Transcript

The Siege · The Three Just Men

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Chapter thirty three of The Three just Men by Edgar Wallace. This LibriVox recording
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is in the public domain. The siege, but Meadows had already worn to
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keep clear of the letter box, and the bullets eventually reached one of the
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railway viaducts. To the embarrassment of a road ganger who happened to be almost
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in the line of fire, Meadows slipped down the steps to cover inside the
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wire fence. A dozen policemen were waiting. Sergeant go back to the station
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and the police car and bring arms. He said, this is going to
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be a long job. Gonzalez had made a very careful reconnaissance of the ground,
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and from the first had recognized the difficulties which lay ahead of the attacking
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party. The wall rose sheer without any break. Such windows as were within
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reach were heavily shuttered, and even the higher windows, he guessed, had
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been covered. The important problem in his mind was to locate the room in
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which the girl was imprisoned. In making a mental review of the house,
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he decided that she was either in the servant's apartment or in that which had
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held girthr. By the light of the lantern, he made a rapid sketch
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plan of the floor. As he had visited, Meadows had gone away to
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telephone to police headquarters. He had decided to re establish telephone connection with the
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doctor, and when this was done, he called the house and Aberjan's voice
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answered him. The colloquy was short and unsatisfactory. The terms which the doctor
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offered was such as no self respecting government could accept immunity for himself and his
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companions. He insisted so strongly upon this latter offer that Meados guessed accurately that
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the gang were standing around the instrument. I don't want your men at all,
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so far as I am concerned, they can go free, said Meadows.
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Ask one of them to speak on the phone. Oh, indeed,
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no, said Aberjean. It is ridiculous to ask me that. He hung
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up at this point and explained to the listening men that the police had offered
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him freedom if he would surrender the gang as I already told you. He
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said, in conclusion, that is not the way of doctor Oberjon. I
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will gain nothing at the expense of my friends. A little later, when
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Couccini crept into the room to call police headquarters and confirm this story of the
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doctor. He found that not only had the wire been cut, but a
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yard of the flex had been removed. Doctor Robajeon was taking no risks.
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The night passed without any further incident. Police reserves were pouring into the neighborhood.
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The grounds had been isolated, and even the traffic of barges up and
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down the canal prohibited. The late editions of the morning newspapers had a heavily
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headlined paragraph about the siege of a house in the New Cross area, and
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when the first reporters arrived, a fringe of sightseers had already gathered at every
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police barrier. Later, special editions with fuller details began to roll out of
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Fleet Street. The crowd grew in density, and a high official from Scotland
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Yard, arriving soon after nine, ordered a further area to be cleared,
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and with some difficulty, the solid wedge of humanity at the end of Hangman's
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Lane was slowly pushed back until the house was invisible to them. Even here
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a passageway was kept for police cars and only holders of passes were allowed to
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come within the prohibited area. The three men with the police chief had taken
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up their head quarters in the factory from which the body of Girthr had been
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removed in the night. The Deputy commissioner, who came on the spot at
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nine and examined the dead snakes was something of a herpetologist, and pronounced them
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to be veritable fair delance, a view from which Poachart differed. They are
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a species of African tree snakes that the natives call mamba. There are two,
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a black and a green. Both of these of the black type,
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the zoo mamba, said the official, remembering the sensational disappearance of a deadly
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snake which had preceded the first of the snake mysteries. You will probably find
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the bones of the zoomamba and some mole run in Regent's Park. He must
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have been frozen to death the night of his escape, said Bochart. It
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was absolutely impossible that at that temperature he could live. I have made a
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very careful inspection of the land, and adjacent to the zoological gardens is a
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big stretch of earth which is honeycombed by moles. No, this was imported,
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and the rest of his menagerie was imported. The police chief shook his
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head. Still, I'm not convinced that a snake could have been responsible for
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these deaths, he said, and went over the ground so often covered.
