New Nick Carter Weekly, No. 8 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

NEW NICK CARTER WEEKLY. 18 to let the sea into this tunnel unless he | was confident it could be done. Trim remembered how the tunnel in- clined downward from the sea end to about the middle of its length. ‘That means,’” he thought, “that once the gate is opened the water will rush in at a fearful rate, and there won’t be any time at all to get out, even if there was a way to do so.”’ This understanding of his perilous posi- tion was justified immediately by the brief conversation that followed. “Tt’s a wonderful plan, your high- ness,’’ Schruggs said, ‘‘but if the water rushes in so as to flood the whole tunnel, won’t it burst open the trap in this floor and flood this chamber also ?”’ ‘No, no,’’ his highnéss responded, quickly. ‘*The bottom of this floor is exactly on the sea. level. _ “The water therefore will rise just as far as this floor and no further. As I said, it will completely flood the tunnel in less than a minute after the lever is pulled. “The case is absolutely hopeless for anybody who is so unlucky as to be down there at the time. We two here are per- fectly safe.”’ “It’s hard to believe it,’? Schruggs re- sponded, with a trembling voice. ‘‘If you think the young detective is down there now, why don’t you pull the lever ?”’ “Oh, there’s no hurry,’’ was the re- sponse. ‘‘He is prowling about in the dark there now, and I wouldn’t object if he had time to get clear to this end before - . T let the flood come in.’ — yee _“It makes me horribly nervous,”’ said ____-Schruggs, ‘‘to think that he might be at aN nute underneath there and _listen- = 7.3 ae hat. we are saying. ) ~ . -His highness laughed. 2 Riss ‘ie would: please me immensely if that — _ were the case,’’ he said. | — = _ “But don’t you see what fisks you're wee ‘There was a ‘moment of silence, and then a sound of steps crossing a floor. After ye yam heard the voice of his xhnes cohen Ry 00k ‘measured icalmly, * about two minutes to live; ‘It is clear that I’ve been taking risks with you, for it was your carelesstiess that allowed this detective to get on our track, and it is now your cowardice that |makes it risky for you and me to appear in the world again.”’ ‘“What do you mean?’’ Schruggs in- terrupted, evidently in a tone of great alarm. ‘This !?? There was a sound of a pistol shot and a heavy body falling to the floor, mingled with tones of pair. “It 1s just this, Schruggs,’’? resumed his highness, still speaking coldly and you’re so rattled by your fears that it won’t do for you to escape. ‘‘T don’t intend that there shall be any witnesses against me when I leave this place. “Tf you had shown decent nerve I should have let you out with me. As it is, your chance is gone. ‘*l am now going to pull the lever that will let the sea into the tunnel. I should think from the looks of you that you have the detective down there in the dark has less, so good-by to you!” At the end of this speech there was a loud creaking noise, which evidently meant that Ins highness. had pulled the lever of which he spoke. _Schruggs cried out in frantic fear and agony : ‘*Ror Heaven’s sake, don’t leave me! ““T never would give you away! ‘‘Oh, what pain I am in! “T cannot die here! ‘Don’t leave me There was a sound of a banged door and a mocking laugh, and Trim knew >) |that his highness had taken his departure. He knew, too, that a great crisis had come for himself. But a.second after the noise of the working lever he heard a roaring and a hissing far down the tun- nel, and there was no mistaking what it meant. The sea was coming in! He had not the slightest doubt that the cold-blooded villain who had organized | the mote, 8 and who had engineered the iabolical of crimes had planned lie risks ae this tunnel in such a way that it certainly ie “twould Sere eer Se sat: 3 - > r + A 7 —> oe [ee ~ ¥ _ ae: a - =