THE MOTOR PIRATE
 
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 Copyright, 
 BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY 
 
 (INCORPORATED) 
 All rights reserved
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PACK 
 
 I. MAINLY ABOUT MYSELF i 
 
 II. THE COMPTON CHAMBERLAIN OUTRAGE . 9 
 
 III. WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRATE . . .21 
 
 IV. CONCERNING MY RIVAL . . . .36 
 V. THE COLONEL DREAMS AND I AWAKEN . 48 
 
 VI. I AM ARRESTED 59 
 
 VII. I MAKE FRIENDS WITH INSPECTOR FOR- 
 REST, C.I.D 71 
 
 VIJI. MURDER 81 
 
 IX. EXPLAINS A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE . 92 
 
 X. DESCRIBING A RIDE WITH THE PIRATE . 104 
 XI. IN WHICH THE PIRATE HOLDS UP THE 
 
 BRIGHTON MAIL 113 
 
 XII. How WE EXCHANGE SHOTS WITH THE 
 
 PIRATE 123 
 
 XIII. OF THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING WOUNDED 135 
 
 XIV. A CLOUD APPEARS ON LOVE'S HORIZON . 145 
 XV. A CLUE AT LAST 155 
 
 XVI. I COMMIT A BURGLARY . . . .165 
 
 XVII. STORM 176 
 
 XVIII. IN WHICH THE PIRATE APPEARS IN A 
 
 FROLICSOME HUMOUR . . . .187 
 
 2137S68
 
 VI 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 XIX. 
 XX. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 A HOT SCENT 
 
 RELATES How THE PIRATE HOLDS UP AN 
 
 AUGUST PERSONAGE 
 
 WE PLAN AN AMBUSH . 
 
 GONE AWAY 
 
 SAVED 
 
 REVELATIONS 
 
 PACK 
 196 
 
 207 
 218 
 228 
 24O 
 249
 
 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 MAINLY ABOUT MYSELF 
 
 OF course every one has heard of the Motor Pirate. No 
 one indeed could help doing so unless he or she, as the 
 case may be, happened to be in some part of the world 
 where newspapers never penetrate ; since for months his 
 doings were the theme of every gossip in the country, 
 and his exploits have filled columns of every newspaper 
 from the moment of his first appearance until the day 
 when the reign of terror he had inaugurated upon the 
 roads ended as suddenly and as sensationally as it had 
 begun. Who the owner of the pirate car was ? Whence 
 he came ? Whither he went ? These are questions 
 which have exercised minds innumerable ; but though 
 there have been nearly as many theories propounded as 
 there were brains at work propounding them, so far no 
 informed account of the man or his methods has been 
 made public. 
 
 Nearly twelve months have now elapsed since he wa
 
 2 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 last heard of, and already a number of myths have grown 
 up about his mysterious personality. For instance, it 
 is not true, as I saw asserted in a sensational evening 
 paper the other day, that the Motor Pirate was in the 
 habit of abducting every young and attractive woman 
 who happened to be travelling in any of the cars he held 
 up. On only one occasion did he abduct a lady, and 
 in that case there were special circumstances with which 
 the public have never been made acquainted. His deeds 
 were quite black enough without further blackening with 
 printer's ink, and it would be a pity if the real Motor 
 Pirate were lost sight of in mythical haze such as has 
 gathered about the name of his great prototype, Dick 
 Turpin. 
 
 It has occurred to me, therefore, to tell the story of his 
 doings it would be impossible for any mortal man to 
 give an absolutely detailed account of his life and actions 
 but I know more than the majority of people about 
 the personality of the man. Of one thing my readers 
 may be assured : I personally can vouch for the accuracy 
 of every fact which I chronicle. You see I am not a 
 professional historian. 
 
 How it happened that I am in a position to give 
 hitherto unknown particulars about the Motor Pirate 
 will appear in the course of my narrative. Sufficient for 
 the moment let it be for me to say that it was purely by 
 chance that the opportunity was thrown in my way ; 
 though, as it happened, it was not entirely without my own 
 volition that I became involved in the network of events
 
 MAINLY ABOUT MYSELF 3 
 
 which finally resulted in the tragedy which closed his 
 career. By that tragedy the world lost a brilliant thinker 
 and inventor, though unfortunately these great talents 
 were accompanied by an abnormal condition of mind, 
 which led the owner to utilise his invention in criminal 
 pursuits. 
 
 It may probably seem strange that, being in possession 
 of facts as to the identity of this mysterious person, I did 
 not lay them before the police, who, at any time during 
 the three months of his criminal career, would have given 
 their ears to lay him by the heels. You may even think 
 it is their duty to take proceedings against me as an 
 accomplice. Well, I am quite prepared to answer any 
 question which the police, or any one else for that matter, 
 desires to put to me. James Sutgrove, of Sutgrove Hall, 
 Norfolk, is not likely to change his address. When my 
 poor old governor died he left me sufficient excuse, in the 
 shape of real estate, for remaining in the country of my 
 birth ; though, if the necessity had arisen, I should not 
 have hesitated about going abroad. At twenty-five, my 
 age within a few weeks, a man has usually sufficient 
 energy to enable him to carve out a career for himself 
 in a new country, and I do not think I am very different 
 to my fellows in that respect. But the fact is, I have 
 nothing to fear from the police. My criminality was 
 less than theirs. An ordinary citizen may be forgiven 
 if he is blind to the meaning of things which occur under 
 his nose, but the police are expected to be possessed of 
 somewhat sharper vision. The utmost that can be urged
 
 4 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 against me is, that if my eyes had been keener than those 
 of Scotland Yard, reinforced by the trained vision of 
 some hundreds of intelligent chief constables throughout 
 the country, I might have been able to lay my hands 
 upon the Motor Pirate before but I must not anticipate 
 my story. 
 
 One word of apology, however, before I begin. In 
 order to make my narrative fully intelligible I shall have 
 to refer to matters which may seem of a purely personal 
 nature. I will make these as brief as possible, but it 
 was entirely through such that I was brought into closer 
 touch with the Motor Pirate than, perhaps with one 
 exception, any other person in the world* If therefore 
 I seem to be devoting too much attention to what appears 
 to be merely personal interest, I trust I may be excused. 
 To begin, then, at the beginning. 
 
 * * * 
 
 On the evening of March 31, 19 , I had arranged 
 to dine in town with a couple of friends, both of them 
 neighbours of mine. I am not going to mention the 
 name of the restaurant. It was not one of the fashion- 
 able ones, or probably neither the cuisine nor the wines 
 would have been so good as they were, though both 
 would unquestionably have been more expensive. I 
 prefer, therefore, to keep the name to myself. It was 
 in the neighbourhood of Soho, however, and the reason 
 I had invited my friends was in order to disabuse their 
 minds of the idea that everything in that neighbourhood 
 was of necessity cheap and nasty. I had determined
 
 MAINLY ABOUT MYSELF 5 
 
 that their palates should be charmed by the dinner they 
 were to eat, so, in addition to sending a note to the 
 proprietor, I thought it as well to arrive at the restaurant 
 a quarter of an hour before the appointed time, in order 
 to make assurance doubly sure that everything was as 
 I desired it. Had my guests been casual acquaintances, 
 I must confess that I should never have taken this 
 trouble. But they were not. One of them was the 
 renowned Colonel Maitland. I never heard anything 
 about his war service, but I do know that as a 
 gastronomist his reputation is European. The cool way 
 he will condemn an entrie y presented to him by an 
 obsequious waiter, merely after casting a single glance 
 upon it, speaks volumes for his critical insight ; and as 
 for wines well, he can tell the vineyard and the vintage 
 of a claret by the scent alone. I verily believe that 
 were he to be served with a corked wine, the result 
 would be instant dissolution between his gastronomic 
 soul and body. Naturally I had to make some prepara- 
 tions, in order that such delicate susceptibilities should 
 not be offended. In addition, I had a special reason for 
 seeking to please him. Colonel Maitland had a daughter. 
 I have only to mention the name of my other guest 
 to reveal his identity to every one with any knowledge 
 of the motoring world. It was Fred Winter, the Fred 
 Winter, leading light of the Automobile Club, holder 
 of more road records than I can count, in fact the most 
 enthusiastic motorist in the country. It was in con- 
 sequence of this, indeed, that he came to be my guest.
 
 6 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 There were few questions in regard to motoring upon 
 which Winter was not competent to give an opinion, 
 and being myself a victim to the prevailing motor-mania, 
 I was deeply indebted to him for many valuable tips. 
 By this time I had passed my novitiate, and was still 
 driving a neat little 9^-h.p. C16ment in order to fit 
 myself for a more powerful and speedy car. 
 
 I arrived then at the restaurant about a quarter to 
 eight, and having had a brief but satisfactory interview 
 with the proprietor, I made my way to the table I had 
 reserved in my favourite corner of the dining-room. 
 Finding I had ten minutes to spare, to kill time I ordered 
 a vermouth and the evening papers. The Globe was the 
 first upon the pile the waiter brought to me, and follow- 
 ing the example of most sane men, I skipped the parlia- 
 mentary intelligence and turned to the " By the Way " 
 column. I remember distinctly there was only one 
 amusing paragraph therein, and I was about to throw 
 the paper aside, with the customary lament as to the 
 decadence of British humour, when my attention was 
 arrested by a paragraph at the bottom of the next column. 
 The heading was '* Strange Highway Robbery." This 
 was the paragraph : 
 
 " Our Plymouth correspondent reports a novel high- 
 way robbery on the road between Tavistock aad Ply- 
 mouth. Two gentlemen who had been for a run on 
 their motor to Tavistock, left the latter town about eight 
 o'clock last night. Their journey was uneventful until 
 they reached Roborough, where they were suddenly
 
 MAINLY ABOUT MYSELF 7 
 
 overtaken by a motor-car occupied by a man, who pre- 
 sented a pistol at their heads, and ordered them to stop. 
 Thinking that the stranger merely intended to scare 
 them, and that the summons was only an ill-advised 
 piece of pleasantry, they paid no attention to the demand ; 
 whereupon the driver of the strange car, with a well- 
 directed shot, so damaged the machinery of their vehicle 
 that they were compelled to obey. Their attacker then 
 demanded all the money and articles of value they had 
 in their possession under threat of completely wrecking 
 their car, and after securing his booty the highwayman 
 decamped. In consequence of the damage to their motor, 
 it was not until late at night that they reached Plymouth, 
 and were enabled to give particulars of the occurrence 
 to the police. From their description of the stranger's 
 vehicle, identification should not be difficult. It is a 
 long, low, boat-shaped car of remarkable speed, and from 
 the little noise it creates is probably driven by an electric 
 motor. As to the personal appearance of the driver, the 
 gentlemen who were robbed could form no opinion, for 
 he wore the usual leather coat affected by tourists, and 
 his head was completely enveloped in a hood." 
 
 On reading this paragraph, my first impulse was to 
 lay aside the paper and indulge in a hearty laugh. My 
 impression was that some wag had been hoaxing either 
 the Plymouth correspondent or the London editor of the 
 Globe. However, my curiosity was sufficiently aroused 
 to lead me to take up another paper, to sec if the Glebe 
 was the only paper which reported the occurrence.
 
 8 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 The next paper on my pile was the Star y and the 
 moment I unfolded the pink sheet, I perceived that this 
 liveliest of evening journals was not going to be left 
 behind by the Globe in providing the public with par- 
 ticulars of the latest sensation. Under the heading of 
 "A Motor Pirate," with descriptive headlines extending 
 across a couple of columns, and as attractively alliterative 
 as the cunning pen of a smart sub-editor could make 
 them, was the account of a similar incident. At first 
 I thought it must be the same occurrence, but a brief 
 perusal showed me that this impression was a wrong one. 
 But I will give the Star account in full, and I do so the 
 more readily, not only because it contains the first detailed 
 account of the man whose extraordinary audacity was 
 shortly to raise the interest of the public to fever pitch, 
 but also because it tells the story with a force and colour 
 of which my unpractised pen is incapable. Apologising 
 therefore to the editor for the liberty I have taken, I 
 reprint the Star account verbatim. I think, however, 
 the story deserves a new chapter.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THl COMPTON CHAMBERLAIN OUTRAGE 
 
 "A MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 "TAKES TOLL OF TRAVELLERS IN THE WIST, 
 
 " A VEILED STRANGER ON A MYSTERIOUS MOTOR FLIES 
 "THE BLACK FLAG NEAR SALISBURY. 
 
 "ON receipt of the following extraordinary story from 
 the Central News Agency this morning, the Star at once 
 sent a representative to make inquiries on the spot. His 
 inquiries reveal the existence of a new terror to all who 
 travel by road. Following are the facts communicated 
 to us by the agency : 
 
 " * A daring highway robbery was committed near 
 Salisbury late last night. The victims were two gentle- 
 men who had been touring in the west country by motor. 
 They had intended to reach Salisbury early yesterday 
 evening, but were delayed by a puncture. When about 
 eight miles from Salisbury they were attacked by the 
 occupant of another car, who wrecked their vehicle, and, 
 after robbing them of all their valuables, decamped, leav- 
 ing them badly injured by the wayside. There they
 
 io THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 were discovered some time afterwards and removed to 
 the nearest inn at Compton Chamberlain, where they 
 remain under medical attendance. Central News' 
 ** The Star special correspondent wires : 
 
 "Compton Chamberlain, 12.30. 
 
 " There is no doubt but that the Motor Pirate has a 
 real existence. On arriving at Salisbury I at once pro- 
 ceeded to make inquiries as to what was known of the 
 outrage, but Salisbury generally was sceptical on the 
 subject. I found, however, that the affair had been 
 reported at the county police office ; and I at once drove 
 on here, and am now in a position to assert that this quiet 
 Wiltshire village has been the scene of the most astounding 
 robbery of modern times. It is safe to prophecy that in 
 a few more months Dick Turpin will be forgotten. He 
 has a rival in the field whose exploits will soon relegate 
 him into comparative obscurity. 
 
 " The first visible evidence of the outrage was afforded 
 me about a quarter of a mile from Compton. The road 
 dips here slightly, and at the end of the incline a motor- 
 car was drawn to the side of the road, or rather the 
 remains of what had once been a smart Daimler of some 
 7 or 8 h.p. A stonebreaker was at work on an adjacent 
 pile of flints, and when I alighted to examine the wreck, 
 he hailed me with, * Hoy, mister ! Ye'd better leave 
 thick thur car alone. The p'iice be comin' to tek un up 
 
 I gathered from him that he had been told to keep
 
 THE OUTRAGE n 
 
 an eye upon the car, but beyond having heard that the 
 owners had met with an accident, he knew nothing. 
 There was no doubt about the accident. The car was 
 so broken up that it looked as if it had been in collision 
 with an armoured train. 
 
 "Compton Chamberlain, 2.45 p.m. 
 
 " I have just succeeded in interviewing the owner of 
 the motor-car, a Mr. James Bradshaw, of 379, Maida 
 Vale. His companion was Mr. Gainsborough Roberts, 
 of 200, Clapham Common. Mr. Roberts is suffering 
 from severe concussion, and has not regained conscious- 
 ness ; but fortunately Mr. Bradshaw's injuries, though 
 painful, arc not dangerous, and he has been good enough 
 to give me a full account of his unique adventure. It 
 seems the two gentlemen had been touring in the west 
 country for ten days, and were on their way home. 
 They stopped the previous night at Exeter, leaving about 
 ten in the morning with the intention of reaching Salis- 
 bury about five or six yesterday evening. They lunched 
 at Ilminster, and afterwards had traversed another twenty- 
 five miles of their journey when one of their tyres 
 unfortunately punctured. This was shortly after they 
 had passed through Wincanton. When the tyre was 
 mended, something went wrong with the electric ignition, 
 and altogether the repairs proved such a tedious job that 
 they could not make a fresh start until close upon lighting- 
 up time. 
 
 ** The delay had not troubled them, for the weather
 
 12 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 was beautifully fine. As, however, they were very 
 hungry, they determined to stop at Shaftesbury for dinner 
 before finishing the day's run they had mapped out. 
 There is a particularly long hill into Shaftesbury, and 
 they did not reach that town until 8.30. At the hotel 
 they met another party of motorists, and, agreeing to dine 
 together, it was not until after ten that they found them- 
 selves once more on their way, with twenty miles of a 
 hilly road to cover. The lateness of the hour did not 
 trouble them much. They had wired to Salisbury for 
 rooms ; the night was fine and clear ; a bright moon was 
 shining ; the roads were clear of traffic, and their motor 
 was guaranteed to do its thirty-five miles an hour. They 
 thought that it would be a good opportunity to find out 
 what Mr. Bradshaw's car was really capable of doing on 
 a hilly track. 
 
 " Mr. Bradshaw declares that he had never enjoyed a 
 run more than he did on this occasion. A brisk wind 
 was blowing behind them, they found there was more 
 downhill than up, the road was absolutely clear, and they 
 were able to take the declines at a pace which took the 
 ting out of the ascents. 
 
 " So for twenty minutes they ran at full speed, and 
 after slowing to pass through a village, they had just put 
 on full speed again when Mr. Bradshaw's attention was 
 arrested by a curious humming sound which appeared to 
 arise from something behind. He was, of course, unable 
 to glance back, as all his faculties were engaged in driving 
 the car ; but Mr. Roberts, whose attention was attracted
 
 THE OUTRAGE 13 
 
 at the same moment, informed him that another motor- 
 car was coming up behind. Then, to quote Mr. Brad- 
 shaw's own words, * Thinking the other chap was on for 
 a race, I did everything I knew to get every ounce out of 
 my motor. But,' he continued, * though I'll swear we 
 were running nearer forty than thirty-five, the other 
 fellow swooped up and passed us as if we were standing 
 still.' 
 
 " For the moment he thought that the stranger was 
 one of those American speed motors specially built for 
 racing on the track, but only for a moment. The strange 
 car slackening speed, allowed them to come alongside. 
 What followed may be best described in Mr. Bradshaw's 
 own words. 
 
 ** * There was only one occupant of the strange car, 
 and, seeing him slacken speed, I naturally thought he 
 wished to speak to us. So, as he came level, I shouted 
 to him, my exact words being, if I remember aright, 
 " Hallo, sir ! You've, got a flyer there." I fancied I 
 heard a chuckle from beneath his mask (he wore a hood 
 covering the head fitted with a mica plate in front) and 
 he replied, " Yes ; I fancy my car is fast enough to 
 overtake anything that is to be found on the road." 
 There was something in his tone that struck me as 
 peculiar, but I merely attributed it to the motorist's pride 
 in his car. As however he said nothing further, but 
 continued to keep alongside, in a manner that looked 
 as if he were inclined to gloat over the owner of a less 
 speedy machine, I asked with some little irritation, "Is
 
 I 4 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 there anything I can do for you, because if not ** 
 
 He did not allow me to finish my query. ** Yes, sir,'* 
 he replied promptly, " there is something I am going to 
 ask you to do for me," and he gave another of his infernal 
 chuckles. 
 
 ** Well, what is it ? ** I demanded, with a little 
 warmth. 
 
 * I must request you to hand over all your money 
 and valuables to me," he replied. 
 
 ***! could not believe my ears. I was so astonished 
 that I gave the wheel a turn that nearly landed us in 
 the ditch. Will you believe it ? Even in that swerve 
 the strange car followed mine, and when I had got her 
 straight in the road, I heard him chuckle again. His 
 manner angered me beyond bearing. 
 
 ***** What the deuce do you mean ? " I shouted. 
 
 ***** There's no need for you to lose your temper,** 
 he answered coolly. ** I must, however, trouble you to 
 stop that car at once.** 
 
 ** * As he spoke he raised his hand, and I saw the barrel 
 of a revolver glisten in the moonlight. There seemed 
 to be only one way out of the predicament, for I thought 
 I had to deal with a madman, and I took it. I pretended 
 to be so alarmed that I fell over the steering wheel, and 
 made my car swerve again. But this time we swerved 
 towards, instead of away from, the stranger. I doubt 
 whether there was light enough for him to have read 
 my intention in my face, but it was obvious that he 
 anticipated my move, for his car shot forward with such
 
 THE OUTRAGE 15 
 
 wonderful speed that the fate I intended to force upon 
 him befell myself. I saw his car disappearing ahead, 
 and the next moment I was just conscious of a shock 
 that sent me flying into oblivion. 
 
 '* * Exactly how long I remained unconscious I do not 
 know, but when I came to my senses I found myself 
 lying on the grass at the roadside, having fortunately 
 been thrown on the soft turf. Roberts was lying uncon- 
 scious on the road ; the car was smashed to bits ; our 
 pockets had been turned inside out, and our money, 
 watches, and every article of value we had about us, 
 taken. Needless to say, the stranger had disappeared.' 
 
 " Mr. Bradshaw was not in a state to be of much 
 assistance to his more badly injured friend, and he was 
 at a complete loss as to what course to pursue, when a 
 trap coming from Salisbury fortunately made its appear- 
 ance on the scene. Assistance was procured, and the 
 two injured gentlemen were conveyed to Compton, and 
 medical attention quickly provided. Though much 
 shaken, and badly bruised, Mr. Bradshaw has sustained 
 comparatively little injury. Mr. Roberts, however, is 
 dangerously ill, and his relatives have been telegraphed for. 
 
 "As regards the appearance of his assailant, Mr. 
 Bradshaw can give few particulars, save that he was clad 
 in a large leather motoring coat, and his face completely 
 hidden by a mask. The car can, on the contrary, be 
 easily identified. It is boat-shaped, running to a sharp, 
 cutting edge both in front and behind. The body is 
 not raised more than eighteen inches from the ground.
 
 1 6 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 The wheels are either within the body, or so sheathed 
 that they are completely hidden. It has apparently 
 seating accommodation for two persons, the seat being 
 placed immediately in the centre of the car. Mr. Brad- 
 shaw is quite convinced that petrol is not the motive 
 force used for its propulsion, and as he cannot imagine 
 that an electric motor of any kind was employed ; the 
 rapidity of motion, the perfection of the steering, the 
 absence of noise and vibration, are so remarkable that 
 he is utterly at a loss as to what build of car was driven 
 by the stranger." 
 
 I had just finished reading this extraordinary story 
 when I felt a tap on the shoulder, and, looking up, saw 
 Colonel Maitland standing before me. 
 
 "Ton my word, Sutgrove," he remarked, "I have 
 never before seen any one so completely enthralled in 
 a newspaper in my life. I've been standing watching 
 you for nearly a minute." 
 
 I sprang to my feet, and held out my hand. 
 
 ** What's the latest from Mr. Justice Jeune's division ? 
 When you come to my years of discretion you will be 
 more interested in the menu." 
 
 I laughed. " It was not the inanities of the divorce 
 court, Colonel," I remarked ; u but the most as- 
 tonishing " 
 
 He checked me with uplifted hand. "Being a 
 rational being," he said, " I prefer my stories with my 
 cigar. One should come to dinner with a calm mind." 
 
 At this moment Winter entered the room, and, giving
 
 THE OUTRAGE 17 
 
 a signal to the waiter, the hon d'asuvre were placed before 
 us as he seated himself at the table. 
 
 When he had greeted me I had observed that Colonel 
 Maitland's face had worn a slightly resigned expression 
 that reminded me of a picture I had seen somewhere 
 of Christian martyrs being led to the stake. He took 
 a mouthful of caviar and the cloud lifted. After the 
 soup the dominant note of self-sacrifice had vanished 
 entirely. With the fish his features attained repose. 
 When we reached the entrle his face had the radiance 
 of a translated saint's. Then, with my mind at rest as 
 to the effect of my little dinner upon my chief guest, I 
 found time to devote a little attention to Winter. Yet, 
 bearing in mind the Colonel's objection to anything but 
 light generalities during the serious business of dinner, 
 I forbore to introduce the topic I was burning to discuss 
 with him. Not until the coffee was upon the table, and 
 Colonel Maitland had expressed his contentment with 
 the dinner, did I venture to refer to it. Then, while 
 our senior was dallying with an early strawberry, Winter 
 gave me a lead. 
 
 " By the way, Sutgrove," he said, " what's this I saw 
 on the evening paper bills about a motor pirate ? " 
 
 I told him. His interest was awakened to such an 
 extent that he forgot to taste the glass of port which 
 stood before him, and which I had ordered out of com- 
 pliment to the Colonel's ideas of what was desirable. 
 
 When my story was concluded Winter was silent. 
 Colonel Maitland, however, hazarded the remark that 
 

 
 it THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 the whole narrative was " a concoction of some of those 
 newspaper fellows. I have been at the War Office," he 
 said, ** so I ought to know of what they arc capable." 
 
 "I can scarcely imagine that any newspaper would 
 dare hoax its readers to such an extent," remarked 
 Winter. 
 
 "They are capable of anything anything," replied 
 the Colonel, vigorously. " I have known them on more 
 than one occasion to attack even my department." 
 
 ** That of course is scandalous," I replied warmly ; 
 "but here the conditions are different. They are referring 
 to people who are able to reply if the facts are not as 
 stated. In your case your mouth, of course, was closed." 
 
 Umph ! " growled the Colonel 
 
 ** At the same time," said Winter, ** it may very well 
 have happened that consciously or unconsciously the 
 papers have been made the victims of a practical joke. 
 To-morrow is the first of April, remember. Or even 
 apart from the joke theory, the event happened after 
 dinner, and Mr. Bradshaw may have found it necessary 
 to be prepared with an explanation of his accident." 
 
 "But the robbery ?" I objected. 
 
 M A passing tramp may have thought the opportunity 
 too good to be neglected." 
 
 " At all events," I persisted, " it is curious that two 
 similar accidents should have occurred the same night in 
 the same part of the country." 
 
 ** Certainly the coincidence is remarkable," answered 
 Winter. " But do not forget that the two occurrences
 
 THE OUTRAGE 19 
 
 took place at least a hundred and thirty miles apart within 
 less than three hours of one another. I will swear that 
 no motor yet built would cover those roads inside three 
 hours. I know them. No, Sutgrove. The moral 
 seems to me to be that it is unwise for a motorman to 
 look upon the wine when it is red, if he wants to get 
 anywhere afterwards." 
 
 The Colonel stretched his hand across the table and 
 removed the glass which stood on the table before 
 Winter. 
 
 " My young friend," he observed, ** you have, I 
 believe, undertaken to bring me safely home to-night ? " 
 
 " You need not fear," replied Winter, laughing, " it's 
 only the liquors supplied at country inns which drive 
 motor-cars into ditches." 
 
 The Colonel replaced the glass with a smile and 
 refilled his own from the cradled bottle at his elbow. 
 
 "I am merely a passenger, but you drive," he re- 
 marked. "I think, Sutgrove, under the circumstances, 
 I will be responsible for the remainder of this bottle. It 
 is endowed with certain qualities which particularly 
 recommend themselves to me. It would be a sad thing 
 if an accident were to befall us on our journey. In times 
 of stress such as these one never knows when the War 
 Office may not require the services of a capable man." 
 
 Though the Colonel spoke in jest, in the event his 
 words indicate3 with a fair amount of accuracy the 
 destination of the port, for while we continued to discuss 
 every point in the story, he sipped and sipped and nodded
 
 20 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 his head beatifically. I did not replenish my glass, but 
 when we rose the bottle was empty. 
 
 " Well, Colonel, what do you say to a music hall ? * 
 I asked. 
 
 " My boy," he replied, as he patted me on the back, 
 "I sleep far more comfortably in my bed." 
 
 I realized where the contents of the bottle had gone 
 by the sententiousness of my friend's phrasing, the slight 
 turgidity, so to speak, of his articulation. 
 
 " My dear boy," he continued, " I have never known 
 you until this moment. You are greater than Columbus. 
 Any one might discover a new continent, but in these 
 days it needs exceptional qualities of enterprise and 
 endurance to discover a fresh restaurant. I am content. 
 Let us go home." 
 
 We donned our overcoats and came into the open 
 air. Winter's motor was waiting at the door in charge 
 of a man from the garage where he had left it. We 
 stepped in.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRAT1 
 
 WE were soon out of the narrow Soho street, and 1 
 observed that the time was just half-past ten as Winter 
 steered us carefully through Piccadilly Circus. Colonel 
 Maitland occupied a seat behind while I sat beside 
 Winter. 
 
 The car my friend drove was a magnificent 22-horsc 
 Daimler, built to his own specification and capable of 
 doing considerably more than any car I had hitherto 
 been privileged to ride upon. Of course while passing 
 through the streets there was little chance of exhibiting its 
 capabilities. Yet even there, the way the car glided in 
 and out of the traffic, delicately responsive to the slightest 
 touch of the steering wheel, was sufficient evidence of 
 its quality to set the most nervous passenger at ease. As 
 it was as yet too early for the after theatre traffic to fill 
 the streets and compel us to stop every few minutes, we 
 followed the main road up Oxford Street as far as the 
 Marble Arch. There we turned to the right. Once 
 clear of the narrow part of the Edgeware Road, Winter 
 put on his second speed and a very few minutes seemed 
 
 i
 
 22 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 to have passed before we were bumping over a rough bit 
 of roadway by Cricklewood. 
 
 "There's not much of this," said Winter, cheerily 
 over his shoulder to the Colonel. 
 
 Our gastronomic friend merely grunted for reply, and 
 I should have thought him to be asleep had not the red 
 glow of his cigar assured me that he was still awake. 
 
 Winter jammed on his third speed and the hedges 
 began to fly past us. We were in the country now and 
 were able to appreciate the fineness of the night. Indeed 
 it was a perfect night. The air was sharp but without 
 sting. The moon shone with a clear brilliance which 
 betokened rain in the near future. The road was clean 
 and dry, and there was no dust in the air except the thin 
 cloud which floated behind us. We passed the Welsh 
 Harp without a check, and not until we reached Edgeware 
 did Winter revert to his second speed. We ran through 
 the little town with only momentary slackening of pace, 
 and so we sped onwards until we opened the stretch of 
 road leading to Brockley Hill. Here Winter, seeing the 
 road clear ahead, jammed on his highest speed and the 
 wheels droned like a hive of bees as we darted towards 
 the incline. We were half way up the hill before 
 Winter found it necessary to transform his speed into 
 power, and we finished the ascent with ease. Then 
 once more the order was third speed, and we whirled 
 away through Elstree and passed through Radlett a bare 
 half hour from the time we started. 
 
 Just at this time I looked back to see how Colonel
 
 WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRATE 23 
 
 Maitland fared. His cigar no longer glowed, though it 
 was still tightly held between his teeth. His head was 
 bent forward, and the regular and gentle murmur which 
 came from his nose proclaimed that he slept. I had just 
 mentioned the fact to Winter, and had turned again to 
 assure myself that he was comfortably wrapped in his 
 rug, when I thought I saw on the road behind me 
 another car. 
 
 " Hullo ! M I said to Winter. " There's another chap 
 coming on behind us. Without lights, too ! " 
 
 A slight bend in the road shut out the view, however, 
 and made me doubt whether or no my eyes had been 
 deceiving me. 
 
 44 Pooh ! " replied Winter. ** WeVe passed nothing 
 on the road, and at the pace we've been travelling there's 
 not another car owned in this district we should not 
 have left miles behind us, even if it had started at the 
 same time as ourselves. You must have mistaken some 
 of the shadows from the trees. How much of that port 
 did you drink ? " 
 
 I laughed, but as we had now reached a straight 
 stretch of road I looked back 'again. 
 
 " Pm right,*' I said. " There is another car, and by 
 jove ! It's coming up hand over fist." 
 
 What ? " shouted Winter. What ? " 
 
 He clearly did not appreciate the idea of being over- 
 taken by any one, for he whipped on his highest speed 
 and jammed down the accelerator. The change was 
 enormous. Our powerful car, relieved from all restraint,
 
 24 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 simply leaped through the air. Winter gave a pleased 
 laugh as he steadied her with the wheel. 
 
 " If the stranger can catch us now I shall believe it's 
 the Motor Pirate himself," he remarked in a pleased 
 tone, that showed how proud he was of his own car. 
 
 Our progress was so exhilarating that I wanted to 
 shout defiance to the stranger ; yet I was so fascinated 
 with the pace we were travelling, that I could not take 
 my eyes from the road which uncoiled before us. 
 
 Suddenly a humming sound forced itself upon my 
 ear. For a moment I thought it was due to the whirr 
 of our own wheels. Then it struck me that the note 
 was a higher one. I half turned. The other car was 
 within a yard or two of us. In another second it was 
 level and, running without any visible vibration, indeed, 
 without any noise save the snore of the wheels as they 
 raced round, the stranger slackened speed and ran by 
 our side. 
 
 Winter cast a hasty glance at the strange car, and 
 I saw him bite his lip with annoyance at finding his 
 Daimler so outpaced. 
 
 One glance at the stranger was enough to tell me 
 with whom we had to deal. In the brilliant moonlight, 
 the boat-shaped car with its sharp prow, the almost 
 invisible wheels, the masked occupant, assured me that 
 the evening papers has not been the victims of a 
 hoax. 
 
 "It's the Motor Pirate himself," I said to Winter, 
 and my voice was hoarse with excitement.
 
 WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRATE 25 
 
 " Motor Pirate be d d I " replied Winter. What 
 
 more he would have said I do not know, for at this 
 moment the stranger turning his mask towards us called 
 out in the most urbane manner 
 
 " I must trouble you gentlemen to stop that car.** 
 
 Winter at the best of times is of rather a peppery 
 disposition, and whenever any one requires him to pull 
 up, his temper invariably gets the better of his manners. 
 His reply was an unnecessarily verbose, and needlessly 
 forcible negative. 
 
 I heard the stranger chuckle. " I really must trouble 
 you to obey my wishes," he replied, with ironic courtesy. 
 " Otherwise I shall be compelled to do some damage to 
 that car of yours, a proceeding I always try to avoid if 
 possible." 
 
 " Do what you please," was in effect Winter's luridly 
 adjectived answer. 
 
 " If you do not pull up within thirty seconds your 
 fate will be upon your own heads," said the stranger, 
 shortly, as he laid his hand upon a lever. 
 