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The three listened in polite silence and offered no suggestion. The morning brought news
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of Washington's arrival in Lisbon. He had left the train at Irune, Leon's
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agent and Madrid, having secured a relay of aeroplanes, and the journey from
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Maroon to Lisbon had been completed in a few hours. He was now on
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his way back. If he makes the connections, he will be here tonight,
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he told Manfred. I rather think he will be a very useful recruit
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to our forces. You are thinking of the snakes in the house, Leon
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nodded. I know, Aberjon, he said simply, And George Manfred thought
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of the girl and knew the unspoken fears of his friend were justified. The
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Knight had not been an idle one for Oberjon and his companions. With the
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first light of dawn, they had mounted to the roof, and under his
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direction, the gunman had dismantled the four sheds which stood at each corner of
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the parapet. I'm used to the handling of such heavy metal. The remnants
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of the old guard gazed an awe upon the tarnish jackets of the Maxim guns
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that were revealed. Oberjon understood the mechanism of the machine so thoroughly that in
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half an hour he had taught his crew the method of handling and sighting.
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In the larger shed was a collapsible tripod which was put together, and on
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this he mounted a small but powerful searchlight and cannected it up with one of
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the plugs in the roof. He pointed to them the three approaches to the
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house, the open railway arches, and the long lane at the end of
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which the crowd at that moment was beginning to gather. From Only these places
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can the ground be approached, he said, And my little quick fireers cover
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them. Just before eleven, there came down Hangman's lane, drawn by a
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motor tractor, a long tree trunk suspended about the middle by chains, and
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Auberjean, examining it carefully through his field glasses, realized that no door in
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the world could stand against the attack of that battering ram. He took up
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one of the dozen rifles that lay on the floor, sighted it carefully,
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resting his elbow on the parapet, and fired. He saw the helmet of
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a policeman, shoot away from the head of the astonished man, and fired
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again. This time he was more successful, for a policeman who was directing
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the course of the tractor crumpled up and fell in a heap a shrill whisps.
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The policeman ran to cover, leaving the machine unattended. Again he fired,
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this time at the driver of the tractor. He saw the man scramble
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down from his seat and run for the shelter of the fence. A quarter
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of an hour passed without any sign of activity on the part of his enemies,
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and then eight men armed with rifles came racing across the ground towards the
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wire barrier. Mobrejean dropped his rifle, and, taking a grip of the
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first machine gun in his hand, sighted it quickly. The staccato patter of
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the maxim awake in the echoes. One man dropped the line wavered again the
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shrill whistle, and they broke for cover, dragging their wounded companion with them.
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I was afraid of that, said leon, binding his knuckles sure evidence
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of his perturbation. He had put a ladder against the wall of the factory,
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and now he climbed up onto the shaky roof and focused his glasses.
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There's another maxim on this side, he shouted down, and then as he
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saw a man man's head moving above the parapet, he jerked up his pistol
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and fired. He saw the stone splinters fly up, and knew that it
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was not bad practice. At four hundred yards, the shot had a double
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effect. It made the defenders cautious and arouse in them the necessary quantity of
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resentment. He was hardly down before there was a splutter from the roof and
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the wine and snap of machine gun bullets. One slate tile shivered, and
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its splinters leapt high in the air and dropped beside his hand. The presence
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of the girl was the only complication. Without her, the end of Aberjeon
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and his companions was inevitable. Nobody realized this better than the doctor eating a
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huge ham sandwich in the shelter of the parapet, an unusual luxury for he
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ate few solids. This will be very shocking for our friends of Curzon Street,
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he said. At this moment they bite their hands in despair. He
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was nearly right here. He peeped over the parapet. There was no policeman
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in sight. Even the trains that had roared at regular intervals along the viaduct
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had ceased to run, traffic being diverted to another route. At half past
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twelve, looking through a peep hole, he saw a long yellow line of
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men coming down Hangman's lane, keeping to the shelter of the fence. Soldiers,
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he said, and for a second his voice quavered. Soldiers, they
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were, Presently. They began to trickle into the grounds, one by one,
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each man finding his own cover. Simultaneously, there came a flash and
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a crack from the nearest viaduct. A bullet smacked against the parapet, and
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the sound of the ricochet was like the hum of a bee. Another menace
