is merely -cousinly regard she feels for him, is of no consequence,” he murmured. -“The point is that she seems to be entirely devoted to the young man. I -hope they won’t be so foolish as to stop long at Crownledge. That is not -a safe place for him just now.”</p> - -<p>He decided in his own mind that Claudia was too sensible to let her -cousin get into a trap again in a hurry.</p> - -<p>“She may take him to her own home, on the other side of the river,” he -reflected. “Of course Don Solado knows where she lives, but, unless he -suspects his niece of helping Marcos, he never would think of looking -for him there.”</p> - -<p>It was characteristic of the famous detective that he was troubled only -about Marcos, and thought little of his own predicament.</p> - -<p>One thing was that he knew he was on the Hudson River, in a neighborhood -where there was plenty of traffic, both afloat and ashore, especially in -daylight. If the worst came, he would be able to attract the attention -of somebody on passing craft and get released that way.</p> - -<p>There was a good-sized window to his stateroom, overlooking the deck and -the water. It was secured by iron bars, so that he could not escape that -way, although no doubt the bars had been built in to keep marauders out, -instead of the occupant in.</p> - -<p>Occasionally he had seen one of the crew pass by. But no one looked in -his direction. They had had their orders, no doubt.</p> - -<p>It was late now, and for the last ten minutes that he had been sitting -by the open window, letting the smoke from his cigar go through, he had -not seen anybody.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_36" id="page_36">{36}</a></span></p> - -<p>Neither had there been any sounds in the saloon or the other staterooms. -It was clear to Nick that Solado and Miguel had both gone to bed, -satisfied that nothing could be done to-night to catch Marcos—if they -had any such intention.</p> - -<p>“I am glad it is so,” thought Nick Carter. “By the morning I shall have -my plans ready to work. I don’t want to be disturbed any more now.”</p> - -<p>He switched off the two electric lights in his cabin, and resumed his -seat by the window in the dark. He was not ready to go to bed yet.</p> - -<p>It was getting to the still hour for the morning when everything seems -dead, preparatory to bursting into life a little later by another day of -activity.</p> - -<p>A few lights twinkled here and there on the water or along the shores. -But, aside from them, there was nothing to suggest that many thousands -of people were within sound of his voice if he should shout aloud, while -a few miles down the river a metropolis of four or five millions lay -slumbering.</p> - -<p>He got up and went to the door to examine the lock.</p> - -<p>“Easy!” he murmured. “I know the locks on boats of this kind. They are -supposed to be so safe that they are more vulnerable than those which -have not such a reputation. I’ll get out of this room when the time -comes. But that is not just yet.”</p> - -<p>He went back to the window and again looked out.</p> - -<p>It was more than an hour later when he fixed his gaze on something that -looked like the shadow of a wave a little way off.</p> - -<p>“A boat, and hanging about, looking at what there is here,” was his -inward comment. “If I hadn’t good eyes, I doubt whether I could have -seen that. It’s coming nearer to the yacht. I wonder—— There will be -no harm in trying. I don’t suppose any one will notice it. If they do, -what matters?”</p> - -<p>He put his face close to the window and whistled part of the refrain of -the popular melody, “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary!”</p> - -<p>The whistle was like that of a man who is not thinking much of what he -is doing, but it had a penetrating quality which is not often heard in -that sort of music.</p> - -<p>Members of Nick Carter’s household all declared that they would know his -whistle whenever they heard it, no matter what tune it might give -forth—or even no tune at all.</p> - -<p>The detective was testing the truth of this assertion at this moment.</p> - -<p>There was short pause as he finished the line of “Tipperary,” and then, -in answer, came another part of the melody, taking it up where he had -left off.</p> - -<p>The person whistling in response was somebody that Nick Carter could -swear to. He smiled gently in the darkness.</p> - -<p>“Chick, by all that’s lucky!” he muttered. “He’s in that boat, and he -knows I’m here. Well, that means I must get out of this stateroom -without loss of time.”</p> - -<p>He whistled again, but shut off in the middle of a measure. This was a -code signal between them, meaning “Wait!”</p> - -<p>Quite well assured that Chick would wait till he heard again from his -chief, and that he would contrive to keep out of sight of any watchers -who might be on the yacht, Nick went to the door, a small wire in his -fingers.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_37" id="page_37">{37}</a></span></p> - -<p>It was with this wire that he intended to open the door, and in a few -minutes he had proved that he could carry out his intention. The lock -shot back with a faint click, and there was nothing to prevent his -opening the door when ready.</p> - -<p>He stood just inside and listened intently for at least two minutes. -Then he turned the handle softly and looked out into the corridor.</p> - -<p>It was empty.</p> - -<p>One electric light cast a dim light from end to end. It showed Nick the -way to the outer door.</p> - -<p>There was a short flight of brass-bound steps and a heavy door. Beyond -was the deck.</p> - -<p>What would he meet when he opened that door? That was the question he -asked himself, as he took his automatic pistol from its waterproof case, -and made sure it was charged with cartridges, ready for action.</p> - -<p>The mocking smile which had been on his face during the interview with -Don Solado, and which had not quite faded as he sat in the darkness, was -gone entirely now. Stern business was the expression—that and nothing -else.</p> - -<p>On the deck he met nobody. He was overlooking the taffrail. In the -shadows beyond he made out the boat in which sat his assistant.</p> - -<p>Nick whistled another line of “Tipperary,” and at the same time sent a -short flash of light from his pocket electric lamp in the direction of -the small boat.</p> - -<p>There was immediate response in the shooting forward of the boat until -it was directly below where Nick stood leaning on the rail, looking down -at the water.</p> - -<p>The detective had not been idle during the approach of Chick’s boat. He -had found a coil of light rope and fastened one end to the rail. The -other dropped to the water.</p> - -<p>“Chick?” he whispered.</p> - -<p>“That’s who it is, chief!” was the prompt reply. “What shall I do? Come -up?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. But first make sure your boat won’t get away. Make it fast to a -rudder chain.”</p> - -<p>It took Chick only a fraction of a minute to do this. Then he seized the -line and gave it a tug to test its strength.</p> - -<p>“It will hold you all right,” whispered Nick. “Come on!”</p> - -<p>Chick could climb like a monkey, and in a remarkably short space of time -he was by the side of his chief.</p> - -<p>The two shook hands with the silent earnestness of men who had often -been in peril together, and who knew that each could depend on the -other.</p> - -<p>“Well?” asked Nick. “How are things at Crownledge?”</p> - -<p>“Marcos is there.”</p> - -<p>“Is he? I’m sorry to hear that,” returned Nick. “That’s where these -fellows are liable to look for him. I didn’t think he’d venture there.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” was Chick’s confident rejoinder. “He’s got enough -people there to hold off any kind of gang. Besides, he isn’t going to -stay. He’ll be gone before daylight. Probably he is away now.”</p> - -<p>“I hope he is. It has been a narrow tug for all of us. How did you get -up here so quickly, and who told you I was here?”</p> - -<p>“That peach, Miss Solado. She was with Marcos, and she told me in a few -minutes all that had happened up here.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_38" id="page_38">{38}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“Well?”</p> - -<p>“I borrowed the launch from her, and, believe me, I made that gas barge -hustle up the river. I got everything out of her that was in her -engine.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t hear it. How was that?” asked Nick, in a slightly mystified -tone.</p> - -<p>“That was easy,” grinned Chick. “I had a skiff trailing behind, and when -I got pretty close to the yacht, but still too far away for the launch -to be heard plainly, I tied up and came on with the oars. They’re -muffled, so you did not hear even them.”</p> - -<p>“We can get to the launch without trouble, I suppose?”</p> - -<p>“Unless the bottom of the skiff falls out,” returned Chick, with a -laugh. “Now, what have we to do?”</p> - -<p>“Just this, Chick,” answered Nick Carter sternly: “I am going to take -those two rascals off the yacht and hold them till I know Marcos is out -of the country. You and I have to do it now.”</p> - -<p>The difficulty of this enterprise seemed not to strike Chick. He merely -answered “All right!” and looked at his chief for further instructions.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI.<br /><br /> -<small>WHAT THEY ALL SAY.</small></h2> - -<p>“The crew are all forward,” explained Nick, in low tones, as the two -kept well in the shadow of the cabin, where they could look along the -deck. “It won’t be difficult if we are careful. I know the layout of -this yacht very well. It belongs to Judge Millings, and it has been -leased to these people for two months.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t know that,” admitted Chick.</p> - -<p>“You could have found it out if you had made inquiries, as I did,” -answered Nick quietly. “We can get to the cabins of these two men and -open them very easily, without disturbing anybody else. We’ll have to -gag and bind them. But we can tackle each one separately, so it won’t be -hard to do.”</p> - -<p>“That sounds all right. Are we to begin the job now?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. There is nothing to wait for. We’ll get Solado first, because his -stateroom is nearest to the companion-way.”</p> - -<p>Nick led the way to a corridor on the other side of the boat from the -one that communicated with the cabin he had occupied, and which he had -locked when he came out, in case there should be any one prying about.</p> - -<p>“Here’s the door, Chick. I’ll open it.”</p> - -<p>Softly and skillfully, Nick Carter introduced his wire and turned the -lock.</p> - -<p>He stepped inside, closely followed by Chick, both walking on their -tiptoes, and without the least noise.</p> - -<p>It was quite dark. But the detective knew where the bed was, and he -moved over to it without hesitation. Then he uttered a low exclamation -of surprise.</p> - -<p>The bed was empty!</p> - -<p>“Hurry, Chick! Let’s get out of this! There’s something going to happen. -They’ve found out that I have got away!”</p> - -<p>“Where’s the other cabin?”</p> - -<p>“Farther along! Let me see!”</p> - -<p>Nick rushed forward. He was not astonished when he found that the other -cabin was not only unoccupied, but that the door was unlocked and partly -open.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_39" id="page_39">{39}</a></span></p> - -<p>“Let’s get out, Chick! I guess the whole yacht is on the qui vive! The -rascals have laid a trap for us.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think they know I am aboard?”</p> - -<p>“I hope not! That will give us an advantage if we can surprise them by -being two, instead of one. Come on!”</p> - -<p>Nick led the way to the short flight of steps leading to the big door -that gave upon the deck.</p> - -<p>As he had expected, the door was fastened. The only bolt was inside. But -there was a lock that could be operated either without or within.</p> - -<p>“The lock is nothing, Chick! We can burst that!” whispered Nick. “Now! -Together!”</p> - -<p>The two hurled all their weight against the door. The lock broke away, -and Nick Carter found himself in the arms of Prince Miguel, the bigger -of the two ruffians.</p> - -<p>There was a desperate struggle for a few minutes, and then Jean, the -valet who had been attending Nick when he came aboard—showing him his -dry clothing and explaining to him that his bath was ready—tried to -help his master.</p> - -<p>It happened that Nick was held in such a way that his left arm was free. -He sent a swing at the valet that knocked him spinning down the deck, -where he lay without movement.</p> - -<p>The sailors at the other end of the yacht had not been told of what was -to take place.</p> - -<p>As Nick had said, the yacht was hired for two months from the -multimillionaire, Judge Millings, and all the crew went with the vessel. -It was not likely the sailors belonging to the yacht would take a hand -in anything that looked too bad.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you suppose they knew Marcos was a prisoner?” Chick had asked.</p> - -<p>“Not likely. Marcos was allowed to go about the yacht as he chose. We -have proof of that in the fact that he attacked Miguel when he was -sitting on the deck, smoking. They relied on there being no boats handy, -and on the watchfulness of that scoundrelly valet, Jean, who was really -his guard, I should judge.”</p> - -<p>Now that there was a quiet, but strenuous battle on, the crew were in -blissful ignorance. Miguel and Solado had thought they were quite -capable of holding Nick Carter until they should be ready to take him to -some place ashore.</p> - -<p>They were finding their mistake, for, as Nick sent the valet flying to -the deck, senseless, Chick flew at Solado just when that worthy was -going to help Miguel.</p> - -<p>“You may be a big man in your own country,” observed Chick, as he -twisted Don Solado’s arms behind him until he gasped with pain. “But in -America we have better men than you in jail.”</p> - -<p>He forced Solado to his back on the deck, and then slipped a pair of -handcuffs on his wrists.