 His car leapt away from ours, and though we were 
 running nearly sixty miles an hour, we might have been 
 standing still, he dropped us so rapidly. In fifteen 
 seconds he had vanished in a cloud of dust ahead. 
 
 " I'm going to stop," said Winter, abruptly. He 
 suited the action to the word, and none too soon. 
 
 Again we heard the curious drone of the strange car 
 as it swooped down upon us, coming to a sudden halt a 
 yard distant, with really beautiful precision.
 
 26 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 ** What do you want ? " shouted Winter, in his 
 gruffest tones. 
 
 **I'm glad to find you have had the wisdom to do as 
 I desired you," said the Motor Pirate ; for it was indeed 
 he with whom we were now face to face. " It would 
 have deeply grieved me to wreck so good a car as that 
 you have there. A Daimler, I believe ? " 
 
 " Oh, d n your compliments ! What is it you 
 
 want ? '* growled Winter. 
 
 ** Merely any articles of jewellery and any money you 
 may happen to have about you," remarked the stranger, 
 pleasantly. 
 
 I saw the moonlight glitter on the barrel of a re- 
 volver as he spoke, and he now lifted the weapon and 
 pointed it towards us. 
 
 U I do not wish to proceed to extremities, and, as I 
 gather from your speech that I am dealing with gentle- 
 men '* really Winter's language had fully warranted 
 the sarcasm ** if you will give me your word of honour 
 that you will hand over to me all articles of value in 
 your possession, I will leave your car untouched. If, on 
 the contrary, you decline to oblige me, I shall be under 
 the disagreeable necessity of ruining that very handsome 
 car you are driving. I do not like to hurry you, but I 
 am afraid I must ask you to come to a speedy decision 
 on the matter, for these roads in the vicinity of London 
 are not quite so secluded as one of my profession could 
 wish." 
 
 He delivered this speech with an air of mock
 
 WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRATE 27 
 
 politeness, which made Winter writhe. He did not, 
 however, reply. I think he was too angry. 
 
 " Come, gentlemen ! Make up your minds. Your 
 money or your car 1 " 
 
 He made a slight pause before he said the word 
 "car," and his fingers played with the revolver in a 
 manner that sent a cold shiver down my spine. 
 
 " It's his turn now," I whispered to Winter. " It may 
 be ours presently." 
 
 " Come, come, gentlemen ! " said the stranger again ; 
 ** do you give me your words ? " 
 
 " D n you ! I suppose we must," jerked out 
 
 Winter, almost inarticulate with rage. 
 
 "Each of you will dismount in turn and lay the 
 contents of your pockets before me here." He indicated 
 a level shelf, which formed apparently part of the casing 
 of one of the wheels. " I must insist upon seeing the 
 linings of your pockets j and I need hardly warn you that 
 it will be extremely undesirable for you to make any 
 movement liable to misconstruction. This toy " he 
 lifted his pistol "has a very delicate touch. Now, 
 gentlemen. One at a time, please, and do not wait to 
 discuss the question of precedence. I am quite willing 
 to overlook any little informality." 
 
 I listened closely to his speech, but the voice was so 
 muffled by the mask he wore, that I felt I should be 
 unable to recognize it again. Only one point I was 
 assured upon that the Pirate was an educated man. 
 
 Meanwhile what were we to do ? All sorts of wild
 
 28 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 plans were darting through my brain, and I knew that 
 Winter's mind must be equally active. But out of the 
 medley no coherent scheme took shape. Winter dis- 
 mounted, and, throwing oflf his overcoat, advanced into 
 the brilliant circle of light cast by our lamps, and pro- 
 ceeded to empty his pockets. He laid his note-case, his 
 watch and chain, and sovereign-purse upon the car in 
 front of the highwayman, and, in obedience to a further 
 command, added the diamond which shone upon his 
 little finger, and another which adorned his shirt-front, 
 to the pile. Then he resumed his place in the car, and 
 I passed through a similar humiliating ordeal. All the 
 while the stranger kept up a flow of apologies for the 
 inconvenience which his necessities compelled him to 
 occasion us. I kept silence, though I must confess the 
 effort was a considerable strain upon my temper. Still, 
 a pistol with a business man at the butt end of it, is of 
 considerable assistance in preventing the exhibition of 
 annoyance. 
 
 ** If the other gentleman will make haste, I shall be 
 the sooner able to relieve you of my unwelcome society," 
 the Pirate remarked, as I returned to our car after 
 handing over all the valuables in my possession. 
 
 In the excitement, I had, until this moment, entirely 
 forgotten the presence of Colonel Maitland ; and now, 
 looking closely at him, I discovered that he was still in 
 happy ignorance of the contretemps which had befallen 
 us. Swathed in rugs, he was propped up on the seat 
 behind us slumbering peacefully. A smile was upon his
 
 WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRATE 29 
 
 rosy face, and ever and again he smacked his lips. He 
 must have been dreaming of a finer vintage than ever 
 terrestrial vineyard produced. 
 
 " What the deuce can we do ? " I asked Winter. 
 
 " Hullo, Colonel ! " shouted my friend. 
 
 " What's the matter ? " inquired the Pirate. " Does 
 your friend refuse to acknowledge the compact ? " 
 
 "I'm afraid he can hardly be said to be a party to 
 it," I replied. " He has dined, and now he sleeps." 
 
 " Well, you will awaken him less roughly than I 
 shall," was the retort. 
 
 "Any one who knows Colonel Maitland is aware 
 that he is exceedingly annoyed if awakened from his 
 after-dinner nap," I urged. 
 
 " Colonel Maitland ? Colonel Maitland the 
 gourmet ? " 
 
 *' You know him ? " said Winter. 
 
 The Pirate laughed pleasantly. " I have met him 
 on one occasion, and, as some slight return for a very 
 excellent dinner which he ordered, and for which doubt- 
 less by an oversight he left me to pay, I will not trouble 
 you to awaken him on this occasion. I wish you good 
 evening, gentlemen." 
 
 As he finished speaking he backed his car for a few 
 yards. His hand moved to a lever. The car turned. 
 He waved the hand which was disengaged, and in a 
 moment he was gone, attaining at once a speed, which, 
 until then I had thought it impossible for a motor-car 
 ever to achieve.
 
 30 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Both Winter and I sat stock still, gazing after the 
 fast disappearing car. We could not watch it for long ; 
 as in fifteen seconds it was out of sight, and even the 
 dust-cloud it had raised in its progress had cleared. 
 
 Then Winter turned to me and muttered a few 
 expletives gently in my ear. I followed his example 
 and we both felt better, at least I think so ; for, without 
 rhyme or reason, Winter burst into a fit of laughter, 
 and I followed his example, though I cannot explain 
 now, any more than I could have done then, why I 
 laughed. 
 
 When we had done laughing, Winter turned to me 
 and said 
 
 "Sutgrove, old fellow, would you mind punching 
 me ? I'm not quite sure whether it is the Colonel who 
 is asleep or myself. I feel as if I have just awakened 
 from dreaming of the story those newspapers printed." 
 
 " It's not much of a dream," I remarked. " I little 
 thought that we were to have the good fortune of so 
 early an introduction to the Motor Pirate, however. The 
 Colonel will be quite cross to think that his bottle of 
 port prevented the renewal of an old acquaintance." 
 
 Then Winter laughed again. I think he saw the 
 amusing side of our adventure more clearly than I did, 
 for I said sharply 
 
 " Hadn't we better be getting on to St. Albans, and 
 giving information to the police ? " 
 
 " H m m ! " he answered meditatively. " I think 
 perhaps we had better not."
 
 WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRATE 31 
 
 " Not ? " I replied in surprise. 
 
 ** In the first place it is after dinner," he said. 
 
 " What of that ? We dined wisely.'* 
 
 " One of us knows nothing about it." Winter jerked 
 his thumb in the direction of the slumbering warrior. 
 " We could hardly explain the reason why the Colonel 
 slept so soundly through the adventure. The explanation 
 could hardly please him, would it f ** 
 
 I muttered an assent. 
 
 "Besides,'* continued Winter, "for three of us to 
 admit that we tamely allowed ourselves to be held up 
 by one man, and forced to hand over to him all our 
 valuables, well it er it hardly seems heroic, does it ? 
 That wouldn't create a very favourable impression upon 
 Miss Maitland either." 
 
 I was compelled to agree with him. 
 
 "I think perhaps we had best keep the matter to 
 ourselves. I have no desire to provide another sensation 
 for the evening papers to-morrow." 
 
 "At any rate I'm not going to sit down quietly 
 under my loss if you are," I responded irritably. 
 
 "That's another matter altogether," replied Winter, 
 as he set our car in motion once more. " I did not say 
 that I was going to grin and bear it either." 
 
 " What do you propose ? *' I cried eagerly. 
 
 "That is a question we will discuss over a whisky 
 and soda, when we have deposited the Colonel safely at 
 home ; " and he refused to say anything further. 
 
 Our car was once more put at full speed, and in five
 
 32 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 minutes we reached the cross-roads on the outskirts of 
 St. Albans, where the road to Watford makes a junction 
 with that on which we had come from town. Here 
 Winter pulled up, and, much to my surprise, dismounted 
 and made a careful examination of the road by the light 
 of our lamps. 
 
 "I just want to see in which direction the fellow 
 went," he answered, in reply to my inquiry as to the 
 meaning of his action. 
 
 He was still engaged on the task when we heard in 
 the distance the regular beat of a petrol motor approaching 
 us on the Watford road. 
 
 " If it's another pirate, he won't get much plunder," 
 I remarked. 
 
 "That's no pirate," replied Winter, as a couple of 
 lights came into view. "Cannot you recognize the 
 rattle of Mannering's old car? I should know it any- 
 where. He will be able to tell us if any one has passed 
 him on the road." 
 
 As soon as the new-comer came within range of his 
 voice, Winter hailed him. 
 
 " That you, Mannering ? " 
 
 ** Hullo, Winter ! Got a puncture ? Can I be of 
 any assistance ? " 
 
 Was it indeed Mannering's voice, or were my ears 
 deceiving me ? The intonation was remarkably like 
 that of the stranger, who so short a time previously had 
 bade us stand and deliver, that I sprang to my feet with 
 an exclamation of astonishment. My eyes at once
 
 WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRATE 33 
 
 convinced me that my ears had played me false. There 
 was no mistaking Mannering's lumbering old car for the 
 graceful shape of the Motor Pirate's vehicle. I resumed 
 my seat, taking my nerves seriously to task for generating 
 the suspicion, if suspicion it could be called, which had 
 flashed across my mind. If anything further had been 
 needed to dispel it, the reply vouchsafed to Winter's 
 query as to whether he had met any one on the road 
 would have done so. 
 
 " Met any one ? " said Mannering ; ** I should think 
 I have. Met the most wonderful motor I've ever seen, 
 about a couple of miles back. Ton my soul, I'm not 
 sure even now whether it was not a big night bird, for 
 it just swooped by me with about as much noise as a 
 humming-top might make. It must have been travelling 
 eighty miles an hour at least. Reckless sort of devil the 
 driver must be too. He hadn't a single light. I suppose 
 his lamps must have been put out by the rapidity with 
 which he was travelling. Never had such a scare in my 
 life. I'd like to meet the Johnny. I'd welcome an oppor- 
 tunity of telling him what I thought of his conduct." 
 
 " So should I," replied Winter, grimly ; " and I fancy 
 Sutgrove would not be averse to a meeting with him." 
 
 " Why, what has he been doing ? " asked Mannering. 
 
 '* It's too long a story to tell you now," said Winter, 
 as he climbed back into his seat ; " but if you will come 
 up to my place as soon as you have put your car to bed, 
 I'll tell you all about it." 
 
 ** Right 1 " sang out Mannering, as we once more
 
 34 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 set out upon our homeward way. We had not much 
 further to go. In two minutes we had pulled up at 
 Colonel Maitland's door. 
 
 I leaned back and shouted, " Here we are, Colonel," 
 in the slumbering warrior's ear. 
 
 " Eh ! What what ? " he replied, as he awakened 
 with a start. " When are we going to start ? " 
 
 " Start ? Why we've brought you safely home to 
 your own threshold," said Winter. 
 
 " 'Pon my soul ! I remember now,*' he answered. 
 **I just shut my eyes to keep the dust out of 'em, 
 
 and You will come in for a peg, of course," he 
 
 continued, as he emerged from the rugs in which he had 
 been enveloped. 
 
 I glanced at the windows. There was only a light 
 in the Colonel's study. If there had been another in 
 the drawing-room, I should have accepted forthwith. As 
 it was, I merely said that I could not think of disturbing 
 Miss Maitland. 
 
 " Pooh ! " said the Colonel, with the usual callous 
 disregard of the mere father for his children's beauty 
 sleep. 
 
 But he did not press the invitation. Indeed it was 
 with difficulty he succeeded in repressing a yawn. 
 
 "I'll call to-morrow, and get a considered opinion 
 upon my Soho house of entertainment," I remarked, as 
 the Colonel opened his door, and paused at the entrance 
 to bid us a final good night. 
 
 "Glad to see you," he replied, as he grasped my
 
 WHEREIN I MEET THE PIRATE 35 
 
 hand and shook it warmly. "But of one thing you 
 may rest assured. So long as that bin of port holds out, 
 your house of entertainment may count upon me as a 
 regular customer whenever I dine in town." 
 
 "Opium isn't in it,*' commented Winter in a low 
 voice, as he set the car in motion and wheeled out of the 
 drive. " How he could have slept so soundly through it 
 all absolutely beats me." 
 
 I did not reply. My attention was concentrated 
 upon one of the upper windows, at which I thought 1 
 had seen a form I knew very well make a brief appear- 
 ance. But we left the window and house behind us. 
 Winter's place was only about a hundred yards further 
 up the road.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 CONCERNING MY RIVAL 
 
 '* Now, Jim, dip your beak into that, and let me see if it 
 will not restore to your classic features their customary 
 repose." 
 
 So saying, Winter handed me a stately tumbler, and 
 the mixture was so much to my liking that I felt an 
 involuntary relaxation of rxiy facial muscles immediately I 
 obeyed the command. I stretched myself at length in 
 the easy chair which I had drawn up before the fire, and 
 felt able to forgive even the Motor Pirate. We 
 were alone in the apartment which Winter called his 
 study, but since the only books he read therein were 
 motor-catalogues, and the lounges with which the 
 snuggery was furnished were much more conducive to 
 repose than to mental exertion, I refused to acknowledge 
 its claim to the title. That, by the way. The fire was 
 burning brightly. Winter's red, rugged, honest face was 
 beaming with almost equal radiance. Who could help 
 feeling happy ? 
 
 Then Mannering was announced, and Mannering was 
 a man I had learned to passively dislike. Why, I scarcely
 
 CONCERNING MY RIVAL 37 
 
 knew. I was aware of nothing against him. Indeed, 
 when six months previously, on my first coming to St. 
 Albans, I had been introduced to him, I had been rather 
 favourably impressed. He was a tall dark man of thirty- 
 five, with more than the average endowment of good 
 looks. He could tell a good story, had shot big game in 
 most parts of the world, was well-read, intelligent, 
 
 possessed unexceptionable manners, and yet Well, 
 
 Winter had none of his various qualifications, but I 
 would at any time far rather have had one friend like 
 Winter than a hundred like the other man. 
 
 I had first made his acquaintance at Colonel Maitland's 
 house, where I had found him on an apparently intimate 
 footing. Perhaps it was this very intimacy which formed 
 the basis for my dislike, for there is no need to mince 
 matters at this time I was jealous, horribly and un- 
 reasonably jealous, of every male person who entered the 
 Colonel's house. And here, perhaps, it will be better 
 for me to explain how it happened that I came to be 
 living in a cottage on the outskirts of St. Albans in 
 preference to my own house in Norfolk. 
 
 The change in my residence had been entirely due to 
 a tennis party at Cromer. There I met Evie Maitland. 
 
 She was No, every one can fill in the blank from 
 
 their own experience for themselves ; and if they cannot, 
 I pity them. 
 
 Fortunately I had an aunt present. She was the most 
 amiable of aunts, and quite devoted towards her most 
 dutiful nephew. With her assistance, I managed not
 
 38 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 only to improve my acquaintance with Miss Maitland, 
 but also to effect an introduction to her father. I had 
 only known them a week, however, before the Colonel 
 took his daughter back to St. Albans. I allowed an 
 interval of a fortnight to elapse, and then I followed. Of 
 course I had to be prepared with some excuse, and here 
 luck favoured me. Looking through the directory I 
 discovered that Winter, whom I knew slightly as baring 
 been up at Camford about the same time as myself, wms 
 also a resident in the delightful St. Alban's suburb of 
 St. Stephens where the Maitlands resided. I sought 
 out Winter. I confided my story to him. The upshot 
 of it all was that I took a cottage close to his house, and 
 not far from the Colonel's, ostensibly that under Winter's 
 tuition I might develop into a first-class motorist. 
 
 Somehow I found that I made a great deal more 
 progress with my motoring than with my love-making. 
 Surely a more bewitching, tantalizing, provoking little 
 beauty than Evie Maitland never tore a man's heart to 
 fragments. If she was kind to me one day, she would be 
 still kinder to Mannering the next. But that is neither 
 here nor there. Anyhow, I heartily wished him out of 
 the way, for there was no doubt whatever that Randolph 
 Mannering was a much more attractive person than my 
 insignificant self. His mere advantage in age counted 
 for something ; but I could have forgiven him that, had 
 he not made use of the years to see so much and do so 
 much, that he could not help appearing in the light of a 
 hero to a girl who was just at the worshipping age.
 
 CONCERNING MY RIVAL 39 
 
 And he knew so well how to get the fullest value out of 
 his experiences. He never paraded them, I must admit 
 that much in his favour. He was far too clever. An 
 anecdote here and there to illustrate some point in 
 the conversation, a modest account of some thrilling 
 adventure, in which he hardly ever mentioned the part 
 he had personally played, produced a much greater effect 
 than if he had gone about trumpeting the deeds he had 
 done and the dangers he had survived. 
 
 He had, too, the advantage of a much longer acquaint- 
 ance with the Maitlands than myself. I learned from 
 the Colonel that Mannering had been living in a house 
 whose garden adjoined his own for a year before my 
 arrival on the scene. His life, until the Colonel had 
 recognized him as an acquaintance he had made at the 
 house of a friend some years before, had been that of 
 a recluse, the object of his retirement being to perfect 
 some mechanical invention upon which he was engaged. 
 He had soon developed into a friend of the family, and 
 I had found him firmly installed as such when I made 
 my appearance at St. Albans. 
 
 Naturally then I was none too pleased that Winter 
 had proposed to take him into our confidence, but I 
 made no absolute objection. 
 
 I sat smoking quietly while Winter told the story of 
 our adventure. He listened most attentively. 
 
 " It's a most extraordinary story," he remarked, when 
 the narrative was concluded. "You are quite sure 
 neither of you touched any of that port ? "
 
 40 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Winter turned one of his pockets inside out with an 
 expressive gesture. 
 
 " Wine may rob a man of his wits," he replied, " but 
 it does not relieve him of fifty pounds in notes, six in 
 gold, a watch and chain worth fifty, and a diamond 
 which has been valued at a hundred.'* 
 
 "The numbers of the notes should enable you to 
 trace the thief," said Mannering, thoughtfully. 
 
 Winter laughed. " The fact is, I am such a careless 
 beggar. I always carry notes about with me, replenish- 
 ing my case when necessary ; and really I have nothing 
 to tell me whether those notes I had in my possession 
 were the last batch I had from the bank, or odd ones 
 left over from previous consignments. They may have 
 been in my case for months." 
 
 "Both Winter and I could identify our watches," 
 I hazarded. 
 
 "Of course," replied Mannering, "if your Motor 
 Pirate is fool enough to attempt to pawn them you may 
 get the chance ; but if he sells them to a receiver, they'll 
 go straight into the melting pot." 
 
 Winter lit a cigarette and Mannering turned to me. 
 " What was the extent of your loss ? " 
 
 " Ten in gold, thirty in notes, and say thirty for my 
 watch. My loss is comparatively light." 
 
 " You know the numbers of your notes, I suppose ? " 
 he inquired, as he lit a cigarette in turn. 
 
 " Yes," I replied, " I'm not quite so casual as 
 Winter."
 
 CONCERNING MY RIVAL 41 
 
 "There's some clue for the police to work upon, 
 then." 
 
 "It might prove to be so, only Winter thinks we 
 show up so badly in the whole affair that he won't hear 
 of my giving information." 
 
 " The fact is," said Winter, " Maitland slept soundly 
 through the whole affair, and it wouldn't be sporting to 
 give him away." 
 
 "I see " began Mannring. 
 
 Winter deftly changed the subject. " What puzzles 
 me," he said, " is the kind of motor the fellow employed 
 to propel his car. I know of nothing at present on the 
 market anything like so effective. I've seen 'em all." 
 
 "Your loss doesn't seem to trouble you much, 
 anyhow," commented Mannenng. 
 
 "I would willingly give a hundred times as much 
 for a duplicate of that motor. I should be pretty sure 
 to get my money back once I put it on the market." 
 
 " If there's all that value in it, why should the owner 
 go in for highway robbery ? " I asked. 
 
 " That's just what I fail to understand," said Winter. 
 " From what I could see of it, our friend the Motor 
 Pirate is possessed of an ideal car, graceful in shape, 
 making no noise, running with a minimum of vibration 
 and a maximum of speed. Why, there's a fortune in it." 
 
 "Of course it is quite impossible that the motive 
 power can be electricity ? " remarked Mannering, gazing 
 into the fire as if he could see a solution of the mystery 
 therein.
 
 4 a THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 * Quite out of the question. Anjr one who has the 
 slightest knowledge of motoring would know it to be 
 impossible, even if the Pirate had devised a storage 
 battery which would knock Edison's latest invention 
 into a cocked hat. But supposing he had achieved the 
 feat, remember that, according to the newspaper reports, 
 he was at Plymouth yesterday at dusk, near Salisbury 
 at eleven the same evening, and holding us up on the 
 confines of St. Albans to night. He would be bound to 
 get his batteries recharged somewhere and, with a car of 
 such remarkable shape, how is he to do so without 
 exciting remark ? No ; electricity is quite out ot the 
 question. I should be glad to think that the car was 
 an electric one. His capture would only be a matter of 
 a few hours." 
 
 An indefinable expression, which might have been a 
 smile, flitted across Mannering's face. 
 
 ** I hope, for all our sakes, his motor is an electric 
 one," he said. " At all events it should not be difficult 
 to track a car of so singular a shape. If it were built on 
 the same lines as yours or mine, for instance, the owner 
 might go anywhere without attracting attention." 
 
 "Anyhow," I broke in, "until he is captured I'm 
 going for a run every night with something that will 
 shoot within easy reach. The next time I have the 
 fortune to meet with him I hope I shall be in a position 
 to get a bit of my own back." 
 
 Again a smile appeared on Manucring's face as he 
 exclaimed, " I almost feel inclined to follow your example.
 
 CONCERNING MY RIVAL 43 
 
 I have nearly forgotten how to use a pistol since I have 
 resided in this law-ridden land." 
 
 " Surely you won't expose your experimental car to 
 the chance of being rammed by the Motor Pirate," 
 remarked Winter, chaffingly. 
 
 Mannering's car was a stock joke with us. It was a 
 particularly cumbersome vehicle, with heaven only knows 
 what type of body. It might have been capable of 
 twenty miles an hour on the flat, but that would be the 
 extreme limit of its powers. "You fellows," he had 
 explained to us one day, " have taken to motoring for 
 the fun of flying along the high-roads at an illegal speed. 
 1 have taken to it for a more utilitarian purpose. I have 
 my own ideas about the motor of the future, and I am 
 working them out down here. My old caravan is heavy, 
 perhaps, but I want a heavy car. It's most useful for 
 testing tyres, and that is one of the special points engaging 
 my attention. Besides, in this car I am not tempted to 
 get into trouble with the police. Twelve miles an hour 
 is quite fast enough for all my purposes." 
 
 Both Winter and myself had frequently asked him 
 how he was progressing with his work, but as he had 
 never returned us any but the vaguest of answers, nor 
 ever invited us into the workshop which had once formed 
 the stables of the house where he resided, we had thought 
 that his story of being engaged in mechanical invention 
 merely an excuse for getting rid of unpleasant visitors. 
 I think we were both surprised when he answered 
 Winter's chaff quite warmly.
 
 44 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 "I should not at all mind exposing my car to any 
 risk if I could get the opportunity to examine the Motor 
 Pirate's car. If the truth must be told, from what 
 I have seen of his car, and what you have told me, I am 
 rather inclined to think that whoever designed it has 
 forestalled me in an idea which I had thought quite my 
 own. I have long been working to produce a car which 
 would run at least a hundred miles an hour without 
 noise or perceptible vibration.'* 
 
 " Couldn't you get it completed in a week ? " inter- 
 rupted Winter. " We might have a most exciting chase 
 after our friend." 
 
 Mannering shook his head. "I've been absolutely 
 floored on one detail, and if that fellow has solved the 
 
 problem " Shrugging his shoulders, he rose and 
 
 held out his hand to Winter. I followed his example. 
 
 " I had no idea that you had anything so importan t 
 on the stocks," remarked Winter, as he accompanied us 
 to the door. 
 
 "Nor would you have done so until you saw the 
 perfect machine on the road, if it had not been for my 
 chagrin at seeing that car to-night. Of course I can 
 count upon you both to say nothing of the matter." 
 
 " On condition that you do not refer to our adventure 
 again," said I, laughing. 
 
 "Agreed," responded Mannering, as he smiled 
 again. 
 
 We both said good night to Winter, and in spite of 
 our host's efforts to persuade us to stay for another peg, I
 
 CONCERNING MY RIVAL 45 
 
 followed Mannering out, declaring that I should never 
 be able to face Mrs. Winter again if I kept him up any 
 longer. 
 
 I found Mannering standing at the gate, and I paused 
 beside him to glance at the sky, across which one or two 
 fleecy clouds were hurrying from the west. The moon, 
 brilliant as earlier in the evening, now hung low down 
 over the horizon. The breeze had freshened, and we 
 could hear it whispering amongst the trees. 
 
 " We shall not be long without rain. If the Pirate 
 is still abroad he will leave tracks," said Mannering. 
 
 The beauty of the night held so much of appeal to 
 me that I felt annoyed at the current of my thoughts 
 being turned back to the topic. 
 
 I answered shortly. My companion took no notice 
 of my petulance. 
 
 " You have always thought I cared nothing for 
 speed," he remarked, " but you were mistaken. I thought 
 I would keep my desires in the background until I had 
 succeeded in perfecting a car which I knew it would be 
 impossible to outpace. I could not enter into competition 
 with longer purses than my own, and if I had bought the 
 fastest car in the market somebody else would have 
 
 bought one faster. But to-night By Jove ! How I 
 
 envy that Motor Pirate. Imagine what the possession of 
 that car means on a night like this, with the roads clear 
 from John-o'-Groat's to Land's End. Fancy flying 
 onwards at a speed none have ever attempted. Can you 
 not see the road unwinding before you like reel of
 
 46 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 white ribbon, hear the sweet musical drone of the wheels 
 in your ears " He stopped abruptly. 
 
 He must have observed my natural amazement at the 
 intensity of feeling which his speech displayed, for he 
 observed in a lighter tone 
 
 "Not being Motor Pirates, however, the next best 
 thing is, I suppose, to go to bed and dream that we are.*' 
 He turned on his heel and strode away in one direction, 
 while I went in the direction of my own home. But I 
 was in no hurry to get there. The night was too 
 delightful. 
 
 In the few hours which had elapsed since we had sat 
 down to dine, a change had come over the face of the 
 land. I could feel the presence of Spring in the air, and 
 all the youth in me awoke. The creatures of the earth 
 felt it too. In the silence of the night I could hear the 
 crackle of the buds as they cast off their winter coverings, 
 hear the whisper of the grass, which the countryman 
 declares is the sound of growing blades, hear the murmur 
 of all animate things as they rose to welcome the Spring- 
 tide. My own heart leapt up with a renewal of hope. 
 I stood awhile outside Colonel Maitland's door, and 
 breathed a prayer that it might be my fortune to protect 
 the fair inmate of the house from all harm through 
 life. I strolled slowly to my own door, but I did not 
 enter. Moonbeams beget love-dreams when one is still 
 in the twenties. 
 
 Back again to the Colonel's house, back once more 
 to my own. In all probability I should have continued
 
 CONCERNING MY RIVAL 47 
 
 my solitary sentry-go and my reverie until daybreak, 
 had not my thoughts been sharply recalled to earth. 
 On reaching my own doorway for the fifth or sixth 
 time I had just turned, when I saw a black shadow 
 on the road opposite the Maitlands' house. One glance 
 was enough ; it was the Motor Pirate again, and I 
 began to count. "One two ," the car passed me, 
 "three four;" it had vanished round a turning of 
 the road in the direction of St. Albans. 
 
 Even what I had already experienced of the Pirate 
 had not prepared me for such an exhibition as this. 
 What Mannering had said about the delight of flying 
 along an open road at a hundred miles an hour recurred 
 to me. I had not deemed it possible. But I paced 
 the distance between the Colonel's house arid the bend 
 where the strange car had passed out of sight. The 
 distance was just about two hundred yards, and it had 
 been covered as near as possible in four seconds. The 
 car must have been travelling just about a hundred 
 miles an hour. 
 
 I went straight indoors to bed. I am not ashamed 
 to confess that I was not able to continue my dreams 
 in comfort, while pacing the road, by the consideration 
 of what would have happened to me had the Motor 
 Pirate come along just two seconds before I happened 
 to turn and see him.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE COLONEL DREAMS, AND I AWAKEN 
 
 I SLEPT until late the next morning. I have always 
 been accustomed to a clear eight hours' sleep, and, as I 
 did not get between the sheets until about four in the 
 morning, I naturally did not awaken until mid-day. So 
 what with my tub and the necessity for shaving, my early 
 morning call upon the Colonel did not come off. I 
 suppose, as a matter of fact, I sat down to breakfast just 
 about the time when the gastronomic warrior was 
 thinking of luncheon. However, when I saw how 
 amply my expectation of a change in the weather had 
 been fulfilled, I did not regret my lengthy sleep. From 
 a sodden grey sky sheets of water were steadily pouring. 
 There was not the slightest chance of any break in the 
 clouds. Consequently I felt assured of finding Miss 
 Maitland at home if I made my call in the afternoon, and 
 since her father oftentimes thought it expedient to take 
 a little repose after luncheon in order to prepare himself 
 for the fatigue of dining, it was possible that I might 
 even be fortunate enough to secure a tete-h-tett with 
 her. 
 
 48
 
 THE COLONEL DREAMS 49 
 
 I came to my breakfast, therefore, with as good a spirit 
 as appetite, neither being in the slightest degree affected 
 by the memory of the easy way in which I had been 
 plundered by the Motor Pirate. Of course I felt a 
 certain chagrin. Still, I could contemplate the adventure 
 with a considerable deal more equanimity than I had 
 managed to display the night before, though I found 
 that my curiosity concerning him had, if anything, 
 increased. I turned with eagerness to the morning 
 papers to see whether they could add to my know- 
 ledge concerning him. 
 
 As every one is aware, all the papers on the morning 
 of the first of April that year devoted columns to his 
 exploits. If I remember aright, the country was at that 
 time engaged upon two of our usual minor wars, Parlia- 
 ment was in the midst of an important debate upon the 
 second reading of a measure to secure an extension of 
 the franchise, and a divorce case of more than common 
 interest was engaging the attention of the leading legal 
 lights of the law courts. But all these things received 
 but the scantiest notice. The war news was relegated to 
 the inside pages, the Parliamentary intelligence cut down 
 to the barest summary, the cause c'eUbre dismissed with 
 such a paragraph as ordinarily serves to chronicle an 
 unimportant police court case. The Motor Pirate had 
 nearly a monopoly of the space at the editorial disposal. 
 There was column after column about him. The 
 Plymouth robbery was reported in as great detail as the 
 Compton Chamberlain affair, while there were particulars
 
 50 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 of two similar outrages committed at points between 
 these two places. 
 
 On running my eye over the reports I saw that they 
 added nothing to what I already knew, and I wasted no 
 time in reading the leaders on the subject. I was, how- 
 ever, extremely interested to find from one paper that 
 Winter and I had not been the only victims of the 
 scoundrel's rapacity on the previous evening, for a brief 
 telegram reported a similar occurrence a few miles from 
 Oxford on the London road. I at once sent my man 
 to purchase any of the early editions of the evening 
 papers which might have reached St. Albans, in the 
 hope that they might contain further particulars of these 
 operations. 
 
 I had finished my breakfast, and was enjoying a 
 cigarette in my library, when he returned. I took 
 the papers from him, and the first glance at one of 
 them made me gasp with amazement. The news 
 which startled me was all in one line "Five more 
 cars held up by the Motor Pirate." 
 
 I am not going into details concerning these. If 
 you have a desire to refresh your memory all you have 
 to do is to turn to any newspaper of the date I have 
 named and you will be able to get them ad nauseam. 
 But I will venture to give a list of the places where and 
 the times at which the outrages took place, for I made 
 a list of them in the hope that, by carefully studying it 
 with the map, I might get some idea as to where he 
 might next ^ expected to make his appearance.
 
 THE COLONEL DREAMS 51 
 
 I found that at five minutes past nine he stopped 
 a car some four miles from Oxford. Twenty minutes 
 later he was robbing a lonely motorist midway between 
 Thamc and Aylesbury. Then for forty minutes he 
 appeared to have been idle, his next two exploits taking 
 place within five minutes of each other, just after ten, 
 in the neighbourhood of Amersham. King's Langley 
 was the scene of his next adventure, the time given 
 being about a quarter of an hour before he had overtaken 
 us. In addition to the particulars of these robberies 
 there were a host of reports from people who had seen 
 the Pirate car pass them on the road. But there was one 
 notable omission from the latter list. Not from a single 
 town was there any record of the Pirate having been 
 seen passing through it. 
 