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that appeared simultaneously, a great, lumbering, awkward vehicle that kept to the
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middle of the lane and turned its ungainly nose into the field. It was
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a tank and Overjan knew that only the girl's safety stood between him and the
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dangling noose. He went down to see her unlocked the and found her,
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to his amazement, fast asleep. She got up at the sound of the
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key in the lock, and accepted the bread and meat and water he brought
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her without a word. What time is it? Aberjeon stared at her,
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that you should ask the time of such a moment, he said. The
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room was in darkness but for the light he had switched on. It is
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noon, and our friends have brought soldiers. Ach how important a woman you
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are that the whole army should come out for you. Sarcasm was wasted on
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Mirabelle. What is going to happen now? I do not know, he
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shrugged his shoulders. They have brought a diabolical instrument into the grounds. They
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may use it to give them cover so that the door may be blown in
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at that moment. I place you in the snake room. This I shall
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tell our friends very quickly. She gazed at him in horror. You wouldn't
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do anything so wicked, mister Aberjean. Up and down went the skin of
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his forehead. That I shall tell them, and that I shall do,
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he said, and locked her in. With this comfortless assurance. He went
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into his study, and, fastening the door, took two strands of wire
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from his pocket and repaired the broken telephone connections. I wish to speak to
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meadows, he said to the man who answered him. A police officer,
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who had been stationed at the exchange to answer any call from this connection.
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I will put you through to him, was the reply. For a moment,
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the doctor was surprised that Meadows was not at the exchange. He did
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not know then that a field telephone line had been organized and that the factory
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headquarters of the directing staff was in communication with the world. It was not
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Meadows, but another man who answered him, and by his tone of authority,
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Auberjon guessed that some higher police official than Meadows was on the spot.
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I am the doctor Oberjon, he barked. You have brought a tank machine
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to attack me. If this approach is beyond the wire fence, I shall
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place the woman Lester in the home of the snakes, and there I will
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bind her and release my little friends to avenge me. Look here, began
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the officer, but Overjean hung up on him. He went out and locked
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the door, putting the key in his pocket. His one doubt was of
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the loyalty of his companions. But here, strangely enough, he underrated their
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faith in him. The very mildness of the attack, the seeming reluctance of
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the soldiers to fire, had raised their hopes and spirits, and when a
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quarter of an hour later they saw the tank turn about and go out into
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Hangman's lane, they were almost jubulant. You're sure that he will carry out
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his threat, asked the police chief. Certain, said Leon emphatically. There
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is nothing on earth that will stop Aberjon. You will force the house to
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find a man who was dyed by his own hand, And he shuddered at
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the thought. The only thing to be done is to wait for the night.
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If Washington arrives on time, I think we can save miss Lester from
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the roof. Doctor Oberjon saw that the soldiers were digging a line of trenches
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and sent a spatter of machine gun bullets in their direction. They stopped their
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work for a moment to look round, and then went on digging as though
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nothing had happened. The supply of ammunition was not inexhaustible, and he determined
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to reserve any further fire until the attack grew more active. Looking over the
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top of the parapet to examine the ground immediately below, something hot and vicious
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snacked his ear. He saw the brickwork of the chimney behind him crumble and
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scatter, and putting up his hand felt blood. You'd better keep down,
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Oberjon, said Kuccini, crouching in the shelter of the parapet. They're nearly
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got you. Then they're firing from that railway embankment. Have you had a
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talk with the boss of these birds. They are weakening, said Auberjon promptly.
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Always they are asking me if I will surrender them men. Always,
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I reply, never will I do anything so dishonorable, Cuccini grunted, having
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his own views of the doctor's altruism. Late in the afternoon, a flight
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of aeroplanes appeared in the west, five machines flying a V formation. None
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of the men on the roof recognized the danger, standing rather in the attitude
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and spirit of sightseers. The machines were flying low. With the naked eye,
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Cuccini could read their numbers long before they came within a hundred yards of
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the house. Suddenly, the roof began to spout little fountains of asphalt.
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Abajon screamed a warning and darted to the stairway, and three men followed him
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Outkuccini lay spreadygold, where he fell two machine gun bullets through his head.