</p> - -<p>This had been swift work with Chick. But Nick Carter had been equally as -speedy.</p> - -<p>Miguel had been taken very much aback when he saw Jean going to the -deck, and the detective had taken instant advantage of this fact to jam -him against the taffrail and put on him the light, but powerful, -nickel-plated handcuffs referred to in a previous chapter.</p> - -<p>“Now, are you going to come quietly, or shall we have to wake up the -crew and tell them you are a couple of rascals the police are after?” -asked Nick Carter sternly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_40" id="page_40">{40}</a></span></p> - -<p>“You shall pay for this!” hissed Solado.</p> - -<p>“We shan’t pay as much as you will,” was the detective’s rejoinder.</p> - -<p>“Keep quiet, Solado!” warned Miguel.</p> - -<p>“Are you going to let them do what they want?” growled Solado.</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>There was something in the way this word “Yes” was uttered that put Nick -Carter on his guard.</p> - -<p>He made no comment, however. Instead, he directed Chick to open the -gangway where the ladder led down to the water, and then to go down by -the rope to the skiff and bring it around.</p> - -<p>“I will take care of the prisoners while you do it,” added Nick.</p> - -<p>“Prisoners?” echoed Miguel indignantly. “Do you know who we are?”</p> - -<p>“I know you have tried to kidnap the Prince of Joyalita, and that I got -him away from you.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what have you to do with the affairs of Joyalita?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing. But I have something to do with sustaining the laws of the -United States,” was Nick Carter’s swift rejoinder. “You can’t kidnap -people here without being compelled to suffer for it.”</p> - -<p>“But how is it any business of yours? You are not a policeman.”</p> - -<p>“I am a detective,” answered Nick briefly, as he looked over the rail to -see that Chick was bringing the boat around. “That is a policeman, I -believe.”</p> - -<p>“A detective, eh?” put in Don Solado sneeringly. “I don’t believe it. -What is your name?”</p> - -<p>“My name is Nicholas Carter.”</p> - -<p>The two scoundrels stiffened as they heard that dreaded name. It was -evident that they never had suspected that they were dealing with a man -who had once brought two criminals from the very borders of Joyalita -back to New York to answer to a charge of piracy they had committed near -Sandy Hook.</p> - -<p>Don Solado struggled to regain his composure.</p> - -<p>“Even if you are Nicholas Carter, that gives you no right to treat us in -this way,” he barked. “Who gave you authority to put handcuffs on us?”</p> - -<p>“I took that on myself,” replied Nick. “Here’s the boat at the foot of -the ladder. Come on! I’ll explain to the crew in the morning where you -are.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll not go!” roared Solado. “This is an outrage. It is not as if -either of us had committed a crime. You can’t prove that we kidnaped any -one.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t I?” cried Nick Carter. “I believe I can. Anyhow, there is -something else you will be called on to explain, that may get you into -an American jail, in spite of the titles you wear in your own country.”</p> - -<p>“What is that? What are you talking about now?”</p> - -<p>“I am talking about a very valuable jeweled watch that you took from -Prince Marcos without his knowledge, and that you lost at the ball at -the Hotel Supremacy.”</p> - -<p>The two rascals glanced at each other in the dim light of the dawn that -now showed itself, and the detective saw that they were trembling.</p> - -<p>“What do you know about such a watch?” demanded Miguel.</p> - -<p>“I know that you had it, and lost it. I also know that Don Solado went -to see Mrs. van Raikes, the hostess at that ball, and confessed to her -that the watch was lost.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_41" id="page_41">{41}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>“Well, where is the crime, even if what you say is true?” blustered Don -Solado.</p> - -<p>“It consists in the fact that you stole it from Prince Marcos——”</p> - -<p>“What rubbish!” interrupted Miguel. “Is it likely I would condescend to -such a contemptible crime as picking a pocket?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know anything about that,” returned Nick. “But I do know you -took the watch. Moreover, I know where it is now. It will be brought up -in evidence against you if necessary.”</p> - -<p>“Where is the watch?” asked Solado.</p> - -<p>“In the possession of Prince Marcos.”</p> - -<p>“Are you sure of that?”</p> - -<p>“Quite.”</p> - -<p>“Then there is nothing in that to warrant your making us prisoners,” -retorted Solado triumphantly.</p> - -<p>“We’ll see about that later,” answered Nick. “The charge of abduction -will do for the present. Ready, Chick?”</p> - -<p>“All ready!” replied Chick, from below.</p> - -<p>“Come on, gentlemen!” said Nick, leading his two prisoners to the -gangway.</p> - -<p>They looked around, as if to seek some avenue of escape. Then, giving it -up, they went down the ladder and seated themselves in the stern of the -skiff, as Chick directed.</p> - -<p>“Throw your gun on them, Chick!” called out Nick Carter. “I want to -speak to one of the gentlemen of the crew before I go. Shoot, if either -of those men gets too obstreperous.”</p> - -<p>In the absence of the captain and first mate, the second mate had been -left in charge of the yacht.</p> - -<p>The second mate had been in his stateroom, and so little noise had been -made by Nick Carter and Chick in making the two temporary owners -prisoner that he had not been disturbed till the door was broken open.</p> - -<p>Even then he had not got up at once.</p> - -<p>He was an honest, heavy-headed sort of man, who was a good-enough -sailor, but afflicted with an abnormal love of sleep when once he got to -his bed.</p> - -<p>The fact that he could keep on deck forty-eight hours at a stretch if -required—as he had done on one occasion when fighting a tearing gale in -an old-fashioned windjammer in the China trade—did not interfere with -his ability to sleep almost as long when there was no demand upon him.</p> - -<p>“These gentlemen are going with me, Mr. Jarvis,” said Nick politely. “I -am Nicholas Carter. You know me, I think, for I recognize you.”</p> - -<p>“Of course I know you, Mr. Carter. You sailed with me to the South once -for more than a week. I don’t forget any one I’ve once known. What is -all this about? I’ll have to tell the captain, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Say they went away with me,” answered Nick. “I’ll see the captain when -he comes to New York next week. I know where he always puts up in town. -Good night, Mr. Jarvis.”</p> - -<p>“Good night, Mr. Carter! Good luck!” returned the worthy second mate.</p> - -<p>He watched the skiff row away, with Chick at the oars, and then, with a -yawn, returned to his bunk.</p> - -<p>“It’s a funny thing, those two gentlemen going away like this,” he -muttered.</p> - -<p>A moment later he noticed the valet lying along the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_42" id="page_42">{42}</a></span> deck, and in a -scandalized tone he ordered one of his men to “wake up that souse -there.”</p> - -<p>They found Jean was not much hurt. When he had been doused with water -outwardly, and warmed up within with a serving of grog, he was as good -as new, according to the seafaring men who fixed him up.</p> - -<p>“I’ll go ashore later,” decided Jean.</p> - -<p>Then he went to bed, regardless, in his still-dazed condition, of what -had become of his employer.</p> - -<p>“Are you going to take these fellows to the Tombs, chief?” asked Chick, -as they transferred to the launch and went rushing down the river toward -the city, with Nick Carter at the wheel. “Or is it a police station we -want?”</p> - -<p>“Police headquarters,” was Nick’s reply. “I think a little third degree -will help matters materially.”</p> - -<p>“You shall pay for this, Mr. Nicholas Carter!” hissed Don Solado.</p> - -<p>“That’s what they all say,” returned the detective, with a shrug.</p> - -<p class="fint">THE END.</p> - -<p>“The Seal of Gijon; or, Nick Carter’s Ice-house Fight,” will be found in -the next issue of the <span class="smcap">Nick Carter Stories</span>, No. 137, out April 24th. The -further adventures of the great detective with the potentates of -Joyalita are given in the forthcoming number.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h1><a name="Dared_for_Los_Angeles" id="Dared_for_Los_Angeles"></a>Dared for Los Angeles.</h1> -<p class="cb">By ROLAND ASHFORD PHILLIPS.</p> - -<p>(This interesting story was commenced in No. 134 of <span class="smcap">Nick Carter -Stories</span>. Back numbers can always be obtained from your news dealer -or the publishers.)</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII.<br /><br /> -<small>THE UNEXPECTED.</small></h2> - -<p>Elliot Nash was puzzled, the morning following, when Hooker came to the -shack and said that Sigsbee wished him to call at his office. Nothing -was said concerning the previous night’s adventure, and while Nash was -eager for an understanding, he determined to wait until after the -interview with the Los Angeles politician.</p> - -<p>He reached San Fernando at noon, and the local train set him down at the -Fifth Street Station, Los Angeles, shortly after one o’clock. After the -few months’ absence, the city appealed strongly to the engineer, and he -spent all of an hour walking slowly in Broadway, Main, and Spring -Streets, looking into the store windows, enjoying the scene of the -hurrying throngs of shoppers, and amused or amazed now and then at the -volley of questions fired at him by the curious, excited tourists.</p> - -<p>The big restaurants were filled, and always in front of them stood a -group of thrifty strangers, studying the bill of fare posted in the -windows, and trying to decide what to order, and just what it would -cost, before venturing inside.</p> - -<p>Nash was more than interested in the types around him, who made the Los -Angeles streets as lively and colorful as those of some foreign city. -Here came a bevy of chattering, laughing girls, probably residents, all -in white, with glowing complexions; jostling elbows with them, a -Japanese family would wend their way, dressed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_43" id="page_43">{43}</a></span> in fashionable clothes, -and carrying themselves with an air of importance—the City of Angels -has many Japanese millionaires. Here and there a Spanish landowner, one -of the real settlers of southern California, who still frown upon the -“gringos,” as they style the Americans, swarthy of face, erect of -figure, strutted past like a soldier on parade. Quaint Mexican women, -bareheaded, barefooted, garbed in loose gowns of brilliant coloring, -stepped in and out, following their lords and masters—thin-faced, -evil-eyed, cigarette-smoking “greasers” in grimy linen suits and wearing -huge, silver-trimmed, and costly sombreros—in most cases, more hat than -man.</p> - -<p>Shy, unsociable Chinese; stolid-faced men, dainty women, and big-eyed, -beautiful children, all in gorgeous, flowing garments, pattered -noiselessly through the crowd, apparently unconscious of the staring and -remarks made by the gaping farmer from Iowa, who, with his wife and -family, had spent his savings for a few glorious months in this -California paradise.</p> - -<p>Nash strolled aimlessly down Spring Street, and went into the Big -Alexandria Hotel, and on through the crowded lobby to the grill. Here he -ordered lunch, and enjoyed every morsel. It was nearly half an hour past -the appointed time when he presented himself to the stenographer who -guarded the inner offices of Mr. J. Sigsbee, in the big Equitable Bank -Building. Sigsbee, while serving the city on the aqueduct construction, -was interested in a large law firm.</p> - -<p>When Nash found himself in the presence of Sigsbee, and discovered him -to be none other than the man he had been refused an introduction to the -previous night at Camp Forty-seven, he knew that, instead of clearing -the problem was becoming more intricate.</p> - -<p>His first impression of Jim Sigsbee was far from an agreeable one, -although he was taken aback at the pleasant manner with which the -politician greeted him. He imagined that the first thing Sigsbee would -do would be to mention something of last night’s meeting. But in this he -was disappointed.</p> - -<p>“I am very glad to meet you, Mr. Nash,” he said frankly, extending his -hand and smiling. “Please sit down.”</p> - -<p>Sigsbee cleared away the papers from his desk, and gave orders to the -girl in the outer office that he was not to be disturbed.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Nash,” he began, swinging around in his chair, “I am a blunt man, -and when I approach a subject I strike for the heart at the first blow. -I have asked you here to talk over certain matters that have come to my -notice. As one of the aqueduct board, these affairs interest me -strongly. I have been elected to this board by the honest votes of the -Los Angeles citizens, and I intend to do my duty toward them. You have -found certain irregularities on foot in Camp Forty-seven. I want to -compliment you, Mr. Nash. Men of your caliber are the men we desire on -the great undertaking. I am not going to deny these irregularities, but -I intend putting a stop to them <i>immediately</i>. Mr. Hooker, the foreman, -is, in a measure, responsible. I have relieved him of the foremanship. -The position is open to you. Will you accept?”</p> - -<p>Nash did not attempt to mask his surprise.</p> - -<p>“You wish me to take Mr. Hooker’s place?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Exactly. Hooker has proven himself to be unreliable. Camp Forty-seven -is a most important station<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_44" id="page_44">{44}</a></span>. It must be commanded by an upright, -fearless man. I think you measure up to that standard, Mr. Nash.”