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Zurich Herald, 1931-05-21, Page 2A cup of Salado Green tea invigorates and refreshes 1! ALAR GREEN TEA '" `Fresh from the gardens" a.n HE KESTREL HOUSE MYSTERY By T. C. H. JACOBS eeet:OneeretreteZ, :.." CHAPTER VIII.—(Cont'd.) Flack extracted a bunch of skeleton keys from the bag, selected one and inserted it. Pyecroft heard the grat- ing of metal as the lock turned, fol- lowed by a muttered oath from Flack, who glaneect around: "There's a blasted bolt," he explain- ed, "and it's at the bottom. Still, that ain't going to stop us for long." From the tool bag he took out a bradawl and set to work at the pia :e where he had Iocated the bolt, boring a hole until the iron was reached. Next he inserted the nozzle of a glass sy- ringe loaded with acid and deftly ejected a small quantity. While the acid was burning its way into the metal, he took up a tiny brace and bit and proceeded to give the hole a bell - mouth. Carefully inserting the brad- awl again, he pushed it into the acid - hole in the iron, and gently turned the barrel until the head of the bolt was For nearly $o years preferred by the mothers of Canada because o£ their proven parity and high quality. Only Christie's can make Chrisistie's .Arrowroots. IMPORTANT / Have you seen the new McClary Coal and Wood Ranges? New, different, beautiful, efficient, they represent the finest value ever offered Canadian women. in the correct position; with dext'pcts fingers he worked the tool untie bolt was drawn. "There y'ai'e, gov-nor," he .giipd, as he repacked the bag, "nice`jitt� ?ub that was." Pyecroft gently pushed o,pep 'the door and stepped inside, flashing 'iz's torch around. As he had anticipated, a large Car was standing im eelietc- ly inside, and oc,uying most di tee low chairrber • ""Put your gloves on befer*eeryou touch anything, Flack," he wart 4, at the same time draingo n a pa .o rubber gloves himself. Turniage, the handle of the car door, he flashed' his light over the cushions, ' and smiled as he noted one button was missing.. A thorough examination of the ve- hicle fat:ed to ieveal anything of In- terest, and I'vecroft turned his Olen - teen to the cavern. He noted that: the walls were of unhcwn rock:and ,Con - chided that they were standing iii the bed of some ancient subterranean river whieh had long ceased to eslasi. • In the rear of the car stood a sV"ack of petrol Mans, otherwise the place as empty. He directed his light down`,Tthe tunnel, and commenced to walk sliO]y forward, Flack following, guiding himself by means of a bottle contate- ing phosphorus, a method of illun dna tion which he preferred to a -1 r_ip• Several times their feet slipped o'p,; the slimy surface, almost bringing ii'liem down, and the roar of the water+ O:he. gorge increased in volume as they pro- gressed, until it was almost deafening. Presently Pyecroft snapped Off *the torch. "Keep that phosphorus out of', -the way," he commanded, speaking pose to Flack's ear. "We are nearing;the end.,, In total darkness they crept •for- ward until they felt the cold wind blowing- in from the ravine, and; the inky blackness was relieved by a sombre grey. In the dim light: they were able to discern two . iron posts standing against the sides of the tun- nel and fitted with pulley blocks and tackle. Along the floor lay a single plank of wood with a rope joined to uprights at either end, to form a hand -rail. It was a bridge which could be swung out to span the gorge and reaching to the continuation of the tunnel on the other side. "There'll be a duplicate of this ar- rangement opposite," thought ,. Pye- croft as he examined the working of the tackle and found that everything was well oiled and noiseless in move- ment. Suddenly Flack gripped his.,ariu with unpleasant force, and he looked down to see him bulging -eyed and with dropped, trembling jaws, staring aghast at the oppposite bank. His quiv- ering lips framed some words, but he could not hear them. He 'tamed swiftly to discover the cause • a4,the ether's fright, :end almost . c himself as he .saw ib.. Immdd. posite where the deeper sh does marked the cave, two baleful, gleam- ing eyes cleft the blackness, twin points of green fire which flashed like evil stars. Pyecroft's first thought was of some huge hound, but as he stared at the apparition he became aware of a dim shape behind those terrible eyes. The uncanny luminosity of live flesh in darkness revealed the outlines of a face. . . a frightful, distorted, half - human, Half -hound -like face. He drew in his breath with a deep, FREE Large illustrat ed catalogue of new and reboil: bicycles from $10 up. Motor cycles. .Boats. Ot.tboarc Motors. Itrriins, etc. 