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The fighting machines mounted, turned and came back. Standing on the floor below,
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Abajon heard the roar of their engines as they passed, and went in
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cautiously to the roof to discover that the guns of flying machines fire equally well
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from the tail. He was nearer to death than he had ever been.
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One bullet hit the tip of his finger and slice it off neatly. With
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a scream of pain. He half fell, half staggered to safety, spluttering
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strange oaths in German. The aeroplanes did not return. He waited until their
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noise had died away before he again ventured to the roof to find the sky
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clearer. Cuccini was dead, and it was characteristic of his three friends that
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they should make a thorough search of his pockets before they heave the body over
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the parapet. Oberjan left the three on the roof with strict instructions that they
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were to dive to cover at the first glint of white wings, and went
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down into his study. The death of Cuccini was in some ways a blessing.
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The man was full of suspicion, his heart was not in the fight,
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and the aeroplane gunner had nearly anticipated the doctor's own plan. Cuccini was
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a Latin who spoke English well and wrote it badly. He had a characteristic
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hand, which it amused Oberjon to copy, for the doctor was skillful with
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his pen. All through the next three hours he wrote, breaking off his
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labors and intervals to visit the guard on the roof. At last he had
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finished, and Cuccini's sprawling signature was affixed to the bottom of the third page.
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Aberzon called down one of the men. This is the statement of Cuccini
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which he left. Will you put your name to his signature? What is
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it? Asked the man, surlily. It is a letter which the good
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Cuccini made. What generosity in this? He says that he alone was to
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blame for bringing you here and nobody else. Also that he kept you by
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threats and you, asked the man also me, said Aberjon, unabashed,
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What does it matter? Cuccini is dead, May he not in his death
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save us all? Come, come, my good friend, you are a
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fool if you do not sign. After that, send down our friends that
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they may also sign. Our reluctant signature was fixed, and the other men
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came one by one, and one by one signed their names, intent to
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stand by the graft which the doctor indicated, exculpating themselves from all responsibility in
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the defense. Dusk fell and night came blackly, with clouds sweeping up from
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the west in a chill rain falling. Gonzalez moltially, apart from his companions,
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watched the dark bulk of the house fade into the background with an ever
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increasing misery. What these men did after did not matter to them. The
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policeman had been killed, and they stood equally guilty of murder in the eyes
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of the law. They could now pile horror upon horror for the worst that
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happened. His only hope was that they did not know the inevitability of their
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punishment. No orders for attack had been given, the soldiers were standing by,
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and even the attack by the aeroplanes had been due to a misapprehension of
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orders. He had seen Cuccini's body fall, and as soon as night came
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he determined to approach the house to discover if there was any other way in
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than the entrance by the front door. The aeroplanes had done something more than
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sweep the roof of their guns. Late in the evening, there arrived by
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special messenger telescopic photographs of the building, which the military commander and the police
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chief examined with interest. Leon was watching the house when he saw a white
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beam of light shoot out and begin a circular sweep of the grounds. He
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expected this. The meaning of the connections in the wall was clear. He
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knew too how long that experiment would last. A quarter of an hour after
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the searchlight began its erratic survey of the ground, the lamp went out,
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the police having disconnected the current. But it was only for a little while,
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and in less than an hour the light was showing again. He has
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power in the house, a dynamo and a gas engine, explained Gonzales.
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Crockhart had been to town and had returned with the long and heavy steel cylinder,
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which Leon and Manfred carried between them into the open and left. They
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were slight vigorously from the roof, and although the firing was rather wild,
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the officer in charge of the operations forbade any further movement. In daylight.
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At midnight came the blessed Washington. They had been waiting for him with eagerness,
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for he, of all men, knew something that they did not know.
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Briefly, Leon described the snake room and its contents. He was not
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absolutely certain of some of the species, but his description was near enough to
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give the snake expert an idea of the species. Yes, sir, they're
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all deadly, said Washington, shaking his head. I guess there isn't a
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thing there bar the scorps. Who wouldn't put a grown man to sleep in
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five minutes ten minutes at the most. They showed him the remains of the
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dead snake, and he instantly recognized the kind, as the zoological expert had
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done in the afternoon. That's mamba. He's nearly the deadliest of all.