</p> - -<p>“This is a big proposition, and a sudden one,” Nash said. “But—well, if -you will allow me to run the camp according to my ideas, I’ll accept.”</p> - -<p>Sigsbee smiled and nodded vigorously. “Good! That’s the spirit I like to -see. Since the beginning, I have interested myself in this particular -camp, because I have been awarded a small steel contract. I want you to -assume full charge and accept all the responsibility. Can I depend upon -you?”</p> - -<p>“You can, Mr. Sigsbee,” Nash answered. “You may hold me directly -responsible for all matters of which I have charge. I believe that is -one of the specifications in all the contract work, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. Each foreman is supreme. To him is given all the praise, and -likewise all the blame.”</p> - -<p>“When will you want me to begin?”</p> - -<p>“Right away—to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“That is agreeable to me.”</p> - -<p>“Very well.” Sigsbee turned back his chair. “I will notify the aqueduct -board at its next meeting—that is Monday. Your orders will come through -me.”</p> - -<p>“I shall obey them to the letter.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure of that,” said the politician, rising. “And let our motto be -‘All for Los Angeles.’<span class="lftspc">”</span> He accompanied the engineer to the outer office. -“Will you step down and have a drink before going?”</p> - -<p>Nash asked to be excused, to the other’s surprise. “Don’t indulge, eh? -Not even one?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve a lot of work ahead of me,” said Nash. “It’ll need a clear head. -Thank you just the same.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll smoke, won’t you?”</p> - -<p>Sigsbee held out a cigar. Nash accepted it, and thanked him. He enjoyed -a good cigar. Once down on the busy street, he lighted the weed, and -walked slowly down to Fifth, and along this thoroughfare to the station. -He was so busy with his own thoughts that he paid scant attention to -what went on around him. So much had happened within the past -twenty-four hours that it was small wonder he appeared preoccupied.</p> - -<p>A hundred unanswered questions pounded at his brain; no sooner did he -try to reason out one than a dozen rushed in. So, with a shrug of his -shoulders, he resolved to give it all up and allow the problems to wag -for a while.</p> - -<p>“I’ve enough to do in minding my own affairs,” he told himself. “The -other things will solve themselves.”</p> - -<p>He reached the station just in time to catch a train back to San -Fernando. He swung up on the last car, and made his way into the smoker. -With a sigh of relief, he sank into the nearest seat.</p> - -<p>“Well, there’s one thing certain,” he said, addressing the endless -orange groves that stretched on either side of the track. “And that is, -Camp Forty-seven is going to be heard from, and in the right way, for -work accomplished and the cost of it.”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII.<br /><br /> -<small>ON THE HIGH TRAIL.</small></h2> - -<p>The installation of the new foreman at Camp Forty-seven provoked no -little discussion, not alone in the camp concerned, but all along the -busy line of aqueduct construction. It was the abruptness of the affair -which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_45" id="page_45">{45}</a></span> probably affected the majority of the workers, and a dozen -different stories were in circulation as to the real cause of the -change.</p> - -<p>Doubtlessly the men arrived at as satisfactory a conclusion as did Nash -himself. While he had no great respect for the Los Angeles -politician—Sigsbee—still Nash admired him for the apparent -determination he had expressed in their interview that day—a -determination to rid Camp Forty-seven of graft.</p> - -<p>Whether this was Sigsbee’s object or not, or his main reason, for -changing foremen, Nash speedily took matters into his own hands and put -his ideas into execution. He studied out a system, held weekly -consultations with his subforemen, and saw to it that they followed the -lines he had drawn. There was considerable grumbling at first, -principally because each man had been in the habit of doing what he -pleased.</p> - -<p>“That’s why you don’t accomplish more,” Nash told them. “You don’t pull -together. Teamwork is the thing that counts.”</p> - -<p>Gradually he gained his ends, and as gradually the work on the aqueduct -allotted to his camp showed improvement. Never before had Nash worked so -earnestly and with so much confidence. He felt as if on his shoulders -alone rested the success or the failure of this wonderful waterway. He -instilled the same fervor, the same enthusiasm, into the work of those -under him, and soon the complaining wore away, and every man of them -entered into the struggle with that supreme, indomitable spirit that -recognizes no such word as failure.</p> - -<p>One blistering hot afternoon, when he was riding slowly over the high -trail that led from the main road to the camp, Nash heard the wild -gallop of hoofs behind him. Before he could turn, a frightened horse -dashed past, careening madly down the path, threatening each second to -topple into the ravine below.</p> - -<p>Nash drew rein. “That horse was saddled,” he said aloud. “I wonder if -there’s been an accident?”</p> - -<p>He struck his pony sharply, and descended the trail. Half a mile on he -stopped, uttered an exclamation, leaped from his saddle, and knelt -beside the quiet form of a woman. She was lying in a matted clump of -scrub oak, where the horse had probably thrown her.</p> - -<p>Carefully he drew an arm away from her face. There was a cut above her -closed eyes, and the crimson had run down over her cheek, staining the -lace on her collar. She seemed so quiet, so very white, that for the -instant Nash believed she was dead. It was only when he took his -handkerchief and wiped her forehead that she sighed and allowed her eyes -to flutter open.</p> - -<p>“Just in time,” he said encouragingly. “Not hurt much, I hope?”</p> - -<p>She seemed conscious suddenly of where she was, and of what had -happened. She sat up and passed a limp hand across her eyes.</p> - -<p>“I—I guess not,” she faltered unsteadily. “My horse threw me. I—I -remember falling, and then——”</p> - -<p>“Your forehead’s cut,” Nash said; “not very deep, though. You’ve this -brush here to thank for your escape. If you had fallen to these rocks, -there would have been real damage.”</p> - -<p>He helped her up. She was a trifle dizzy at first, but it soon wore -away. She allowed him to bind his handkerchief about her head.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_46" id="page_46">{46}</a></span></p> - -<p>“There!” he said, finishing with the improvised bandage. “That will keep -the dust out. Do you live near here?”</p> - -<p>She nodded. “Over at the Elkhorn Ranch.”</p> - -<p>“I should advise you to get back as quickly as you can,” he told her. -“Have the wound washed and dressed. I don’t think there’s a drop of -water this side of the camp.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” she said, turning quickly to face him, “you’re from the -construction camp, then?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, from Forty-seven, about two miles down the trail. I was just going -back when your horse dashed past me.”</p> - -<p>Her eyes were shining now, and a quick color had rushed to her cheeks. -Nash told himself that it had been a long time since he had seen a -prettier girl. He reasoned quickly, by the hue of her skin, that she was -a stranger to this part of southern California.</p> - -<p>“You haven’t been here long, have you?” he said.</p> - -<p>She shook her head. “No. This is my first day at the ranch. I’m visiting -friends there.” She hesitated a moment, and looked frankly into his -bronzed face. “How did you guess?”</p> - -<p>He laughed. “Why, this sun will leave its mark on you. It’s the champion -long-distance artist. You’ll soon change that New York white for -California copper.”</p> - -<p>She stared at him bewilderedly. “How did you know I was from New York?” -she asked.</p> - -<p>“Well,” he admitted. “I haven’t been away from there long myself. I -thought you were from the East by your accent.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a regular fortune teller,” she replied, smiling; and he laughed.</p> - -<p>“Now, you take my pony and ride along to the ranch,” he said. “It’s only -a short walk for me—by cutting across the hill yonder. You can return -the mount to-morrow, or any time convenient. Meanwhile, I’ll keep an eye -out for your horse.”</p> - -<p>She demurred at first, but Nash insisted; so it ended by the girl being -helped into the saddle.</p> - -<p>“I’m so interested in this—this aqueduct,” she said, after he had -finished looking over the saddle straps.</p> - -<p>“Then you must come over to the camp—any day—and I’ll show you -around,” he said. “I am always glad to interest myself in others who are -interested in what I’m doing.”</p> - -<p>“Are you—the—boss?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“I’m the foreman,” he answered. “Naturally I take a great deal of pride -in the work of construction.”</p> - -<p>For the instant, as he looked at her, he fancied he detected a new -light—a cold, different light—come into her eyes; and he could have -sworn her hands were trembling as they rested on the pony’s neck.</p> - -<p>“Then—then you are Mr. Nash?” she said presently.</p> - -<p>He nodded. “That’s an excellent guess.”</p> - -<p>Her fingers found and gripped the reins, and, as if composing herself, -she straightened in the saddle.</p> - -<p>“I—I will return your pony promptly, Mr. Nash,” she said, in a voice -that seemed to issue from strange lips. “And thank you very much for -what you have done.”</p> - -<p>With a puzzled frown, Nash watched her as she galloped up the trail and -disappeared from view behind a shoulder of rock, riding her mount with -the ease of an experienced horsewoman.</p> - -<p>“She’s no beginner when it comes to the saddle,” Nash<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_47" id="page_47">{47}</a></span> muttered. -“Elkhorn Ranch, eh?” he said, a moment later. “Odd I never heard of it -before.”</p> - -<p>Then he turned on his heel and wended his way down the rough slope, -deserting the trail for the cut-off in the direction of the camp.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV.<br /><br /> -<small>THE NIGHT ALARM.</small></h2> - -<p>Before he was halfway to his cabin he came upon the runaway horse, -peacefully cropping the grass in a little hollow between the high hills. -It was but the work of a moment to catch it, and, after satisfying -himself that the animal was free from injuries, Nash adjusted the saddle -and sprang into it.</p> - -<p>Arrived at the camp, he turned the horse into the stable where the -others were kept, but concluded then to take the saddle up to the cabin, -where it would be safer.</p> - -<p>Finishing with supper and lighting the lamp in the big room of the -cabin, which he used as an office, Nash noticed a piece of paper in the -middle of the floor. He picked it up and unfolded it. Then he frowned -and looked around the room, as if expecting to find the owner watching -him. Traced upon the paper was a small but excellent map of the entire -Los Angeles Aqueduct route, showing the intake at Owens Lake. The -different elevations, the telephone stations were marked in red ink, -while the numerous tunnels, beginning with the long one at Elizabeth and -ending with the Reever Bore above San Fernando, were denoted by heavy -crosses.</p> - -<p>Nash studied the map for a long time. “Now, where in the world did this -come from?” he muttered. “It’s an exceedingly clever drawing.” Suddenly -he lifted his head and whistled. “By Jove, that’s it! It fell from the -saddle pocket.”</p> - -<p>He examined the saddle, which he had dragged to one corner. Sure enough, -there was a pocket under one of the flaps. He drew out several other -drawings; one of them proved to be an enlarged map of Camp Forty-seven. -Under it was written, in pencil, and partly erased:</p> - -<p>“I think his name is Elliot Nash. Let me know positively.”</p> - -<p>The signature was obliterated.</p> - -<p>Nash returned the papers to the pocket. Then he went back to his chair -before the long table, where some blue prints were unrolled.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if those maps belong to the girl, or to the person owning the -saddle?” he asked himself. “They’re not the kind used by any of the -engineering corps. They’re prepared especially on the finest kind of -paper. And some one has written my name upon one of them.” He took in a -deep breath, and reached for his pencil. “Well,” he mused, “I’ll ask the -girl—when we’re better acquainted.”</p> - -<p>He was still poring over his figures at ten o’clock, when one the -subforemen came hurriedly in with the information that a big water main -had burst and threatened to flood out a part of the freshly laid -conduit.</p> - -<p>“Never heard of such a thing in this weather,” Nash said, catching up -hat and coat.</p> - -<p>“Came all of a sudden,” the other announced. “The watchman telephoned -in. I’ve been trying to get you for the past fifteen minutes, but your -wire must be out of order.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_48" id="page_48">{48}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>In ten minutes, Nash, accompanied by the man who had brought the news, -was upon the scene. The sight was enough to make his blood boil. Several -hundred feet of concrete, laid that day, was washed out. He managed to -get the water shut off, and then hurried to inspect the pipe. The bright -moonlight proved his first suspicions correct.</p> - -<p>“Bring that torch here!” he called to one of the men.</p> - -<p>The torch was brought. Nash knelt down and examined the broken length of -cast-iron pipe.</p> - -<p>“Just as I thought!” he muttered. “It’s been smashed—probably with a -sledge.” He turned to the subforeman. “Where’s the regular watchman on -this job?”