 I got a map of the district, and, after studying the 
 country carefully, I was fain to confess that one of two 
 things was certain : either the Motor Pirate had the power 
 to make his car invisible at will, or else he had a truly 
 phenomenal knowledge of the bye-roads. How he had 
 even managed to get to Oxford, after his exploits in the 
 West of England, without arrest, puzzled me. The 
 car was so unique in shape that it seemed bound to 
 excite observation. It could not have been put up at 
 any hotel, any more than it could have been run through 
 the country by daylight, without exciting remark and 
 its presence being chronicled. What, then, had he done 
 with it? The more I pondered the question the more 
 puzzled I became, and at the same time the more
 
 52 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 determined to seek a solution of the mystery. But how r 
 I made a dozen plans, all of which, upon consideration, 
 appeared so futile, that I gave up the game in despair, 
 and decided to see if my brain would not become clearer 
 after I had paid my promised visit to Colonel Maitland. 
 
 I did not find Miss Maitland alone, as I expected, or 
 I might probably have been tempted to confide my 
 experience to her, and to have asked the assistance of 
 her woman's wit in putting me on the track of a solution 
 to the mystery. Mannering was with her. When I 
 made my appearance in the drawing-room, and found 
 him enjoying a tfae-h-tete y I cursed myself for delaying 
 my call and thus giving him such an opportunity. My 
 temper was not improved either by the discovery that 
 they were sufficiently engrossed in conversation to have 
 been able very well to dispense with my presence. I 
 did not feel called upon to leave Mannering a clear 
 field, however, so I joined in the discussion, and tried 
 my hardest to be pleasant. 
 
 Of course, there was only one possible topic of 
 conversation, the theme which was uttermost in every 
 one's mind throughout the length and breadth of the 
 land. It was a difficult subject for me to discuss, and 
 in a measure it was a difficult subject for Mannering, 
 inasmuch as it was hard to refrain from reference to 
 the personal experience we had had with the Motor 
 Pirate. It became increasingly difficult, when a few 
 minutes after my arrival Colonel Maitland joined us. 
 
 **It was lucky for him he did not meet us, hey,
 
 THE COLONEL DREAMS 53 
 
 Sutgrove ? " said the Colonel. " You, Winter, and 
 myself, would soon settle a Motor Pirate, wouldn't we ?** 
 
 I muttered something which would pass for an assent, 
 while Mannering shot an amused smile in my direction. 
 
 "I wonder though we saw nothing of him,*' con- 
 tinued Maitland ; ** he must have been very near us 
 last night." 
 
 <4 He seems to have been everywhere," I answered. 
 
 " He has the ubiquity of a De Wet," said Mannering. 
 
 " I hope I shall have a chance of meeting him some- 
 time," I continued grimly. 
 
 Colonel Maitland chuckled. " Heavens I What a 
 fire-eater you are, Sutgrove. One might almost take you 
 for a sub in a cavalry regiment." 
 
 I made no answer, and Miss Maitland remarked "I 
 think that is very unkind of you. You spoke of the 
 Motor Pirate as if you owed him a grudge. I think 
 we all ought to be supremely thankful to him for having 
 made the wettest day we have had this year pass quite 
 pleasantly." 
 
 Bear him a grudge ? I should think I did, but at the 
 same time, I had no intention of confessing the reason, 
 so I said 
 
 " Then we'll drink long life and prosperity to 
 him the next time we have a bottle of that same 
 port your father approved so highly last night." Then 
 I turned to the Colonel, and made a clumsy attempt 
 to turn the subject of conversation. " Is your verdict 
 upon my restaurant equally favourable to-day, sir ? "
 
 54 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Colonel Maitland's eyes twinkled. " I have nothing 
 to regret. As for the port with which we finished, it 
 seems to me the sort of stuff dreams are made of. Do 
 you know that the glass I drank was it one glass or 
 two ? gave me the most vivid dream I have enjoyed 
 since my childhood ? " 
 
 ** Indeed ! Let's hear it, Colonel," I replied. 
 
 "Do tell us," said his daughter, as she rose from 
 her seat, and put her arms coaxingly round her father's 
 neck. " Do tell us like a real, good, kind, old-fashioned 
 parent." 
 
 The Colonel passed his hand lovingly over his 
 daughter's sunny hair. 
 
 " Sutgrove and Mannering don't want to hear about 
 an old fellow's silly dreams," he said. " Besides, it was 
 all about the Motor Pirate, and I can see that Sutgrove 
 for one is quite sick of the subject." 
 
 I was, and I wasn't, but I speedily declared that 
 I was not when I saw that his daughter was bent upon 
 hearing the story. So he started upon a prosy description 
 as to how the fresh air had sent him to sleep, not saying 
 a word about the port, and I ceased to listen to him, 
 preferring to devote the whole of my attention to his 
 daughter, who had seated herself upon a footstool at 
 his feet, and was looking up into his face with a pretty 
 affectionate glance in her deep blue eyes, enough to 
 set any one longing to be the recipient of similar regard. 
 Her form, attitude, expression, all made so deep an 
 impression upon me, that I have only to close my eyes
 
 THE COLONEL DREAMS 55 
 
 at any time to see her just as she was then the little 
 witch ! She knew full well how to make the most 
 of her attractions, and though she has often declared 
 since to me that the pose was quite unpremeditated, 
 I could never quite believe her. 
 
 However that may be, I was so fascinated in watch- 
 ing her there was one stray curl which lay like a 
 strand of woven gold upon her brow. Confound it ! 
 It's all very well for the fellow who writes fiction for 
 a living to write about people's emotions. He is cold 
 himself. If he were like me, and wished to describe 
 his own feelings, he might find himself in the same 
 difficulty as myself, and give up the attempt. 
 
 The Colonel's voice droned on. Suddenly I awoke 
 to the consciousness that he was speaking of me. I think 
 it was the fact of his daughter looking at me which 
 recalled me to attention. 
 
 " Sutgrove had just looked back to see if I was 
 comfortable, when he saw another car on the road behind 
 us. We had not long passed through Radlett. You 
 know the straight stretch of road just past the new 
 Dutch barn on the left " 
 
 My attention did not wander any more, and you 
 may imagine my astonishment at hearing the Colonel 
 describe in minute detail everything which had befallen 
 us upon the previous evening. He could tell a story 
 when he liked, and on this occasion his description of 
 the shamefaced manner in which Winter had scrambled 
 out of his car, and had handed over his valuables to the
 
 56 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Motor Pirate, was so ludicrous that I was compelled to 
 laugh at the description. When my turn came to be 
 described, Miss Maitland and Mannering were just as 
 much amused, but I am afraid that my attempt to par- 
 ticipate in their mirth was rather forced. 
 
 When the story was done, Miss Maitland rose from 
 her seat at her father's feet, and, putting a hand on each 
 of his shoulders 
 
 " You dear, delightful old fibber 1 " she remarked. 
 " I don't believe you dreamed that at all. You couldn't." 
 Then she wheeled round on me. " Now tell me, Mr. 
 Sutgrove, didn't that dream of father's really happen to 
 you last night ? " 
 
 What course was open to me but confession ? I 
 admitted the truth of the story, and the Colonel was so 
 choked with merriment, that I feared lest he should be 
 stricken with apoplexy. 
 
 "The cream of the joke," he explained, when he 
 recovered his powers of speech, " was that neither Winter 
 nor Sutgrove had the slightest idea that I was foxing. 
 I intended to inform them directly we were clear of 
 the Pirate ; but when I heard them discussing the matter, 
 and determining to keep silence out of tenderness for 
 my reputation, I could not resist keeping up the joke." 
 
 "I should think it was their own reputations they 
 were thinking about," said his daughter. "To submit 
 so tamely to one man is not a very heroic proceeding." 
 
 I heard Mannering chuckle, and I felt mad. But 
 I fancy it was not Mannering's amusement, but my
 
 THE COLONEL DREAMS 57 
 
 own consciousness of the truth of the criticism that 
 galled. 
 
 Colonel Maitland came to my rescue. **I thought 
 they were very sensible," he said. " Even a cripple with 
 a gun is better than six sound Tommies unarmed." 
 
 " Sensible yes," she replied scornfully. " But there 
 are times when one prefers a little less sense, and a little 
 more shall v say action. I am sure you would not 
 have obeyeti so tamely ? " she continued, turning to 
 Mannering. 
 
 He smiled, and I felt as if it would give me exquisite 
 pleasure to catch him by the throat, and twist the smile 
 out of his dark, handsome face. 
 
 "Really, Miss Maitland," he replied, "you flatter 
 me. You should not be too hard on Sutgrove. I am 
 sure that it was only the full comprehension of his own 
 helplessness which prevented him making a fight of it. 
 What could he have done ? " 
 
 " Oh, a man should always know what to do ! " she 
 answered petulantly. a Has any one ever tried to hold 
 you up ? " 
 
 " Well, yes," he answered. ** Once when I was 
 out in the west of the States, some of the regulation 
 bands tried the game on a train in which I was travelling. 
 But then,, you see, the conductor in the railway-car in 
 which I happened to be seated had a six-shooter. So 
 had I. The other passengers got as near the floor as 
 they possibly could when the shooting began. I was 
 in pretty good practice in those days, don't you know,
 
 58 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 so the other chaps didn't get much of a look in. We 
 took the four they left behind them when they bolted 
 on to the next station with us. Three of them were 
 buried there, if I remember aright." 
 
 " There," said Miss Maitland, with an unmistakable 
 look of admiration in her eyes ; "I knew you were 
 different." 
 
 " But then I was armed. If I had not been, I should 
 have been on the floor with the other passengers." 
 
 In reply she merely gave him one glance. Mannering 
 returned it with one equally eloquent. I rose, and stalked 
 to the window. To me Mannering's championship 
 was an aggravation which I could not bear. Harder 
 still was it for me to observe the understanding which 
 obviously existed between him and Miss Maitland. 
 Hitherto I had imagined that I had as good a chance 
 of winning her love as he had. But at this moment 
 I felt that my hopes had been shattered. 
 
 I think if I had remained a moment longer in the 
 room, I should have been unable to restrain an impulse 
 to knock some of the self-sufficiency out of my rival. 
 Heft. 
 
 Colonel Maitland followed me out, and I heard him 
 ask me to dine with him on the following day to wipe 
 off the score he owed me. 
 
 Without thinking, I accepted. Then I went out 
 into the rain.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 I AM ARRESTED 
 
 As I went away from the Maitlands* house 1 looked 
 neither to the right hand nor to the left. Where I went, 
 whether I trudged along the high road or tramped across 
 country, I have not to-day the slightest idea. I was so 
 enveloped in my own misery, that I was absolutely blind 
 to all external objects. I could think of nothing but my 
 dead hopes. So onward I went, stumbling and splashing 
 through the mud, cursing Mannering, cursing the Motor 
 Pirate, above all cursing myself for my own pusillanimity. 
 Why had I listened to Winter ? Why should I have 
 allowed myself to be persuaded to play the part of coward, 
 merely that Winter's car should have been saved from 
 injury ? 
 
 For a long while my thoughts were as aimless as 
 my progress, but gradually out of the incoherence one 
 idea crystallized. It was not an idea to be proud of. 
 My bitterness of heart produced the natural result, that 
 was all a burning desire to be revenged upon some- 
 body. I contemplated revenging myself upon everybody 
 who had anything to do with my discomfiture, upon 
 
 59
 
 60 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Mannering, upon Colonel Maitland, upon the Motor 
 Pirate. Finally my choice settled upon the person of the 
 Pirate as the most suitable object ; for, next to myself, he 
 was primarily responsible for my having made so con- 
 temptible a figure. 
 
 Of course the decision was absurd. Decisions that 
 are the outcome of any strong emotion usually are. But 
 it fulfilled a useful purpose. It gave my mind something 
 else to feed upon than contemplation of my own 
 unhappiness. It brought me to myself. 
 
 To-day I can laugh when I recall the childishness 
 of my actions, the outcome of the unreasoned prompt- 
 ings of my puerile jealousy. For when I came to the 
 conclusion to avenge my sufferings upon the Motor 
 Pirate, I suddenly became aware that it was pitch dark ; 
 that I was in the middle of a field ; that I was soaked to 
 the skin ; that the rain was still falling heavily ; and 
 that I had not the slightest idea where I was. However, 
 I added one more to the acts of folly I committed that 
 day : I solemnly held up my hands to the dripping 
 heavens and registered my vow of revenge. Then I 
 pushed on again, but with my physical faculties on the 
 alert to discover where I was. 
 
 I began, too, to feel the discomfort of my position, 
 and became sensible ot a sneaking wish to be before a 
 comfortable fire. I crossed two or three fields, and 
 eventually coming to a road I followed it, and, after 
 paddling through the mud half a mile further, I struck 
 a village, and in the village an inn.
 
 I AM ARRESTED 61 
 
 When I opened the door and walked into the cheer- 
 ful lamplight of the bar-parlour, the half-dozen occupants 
 of the cosy little room stared at me with astonishment. 
 Well they might. I caught a glimpse of my reflection 
 in the glass behind the bottles if you have ever seen a 
 corpse fished up by the drags from a river bed, you will 
 be able to form some idea of the appearance I presented 
 so that I did not resent their stare. In fact, I was 
 not in a condition to be able to pay much attention to 
 the curious glances of the villagers. The warmth of 
 the room together with the sudden cessation of exertion 
 were for the moment too much for me, and it was as 
 much as I could do to stagger to the nearest chair. 
 
 Fortunately the landlord was a man with some 
 modicum of common sense. I am quite sure that 1 
 should have been unceremoniously ejected from nine 
 public houses out of ten. But mine host of the White 
 Horse I learned afterwards that he had been whip to 
 a well-known hunt in the West country was able to 
 distinguish between fatigue and drunkenness, and he 
 came at once to my assistance. I heard him speak to 
 me, but I was totally unable to respond. For a while 
 indeed I must have verged upon unconsciousness, for the 
 next thing of which I became aware was of a glass at 
 my lips containing something sweet and strong. 
 
 I sipped. Then I drank. My consciousness re- 
 turned. In a couple of minutes I could sit upright. 
 The landlord was beaming at me with benevolent 
 interest.
 
 62 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 "Take another sup, sir," he said. "There's nothing 
 like maraschino and gin when one is a bit overwrought. 
 I've known many a gentleman in my part of the 
 country who would take nothing else, after a hard day 
 to hounds, to brace him up for those long ten miles 
 home." 
 
 I took another sup, and a good one. Then my 
 powers of speech returning, I asked where I was. I 
 found I had not wandered nearly so far as I expected. 
 I was barely six miles from my home at King's 
 Langley ; but this fact was no criterion of the distance 
 I must have traversed in my mad frenzy, for I saw by 
 the clock that the hour was ten. It was about five when 
 I left Colonel Maitland's house, so that I had been 
 pressing onward for five hours in as wild a night as 
 any on which I have ever been abroad. 
 
 I leaned back in my chair with the object of resting 
 a few minutes before starting homewards. But, whether 
 owing to the spirit I had swallowed, or to the heavy 
 exertion I had undergone, or merely because of my in- 
 tense mental fatigue, I felt drowsiness overcoming me so 
 rapidly that I perceived it would never do for me to give 
 way to it. Pulling myself together I rose to my feet, at 
 the same time thrusting my hand into my pocket for 
 the money to pay for my drink. The mere act of 
 rising, however, was almost too much for me. My 
 body felt as stiff as if I had been beaten all over. Only 
 to move was absolute physical pain. I looked at the 
 landlord.
 
 I AM ARRESTED 63 
 
 ** I'm afraid I am more knocked up than I thought. 
 Can you manage a hot hath and a bed for me to-night ? " 
 I asked. 
 
 He glanced at me curiously, and, after a moment's 
 consideration, he replied 
 
 u I'll see what the missus'll say." 
 
 Luckily " the missus " said " Yes," so ten minutes 
 later I was sluicing hot water over my aching limbs with 
 a stable sponge in the bath which, I suspect, did duty on 
 ordinary occasions for the family washing. Whatever it 
 was, it did excellently well for my purpose. Gradually 
 a delicious feeling of relaxation stole over me. I tumbled 
 between the sheets and was asleep even before my host 
 entered my room to take away my soaked clothing to be 
 dried. 
 
 My sleep might have lasted one second* In point of 
 fact I slept until nine o'clock the next morning, and 
 should have continued to sleep if I had not felt a hand 
 on my arm shaking me, and heard a voice bidding me 
 arise. Fancying I was at home, and that my man was 
 calling me, I said, " All right, Wilson," and turned over 
 for another snooze. 
 
 " Now then, get up out of that ! " said the voice. 
 ** None of your shamming 1 We are not to be put off 
 that way." 
 
 It was not Wilson's voice. Wondering what was 
 happening, I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes sleepily. 
 
 " What the deuce I " I began. Then I stopped 
 
 suddenly. A couple of constables in uniform stood at
 
 64 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 the bedside, and I gathered that it was the voice of the 
 sergeant which had so rudely disturbed my slumbers. 
 
 u What do you want ? " I demanded. 
 
 ** You know well enough," replied the sergeant. 
 " You make haste and dress yourself and come along 
 with us." 
 
 I thought my senses had deserted me. 
 
 " What in the name of good fortune for ? ** I 
 asked. 
 
 "You're not going to kid us, my good feller," he 
 answered. Adding facetiously, " If we puts a name to it 
 and calls it piracy on the 'igh road, I wonder what you'll 
 'ave to say to it, remembering, of course, that anything 
 you do say will be taken down and used in evidence 
 against you." 
 
 Then all that had happened flashed across my mind ; 
 my strange appearance and arrival at the inn ; my 
 peculiar manner ; my possession of plenty of money ; 
 the curious glances of the village folk ; the fact that 
 somewhere in the vicinity the Motor Pirate had last 
 been seen. Under the circumstances, nothing could 
 be more likely than that the bucolic intelligence should 
 jump to the conclusion that I was the famous criminal. 
 To me, however, the idea seemed so absurd that I fell 
 into hearty laughter. My merriment seemed to annoy 
 the sergeant, for he declared crossly that if I did not 
 dress quickly, he would find himself under the necessity 
 of taking me away as I was. 
 
 I thought it expedient to temporize, and as a result
 
 I AM ARRESTED 65 
 
 of a Htdc diplomacy, in which one of the coins from my 
 pocket found another resting-place, I obtained permission 
 to breakfast before I left. 
 
 I made a hearty meal, the landlord attending upon 
 my wants. I was glad to see that he, at least, had no 
 hand in thrusting upon me the indignity of being 
 arrested. He explained as much, telling my captors the^ 
 were making idiots of themselves. As he seemed trust- 
 worthy, I gave him Winter's address, with instructions 
 to wire to him, telling him of my predicament, and 
 asking him to come to my assistance. 
 
 Necessarily I gave the instructions in the presence of 
 the policemen, and directly I had done sol could see that 
 their cocksureness was shaken. They became more polite 
 in their attitude, and the sergeant took the trouble to ex- 
 plain that he was acting under instructions, and had no 
 option but to insist upon my accompanying him to 
 Watford. 
 
 Into Watford I went accordingly. I am not going to 
 dwell in any detail upon the incidents of the journey ; 1 
 am naturally of a retiring disposition, and every circum- 
 stance attending my progress was in the nature of an out- 
 rage upon my diffidence. For instance, upon my departure 
 from the inn, the whole of the population from King's 
 Langley, so far as I could judge, had gathered about the 
 door of the White Horse to give me a send-off. The 
 crowd was in no sense a hostile one. The majority of its 
 component parts, especially the more youthful units, 
 teemed indeed to view me with admiration not unmixed
 
 66 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 with envy. Only one yokel expressed disbelief in my 
 identity. 
 
 ** Ee ain't no pirut," he declared with unconcealed 
 disdain, as he spat into the gutter. " Anybody can see he's 
 only a toff." 
 
 I scarcely knew whether to be pleased with his con- 
 clusion or angry that he should find my personal appear- 
 ance so unimpressive ; and before I could make up my 
 mind on the subject, I was seated in the trap provided for 
 us and driven away seated between the two constables. 
 
 Our entry into Watford was still more in the nature 
 of a triumph. Long before we reached the county police 
 office I was wild enough, at being made such an exhibition 
 of, to have given ten years of my life for the chance of 
 punching the head of any one of the throng of gaping on- 
 lookers. Then, as a culminating blow to my pride, who 
 should we meet at a point in the High Street where it 
 was impossible to avoid recognition, but my rival Manner- 
 ing in his trumpery old motor-car, accompanied by above 
 all persons in the world, the one I least desired to tec 
 Miss Maitland. 
 
 I ground my teeth with rage, and as I alighted and 
 followed the sergeant into the police station, I wished that 
 I were the Motor Pirate in reality. 
 
 When I reached the presence of the officer in charge 
 of the station I just managed to control my temper, though 
 I fancy there must have been traces of my rage still visible 
 in my voice as I demanded to know why a peaceable 
 citizen should be subjected to such ignominy.
 
 I AM ARRESTED 67 
 
 The inspector in reply merely asked me for mjr name 
 and address. 
 
 Before meeting Miss Maitland I had cherished the 
 hope that my identity would not be disclosed, but now 
 I had no further reason for desiring to conceal it, I gave 
 both at once. 
 
 The inspector quietly made a note of them, while 
 another man in plain clothes, who was standing gazing 
 out of the window, suddenly turned on me with the 
 inquiry 
 
 " How comes it, Mr. Sutgrove, that living at St. 
 Albans you should choose to spend the night at a little inn 
 at King's Langley ? " 
 
 ** I suppose I am at liberty to sleep where I like ? " I 
 retorted. 
 
 " Perfectly so," replied the stranger. ** You will have 
 no difficulty, I presume, in proving your identity ? " 
 
 " Not the slightest,*' I said. " In fact I have already 
 wired to a friend of mine Mr. Winter, of Hailscombe, 
 St. Albans to come here for the purpose." 
 
 '* I know Mr. Winter very well," said the inspector. 
 
 The stranger looked at me keenly, and when his 
 scrutiny was completed he fell to whistling a bar of 
 Chopin's Marche Funtbrt. Then he turned to his col- 
 league in uniform. 
 
 " It's no go," he said. " This is not our man." 
 Again he turned to me. '* I am Inspector Forrest of 
 Scotland Yard, detailed for special duty in connection with 
 this Motor Pirate affair. Unfortunately I did not reach
 
 68 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Watford until after arrangements had been made to bring 
 
 you here, or I hope you will not take it amiss if 
 
 we detain you until Mr. Winter's arrival." 
 
 This gave me the opening I had been wishing for, and 
 I took it. I said a lot more than I can recall now, though 
 I can remember a good deal. Most of it was to the effect 
 that I would make somebody pay dearly for the annoy- 
 ance to which I had been subjected. 
 
 Inspector Forrest listened patiently to me until I had 
 finished. 
 
 " Come, come, Mr. Sutgrove ! " he said then. " You 
 must not bear any malice. Surely you must admit that 
 appearances were not altogether in your favour," and he 
 detailed to me the information which had led to my 
 arrest. " You see," he said in conclusion, " that practi- 
 cally we had no option in the matter." 
 
 I dissented from his view. He said a word to the 
 inspector in uniform, who left us alone in the room. 
 Then he came close to me and remarked in a confidential 
 tone. 
 
 " The fact is, our friend, who has just left us, has 
 been too precipitate. You can make things exceedingly 
 unpleasant for him if you like ; but frankly, is it worth 
 while ? Think it over a little, bearing in mind that if we 
 are to get hold of the Motor Pirate, we must take the 
 chance of capturing the wrong man, since there is no 
 description of him obtainable. You will not be the only 
 one, I'll swear." 
 
 Since I had relieved my mind I felt better. Besides
 
 
 I AM ARRESTED 69 
 
 I was rather attracted by the personality of the man who 
 was speaking to me. He did not at all fulfil my idea of 
 a detective. He was a tall, slight, stiffly built man, 
 with a pleasant open face and an agreeable manner. I 
 saw, too, that I had only my own folly to blame for the 
 predicament in which I now found myself. 
 
 In another ten minutes he was smoking one of my 
 cigars and we were chatting confidentially. Before 
 twenty had elapsed, I had confided to him not only Win- 
 ter's and my own experience with the Motor Pirate, but 
 also the chain of events which had led to my spending the 
 night at the inn. He was exceedingly sympathetic and 
 quite grave throughout, though he appeared more in- 
 terested in the encounter with the Pirate than in the 
 account of my mental tortures. However, when I told 
 him of my vow, he brightened up and asked me if I was 
 still determined to keep it. 
 
 I had just assured him that I would willingly spend 
 the rest of my life in the quest, when the other inspector 
 entered the room and with him Winter. The latter came 
 straight across to me and held out his hand, and never in 
 my life was I so glad to see his honest face and beaming 
 smile. 
 
 " What have you been up to now, Sutgrove ? ** he 
 remarked. "Not emulating the deeds of the Motor 
 Pirate?" 
 
 ** The police have somehow arrived at the conclusion 
 that I am that distinguished person himself," I replied 
 ruefully.
 
 70 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 He roared with laughter. It was infectious. There 
 was no help for it. The two inspectors joined in the 
 merriment, and the last of 017 anger was borne away on 
 the flood. 
 
 There was of course no question of my further deten- 
 tion. In a few minutes I was seated beside Winter in his 
 car, and we were making the mud fly as we dashed 
 towards St. Albans. 
 
 Inspector Forrest accompanied us. I had promised to 
 find him some lunch if he would do so, and to drive him 
 back afterwards, and he was glad of the opportunity of 
 obtaining from us such particulars as we could furnish 
 him with concerning the person of whom he was in 
 search,
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 "THE telegraph," said Inspector Forrest, sentcntiously 
 " is even more speedy than the Motor Pirate." 
 
 "Unless you want to send a message from Regent 
 Street to the City," I remarked ; ** in which case one 
 would save time by employing a sloth as messenger." 
 
 The inspector waved aside the objection as frivolous. 
 He occupied an easy chair opposite me ; he was smoking 
 one of my best cigars with every sign of active enjoy- 
 ment ; he sipped his glass of claret he rarely touched 
 anything stronger, he informed me with the air of a 
 connoisseur. 
 
 **We shall beat him with the telegraph," said he. 
 ** Clearly he has one retreat where he can put up his car 
 in safety. Probably he has more than one. It is not 
 impossible for him to have several. There might even 
 be a number of Motor Pirates, members of the same 
 gang, but selecting different parts of the country upon 
 which to prey. The telegraph will soon settle these 
 points for us. When next he makes his appearance we 
 shall be able to keep watch upon him, to note, if not the
 
 72 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 exact spot, at least in what part of the country he makes 
 his appearance. Even if it should be found impossible 
 to arrest him in his progress, he is bound to leave some 
 traces behind him which will enable us to get upon 
 his track." 
 
 " He does not seem to have left many behind him 
 at present," I replied. 
 
 " No," said the inspector thoughtfully, as he rose and 
 examined the map spread out upon the table. " Yet 
 there are certainly grounds for believing that he has gone 
 to earth somewhere in this neighbourhood. The Hert- 
 fordshire police may have been nearer the mark than you 
 thought when they arrested you." 
 
 " You don't mean to say that you still suspect me ? *' 
 I cried. 
 
 "Not for one instant," he answered promptly. 
 ** The meaning I meant to convey was that, quite un- 
 known to you, the Motor Pirate may very well be your 
 near neighbour. I suppose there is no one residing 
 near 'whom you would consider a likely object of 
 suspicion ? ' 
 
 There flashed across my mind the strange similarity 
 between Mannering*s voice and the Motor Pirate's. 
 But the notion was so absurd I was ashamed to mention 
 it. I assured the inspector I knew of no one. 
 
 " At all events, my belief is strong enough to keep 
 me in this district until I hear something further," he 
 declared, as he finished the contents of his glass and 
 glanced at his watch.
 
 INSPECTOR FORREST 73 
 
 Just then I caught sight of Mannering coming up 
 che path through the garden towards my front door. 
 
 w You had better stay a little longer," I said to the 
 inspector. " Here is another man corning who may be 
 able to give you some more details of the Pirate. He 
 has seen him, and as he has been a longer resident here 
 than myself, he may be able to tell you more about the 
 people round than I can.*' 
 
 " A motorist ? " he asked. 
 
 " Yes, named Mannering," I replied. " He is the 
 man I told you about, whom I consider to be my rival, 
 you know." 
 
 The inspector's eyes twinkled. " I shouldn't let him' 
 drive me into any more adventures like last night's, 
 Mr. Sutgrove," he advised. " If you were ten years older 
 my age, you know you wouldn't need the warning, 
 A bout of rheumatic fever would be small consolation 
 for the loss of the lady." 
 
 I could not reply, for at that moment Mannering 
 entered. 
 
 " Glad to see you home again, Sutgrove," he said 
 heartily. " I'm not the only one either. Miss Maitland 
 asked me to call, for after seeing you in such bad 
 
 company this morning Hullo ! I beg your pardon, 
 
 I thought you were alone." He stopped suddenly on 
 catching sight of Inspector Forrest. 
 
 I introduced my guest and Mannering acknowledged 
 the introduction easily. 
 
 ** Inspector Forrest will assure you that I have only
 
 74 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 been unfortunate enough to have been the object of our 
 local constabulary's misplaced zeal. They took me for 
 our mutual friend the Motor Pirate." 
 
 " Did they though ? What an almighty spoof 1 " 
 said Mannering. " First time I ever heard of a man 
 being run in for robbing himself on the high-road. 
 Beats Gilbert ! " 
 
 " Mr. Sutgrove did not see the point of the joke at 
 first," said the inspector. I saw that as he spoke he was 
 taking note of Mannering in much the same way as he 
 had taken stock of me at the police office. 
 
 Mannering appeared to be quite unconscious of his 
 regard, for he replied 
 
 " Don't suppose I should have relished such a mistake 
 myself. Anyway," he continued, turning to me, " you 
 have the consolation of knowing that you are not the 
 only victim of police enterprise. I see from the papers 
 quite half a dozen motor pirates have been run in. 
 They may have the real one amongst them ; but as his 
 car has so far escaped capture, I doubt it." 
 
 "So do I," I remarked. "And for the additional 
 reason that I have a sort of presentiment that when his 
 capture is brought about, I am going to have a hand in it." 
 
 " What do you say to that, Inspector ? " he answered. 
 " Are you going to leave the job to amateurs ? " 
 
 **I never said *no* to the offer of assistance in 
 running down a criminal," was the reply. 
 
 "I have sworn," I remarked obstinately, "that I 
 will not rest until he is safe under lock and key."
 
 INSPECTOR FORREST 75 
 
 " You had better be prepared," answered Mannering. 
 " I should judge him to be a bit of a fighter." 
 
 ** Next time I meet him, I'll take all risks to come 
 to close quarters," I continued. 
 
 "You haven't a car to do a hundred miles an hour, 
 have you f " he said in a bantering voice. 
 
 " My plan is a simple one. I merely propose to go 
 out for night rides until he finds me," I said. 
 
 "I had some thoughts of amusing myself in the 
 same way," he answered. "But, judging from your 
 experience this morning, the only thing likely to happen 
 is being arrested on suspicion.** 
 
 " I'll take my chance of that," I said. " But before 
 discussing the matter, perhaps you could tell Inspector 
 Forrest whether there's any spot in this neighbourhood 
 likely to serve as a hiding-place for the Pirate's car ? " 
 
 A smile lit up Mannering's face. " There's the old 
 coach-house at the bottom of the paddock next to my 
 cottage. It has a door opening on to the main road. 
 There would be room, too, in my stables, if I had not 
 fitted them up as workshops for my tyre experiments." 
 
 " Stop rotting," I said, " the inspector really means it." 
 
 He became grave instantly. " Sorry I can't suggest 
 a likely spot," he said, and then for a few minutes he 
 answered the questions the detective put to him as to 
 what he had seen of the Pirate. 
 
 He could give little information of any value, and 
 when Inspector Forrest had elicited all that he could, he 
 thanked Mannering and rose to depart. I accompanied
 
 7 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 him o the garden gate. He appeared a little loth to leave 
 me. Twice he turned away and returned to make some 
 objet iless remark to me. The third time he blurted out 
 
 " About that suggestion of yours taking night rides 
 on th chance of being held up M 
 
 " Yes ? " I said and waited. 
 
 " I wish I had a good fast car at my disposal," he con- 
 tinue] earnestly ; " but the Yard would never run to it." 
 
 I felt a pleasant thrill run through me. It would be 
 good to have his companionship and assistance in work- 
 ing out my self-imposed vow. 
 
 " If you can make use of it, I will see that the best cat 
 money can buy is placed at your disposal," I replied eagerly. 
 
 He took my hand and shook it warmly. "I'll see 
 what my chief says," he replied. "When can I sec 
 you again ? " 
 
 "I shall be leaving here at eight and returning well 
 between ten and eleven." 
 
 " Expect me about midnight," he said, and without 
 another word or backward glance he stepped out in the 
 direction of St. Albans. 
 
 I returned to Mannering, who did not, however, 
 favour me with a very lengthy visit. Possibly he found 
 my manner rather cool, but the fact was, that try as 
 I would to curb my feelings, I could not but resent 
 something of an air of proprietorship which I thought 
 appeared in his tone when referring to Miss Maitland. 
 
 When he had departed, I got out all the catalogue:; 
 of motor-cars I could lay my hands upon, and studied
 
 INSPECTOR FORREST 77 
 
 them until it was time to dress for dinner. Several 
 times I thought of breaking the appointment, for I knew 
 I should have to give some explanation of my arrest, 
 and how to do so without appearing an egregious ass 
 I did not know. Finally I determined, if the opportunity 
 were afforded me, to tell the exact truth, at least to the 
 only person whose opinion I cared about. 
 