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You didn't see a fellow with a long bill shaped head, you did,
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well, that's fair to Lance, and he's almost as bad. The little
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red fellows were corals. Leon questioned him more closely. No, sir,
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they don't leap. That's not their way. A tree snake will hang on
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to something overhead and get you as you pass, and they'll swing from the
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floor. But their heads got to touch the floor first. The poor little
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fellow that killed Girthur was scared, and when they're scared, they'll lash up
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at you. I've known a man to be bitten in the throat by a
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snake that whipped up from the ground. But usually they're satisfied to get your
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leg. Leon told him his plan. I'll come along with you, said
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Washington, without hesitation. But this offer neither of the three would accept.
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Leon had only wanted the expert's opinion. There were scores of scientists in London,
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curators of museums, and keepers of snakes who could have told him everything
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there was to be known about the habits of their reptile and captivity. He
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needed somebody who had met the snake in his native environment. An hour before
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daylight showed in the sky, there was a council of war. Leon put
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his scheme before the authorities, and the plan was approved. He did not
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wait for the necessary orders to be given, but with Poachard and Manfred,
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went to the place where they had left the cylinder, and, lifting it,
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made their slow way towards the house. In addition, Leon carried a
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light ladder and a small bag full of tools. The rays of the search
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light were moving erratically and for a long time did not come in their direction.
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Suddenly they found themselves in a circle of dazzling light and fell flat on
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their faces. The machine gun spat viciously. The earth was churned up under
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the torrent of bullets, but none of the men was hit, and more
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important, the cylinder was not touched. Then suddenly, from every part of
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the ground, firing started. The target was the searchlight, and the shooting
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had not gone on for more than a minute before the light went out so
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jerkily that it was obvious that one bullet at least had got home. Now,
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said Manfred, and lifting up the cylinder, they ran. Cockart put
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his hand on the fence wire and was hurled back. The top wire was
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alive, but evidently the doctor's dynamo was not capable of generating a current that
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would be fatal. Leon produced an insulated wire cutter and snipped off a six
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foot length, earthing the broken ends of the wire. They were now under
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the shadow of the wall of the house and out of danger so far as
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bullets were concerned. Leon planted his ladder against the window under which they stopped,
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and in a second had broken the glass, turned the catch and sent
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up the sash. From his bag. He produced a small diamond drill and
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began to work through the thick steel plate. He was a terribly arduous job,
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and after ten minutes labor, he handed over the work to Manfred,
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who mounted in his place. Whatever damage had been done to the searchlight had
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now been repaired, and its beam had concentrated on the spot where they had
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been last seen. This time no fusillaw greeted its appearance, and Auberjean was
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surprised and troubled by the inaction. The light came into the sky, the
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walls grew gray, and all objects sharply visible. When he saw the tank
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move out of the lane where it had been standing all the previous day,
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turn into the field, and slowly moved towards the house, he set his
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teeth in a grin, and, darting down the stairs, flung himself against
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the door of the girl's room, and his agitation was such that for a
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time he could not find the keyhold of the two locks that held the door
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secure. It opened with a crash, and he almost fell into the room
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in his eagerness. Mirabel Lester was standing by the bed, her face white
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as death, yet her voice was steady, almost unconcerned. When she asked,
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what do you want you? He hissed, you, my fine little
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lady, you were for the snakes. He flung himself upon her, though
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she offered no resistance, threw her back on the bed, and snapped a
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pair of rusty handcuffs on her wrists. Pulling her to her feet, he
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dragged her from the room and down the stairs. He had some difficulty in
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opening the door of the snake room, for he had wedged it close.
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The door was pushed open at last. The radiators were no longer burning.
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He could not afford the power, but the room was stiflingly hot, and
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when he turned on the lights and she saw the long line of boxes,
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her knees gave way under her, and she would have fallen had he not
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put his arm about her waist. Dragging a heavy chair to the center of
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the room, he pushed her down into it. Here you wait, my
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friend, he yelled. You shall wait, but not long. On the
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wall there were three long straps which were used for fastening the boxes when it
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was necessary to travel with them. In a second, one thong was about
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her and buckled tight to the back of the chair. The second he put
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under the seat and fastened across her knees. Good Bye, gracious lady.