</p> - -<p>The man was called and questioned. No additional light was shed upon the -case; the watchman had seen no one in the vicinity of the pipe, and the -sound of escaping water and falling concrete was his first intimation of -anything wrong. Nash felt that the man was telling the truth.</p> - -<p>These water mains had been laid long before the actual construction work -on the aqueduct had been started; this undertaking, together with the -stringing of telephone and electric-light wires—all preliminary to the -main project—had cost the city of Los Angeles more than two millions of -dollars. Water, to the different construction camps, was a valuable -asset, since the great part of the work lay through arid mountains and -vast stretches of the Mohave Desert.</p> - -<p>While Nash was puzzling over the situation, a shout interrupted, and one -of the men came running up with a sledge hammer he had discovered a -couple of hundred feet up the slope.</p> - -<p>“That’s the answer!” exclaimed Nash. “Find the owner of this, and we’ll -have the man who smashed our pipe.”</p> - -<p>Before leaving the scene, he spoke again to the subforeman:</p> - -<p>“You’d better double your watchmen from now on. We can’t afford to take -any risks. There’s five hundred dollars’ worth of a conduit ruined -to-night. Tell your men to hold any suspicious strangers they may run -across. If necessary, shoot first, and ask questions afterward.”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV.<br /><br /> -<small>OUT OF THE SHADOW.</small></h2> - -<p>Nash slept little the remainder of the night, for the smashing of the -water main and the total destruction of the newly built conduit worried -him. Things had been running so smoothly for the past few months that -this interruption came as a shock. He did not like to suspect any of his -own men of the outrage, yet it seemed impossible that an outsider could -elude the watchmen and perpetrate such an act.</p> - -<p>Early the following morning he called together all his subforemen, -warning them not to allow a stranger within the camp limits unless he -showed the proper credentials.</p> - -<p>“Without water,” he told them, “our construction work cannot go on. We -must guard it as we would our lives. Use as many watchmen at night as -you think best—better too many than not enough. Now, let’s see if we -can’t nip this thing in the bud. I’m willing to pay a substantial reward -for the capture of these culprits.”</p> - -<p>The men responded eagerly, and Nash felt confident<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_49" id="page_49">{49}</a></span> that they would do -all in their power to prevent another such outrage.</p> - -<p>Late that same afternoon, while at work in his office, Nash was -interrupted by a knock on the door.</p> - -<p>“Come in!” he shouted.</p> - -<p>The door was opened, and the girl of the previous day’s adventure stood -before him. She was dressed in a khaki riding habit, brown boots, and a -wide-brimmed sombrero.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” Nash said, smiling. “Pardon my shouting, won’t you? I thought it -was one of the men. Come right in and sit down.”</p> - -<p>She thanked him, drawing off her riding gloves, and sinking into the -chair he had hurriedly placed for her. “You see, I’ve kept my promise. -Your pony is outside. He’s a little beauty—sure-footed as a deer. And -mine——”</p> - -<p>“I found yours halfway to camp,” he answered. “It’s in the barn. I’ll -give orders to have it brought around. Your saddle is here.” He pointed -to the corner. “I thought it would be safer. Is it your own saddle?” he -asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>He went over to the telephone. So those little maps really belonged to -her, he said to himself. What use could she have for such technical -drawings? And what was the meaning of his name and the note on one of -the drawings?</p> - -<p>“Hello!” The barn boss was on the wire. “Send over the horse I brought -in last night, will you?” said Nash. “No, only the bridle. The saddle is -here. Right away, please.”</p> - -<p>He hung up the receiver and turned to his visitor.</p> - -<p>“I believe you’re getting tanned,” he said, searching her face -critically, thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>She laughed. “Really? And in one day? Well, I have to begin some time, -don’t I? And if I stay at the ranch for six months I suppose I’ll be as -dark as an Indian.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, then you’re going to be a permanent visitor?”</p> - -<p>She nodded. “Shall I be a welcome one?” she ventured.</p> - -<p>“At Camp Forty-seven, yes,” Nash answered.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’m carried away with this wonderful country!” she exclaimed, her -eyes sparkling. “How much I’ve missed by living all these years in the -East! And this aqueduct building is so interesting. You don’t realize -how I enjoy watching the work. I should have been a man, I guess. I’d -really love to get down with the laborers and mix cement.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Nash returned, in mock seriousness, “perhaps I can give you a -job. It would be a novelty for our camp, at least.”</p> - -<p>They laughed. Presently the girl’s horse was brought around to the door.</p> - -<p>“Maybe you’d like to take a little inspection trip with me?” he -suggested. “I generally make the rounds about this hour.”</p> - -<p>She gladly assented.</p> - -<p>Nash had the saddle adjusted.</p> - -<p>“Do you know,” he said abruptly, just before helping her into the -saddle, “you haven’t told me your name?”</p> - -<p>“Miss Breen,” she told him. “I really should have introduced myself -yesterday. I was too upset, I guess.”</p> - -<p>They jogged along the main street of the camp, and then struck sharply -up the winding trail, reaching the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_50" id="page_50">{50}</a></span> summit of the hill after a -ten-minute climb. From this point of vantage a five-mile view of the -conduit construction was visible.</p> - -<p>“There!” he said, drawing rein and sweeping his hand up and down the -valley. A little, amazed cry escaped her lips.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s wonderful, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“It is more than that, Miss Breen,” he replied. “I don’t know where -there is a greater undertaking on the face of the earth than this one. -Why, every time I ride here and look over that lengthening line of -conduit, I feel like shouting to the very heavens. And to think that my -city is doing it all!”</p> - -<p>She turned curiously, moved by his tone. “You—you’re a Los Angeles -man?”</p> - -<p>“To the core!” he answered. “Do you blame me for being proud? How many -cities would dare even to dream of such a marvelous waterway? Oh, out -here in the West, Miss Breen, men are doing the impossible!” In a calmer -voice, he added: “This will be the longest aqueduct in the world—two -hundred and fifty miles. Think of it! It will carry ten times as much -water as all the aqueducts of Rome combined.”</p> - -<p>The girl did not answer, but her gaze was riveted upon the winding, -glistening length of concrete far below.</p> - -<p>“We’re bringing the snow waters of the great Sierra Nevada Mountains -across the Mohave Desert,” he continued, “across the deep cañons, -through many tunnels, and finally beneath the Sierra Madre range. And a -city of three hundred thousand people voted a bond issue of twenty-five -millions to accomplish this feat of daring.”</p> - -<p>“It must be a great satisfaction to a man to know that his brain and his -hands are helping this dream of a city to become a reality,” Miss Breen -remarked, after a pause.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Nash. “We forget it is work. Wasn’t it Kipling who said the -highest pleasure that could come to a man was in the realization of a -task well done?”</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Each for the joy of the working,’<span class="lftspc">”</span> the girl quoted softly. “I think -that’s the verse.”</p> - -<p>For a little time they were silent, wrapped in their own thoughts. The -girl was idly fingering her pony’s mane; Nash was watching the white -plumes of steam that arose from the big dredges, far in the distance. -Then he swept his eyes to an opposite part of the valley.</p> - -<p>“Over there,” he said quietly, but with a touch of pride, “I’m starting -a ‘coyote.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>The girl looked to where his finger pointed. She could barely make out a -black hole a few yards below the summit of a hill.</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“A coyote is the name we use for that little tunnel. You can barely make -out the mouth of it from here. We’ve got to level off the top of that -hill. To accomplish it, we send in a drift; then, at the end of it, we -hollow out a big chamber. This is filled with dynamite—a half a hundred -boxes probably. Wires are laid from it across the valley and to the top -of another hill. At the proper time, an electric battery is attached to -the wires, a button is pressed—and bang! The top of the hill goes up in -the air.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” she exclaimed, gripping her hands. “It must be a wonderful sight. -May I watch it?”</p> - -<p>“It won’t be ready for another week yet,” he answered. “But when we -touch off the battery you’ll see the prettiest exhibition of fireworks -this side of Manhattan Beach.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_51" id="page_51">{51}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>In a little while they rode down the slope once more and along the busy -line of operations. He explained everything to her, in the simplest -terms; she appeared deeply interested, and asked a hundred questions, -some of which puzzled Nash, not because of their difficulty, but rather -because they were so unexpected. It seemed strange to him that a girl -like Miss Breen, apparently in this part of the country for health and -recreation, should manifest such a keen desire for technical knowledge.</p> - -<p>She betrayed immediate interest in the humanlike electric shovels, and -at the grinding, growling, dust-hidden cement mixers, and at the -spiderlike derricks that picked up tons of steel with the ease of a man -lifting a sheet of paper.</p> - -<p>Finally he took her to where the first siphon was being erected.</p> - -<p>“You see,” he explained patiently, “when we come to a valley, or to any -depression, we’re compelled to use these immense steel mains. Through -them the water is shot down one side and up the other. This one building -is ten feet in diameter. In New York, if you remember, there is a siphon -bored through solid granite, running beneath the Hudson River, and -bringing water from the Catskill Aqueduct. With the exception of a small -length of pressure pipe in use at Niagara Falls, our siphons are the -largest and longest in the world.”</p> - -<p>“I should think the force of the water would soon burst even the best of -steel,” she announced suddenly.</p> - -<p>“It would,” Nash replied, smiling at her remark. “Water will break steel -like an eggshell, unless, of course, the steel is of a certain thickness -and tensile strength.”</p> - -<p>Miss Breen went over and looked at a huge section of steel pipe which -was almost ready to be riveted in place.</p> - -<p>“It doesn’t look very strong,” she said.</p> - -<p>Nash laughed. “The aqueduct engineer spent many months figuring out the -right thickness. Specifications to the thousandth of an inch are given.”</p> - -<p>“And do you order the steel?” she asked.</p> - -<p>He nodded. “That is one of the easy jobs,” he said. “<span class="lftspc">’</span>Most anybody can -follow printed specifications.”</p> - -<p>It was growing darker steadily. They had been so interested that the -time had been forgotten; turning from their observations, they saw that -the men had deserted the conduit work, and that all the big machines had -stopped.</p> - -<p>“How quiet it is!” Miss Breen said, as they walked back to where the -ponies were hitched.</p> - -<p>“I’ll ride with you as far as the high trail,” Nash volunteered, drawing -out his watch, and surprised that the hands marked six o’clock. “Are you -afraid to go on to the ranch alone?”</p> - -<p>“Of course not. I haven’t been afraid since I left the East. Somehow, -one forgets there is such a word out here.”</p> - -<p>As he swung into his saddle, his coat flew up a little, and disclosed a -weapon in his hip pocket.</p> - -<p>“A revolver!” she exclaimed. “Why, what are you afraid of, Mr. Nash?”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t that I’m afraid,” Nash told her gravely; “but in an argument, -the man with a gun generally wins out.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose, being a Californian, you’re a good shot?” Miss Breen said. -“I suppose it comes natural, doesn’t it?”</p> - -<p>Nash shook his head and smiled into her anxious face.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_52" id="page_52">{52}</a></span> “What makes you -think that? All Easterners think the same. They want to believe that -every man between here and the Colorado line carries a six-shooter or -two. Nothing could be more absurd. The real gunman is found in the big -cities. Why, I’ll wager there are more men in New York City to-day -carrying guns than in the whole State of California.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” she returned, “I always imagined because one was in the West -that——” She stopped suddenly. “Look there! A snake!”</p> - -<p>Nash jerked the gun from his pocket, aimed it swiftly, and tightened his -finger upon the trigger. The hammer fell in obedience to the pressure on -the trigger, but only a hollow click resulted.</p> - -<p>“Jove!” he exclaimed, realizing the truth instantly. “I used this -revolver last night, and forgot to load it again.”</p> - -<p>“An unloaded gun isn’t of much use, is it?” Miss Breen said, laughing -with him, and watching the snake crawl safely away.</p> - -<p>“On the contrary,” Nash responded, “it is.”