 I was glad afterwards that I had not sent my excuses, 
 for I was lucky enough to find Miss Maitland alone 
 in the drawing-room when I arrived. It seemed, too, 
 as if she had determined to make amends for the mental 
 torture she had unwittingly caused me the previous 
 evening. So it happened that when she questioned me 
 as to how I managed to get into such a predicament, 
 I told her as clearly as I could of the state of my feelings. 
 It was a blundering, halting statement I made, of that 
 I am certain, and before I had completed it Colonel 
 Maitland's entry closed my mouth. But I think she 
 understood, for there was a little flush on her cheek 
 when we went into dinner which had not been there 
 when I greeted her, and a pretty air of seriousness in 
 the glances she bestowed upon me, which I had never 
 noticed before. 
 
 As far as the Colonel was concerned, he did not 
 worry me for any explanations. He was bent on 
 enlarging my knowledge of gastronomy, and having a 
 new cook, he was much too deeply interested in the 
 menu to spare any thoughts for my erratic movements. 
 I am afraid, though, his teaching was wasted on me ; for
 
 78 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 while I managed to reply to his conversation, I had not 
 the slightest idea what I was eating. My principal 
 longing was to get the meal over in order that I might 
 finish the conversation which had opened so auspiciously. 
 The opportunity was not afforded me on that occasion, 
 however, but the evening did not pass without my 
 obtaining a glimmering of hope. 
 
 When Miss Maitland rose I asked her, in a voice 
 which was low enough not to reach her father's ear, 
 whether she would answer me one question. 
 
 " What is it ? " she said, and her face flushed a little 
 as she came to the door. 
 
 " Is there any one else ? " I asked, my hand on the knob. 
 
 ** What right have you to ask ? " she answered. 
 
 " No right, I only ask it of your mercy," I replied. 
 
 She hesitated, then with flushed cheeks and a soft 
 whispered " No one," she escaped through the door. 
 
 Over the port I took my new-found courage in both 
 hands, and asked the Colonel's consent to my suit. I 
 gained it. He even expressed the hope that I should 
 succeed, but he warned me at the same time that I must 
 not depend upon him for any assistance. He declared 
 himself to be clay in the hands of his daughter. 
 
 "Evie always had her own way from the cradle," 
 he declared, "and always will have her own way. If 
 I were to say that I thought you would make her a good 
 husband, I'm not sure whether she would not consider 
 it 9, sufficient excuse to accept Mannering straight away. 
 Personally I should much prefer you, but there's no
 
 INSPECTOR FORREST 79 
 
 counting on a woman's tastes, either in men or wines. 
 And Evie is a perfect woman, God bless her I " 
 
 I drained my glass to the toast and made an excuse 
 to get away to the drawing-room. But I did not see 
 her alone again that evening. Winter and his wife had 
 walked over. Mannering did not put in an appearance, 
 and his absence was something to be thankful for ; and when 
 I held her hand in mine as I bade her good night, I said 
 
 " You have told me there is no one else. Is there 
 any hope for me ? " 
 
 She made no pretence of misunderstanding my mean- 
 ing. She looked at me saucily, her lips parted lightly, 
 her eyes brimming with laughter. 
 
 **Come and ask me when when you have caught 
 the Motor Pirate," she said, and with that answer I was 
 fain to be content. 
 
 Thus it happened that I found myself fully committed 
 to the work which was at that time engaging the 
 attention of the whole of the police throughout the land. 
 I welcomed the task. Luck might be on my side, 
 especially if my new friend the detective inspector's 
 assistance proved to be available. 
 
 And as regards assurance on this point, I had not long 
 to wait before my mind was at ease. I found him 
 awaiting me at my garden gate when I returned home. 
 I invited him in so eagerly that he smiled. 
 
 " There's no need to ask if you are still as keen on 
 this job as you were this afternoon," he said, as he 
 entered my snuggery.
 
 8o THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 " Keener than ever," .1 asseverated. 
 
 ** Then I hope between us we may be successful in 
 running our man to ground." 
 
 " Have you heard anything further ? " I inquired, 
 anxiously. 
 
 "Nothing of the slightest value. A number of 
 people have been through our hands, but of the Pirate 
 not a sign." 
 
 "Perhaps we shall get a clue in the morning," I 
 hazarded. 
 
 " At present," he declared, " there's not a shred of 
 a due to work upon. Of course at any moment 
 information may come to hand. He may endeavour 
 to dispose of some of his plunder, or he may reappear, but 
 until then " 
 
 " What do you suggest ? " I asked. 
 
 **I shall stay and thoroughly explore this district 
 until I hear something further," he answered. 
 
 ** I am thinking of going into town in the morning, 
 to see if a more powerful car than the one I possess at 
 present is to be obtained," I told him later. "I am 
 hoping to get one capable of doing fifty or even sixty 
 miles an hour at a pinch, so as to be prepared for 
 emergencies. Meanwhile, if you like to make this house 
 your headquarters, I shall be delighted to put you up." 
 
 "Do you really mean that, Mr. Sutgrove ?" he asked, 
 
 " Of course I do," I replied. 
 
 He hesitated a moment, then he accepted my in- 
 vkation. Luck was on my side after all.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 MURDER 
 
 I LEARNED to know Inspector Forrest very well during 
 the next fortnight, better perhaps, since during that time 
 the Motor Pirate gave absolxitely no sign of existence. 
 It seemed as if, contented with the sensation he had 
 created and the plunder he had secured, he had retired 
 into the obscurity from which he originally emerged. 
 
 For two reasons I was not sorry for this interval. 
 In the first place, I found I could not get immediately 
 the type of car I wanted. Manufacturers and agents 
 were willing enough to book orders, but none of them 
 had in stock the high-speed automobile such as I re- 
 quired. Only after a long day's hunt did I discover an 
 agent who thought that he could obtain for me a 6<V 
 h.p. Mercedes, and then it would have to be sent from 
 Paris. At my suggestion, he telephoned through an 
 order that the car should be despatched to him at once ; 
 but two or three days elapsed before its arrival in 
 London, and then there were certain alterations which 
 I required to be made which took a week to complete. 
 I was glad, therefore, that my enemy did not make a 
 
 Si a
 
 82 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 reappearance until I was provided for him. When the 
 new Mercedes was delivered to me I was delighted 
 with it, especially when I found on cay return from 
 the trial run the engines worked as smoothly as when 
 I started. 
 
 The other reason why I did not regret the Pirate's 
 quiescence was because of the opportunity afforded me 
 of cementing the friendship which had grown up be- 
 tween myself and the detective. It became a very 
 real and warm friendship during those long idle days. 
 He upset all my preconceived notions of the police, at 
 least as regards the detective portion of the force, he 
 was such an all-round man. He had not allowed his 
 undoubted powers of observation to be entirely con- 
 centrated upon the seamy side of his profession. Judg- 
 ing from his conversation, I gathered that he knew quite 
 as much about modern French literature as he did 
 about French criminals, and of the latter his knowledge 
 was both extensive and interesting. I remember on 
 one occasion that he gave me a really acute criticism 
 of the Verlain school, with special relation to the effects 
 of decadent literature on national life. But that is 
 only one example of his scope. Wherever he had been 
 and whatever he had done, had apparently awakened 
 in him the desire to see all round the case he was 
 investigating, and being possessed of a well - trained 
 memory, his mind was a storehouse of curious know- 
 ledge. 
 
 Let me give one instance. One evening when we
 
 MURDER 83 
 
 were driving slowly along a bye-road in the vicinity 
 of Uxbridge, in accordance with our preconceived plan 
 the Mercddes had not then arrived, and our progress 
 was additionally slow as the roads were exceedingly 
 heavy, as rain had been falling daily ever since the 
 night I had been arrested suddenly my companion 
 said 
 
 "Do you know anything of Persian poetry, Mr. 
 Sutgrove ? " 
 
 As it happened, owing to the fact that a Sutgrove 
 had once represented his country at the Persian court, 
 I had a slight knowledge of the subject, and I said so. 
 
 " I am never out of doors on a spring evening," he 
 continued, " without wishing I had the time to acquire 
 a knowledge of it." 
 
 "Why?" I asked. 
 
 " It's this way," he replied. ** On one of my jobs 
 a show job, attendance on a distinguished visitor, 
 don't you know I was thrown a great deal into the 
 company of a Persian gentleman, and we did our best 
 to learn something of each other's languages. He taught 
 me out of Hafiz, and I picked up just enough to make 
 me wish for more. Listen to this." 
 
 He recited to me one of the shorter poems from the 
 Divan. 
 
 " Isn't that musical ? " he continued. * It seems 
 to me to have the real poetry of the spring evening 
 in it." 
 
 I agreed with him, and we were silent for a while.
 
 8 4 
 
 Later he asked me diffidently not to mention to any one 
 his penchant for Persian poetry. 
 
 " Even at the Yard," he explained, "I doubt whether 
 they would put it down to my credit." 
 
 I gave him the assurance he asked for, and from that 
 rime forth I came to look upon him as a personal friend, 
 f confided wholly to him the hopes I entertained in 
 regard to my love affair ; and he assured me that if he 
 had anything to do with it, I should also have a hand in 
 the arrest of the Pirate. 
 
 All our time was not spent, however, in pleasant 
 excursions about the country. Forrest was by no means 
 idle ; he had been busy perfecting his scheme for utilizing 
 the telegraph in notifying the Pirate's reappearance 
 when it should be made. Then he had in addition 
 thoroughly and minutely explored the whole of the 
 country round, to see if any trace of the strange visitor 
 were obtainable. His endeavours were quite fruitless, 
 but he still held to his belief that he could not be far 
 away ; and the next time the Pirate did make his appear- 
 ance he was confirmed in his opinion. 
 
 The weather had been fine for three days in succes- 
 sion, there had been a drying breeze, and the roads from 
 sloppy quagmires became in such perfect condition that 
 I was looking forward to a really good spin. But 
 Forrest had other views for the evening of the third 
 day. 
 
 " I don't think,** he remarked, as he sipped his coffee 
 after our early dinner, " we can afford to spend the
 
 MURDER 85 
 
 night ranging the highways. Business first and pleasure 
 afterwards/' 
 
 "I thought you were of opinion that our friend 
 will be tempted to make his reappearance to-night ? " I 
 remarked. 
 
 " I am," he answered ; " and therefore the best thing 
 we can do is to wait until we hear in which direction 
 he makes his reappearance. If we wait in St. AJbans 
 at the end of the telegraph wire, we shall be much more 
 likely to meet him than running about at random.*' 
 
 There was so much good sense in the suggestion that 
 I resigned myself to the inevitable waste of time, and 
 I had my reward. About eleven a message came over 
 the wire : " Motor Pirate seen near Towcester going 
 in the direction of Daventry." 
 
 " How far is Towcester ? " asked Forrest, the moment 
 he heard the message. 
 
 " Roughly, I should say forty miles," 1 answered. 
 
 " We ought to manage it within the hour, then," he 
 remarked. " Come along." 
 
 Without another word we seated ourselves in the 
 car, and with a continuous toot-toot of the horn we 
 rolled out of the town. Directly we were clear of the 
 houses, I jammed on the highest speed. I cannot say 
 that I felt quite comfortable, for though I knew the road, 
 the night was very dark, the light we threw ahead was 
 so bright as to dazzle my eyes, and hitherto I had no 
 experience of driving a 6o-h.p. motor at top speed 
 through the darkness. My companion's wng-frtid soon
 
 86 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 reassured me, however, and as soon as we were fairly 
 going, the sting of the night air as it whipped my cheeks 
 brought a sense of exhilaration which would have sufficed 
 to banish my fears had there been time to have enter- 
 tained any. But there was not. If you have ever 
 driven a speedy automobile at top speed through a dark 
 night, you will readily understand that there is little 
 opportunity for the brain to cultivate imaginary perils. 
 If you do not believe me, try it for yourself and see. 
 
 In about sixteen minutes we were at Dunstable. 
 Passing through the town slowly, Forrest got news that 
 the police were watching all the roads, but that nothing 
 had been seen there of the Pirate. Another quarter of 
 an hour brought us to Fenny Stratford. Here we wasted 
 another minute or so in obtaining similar negative inform- 
 ation. By this time I was feeling confidence in my car 
 and in my powers to manage it. Once clear of the 
 houses again, I let her rip for all she was worth ; we 
 simply flew along. With my right hand on the wheel, 
 my feet on the two pedals, I sat as tense as a fiddle string, 
 my one object to peer into the road ahead. 
 
 We had covered ten of the fifteen miles between 
 Stratford and Towcester, when I became aware of a 
 deeper blotch on the blackness ahead. With one move- 
 ment I pressed down the clutch and jammed on the 
 breaks. I was just in time. The car pulled up in its 
 own length, though it swerved to such an extent that 
 I thought we should be overturned. 
 
 There, standing still within the circle of our lights,
 
 MURDER 87 
 
 was another motor-car. It had no lamps burning, but 
 it was shivering with the vibration of its engine running 
 free. 
 
 "The Pirate!" I shouted. 
 
 " Not a bit of it," said Forrest, jumping down and 
 approaching the stranger. 
 
 I followed his example, and the first thing I observed 
 about the car was that all the lights were out, and I 
 wondered that any motorist in his senses should have 
 courted the accident which so nearly occurred. 
 
 There was one occupant of the car, and he was 
 sitting bolt upright with one hand on a lever beside him. 
 I shouted something at him angrily as I approached, but 
 he made no response. 
 
 " Hullo ! Are you asleep, sir ? " said Forrest, as he 
 put one foot on the step and grasped the silent motorist 
 by the arm. 
 
 There was no reply. I saw Forrest leave his hold 
 on the stranger, and, stepping back into the road, draw 
 his hand across his brow. 
 
 " My God 1 " he muttered. 
 
 "What is it?" I asked. 
 
 Forrest caught his breath sharply. **A piece more 
 of the Motor Pirate's work, I fancy," he said slowly ; 
 ** and this time, I think it spells murder." 
 
 For a minute I stood absolutely still. It was one of 
 the most eerie moments of my life. Above and about 
 us the black night, beside us the two cars coughing 
 and grunting as if anxious to be moving, and that silent
 
 88 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 figure sitting up erect upon his seat, utterly unconscious 
 of the two persons standing watching him with horror- 
 stricken faces. 
 
 Forrest's voice, clear, cool, incisive, brought me to 
 myself. 
 
 "One of your lamps here, Sutgrove, if you can 
 manage it." 
 
 I took a lamp from its socket, and held it while the 
 detective made a brief inspection. It took him a very 
 siiort time to assure him that his surmise was near the 
 truth. 
 
 It was murder. 
 
 Right in the centre of the forehead of the silent 
 figure was a small blue hole, so cleanly drilled that it 
 scarcely marred the features of the dead man. One 
 hand still grasped the lever, the other had dropped 
 slightly. When the light fell upon it, I perceived the 
 fingers to be tightly clasped about the butt of a revolver. 
 
 Forrest lifted the hand and glanced at the weapon. 
 " One cartridge discharged,'* he said. " Surely it cannot 
 be a case of suicide ? " 
 
 Just at that moment I caught sight of a piece of 
 paper pinned to the dead man's coat. I pointed it out to 
 Forrest. He unfolded it, glanced at it, and handed it to 
 me without a word. 
 
 It was just a half sheet of ordinary paper used for 
 typeing, and upon it was typed the following sentence 
 
 "This is the fate awaiting those who venture to 
 resist the Motor Pirate."
 
 MURDER 89 
 
 ** That would seem to settle the question as to whcthe* 
 this is a case of suicide or not," I said, handing back the 
 paper to the inspector. 
 
 " H'm ! At all events the inquest will," he replied. 
 " I'm afraid in any case this ends our pursuit for the 
 night," he continued. " I think I must ask you to run 
 on to the nearest town for assistance. Have you any idea 
 of our whereabouts ? *" 
 
 By calculating the time which had elapsed since 
 leaving Stratford with the pace at which we had been 
 travelling, I came to the conclusion we were not very 
 far from Towcester, and I suggested I had better go 
 there. 
 
 " All right ; cut along then. Revolver handy ? " 
 
 I replied in the affirmative as I mounted my car. 
 
 "Wait one moment," he called as I was starting; 
 " and bring your light on a bit." 
 
 I did as I was directed. Forrest took one of the 
 lamps and walked for five yards up the road, examining 
 carefully every inch of the roadway. At last he paused. 
 
 " Here is where the Pirate's motor stopped," he said ; 
 and, plumping down upon his knees, he examined the 
 surface carefully. Then, taking a tape from his pocket, 
 he made a series of measurements. 
 
 I inquired what he was doing. He grunted in reply. 
 When he had finished he remarked 
 
 u Nothing much to be got out of that. Judging 
 from my measurements, our friend might be driving a 
 Daimler."
 
 90 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Another thought struck him, i.ad, before starting, he 
 asked me to lend him a hand in getting the other car to 
 the side of the road, in case any one else came along and 
 fell upon the fate we had so narrowly escaped. Then 
 I was at liberty to proceed, and, getting once more into 
 my own vehicle, I let the Mercedes drive ahead. 
 
 But my nerve had gone. Every moment I fancied 
 weird shapes in the blackness before me. Every moment 
 I heard in my ears the strange humming of the Pirate. 
 Yet I dared not look round, lest I should in that instant 
 come upon him unawares in the shadows in front. 
 
 Fortunately I had no long distance to traverse. 
 Soon friendly lights broke the darkness. Slackening 
 pace, I found myself in the well-ordered streets of a little 
 town. The second person I met was a policeman, and, 
 hailing him, I bade him jump on the car and direct me 
 to the police-station. Nothing loth, he obeyed. 
 
 I have an idea that the story I told the sergeant in 
 charge was more than a little incoherent, but he under- 
 stood me sufficiently to become aware that his presence 
 was required immediately at the scene of a crime, and 
 he gave me to understand that he was ready to accom- 
 pany me forthwith. Then I remembered Forrest asking 
 me to see that the services of a medical man were ob- 
 tained, in order that he might make an examination of 
 the body before its removal, and I mentioned the matter 
 to the sergeant. He at once gave instructions to the 
 constable who had guided me to the station to knock up 
 a doctor and follow us at once with him, so there was
 
 MURDER 91 
 
 verjr little delay before I was once more driving mjr car 
 at full speed towards the scene of the tragedy. 
 
 By this time my nerve had returned. One reason 
 may have been that I had taken advantage of the slight 
 delay, occasioned by the sergeant giving instructions to 
 his subordinate, to brace myself with a stiff whisky-and- 
 soda from the small supply I carried on the car for 
 emergencies. Now, too, I had the companionship of 
 another able-bodied man on the car with me. I felt that, 
 even if the mysterious murderer were to make his appear- 
 ance, I should have a better chance of tackling him. 
 
 We were not long in reaching our destination. In 
 fact a very few minutes elapsed before we came to the 
 spot where the motor-car stood, with the rigid figure of 
 its owner still in the position I had left him. I pulled 
 up beside the derelict. 
 
 " Hallo, Forrest ! " I shouted. 
 
 There was no answer. The detective had di* 
 appeared.
 
 EXPLAINS A MYSTERIOUS OibAPPEARANCl 
 
 I SPRANG to the ground by the side of the death-car. 
 It was standing by the side of the road, just as I had left 
 it, its silent owner sitting rigidly erect, still grasping the 
 lever, and looking fixedly into the darkness. 
 
 44 Forrest ! Forrest ! " I shouted again. 
 
 All was silent as the grave. 
 
 It was very strange. He had promised to await my 
 return. 1 looked at my watch. Altogether half an 
 hour had not elapsed since my departure. Yet many 
 things might happen in half an hour with such a spirit 
 of death abroad as 1 knew to be hovering around. I 
 shivered. 
 
 The police sergeant was as much bewildered at 
 Forrest's disappearance as myself. On our way, I had 
 explained more fully the circumstances under which we 
 had discovered the crime which had been committed. 
 He knew my companion by name and reputation, and 
 he was quite at a loss to explain his absence. 
 
 I scanned the road so far as it was revealed by our 
 lights, half expecting yet dreading to see his prostrate 
 
 92
 
 EXPLAINS A DISAPPEARANCE 93 
 
 form. But there was nothing visible. Each taking a 
 lamp from my car, the sergeant and I set out to search 
 the hedges and ditches on each side of the road. We 
 did so conscientiously for a hundred yards up and down 
 the road, and on each side, but found nothing. 
 
 When we got back to the car, the sergeant said to me 
 
 " Perhaps Mr. Forrest has found a clue, and thought 
 he would waste no time in following it up." 
 
 The suggestion seemed feasible enough, but just at 
 that moment my glance fell on something at my feet 
 which put the idea to flight. Lying on the road was 
 a large button. I picked it up. I saw at once that it 
 had been torn violently away from the garment to which 
 it had been attached, for a piece of the cloth had come 
 away with it. I looked at it narrowly the cloth was 
 of the same material as the overcoat Forrest had been 
 wearing. 
 
 The button had been almost under the wheels of my 
 car, so I backed the Mercedes a few yards, and looked 
 about for further traces. In the space thus laid bare there 
 lay a lamp smashed to pieces. I picked up the frame, 
 and saw that it was one of the lamps taken from the 
 other motor. Further search only revealed another 
 button similarly attached to a shred of cloth like the 
 first one I had found. That was all. 
 
 The sergeant looked at me and I at him. One 
 thought was in both our minds, and we gave utterance 
 to it simultaneously. 
 
 "The Motor Pirate has been back again."
 
 94 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 "You must have scared him away the first time, 
 and on his return to complete the job he found the 
 inspector here, and " 
 
 The sergeant did not complete his sentence, but 
 glanced apprehensively up and down the road. 
 
 "If he has returned, I don't see what he can have 
 done with Forrest," I replied. 
 
 " Heaven knows ! " the man replied, involuntarily 
 lowering his voice. "I I begin to believe that this 
 Motor Pirate is is the Devil." 
 
 " Nonsense, man ! " I said sharply. 
 
 To tell the truth, my own nerves, in spite of the 
 whisky, were in none too firm a condition ; . and I knew 
 it would be fatal to allow myself to become infected by 
 the very obvious funk which had seized upon my com- 
 panion. I felt, however, I must be doing something 
 unless I wanted to succumb. 
 
 "Look here," I said, **you wait by the car a few 
 minutes, while I go two or three hundred yards further 
 up the road, to see if I can find any other traces." 
 
 "I I would much rather you you didn't leave 
 me," stammered the sergeant. "It's bad enough for 
 there to be only the two of us." 
 
 "Come, pull yourself together," I replied roughly. 
 " There's nothing to be afraid of." 
 
 "I don't think I can stand being left here alone," 
 repeated the sergeant. 
 
 "Very well; you had better come along with me 
 then," I replied.
 
 EXPLAINS A DISAPPEARANCE 95 
 
 He jumped into the car beside me with alacrity, and 
 I started the motor, though not until I had arranged 
 my revolver handily at my side. We went for a mile 
 at our slowest pace in the direction of Stratford, and 
 finding nothing, we returned, and covered the same 
 distance in the direction of Towccstcr, with a similar 
 result. Our progress was brought to a termination by 
 our meeting with a trap containing the doctor, who 
 was accompanied by a couple of constables. When we 
 recognized who was approaching, the change that came 
 over the demeanour of the sergeant was astonishing. 
 All his courage came back to him. He talked to me 
 quite easily as we returned to the scene of the outrage 
 with the trap keeping close behind us ; and when we 
 pulled up, he took control of the proceedings as if he 
 had never felt a moment's tremor in his life. He must 
 have observed my astonishment, for he took me aside 
 and said 
 
 **I was a bit overcome just now, sir. You won't 
 mention it before my men." 
 
 "Certainly not," I answered* "I was only one 
 degree better myself." 
 
 "That's enough to make any one feel creepy," he 
 said, jerking his thumb towards the silent figure. 
 
 We did nothing but stand about and talk in subdued 
 tones, until the doctor had completed his examination 
 of the silent figure by the light of my lamps. It did 
 not last long. 
 
 "Death was instantaneous," he said, as he stepped
 
 96 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 down from the car. " The bullet appears to have passed 
 straight along the longitudinal sinus, and, as near as I 
 can tell, he must have been dead about an hour." 
 
 "You would like to make a more extensive exami- 
 nation, I suppose, doctor ? " said the sergeant. 
 
 " If a suitable place were available," he replied. 
 
 The sergeant mentioned an inn at a village not far 
 distant, and, the doctor acquiescing, arrangements were 
 at once made for conveying the body there, the 
 sergeant and I setting out in advance to provide foi 
 its reception. 
 
 I am not going into any further detail regarding the 
 proceedings of that night. Indeed I can to-day scarcely 
 recall them. I know that I waited at the inn for a 
 long while after the melancholy cortege arrived, and that 
 I felt curiously dazed amidst all the bustle caused by 
 the arrival. I remember eventually driving the sergeant 
 back to Towcester, and making to him a long statement, 
 which he took down in writing. 
 
 By the time 1 had completed this statement day had 
 dawned. I shall never forget my impressions of that 
 early morning as I rode home alone. The birds were 
 twittering in the hedgerows, a soft white mist hung low 
 down over the meadows, all nature was so serene and 
 peaceful that it was difficult to imagine that the night 
 which had passed had been so full of horror and mystery. 
 I felt as one awakened from a dream. But on my way 
 I passed the deserted motor-car. A constable was beside 
 it, and I pulled up to speak to him.
 
 EXPLAINS A DISAPPEARANCE 97 
 
 ** Seen nothing of Inspector Forrest, I suppose ? ** I 
 asked. 
 
 " Nothing/' he replied. 
 
 I gave him good morning and got on. I made 
 similar inquiries at Fenny Stratford, and again at Dun- 
 stable, still without result. I comforted myself with the 
 thought that at St. Albans I should certainly hear news 
 of him. But no. I found the police wild with excite- 
 ment, but entirely without any information as to what 
 had become of the missing detective. 1 found, however, 
 that they did not share my forebodings as to anything 
 serious having happened to him. Their view was that 
 he had discovered some clue, and was hard upon the 
 track of the murderer. I had to give them a complete 
 history of the events of the night. But I got away at 
 last, and reached home as tired as I had ever been in 
 my life. 
 
 I took a bath as hot as I could bear it, and went 
 straight to bed. I was dead beat, and I fell asleep 
 instantly. 
 
 I awoke some time in the afternoon, and when I 
 had got the sleep out of my eyes, and the events of the 
 previous night came back to me, I felt inclined to curse 
 myself for having thought of resting. I felt certain that 
 if it had been myself who was missing, Forrest would 
 not have slept until he had discovered something con- 
 cerning my fate. I made a hasty meal while dressing, 
 and ordered my car to be brought round. Directly it 
 appeared I hurried off to St. Albans.
 
 98 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Nothing had been seen or heard there of Forrest, 
 and once more I set out upon the road I had traversed 
 the previous night. Again I rode as far as Towcester. 
 I had a chat with the sergeant of police, and found that, 
 though search parties had scoured the country round for 
 miles, no intelligence had been obtained. I made 
 arrangements to appear at the inquest on the following 
 day, and returned to St. Albans. Still no news. 
 
 I got home again about seven, sick at heart. I had 
 counted so much upon Forrest's assistance in the fulfil- 
 ment of my vow ; but that was only a secondary con- 
 sideration now. I had grown to like him so much, that 
 the idea that he had met with any mischance knocked 
 me over completely. I went into my study and threw 
 myself moodily into a chair. My man brought me in 
 some whisky, and hovered about until I told him 
 to go. 
 
 " You were going to dine at Mr. Winter's to-night, 
 *ir, with Mr. Forrest," he reminded me. 
 
 The engagement had completely passed from my 
 memory. 
 
 ** I shall be unable to go, Wilson," 1 said. 
 
 ** They haven't found Mr. Forrest, then, sir ? " said 
 the man respectfully. He was simply brimming ovet 
 with curiosity. 
 
 " No. I'm afraid we shall never see him alive again," 
 I groaned. 
 
 " Dear me ! Not so bad as that, I hope, sir," he 
 responded sympathetically, as he still lingered.
 
 EXPLAINS A DISAPPEARANCE 99 
 
 ** Not half so bad as that, Wilson," remarked a cheery 
 voice just outside the door. 
 
 My man started, and I jumped to my feet with a 
 shout of welcome. 
 
 " Forrest I Forrest I " I cried. ** Come along in, man." 
 
 " Well, if I may ? " replied Forrest's voice. 
 
 " If you may I *' I answered. " Why what 
 
 v._ ? " 
 
 tne I 
 
 My astonishment at the appearance he presented as 
 he entered the room choked my further utterance. 
 
 The man who entered was a veritable scarecrow. 
 A man with a torn coat and rent trowsers, and a battered 
 hat which barely held together upon his head. He was 
 covered from head to foot with mud. His face was dirty, 
 unshaven, disreputable. 
 
 ** Forrest ? Is it indeed you f " I could not but ask, 
 when my speech returned to me. 
 
 " I don't ask you to recognize me until I have had 
 a bath and a shave," he replied. "But when I have 
 sacrificed to Hygeia, I expect to be presentable enough 
 to dine with Mr. Winter to-night. I've been wondering 
 all day whether I should manage to get here in time. 
 Meanwhile, the least spot of whisky " 
 
 I could not express my delight at his return, and 
 unthinkingly I poured out nearly a tumbler of the neat 
 spirit, and felt almost hurt when he returned all but one 
 finger to the decanter. 
 
 "If you give me a dose like that, I shall certainly 
 be unable to accompany you," he said.
 
 xoo 
 
 I could curb my curiosity no longer. I burst out 
 with a. string of questions. 
 
 "Where have you been ? What has happened to 
 you ? Why did you disappear ? How " 
 
 He stopped me. "So that's why you gave me all 
 rhat whisky. You wanted to make me talk, eh ? '* 
 
 I laughingly disassociated myself from any such in- 
 tention, and, putting the curb on my curiosity, I turned 
 him over to Wilson to be valeted out of the semblance 
 to a tramp. 
 
 The process took some time, and when he came 
 downstairs in irreproachable evening clothes, there was 
 no time for him to give me the history of his adventures 
 unless we were to miss our dinner. 
 
 " And that," declared Forrest, " I absolutely refuse to 
 do ; for, with the exception of sixpenny worth of rum and a 
 crust of bread and cheese, nothing has passed my lips since 
 dinner last night." 
 
 " Then you will be glad to hear that the Winters arc 
 punctual people," I remarked as we at once set out for my 
 neighbour's house. 
 
 " I suppose," he said, as we reached our destination, " I 
 may count upon you not referring to the plight in which 
 I returned to your place ? I should not care for it to get 
 abroad that the Pirate had got the better of me on the 
 first occasion of our meeting." 
 
 ** Then you have seen him ? " I cried eagerly. 
 
 " Seen him ! " Forrest ejaculated in reply. " Seen 
 him I After dinner you shall have a full, true and
 
 EXPLAINS A DISAPPEARANCE 101 
 
 particular account of all that's happened. Until then 
 well, assume you know everything but are not at liberty 
 to divulge anything." 
 
 I was as much at home in Winter's house as in my 
 own, so I did not trouble to ring and Forrest followed me 
 in. I had forgotten that his appearance was likely to 
 create as great a sensation there as it had caused me. I 
 entered the drawing-room first, Forrest being a little be- 
 hind. Mrs. Winter, a fluffy-haired little woman with 
 blue baby eyes, baby lips, and a most engaging little baby 
 dimple, was the centre of the party gathered there. The 
 other women were Miss Maitland and Mrs. Winter's 
 twin sister, who reproduced the hair, lips, eyes and dimple 
 with such exactness that it was always a puzzle to me how 
 Winter had managed to make up his mind between them. 
 About them were gathered Colonel Maitland, Mannering, 
 Winter himself, and another man whom he had brought 
 down with him from town that day. The subject of 
 conversation, I learned afterwards, had been entirely de- 
 voted to Forrest's disappearance, and when they caught 
 sight of him the effect was electrical. The ladies all 
 jumped to their feet, the twin sisters screamed in unison, 
 the men stood stock still. Mannering appeared to be the 
 most astonished, for he turned pale and his lips became 
 livid. Before any one could say a word, however, the 
 door opened again and the butler announced dinner in an 
 impassive voice, which sent everybody into convulsions of 
 laughter. 
 
 We filed into dinner a particularly merry party. Mrs.
 
 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Winter had arranged for me to take in Miss Maitland, and 
 the fact that Mannering obviously resented the arrange- 
 ment added a great deal to my good humour. The fact 
 of Forrest being the lion of the evening did not disturb 
 me at all. Indeed I was glad some one else had to parry 
 the numberless questions put to him respecting his dis- 
 appearance. 
 
 He fenced them remarkably well, though of course, 
 when cornered, he could always fall back upon the excuse 
 of his mouth being closed by the official pledge of secrecy. 
 
 Needless to say, only one topic was mooted, and I 
 should not have referred to it had not the man whom 
 Winter had brought from town said something which, I 
 found afterwards, had some bearing on future events. 
 This person was a diamond merchant in his business hours, 
 and after the ladies had left us, he expressed the opinion 
 that it was a good thing the Motor Pirate confined his 
 attentions to fellow motorists. 
 
 " If, for instance," he remarked, " he were to take it 
 into his head to hold up the Brighton Parcels Mail to- 
 morrow night, he would make one of the best-known 
 firms in Hatton Garden feel very sick." 
 
 " How's that ? " asked Mannering, carelessly. He had 
 quite recovered from the temporary shock which Forrest's 
 unexpected appearance had occasioned him. 
 
 "Well, I heard they are sending off a particularly 
 valuable collection of stones by registered parcel post to- 
 morrow," he answered. 
 
 " Seems a silly thing to do," commented Winter.
 
 103 
 
 ** I don't know about that," was the reply. " Their 
 theory is that the chances of robbery are infinitely less 
 than by any other method of forwarding. They have 
 followed the practice for years, and hitherto have never 
 made a loss. You see, no one knows anything about it 
 except the principal, who takes the packet to the post 
 office. He registers it at St. Martin's, and the packet is 
 immediately placed amongst a number of parcels of all 
 sorts, shapes and sizes j and the chance of a casual thief 
 selecting that particular parcel, even if he had the chance, 
 are at least a hundred to one, while it is well known that 
 the postal employee who steals always lets the registered 
 letter severely alorte." 
 
