The Argosy, Vol. XXIV, No. 1 — page 154: what you’re looking at

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

154 THE MAJOR’S PLOT. together, ate together, and slept in the same prison cell at night. I had managed to retain a bunch of home letters and a diary. ‘These I read over to Maillard in our spare moments, and soon he was as thoroughly intimate with my past life as I was myself. Even then he must have been hatching the plot which he put into execution later on. ' Last July we were sold to a Moorish shiek, who lived many miles nearer the coast, and the treatment we received from our new master afforded a reasonable hope of escape. We planned our arrangements very cleverly, and one dark night we overpowered the guard: and fled across the desert. My companion was stronger and in better condition than I. Morning found him comparatively fresh, while I was completely worn out and exhausted. ‘It was necessary to go on, for our enemies were no doubt close behind. At sunrise we found a pool of muddy water in the desert, and while I was stretched on the sand, drinking in fresh strength and courage with every mouthful of the fluid, my companion knocked me senseless with a heavy club that he carried. I recovered my consciousness an hour later to find myself in the hands of the Moors. Maillard was miles away, and my diaries and letters were missing. "I was dragged back to captivity ; but just a month later I made a second attempt to escape, and this time reached the coast in safety at. the harbor of Metilla. I could learn nothing here of Maillard, and I concluded that he had either perished in the desert or been captured by some wandering natives, ‘‘ A sailing vessel took me to Algiers, where I was greeted as one risen from the dead, and a few days later took passage to Marseilles, intent on reaching home as -speedily as possible. My first intimation of what hed occurred here during my absence came from Mr. Dawson, whom I encoun- tered in a very remarkable manner, and also from the wounded man upstairs, who recognized me by the resemblance I bore to his confederate, and made an all but successful attempt to end my life, ‘The story I have just related is but a link, I believe, in a long and complicated chain. We have still to hear Dick, Mr. Dawson, and Henry Ford. Their narrative will complete the chain.’’ CHAPTER XXXVIII.—In wuicu THE CHAIN OF EVIDENCE Is COMPLETED. EXCLAMATIONS of wonder and amazement greeted the close of the re- markable story contained in the previous chapter. ‘“ Now, Dawson,’’ said the major, ‘‘as you were acquainted with Eugene Maillard even before I knew him, suppose you tell us what you know about him.’’ Dawson flushed slightly and hitched his chair closer to the table. “ Yes,” he began hesitatingly, ‘‘I knew him Sixteen years ago in New York City. He had just escaped from a French prison an’ come to America. He was pretty young in those days, but he was an old hand in crime. - He planned the Bannister robbery an’ carried it out, too, though Henry Ford helped, and I had a hand in the matter myself,’’ (6) =) a 3 9 (000) CS) (E(0)