</p> - -<p>She frowned. “But how? Why, the other man could——”</p> - -<p>“Could, but wouldn’t,” Nash interrupted. “It’s the gun he’s afraid of, -not the bullet. And being gun-shy is about the commonest of human -traits. As a general rule, you’ll find it is the Eastern man who is most -likely to pack around a gun. He considers it a necessary part of his -Western equipment—the same as fringed gloves, chaps, knotted bandannas, -and jingling spurs.”</p> - -<p>She did not answer him immediately, and they rode on in the silence. The -twilight still lasted; an awesome hush brooded over the purpling hills. -The hard outlines of the slim pines and the gaunt ridges of rock -softened in the tender light. The air, sweet with the fragrance of wild -flowers, tempered by the banks of snow on the higher ranges, swept to -the faces of the riders.</p> - -<p>“What is that?” Miss Breen asked abruptly, pointing below, to where a -black line wound along the foot of the cliff.</p> - -<p>“That is part of our water main,” Nash responded, following the -direction of her finger. “It is piped from camp to camp. A half mile on -down the line is where——”</p> - -<p>He stopped so unexpectedly that the girl bent forward in her saddle and -peered into his face. Nash had caught sight of a dark form slipping -along the pipe line. The outrage of the previous night was instantly -recalled to his mind.</p> - -<p>He dropped from his saddle. “You’d better remain right where you are, -Miss Breen.”</p> - -<p>Luckily they had stopped well within the shadow of a cliff. The man -below them came on cautiously, unable to distinguish the two who waited -on the trail.</p> - -<p>Miss Breen had slipped from her saddle and had joined Nash. Both were -crouching behind a jagged point of rock.</p> - -<p>Nash’s eager, searching eyes had discovered something that fairly made -his pulses race. The advancing man was carrying a long-handled hammer -over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>“What—what is it?” the girl stammered, awed by the silence.</p> - -<p>“You’d better not stay here,” Nash told her again.</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do?”</p> - -<p>“I’m going to capture this man,” he declared. “He may be armed. You had -better get back of——”</p> - -<p>The man was so near now that Nash could distinguish<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_53" id="page_53">{53}</a></span> the wide-brimmed -sombrero and the glistening silver ornaments on the band. At the moment -his eyes gathered in these details, he was surprised by a quick, choking -cry that fell from Miss Breen’s lips.</p> - -<p>The advancing man must have heard, for he stopped, rigid as a statue. -His face, protected by the big hat, was shrouded in shadow.</p> - -<p>Although mystified at the girl’s action, Nash knew no time was to be -wasted. He jerked out his gun, and stepped from the shadow.</p> - -<p>“Hands up, you!” he exclaimed grimly.</p> - -<p>The man reeled back. Nash spoke again sharply. The arms shot skyward, -the heavy hammer crashing to the rocks behind him.</p> - -<p>“Keep them there,” cautioned Nash. “Now, walk forward! Careful! No -tricks, or I’ll——” He moved his revolver suggestively.</p> - -<p>The man came forward slowly, step by step. Then, just as his features -were beginning to grow distinct, Miss Breen lifted a shrill, frightened -voice:</p> - -<p>“Run, run! His gun isn’t loaded!”</p> - -<p>In a flash, hardly before Nash could realize what had been said, the man -dropped his arms, vaulted the line of pipe, and was instantly swallowed -by the shadows.</p> - -<p class="fint">TO BE CONTINUED.</p> - -<hr /> - -<h3>BREATHING THROUGH THE NOSE.</h3> - -<p>It is all important, in order to preserve the system from shock and the -danger of contamination by foreign substances, that before the air -enters the lungs it should be made as nearly as possible of the same -temperature as the blood, and should be deprived of all particles of -dust, which might be a hindrance to the bodily functions.</p> - -<p>The entire course of the tortuous nasal canal is lined with mucous -membrane, and this membrane is of a highly vascular structure. That is -to say, the whole tissue is flushed with blood by a perfect network of -vessels, over which the air we breathe passes, and from which it borrows -the requisite heat. The mucus which is secreted by the membranes is also -advantageous in rendering the atmosphere suitably moist.</p> - -<p>In the light of these considerations, the difference between air -breathed in through the nose and that taken in by the mouth becomes at -once apparent. In the first case it is gently drawn in through the -winding canals, and is tempered and purified on the way, while the air -which reaches the lungs by way of the mouth comes upon them all at once, -and is identical in nature with the surrounding atmosphere, whether that -be warm or cold, dry or moist, full of dust or free from it.</p> - -<p>Of no less importance than the benefits accruing to the whole system -from properly breathing through the nose are those which result to the -nasal membranes themselves. In the process of imparting heat and -moisture to the air as it passes over them, the tissues are prevented -from accumulating an oversupply of mucus, and any excess by blood -pressure in the parts is relieved by the contact of the cold air which -is constantly breathed in. One investigator has even gone so far as to -assert that many forms of colds may be greatly benefited by a correct -breathing exercise taken every few hours.</p> - -<p>However that may be, it is certain that the disadvantages of mouth -breathing are too numerous and glaring to be lightly passed over.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_54" id="page_54">{54}</a></span></p> - -<hr /> - -<h2><span class="big">THE NEWS OF ALL NATIONS.</span></h2> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_55" id="page_55">{55}</a></span></p> - -<h3><a name="Never_Rode_on_Railroad_Train" id="Never_Rode_on_Railroad_Train"></a>Never Rode on Railroad Train.</h3> - -<p>Joseph McGinnis, aged eighty, is dead, in Findlay, Ohio. It is said that -he had only been in three towns during his lifetime, and that he had -never ridden on a railway train.</p> - -<h3><a name="Ban_on_One_Carnival_Sport" id="Ban_on_One_Carnival_Sport"></a>Ban on One Carnival Sport.</h3> - -<p>Coney Island and other amusement places of New York State will have to -struggle along this summer with “red-hots” and scenic railways and other -athletic diversions without the aid of that soothing exercise of hitting -with a baseball the head of an “Ethiopian” as it protrudes from a hole -in the canvas sheet and win a cigar. This is the depressing news which -comes from Albany, N. Y., where a fussy legislature is interfering with -the cheap and simple pleasures of the poor.</p> - -<p>The bill, if passed, prohibits, on pain of fines ranging from $100 to -$500, the earning of an honest though hazardous living by exposing the -skull to the aim of snipers at Coney. Many persons who have no more -profitable use for their heads will join the army of the unemployed, and -the millions which throng Coney each week will have to content their -violent natures by throwing baseballs at wooden heads instead of at the -“African brother.”</p> - -<h3><a name="Big_Steer_Hurled_from_Train" id="Big_Steer_Hurled_from_Train"></a>Big Steer Hurled from Train.</h3> - -<p>A Northwestern east-bound fast fruit and stock train, while running at a -terrific speed, lost a big steer between Logan and Woodbine, Iowa, when -the side door of the car became unfastened.</p> - -<p>The steer, after performing a series of acrobatic stunts, picked himself -up minus one horn, and walked to the F. C. Hodges yard on the Plumer -farm. Railroad men say that the accident is without a parallel. The snow -drifts along the track may account for the steer escaping fatal injury.</p> - -<h3><a name="Beware_of_Food_Jag" id="Beware_of_Food_Jag"></a>Beware of Food “Jag.”</h3> - -<p>“Many popular artificial foods, which people imagine to be good food in -concentrated form, contain more alcohol than sherry wine, and will cause -intoxication if enough is taken,” said Doctor Franklin W. White, of -Boston, Mass., in speaking on “Food in Health and Disease” at the -Harvard Medical School.</p> - -<p>Comparing the relative value of foods, according to the “glass-of-milk” -and “bread-and-butter” standards, Doctor White asserted that a glass of -milk was equal in food value to twenty glasses of soup or broth, and -that a small slice of bread and butter equaled a large plate of beans or -a dozen oysters. He emphasized the nutritive value of olive oil, a -spoonful of which, he said, equaled in value a glass of milk.</p> - -<p>“A lot of money is spent for flavor instead of for real food value,” -Doctor White said.</p> - -<h3><a name="Fed_Hens_Auto_Grease" id="Fed_Hens_Auto_Grease"></a>Fed Hens Auto Grease.</h3> - -<p>As hen food and an egg producer, automobile grease is now more popular -in Brielle, N. J., than corn. Ralph T. Pearce, an engineer, made the -discovery.</p> - -<p>Recently one of his hens discovered a quantity of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_56" id="page_56">{56}</a></span> grease that had been -spilled near the yard. In his capacity as bookkeeper to the bird, Pearce -found that her productivity increased suddenly and remained at the new -high level. Investigation gave him an idea. Now all his hens have a -grease course in their menu.</p> - -<p>The engineer says that not only do his birds lay better, but their new -diet costs less than recognized varieties of hen food.</p> - -<h3><a name="Heiress_Scorns_High_Life" id="Heiress_Scorns_High_Life"></a>Heiress Scorns High Life.</h3> - -<p>Miss Lillian G. Carter, of Atlanta, Ga., who inherited $2,000,000 from -her father, Josiah Carter, still declares that she will devote her life -to settlement work. She does not care to be a social butterfly, she -says.</p> - -<h3><a name="Close_Call_for_Aged_Woman" id="Close_Call_for_Aged_Woman"></a>Close Call for Aged Woman.</h3> - -<p>When Mrs. Marcus W. Church, seventy-one years old, of Wheeling, W. Va., -was overcome by a paralytic stroke, a maid sent at once for Mrs. -Church’s son, Frank Church, who, on reaching home, thought his mother -was dead. He called an undertaker, who arrived two hours later.</p> - -<p>When the undertaker began preparations to embalm her, Mrs. Church sat -up, rubbed her eyes, and asked: “What’s the matter here?” A few minutes -later she was able to be about the house, and in the evening she partook -of her dinner as usual.</p> - -<h3><a name="Ferocious_Bear_is_Captured" id="Ferocious_Bear_is_Captured"></a>“Ferocious” Bear is Captured.</h3> - -<p>The bear that has been bothering people around Poland, Ohio, has been -caught. Like an ordinary criminal, the animal was run down by a posse.</p> - -<p>A crowd of men and boys tracked the animal to a hiding place in a -thicket, and then “rushed” the place in a body. They found bruin in the -spot, but he didn’t want to fight. On the contrary, he seemed glad to -see the crowd, and wanted to play. It was then found that he wore a -muzzle, and was hungry.</p> - -<p>The bear hunters were at a loss to know what to do with their catch -until a gypsy appeared and claimed bruin as his own property.</p> - -<h3><a name="Regains_Voice_Calling_Cat" id="Regains_Voice_Calling_Cat"></a>Regains Voice Calling Cat.</h3> - -<p>Mrs. Grace Lambert, of Pinewood Avenue, Toledo, Ohio, was able, the -other day, to use her voice for the first time since March 4, 1914, when -she lost her speech following a long attack of bronchial pneumonia. Mrs. -Lambert’s voice suddenly returned when she called “Pete,” the family -cat, to breakfast.</p> - -<h3><a name="When_Ballet_Skirts_Grew_Short" id="When_Ballet_Skirts_Grew_Short"></a>When Ballet Skirts Grew Short.</h3> - -<p>In the earlier days of the ballet the dancers were dressed in the -elaborate and fulsome costume of the period—the women in hooped -petticoats falling to the ankle, with their powdered hair piled up a -foot or more upon their heads, the men in long-skirted coats, set out -from their hips with padding.</p> - -<p>So long as this costume was worn, the dance was necessarily confined -almost entirely to the dignified and gliding movements of the minuet. It -permitted none of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_57" id="page_57">{57}</a></span> airy and intricate steps which are peculiar to -the technic of the ballet proper.</p> - -<p>Noverre, the eighteenth-century maître de ballet, who is chiefly -responsible for giving the ballet its present form, wrote as follows: “I -wish to reduce by three-quarters the ridiculous paniers of our -danseuses. They are opposed equally to the freedom, the quickness, and -the prompt and animated action of the dance.”</p> - -<p>Mlle. de Camargo, the famous dancer, started the innovation in dress. -She was the first to execute the entre chat, a light and brilliant step, -during the performance of which the dancer rapidly crosses the feet -while in midair. In her dances, therefore, she took the precaution of -wearing the caleçon, from which the tight-fitting fleshing of the ballet -dancer was subsequently evolved.</p> - -<h3><a name="Two_National_Forest_Blazes" id="Two_National_Forest_Blazes"></a>Two National Forest Blazes.</h3> - -<p>There is the possibility of a dangerous spring and summer fire season in -the national forests in the West, as presaged by reports that two forest -fires occurred in January. Moreover, the snowfall in much of the Rocky -Mountain region and in the foothills has been much below normal.</p> - -<p>January fires are almost unheard of in the national forests, and the -snow reports are regarded as especially significant, as they indicate -that, unless the deficiency is made up, the forests will be dry earlier -in the spring than usual, with a consequent increase of the fire menace.</p> - -<p>The fires occurred in the Pike forest, in Colorado, and the Black Hills -forest, in South Dakota, the latter believed to have been of incendiary -origin, according to the district forester at Denver. About seventy-five -acres were burned over, all told. They were the only national forest -fires reported for January.</p> - -<p>The district forester at Ogden, Utah, in charge of the national forests -in Nevada, Utah, and southern Idaho, reported that the snow in this -region also is far below normal.