 The subject was not pursued further, and soon after 
 we joined the ladies. The party broke up early, and I 
 was not sorry, for I could see Forrest was tired and I 
 wanted to get his story from him before he turned in. 
 But when we were back in my snuggery, I found that he 
 considered it necessary to report himself at St. Albans. I 
 was on the telephone, so I suggested its use, and he jumped 
 at the idea. After some little difficulty we managed to 
 get a message through to the police-station. Then settling 
 down into an easy chair with a great sigh of content, he 
 reeled out an account of his adventures.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 DESCRIBING A RIDE WITH THE PIRATE 
 
 "WHEN you left me," Forrest began, "I thought 1 
 would pass the time until your return in making a still 
 more detailed inspection of the ground than we had 
 already made. I found I had no lights. In order to get 
 over the difficulty, I went to the car in which the dead 
 man was seated and examined the lamps. They were in 
 good working order, and I could see that their extinction 
 had not been due to any mischance. Why they should 
 have been put out and the machinery of the car left 
 running puzzled me. I could only conclude that the 
 Pirate, after shooting his victim, had approached the car 
 to plunder him, but had been scared away by the sound 
 of our approach. He must have turned out the lights 
 and have just had time to draw the car across the road to 
 make a trap for us, before making his own escape. This 
 impression of mine was confirmed later. I took one of 
 the lamps from its socket, lit it, and looked again at the 
 dead body. I am almost certain he had not been 
 disturbed since the fated bullet struck him. His coat 
 was closely buttoned. His rug was wrapped tightly 
 
 104
 
 A RIDE WITH THE PIRATE 105 
 
 round him. There were papers in his coat pocket, and 
 I could feel through the coat that his watch and chain 
 were still upon him. When thinking that the Pirate 
 could not be far off, I regretted I had not accompanied 
 you ; but remembering you were well armed, I reckoned 
 that if you did meet the gentleman, you were quite 
 capable of giving a good account of yourself and of 
 him." 
 
 You who happen to have read nay account of the 
 state of my mind, as faithfully described in these pages, 
 will be able to judge how far my friend's confidence in 
 me was justified. For myself, I doubt not that had he 
 met me, the Pirate would have been able to add a second 
 victim to that night's list with little difficulty. This by 
 the way. 
 
 " I did not make a very close examination," continued 
 Forrest, "since there would be plenty of time for that 
 when the doctor arrived. Besides, 1 wished him to see 
 the body in the position we found it. So I turned my 
 attention to the road again, going over the surface inch 
 by inch in the most methodical manner. You never 
 know, you see, whether some trifling object may not be 
 dropped by the criminal which will provide a clue. I 
 was so engaged when I became aware of a curious 
 humming sound in the air. I stood upright and peered 
 into the darkness. But my eyes had become dazzled by 
 looking at the white road in the brilliant light of the 
 acetylene lamp, and I might as well have expected to be 
 able to see through a brick wall. The most sensible
 
 io6 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 course to have pursued would have been to extinguish 
 the lamp ; but, instead of doing so, I stood like a fool 
 in the middle of the road and waited until the Pirate 
 it was he without the slightest doubt swooped down 
 upon me, and if I had not at the last moment leaped 
 aside I should have been bowled over. As it was, I just 
 escaped being knocked down. The car pulled up with 
 a jerk, and there, within reach, was the person whose 
 capture would have well, you can guess what it would 
 have meant to me, if I could have managed to get him 
 single-handed. But for the moment I was so astounded 
 at the audacity of the rascal I could do nothing. I was 
 not long in making up my mind to have a shot at 
 capturing him, however. I dropped the lamp to the 
 ground, and slipping my hand into my pocket I grasped 
 my revolver. I knew I had to deal with a desperate 
 character, but I was scarcely prepared to find him as 
 physically powerful as he proved to be. I stepped up 
 dose to the car and with my left hand made a grab at 
 him. It was a fruitless attempt. I found my wrist held 
 in a grip of steel. I raised my right with the revolver. 
 I was just a moment late in pulling the trigger, for he 
 knocked up my hand and the bullet went wide. Before 
 I had another chance, he twisted the weapon out of my 
 grasp with a wrench that numbed my arm to the 
 shoulder. How he managed to see in the dark was a 
 mystery to me. He must have eyes like a cat that man," 
 Forrest paused to light another cigarette, and after 
 a couple of puffs he resumed
 
 A RIDE WITH THE PIRATE 107 
 
 " But the most startling thing was to come. Holding 
 me tightly he leaned over towards me and said, 'Not 
 this time, Inspector Forrest. You may think you have 
 the Motor Pirate, but I can assure you that you were 
 never more mistaken in your life.* Astonishment is not 
 the name for my feelings at hearing him address me by 
 my name. I had caught a glimpse of him before I 
 dropped the lamp, but he was so swathed in his leather 
 coat and disguised by his mask, that I should never be 
 able to identify him. But I seemed to recognize some- 
 thing familiar in the intonation of his voice, yet even 
 that was so muffled that I cannot be certain I have ever 
 heard it before. However, I did not allow my astonish- 
 ment to prevent me taking action. I threw myself sud- 
 denly backwards, hoping the weight of my body would 
 upset his balance and drag him from his car to the ground, 
 where we should have been on more equal terms. The 
 jerk moved him about as much as if he had been built 
 into his car. * No, you don't, Inspector/ he said, with an 
 infernal chuckle ; and, so saying, he leaned over and, 
 catching me by the coat, lifted me off my feet and 
 swung me up on to the car before him. I'm not a light 
 weight, as you can guess I turn the scale at something 
 nearer twelve stone than eleven but he handled me as if 
 I were a baby. I struggled of course, but my right arm 
 was powerless, and he could master me with ease." 
 
 " I suppose it was during the struggle that you lost 
 the two buttons from your overcoat which you left 
 behind you ? " I asked.
 
 io8 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 ** Most likely," he replied, " though I knew nothing 
 of them. Really his strength seemed diabolic. There 
 was something else about him which to my mind scarcely 
 seemed natural. At all my struggles he continued to 
 laugh, but there was no merriment in his laughter, it 
 was merely an even guttural cachinnation, the laugh of 
 a fiend at the aimless struggles of a lost soul. It seemed 
 to give him immense pleasure to see me wriggling on the 
 smooth curved metal plate which formed the front of his 
 car. I grew tired at last and lay still, hoping for a 
 chance to better my position, for I came to the conclusion 
 that in a mere trial of strength he was immeasurably my 
 superior. 
 
 " When he saw my resistance had ceased, he spoke 
 again. * J feel inclined to take you for a ride with me, 
 Inspector,' he said. *I can assure you that you will find 
 the experience a thrilling one. It is given to few men 
 to travel with the Motor Pirate. The pace alone should 
 prove exhilarating, to say nothing of the companionship 
 and what awaits you at the termination of the enter- 
 tainment.' He chuckled again as he concluded, and I 
 felt a cold thrill in the region of my spine. 
 
 **I made no reply. What would have been the 
 use ? But I do wish my right arm had been of some 
 use, for I think in my anger I might have stood some 
 chance of turning the tables on him. I quietly tried 
 to rub the feeling back into it, but he did not afford me 
 a chance of doing so for long. He produced a length of 
 rope from somewhere or other, and, before I gathered
 
 A RIDE WITH THE PIRATE 109 
 
 what he was doing, he had twisted it round me and 
 bound my arms tightly to my sides. I was absolutely 
 powerless, and I gnashed my teeth with rage at the 
 helpless state in which I found myself. There was I, 
 a detective inspector with a reputation at the Yard second 
 to none, trussed like a fowl, and lying on the slippery 
 surface of the Pirate car I had come out to capture.'* 
 
 "Not exactly a pleasant position," I remarked, as 
 Forrest paused to moisten his throat with the whisky- 
 and-soda at his elbow. 
 
 " No ; but the worst was yet to come. He had no 
 sooner secured my arms than he drew another piece of 
 cord through the band, and fastened it somewhere or 
 other. * Now, if ever you pray, Inspector,' he remarked, 
 with some more of his beastly merriment, * pray that 
 this rope doesn't break ; for if it should happen to do 
 so at the pace we shall be travelling, you will go to hell 
 even sooner than I intend you to do.' 
 
 " With that he set his car in motion, and, judging 
 by the way the wind stung me, the pace was something 
 terrific. At first I attempted to pay some attention to 
 the direction we took. But I soon gave up the idea. My 
 position on the car was not one from which I could observe 
 anything with any degree of comfort. With my arms 
 bound, I sprawled out upon the smooth, curved bonnet 
 of the confounded car, only held on by a cord which 
 I expected to break and send me flying into the next 
 world every time we touched a stone, or crossed a rut. 
 My heart was in my mouth for the next hour or so,
 
 no THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 but afterwards I think I grew careless or callous. He 
 had pulled the cord round my arms pretty tightly ; that 
 numbed me all over, and the exposure to the air did 
 the rest. I fell into a dreamy condition. I only know 
 that never for a moment were we still. There was 
 always the drone of the wheels in my ears, and whenever 
 I made a struggle and opened my eyes, all I could see 
 was the blacker streak in the blackness caused by the 
 hedges flying past. Heaven only knows how far and 
 where we went. It seemed an eternity until it ended. 
 But by then I was very near unconsciousness. I have 
 a sort of impression the car did stop. I fancy that I 
 saw the Pirate's mask bent closely over me while he 
 examined me, that I heard him say, *I don't think, 
 Mr. Inspector, your attentions will trouble me much 
 more.' I do remember distinctly being lifted in his 
 powerful hands. I felt him swing me once, twice, thrice ; 
 then I felt myself flying in the air, and the next moment 
 my senses came back to me with a rush, for I plumped 
 into several feet of water." 
 
 ** Well ? " I ejaculated, as Forrest paused to light 
 another cigarette. I was so interested that I grudged 
 him a moment's delay before completing the story. 
 
 ** The curious thing to my mind is that he did not 
 knock me on the head at first," said Forrest. " I can 
 only explain it by the conclusion that our friend the 
 Motor Pirate is a madman. But, if so, I undoubtedly 
 owe my life to the means he took to finish it. The 
 sudden immersion brought me to myself much more
 
 A RIDE WITH THE PIRATE in 
 
 rapidly than any other process could have done. In 
 detaching me from the car he must have loosened the 
 knot of the rope binding my arms ; possibly the water 
 made it slip further before it became saturated. I felt 
 the rope give, and got one arm free by the time I came 
 to the surface. I floundered into shallow water, and 
 paused. By this time there was just a glimmer of light 
 on the eastern horizon from the dawn, and I could see 
 the bank was only a yard or two distant. Somehow 
 or another I managed to scramble out, bringing half the 
 bed of the river, or pond, whichever it was I had been 
 pitched into, with me. When I was on firm ground 
 I collapsed. I did not remain long on the ground, 
 though. I knew very well that if I wanted to escape 
 a severe illness, the only thing to do was to keep moving 
 until my circulation was restored. So I got going. It 
 was hard work at first. My limbs were so cramped 
 and stiff that I was compelled to stop and groan after 
 crawling every six paces. But the stiffness wore off 
 gradually. I went ahead until I struck a village, and 
 found out in what part of the country I was." 
 
 ** Why didn't you go to the police-station ? " I 
 asked. 
 
 " Wasn't going to make myself a laughing-stock for 
 a lot of country constables," he answered. " No ; if 
 I had got my man, I should not have minded what sort 
 of figure I cut, but to turn up such a scarecrow after 
 failing to get my man not much. I had learned from 
 the post-office window where I was. I had been
 
 ii2 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 dropped near Shefford, a village a few miles the othei 
 side of Hitchin on the North Road, and I thought if 
 I walked back here I should avoid all likelihood of getting 
 a chill. So I started. I found I had a shilling in my 
 pocket. I had more money about me than that when 
 I started out, but whether our friend helped himself to 
 the balance, or whether it fell from my pockets during 
 the ride, I haven't the slightest idea. But the shilling 
 was sufficient to provide for my requirements. The 
 first public-house I found open I went in, and had six- 
 penny-worth of hot rum. My word ! There's nothing 
 iike hot rum for putting new life into one. After I 
 had drunk it I reckoned I should get here about noon ; 
 but I had not taken the somniferous effects of that 
 sixpenny-worth of rum into the calculation. Before I 
 had covered half a dozen miles, I found myself so sleepy 
 that I could not keep my eyes open. I dropped off 
 once or twice as I walked, so at last I made for a con- 
 venient haystack, rolled myself up in the loose litter at 
 the base, and let myself go. 
 
 "That's how it happened I was so late in my 
 arrival," he remarked ; " and now, Motor Pirate or 
 no Motor Pirate, I am going to finish that snooze." 
 
 He gave a prodigious yawn, and held out his hand. 
 
 " Good night ! " I said. " The story of my adven- 
 tures will very well keep until to-morrow."
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 IN WHICH THE PIRATE HOLDS UP THE BRIGHTON MAIL 
 
 ON joining Forrest at breakfast the following morning, 
 I found he had mapped out a programme for the day 
 which promised to keep us pretty busily occupied. 
 
 " First," he said, " I must get into St. Albans, and 
 see whether there is any fresh information to hand. If 
 possible, I should like to run over to Shefford, for I want 
 to look at the place where I had my ducking, and recover 
 the piece of cord with which that almighty scoundrel 
 secured me. Then there's the inquest at Towcester at 
 twelve, and sometime to-day I must put in an appearance 
 at head-quarters to hand in my report. Perhaps I had 
 better train from Towcester for that. It will be making 
 too great demands on your time." 
 
 " Nonsense ! " I replied ; " I can run you up to town 
 very nearly as quickly as you could manage the journey 
 by rail." 
 
 "I hope you won't have to return alone," he re- 
 marked. " I am hoping to be able to inflict myself upon 
 you for a few more days; but it is on the cards I may be 
 taken off the job since I have met with so little success." 
 
 113 I
 
 n 4 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 w I hope not," I answered. 
 
 "I should be sorry, too," he said. "I am more 
 convinced than ever that our friend is living within a 
 twenty-mile radius of this house." 
 
 " What grounds have you for thinking so ? '* I asked. 
 
 " The very slightest at present," he declared frankly 5 
 " and until I have seen the police reports from other 
 parts of the country, I will not commit myself definitely 
 to the opinion." 
 
 I could not get anything more out of him then, but 
 after he had made a note of all the information to be 
 obtained at St. Albans we were on the road by nine-thirty 
 he became more communicative. The information 
 he obtained did not amount to much. On the previous 
 evening, the Motor Pirate had not made his appearance 
 anywhere ; while on the evening before, the only outrage 
 of which he had been guilty was the murder which we 
 had discovered. On that night, however, his car had 
 been reported as having been seen on various roads in 
 the midlands, one appearance having been recorded as 
 far north as Peterborough. 
 
 " That confirms my opinion," Forrest declared. 
 "The Peterborough report gives the time of his 
 appearance as about 2.50. The sun rises at five, and it 
 is beginning to be light an hour earlier. It must have 
 been about four when he dropped me into the water at 
 Shefford. Hitherto he has not been seen by daylight at 
 all. Clearly he must have delayed getting rid of me 
 until he thought it was dangerous to carry me about any
 
 HOLDS UP THE BRIGHTON MAIL 115 
 
 longer. He may even have been close to his own home, 
 though he would probably select a spot twenty or 
 thirty miles away at least." 
 
 " It seems likely," I agreed. 
 
 " Certain of it," said Forrest. " Now we will get 
 along to Shefford." 
 
 We had a very pleasant run, and a mile from the 
 village, Forrest stopped me where a 'deep pool fringed 
 with rushes skirted the road. 
 
 " This is the spot," he cried. 
 
 He left me in the car and scrambled through the 
 hedge into an adjoining field. He came running back 
 with a dilapidated overcoat sodden with water in one hand, 
 and a piece of rope in the other. 
 
 *' Thought I could not be mistaken," he cried. 
 
 When he was again in the car he examined the rope 
 carefully. 
 
 "Just an ordinary piece of half-inch cord," he re- 
 marked. "It's not of much value as a clue, but as a 
 piece of evidence I have known a man's life hang upon 
 a slighter thread before now." He chuckled grimly at 
 his own pleasantry. 
 
 ** Where next ? " I inquired. 
 
 ** Towcester," he replied ; and I wheeled the car 
 round, and we were soon making the dust fly again. 
 
 We were not detained very long at the inquest. 
 Forrest had a few words with the coroner, so that after 
 formal evidence of identification had been given, and I 
 had made my statement as to the finding of the body,
 
 n6 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 the inquiry was adjourned. Thus plenty of time was 
 left at our disposal, and we did not hurry on our way to 
 town, even breaking our journey on the way for lunch. 
 
 The weather remained delightfully fine. Clean 
 roads, blue sky, soft winds, combined to make ideal 
 weather for motoring. We reached town about four, 
 and went straight to Scotland Yard. Forrest went in 
 while I waited for him. Then he returned for me, and, 
 taking me up in the lift, he piloted me into the presence 
 of the commissioner, whom I found to be an exceedingly 
 courteous gentleman. He expressed himself indebted to 
 me for the assistance I had rendered the department. I 
 did not see that my assistance had been of" much practical 
 value, and I said so ; but I added that I was very keen 
 on the Motor Pirate's capture, and I should be glad to 
 render any service in my power which would tend to 
 such an end. 
 
 " Anything you can do to assist Inspector Forrest will 
 be greatly appreciated," he declared. " Of course, it is 
 not our usual plan to make use of outside assistance, but 
 we are not so bound up in red tape as to refuse such aid 
 as that you offer." 
 
 We had ten minutes' further conversation, and then 
 Forrest and I left together. The detective was in high 
 glee. He had obtained carte blanche to do as he liked. 
 His chief had expressed every confidence in him, while 
 urging him to spare no effort to obtain the Pirate's 
 arrest. 
 
 " The fact is," he said, " the papers have been rubbing
 
 HOLDS UP THE BRIGHTON MAIL 117 
 
 it into us for allowing such audacious crimes to be com- 
 mitted right under our noses, and the chief is wild to 
 get the chap. Half of the detective force are already 
 engaged on the job. I fancy I should get him myself 
 singlehanded sooner or later if he were a sane man ; but, 
 as it is, the cunning of a madman upsets every cal- 
 culation.'* 
 
 44 You still hold to the theory that he is mad ? " I asked. 
 
 ** Cannot explain his treatment of me in any other 
 way," he replied promptly. 
 
 44 Well, what's the next move ? " I asked, when we 
 had returned to our car. " I suppose we may as well go 
 for a prowl to-night, on the off-chance of finding him." 
 
 "We might try a new district," answered Forrest, 
 "You may have noticed that he breaks fresh ground 
 every time he reappears." 
 
 " Where shall it be then?" 
 
 Forrest answered my question with another. "Sup- 
 posing yourself to be in his place, and the desire to 
 attract notoriety a stronger motive than mere plunder. 
 What should you do ? " 
 
 There flashed into my memory what Winter's guest 
 had said about the Brighton Parcels Mail, and I said 
 laughingly 
 
 ** I fancy I should hold up the Brighton Mail." 
 
 " As likely a feat as any for him to attempt," replied 
 Forrest, thoughtfully. 
 
 I glanced up at the clock in the tower of St. Stephens; 
 the hands pointed to a quarter before five.
 
 n8 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 "Well," I said, "we may as well run down to 
 Brighton by daylight and get acquainted with the road, 
 since I have only driven over it once before. We can 
 dine at the Metropole comfortably, spend a couple of 
 hours on the front after dinner, and have plenty of time 
 to meet the mail on the road afterwards." 
 
 " A most excellent suggestion," agreed the inspector, 
 and his eyes twinkled at the thought of the programme 
 I had mapped out. 
 
 We started forthwith. Reaching Brighton before 
 sunset, I refilled my tanks with petrol before putting the 
 car up at the Metropole and reserving a table for 
 dinner. We had a wash, walked to the Hove end of 
 the esplanade, and came back to our dinner with appetites 
 equal to anything. We sat over our coffee a long while, 
 Forrest making the time fly by spinning yarns about his 
 experiences. Then we smoked a cigar on the pier, and 
 so whiled away the time until eleven. If we had started 
 then we should possibly have reached town before the 
 mail had started, but as we were both tired of dawdling 
 about, I proposed that we should extend our tour. 
 
 Forrest was quite agreeable. " Really we are out 
 on a fool's errand," he remarked. " We are just as 
 likely to meet him on one road as another. Yet I have 
 a presentiment that we shall hear something further about 
 him to-night. If we do meet him, remember one thing. 
 One of us must get in the first shot, and it must not 
 miss.** 
 
 u Don't wait for me to shoot, then," I replied.
 
 HOLDS UP THE BRIGHTON MAIL 119 
 
 We got our car, and after a glance at the map, I told 
 my companion where I proposed to go : a run along the 
 coast to Worthing, there to strike inland for Horsham, 
 from Horsham to make for the Brighton road about 
 Crawley, roughly about a forty-mile run in all, and I 
 reckoned that if we kept to the legal speed limit we 
 should just about meet the mail. 
 
 Forrest made no objection to my suggestion, so we 
 started at our slowest pace. I had very little to do, and 
 the ride was one of the most enjoyable I have ever 
 experienced. The salt breath of the sea was in our faces, 
 and the roar of it in our ears. I was quite sorry when 
 on reaching Worthing it became necessary to leave 
 the coast. Inland the roads were absolutely deserted. 
 We did not meet a single person between Worthing and 
 Horsham, and for the first time I realized how easily the 
 Motor Pirate's movements could evade notice. At 
 Horsham we looked in at the police-station, and Forrest 
 made a formal inquiry as to whether anything had been 
 heard of our quarry in the neighbourhood ; but, as we 
 expected, without result. We remained there a little 
 time to stretch our legs and to drink a cup of tea, which 
 the officer in charge prepared for us, and on leaving we 
 proceeded at the same steady pace, arriving in Crawley 
 something after four. There we found that the mail 
 had passed through a quarter of an hour before our 
 arrival, and I questioned whether it would be worth our 
 while to remain any longer on the road. 
 
 " We may as well make a night of it," said Forrest,
 
 120 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 in reply to my remark on the subject, so I turned the 
 car in the direction of Brighton again. We bowled 
 along at about fifteen miles an hour, at which rate I 
 reckoned on catching the mail within half an hour. But 
 we were destined to overtake it in a considerably shorter 
 time, for just after passing the third milestone after 
 leaving the village, our path was blocked by the huge 
 van standing in the middle of the road and all across it. 
 
 I pulled up at once. Apparently the vehicle was not 
 much damaged, but the door was broken open, while 
 the parcels with which it had been laden were scattered 
 all over the roadway. One horse lay on the roadway 
 perfectly still, the others had disappeared. 
 
 The moment we stopped Forrest leaped from the 
 car; I followed his example. The first object which 
 met our eyes was the form of a man. He lay perfectly 
 still, and I thought he was dead, but my companion had 
 sharper eyes. Taking a knjfe from his pocket, he hacked 
 at cords which bound the man hand and foot. 
 
 " More work of the Motor Pirate," remarked Forrest 
 grimly, as I came to his assistance. 
 
 The man was not dead, but he had been so roughly 
 gagged that had we arrived ten minutes later he probably 
 would have been beyond human help. In the condition 
 he was, it took us ten minutes working vigorously to 
 restore his respiration ; and after that it took the whole 
 of the contents of my pocket flask to restore him suffi- 
 ciently to enable him to give us an account of the mishap 
 which had befallen him.
 
 HOLDS UP THE BRIGHTON MAIL 121 
 
 Then we learned that the man was the driver of the 
 mail, and that Forrest's surmise that we had happened 
 once more upon the handiwork of the Motor Pirate was 
 correct. He had, it appeared, been driving quietly along, 
 when his attention had been arrested by the curious 
 high-toned hum which presaged the Pirate's approach. 
 He was wondering what the curious noise could be, 
 when he suddenly realized that a long low car was beside 
 him. He did not anticipate any harm either to himself 
 or to his charge, for, though he fancied that the stranger 
 was the noted criminal, he shared the impression, pretty 
 common until then, that the Pirate confined his atten- 
 tions to motorists. The stranger did not even call upon 
 him to pull up. He ran beside the coach, then slightly 
 increasing his speed, he drew level with the wheelers of 
 the team. There was the sound of a pistol shot, the 
 off wheeler fell dead in his tracks, bringing down the 
 other horses in his fall, and swinging the vehicle right 
 across the road. The driver only escaped being pitched 
 from his seat by the strap which held him to it. 
 
 " Then," continued the man, " he ups with 'is pistol 
 an* tells me to come dahn, an* dahn I toddles pretty 
 quick. * Sorry ter inconwenience yer, my good feller,' 
 ec says. * Don't menshing it,' I says, as perlite as you'd 
 be with a pistol a pointing at yer 'ed. ' I want the keys 
 er this 'ere waggin,' ee says. c Sorry they don't trust 
 'em ter us drivers,' I answers. * Don't matter worth 
 a cent,' ee says. * I've another w'y er openin' thct 
 strong box. Put yer 'ands be'ind yer an* turn rahnd,'
 
 122 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 ee says. I done it, an* ee trusses me up like a bloomin' 
 chicken, an' sticks my own angkincher dahn me froat. 
 With thet ee walks along ter the door and blows the 
 bloomin' locks orf with 'is pistol. That did it. Ee 
 looks inside, an' the w'y ee cleared them parcels aht was 
 a sight well, yer can see fer yerself wort it's like. The 
 other 'orses were thet mad they kicks theirselves free. 
 Ee goes froo the parcels cool as a cowcumber until ee 
 routs aht the registered parcels. Ee puts them in 'is car. 
 * Tar, tar ! ' ee says, wiving 'is 'and, an' orf ee goes jest 
 abaht five minutes afore you gents corned along." 
 
 When Forrest realized how near we had been to 
 coming to close quarters with our quarry, he went aside, 
 and for the first time since I had made his acquaintance, I 
 heard him swear. It was a successful effort. He returned 
 to my side the next moment. 
 
 **The telegraph is our only chance," he said. "Drive 
 like hell back to Crawley." 
 
 I did. There we set the wires throbbing, and begun 
 to scour the countryside for any traces of the Pirate. 
 We did not give up our quest until eleven o'clock in the 
 morning. I think we inquired at every house and cottage 
 within a ten-mile radius of the scene of the outrage, but 
 without finding a single person who had seen or heard 
 of the Motor Pirate. 
 
 Once more he had appeared and disappeared without 
 leaving the faintest clue to his identity.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 HOW WE EXCHANGE SHOTS WITH THE PIRAT1 
 
 AFTER the sudden flurry which the reappearance of the 
 Motor Pirate caused, and quite as much in the country 
 at large as in my own particular circle, we settled down 
 once again to a condition of comparative quietude. Of 
 course there were plenty of facts to keep the public 
 interest alive and to fill the papers. The adjourned 
 inquest on the victim found near Towcester supplied 
 columns of copy, while the robbery of the Brighton Mail 
 afforded unlimited scope for the descriptive reporter as 
 well as for the special crime investigator, who at this 
 time made his permanent appearance on the staff of 
 nearly every paper of any importance in the British 
 Isles. My life at home was made a burden to me by 
 these gentlemen. I bear them no malice for theii 
 persevering attempts to interview me, but they were ar 
 unmitigated nuisance, since I had no wish to air m) 
 experiences in the newspapers at this stage of affairs 
 It was with the utmost difficulty I escaped the attention 
 of the gentlemen of the Fourth Estate, for they evea 
 waited on my doorstep for the chance of button-holing 
 
 123
 
 i2 4 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 me when I went out in the morning ; and pursued me 
 so assiduously, that I dared not look a stranger in the 
 face, lest my glance should be translated into a column 
 of glowing prose. 
 
 I have said that the Pirate left no clue to his identity 
 upon his latest appearance, and, indeed, at the time, such 
 was the opinion both of Forrest and myself. But in the 
 light of after events we learned that there was a clue, 
 had we been keen-witted enough to have discovered it. 
 In the course of our inquiries around Crawley, we 
 certainly did not succeed in finding any one who had 
 observed the mysterious car which every one had learned 
 to associate with the Pirate, but we had been told 
 casually at Caterham we had not returned by the 
 direct road between London and Brighton that we 
 were ot the only motorists abroad on that night, since 
 another man had passed through the town early the 
 same morning. When we learned, however, that he 
 had been driving a car of the conventional shape with 
 a tonneau body, we paid no further attention to the 
 information, concluding that he was a sportsman, anxious 
 like ourselves for a brush with the Pirate. Our blindness 
 was to cost us dear before we had done. 
 
 There was another supposition which I could not 
 get out of my mind in connection with the latest feat, 
 and a couple of days afterwards I mentioned it to Forrest 
 as we waited, according to our invariable custom, at 
 St. Albans for news of the Pirate*s reappearance. 
 
 ** Don't you think it particularly strange," I remarked,
 
 WE EXCHANGE SHOTS 125 
 
 "that in holding up the Brighton Mail, our friend at 
 once searched for the registered parcels, and directly he 
 laid his hands upon them at once made off? " 
 
 "A perfectly natural thing for him to do," replied 
 the detective. " He would guess that, if there were any 
 valuables, they would almost certainly have been registered, 
 and he could scarcely hope to go over the whole contents 
 of the van." 
 
 " Admitted," I replied. " Still, does it not strike you 
 as curious that he should have selected the night when 
 a valuable parcel of diamonds was there ? " 
 
 " Well ? " asked Forrest, his attention thoroughly 
 arrested. 
 
 " It almost seems as if he was possessed of the same 
 information as we were," I ventured. 
 
 "According to your argument," he answered, "the 
 pirate should be either yourself or myself, Colonel Mait- 
 land, Mr. Mannering, Mr. Winter, or his friend." 
 
 "There remains Mannering and the diamond 
 merchant," I said thoughtfully, "and I know the latter 
 has never driven a motor-car in his life. Besides, he is 
 scarcely likely to have robbed himself in such an extra- 
 ordinary fashion." We had seen from the papers that 
 he had, in fact, been referring to his own firm when he 
 had described to us the advantages of the parcel post as 
 a means of transmitting valuables. " He may have other 
 friends beside Winter to whom he has mentioned the 
 matter." 
 
 "There's Mr. Mannering still to be accounted for,"
 
 126 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 remarked Forrest. ** No harm can be done by inquiring 
 if he was away from home that evening. What sort 
 of establishment does he keep ? " 
 
 " Merely a couple of maids," I answered. 
 
 "In that case there should be no trouble in ascertain- 
 ing whether he was out or not," he replied. "I'll see 
 about it in the morning." 
 
 He made the inquiry accordingly, but as he confessed 
 to me afterwards, without expecting anything to come of 
 it. His expectations seemed to be justified in the result. 
 The maids declared that Mannering had gone to his 
 sitting-room after dinner, and had been there with his 
 slippers on when they retired for the night. They had 
 locked up the house as usual, and the doors had been 
 fast when they came down the next morning. 
 
 This investigation, perfunctory as it was, decided us 
 against any idea of Mannering's complicity, and I fell 
 back upon the theory that the diamond merchant must 
 have communicated his methods to some one else. We 
 sought him out in the city, and he assured us that he 
 had never before referred to the subject. He did not 
 object to supplying us with the names of his acquaint- 
 ances who owned cars, and either Forrest or myself 
 made inquiries concerning every one of them. All were 
 to no purpose. When we had finished, we were no 
 nearer discovering anything concerning the Pirate than 
 we were when we had begun. 
 
 Then occurred an incident which should have opened 
 our eyes, if anything possibly could have done so, to the
 
 WE EXCHANGE SHOTS 127 
 
 personality of the Pirate. But again we were absolutely 
 blind. 
 
 It was the second week of May, and since, in spite 
 of continued fine weather, our unknown terror remained 
 in the seclusion of his hiding-place, wherever it might 
 be, I had persuaded Forrest to come with me for a run 
 one afternoon as far as Cambridge, proposing to return 
 after sunset. 
 
 The roads were beginning to be a little dusty, but 
 altogether we had a very pleasant journey without any 
 incident of note. We left the university town about 
 nine, reckoning upon getting home comfortably before 
 midnight. There was a bright slice of moon shining, 
 and we did the dozen miles before reaching Royston at 
 a decent pace. We went slowly over the hilly road 
 out of Royston and had passed over the worst of it, and 
 I had just put on a higher speed, when I fancied I heard 
 the distant hum which once heard could never be 
 mistaken for anything else. Forrest heard it at the 
 same time as myself. 
 
 " Pull up at the side of the road," he cried. u The 
 car must not be damaged." 
 
 I obeyed, running the bonnet into the hedge and 
 leaving the back of the car extended over the footpath. 
 Meanwhile, Forrest had drawn his revolver from his 
 pocket, and the moment I brought the car to a standstill 
 I followed his example. 
 
 " Don't stand on ceremony,** advised my companion | 
 "shoot on sight 1"
 
 128 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 The words were scarcely out of his mouth when oui 
 enemy made his appearance, coming from the direction 
 of Buntingford. Whether he had any intention of 
 stopping and robbing us, I have no means of telling, but 
 I think not, for he was travelling at his most rapid pace, 
 and gave no signs of slackening as he approached. Once 
 more I was astonished at the wonderful steadiness of his 
 machine. He passed us in a flash, the car running as 
 evenly as if it were upon rails. In fact I paid so much 
 attention to this, that I was too late to fire with any 
 prospect of hitting him. Forrest was more alert. As 
 the Pirate swooped by, the detective's Colt spoke twice. 
 So far as we could see, the shots took no effect, for he 
 did not move an inch. 
 
 " No luck," muttered my companion, as the hum 
 of the Pirate's car died away in the distance. 
 
 I held up a warning finger. *' Hush I " I said. 
 
