Adventure Magazine Cover — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

20 to come close until I should lead them to a lonely place; and I led them with discretion to this house, where happened what the sahib knows. “That is all I know about this matter, except that being absent from duty on sick- leave there may be difficulty in the matter of my tunic, which is badly torn.” Having finished his story Narayan Singh stood at attention like one of those wooden images they used to keep on the sidewalk outside tobacco stores. 7 Grim smiled at the prisoners and asked whether they had any remarks to make— a totally lawless proceeding, for he did not _ caution them, and had no jurisdiction as a magistrate. They were three men caught red-handed attempting murder and _ bur- glary, and entitled accordingly to protection that the law doesn’t always accord to honest men. But, as I have said, a true tale in the ears of criminals acts like a chemical reagent. It sets them to work lying, and the lies burn off, disclosing naked truth again. But, mother of me, they were daring liars. The fellow who had come out of the scrap more or less unscathed piped up for the three, the other two nodding and prompting him in whispers. “What that Indian says in the main is true. He did jump down from the gallery and surprize a meeting summoned by Yus- suf Dakmar. And it is true that Yussuf Dakmar’s purpose is to bring about a mas- sacre of Jews,§which is to be simultaneous with an attack by Feisul’s forces on the French in Syria. But we three men are not in favor of it. We have had no part in the preparations, although we know all © details. We are honest men, who have the public interest at heart, and accordingly we have spied on Yussuf Dakmar, purposing to expose all his plans to the authorities.” Jeremy began humming to himself. Mabel tittered, and little Doctor Ticknor swore under his breath. But Grim looked as if he believed them—looked pleasantly surprized—and nodded gravely. “But that hardly explains your following this Indian through the streets and attack- ing him on the veranda,” he suggested, as if sure they could explain that too—as sure enough they did. “We did not attack him. He attacked us. It was obvious to us from the first that he must be an agent of the Government. So when Yussuf Dakmar told us to follow and Adventure murder him we decided it was time to ex- pose Yussuf Dakmar, and that this was our opportunity. We knew surely that this Indian would take that letter straight to some official of the Government; it was only necessary to pretend to hunt him and in that manner inveigle Yussuf Dakmar into the toils. “But when we reached this house Yus- suf Dakmar was afraid and refused to ap- proach nearer than the street. He insisted on keeping watch outside the garden gate while we should draw near and shoot every one who might be in the house and recover the letter. not persuade him. ‘So we decided to pretend to do his bid- ding, and to whisper through the window to the people within to pass out to the street by some back way and capture him, after which we would give all our evidence to the authorities. “Tt was while we were looking through the window, seeking to call the attention of those within for that purpose and no other, that we were attacked and submitted to much unnecessary violence. That-is the whole truth, as Allah is our witness! We are honest men, who seek to uphold the law, and we claim the protection of the Government. We are ready to tell all we know, including the names of those con- nected with this plot.”’ CHAPTER V “Nobody will know. No bouquets.” HERE followed a tedious hour or two, during which Grim cross-ex- amined the three “honest men,” and took down lists of names from their dictation, getting Doctor Ticknor meanwhile to go for the police because Yussuf Dakmar might still be lurking in the neighborhood for a chance to murder Narayan Singh. It was only after the police had carried off the prisoners to jail (where they repudiated their entire confession next morning) that Grim showed us the letter which, like a spark, had fired a powder magazine— although a smaller one than its writer intended. “Tt isn’t in Feisul’s handwriting,” he said, holding the feathery Arab script up to the lamp-light, “and it’s no more like his phraseology than a camel resembles a loco- motive. Listen to this: DOOLK He is a coward, and we could — (©