</p> - -<h3><a name="Two_Beds_for_Eighteen" id="Two_Beds_for_Eighteen"></a>Two Beds for Eighteen.</h3> - -<p>A dapper young man breezed into the Teneyck Hotel, at Albany, N. Y., and -said to “Doc” Benedict, its assistant manager:</p> - -<p>“I want to engage two double rooms with bath.”</p> - -<p>“For how many persons?” asked Benedict.</p> - -<p>“Well,” explained the young man, “twelve men are to occupy one room, and -six women the other. I want a double bed in each room.”</p> - -<p>“This hotel won’t rent one room for twelve men or even for six women,” -said Benedict.</p> - -<p>“If I were to tell you,” pleaded the young man, “that I am the advance -agent for a lilliputian show, and that none of the twelve men or six -women weighs more than thirty-five pounds, would you rent the rooms?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s different,” said Benedict, and he switched the register -around for the advance agent to sign.</p> - -<p>Thief Returns Santa Claus Picture.</p> - -<p>“Golly,” the famous pickaninny Christmas painting by Angus Peter -McDonall, has come back to the Santa Claus Association, in New York.</p> - -<p>No one knows who stole it last December, and no one knows who left it on -the twelfth floor of 347 Fifth Avenue. Yet it was returned by a friend -of “The Meanest<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_58" id="page_58">{58}</a></span> Thief” who stole it. With the painting he left a letter -explaining that conscience and inability to pawn the work of art had -influenced him to bring it back.</p> - -<p>A man with three days’ stubble on his face and poorly dressed placed a -letter and package in the hands of one of the officials at the -headquarters of the association. He disappeared down the elevator before -any one could learn his identity. The letter read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Here is the oil painting I stole from you last December. I was -hungry and had no place to sleep when I took it. I did not know -what it was or what it was for when I stole it. If I had known that -it was used to cheer up the kiddies for Christmas I would never -have stolen it.</p> - -<p>“I tried to pawn it two times, but couldn’t. The first pawnbroker I -offered it to showed me the name of the association on it. This was -the first time I found out who owned it. I tried to wash off the -name, but couldn’t do so. The second pawnbroker also refused to -take it.</p> - -<p>“I have kept it with me ever since. I have often thought of how -happy I was after Santa had been to my house when I was a boy. My -mind bothered me so much that I could not sleep at times, and I -decided to send it back by a friend of mine. I would have carried -it back myself, but I was afraid of being recognized by some one in -your office.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">The Meanest Thief.</span>”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>When the officials recovered from their amazement they sent a telegram -to Mr. McDonall at his home, in Westport, Conn., notifying him of the -return of his painting.</p> - -<p>Golly shows a little pickaninny standing in front of a fireplace in his -mother’s cabin on Christmas morning. On the hearth is a Christmas tree, -with lighted candles and packages of candy, and a few toys are scattered -over the floor. Youthful happiness spreads over the child’s face as he -gazes on the bounty of St. Nicholas.</p> - -<p>Wireless Machine is Carried on an Auto.</p> - -<p>What is probably the first automobile wireless apparatus in the country -belongs to O. E. Ruckgaber, Ithaca, N. Y., a senior in the College of -Civil Engineering at Cornell University.</p> - -<p>Ruckgaber is already sending wireless messages from his car for a -distance of about ten miles when the atmospheric conditions are good, -and he hopes to send messages for much longer distance in a short time. -Ruckgaber attached the wireless to the car two weeks ago. At first he -sent messages but short distances to his fraternity house, but he has -improved the machine recently.</p> - -<p>All that can be seen of the apparatus are two wires running from the top -of the car and meeting at the outer point of the engine hood. The -sending and receiving apparatus is placed on one of the seats.</p> - -<h3><a name="To_Make_Lard_Out_of_Corn_Oil" id="To_Make_Lard_Out_of_Corn_Oil"></a>To Make Lard Out of Corn Oil.</h3> - -<p>After determining that corn oil is an economic substitute for olive oil, -Dean L. E. Sayre, of the Kansas University School of Pharmacy, is -experimenting to determine whether it is a satisfactory substitute for -lard. Some of the liquid oil, which is heavy and brown, has been -hydrogenated. In this condition it appears white and has about the -consistency of cocoa butter, and melts at the temperature of beeswax.</p> - -<p>Dean Sayre has been experimenting with corn oil for more than a year. He -found that it makes a very good<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_59" id="page_59">{59}</a></span> substitute for olive oil in salad -dressings, and believes that the hydrogenated oil can be used in place -of lard. The patented frying mediums are hydrogenated cottonseed oil.</p> - -<p>Corn oil is extracted from the soft white center of the corn, where the -life spark dwells. It is a by-product of the manufacture of starch, -glucose, and the better grades of corn meal.</p> - -<h3><a name="Giant_Reptile_Seven_Million_Years_Old" id="Giant_Reptile_Seven_Million_Years_Old"></a>Giant Reptile Seven Million Years Old.</h3> - -<p>Between seven and ten million years ago, in what is known as the -Jurassic Age, there lived a group of giant reptiles called Dinosaurs, -one family of which, the Stegosauridæ, or plated lizards, is perhaps the -most fantastic and curious in all natural history. The most perfect and -complete fossilized skeleton of the genus Stegosaurus, a smaller branch -of this remarkable family group, is on exhibition in the new building of -the United States National Museum, at Washington, just as it was found -and dug out of the sandstone rock. Near at hand is a natural size and -very lifelike restoration in papier-mâché so weird and monstrous in -appearance as to give one the horrors.</p> - -<p>Back in the very early days of the world, this armor-plated, lizardlike -monster dwelt in the western part of the United States in what is now -the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, although at that time the -mountains did not exist.</p> - -<p>He roamed about in the marsh and swamp lands of that region, feeding on -the tropical grasses and plants, the fossil remains of which are found -buried with his skeleton. The specimen mentioned above comes from Quarry -No. 1, in Fremont County, near Cañon City, Col., where it was found by -Mr. M. P. Felch in 1885. Brief articles concerning it were written from -time to time, but it was not assembled and mounted until two years ago, -and never completely described until recently.</p> - -<p>With the exception of the removal of some of the sandstone which -surrounds this valuable specimen, it has been left in the position in -which it was discovered so that the relation of the various bones and -skin armor may be seen and studied by scientists. In order that the -lower side of the skeleton and the back plates may be seen, two mirrors -have been placed beneath it in such a manner as to reflect the exact -structure and location of the various bones.</p> - -<p>The undisturbed position of the bones and the surrounding sandstone -indicates that this monster died in the water, or on the bank of a -stream, and from some natural cause. It is possible that the carcass -floated down the stream, as the arrangement of the different bones and -spine plates indicates a gradual washing and tipping over, rather than -the crushing action of a heavy force. The skeleton is quite complete and -lies partly on its side and back, with nearly all the bones in their -relative positions, rendering it of infinite value to scientists for -study and as a reference type.</p> - -<p>In life this peculiar reptile, of such gigantic proportions, must have -presented a forbidding appearance; it measures about nineteen feet in -length, was evidently more than eleven feet in height at the hips, and -was covered with a very tough and horny scalelike skin, studded here and -there with bony buttons or knobs of armor. Along its back were arranged -great sharp-edged plates, set alternately and projecting upward like the -teeth of a huge<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_60" id="page_60">{60}</a></span> saw. This odd armor plate extended from the small, -wedge-shaped reptilian head all the way back and well down the tapering, -lizardlike tail, which was tipped with four long, sharp spines. Its legs -were not unlike those of a lizard or other reptile, except that the -forelegs were rather short and much weaker than the hind ones, an -indication that the great animal could sit up like a kangaroo, and was -perhaps descended from a bipedal ancestor.</p> - -<p>From a study of its teeth it has been determined that this prehistoric -beast was a plant eater, as is suggested by its habitat. Further -investigation of its head, which is so small as to be quite out of -proportion to its massive body, reveals the fact that it had scarcely -any brain. Although the body of the Stegosaur is supposed to have -weighed more than that of an elephant, the brain of the latter is fifty -times as heavy, which fact appears an excuse for the immense amount of -defensive armor with which it was equipped, making it practically -impregnable as far as its enemies were concerned, provided it had any. -Its bones alone weigh nearly a ton, and it has been estimated that in -life the Stegosaur weighed between seven and ten tons.</p> - -<h3><a name="Panama-Pacific_Fair_is_Now_Open" id="Panama-Pacific_Fair_is_Now_Open"></a>Panama-Pacific Fair is Now Open.</h3> - -<p>The greatest day in California’s history has been recorded. Responding -to the touch of President Wilson’s fingers on a telegraph key, the great -Panama-Pacific International Exposition was formally opened, and 400,000 -visitors joined in the cheering, the singing, and the first tours of -inspection of the stupendous show as seen in full running order.</p> - -<p>It came through flawlessly. There was no hitch in the ceremonies. From -the dawn, when San Francisco was awakened by a volume and variety of -noise such as never was imagined before, until late in the evening, when -the heavens were lit with the great play of lights from the exposition’s -wizards of illumination, the program of the opening day was carried out -as it was planned in the minds of the fair’s builders.</p> - -<p>Shortly before noon a great procession of citizens, headed by the mayor, -marched onto the grounds. Charles C. Moore, president of the Exposition -Company, informed President Wilson by direct transcontinental telephone -that his wireless flash had been received, and the president conveyed -his greetings and good wishes. Thus the two latest methods of -long-distance communication vivified the fair opening. Ceremonies of -dedication and acceptance as brief as possible inaugurated the -exposition.</p> - -<p>Forty-five foreign nations, forty-three States, and three Territories -are represented at the exposition.</p> - -<p>“To-day is the triumph,” said Governor Johnson, speaking for the State. -“It is the triumph of San Francisco that nine years ago was a city that -lay in ruins.”</p> - -<p>Secretary Lane was present as the personal representative of President -Wilson. He brought greetings of the president to the people of -California and to the exposition management.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lane, after expressing the greetings of President Wilson, said that -he expected that Mr. Wilson would be in San Francisco within a month. “I -come as a token bearer to speak a feeble foreword to the rich volume of -his admiration for your courage, your enterprise, and your genius,” he -said.</p> - -<p>The first day’s attendance at the exposition exceeded the records of all -previous great American expositions<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_61" id="page_61">{61}</a></span> on their opening day. Two hours -after the gates had opened to admit the first person, there had been -180,000 admissions to the grounds, and there remained great crowds in -the lines to pass through the turnstiles. On the first day of the -Chicago World’s Fair there were 137,557 admissions, and at St. Louis, in -1904, there were 178,453 admissions on the opening day.</p> - -<p>The telegraph key touched by President Wilson was studded with gold -nuggets. It was the same key that President Taft used to open the -Alaska-Yukon Exposition. The ceremony was held in the East Room of the -White House.</p> - -<p>As seen from the hills of San Francisco, the exposition presents a great -parti-colored area, perhaps best described as resembling a giant Persian -rug of soft, melting tones. The roofs of the palaces are a reddish pink, -the color of Spanish tile; the domes are green, and gold and blue are -set within the recesses of the towers. The general color plan is a faint -ivory, the color of travertine stone.</p> - -<p>It was a new field, this painting an entire city with the colors of the -rainbow. Expositions of the past had been “White Cities,” with the -exception of slight uses of color in the last two, but the directors of -the Panama-Pacific International Exposition wanted a “Rainbow City,” -whose colors would provide a splendid feature.</p> - -<p>Cost of Panama-Pacific Exposition, $50,000,000.</p> - -<p>Cost of World’s Columbia Exposition in Chicago in 1893, $33,000,000.</p> - -<p>Attendance on opening day of San Francisco Fair, nearly 400,000.</p> - -<p>Largest exhibit, United States Steel Co. display, weight, 1,500 tons.</p> - -<p>Smallest exhibit, three grains of radium, weight, one-sixtieth of troy -ounce.</p> - -<p>Most unique display, one hundred tons of carved woodwork and hand-made -wares sent by China.</p> - -<h3><a name="Bits_of_Interesting_Information" id="Bits_of_Interesting_Information"></a>Bits of Interesting Information.