 My ears had told me truly our enemy was once 
 more approaching us. I leaned over the back of the car, 
 this time determined that I would at least make an en- 
 deavour to stop his progress. The road was without a 
 bend for a stretch of at least two hundred yards, and the 
 moment he came into the straight he was clearly visible to 
 us in the light of the moon. I did not wait. The moment 
 I saw him distinctly, I lifted my revolver and pulled the 
 trigger as rapidly as I was able. Before I had emptied 
 three chambers he was level. I was just in the act of 
 firing a third time, when a flash of fire spurted from 
 the running car and my pistol dropped from my hand.
 
 WE EXCHANGE SHOTS 129 
 
 Something had struck me violently on the arm. I felt 
 no pain for the moment, only curiously numbed and 
 cold. I wondered why my companion should continue 
 to fire at the rapidly disappearing form of the Pirate, who 
 appeared to me to be swerving from side to side of the 
 road in the most ridiculous fashion. In another moment 
 he was out of sight. I felt extremely sick, and, with 
 something between a groan and a sigh, I sank back into 
 my seat. 
 
 " I fancy one of us must have got him,*' said Forrest, 
 in an excited tone. ** Let us get on." 
 
 rt I hope you are right," I answered. " For he has 
 certainly managed to wing me." 
 
 The shock had passed off, and, with, the return of 
 sensation, my arm felt as if a red-hot iron had been run 
 through it, while there was a similar sort of feeling about 
 my chest. 
 
 " Really," said Forrest, as he looked closely into my 
 face. He must have seen that I was not joking, for he 
 jumped out of the car and came back with one of the 
 lamps in his hand. " Where is it ? " he asked, with 
 some anxiety. 
 
 " Merely the arm, I fancy," I replied. 
 
 He took a knife from his pocket, and, without a 
 moment's hesitation, ripped up the sleeve of the over- 
 coat and under-coat which I was wearing. The shirt- 
 sleeve was already soaked with blood, and his face was 
 curiously anxious as he cut away the linen and felt the 
 bone from wrist to shoulder. Then his face cleared. 
 
 V
 
 1 30 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 " Only through the muscle," he remarked. ** A 
 fortnight will see the wound completely healed." 
 
 Meanwhile he was tearing his handkerchief into 
 strips, and, with this improvised bandage, he bound up 
 the wound. 
 
 " Sure that is all ? " he asked, when he had tightened 
 it to his satisfaction. 
 
 "I've got much the same sort of feeling here," T 
 replied, tapping my chest gingerly. 
 
 His face grew grave again, and before doing anything 
 more he fished my flask out of my pocket, and insisted 
 upon my taking a liberal draught of the contents. Not 
 until then would he examine me. 
 
 "Your bleeding powers would do credit to :* 
 bullock," he commented, as he cut away my shirt ; 
 "but beyond loss of blood, I don't think there's much 
 harm done." 
 
 His first impression was correct. A cursory ex- 
 amination was quite sufficient to convince him that I was 
 not much hurt. 
 
 "Just a nasty furrow," he remarked. "Pretty pain- 
 ful, I suppose. The bullet glanced off, turned by that 
 leather coat of yours, I presume. Lucky for you ; as it 
 is, you will be all right in the fortnight." 
 
 I felt relieved by his tone, and assured him, when 
 he had patched me up temporarily with strips torn from 
 my shirt-sleeves and my own handkerchief, that I felt 
 very little of the injury. 
 
 "Now take my seat," he said, as he buttoned my
 
 WE EXCHANGE SHOTS 131 
 
 coat round me. "I think I have had enough experience 
 of motoring to ensure my taking you in safety to the 
 nearest surgeon. It's infernally bad luck, though," he 
 continued. "I would swear one of us must have hit 
 our friend, and if we were only in a position to follow 
 him up, we should be pretty certain to effect a 
 capture." 
 
 My mind had been considerably relieved to find that 
 I was not seriously injured, and the dose of whisky I had 
 taken had pulled me together. 
 
 " You've bound me up pretty tightly ? " I asked. 
 
 "You are right enough until we find a doctor," he 
 answered. 
 
 " In that case," I said, " if there's any chance of our 
 catching our man to-night, I'm not going to chuck it away. 
 Put the light back and let us get on." 
 
 My mind was made up on the subject. One reason 
 was that physical pain always makes me feel mad, and I 
 would have given a great deal to get even with the Pirate 
 for that reason alone. Besides, call it vanity or what you 
 will, I wasn't going to let any one say I had allowed a 
 scratch to bowl me over. So the moment Forrest had 
 replaced the light, I resumed my seat in the car, asserting 
 that I was fully capable of driving. 
 
 The detective attempted to dissuade me from the 
 attempt, but I was bent upon having my own way. He 
 did not argue the question at any length, for as soon as he 
 was in the car I backed into the middle of the road and 
 jammed on our highest speed.
 
 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 In three minutes we were at Buntingford, and there 
 we nearly ran into a group of people who were gathered 
 in the middle of the road. They were discussing, as it 
 happened, the appearance of the Pirate, who had passed 
 through the town twenty minutes previously. Here 
 Forrest made another futile attempt to persuade me to see 
 a surgeon immediately, but I would not listen to him. 
 We swept onward. I could scarcely see, but I sent the 
 Mercedes along recklessly, stopping for nothing until we 
 reached Ware. I would never have driven in the manner 
 I did in calmer moments. Forrest told me afterwards 
 that his journey on the Pirate's car was nothing to it, for 
 the car rocked so from side to side of the road that he was 
 never certain whether I was not steering for the hedges ; 
 while at every bend his heart was in his mouth when he 
 realized that the wheels were never on the ground together. 
 
 On the outskirts of Ware we learned that the Pirate 
 had been seen approaching the town, but that, instead of 
 passing through the narrow streets, he had doubled back 
 in the direction of Stevenage. He had kept his twenty 
 minutes' start and I was for following him. Forrest was 
 of another opinion. 
 
 ** According to his usual custom, he is obviously avoid- 
 ing the towns," he argued ; " and if, as I still suspect, his 
 hiding-place is in the vicinity of St. Albans, we shall stand 
 some chance of cutting him off if we take the most direct 
 route. He cannot be badly hurt, or we should have 
 picked him up before this, and under any other circum- 
 stance we are not likely to overtake him."
 
 WE EXCHANGE SHOTS 133 
 
 I saw the force of his reasoning anclwe flew on. We 
 heard nothing of him neither in Hertford nor in Hatfield. 
 
 " Our only chance is at St. Albans," remarked my 
 companion, and once more I put my car to top speed. 
 
 We were just about half way between the two towns 
 when we saw the lights of a motor ahead. I sounded the 
 horn, or rather Forrest did, but the vehicle made no 
 attempt to get out of the way. We caught up to the 
 stranger hand over fist, and not until we were nearly 
 touching did I slacken speed. 
 
 As I did so the occupant of the car shouted out, 
 ** That you, Sutgrove ? Never more pleased to meet 
 with a friend in my life.'* 
 
 It was Mannering. 
 
 *' Seen anything of the Pirate ? " shouted Forrest, by 
 way of reply. 
 
 " Merely had the pleasure of exchanging shots with 
 him ten minutes ago," was the astounding answer. 
 " Unfortunately he appears to have got the better of the 
 exchange, for he has managed to put a bullet in my 
 shoulder." 
 
 " We have had a similar experience, and Mr. Sutgrove 
 is the victim," answered Forrest. " So I am afraid I can- 
 not offer much assistance." 
 
 " I think I can get to St. Albans all right," he replied. 
 " It's only the left, and I managed to get a handkerchief 
 round it." 
 
 ** If you will let us pass," I said, " I will run on to St. 
 Albans and see that assistance is sent to you.*'
 
 i 3 4 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 " Oh, I didn't notice I was taking all the road," he 
 remarked, as he drew aside. 
 
 Once more we drove ahead at our speed limit, and five 
 minutes later we stopped before the police office. There 
 we found every one in blissful ignorance of the fact that 
 the Pirate was abroad. Nor did any one else see him 
 that night. Again he had mysteriously vanished under 
 circumstances which convinced the detective more firmly 
 than ever that his retreat was somewhere in the vicinity 
 of my home.
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 OF TH1 ADVANTAGES OF BEING WOUNDED 
 
 I SUPPOSE I must have lost more blood than I had 
 reckoned upon, or else the excitement of the pursuit 
 had been sufficient to keep me going ; but whichever it 
 was, no sooner had we pulled up than I collapsed. I 
 was never nearer fainting in my life. In fact I had to 
 take another stiff dose of whisky, and even then I was 
 only too glad to relinquish the steering-wheel to Forrest, 
 and let him drive me the rest of the way home. He 
 never left me until I was safely in bed, and the surgeon 
 he had summoned had stitched me up. 
 
 Fortunately my wounds proved, as Forrest had fore- 
 told, more painful than dangerous. The bullet had 
 carried with it some shreds of cloth ; and the removal 
 of these from my arm was the only really painful bit 
 of work the surgeon had to perform. However, the 
 medical man insisted upon my remaining in bed, and 
 I obeyed his orders for a couple of days ; but on the 
 third I felt so well that I rebelled against any further con- 
 finement, and though still considerably sore, I managed 
 to get out and about. 
 
 I found I was a little bit shaky, yet I managed to
 
 136 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 get as far as Colonel Mainland's house, and there I found 
 my adventure had been a blessing in disguise, for I could 
 sec from the manner in which she greeted me, that my 
 last encounter with the Pirate had wiped from Miss 
 Maitland's memory all remembrance of the previous 
 occasion. There was only one thing to mar my enjoy- 
 ment of the situation thus created. Mannering had un- 
 fortunately been successful in making himself a candidate 
 for similar solicitude. His injury, however, was even 
 more trivial than mine, the bullet having merely scored 
 his shoulder. I wished devoutly it had missed him 
 altogether, or been a few inches higher and more to 
 the right ; for in such case I should have had Miss 
 Maitland's undivided sympathies and attention, whereas I 
 had perforce to share them with my rival. I knew I had 
 done nothing heroic ; but if Mannering had not been hit 
 I might at least have posed as half a hero, instead of which 
 I had to be content with being a quarter of one. 
 
 However, I made the most of what glory I had 
 earned, and I am bound to confess that I traded upon 
 my sore arm in the most shameless fashion. 
 
 Fortunately the Motor Pirate at this time entered 
 upon a long period of quiescence, so that I was free to 
 make the most of my opportunity, and to devote the 
 whole of my time to Miss Maitland's society. The 
 detective was firmly of the opinion that this prolonged rest 
 was due to one of our shots having found its billet, and 
 declared that we should hear nothing more of him until 
 he had repaired damages. The inaction, however, soon
 
 ADVANTAGES OF BEING WOUNDED 137 
 
 became very wearisome to him ; and when a fortnight had 
 elapsed without a single appearance having been chronicled, 
 he became quite morose. By that time he had searched 
 over the whole district, but not a trace of any other in- 
 jured person could he discover ; and he was as much at a 
 loss for a clue to the identity of the Pirate as he had been 
 when he first entered upon the job of running him to earth. 
 The Press by this time had nothing but jeers for the 
 police and for the detective force generally. Meantime 
 the most extraordinary steps were taken to secure the 
 Pirate's arrest when he should renew his rareer. The 
 Automobile Club had officially lent their assistance to 
 i.he police, and night by night the principal roads of the 
 county were patrolled by the members of the club, thirst- 
 ing for the opportunity of distinguishing themselves by 
 the capture of the marauder. The Pirate must have 
 been vastly amused in his retirement as he read of the 
 sensation he had created. I rather think that the man 
 in the street looked upon the whole matter as the great 
 sporting event of the century, and his sympathies were 
 undoubtedly with the man who could so easily snap his 
 fingers at the army of police, amateur and professional, 
 who were engaged in the task of seeking him. In fact, 
 if he had not committed the murder at Towcester, I am 
 convinced that the public would have elevated him to the 
 position of a great popular hero. Even as it was, 
 he had no lack of apologists ; and an eminent ballad- 
 monger celebrated his exploits in some verses, which 
 were immensely applauded when recited by long-haired
 
 138 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 enthusiasts at smoking concerts and similar gatherings. 
 All this was gall to Forrest ; and at last one day, three 
 weeks after our encounter with the Pirate, he told me 
 he could stand it no longer. 
 
 "I must try another line of country," he remarked. 
 
 " What line do you propose ? " I asked. 
 
 " The only thing I can think of," he replied, " is 
 to make inquiries in Amsterdam, to see if the diamonds 
 which were taken from the mail, have been offered for 
 sale. I am quite certain they have not been put upon 
 the market this side of the water." 
 
 I was very loth to let him go alone ; but he would 
 not hear of my accompanying him. 
 
 " What ! run away now, and let your friend 
 Mannering have a clear field ? I wouldn't if I were 
 you," he remarked. "Besides, I can manage this sort 
 of work better by myself." 
 
 His final argument was conclusive, and he went 
 away promising to look me up immediately he returned, 
 and expressing the hope that nothing more would be 
 heard of the Pirate until his return. 
 
 On the very same day it happened that Mannering 
 also took his departure from St. Stephens. I had 
 mentioned in his hearing that Forrest had been called 
 away, and he had then informed us Miss Maitland and 
 myself that he had some business in Paris in connection 
 with the patent tyre with which he was still experiment- 
 ing, which would entail his absence for two or three days. 
 
 I sincerely trusted that his business would require a
 
 ADVANTAGES OF BEING WOUNDED 139 
 
 much longer period to transact ; and as he was leaving 
 by an early train the next morning, I took particular 
 care he should obtain no opportunity for a private leave- 
 taking with Miss Maitland. 
 
 It was not a sporting thing to do, perhaps, but I was 
 so much in earnest about my love-making, that I had no 
 scruples about spoiling as many of my rival's chances as I 
 could. However, as it happened, I found somewhat to 
 my surprise that my tactics were not unwelcome to Miss 
 Maitland. She confessed as much to me the next day. ' 
 
 She But perhaps it will be better for me to give in 
 
 some detail the conversation we had upon this occasion, 
 since it had a considerable bearing upon after events. 
 
 The morning after Mannering had departed was as 
 brilliant a one as June ever bestowed upon mortal. Now 
 that my rival was out of the way, I thought I might 
 dispense with the sling which I had worn hitherto, and 
 directly after breakfast I strolled across to the Maitlands', 
 with the intention oi persuading Miss Maitland to come 
 for a ride on the Mercedes. I found her on the point of 
 starting for a stroll, with the object of giving her favourite 
 Irish setter a run, and I was easily persuaded to abandon 
 my projected ride and accompany her instead. We choose 
 the footpath between St. Stephen's church and the village 
 of Park Street, and, stepping out briskly, we soon reached 
 our destination ; and as my companion would not hear 
 of turning back, we continued our walk to Bricket 
 Wood. There I insisted upon resting. 
 
 I had never seen her in higher spirits than she was
 
 140 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 chat morning. She bubbled over with gaiety. So much 
 so that I could not help commenting upon the fact. 
 
 " Yes," she replied frankly, in answer to my remarks 
 on the subject, "I do feel gay this morning. I feel as if 
 a load had been removed from my shoulders." 
 
 "Surely you can have no troubles," I remarked, half- 
 banteringly. 
 
 A shadow alighted for a moment upon her face and 
 was gone again. 
 
 "Nothing which ought to be a trouble. Nothing 
 
 tangible and yet Oh, Mr. Sutgrove, do you 
 
 have you ever experienced a presentiment of something 
 dreadful happening? No; that is not exactly what I mean. 
 I don't know how to explain myself without " 
 
 Then she paused, and I discreetly kept silence. Pre- 
 sently she resumed. 
 
 " Men are so stupid, or I would tell you all about it. 
 You would never understand." 
 
 I saw my opening and made use of it. " We men 
 may be stupid both individually and collectively," I said. 
 "But I can answer for one man being sympathetic to 
 anything you like to say to him." 
 
 She laughed. " I am so afraid you will think me silly." 
 
 " Miss Maitland Evie " I began. 
 
 " Hush ! " She stopped me with an adorable smile. 
 " You know you haven't caught the Motor Pirate, yet." 
 
 I summoned up the most injured expression per- 
 mitted by my contentment with my surroundings and 
 fell silent again.
 
 ADVANTAGES OF BEING WOUNDED 141 
 
 u 
 
 ; Poor boy ! " she said mockingly. " It is unkind of 
 me to remind you of your vow, when you have already 
 done your best to fulfil it." 
 
 " Not quite my best, yet," I muttered sullenly. 
 
 "Anyhow I think you have done quite enough to 
 warrant my taking you into my confidence." 
 
 She said this quite seriously, and glancing up at her, I 
 saw she was looking into a glade of the wood with a pre- 
 occupied expression on her pretty face, which showed me 
 that it was in reality no petty trouble which worried her. 
 
 "This scene is so delightfully restful. I love the 
 cool green lights and the cool grey shadows of the 
 woodlands in early summer," she remarked absently. 
 
 I had no eyes for aught but the face of the speaker, 
 though I was indirectly conscious that there was a good 
 deal of beauty in the wood. To me it seemed an 
 appropriate background, that was all. 
 
 " Yes," I said. " But about this presentiment of 
 yours " 
 
 "It is hardly a presentiment; in fact, I don't know 
 what to call it," she replied. Then she turned and faced 
 me. "Now listen. There's an acquaintance of mine, 
 whom I know very well and used to like a great deal. 
 Yes, I think I am right in saying used to like. Well, 
 for some undefined reason, my liking has change to some- 
 thing very like tear." 
 
 " For what reason ? " I asked. 
 
 " None," she replied. " Absolutely there is no reason 
 whatever."
 
 142 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 "A case of Dr. Fell," I said. "Well, avoid your 
 Dr. Fell" 
 
 ' "That is exactly what I am unable to do," she 
 answered, and I could see she was speaking truly. 
 " This fear has grown up in some degree, I think, from 
 a subtle sort of consciousness that the person in question 
 has it in his power to exert a curious influence over me. 
 I seem to be drawn against my will into an attitude 
 towards him which is not only against my judgment, 
 but also against my inclination." 
 
 "Him?" I asked. "Him? Is it Mannering ? " 
 
 " Why, what made you think of him ? Does he 
 affect you in the same way ? " she said eagerly. 
 
 " Far from it," I replied. My first feeling was one 
 of delight at discovering that my rival was more feared 
 than loved. But as I thought over the matter, my 
 astonishment grew. I had looked upon Mannering as 
 a rival, and as a favoured rival, but I was not prepared 
 to hear that Evie Maitland was afraid of him, or of 
 any other man for the matter of that, and I said so. 
 
 " A month ago, I should have laughed at the idea 
 
 myself," she replied, " but to-day " She shuddered 
 
 slightly. " Now you know why I feel so gay this morn- 
 ing. The fact is, when on awakening this morning 
 I realized that I should be absolutely free from his 
 presence for two whole days, I hardly knew bow to 
 contain myself for joy." 
 
 "Surely you must have some grounds for fearing 
 him, something in his manner**
 
 ADVANTAGES OF BEING WOUNDED 143 
 
 " No. Yet I have thought but it is nothing. When 
 we have been alone together he has sat once or twice 
 staring at me. I try to speak to him, but he sits and 
 stares and stares, with his eyes so bright and all the 
 time so sombre so penetrating that I feel that he sees 
 quite through me. Just like one does in those un- 
 pleasant dreams where one's clothes have somehow dis- 
 appeared. To-day, and now, it seems very silly, yet I 
 am certain I shall feel exactly the same the next time I 
 meet him. Then when he sees how confused I am he 
 gives a sort of a laugh, an unpleasant kind of a chuckle 
 without any merriment in it" 
 
 He's a d d cad ! " I cried hotly. 
 
 "I I don't know," she answered. "I don't seem 
 to mind at the time. It is just as if I were in a dream, 
 for I am so fascinated in watching him that I have 
 no thoughts left for myself. It is when he has gone 
 that the thought seems unpleasant. Then I always 
 think I will never see him again, but the next time he 
 calls I feel bound to do so. There, now I have confided 
 in you, don't tell me I am a weak hysterical girl or 
 I really don't know what will happen to me." 
 
 She laid one of her little hands on my arm and 
 looked imploringly into my eyes. 
 
 "I know you are neither weak nor hysterical," I 
 replied. 
 
 " You will help me, won't you ? " she asked. 
 
 I took both hands in mine and looked straight into 
 her eyes.
 
 144 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 a Thc only way I see of helping you," I said 
 deliberately, "is for you to give me the right to 
 do so.*' 
 
 She did not take her hands from my grasp. 
 
 * * 
 
 "Do you know, Jim," she said an hour later, when 
 we came out of the wood into the meadow, " that I told 
 you not to speak to me until you had captured the Motor 
 Pirate." 
 
 ** You could not answer for me, darling," I replied. 
 *' But I should not have done so if I " 
 
 " Had not found the temptation to do so irresistible," 
 she said, taking the words out of my mouth with so 
 bewitching an air, that again I found an irresistible 
 temptation confronting me. 
 
 We did not revert again to the curious influence 
 which Evie had declared Mannering exercised. She 
 would not allow of it. She wanted to think that he 
 had gone completely out of her life, and that no more 
 shadows were ever to fall across her path. And I was 
 too happy myself to wish to refer to anything which 
 should bring an unpleasant memory to her mind. 
 
 I shall never forget our walk home. The silver 
 thread of the Ver, the old monastery gate-house and the 
 ruins of Sopwell Priory in the foreground, the churches 
 of St. Stephens and St Michaels on either hand, and in 
 the centre of the picture the Abbey of St. Albans brood- 
 ing over all. We decided to be married in the abbey. 
 I trod on air.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 A CLOUD APPEARS ON LOVE's HORIZON 
 
 MANNKRING remained absent for a week, and during 
 that time I learned from Evie a good deal about the 
 curious dread which he had inspired in her mind. Had 
 inspired, I say, for she assured me it had passed away, 
 and that she felt quite safe now she was promised 
 to be my wife. Our betrothal had been announced the 
 day after the never-to-be-forgotten walk to Bricket wood, 
 and I had hastened to make it known as widely as I 
 could, for I could think of no likelier method of ensuring 
 her against any further annoyance on the part of 
 Manncring. When he saw that he had lost, I could 
 not think that he would do otherwise than retire grace- 
 fully from the scene. If, however, he failed to take 
 his failure kindly, I should not have the slightest hesitation 
 about sending him about his business. I should have 
 been tempted to do so without further delay, if there 
 had in reality been anything in Mannering's conduct to 
 which open exception could have been taken. Evic re- 
 cognized there was nothing of the sort as strongly as 
 myself, and she was even averse to do as I suggested, 
 
 145 fc
 
 i 4 6 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 and ask her father to hint to him that he should, for a 
 while at least, cease his visits to the house. 
 
 '* You see," she remarked, " if he had made himself 
 offensive in any other way, I should have welcomed the 
 opportunity of speaking to papa about it. But he has 
 not. His attitude has been outwardly perfectly courteous, 
 and papa would only laugh at me if I were to tell him 
 what I have told you. He would not believe me if I 
 told him I was afraid of Mr. Mannering." 
 
 ** Besides, you are now no longer afraid ? *' I said. 
 
 u No ; I am no longer afraid of him. I am quite 
 sure of that," she repeated. 
 
 The manner in which she made the assertion ought 
 to have warned me that she was not quite so certain 
 on the point as she was willing to believe, but no such 
 thought crossed my mind at the time. 
 
 " Anyhow," I continued, " if when you see Manner- 
 ing again, you feel any recurrence of your dread, it will 
 be easy for me to pick a quarrel with him, and so compel 
 him to absent himself from the house. You see, he will 
 be unable to come here without meeting me." 
 
 Evie pouted a dissent. " You must not do that," she 
 remarked. "A quarrel with him would make both of 
 us look ridiculous. Everybody would conclude that you 
 were jealous ; and I I should not like to imagine any 
 one thinking that I gave you cause." 
 
 u My own darling ! " I cried. 
 * * * * * 
 
 When once more we resumed our conversation, I
 
 A CLOUD ON LOVE'S HORIZON 147 
 
 bethought me of another plan, and I suggested to Evie that 
 she could always find a retreat at my home in Norfolk, 
 if she wanted to get away from Mannering's presence. 
 My aunt, I knew, would be delighted to entertain her. 
 She agreed at once to adopt this course if the occasion 
 should arise. Thus I thought I had provided against 
 every contingency for the short period which was to 
 elapse before our wedding-day. 
 
 When Mannering did return, however, it seemed 
 as if we had been making preparations to meet a con- 
 tingency which was never likely to arise. He learned 
 of Evie's engagement from the Colonel, the morning after 
 his return to St. Albans. He took the news very well. 
 Much more coolly than I should have done had I been 
 the disappointed one. In fact, a few minutes after he had 
 been made acquainted with Evie's engagement, he came 
 to us where we were in the garden, and congratulated 
 us forthwith. 
 
 "You are a lucky fellow, Sutgrove," he said. **I 
 had cherished a faint hope that your luck might be mine, 
 and now the only consolation I have is that the best man 
 always wins." 
 
 Spoken in a different tone than that which he 
 employed, his words would have made a very pretty 
 compliment, but from his lips the words seemed to 
 be very like a sarcasm. However, I could pardon 
 the expression of a little bitterness under the circum- 
 stances, so I made no reply ; and, turning to Evie, 
 he continued
 
 i 4 8 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 "I trust your new tie will not put an end to the 
 
 old friendships, Miss Maitland ? " 
 
 Why should it ? " she asked. 
 
 " They often do," he replied. 
 
 " Not if the old friendships are the real thing," I 
 interjected. 
 
 " No ; not if they are the real thing," he repeated 
 slowly. "I hope you will find mine to be the real 
 thing." 
 
 A faint smile fluttered across his face as he spoke, 
 and was gone in an instant. Neither Evie nor myself 
 knew what to reply, and an awkward pause ensued. He 
 seemed to feel the awkwardness of it just as much as 
 either of us, and he changed the subject with an inquiry 
 as to whether anything further had been heard or seen 
 of the Motor Pirate during his own absence in Paris. 
 
 " I have been far too busy to even look at the papers," 
 he explained, *' and he might have been captured for all 
 I know." 
 
 "No such luck," I replied. "This time he seems 
 to have disappeared for good." 
 
 " I see I shall have to take up your job, and devote 
 my energies to the task of his capture," he said laugh- 
 ingly. And, turning to Evie, he said, "I presume you 
 will not allow Sutgrove to take any risks of that sort now, 
 Miss Maitland ? M 
 
 Again there was something sarcastic in his tone, and 
 I could see by the flush in Evie's cheek that the question 
 had angered her. She answered almost hotly
 
 A CLOUD ON LOVE'S HORIZON 149 
 
 * I am quite sure if any one can capture the Pirate, 
 Jim can." 
 
 "I have no intention of giving up the pursuit just 
 at present," I added quietly, with a glance of thanks to 
 my dear one for her ready championship. 
 
 "I don't think I should trouble myself about any 
 Motor Pirate if I were in your position," he replied. 
 " I fancy if I were engaged to be married to the best 
 girl in the world, the first thing I should do would be 
 to eliminate every risk from my life, instead of looking 
 about for fresh ones. Besides, it seems scarcely fair on 
 the girl, does it ? " 
 
 u Surely that depends on what the girl thinks, doesn't 
 it ? " asked Evie. " A good many girls haven't much 
 admiration for the man who would act as you suggest." 
 
 " Ah, well 1 " returned Mannering. " I see now 
 where Sutgrove has succeeded. The prize always goes 
 to the adventurous." 
 
 Again there was a subtle provocation in his tone 
 something very like a sneer. An angry retort was on 
 the tip of my tongue, but a glance from Evie checked 
 it, and soon after he left us together. 
 
 "You must not be angry with him," she said, as 
 soon as we were alone. " He does not know you as 
 I do ; and besides I think he he must be disappointed." 
 
 "There's not the slightest doubt about that," I 
 answered emphatically. " He is badly hit, and he takes 
 it pretty well considering. I know I shouldn't have 
 taken my gruel so coolly. In fact, that is just what
 
 150 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 I don't like about him. One never knows what is going 
 on behind that handsome mask of his." 
 
 " Handsome," she said. " Do you call him hand- 
 some?" 
 
 " Yes. I should say he was one of the handsomest 
 men of my acquaintance. How could you ever bestow 
 a single glance or thought upon me when " 
 
 Evie placed her hand upon my lips. " You dear, 
 foolish old boy," she said. " There is only one face in 
 the whole wide world which I think is really handsome, 
 and I have thought so from the first time I caught sight 
 of it." 
 
 There was another interlude in our conversation 
 they were pretty frequent in those days and the subject 
 dropped for a time. It recurred frequently, however, 
 and gradually I perceived that whatever subject we dis- 
 cussed, sooner or later, Mannering's name was bound to 
 crop up. At first I rather encouraged Evie to talk about 
 him ; but, after a while, I discovered that I was minister- 
 ing to the feeling which I thought had been destroyed. 
 I could not help but notice that, soon after Mannering's 
 return, Evie's high spirits became subdued her gaiety 
 less spontaneous. Yet when I asked her whether Man- 
 nering's presence produced any effect upon her, she 
 assured me to the contrary. 
 
 Nor did I see how Mannering could possibly exert 
 any influence over her. I took particular care that he 
 should never have a ttte-a-ttte with her. Sometimes she 
 would not even see him for a couple of days at a time,
 
 A CLOUD ON LOVE'S HORIZON 151 
 
 and when she did, it would be merely for a few minutes, 
 and nearly always in the presence of Colonel Maitland 
 as well as myself. 
 
 It appeared to me, indeed, as if Mannering even took 
 pains to avoid seeing much of her ; and, though I watched 
 him closely, his bearing was always studiously correct. 
 He was the same insouciant person who had impressed 
 me so favourably upon my first introduction to him. 
 But whether it was owing to the distrust which Erie's 
 fear of him had impressed upon me, or because I could 
 really see things which had before been hidden from 
 my sight, I certainly did observe about him certain singu- 
 larities which I had never before remarked. I saw, for 
 instance, that, in speaking of his face as a handsome 
 mask, I had been nearer the truth than I had known. 
 On more than one occasion, while his lips were parted 
 in a genial smile, I observed in his eyes an expression 
 strangely at variance therewith. It was the expression 
 of a cat when it crouches to spring upon a mouse. I 
 have seen that look bent upon my betrothed. I have 
 caught it directed at myself. There was a restlessness, 
 too, which gave the lie to his nonchalant manner. I 
 could see that he forced himself to remain still. His 
 fingers were always busy with something or other. 
 
 These were trifles, and equally trivial seemed the 
 sarcasms which he directed at me now and again. 
 These I attributed to the ebullitions of temper, natural 
 enough in a defeated suitor. In my heart I pitied 
 him, for I fancied I knew what a struggle it must have
 
 1 52 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 cost him to stand aside and watch a successful rival's 
 happiness. 
 
 As the days passed, a certain constraint appeared to 
 have arisen between Evie and myself. I told myself that 
 the idea was foolish, and yet I knew that it was not 
 so. Mind, I had not the slightest doubt as to the 
 strength of Evie's love for me. She expressed it clearly, 
 yet there was something drawing us apart, and I began 
 to be afraid. 
 
 Towards the middle of June the tension became so 
 great, that I could see the time had arrived when it would 
 be necessary to do something ; and, one night, I deter- 
 mined to mention the matter. Accordingly, after dinner, 
 I persuaded Evie to come into the garden, with the in- 
 tention to speak firmly in my mind. There, however, 
 in the faint light of the summer night, with the sweet 
 scent of the early roses filling the air, I forgot everything 
 in the blissfulness of my lot. We had paced our favourite 
 walk once in silence my heart was too full of delight for 
 speech when, as we retraced our steps, to my surprise, 
 Evie burst suddenly into passionate tears. Some minutes 
 elapsed before I could calm her, and when I managed at 
 last to do so, it needed all my powers of persuasion to 
 get her to confide in me the cause of her outburst. At 
 first she said it was nothing but the hysteria of happi- 
 ness. Then she asked me, with a fierce clutch on my 
 arm, if I should think her unmaidenly if she asked that 
 our wedding-day should be hastened. We had fixed it 
 for September, so I at once suggested July.
 
 A CLOUD ON LOVE'S HORIZON 153 
 
 Her mood changed at once. She said she was noi 
 reeling well, and that I must not listen to her. But 
 being now thoroughly alarmed at her obviously nervous 
 condition, I questioned her until I elicited from her that 
 all her old dread of Mannering had returned, and with 
 double intensity, in that it was accompanied by a pre- 
 sentiment of disaster to myself. 
 
 "Jim," she said, looking up into my face with eyes 
 which glowed in the faint light like stars, "I shall not 
 feel sure of you until I am with you always. I want to 
 be near you to look after you. Every moment you are 
 absent from my side, I am imagining all sorts of horrible 
 things happening to you. And it is worse to bear, 
 because, it seems to me, that I am the cause of 
 it all." 
 
 I strove to laugh away her fears, but, say what I 
 would, I could not dispel the thought in her mind that 
 some disaster threatened our love. Probing her mind 
 for the foundation .of her belief, I was not surprised to 
 find that Mannering had something to do with it. 
 
 I did my best to make her mind easy, while deter- 
 mining that I would at once take steps to secure change 
 of air and scene for her at some spot where my late rival 
 should not come. She became tolerably composed at last, 
 and I took her back to the drawing-room, where I was 
 glad to find Mrs. Winter, in whom I recognized a most 
 useful sedative for over-excited nerves. 
 
 We had a little music, and with that and the com- 
 monplaces of conversation, the evening passed until eleven
 
 154 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 had struck, and the Colonel's yawns warned me that the 
 time had arrived for taking my departure. 
 
 The Winters and myself had just risen to leave when 
 we heard a hasty step on the gravel outside, and, turning, 
 we saw a man's figure at one of the French windows 
 opening on to the garden. 
 
 " Hullo ! " said the Colonel. Who's that ? " 
 
 The new-comer stepped into the room, and, as the 
 light fell upon his face, I recognized Forrest. He nodded 
 to me and turned to the Colonel. 
 
 " I trust you will excuse this unceremonious call of 
 mine, Colonel Maitland," he said. " But I was desirous 
 of seeing Mr. Sutgrove immediately, and I guessed I 
 should find him here." 
 