'rrunguor' silentlyafter them. tation paid. Write to DERE CYCLE AND MOTOR ;O.. 625 Queen Street W.. Toronto. Ont. resounding gasp of excitement :as he leaned against the wall, staring in horrified fascination, No human eyes i over -possessed that ghastly, diabolical 1 gleam, But any terror is preferable to that of utter uneextahety. Stooping swift dd/?dhleie00„�' SCOTTIE- ly he eeerehed for and found a stone AvvatTrupze of 14164110MY which, he hurled ith all his foreo across the ravine. A moment later above the roar of the swirling hater there burst upon,their ears a cry so infinitely awful that Flack, sweat upon his forehead and his face almost black with te , ell upon his knees, ireor, hugging his head an his crooked arms. Blind panic was very close to hint at that moment. The cry swelled out into the black- ness, sotil shattering scream obscene, bestial in its savageness. Pyecroft's hour, trembling fingers searched with fran- tic haste for another stone, the law, - est he could find, but when he drew back his arm to throw the' thing had vanished. He snatched the torch. from his pocket and shop: its powerful beam upon the hole, out only the rug- ged walls stared back at him. Flack struggled to his feet and stood beside him, his sallow face dead- ly white and drawn. Though every nerve in his body was quivering tie forced an apologetic grin. Pyecroft, with a hand none too steady, patted his shoulder and smiled in return: "They've got :i hound loose over there," he said in a 'low voice, but Flack shook his head emphatically. "That wasn't no dawg, gov'nor," ho declared positively. "Perhaps that village Hattie ain't such a ruddy idiot .after all." "Good. Lord!" expostulated Pye- croft, "you don't mean to say ..." "Yes, I do, gov'nor. Perhaps I'm superstitious, but if that wasn't the Hell Hound wot he yapped about, well, I'll eat ni.'hat, swelp in' bob, I will. Did 'ever hear such a blasted row in y'life tis that was?" Pyecroft smiled a little uncertainly. He was more than half inclined to agree, but he had no intention of : d- mitting it. Suddenly Flack gripped his arni for the second time, pointing across the gorge; _ someone or something was moving in the tunnel opposite. Flattening themselves against the wall, they watched with bated breath as another figure revealed itself, and dark as it was they recognized the negroid features of Darkey Mullen peering from the gloomy depths. For some moments he remained motion- less, then they saw hini unfastening the tackle, and the bridge crept slow- ly across the gorge. When the plank touched the rock Pyecroft nudged Flack, and they began to retreat, keeping well against the wall. At any moment a torch might be brought into Fii'kat oagie. before: Captain ,Timmy and So"tiWe became lost in the darkness whtio li iii5 over the Chinese war zone, on 1 di plans to set' ir•ee the remainder of his party. au ng, they are captured by C1 nose bandits., Contain Jinlny escapes .and Cautiously I moved toward the camp. ,The fires had burned to em- bers and now and then flamed up fitfully. Certainly the outlaws wouldn't be looking for an escaped prisoner prowling around their tents at that action and he had no wish to be seen. When they gained the bend in the 'tonne: he threw caution to the wind, and commenced to move as fast as the slippery reek would permit. FIack, unable to keep up with him in the darkness, took the bottle of phosphorus from his pocket, shielding it as much as possible. Stumbling .against the walls, slip• ping and sliding on the slimy floor, he had almost reached the stack of petrol can when he fell. His elbow struck a projecting stone, half para- lyzing his arm andethe bottle jerked from his numbed fingers to shatter itself among the cans. Pyecroft dragged him to his feet and leaped toward the door as a blind- ing sheet of flame shot up and with a terrific roar the whole stack ignited. Together they raced down the guliy towards the river. So, great was their haste that neither noticed the figure uh'e.h stole slralthily from behind a gorse bush and fcllowed swiftly and as is don*er than Iron Mowers EMARKABLY light IN because of its Alumi- num parts, remarkably durable because of its Barium metal bearings,, steel drive wheel axles and steel drive wheel bushings. Your Hardware dealer has it. CANADA FOUNDRIES & FORGINGS LIMITED James Smart Plant Brockville - Ontario I t,7O tol% fir 4 UMINU .,. 'LA•WN MOW r• ISSUE No. 2O—`3 i— CHAPTER IK.. The church clock was anncuncii'.g the hour of eleven when they came aver the hill above the village and looked dcwn upon the cluster of thatched cottages which formed the main habitations. As if by mutual consent they halted and surveyed the scene •of slumbering peace for some minutes in silence, broken at last by Flack, whose mind was agitated by what he considered to be a piece of sheet. folly. "Abaht that locket, gov'nor, y'ain't really going to give it to'the busy," he pleaded. "Gosh, no, don't do ;t„ gov'nor, you'll put yer foot right in it playing with that bloke. He ain't no fool, y'taks it from me wot knows." Pyecroft glanced at the leathery lit-, tle face upturned towards him and smiled reassuringly. "It's all right, old scout, I know what I'ni doing,' he said. But Flack was not convinced, He shook his head doubtfully. "It's a daft thing to do, gov'nor. I reckon we got enough trouble With that busy coining to us without look- ing for it. Soon's he knows he'll be trp at that house nosing around and queering our pitch, good and plenty, 'y'see if he don't." "Quite," replied Pyecroft. "I wash hind to nose around, but it's long odds against him spotting that back en- trance." Fleck's eyes narrowed as he began to understand: "Ah, sort of drawing 'em elf, eh, gov'nor? Barnard goes in at the front door and we nips in itt the back, A11 eyesthat oilit?" the coppers laid nix