</h3> - -<p>Since natural gas was discovered in Cleveland several months ago, more -than one hundred successful wells have been sunk within the city limits.</p> - -<p>A new dustpan that a woman has patented has a handle on one side and in -front a guard plate, over which dust is brushed into a pocket.</p> - -<p>Argentina is one of the few important countries in which no coal is -mined.</p> - -<p>Six thousand an hour is the speed of a new machine for sealing and -stamping letters.</p> - -<p>A steering wheel instead of the familiar handle bars features a new type -of bicycle.</p> - -<p>Switzerland uses a greater proportion of its available water power than -any other country.</p> - -<p>A Spanish syndicate is considering building a railroad across northern -Africa, 1,864 miles long.</p> - -<p>For motorists there has been invented a cloth-lined rubber pail that -folds flat when not in use.</p> - -<p>Rubbing with unsalted butter, followed by bleaching in the sun, will -cleanse ivory ornaments.</p> - -<p>Scientists have estimated that more than fifteen per cent of the earth’s -crust is composed of aluminium.</p> - -<p>To prevent waste of tooth powder or paste is the purpose of a new cup to -hold a small amount, into which a brush may be rubbed.</p> - -<p>Explosions of a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gases drive the engines -in a new French submarine boat.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_62" id="page_62">{62}</a></span></p> - -<p>The newest foot rest for a bootblack’s stand is equipped with clamps to -hold a patron’s shoe stationary.</p> - -<p>Lemon juice in water is an excellent tooth wash, as it not only removes -tartar but sweetens the breath.</p> - -<p>Of French invention is a hammock that can be converted into a -comfortable seat that holds a person erect.</p> - -<p>Self-propelled steam machinery for clearing land of stumps after -lumbering operations has been invented.</p> - -<p>Peru is making its own Portland cement, which heretofore it has imported -from Europe and the United States.</p> - -<p>A Missouri inventor’s comb is made of metal and mounted on a block that -will retain heat a considerable time.</p> - -<p>For fumigating books in public libraries there has been invented an -airtight case, in which they can be subjected to sulphur fumes.</p> - -<p>A new cabinet for raising bread dough is provided with the desired -temperature by heating a stone and placing it in the bottom.</p> - -<p>A nonsinkable lifeboat of German invention is equipped with doors that -automatically close upon its occupants should it upset.</p> - -<p>In Japan recently there was completed a railroad bridge nearly seven -miles long, built of native materials at a cost of $375,000.</p> - -<h3><a name="Oil_Tanker_Rides_a_Sea_of_Flames" id="Oil_Tanker_Rides_a_Sea_of_Flames"></a>Oil Tanker Rides a Sea of Flames.</h3> - -<p>The tale of an oil tanker laden with benzine, which rode through a sea -of fire and made the Azores by dead reckoning, was told by Captain -Dekker, master of the Holland-American freighter <i>Zaandyk</i>, upon landing -in New York. He got the story second hand at Horta, but he thought it -was true and even more thrilling than the account related to him.</p> - -<p>He heard also that one of the tanker’s lifeboats, containing the chief -officer and seven men, had been blown away and was never seen again.</p> - -<p>Any man who would take a cargo of benzine from the west coast of South -America to London in the winter, and buck through the worst weather of -the year, he thought, was capable of fighting his way through a sea of -fire.</p> - -<p>When the <i>Zaandyk</i> came in from Rotterdam, Captain Dekker was asked if -he had seen any mines in the North Sea. No, he hadn’t seen any mines, -and he had not been molested by any craft of the warring nations.</p> - -<p>Yes, he was late, but that was the weather. Fighting westerly gales and -head seas that kept his bow awash and his propellers clear too often to -be comfortable, ate up his coal before he was halfway across, and he had -to run into the Azores.</p> - -<p>It was pretty dirty weather, but he didn’t mind that. He didn’t carry a -benzine cargo, like the other fellow, and what happened to the other -fellow was perhaps worth telling.</p> - -<p>The other fellow was Captain Bugge, the mighty master of the Norwegian -tanker <i>La Habra</i>, who had tried conclusions with the benzine cargo from -the west coast. He had had a fire on board that cleaned up his charts, -sextants, compasses, and chronometers, and let it go at that.</p> - -<p>Captain Dekker thought it was like the prank of a mean sailorman who -would catch a shark, chop off his tail, and then turn him adrift, to die -or be devoured alive by its mates.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t get over to see the tanker,” said Captain<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_63" id="page_63">{63}</a></span> Dekker, “but she -was making repairs when we put into Horta. Her experience was known all -over the Azores.”</p> - -<p>According to what he had learned about her, <i>La Habra</i> left Talara Bay, -passed through the Panama Canal, and steamed east from Colon. Gales from -the southwest and northwest did not bother her much, but when she got -within about 400 miles southeast of the Azores the wind shifted to -northeast, and she got a pounding which almost foundered her.</p> - -<p>Several times she nearly went over on her beam ends, and the treacherous -fluid cargo was badly shaken. The engine and fire-room crews feared that -at any minute a tank compartment might break and drive a flood of -benzine into the fires. It was sure death for all of them if this -happened, and they hadn’t much faith in the security of any tank in -weather such as they were then running through.</p> - -<p>While this northeaster was doing its worst, a terrific explosion -occurred aft of the house. It is not known whether the men below stuck -to their posts but those on deck sought safety, some huddling together -on the bow and others at the stern.</p> - -<p>Now, Captain Bugge had carried oil before. He knew his ship and was -ready to save his men.</p> - -<p>“There isn’t any use of you fellows getting away up aft and forrid -there,” the skipper shouted, “because if there’s another blow-up, you’ll -have nothing but the sea.”</p> - -<p>He knew what was going to happen if the benzine became ignited.</p> - -<p>The lifeboats, tackle, and falls would go up like chaff, and all hands -would have the choice of drowning or sticking to a red-hot tanker.</p> - -<p>Calling his men from their perches, Captain Bugge ordered all lifeboats -dropped over the side. Although another explosion was expected -momentarily, the sailormen obeyed orders. The chief officer and five men -got into the after-starboard lifeboat, and, making it fast, played out -their line until they drifted astern 100 yards. With this boat out of -the way, the men were prepared to jump and make for it if the fire got -to the benzine. Captain Bugge stuck to the bridge until a great wall of -water heeled the vessel over and ripped open a tank.</p> - -<p>Benzine mixed with the spindrift swashed into the flames and drove a -liquid blaze over the house. The bridge and chart room were soon -stripped of everything in them not made of metal, and the compass, -falling from its supports, rolled into the sea. Presently the terrific -heat burst another tank and sprayed the sea with fire.</p> - -<p>The water-soaked line to the trailing lifeboat astern soon crumpled into -ashes under the terrific fire the northeaster blew upon it, and, with -its occupants, the boat bounded on to the southwest. It was never seen -again. The other boats, charred and battered, were useless.</p> - -<p>When hope had been abandoned, a great wave swept <i>La Habra</i> from stem to -stern, and when it passed the flames were gone. The fire was out for -good.</p> - -<p>Throughout the battle with fire and storm no benzine got into the fire -room. The broken tanks were now burned out and the tanker was at least -safe from fire.</p> - -<p>Although badly battered by the storm, the tanker’s engines were not -damaged, and under her own steam she started on her course to the -northeast.</p> - -<p>Captain Bugge had nothing to guide him but the sun. His bridge compass -was gone, and the one astern made<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_64" id="page_64">{64}</a></span> useless by the fire. He said he had -an idea where the Azores might be, and finally got into Horta safely.</p> - -<p>Captain Dekker, of the <i>Zaandyk</i>, said he believed that the Norwegian -master would eventually get to London with the remainder of his benzine -cargo.</p> - -<h3><a name="Ore-steal_Stories_of_the_Early_Days" id="Ore-steal_Stories_of_the_Early_Days"></a>Ore-steal Stories of the Early Days.</h3> - -<p>Stories of famous steals put across when ore was sampled in the -old-fashioned way are being retold by old-time miners of Denver, Col. -Tales of the stirring days when Leadville was a city of tents and -Colorado miners, hot-blooded young fellows who came West to dig gold -from the earth or die, are being circulated around hotel lobbies and -office buildings of Denver, just as they went the rounds of Colorado -mining camps forty years ago.</p> - -<p>The story of the $41,000 difference between the Cresson mine people and -their smelting company over the assaying of samples taken from the -wonderful golden chamber discovered in the great strike in their Cripple -Creek property has quickened the memories of the old miners and brought -to their recollection tales of the good old days, when they wielded the -pick and shovel.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I suppose smelting companies were cheated out of hundreds of -thousands and perhaps millions of dollars by crooked sampling deals in -the old days,” said one old-time prospector. “And, on the other hand, -certain practices of theirs shortened up the profits of the miners -considerably, so I guess it was about an even break.</p> - -<p>“You see, the old-fashioned sampling of ore was done this way: The ore -haulers drove across the hills from the mines to the smelter, hauling -the ore in great, heavy wagons. At the smelter the custom was to sample -ten to one-hundred-ton lots of the ore. The wagons would drive up to the -smelter, and the husky hauler would throw one shovelful into the sample -bin, then three shovelfuls into the general bin, in succession, until -the load was exhausted.</p> - -<p>“Some of the smelting companies beat the miners out of a good deal of -money by always turning in an assay report a little below that of the -miner. Then they’d offer to split the difference. Supposing the miner -split with the company on a two-ounce difference in silver smelting; -that would make one hundred ounces to the hundred ton. With silver at -$1.19 an ounce, which it sold for in the old days, that made $120 lost -to the miner with the smelting of every hundred-ton lot, the sum being -put into the pocket of the smelter owners.</p> - -<p>“One way some of the miners got it back on the smelting companies was in -the loading of their sample wagons. They would put a layer of the -highest-grade ore procurable in the bottom of the wagons. Then they’d -fill them up with lower-grade ore. When the hauler bent his broad back -over the shovel at the smelter he had a distinct understanding with his -employer that he was to shovel from the bottom of the wagon into the -sampling bin and from the top into the general bin.</p> - -<p>“Old One-eyed Ike, of Leadville, pulled a very neat trick on a smelter -company. Ike made a strike in his silver mine. A good deal of it was -just a fair grade of ore—nothing wonderful. But Ike wanted to get rich -quick. So he fixed up a rubber bulb, which he fastened under his arm -with a long tube running under his coat sleeve to his left hand.</p> - -<p>“The bulb was full of chloride of silver. When the sample would get down -small, Ike would press his arm<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_65" id="page_65">{65}</a></span> on the bulb and add a good deal of -weight to the sample with the silver that would rush out of the tube. He -got by with this trick for months. But finally the smelter people began -to think that Ike’s samples were running pretty high. So they began to -watch him. They couldn’t find a thing wrong, except that he wore his old -blue coat right through the hottest days.</p> - -<p>“Ike was mopping the sweat from his brow with his old red bandanna one -sultry August noon, when a bee lit on his left hand and crawled up his -sleeve. An expression of agony stole into Ike’s one bleary eye. He -squeezed the bee through his coat sleeve, but it only stung harder.</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t tell you what he said. Nobody but an old-time miner would be -qualified to pass on Ike’s language. Finally he could stand the torment -of that stinging bee no longer. He tore off his coat, revealing the -tube, and ran for the creek, tearing his shirt to ribbons on the -low-hanging branches of the pines and spruces. The smelter man noticed -the tube when Ike took off his coat, and his little game was over. But -he had got away with $50,000 or $100,000, which the smelter people were -never able to get back.”</p> - -<h3><a name="Brace_of_Big_Birds_are_Slain" id="Brace_of_Big_Birds_are_Slain"></a>Brace of Big Birds are Slain.</h3> - -<p>C. H. Lewis, a prominent merchant of Randolph, La., saw two large birds -light in the mill pond here. Securing a gun, he succeeded in killing -them. The birds are of an unknown kind, but they resemble huge white -cranes. They measure over five feet from tip to tip, have web feet like -a duck, and are almost snow white except a little dark blue on their -backs.</p> - -<h3><a name="A_Notorious_Bandits_End" id="A_Notorious_Bandits_End"></a>A Notorious Bandit’s End.</h3> - -<p>The body of Frank James, the former outlaw, who died on his farm near -Excelsior Springs, Mo., has been cremated at St. Louis. The ashes have -been returned to a safe-deposit vault in this city, in accordance with -the last wish of James. The ex-bandit said he did not wish his grave to -be a mecca for sightseers.