 " I'll excuse you, if you will come to the smoking- 
 room and drink Mr. Sutgrove's health in a whisky-and- 
 seltzer," replied the Colonel, heartily. 
 
 **I don't think I can spare the time," said the 
 detective, quietly. 
 
 " Nonsense, man ! You must drink the health of 
 my future son-in-law ! " he declared. 
 
 "Most certainly," remarked Forrest. "I can find 
 
 time for that, even though " He paused, and then 
 
 said, with quiet incisiveness, '* Even though the Motor 
 Pirate is upon the road again 1 "
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 A CLUB AT LAST 
 
 IMMEDIATELY Forrest had made his dramatic announce- 
 ment, I glanced at Evie, for in view of the apprehension 
 she had exhibited earlier in the evening, I was just a 
 little doubtful as to whether she would take kindly to 
 the renewal of my attempts to catch the Pirate. To 
 my satisfaction, she exhibited no signs of trepidation, if 
 she did not appear altogether delighted that I was to 
 have another opportunity of distinguishing myself. In 
 fact as soon as the detective had followed Colonel 
 Maitland from the room, she told me that she was 
 glad. 
 
 <*I don't fear for you a scrap, Jim. At least not 
 much," she said. "I know you won't do anything 
 foolish, for my sake." 
 
 I interrupted with, " Nor for my own." 
 
 " And do you know," she continued, " I have a queer 
 sort of impression that when the Pirate is captured, this 
 horrible depression which has been hanging over me will 
 disappear altogether." 
 
 ** Then captured he must be without delay," I said. 
 >S5
 
 156 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 u Though I don't sec how Mannering will be affected 
 thereby." 
 
 a I am not so sure about that," said Evic. 
 
 ** You surely cannot think that Mannering is in any 
 way connected with the Motor Pirate?" I inquired in 
 surprise, for any such idea had long passed from my 
 mind. 
 
 "1 don't know,** she remarked dreamily; "I don't 
 know. But I should not be surprised. I really could 
 believe anything about him." 
 
 I reminded her of the steps Forrest had taken to 
 assure himself that there were no grounds for such a 
 suspicion, but she was not convinced ; so I forbore to 
 continue the discussion, changing the conversation to 
 the arrangements to be made for her proposed visit to 
 Norfolk. It was decided that I should write at once 
 to my aunt, and that she should be ready to start the 
 moment I received a reply. We had settled all the 
 preliminaries by the time the Colonel and Forrest 
 returned, and I bade her good night, feeling quite easy 
 in my mind. 
 
 " I am delighted to be able to congratulate you," said 
 Forrest, the moment we were outside. 
 
 a I am the luckiest man in the world," I replied. 
 
 * You are," returned the detective, emphatically. " All 
 the same, I should not have been sorry if Miss Maitland 
 had stuck to her intention of refusing to listen to you 
 until after the capture of the Pirate." 
 
 Why?" I demanded.
 
 A CLUE AT LAST 157 
 
 " For purely selfish reasons," he replied. " I take it 
 you will not be so keen on the chase. Men in your 
 position don't take risks." 
 
 I held out my hand to him. "Put your fist in 
 that," I said. " What I have promised, I stick to ; and, 
 to tell the truth, I was never keener on anything in 
 my life." 
 
 "That's good news for me," he answered, and I 
 could tell from his tone that he meant it. Besides, he 
 was not a man given to the paying of idle compliments. 
 
 We were walking quietly towards my cottage as we 
 talked, and the impulse came upon me to confide to him 
 the presentiment which Evie had in regard to the capture 
 of the Pirate relieving her from her burden of fear. That 
 necessitated my explaining as well as I could the curious 
 influence which Mannering exercised over her. Forrest 
 listened attentively. 
 
 " Curious," he muttered, when I had finished. ** It 
 is very curious that the fellow should have produced such 
 an impression on Miss Maitland. By the way, he wab 
 not at the Colonel's to-night." 
 
 " No," I replied. 
 
 " I wonder he began. He never finished the 
 
 sentence, nor did he speak again until he reached my 
 door. There he paused, and said lightly, "I think ] 
 should like to discover whether the disappointed lover u 
 at home to-night. Are you prepared for a little amateur 
 burglary, Sutgrove ? " 
 
 " Ready for anything," I assured him,
 
 158 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 " It seems a little absurd to suspect Mannering," he 
 remarked meditatively. "Yet there are times when a 
 woman's intuition is a better guide than a man's ratiocin- 
 ation." 
 
 " You didn't get any clue in Amsterdam, then ? " I 
 asked tentatively, for I was curious to hear the results 
 of his journey. 
 
 " No, no. Nothing at all in Holland." 
 
 44 If Mannering were the Pirate, and had tried to 
 dispose of his plunder there, you would in all probability 
 have caught him j but he would scarcely have chosen to 
 go abroad at the same time as yourself," I remarked. 
 
 Forrest emitted a long, low whistle. " By Jove ! " 
 he said. "Then it was indeed he whom I saw in 
 Vienna." 
 
 " In Vienna ? " I queried. 
 
 ** When did he leave England ? " asked the detective, 
 ignoring my question. 
 
 ** The very day you left," I replied promptly. 
 
 " Come, this is getting interesting," he said. " To- 
 night we will most certainly let the Pirate do his worst 
 on the roads. We will look for a clue to the mystery 
 of his identity nearer home." He looked at his watch. 
 "It's a little too early to pay our call, so if you don't 
 mind, I will come in and we can discuss the matter at 
 leisure." 
 
 To say that Forrest's enigmatic utterances filled me 
 with excitement, very inadequately expresses the state 
 of my mind. He followed me indoors, and, while I
 
 A CLUE AT LAST 159 
 
 mixed a drink for each of us, he saw that the windows 
 and doors were closed. Then seating himself in an 
 easy chair, he selected a cigar and remarked 
 
 ** Now we can talk." 
 
 " I thought you only intended to go to Amsterdam,** 
 I began. 
 
 " That was my intention," he replied. " But before 
 giving you the results of my inquiries it won't take 
 long, by the way I should like to ask you one or two 
 questions, if I may ? " 
 
 " Fire away," I said. 
 
 ** Did you mention to any one where I had gone ? " 
 
 " Not to a soul. At least certainly not at the time, 
 though I have probably mentioned the matter to Miss 
 Maitland since." 
 
 " Oh, you young lovers ! " he interjected. 
 
 " She would not speak of the matter, I know. I 
 gave out to every one else that you had been recalled 
 to London." 
 
 " Anyway, it would not have mattered if she had, as 
 Mannering left on the same day as myself. Where did 
 he say he was going ? " 
 
 "He said he was bound for Paris on business con- 
 nected with some patents he was applying for. He told 
 us he would be absent for two or three days ; and as a 
 matter of fact, he was away for ten." 
 
 " That would about fit in," remarked the detective, 
 after a moment's thought. ** But of that you shall judge 
 for yourself." He moistened his lips and pulled at his
 
 160 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 cigar until it was well alight, and then he commenced 
 his story. 
 
 "I carried out my original intention, and the night 
 after I left you I caught the 8.30 at Liverpool Street. 
 The next morning I was in Amsterdam. I stayed there 
 three days, until I was quite convinced that no such 
 parcel of diamonds as had been stolen had been offered 
 for sale to any of the Dutch dealers. I could not have 
 failed to hear of it if any such attempt had been made. 
 While there I had the good fortune to make the 
 acquaintance of a Russian agent, whose work I fancy 
 must have been largely political. Ivan Stroviloff his 
 name was, and he had acquaintances in most European 
 capitals. I discussed the matter with him. He thought 
 that an attempt to dispose of the stones was much more 
 likely to be made in Vienna or St. Petersburg than 
 anywhere else except Paris. I was aware of our agents 
 in Paris having been fully informed, and I knew it was 
 not worth my while to go there ; but beyond notifying 
 the Austrian police, I doubted whether any steps had 
 been taken in regard to Vienna, so I determined to 
 proceed to the Austrian capital. Stroviloff proved a 
 very decent fellow, rather an exception to the general 
 run, for I don't take to those Russian agents as a rule ; 
 and as I was able to give him a few hints and some 
 introductions over here he was going on to London 
 he gave me in return letters to some of his colleagues in 
 Vienna and Petersburg, thinking they would probably 
 be of more use to me than application through the usual
 
 A CLUE AT LAST 161 
 
 official channels. Well, I went on to Vienna. I won't 
 weary you with a history of my fruitless inquiries, is 
 would take far too much time. Anyhow, I did find 
 eventually that a parcel of diamonds had been disposed 
 of there, and, as Stroviloff had predicted, I obtained the 
 information through one of the Russian agents and not 
 through the Viennese police. I will say that I do not 
 see how the latter could have helped me, for the pur- 
 chaser was the representative of a Petersburg house who 
 happened to be in Vienna for the purpose of attending 
 the sale of the Princess Novikoff's jewels you probably 
 saw all about it in the papers." 
 
 It was a remarkable sale, and the extraordinary prices 
 realized are probably fresh in most people's memories. 
 I told Forrest I had seen accounts of it, and he 
 continued. 
 
 "Unfortunately I did not get the information until 
 after the representative in question had returned to 
 Petersburg. There was nothing left for me to do but 
 to follow him there if I wanted to satisfy myself as to 
 whether the stones of which I had heard were really the 
 ones stolen from the mail. It was rather like a wild 
 goose chase, but I went. It was the day before I started 
 that I saw the man who reminded me so forcibly of your 
 friend Mannering. It was a very fleeting glimpse of a 
 face which looked in at the door of a restaurant where 
 I happened to be dining, and I should not like to swear 
 that it was he whom I saw. At the time, I put my 
 fancy down to one of those casual likenesses which 
 
 M
 
 1 62 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 sometimes lead even keen observers to accost total 
 strangers in the streets as acquaintances. The likeness 
 was, however, undeniable, in spite of something strange 
 about his appearance. However, I paid no attention to 
 the incident, and tfie next morning I was on my way to 
 Petersburg. There I found no difficulty in obtaining 
 full particulars from the dealer. I have no doubt but 
 that he has purchased the stones which were stolen from 
 the Brighton mail. In size, weight, and quality they 
 answered to the description perfectly. I learned from 
 him that the man from whom he had bought the stones 
 had been introduced to him by a well-known Viennese 
 jeweller. The price asked, though not very greatly 
 below market value, was low enough to tempt him to 
 purchase. The man who offered them suggested that 
 payment should be made, not to himself, but to his firm 
 in Amsterdam. The transaction seemed in every way 
 bond fide y the explanation as to the low price being that 
 the Amsterdam firm was rather pressed for cash, and so 
 compelled to realize some of its stock, but was unable to 
 do so in Amsterdam for fear of jeopardizing its credit. 
 The man who sold the stones gave the name of Josef 
 Hoffman, and the merchant produced his card which 
 bore the name of Jacob Meyer and Meyer, and an 
 address in the De Jordaan, Amsterdam. He was 
 described to me as a tall, powerful, fresh-coloured, fair- 
 haired German, of pleasant manners and address. The 
 Petersburg merchant's representative had given him a 
 draft on an Amsterdam bank and, on reaching the
 
 A CLUE AT LAST 163 
 
 Russian capital, after examining the stones, his employer 
 had authorized the payment of the draft by telegraph. 
 
 " As soon as I obtained these particulars, I started 
 once more for the Dutch city without wasting much 
 time. Needless to say, I was too late to catch my man. 
 The office in the De Jordaan I found to be a room 
 which had been taken for a week or two, and then 
 vacated, by a person whom I easily identified as the 
 fair-haired German. The draft had been exchanged 
 for a draft on the banker's London agents by the same 
 man. I came on to London immediately, but Hoffman, 
 or whatever his name may be, was a week ahead of me. 
 I traced him to the London bank where he had cashed 
 his draft. He did it in the coolest manner imaginable. 
 He left it one day saying that he required gold, and that 
 if they would get the amount ready it was over ^4000 
 he would call for it the next day. He actually allowed 
 two days to elapse before doing so. Then he came in 
 a cab with a handbag and took away the gold. That 
 at present is as far as I have got. I only learned the 
 last of these particulars this afternoon, and of course I 
 went at once to the Yard to make my report and to 
 arrange for the circulation of the description of the 
 fair-haired German throughout the country. Then I 
 came on to you.'* 
 
 Forrest finished his drink and stood up. " Now you 
 know as much about the case as I do," he remarked, 
 " and I fancy it is about time for us to pay our proposed 
 visit to our friend Mannering."
 
 1 64 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 "I don't see how you can connect him in any way 
 with Hoffman," I said, as I rose from my seat. 
 
 Forrest smiled. "I omitted to tell you one thing," 
 he observed. " I could not see the hair of the man in 
 Vienna whose face seemed familiar to me. But one 
 thing I did remark. The man with Mannering's face 
 wore a fair moustache." 
 
 " But Mannering's is dark," I argued. " It was dark 
 when he went away and dark when he returned." 
 
 Forrest held up his hand mockingly. "In these 
 days of scientific progress nothing is easier than for the 
 intelligent leopard to change his spots. Ask the brunette 
 when fashion decrees that fair hair is to be worn, and 
 ask again of the blonde how she manages when the 
 exigencies demand raven tresses." 
 
 That settled me. "There's only one thing more," 
 I said. " When did you hear that the Motor Pirate 
 was at work again ? " 
 
 " At St. Albans. I called at the police office on my 
 way here. He was seen about ten o'clock this side of 
 Peterborough and going north." 
 
 " It will be rather a sell if Mannering is at home," I 
 remarked. 
 
 "He will not be at home," replied Forrest with 
 conviction.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 I COMMIT A BURGLARY 
 
 THE night was moonless, but there was that soft diffused 
 light in the air invariable in June, except on the cloudiest 
 of evenings. There was just enough of it to enable us to 
 see our way as we strolled towards Mannering's house. 
 When we reached it everything appeared still. All the 
 windows were dark. I felt my heart beginning to beat 
 faster than ordinarily as Forrest lifted the latch of the 
 gate opening on to the strip of garden, which lay between 
 the road and the house. We walked along the turf 
 edging of the path in order that our feet might not crunch 
 upon the gravel. Forrest was first. He went straight to 
 the front door and tried it. It was fast. 
 
 "We will try one of those French windows,*' he 
 whispered after returning to my side. 
 
 The house was a two-story cottage with a verandah 
 opening on the south side facing a lawn. On to this 
 verandah windows opened from both the dining and 
 sitting-rooms, the servants' quarters being on the other 
 side of the house. 
 
 We went round the angle of the building and tried 
 165
 
 1 66 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 the first windbw. It was fastened. With cat-like tread 
 Forrest glided on to the second. It was one of the two 
 giving entrance to the sitting-room. A sibilant sound 
 from the detective's lips took me to his side. Without 
 hesitating a second, he threw back the casement and 
 stepped into the darkness. 
 
 " Come," he muttered, and I followed. 
 
 Heavy curtains veiled the windows and past these the 
 darkness was thick enough to be felt. Of a sudden there 
 was a crack which made me start. It was only Forrest 
 striking a match. With imperturbable confidence, he 
 stepped towards a table and lit the lamp which stood 
 thereon. I felt exceedingly uncomfortable, but Forrest 
 obviously knew no such qualms, for he at once proceeded 
 to examine every object in the room. So far as I could see, 
 there was nothing at all unusual about the place. The 
 room was in exactly the same condition as I had observed 
 it hundreds of times before when I had dropped in for a 
 smoke and a chat. On the table, beside the lamp, was a 
 tantalus and a glass, and a half empty syphon. The glass 
 had been used and the ash on the floor, beside an armchair, 
 showed that a cigar had accompanied the drink. A pair 
 of slippers lay on the hearth rug as if they had been care- 
 lessly kicked off. Forrest pointed to them. 
 
 " Mannering is not at home," he said. " If he had gone 
 to bed, these would not be here.*' 
 
 " I hope he will not return while we are about," I 
 muttered. 
 
 " It would be a little awkward for him," said Forrest.
 
 I COMMIT A BURGLARY 167 
 
 calmly. *' I should be compelled to arrest him in self- 
 defence, and I am not prepared to do so at present." 
 
 He did not, however, hurry his movements in any way 
 as he proceeded to deliberately search the room. Only 
 once did he pause, and that was when he discovered a con- 
 tinental time-table of recent date. He brought the book 
 to the light and turned over the pages carefully. A gleam 
 of exultation crossed his face, as he pointed out to me a 
 trace of tobacco ash between the pages which gave details 
 of the train service between Vienna and Amsterdam. 
 
 " We are on the right track," he observed. 
 
 But that one slight piece of evidence was all that the 
 most careful examination of the room revealed, although 
 there was not a drawer nor a shelf which he did not over- 
 haul. 
 
 * We must try his bedroom," he remarked, when he 
 had finished with the sitting-room. 
 
 What about the servants ? " I asked. 
 
 "If they arc not asleep, they will merely imagine that 
 it is their master going to bed," he replied, as taking a 
 candlestick, which stood on an occasional table near the 
 door, he passed out of the room. I followed him upstairs, 
 with my heart in my mouth, and pointed out to him the 
 door of the room which Mannering occupied. As Forrest 
 turned the handle and entered, I was quite prepared to 
 make a bolt for it. I should not have been a bit surprised 
 to have discovered our suspect sleeping quietly within. 
 But Forrest turned and beckoned me to enter. The room 
 was empty, and this time I assisted the detective in hi*
 
 1 68 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 search. Between us we subjected the bedroom and the 
 adjoining dressing-room to the closest scrutiny, but with- 
 out result. We could not, unfortunately, make an ex- 
 haustive examination, for there were one or two ancient 
 presses which were locked, and the Chubb safe let into 
 the wall by the bed head was likewise fastened. 
 
 The detective shrugged his shoulders when we had 
 done. 
 
 "As we haven't a burglar's outfit, we shall have to 
 wait until we have a search warrant," he muttered. 
 
 With a disappointed air he led the way out of the 
 room. On the landing he paused. His keen gaze had rested 
 for a moment on a travelling bag which stood under s 
 table. There were the remains of a number of label- 
 upon it and he scanned them carefully. There was no 
 sufficient of any one of them left for identification. 
 
 " He's a clever devil," he whispered. 
 
 Then he opened the bag and again his countenan 
 lightened. Inside was an empty bottle bearing the labc 
 of a London chemist, with the additional superscription- 
 " Peroxide of Hydrogen." 
 
 " The fair hair is accounted for," commented Forrest. 
 *' And as for the dye which would restore his locks to their 
 natural colour, I presume he has it under lock and key." 
 
 He slipped the bottle into his pocket and returned 
 downstairs, I following at his heels. 
 
 " There's not enough at present against him to war- 
 rant his arrest," he said, when we were again in the 
 sitting-room.
 
 1 COMMIT A BURGLARY 169 
 
 " Then why not have a look round his workshops," I 
 suggested. 
 
 " His what ? " queried Forrest, eagerly. 
 
 ** Haven't I ever mentioned them to you ? Haven't 
 you ever heard that Mannering spends all his spare time in 
 experimental motor construction ?" I asked in surprise. 
 
 "I think I have heard it mentioned, but until this 
 moment I have always thought it was chaff," he replied. 
 
 " Good heavens ! " I ejaculated. 
 
 "I should have been inside that shop a couple of 
 
 months ago," he continued, " if I had thought 
 
 Whereabouts is the shop ? " 
 
 " Just at the back of the house and abutting on the 
 side of the road," I explained. " The old coach-house and 
 stables." Then as the thought occurred to me, I con- 
 tinued, " Why I heard him tell you of his work himself." 
 
 *' That's precisely the reason why I paid no attention 
 to it," said my companion. " Can you take me to the 
 place?" 
 
 I led the way through the French window, Forrest 
 putting out the light before he followed me, and carefully 
 closing the casement behind him as he stepped on to the 
 verandah. A clock, somewhere in St. Albans, struck the 
 half after two as we crossed the lawn in the direction of 
 the workshop. 
 
 "We have only a short time at our disposal," 
 whispered Forrest. "The darkness is lifting, and our 
 friend will soon be returning." 
 
 We passed through a side door, which we found
 
 i yo THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 unlocked, into what had once been the stable-yard. But 
 we could get no further. The two doors which gave 
 admission to the building were firmly fastened, and there 
 was no available window by which we might gain 
 entrance. We retraced our steps, and, passing out of 
 the door, approached the stables from the road. By this 
 time the dawn had made such progress that we knew 
 our chances of getting inside before Mannering's return 
 were dwindling rapidly. We found no more likelihood 
 of obtaining admission from this side than the other. 
 
 "I cannot arrest a man on the evidence of a few 
 grains of tobacco dust, and an empty phial," declared 
 Forrest, savagely, as he shook the tightly locked door. 
 Listen 1 " I said. 
 
 Borne on the wind came the throb of a motor. So 
 still was the air that when the sound first reached our 
 ears it must have been a mile away. The sound drew 
 nearer and nearer, and while it was still a quarter of a 
 mile distant, I recognized the familiar noise of Manner- 
 ing's car, a sound as dissimilar to the hum of the 
 Pirate car as it was possible to conceive. 
 
 " Forrest," I cried, turning to my companion, " we 
 must be mad to think that Mannering could play the 
 part of the Motor Pirate on that old car of his.** 
 
 There was something so irresistibly ludicrous in the 
 idea, that we both indulged in a hearty fit of laughter, 
 and with one accord we turned and walked down the road. 
 
 ** He may keep his fast car elsewhere," remarked the 
 detective, when his mirth had subsided.
 
 I COMMIT A BURGLARY 171 
 
 * It would be difficult to bring the guilt home to him 
 if we failed to discover the car," I replied. 
 
 A few seconds later we met the man whom we had 
 so lately suspected. I felt a tinge of shame at the thought 
 that, a few minutes previously, I had been sneaking into 
 his house in the hope that I should find evidence to convict 
 him of a crime. By this time dawn was sufficiently 
 advanced to allow of recognition, and as he came level 
 with us Mannering pulled up. 
 
 " Hullo, Sutgrove ! " he shouted. " You're about 
 betimes. Been on the same job as myself ? " 
 
 " What's that, Mr. Mannering ? " asked Forrest 
 
 ** Looking for an opportunity to pay back this little 
 debt," was the light answer, as the speaker tapped his 
 shoulder gently. 
 
 " Any luck ? " said Forrest, dryly. 
 
 " Not a scrap," was the ready reply. ** You see I'm 
 a bit handicapped with this old car, for unless the fellow 
 happens to take the same road as myself, there's precious 
 little chance of my picking him up. Still, if you do not 
 soon succeed in catching him, I think I shall have a good 
 try myself." 
 
 " I suppose by that you know who he is," I remarked, 
 more in order to see what he would say than in the hope 
 of eliciting anything. 
 
 " Not the slightest idea on the subject," he responded 
 promptly. "I am merely hoping that in a few days I 
 shall be in possession of a new motor from which even 
 the Pirate will be unable to escape."
 
 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 I made a gesture of surprise. 
 
 " Fact," he continued. " My experiments have 
 proved successful at last. In a week I shall have delivered 
 to me the new motor I have designed, and then the Pirate 
 had better look out. Good night." 
 
 Waving an adieu, he set his car in motion, and jogged 
 along until he reached the door of his coach-house. We 
 watched him dismount, unlock the door, and disappear 
 inside. 
 
 "It beats me," remarked Forrest. 
 
 *' Surely you do not still harbour any suspicion con- 
 cerning him ? " I inquired in amazement. 
 
 Forrest made no reply. His head was bent, his 
 brow knitted deeply, his hands clasped behind him as we 
 turned and walked back to my place. He did not speak 
 until we stopped on my doorstep. 
 
 ** I wish he had not seen us," my companion then 
 remarked. " He will be bound to tumble to the con- 
 clusion that we suspect him, and will be on his guard." 
 
 ** Then you do still suspect him," I cried again. 
 
 " If I had one scrap of direct evidence," replied the 
 detective, emphatically, " I would have him under arrest 
 within half an hour. Only one little scrap," he almost 
 groaned. " But, as it is, my reputation would not survive 
 if I made a mistake." 
 
 " Why, you don't imagine that he would go so far as 
 to shoot himself just to avert suspicion," I asked, still 
 incredulous. 
 
 Forrest drew himself up smartly. " Good Lord I
 
 I COMMIT A BURGLARY 173 
 
 What a fool I am ! What a blind dunderheaded 
 jackass ! " he cried. 
 
 ** What's the matter now ? " I inquired smiling, for 
 the detective was groping in his pockets. " Have you 
 lost anything ? ** 
 
 From his waistcoat pocket he produced a small leaden 
 bullet, and he held it outstretched in the palm of his 
 hand. 
 
 " Here have I been wasting weeks on the continent, 
 while with this I might have settled the matter once and 
 for all." 
 
 "How?" I asked. 
 
 "I needed but to compare this with the bullet the 
 surgeon extracted from Mannering's shoulder. This is 
 the one which killed the poor fellow near Towcester. If 
 Mannering's bullet is identical with this, I should have 
 nothing more to say ; but," he continued meaningly, "both 
 your revolver and mine are of a different calibre to the 
 weapon which fired this. If the bullet which hit 
 Mannering should prove to fit either of our weapons, 
 there would be no need to seek for further evidence. I 
 must see that surgeon at once." 
 
 He started off rapidly down the garden path. I 
 hurried after him and laid my hand on his arm. 
 
 " Steady, old man," I remarked. " You can hardly 
 knock up a hardworked medical man at 3.30 a.m. just 
 to ask him a question." 
 
 Forrest stopped and gave a short laugh. " Upon my 
 word, I had entirely forgotten what the time was. No,
 
 174 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 you arc quite right. There is no need for such excessive 
 hurry. Mannering is safe enough for the present." 
 
 " At least, for the next eighteen hours," I observed, 
 after glancing at my watch. " Meanwhile, your room 
 ha* been kept ready for you.'* 
 
 ** A little sleep will not come amiss," he answered, 
 yawning ; " though it seems almost a pity to go to bed on 
 such a morning." 
 
 He was right. By this time dawn was breaking with 
 a splendour I have never seen equalled before nor since. 
 From east to west the sky was stained and flecked with 
 crimson and gold, and our faces glowed ruddily in the 
 reflected light. We both fell to silence, as with our 
 faces to the east we watched the uprising of the sun ; 
 and, until the sky paled as the sun made its appearance 
 above the line of the horizon, we did not stir. 
 
 Then Forrest drew a deep breath. " There's been 
 the beauty of destruction in the sunrise," he remarked. 
 ** We shall have a storm before nightfall." 
 
 He followed me indoors, and, leaving him at the door 
 of his room, I went to my own. I got into my pyjamas, 
 but I did not feel inclined to sleep for the sunbeams 
 were glancing in at my window, and all about were the 
 sound and movement of the awakening earth-creatures. 
 I wheeled an easy chair to the window, and wrapping a 
 blanket about me, took a novel I had been reading and 
 strove to fix my attention on the pages. I could not do 
 so. Whether it was the reflex action of the brain from 
 the excitement of the evening or not, but the fact was
 
 I COMMIT A BURGLARY 175 
 
 I felt unaccountably depressed. I fought against the 
 feeling as best I could. But I could not get out of my 
 head the idea that some great danger was threatening, 
 not myself, but the one dearest to me in the world. 
 From my window I could see her home, and I drew the 
 chair into a position where my eyes might rest upon the 
 roof which sheltered her. There was some consolation 
 in this, and I watched until I eventually fell into an 
 uneasy slumber, from which I awakened unrefrrshed and 
 ill at ease.
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 STORM 
 
 MY tub pulled me together to some extent, but I still 
 felt restless when I went downstairs. Forrest had 
 already gone out, leaving word that he expected to be 
 back to breakfast at the usual hour. I went into the 
 garden, but the sun was shining in a cloudless sky and 
 there was not a breath of air stirring. It was insuffer- 
 ably hot and I was glad to return into the shade of the 
 house. 
 
 The detective came in panting, a little later, with 
 disappointment plainly written in his face. 
 
 u The surgeon out ? " I inquired. 
 
 "No,** he answered. "But he was not much use 
 though. Mannering kept the bullet. He wanted to 
 retain it, so he said, as a memento of his adventure.*' 
 
 " Perfectly natural," I commented. 
 
 "Perfectly," returned Forrest. "The unfortunate 
 result is, that his doing so prevents me from dismissing 
 the possibility of his being the Pirate from my mind. 
 And I ought to be doing something. Last night the 
 rascal seems to have been everywhere. Apparently he 
 
 176
 
 STORM 177 
 
 was actuated with a desire to destroy everything which 
 stood in his path. One would judge him to have become 
 absolutely reckless. Instead of avoiding the towns, he 
 courted observation by passing through them. This 
 morning at the police office, I heard particulars of at 
 least half a dozen cases of unoffending people being 
 ruthlessly ridden down, and Heaven only knows how 
 many more there may be of which the details are not 
 yet to hand. The sheer devilry of his progress is simply 
 amazing. What it comes to is this, Sutgrove. If I 
 can't get hold of him within the next week I may as 
 well resign the force at once. If I don't resign I shall 
 be dismissed, and quite deservedly." 
 
 I tried to say something consolatory, but he would 
 not hear me ; and it was not until after he had made 
 a savage attack upon the eggs and rashers and had 
 swallowed three cups of tea, that his usual equanimity 
 returned. 
 
 " What's the next move ? " I asked, when breakfast 
 was done. 
 
 ** I am going to town to see if I can identify the 
 purchaser of this bottle," he replied, holding up the phial 
 he had taken from the bag in Mannering's house the 
 night before j " and to inquire whether anything more 
 has been heard of the fair-haired German." 
 
 " Then I can be of no assistance to you, to-day ? " I 
 said. 
 
 '* None whatever beyond remaining here and keeping 
 an eye upon our friend. I shall ask for another man 
 
 M
 
 178 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 to-day to assist in shadowing him, but until his arrival 
 I should be glad for some one to keep me acquainted 
 with his movements. If, as I presume you will, you go 
 over to Colonel Maitland's, you cannot help seeing 
 whether he leaves his house." 
 
 I promised to do as he wished, and shortly after he 
 had gone, I took my hat and strolled over to the Colonel's 
 place. 
 
 Evie appeared to have quite recovered from her fears 
 of the previous evening, and being busily engaged upon 
 domestic duties, she sent me to join her father under the 
 shade of a big tree on the lawn. There solaced by an 
 iced lemon squash and the newspaper, I managed to 
 pass the morning very comfortably. Mannering gave 
 no sign of existence. 
 
 I took myself home for lunch, remembering letters 
 I had to write. I felt much easier in mind, and made 
 a hearty meal in consequence. The result was that I 
 tell asleep over my cigar afterwards. 
 
 I awoke suddenly, wondering where I was. Then I 
 thought I must have slept for hours, for a blackness only 
 one degree less than that of night brooded over the 
 earth. I took out my watch lazily, and was surprised to 
 see that the hands only pointed to five. I sat still for 
 a minute or two striving to collect my thoughts, for my 
 head was heavy. I held my watch to my ear. It had 
 not stopped. I jumped up and walked to the window, 
 and I saw at once the reason why I had imagined that 
 night had fallen. From east to west and from north to
 
 STORM 179 
 
 south dense pall of cloud hung over the earth. Not 
 a leaf moved, and except for the shrill chirp of A grass- 
 hopper, not a sound broke the uncanny stillness. 
 
 ** By Jove I " I muttered, " we are going to have it 
 hot." 
 
 There came upon me an intense desire to be near 
 Evie during the progress of the storm which threatened 
 every moment to break. I did not wait to analyse the 
 feeling, but catching up my hat I bolted straight out of 
 the window. I had only a couple of hundred yards to 
 traverse, but when I reached the Colonel's house, so hot 
 and heavy was the air, that I was soaked from head to 
 foot in perspiration. I paused at the gate to wipe my 
 brow with my handkerchief, and at the moment the 
 storm broke. I heard the crackle of the lightning as it 
 slid from the sky, and the thunder clap followed so 
 swiftly that for a moment I felt deafened. I waited no 
 longer, but raced across the lawn and into the open 
 French window of the drawing-room. The apartment 
 was unoccupied, so I passed through into the hall. That 
 was vacant too, and I continued my search through the 
 morning-room to the Colonel's sanctum. There I saw 
 the genial warrior standing at the window, and watching 
 the play of the lightning with every appearance of interest. 
 
 Hullo, Colonel ! " I said. Where's Evie ? " 
 
 " Isn't she in the drawing-room ? She was there 
 twenty minutes ago," he replied. 
 
 " She is not there now, I have just come through," I 
 explained.
 
 r8o THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 *' Then I fancy she will be in all probability in her 
 bedroom with her head under the sheets," he said, 
 chuckling. 
 
 ** At all events I will send one of the maids to see," 
 I said. 
 
 I rang the bell, and after giving a message to the maid 
 who answered the summons, I joined the Colonel at the 
 window. He appeared to be very pleased with the progress 
 the storm was making. 
 
 "Thank goodness this will clear the air," he ex- 
 plained, as a reason for his satisfaction. " It was so hot 
 that I could take no lunch but a mayonnaise, iced 
 strawberries, and a glass of hock. Don't you think the 
 air is cooler already ? I begin to feel quite an appetite 
 for dinner. My only fear is that, if the thunder has not 
 turned everything sour, it will have frightened my cook 
 out of her senses, and there will be nothing to appease 
 my appetite," 
 
 The window at which we were standing faced 
 towards Manncring's house. There was a stretch of 
 lawn outside and, beyond, a thicket of shrubs and small 
 trees between the grounds of the two residences. I was 
 glancing in the direction of these, when I thought I saw 
 something white moving in the shrubbery. I was about 
 to say something to the Colonel when a crash of thunder 
 drowned the utterance. At the next flash of lightning, 
 I perceived that my eyes had not deceived me, and in an 
 instant I jumped to the conclusion that it was Evie who 
 was out there in the storm. Without a moment's
 
 STORM 181 
 
 hesitation I vaulted through the window and raced across 
 the lawn. The Colonel must have thought me mad. 
 