on tie; "More or less," ,agreed Pyecroft. "It is by no means ce:e lain that we were seen tonight and I'm inclined to be- lieve that the ifecident of firing the 100trol was really a stroke of luck. In Rolled near the largest of the fires, lay the figure of a man. Carefully I crawled nearer. .A. small twig broke under my knee and I stop- ped, motionless, not even breath- ing for a. minute or two. As I wiggled closer I could make out his features — Sure enough, it was poor old Fa Hsu (Foo Soo) the interpreter. He was cramped and so cold and scared. I held up a anger in a warning, and worked my- self along to a point where I could cut his bonds with a jack knife. "All asleep?" I whispered. He nodded. Quietly we crept away toward the cool spring. The fresh, cold water revived him won- derfully: He drank as though he never intended to stop. Then I questioned him. "What happened to Scottie? The dog. Bow -wow?" "Blandit hit him on the head dog he bite blandit. Tie deg to tree. No 'idea where doggie.' "And the Colonel?" I asked. "Colonel, he blaudit, now. He Cook," whispered the interpreter. "He'll probably make a better bandit than a Colonel." Meanwhile, a plan ha( been form- ing in my mind. Quietly we picked our way to where the Burros were hitched. We tied a dozen of them together so they would Iead in a line. The other burros we cut loose, so it would take time for the bandits to catch them and get on our trail. Taking the halter of the lead bur- ro, I headed down the valley that led through the cleft in the moun- tains. Fu brought up the rear with two more burros—their lead ropes tied around his waist for fear he might drop it! He was the most hopeless Chinese I ever saw. ld' Loose stones began ronin,;, and; the burros instead of walking onl their tip toes, seemed to stain along on their heels. You ]mow! how loud everything sounds when' you want to be quiet, and it certain- ly seemed as ifthenoise ci y io se a ,yore' soaking must wake the whole camp.' Finally we casae to the narrow' defile. Beyond that notch there was a bit of a plateau; It was here that the bandit guard would be. The oandits had just risen to their feet at the sound of our burros coin- ing through the pass. Plainly they were puzzled. Had we come riding out into 't1 em like a whirlwind, they would have understood, and ntartecl firing on us. But Here was string of burros peacefully wending their way into the light of their camp fire. Leaning forward from the neck of my burro, I pricked the last of the string with my jack-knife, With a , shrill cry he . jumped against thej next one ahead, who in turn rushed the next. In a moment they were in headlong flight. They scattered right and left among the bandits, and when a burro failed to bowl one over, the rope caught his feet and tripped him,' Then, in the midst of the uproar, we dashed out yelling. The rout was complete We just waited long en- ough to grab a rifle and went on a mad scramble down the mountain side. Mile after mile we rode at break- neck reakneck pace. Far back up the valley' the whole bandit camp were in hot pursuit. When my burro showed signs of slackening speed, I thump- ed him in the ribs and off he went again amid a shower of dust and loose stones. Rounding a corner we came sud'r denly to a rali- r o a d trach,; where five or six decrepit old freight car* stood, and rickety old en gine. We Could), hear the hoof of the outtawe{ burros pounding down the valley as we reached the cars. I leaned over and grabbed Fu by the slack of his pants. As I heaved to puri him in, a dark body came hurtling in, caught me amidships, and over we all went In a' pile on the floor. (To be continued) anima Chocolate Ma1Ied,JIik The health -giving, delicious drink for children and giovil`i- ups. • • Pound and Half Pound tins at your grocers. any case they've lost their car and the flareup covered our retreat very nicely." "Wot made Darkey Mullen come out, d'think, Gov'nor?" "Possibly that ghastly uproar rous- ed thein and he was sent to discover the cause, but on the other hand it is probable that he was simply coming down to the car for something and pure coincidence that he arrived so soon after the rumpus. But whatever the cause the fire would prevent him getting very far. The thing now is to get to bed as quickly as possible I don't suppose that we shall meet any- body in the village at this hour. The 1 honest, law abiding yokel retires to rest at sunset." (To be continued.) Musical '(Wife; "Its strange, but when I play the piano I always feel extraordinarily melancholy." Hus- band: "So do I, dearest." HIGHEST PRICES PAID The Canadian Wool Co. Ltd. 2 CHURCH ST., TORONTO If you want knowledge you must toil for it; if good you must toil fax it, and if pleasure you mist toil for it. Toil is the law. Pleasure conies through toil, and not by self-inclug- ence and indolence. When one gels to love his work his life is a happy one. --John Ruskin. TIC Here is a never -failing form of relief from sciatic pain: eipleER a Take Aspirin tablets and you'll avoid. needless suffering from sciatica—lum- bago—and ciatica—lum- bago—and similar excruciating pains. They do relieve; they don't do any harm. Just make sure it is genuine. e TRADE MARK REQ. 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