</p> - -<p>Whatever may have been the faults of Frank James, he kept his word and -was a respected citizen when death summoned him. In the thirty years -since he surrendered to the Governor of Missouri at Jefferson City, -James clung to his determination to live an upright life. The latter -part of his career furnished a good illustration of the doctrine that a -man can quit if he wants to and stay quit if he wills to. James knew -what a man could do if he only made up his mind to do it. That is the -real moral of his story. Supporting himself and his family by honest -work, he won a good place in public opinion and made friends wherever he -went.</p> - -<p>A writer, long a friend of the former bandit, visited James several -years ago to get information to be used in a proposed book.</p> - -<p>“I promised the governor, when I surrendered, that I would never write a -book about myself or permit one to be written,” said James. Though he -was offered $10,000, he kept his promise, dying without having told the -details of his seventeen years of wild life. It has been his wish to -live down his former reputation, and he died with the satisfaction that -he had done so.</p> - -<p>James was seventy-one years old. Apoplexy caused his death; he had been -ill for many months.</p> - -<p>Fifty years ago, when the report spread in any one<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_66" id="page_66">{66}</a></span> of the hundreds of -small towns in the Middle West, and especially in that section of -Missouri which borders on Kansas, that the James boys were coming, a -reign of terror invariably resulted. Stores were closed, the townspeople -armed themselves with the long rifles in vogue in that day, and a guard -surrounded the local bank. Women and children were usually placed in -cellars and under strong guard for safety. The word “James” was one with -which to conjure terror, for the reputation of Jesse and Frank was known -to every one, from the oldest inhabitant to the smallest barefooted boy.</p> - -<p>Frank and his brother, Jesse James, joined Quantrell’s Guerillas in the -Civil War and took part in the sacking of Lawrence, Kan. Scores of -persons were shot and killed at that time, and their relatives swore -vengeance on every one who had a part in the raid. Jesse and Frank were -singled out, and, as the latter often said in excuse for his action, -were persecuted until they turned outlaws in order to gain a living.</p> - -<p>Their first big robbery took place one year after the war, when, -accompanied by a band of desperadoes, Frank and Jesse rode into Liberty, -Mo., and surrounded the Commercial Bank. One bank defender was killed -and $70,000 in cash was taken. The audacity of the crime caused -widespread indignation, and a price was set upon the heads of the -desperadoes.</p> - -<p>After minor raids in southern Missouri, the James boys, as they became -known, rode into Russellville, Ky., one morning in 1868. Their band did -not wear masks; instead, they darkened their faces with berry stain. -They shot up the town and took $17,000 from the local bank. A month or -two later word was received in Gallatin, Mo., that Jesse and Frank were -in the neighborhood. They were and soon were in Gallatin. Captain John -W. Sheets, cashier of the bank, fired a fusillade at the band and -instantly was shot down and killed.</p> - -<p>Then followed a series of raids and train holdups which netted the band -thousands of dollars and made their name a household word throughout the -West.</p> - -<p>Word was received by the State authorities in 1875 that Jesse and Frank -were in the James homestead near Kearney, Mo. On the night of the -twenty-fifth of that month a lighted bomb was thrown into the house, -killing Archie James, the bandits’ brother, and tearing off the arm of -their mother.</p> - -<p>“We weren’t at home,” Frank afterward said, “but we were in the -neighborhood. We found out that the men throwing the bomb were making -toward Kansas City, and we overtook them. ‘What would you do if you saw -the James boys?’ I said to the leader. ‘We’d shoot them,’ he told me. -‘Well, here we are; so shoot!’ Jesse shouted. Not a one of them was left -alive.”</p> - -<p>In 1882, after Jesse James had been shot and killed in his home in St. -Joseph, Mo., by Bob Ford, also a bandit, for a reward of $30,000, Frank -James surrendered in Jefferson City, Mo. He spent a year in jail -awaiting trial. He finally was acquitted. He never was in the -penitentiary and never was convicted of any of the charges against him.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_67" id="page_67">{67}</a></span></p> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p><span class="big250">TOBACCO HABIT</span> You can conquer it easily in 8 days, improve your health, -prolong your life. No more stomach trouble, no foul breath, no heart -weakness. Regain manly vigor, calm nerves, clear eyes & superior mental -strength. Whether you chew; or smoke pipe, cigarettes, cigars, get my -interesting Tobacco Book. Worth its weight in gold. Mailed free. E. J. -WOODS, 230 K, Station E. New York, N.Y.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_68" id="page_68">{68}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_69" id="page_69">{69}</a></span> </p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="cbig250">The Nick Carter Stories</p> - -<p class="c"> -ISSUED EVERY SATURDAY <span style="margin-left: 2em;">BEAUTIFUL COLORED COVERS</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>When it comes to detective stories worth while, the <b>Nick Carter Stories</b> -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 <b>Nick Carter Stories</b>. 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.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_70" id="page_70">{70}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind"> -704—Written in Red.<br /> -707—Rogues of the Air.<br /> -709—The Bolt from the Blue.<br /> -710—The Stockbridge Affair.<br /> -711—A Secret from the Past.<br /> -712—Playing the Last Hand.<br /> -713—A Slick Article.<br /> -714—The Taxicab Riddle.<br /> -715—The Knife Thrower.<br /> -717—The Master Rogue’s Alibi.<br /> -719—The Dead Letter.<br /> -720—The Allerton Millions.<br /> -728—The Mummy’s Head.<br /> -729—The Statue Clue.<br /> -730—The Torn Card.<br /> -731—Under Desperation’s Spur.<br /> -732—The Connecting Link.<br /> -733—The Abduction Syndicate.<br /> -736—The Toils of a Siren.<br /> -737—The Mark of a Circle.<br /> -738—A Plot Within a Plot.<br /> -739—The Dead Accomplice.<br /> -741—The Green Scarab.<br /> -743—A Shot in the Dark.<br /> -746—The Secret Entrance.<br /> -747—The Cavern Mystery.<br /> -748—The Disappearing Fortune.<br /> -749—A Voice from the Past.<br /> -752—The Spider’s Web.<br /> -753—The Man With a Crutch.<br /> -754—The Rajah’s Regalia.<br /> -755—Saved from Death.<br /> -756—The Man Inside.<br /> -757—Out for Vengeance.<br /> -758—The Poisons of Exili.<br /> -759—The Antique Vial.<br /> -760—The House of Slumber.<br /> -761—A Double Identity.<br /> -762—“The Mocker’s” Stratagem.<br /> -763—The Man that Came Back.<br /> -764—The Tracks in the Snow.<br /> -765—The Babbington Case.<br /> -766—The Masters of Millions.<br /> -767—The Blue Stain.<br /> -768—The Lost Clew.<br /> -770—The Turn of a Card.<br /> -771—A Message in the Dust.<br /> -772—A Royal Flush.<br /> -774—The Great Buddha Beryl.<br /> -775—The Vanishing Heiress.<br /> -776—The Unfinished Letter.<br /> -777—A Difficult Trail.<br /> -778—A Six-word Puzzle.<br /> -782—A Woman’s Stratagem.<br /> -783—The Cliff Castle Affair.<br /> -784—A Prisoner of the Tomb.<br /> -785—A Resourceful Foe.<br /> -786—The Heir of Dr. Quartz.<br /> -787—Dr. Quartz, the Second.<br /> -789—The Great Hotel Tragedies.<br /> -790—Zanoni, the Witch.<br /> -791—A Vengeful Sorceress.<br /> -794—Doctor Quartz’s Last Play.<br /> -795—Zanoni, the Transfigured.<br /> -796—The Lure of Gold.<br /> -797—The Man With a Chest.<br /> -798—A Shadowed Life.<br /> -799—The Secret Agent.<br /> -800—A Plot for a Crown.<br /> -801—The Red Button.<br /> -802—Up Against It.<br /> -803—The Gold Certificate.<br /> -804—Jack Wise’s Hurry Call.<br /> -805—Nick Carter’s Ocean Chase.<br /> -806—Nick Carter and the Broken Dagger.<br /> -807—Nick Carter’s Advertisement.<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_71" id="page_71">{71}</a></span>808—The Kregoff Necklace.<br /> -809—The Footprints on the Rug.<br /> -810—The Copper Cylinder.<br /> -811—Nick Carter and the Nihilists.<br /> -812—Nick Carter and the Convict Gang.<br /> -813—Nick Carter and the Guilty Governor.<br /> -814—The Triangled Coin.<br /> -815—Ninety-nine—and One.<br /> -816—Coin Number 77.<br /> -817—In the Canadian Wilds.<br /> -818—The Niagara Smugglers.<br /> -819—The Man Hunt.<br /> -</p> - -<p>NEW SERIES</p> - -<p>NICK CARTER STORIES</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">1—The Man from Nowhere.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">2—The Face at the Window.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">3—A Fight for a Million.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">4—Nick Carter’s Land Office.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">5—Nick Carter and the Professor.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">6—Nick Carter as a Mill Hand.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">7—A Single Clew.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">8—The Emerald Snake.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">9—The Currie Outfit.</span><br /> -10—Nick Carter and the Kidnapped Heiress.<br /> -11—Nick Carter Strikes Oil.<br /> -12—Nick Carter’s Hunt for a Treasure.<br /> -13—A Mystery of the Highway.<br /> -14—The Silent Passenger.<br /> -15—Jack Dreen’s Secret.<br /> -16—Nick Carter’s Pipe Line Case.<br /> -17—Nick Carter and the Gold Thieves.<br /> -18—Nick Carter’s Auto Chase.<br /> -19—The Corrigan Inheritance.<br /> -20—The Keen Eye of Denton.<br /> -21—The Spider’s Parlor.<br /> -22—Nick Carter’s Quick Guess.<br /> -23—Nick Carter and the Murderess.<br /> -24—Nick Carter and the Pay Car.<br /> -25—The Stolen Antique.<br /> -26—The Crook League.<br /> -27—An English Cracksman.<br /> -28—Nick Carter’s Still Hunt.<br /> -29—Nick Carter’s Electric Shock.<br /> -30—Nick Carter and the Stolen Duchess.<br /> -31—The Purple Spot.<br /> -32—The Stolen Groom.<br /> -33—The Inverted Cross.<br /> -34—Nick Carter and Keno McCall.<br /> -35—Nick Carter’s Death Trap.<br /> -36—Nick Carter’s Siamese Puzzle.<br /> -37—The Man Outside.<br /> -38—The Death Chamber.<br /> -39—The Wind and the Wire.<br /> -40—Nick Carter’s Three Cornered Chase.<br /> -41—Dazaar, the Arch-Fiend.<br /> -42—The Queen of the Seven.<br /> -43—Crossed Wires.<br /> -44—A Crimson Clew.<br /> -45—The Third Man.<br /> -46—The Sign of the Dagger.<br /> -47—The Devil Worshipers.<br /> -48—The Cross of Daggers.<br /> -49—At Risk of Life.<br /> -50—The Deeper Game.<br /> -51—The Code Message.<br /> -52—The Last of the Seven.<br /> -53—Ten-Ichi, the Wonderful.<br /> -54—The Secret Order of Associated Crooks.<br /> -55—The Golden Hair Clew.<br /> -56—Back From the Dead.<br /> -57—Through Dark Ways.<br /> -58—When Aces Were Trumps.<br /> -59—The Gambler’s Last Hand.<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_72" id="page_72">{72}</a></span>60—The Murder at Linden Fells.<br /> -61—A Game for Millions.<br /> -62—Under Cover.<br /> -63—The Last Call.<br /> -64—Mercedes Danton’s Double.<br /> -65—The Millionaire’s Nemesis.<br /> -66—A Princess of the Underworld.<br /> -67—The Crook’s Blind.<br /> -68—The Fatal Hour.<br /> -69—Blood Money.<br /> -70—A Queen of Her Kind.<br /> -71—Isabel Benton’s Trump Card.<br /> -72—A Princess of Hades.<br /> -73—A Prince of Plotters.<br /> -74—The Crook’s Double.<br /> -75—For Life and Honor.<br /> -76—A Compact With Dazaar.<br /> -77—In the Shadow of Dazaar.<br /> -78—The Crime of a Money King.<br /> -79—Birds of Prey.<br /> -80—The Unknown Dead.<br /> -81—The Severed Hand.<br /> -82—The Terrible Game of Millions.<br /> -83—A Dead Man’s Power.<br /> -84—The Secrets of an Old House.<br /> -85—The Wolf Within.<br /> -86—The Yellow Coupon.<br /> -87—In the Toils.<br /> -88—The Stolen Radium.<br /> -89—A Crime in Paradise.<br /> -90—Behind Prison Bars.<br /> -91—The Blind Man’s Daughter.<br /> -92—On the Brink of Ruin.<br /> -93—Letter of Fire.<br /> -94—The $100,000 Kiss.<br /> -95—Outlaws of the Militia.<br /> -96—The Opium-Runners.<br /> -97—In Record Time.<br /> -98—The Wag-Nuk Clew.<br /> -99—The Middle Link.<br /> -100—The Crystal Maze.<br /> -101—A New Serpent in Eden.<br /> -102—The Auburn Sensation.<br /> -103—A Dying Chance.<br /> -104—The Gargoni Girdle.<br /> -105—Twice in Jeopardy.<br /> -106—The Ghost Launch.<br /> -107—Up in the Air.<br /> -108—The Girl Prisoner.<br /> -109—The Red Plague.<br /> -110—The Arson Trust.<br /> -111—The King of the Firebugs.<br /> -112—“Lifter’s” of the Lofts.<br /> -113—French Jimmie and His Forty Thieves.<br /> -114—The Death Plot.<br /> -115—The Evil Formula.<br /> -116—The Blue Button.<br /> -117—The Deadly Parallel.<br /> -118—The Vivisectionists.<br /> -119—The Stolen Brain.<br /> -120—An Uncanny Revenge.<br /> -121—The Call of Death.<br /> -122—The Suicide.<br /> -123—Half a Million Ransom.<br /> -124—The Girl Kidnapper.<br /> -125—The Pirate Yacht.<br /> -126—The Crime of the White Hand.<br /> -127—Found in the Jungle.<br /> -128—Six Men in a Loop. Dated February 27th, 1915.<br /> -129—The Jewels of Wat Chang. Dated March 6th, 1915.<br /> -130—The Crime in the Tower. Dated March 13th, 1915.<br /> -131—The Fatal Message. Dated March 20th, 1915.<br /> -132—Broken Bars.<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_73" id="page_73">{73}</a></span></p> - -<p class="c">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.</p> - -<p class="c">STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 79-89 Seventh Ave., NEW YORK CITY</p> - -<hr class="full" /> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NICK CARTER STORIES NO 120 - 160 / DEC 26, 1914 - OCT 2, 1915 ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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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