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The rumble of the tank came to him in that room, but he had
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work to do. There was no time to open the boxes. The glass
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fronts might easily be broken. He ran along the line, hitting the glass
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with the barrel of his mouser. The girl, staring in horror, saw
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a green head come into view through one opening, saw a sinuous shape slide
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gently to the floor, and then he turned out the lights. The door
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was slammed, and she was left alone in the room of terror. Oberzon
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was no sooner in the passage than the first bomb exploded at the door.
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Splinters of wood flew past him as he turned and raced up the stairs,
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feeling in his pocket as he went for the precious document which might yet clear
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him boom. He had not locked the door of the snake room. Leon
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had broken the hasp. Let them go in if they wished. The front
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door was not down yet from the landing above. He listened over the balustrade,
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and then a greater explosion than ever shook the house, And after an
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interval of silence, he heard somebody running along the passage and shake at the
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snake room door. Too late. Now he grinned his joy, went up
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the last flight to the roof to find his three men in a state of
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mutiny, the cuelling of which was not left to him. The glitter of
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a bayonet came to the door opening. A khaki figure slipped on to the
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roof. Finger and trigger. Hands up you, he said in a raucous
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Cockney voice. Four pairs of hands went upward. Manfred followed the second soldier
26:26
and caught the doctor by the arm. I want you, my friend,
26:30
he said, and Auberjonte went obediently down the stairs. They had to pass
26:34
Gerthur's room. The door was open, and Manfred pushed his prisoner inside as
26:40
Poachard and Leon ran up the stairs. The girls all right. The gas
26:45
killed the snakes the moment they touched the floor, and brother Washington is dealing
26:48
with the live ones, said Leon rapidly. He shut the door quickly.
26:52
The doctor was alone for the first time in his life, with the three
26:56
men he hated and feared Oberzon. This is the end, said Manford.
27:02
The queer grimace that passed for a smile flitted across the puckered face of the
27:06
doctor. I think not my friends, he said. Here is a statement
27:10
by Cuccini. I am but the innocent victim. As you will see,
27:15
Cuccini has confessed to all and has implicated his friends. I would not resist.
27:18
Why should I? I am an honest, respectable man, and a
27:22
citizen of a great and friendly country. Behold, he showed the paper.
27:27
Manford took it from his hand, but did not read it. Also,
27:32
whatever happens, your lady loses her beautiful hill of gold. He found joy
27:37
in this reflection. For tomorrow is the last day. Stand over there,
27:41
Oberjan, said Manford, and pushed him against the wall. You are judged.
27:45
Though your confession may cheat the law, you will not cheat us.
27:49
And then the doctor saw something, and he screamed his fear. Leon Gonzalez
27:53
was fixing a cigarette to the long black holder he had found in Gerthe's room.
28:00
You hold it, thus, said Leon, do you not. He
28:02
dipped the cigarette down and pressed the small spring that was concealed in the black
28:06
eponite. The holder is an insulated chamber that holds two small icy splinters.
28:11
I've found the mold in your laboratory, her doctor. They drop into the
28:15
cigarette, which is a metal one, and then he lifted it to his
28:19
lips and bleue. None saw the two tiny icicles fly only Auberjean put his
28:25
hand to his cheek with a strangled scream, glared for a second, and
28:29
then went down like a heap of rags. Leon men inspector Meadows on his
28:33
way up. I'm afraid our friend has gone, he said. He has
28:37
cheated the hangman of ten pounds dead, said Meadows. Suicide. It looks
28:45
like a snake bite to me, said Leon carelessly, as he went down
28:48
to find Mirabel Lester, half laughing, half crying, whilst an Ernest Elijah
28:52
Washington was explaining to her the admirable domestic qualities of snakes. There's five thousand
29:00
dollars worth dead, he said, in despair, But there's enough left to
29:03
start a circus. End of Chapter thirty three.