 It was something of a shock for me to find that I 
 was right in my conjecture. There, huddled up under 
 the spreading branches of a cedar, stood my darling, her 
 eyes wide open, her cheeks blanched with terror. 
 
 " Why, Evic, dear heart ! What is the matter ? " I 
 cried. 
 
 At the sound of my voice she started, and, with a 
 little cry of delight, she threw herself into niy arms. 
 
 "I knew you would come I knew you would 
 come ! " she sobbed hysterically. 
 
 The cedar under which she was standing was close 
 to the hedge, and I fancied, as she spoke, that I saw a 
 figure move away from the other side of the hedge. I 
 could not verify my suspicion, for Evie needed all my 
 attention. She had fainted. Catching her up, I bore 
 her across the lawn to the house. 
 
 It was some time before she came to herself, and 
 then, at her own request, I left her with her maid and 
 returned to the Colonel. Needless to say I was very 
 much worried in my mind. Why Evie should have been 
 sheltering in the shrubbery from the storm, with the 
 house so near, seemed unexplainable, and I awaited with 
 anxiety the time when I could learn the reason from her 
 own lips. The presence of the figure the figure of a 
 man on the opposite side of the hedge, was also inex- 
 plicable. I should have guessed it to be Mannering, but 
 I would have staked my life upon Evie's truthfulness
 
 f82 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 when she had told me how much she had learned to 
 detest him. Besides, her delight was obvious when I 
 arrived on the scene. 
 
 Not until the evening, however, did I get a chance 
 of speaking to Evie again. The Colonel and I dined 
 alone, Evie sending word to say that the storm had left 
 her with a headache, and that she would join us later. I 
 was so silent during the meal that my host grew quite 
 merry at my expense. 
 
 " Wait till you are married, my boy," he remarked. 
 " There will come times when you will be grateful foi 
 these feminine headaches." 
 
 I hate cheap witticisms of this sort, but I could hardly 
 resent them from the Colonel as I could have done had 
 they fallen from any one else's lips ; but I fancy he saw at 
 last that they were distasteful to me, for after a while he 
 forebore to comment upon my dour looks. 
 
 About ten Evie came downstairs. By this time the 
 storm had passed away entirely, and the air was deliciously 
 fresh and cool after the rain. It was a strangely subdued 
 girl who came nervously to me, and shrank away from 
 me as I kissed her. 
 
 " No, Jim, no I You mustn't do that," she said. 
 
 Colonel Maitland had slipped away upon his daughter's 
 entrance, and we were alone. 
 
 " Why, darling, what ails you ? ** I asked. 
 
 ** Nothing nothing. Oh 1 don't ask me,** she almost 
 wailed in reply. 
 
 I put my arm about her waist, and drew her down
 
 STORM 183 
 
 beside me to a seat on a big Chesterfield drawn before 
 one of the windows. She resisted faintly at first, but 
 presently I heard her give a sigh of content, and felt her 
 nestle towards me. Then I spoke. 
 
 ** Tell me, dear, what possessed you to go out into 
 the storm ? " 
 
 "I don't know," she murmured "I don't know. 
 I I felt that I must. I didn't think it was going to 
 break so soon, and then the first flash of lightning 
 and the voice of the thunder I It was like judgment 
 day." 
 
 " It is all passed and over," I remarked, with a man's 
 clumsy attempt at consolation. 
 
 ** I wish it were I wish it were," she repeated, with 
 an indrawn sigh. 
 
 ** It is all over hours ago," I said. 
 
 She broke away from me passionately. " Oh ! Jim, 
 you don't know," she cried. 
 
 " I don't know what ? " I inquired, as I attempted to 
 draw her to me again. 
 
 She pushed my hands away with a gesture of despair. 
 Then with an effort she rose to her feet, and looking at 
 me straight in the face, she said 
 
 " Jim, this must not go on. It is more than I can 
 bear." 
 
 I rose to my feet too, my heart beating wildly. ** I 
 don't understand you," I answered, though I compre- 
 hended her meaning only too well. "What must not 
 go on ? "
 
 1 84 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 " Our our engagement," she faltered. She wa< 
 white to the lips as she said the words. 
 
 I staggered back under the blow, then leaning forward 
 I sought to take her hand. 
 
 " No, Jim, no ! " she said. u It's no use ; I can never 
 be yours. It is impossible quite impossible. My love 
 would be fatal to you I I know it will 1 He said so.'* 
 
 " He ? " I asked. 
 
 She faltered. " Oh ! I cannot help believing him. 
 He tells me that I am to be his." She shuddered. " Jim, 
 you must leave me, and never see me again. I cannot 
 have your your blood on my hands." 
 
 She held out her slender white fingers, and I saw that 
 the ring which I had placed there had been removed. 
 Though my brain was awhirl, I tried my utmost to be 
 calm. I think the effort was successful, and that my 
 voice was fairly even when I said 
 
 " Come, darling, a promise is a promise, and my own 
 little girl is not going to break her promise because of the 
 threats of a jealous rival." 
 
 She shuddered from head to foot. " You don't know 
 him as I know him," she murmured. " He would stick 
 at nothing, Jim. I don't think he is a man ; he must be 
 a devil. He can do things no man ever thought of 
 doing." 
 
 " You exaggerate his capacities for evil," I said, as 
 equably as I was able, for her agitation was so great that 
 I feared for her reason. " What has Mannering been 
 saying to you, for it was he whom I saw behind the
 
 STORM 185 
 
 hedge when I brought you out of the storm, I 
 
 suppose ? " 
 
 ** You saw him ? " she queried. u Then it is true. 
 I have been hoping you would tell me I had been dream- 
 ing again." 
 
 ** I saw nothing very terrible about him," I remarked. 
 
 ** You don't know him," she said again. 
 
 " He will have cause to know me before many hours 
 have passed," I declared savagely. 
 
 She clung to me in terror. " No, Jim. You must 
 not go near him. You do not know the power he 
 exercises. This afternoon I was sitting thinking of you 
 when I became conscious that he was telling me to come 
 to him. There was no reason why I should have thought 
 so. He was not in sight, but I was bound to go." 
 
 " And you found him waiting for you ? " I asked 
 quietly, though my brain was aflame, for I was deter- 
 mined to ascertain all that had passed between them. 
 
 " He was waiting for me," she repeated " waiting 
 for me and the storm. That must have come at his 
 bidding too. It was horrible waiting for him to speak 
 horrible ! I tried to ask him what he wanted, but my 
 tongue was tied. Not until after the first peal of thunder 
 did he utter a word. Then he told me the time was 
 nearly at hand when he should come for me." I clenched 
 my fists involuntarily, but I did not interrupt my darling's, 
 story. ** I begged of him to leave me free. He paid no 
 heed. * I am going away,' he said. * For three days 
 you will see nothing of me, though all England will be
 
 1 86 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 talking of my deeds. On the third I shall return. Mind 
 you are ready.' " 
 
 u Did you not mention me ? " I remarked weakly. I 
 hardly knew what to say, for it seemed to me that either 
 Evie must be the victim of some extraordinary hallucina- 
 tion, or else that Mannering was mad. 
 
 " He mentioned you," she replied. ** * Tell Sutgrove,' 
 he said, * that he has three days in which to capture the 
 Motor Pirate and make sure of his bride. After that he 
 will be too late. Tell him, too, that death waits on the 
 fool who fails/ " 
 
 " It's a sporting challenge," I muttered, for I had no 
 doubt now in my mind that Mannering and the Pirate 
 were identical. 
 
 My words did not reach Evic's ear, for she continued, 
 
 " Now you know why I have put away your ring. 
 He is too strong for us. I must do as he bids me. 
 
 T 
 
 I interrupted her sharply. " Have you everything 
 packed to go away on your visit to Norfolk to-morrow ? " 
 I asked. 
 
 The tone of my voice roused her. She looked at me 
 wildly. 
 
 " Why why w she said. Then the expression 
 
 faded out of her face. For the second time that day she 
 had fainted.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 IM WHICH THB PIRATE APPEARS IN A FROLICSOME 
 HUMOUR 
 
 THE feinting fit which terminated my conversation with 
 Evic alarmed me tremendously, and as soon as I could 
 summon assistance I sent for a doctor. She came round 
 before the medical man arrived, but I did not revert to 
 the topic which had agitated her. Indeed, she appeared 
 listless and disinclined to say a word on any subject. 
 Colonel Maitland was less worried than myself, but even 
 he was anxious until after the doctor had seen her and 
 assured him that his daughter was merely suffering from 
 over excitement, and that a sedative and a good night's 
 rest would probably restore her completely. 
 
 I was not so sure that such would be the case, and 
 when she had retired I thought it well to take the 
 Colonel into his study and give him as full an account as 
 I could of all that had led up to the fainting fit He 
 listened to my story with attention, and when I had 
 done, though I could plainly see that he thought his 
 daughter's fears were due to her own morbid fancy, yet 
 he agreed with me that it would be well that she should 
 have a change of scene at the earliest possible moment. 
 
 *7
 
 1 88 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 After arriving at this decision I determined to at once 
 seek out Mannering, and demand from him some ex- 
 planation of his conduct, for I could not conceive that 
 Evie's story was entirely the outcome of her imagination. 
 It was a delicate subject to discuss, yet I did not hesitate. 
 I was in no humour to mince matters. My anger, 
 though I had kept it well under control hitherto, only 
 needed the slightest fanning to bring it to a white heat, 
 and I longed whole-heartedly that Mannering would 
 afford me some excuse for giving physical expression to 
 my feelings. 
 
 I walked up to his front door, and knocked in a 
 manner to denote with sufficient distinctiveness that the 
 mood of the knocker was the imperative. I could see by 
 the lights within that the inmates of the house had not 
 retired to rest, but I had to repeat my summons before 
 there was any response. Then I heard footsteps within, 
 and the door opening an inch or two, a voice inquired 
 who was there. 
 
 " Is Mr. Mannering in ? " I demanded. 
 
 " Mr. Sutgrove, is it ? " replied the voice, and upon 
 my answering in the affirmative, the door was thrown 
 open, and I saw the two maidservants standing in the 
 hall. 
 
 "I beg your pardon, sir," said the parlourmaid. 
 " We didn't expect any one at this time of night." 
 
 "That's all right," I answered. "Can I see Mr. 
 Mannering ? " 
 
 " He's gone away for a day or two, sir," said the girl.
 
 PIRATE APPEARS FROLICSOME i& s 
 
 " That's very sudden, isn't it ? " I asked " I ww him 
 this afternoon." 
 
 " Yes, sir. He said nothing about it to us until after 
 dinner. Then he packed his handbag and went away on 
 his motor." 
 
 ** It's a confounded nuisance," I remarked. a I wanted 
 to see him on important business. Did he say where he 
 was going ? " 
 
 "He said Cromer, sir, but he did not leave any 
 address. Then, after a momentary hesitation, she added, 
 u Is is anything wrong ? " 
 
 I looked at her keenly. She dropped her eyes, and 
 I could see there was something on her mind, 
 
 " What makes you ask ? " I enquired. 
 
 "I I don't know," she replied, with obvious em- 
 barrassment. 
 
 ** There must be something or you would not have 
 asked," I said encouragingly. " Come out with it." 
 
 She still hesitated, but the housemaid was bolder. 
 "I'll tell the gentleman if you don't, Sarah," she declared. 
 " It's like this, sir," she rattled out volubly : " the master, 
 Mr. Mannering that is, has been so queer in his ways 
 lately that Sarah and me 'as been quite scared. Not that 
 he 'asn't been quite the gentleman. He always was that, 
 wasn't he, Sarah ? But he's been that restless and bound 
 up in himself lately walking up and down in bis room 
 and talking to himself. He always was one to shut 
 himself up in that nasty old coach-house with his 
 experiments and things, but he was quiet, and w*
 
 190 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 never took no account of it. But lately he's been 
 difemnt" 
 
 How f I asked. 
 
 M Weil, instead of going to bed like a Christian he's 
 up all hours of the night. It ain't only that. He slips 
 out as if he didn't want us to see him, and when we've 
 known he hasn't been at home we've found he's taken 
 the trouble to tumble the bed to make it appear as how 
 he slept in it.* 
 
 "Pooh!" I remarked. "If that's all, my servants 
 would probably say the same about me. You need not 
 be alarmed about such trifles." 
 
 "But it's not all," said Sarah, taking up the story. 
 " The nights he goes out are just the nights the Pirate 
 makes his appearance." 
 
 * Those are just the nights I am away from home," 
 I said. 
 
 "But you have the detective gentleman with you," 
 argued the girl, "and when you come back I warrant 
 you do not bring diamond studs back with you that don't 
 belong to you." 
 
 "What I" I cried. "What I* 
 
 "It's truth, sir," said the housemaid. "A week ago, 
 just after he came back from Paris, I was sweeping the 
 floor of his bedroom, when I sweeps up a diamond stud. 
 Now, I knew he never had such a thing " 
 
 " I suppose you know exactly what jewellery he has ? w 
 I interrupted, laughing. 
 
 " He always was a very careless gentleman until the
 
 PIRATE APPEARS FROLICSOME 191 
 
 last month, before which he left his things lying about 
 all over the place, but then he had a safe put in his 
 bedroom, and he never so much as left the key lying 
 about. However, I mentions the stud to Sarah, and we 
 talks it over and puts two and two together, and Sarah 
 thinks that if he doesn't ask what has become of it, it 
 might be as well as if we told the detective gentleman 
 about it." 
 
 "Quite right," I remarked. "You might let me 
 look at the stud, though." 
 
 After a little pressing the girls fetched the trinket, and 
 I perceived that it very closely resembled the stud Winter 
 had worn on the night of our first encounter with the 
 Pirate. I said nothing about this supposition to the 
 maids, but bidding them to be careful not to mention 
 the matter to any one until they had seen Forrest, whom 
 I promised should call upon them, I left the house. 
 
 Though disappointed in my original intention of 
 forcing an explanation from Mannering, I was by no 
 means ill pleased with the result of my visit to his house. 
 My suspicions as to his identity with the Pirate had 
 become considerably stronger, and once that identity was 
 established I fancied I should have little difficulty in 
 preventing any further annoyance at his hands. 
 
 Yet when I came to think calmly upon the subject I 
 could not fail to see how frail was the foundation upon 
 which my suspicions were built up. The fancies of a 
 girl, the suspicions of a couple of gossiping servants, 
 and the discovery of a stud, which might or might not
 
 192 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 prove to be the one which had been stolen from Winter. 
 I longed for Forrest to return, for I felt utterly incapable 
 of resting, and as he had not put in an appearance by 
 midnight, I got out my car and went into St. Albans to 
 meet him. At the police station there was no news of 
 him to be obtained, but I did learn that the Pirate had 
 been seen, his presence having been reported from the 
 ricinity of Bedford. 
 
 Knowing that it would be impossible for me to sleep 
 until I had seen Forrest ; knowing, too, how unlikely it 
 was that he would now return to St. Albans before morn- 
 ing, I thought I might at least have one shot on my own 
 account of bringing off the capture I so ardently desired. 
 So, in case of an untoward accident happening, I scribbled 
 a note to the detective, telling him briefly what I had 
 heard from the servants, and my intentions j and making 
 sure that my revolver was in working order, I bade my 
 friends at the police-station good night, and departed. 
 
 I knew it would be useless to take the direct road to 
 Bedford if I wished to meet the Pirate, and, as he had 
 been reported going east, I took the route through Hert- 
 ford, trusting that I might be able to cut him off upon 
 his return. I gleaned nothing concerning him at either 
 Hertford or Ware, and was so doubtful of proceeding 
 further in that direction that I left it to the arbitrament 
 of a coin to determine whether I should go on by a road 
 with which I was unacquainted to Cambridge through 
 Bishop's Stortford, or take a route I knew through Royston. 
 The choice fell upon the Stortford road, and later I
 
 PIRATE APPEARS FROLICSOME 193 
 
 glad I had taken it, for about a mile to the south of Stort- 
 ford I discovered that I was upon the right track. 
 
 I was bowling along at about fifteen miles an hour 
 when I came upon two horses grazing at the road-side. 
 They galloped off at my approach, and, a few seconds 
 later, I came upon a specimen of the Pirate's handiwork, 
 which at first sight was irresistibly ludicrous. A brougham 
 was drawn up at the side of the road, and, bound to the 
 wheels, were a coachman and a footman, clad in gorgeous 
 liveries. The coachman was fat and florid, the footman 
 a particularly fine specimen of flunkeydom, and their faces, 
 as the light of my lamps fell upon them they could not 
 speak, for they were both gagged as well as bound were 
 so convulsed with terror, that I could see they did not 
 look upon me as a friend. As I dismounted from my car 
 to go to their assistance, I heard a dismal wail from the 
 roof of the vehicle and, looking up, I perceived a portly 
 old lady perched upon the uncomfortable eminence. 
 
 I made an attempt to explain that my intentions went 
 purely pacific, but as I could elicit nothing from the old 
 lady but appeals to spare her life, I turned my attention 
 to the two men, and speedily released them from their 
 bonds. By the time they were loose they had realized 
 that I was a friend ; but it was some time before I 
 managed to obtain from them an account of how they 
 got into such a mess. Even when their powers of speech 
 had returned they were unable to give a lucid account 
 of the affair. 
 
 Of course it wms the work of the Pirate. They had
 
 194 THE MOTOR PIR/TE 
 
 been returning with their mistress the old lady on the 
 roof of the brougham from some local coming-of-age 
 festivities, when they had met the rascal. He had bound 
 the servants, set the horses free, and, after robbing the 
 old lady of all the jewellery she wore, he had compelled 
 her to climb to the position where I discovered her, 
 threatening to return and kill her if she moved from her 
 position for an hour. It needed much persuasion before 
 she ventured to descend from her perch ; but with the 
 assistance of the coachman, I managed to get her inside 
 the brougham, and further assisting in securing the two 
 horses, I left them. 
 
 This incident delayed me for nearly half an hour, and 
 it was a good deal past one before I again set out on my 
 quest. The brougham had been stopped just near a bye- 
 road, and as the footman had assured me that the Pirate 
 had taken this path when he departed, I thought I would 
 follow. I could see for myself that a motor-car had 
 passed that way, for the thunderstorm of the previous day 
 had left the roads heavy in places, and the marks of his 
 tyres were plainly visible. 
 
 I had followed the road for about a couple of miles 
 further when I came once more upon some of the 
 Pirate's victims. These, too, were returning from the 
 same function at which the old lady had been a guest, 
 when they fell into the clutches of the Pirate. In thii 
 case my assistance was not required, for the two young 
 ladies of the party had recovered sufficiently from their 
 fright to have already set at liberty their male companion
 
 PIRATE APPEARS FROLICSOME 195 
 
 and the coachman. They told me of their experiences, 
 and after I had heard them, I thought that Forrest'* idea 
 that the Pirate was a madman more likely than I had 
 done previously. 
 
 When stopped by the Pirate, the husband of one of 
 the ladies had shown fight until he had been felled by 
 a blow from the butt end of a revolver. The coachman 
 had discreetly made no resistance. Then, after securing 
 the jewels the women wore, the Pirate had displayed a 
 freakish humour quite new to his character. He had 
 insisted upon the two women dancing for his amusement 
 in the road, threatening to shoot the husband if they did 
 not comply with his request. They assured me that he 
 had sat chuckling with laughter, and urging them on 
 with all sorts of wild threats, until they fell from ex- 
 haustion. They were splashed with mud from head to 
 foot, and their dainty frocks presented a sorry sight. In 
 addition they told me that they could barely stand, for 
 their feet were cut to pieces, since, at the first steps of 
 the weird dance, their slippers had stuck in the mud, and 
 they were given no opportunity to stop and recover them. 
 
 I did not wait to hear more than the barest outline 
 of the story, for I learned that he had left them not more 
 than ten minutes before my arrival on the scene, and 
 with the heavy roads, I thought there was at least a 
 chance of some lucky accident bringing me face to fact 
 with my quarry.
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 A HOT SCENT 
 
 I RAN on through the night, but I could not make any 
 great progress. I was now involved in a maze of Essex 
 bye-roads, totally unknown to me, and every few minutes 
 I was compelled to dismount, and search for the tracks. 
 I never lost them, however, until I came once more to 
 a high-road. The curve of the tyre marks at the junction 
 of the road gave me the direction I needed, and, letting 
 my car go, in four or five minutes I found myself running 
 into the electric-lighted streets of a town. The place 
 was deserted, but eventually I found a policeman, and 
 of him I inquired whether anything had been seen or 
 heard of the Pirate. There was no need for me to 
 describe the appearance of the pirate car. It was as 
 well-known throughout the land, as the Lord Mayor's 
 coach, but he had seen nothing of it, and was quite 
 positive that it had not passed through the town. An 
 ordinary car had passed about half an hour before my 
 arrival, and though the constable's description of the car 
 was not very lucid, it was sufficiently near the mark to 
 make me think of Mannering. 
 
 196
 
 A HOT SCENT 197 
 
 " I fency the man you describe is a friend of mine," 
 I said. " Which direction did he take ? " 
 
 " He went straight along the Colchester road," was 
 the astonishing reply. 
 
 " The Colchester road ? " I inquired. ** What town 
 is this, then ? " 
 
 "This is Chelmsford, sir," he answered, with a 
 surprise equalling my own. 
 
 I could see my unguarded question had awakened 
 his suspicions of me, so I made haste to remark that 
 I had not realized how quickly I had travelled, adding 
 that I might have known there was no other town of 
 the size thereabouts. 
 
 "I am afraid," I added, "that if you had met me 
 outside the borough you would have had a case for the 
 Bench in the morning." 
 
 " I don't take no heed of speed myself, sir, when the 
 roads is clear," he remarked j " but when the traffic's 
 thick, it's another matter." 
 
 I thought his sound common sense deserved a reward. 
 Anyway it got one, and with a cheerful good night, 
 I set my car going at a pace which made me hope 
 that any other constable I chanced to meet would 
 prove as intelligent as he from whom I had just 
 parted. It is about twenty-two miles from Chelmsford 
 to Colchester, and, in spite of the greasy state of 
 parts of the road, I managed the distance in thirty 
 minutes. 
 
 Every one of those minutes I expected to be able
 
 1 98 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 to overtake Mannering ; but I saw nothing of him, and 
 by the time I came to Colchester, I began to fancy that 
 he must have given me the slip at some bye-road. From 
 my inquiries at Colchester, I learned, however, that I 
 was still on the right scent ; but I was mightily puzzled 
 to discover that though he was driving the old car which 
 he had always declared was unable to compass more than 
 twelve or fourteen miles an hour, he was still half an 
 hour ahead of me. 
 
 He was still going away from town, and I followed. 
 There is no need for me to give in any detail particulars 
 of my journey that night. Day was breaking when 
 I came into Ipswich, and it was broad daylight when 
 I passed through the long, untidy street of Wickham 
 Market. Mannering still kept ahead, and I followed 
 doggedly. I heard of him at Saxmundham, but when 
 I inquired at Blythburgh, I found I had missed him, and 
 I had to hark back to Yoxford before I got on his track 
 again. He had taken the side route to Halesworth, 
 through which he had passed in the direction of Beccles. 
 By this time he was an hour ahead of me, and, as he 
 had left Beccles by the Yarmouth road, I went ahead 
 as fast as I dared. It was not quite my highest speed, 
 for by this time I was both tired and hungry, and th 
 strain of travelling over unknown roads at a high speed 
 at night made my head swim. I knew that unless I 
 could soon get food and rest I should soon be fit for 
 nothing. So immediately I reached Yarmouth, I went 
 to a hotel, ordered breakfast, indulged in a hot bath while
 
 A HOT SCENT 199 
 
 it was preparing, and went to sleep in 017 chair directly 
 I had eaten the meal. 
 
 The waiter awakened me about ten. I went down 
 to the beach and indulged in a swim, and, returning 
 to the hotel, amazed the waiter by ordering and doing 
 justice to a second breakfast before taking my departure. 
 
 On leaving the hotel, my first consideration was to 
 get my tank refilled, and, that done, I sent off a couple 
 of wires, one to Evie and the other addressed to Forrest, 
 at my own place, telling each of them to communicate 
 with me at Sutgrove Hall if anything happened, for it 
 was my intention to call at my home if I could possibly 
 manage to do so. 
 
 My next business was to search for traces of Manner- 
 ing in Yarmouth, but it was some time before I ascertained 
 that the man I imagined to be he, had left by the coast 
 road through Caister. It was a tedious job to track him 
 through the Norfolk lanes, for he had turned and doubled 
 as if anxious to throw a pursuer off the scent, and it was 
 one o'clock before I eventually struck the high-road 
 between Norwich and Cromer. There I finally lost 
 him, owing chiefly to the fact that the day was fine, and 
 a large number of motor-cars were on the road in con- 
 sequence. 
 
 By this time I was beginning to think my impulsive 
 action to be more than a little foolish, but in order that 
 my journey should not be altogether wasted, I determined 
 to run on to Cromer, lunch there, and afterwafds proceed 
 to Sheringham, near which delightful village my horn*
 
 200 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 was situated, and seize the opportunity to make arrange- 
 ments with my aunt for Evie's visit. 
 
 In pursuance of this plan, in half an hour's time, 
 I walked into the dining-room of the Royal Hotel at 
 Cromer. You may judge of my surprise when I saw 
 Mannering seated at a table at one of the windows. He 
 observed my entrance, and, rising, greeted me heartily. 
 
 ** Hullo, Sutgrove ! " he said. " This is indeed a 
 welcome surprise. I had not the slightest idea you were 
 in this part of the country." 
 
 u If you had, I presume you would not have chosen 
 it for the scene of your exploits," I replied. 
 
 The expression of astonishment which spread over 
 his features at my rejoinder was so perfect that I felt 
 all my suspicions begin to crumble away. 
 
 " I don't follow you," he remarked. 
 
 His manner was either the result of one of the best 
 pieces of acting I had ever seen in my life, or due to 
 absolute unconsciousness of my meaning. It made me 
 remember that though there were undoubtedly suspicious 
 circumstances connecting him with the Motor Pirate, 
 yet so far there was not one iota of direct evidence. I 
 thought it best to temporize. 
 
 " Oh," I remarked ; " I was only referring to your 
 attempts to cut the records with your old car." 
 
 He smiled calmly before replying. "You may be 
 nearer the truth than you think. I've had a new motor 
 fixed in the car an idea of my own, and I find she 
 travels at quite a decent pace. That's why I left home
 
 A HOT SCENT aoi 
 
 last night After the rain I thought the roads would 
 certainly be clear enough to give me the opportunity of 
 making a fair test. The engine is a model of the one 
 I have designed for the new car which I mentioned 
 last night was it ? No ; the night before." 
 
 I was fairly staggered at his assurance. His demeanour 
 was entirely without the suggestion of his being in any 
 way aware that he was an object of suspicion. 
 
 " Were you not afraid of meeting the Pirate ? I 
 heard he was abroad last night," I said. 
 
 " Afraid ! ** he remarked witheringly. a Afraid ! 
 All I am afraid of is, that some of your Scotland Yard 
 friends will be beforehand with me in his capture, and 
 that is an adventure which has a particular appeal to me, 
 since he left his mark upon me here.'* He tapped his 
 shoulder significantly. "I have promised myself to 
 repay this injury with interest.*' 
 
 " Well, I suppose we are as likely to meet him here 
 as anywhere," I ventured to remark. 
 
 ** I hope so," he answered. " But I am not stop- 
 ping here for long. I've taken a bed for the night, 
 because I feel confoundedly tired after last night's 
 run. But what brings you down here ? Are you 
 motoring ? *' 
 
 "In the first place I wanted a word with you," 1 
 replied. 
 
 '* With me ? " The amazement in his voice was 
 obvious. 
 
 * Yes," I said ; ** that is my principal object,"
 
 aoa THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 "But how did you discover my address? I left no 
 word with anjr one." 
 
 "I'll tell you later," I .aid. 
 
 " Well, we have plenty of time to talk," he replied. 
 " If there's any little difficulty in which I can be of any 
 assistance, I need hardly assure you I am at your service. 
 But hadn't you better have lunch first ? " He lowered 
 the tone of his voice. " Unless you wish the waiters to 
 become acquainted with your affairs, I should think what 
 you have to say could be much better said outside. 
 Neither pier nor esplanade are much frequented at this 
 time of the year." 
 
 The suggestion was so natural and reasonable that, 
 after a moment's consideration, I decided to accept it. 
 
 All through the meal he chatted as easily as if 
 there was not the slightest possibility of anything hap- 
 pening to interrupt the friendship which had always 
 ostensibly existed between us. The longer we talked, 
 the more puzzled I became. His manners were so 
 natural, so fearless, that it was quite impossible for me 
 to believe that I was sitting at lunch with the Motor 
 Pirate. He was very curious to know how I had learned 
 of his intention to come to Cromer, and I was induced 
 to tell him of my experiences on the previous night. I 
 watched his face keenly while I narrated the stories of 
 the Pirate's victims. He listened quite gravely, not 
 even the ghost of a smile crossing his face when I told 
 him of the ludicrous pictures presented by the old ladj 
 and her two servants.
 
 A HOT SCENT 103 
 
 "It It no laughing matter," he observed. "The 
 rascal was bad enough when he confined his attentions 
 to men ; but now he has taken to bestowing them upon 
 women, he deserves no mercy, and when I am able to 
 get upon his track, he will get none.*' 
 
 " Then you are really hoping to join in the hunt ? " 
 I asked. 
 
 ** Yes," he said. * 1*11 let you into my secret. At 
 my place at St Stephens, I had a car which only wanted 
 one minor detail to make it complete. I have known 
 for months, that if I could supply that detail, I should 
 be in possession of a car which would outpace even the 
 Pirate's. For months I've racked my brains over it. A 
 week ago an idea occurred to me. I worked it out. I 
 tried it for the first time last night. It has proved to 
 be a success. The day after to-morrow I shall join in 
 the pursuit of the Motor Pirate, so if your Scotland Yard 
 friend does not make haste, he will be too late.'* 
 
 " What power do you propose to use ? ** I asked. 
 "Petrol?** 
 
 He laughed before replying. "A month ago I 
 would have told nobody j but to-day there is no need of 
 secrecy ; my drawings are all ready for deposit at the 
 Patent Office, so there is no chance of any one fore- 
 stalling me." 
 
 " Well, what is it ? ** I said. 
 
 " I don't want you to tell anybody else just yet," he 
 said ; and as I nodded my acquiescence, he continued, 
 " My new motor is on an entirely novel principle. It
 
 204 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 is a turbine engine, worked by the expansion of liquid 
 hydrogen." 
 
 " What ? " I gasped. The idea was so novel that I 
 could not grasp it. He lifted his hand, checking the 
 questions which started to my lips. 
 
 " No. No questions, if you please : because, if you 
 ask any, I shall not answer them. Meanwhile, you 
 have not yet told me how you learned of my presence 
 here?" 
 
 I related how, in the course of my inquiries at 
 Chelmsford, I had ascertained that a person so like 
 himself had passed through the town, that I had deter- 
 mined to attempt to overtake him, little thinking the 
 chase would prove so stern. 
 
 He chaffingly congratulated me on my tracking 
 powers, and expressed regret that I had not made my 
 appearance earlier, so that we might have arranged a 
 race ; and by the time we had finished lunch, I was as 
 completely convinced as I had ever been of anything in 
 my life, that he had no connection whatsoever with the 
 Pirate. Still, I was none the less determined to tackle 
 him upon the subject of the influence which Evie de- 
 clared he exerted over her, so when the meal was over, 
 we left the hotel together and, seeing from the front 
 that the pier was practically deserted, I led the way to 
 the far end, determined to have a complete explanation. 
 
 He was silent during our walk. So was I, for I was 
 deliberating how best to introduce the subject. As it 
 happened, he made the task easy for me, as after finding
 
 A HOT SCENT 205 
 
 a comfortable scat and lighting a cigarette, he turned to 
 me with 
 
 "Now, old fellow, what t h you have on your 
 mind ? Out with it ! " 
 
 I told him told him fully and frankly everything 
 that Evic had mentioned to me concerning him, and I 
 finished by warning him that I was determined to 
 exercise the right ihc had given me to protect her. He 
 listened to me attentively and, one might have thought, 
 even sympathetically. When I had concluded, he sat 
 silent awhile ; then, looking me full in the eyes, he 
 remarked 
 
 " I suppose, Sutgrove, if I tell you that this story of 
 the influence I am supposed to exercise over Miss Mait- 
 land is absolute news to me, you will not believe 
 me?" 
 
 I was staggered, and my astonishment must have 
 been visible in my face, for he continued 
 
 "You may be surprised, but not half so much as I 
 have been, by what you have told me. Really, the 
 whole story sounds the maddest farrago of nonsense I 
 have ever heard." 
 
 I was about to make an angry retort, but he checked 
 me with a gesture 
 
 ** I do not mean any offence," he said ; ** for I can 
 quite understand what your feelings on the subject must 
 be. I, no more than yourself, would tolerate any un- 
 warrantable interference such as you describe. It is just 
 as well that you should have mentioned the matter to
 
 206 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 me, however, for you will know so much better how 
 to proceed." 
 
 ** What do you mean ? ** I gasped. 
 
 " Why, what else than that you will not waste any 
 time before obtaining medical advice for Miss Maitland," 
 he replied. 
 
 I felt a grey horror creeping over me a horror that 
 tied my tongue, to think that Evie my Evie might 
 prove to be mad. Again, he must have divined my 
 thoughts, for he said reassuringly 
 
 ** You must not take too serious a view of the case. 
 Miss Maitland is of a highly nervous temperament, and, 
 I should imagine, rather prone to hysteria." Then, 
 rising, he clapped me on the shoulder, " Take a cheerful 
 view, Sutgrove. I'll bet you ten to one that her doctor 
 will inform you that marriage will provide a complete 
 cure." 
 
 His tone was so hearty, so friendly, that I instinctively 
 grasped his hand, and he returned my grip. 
 
 The subject was not resumed ; and, as we walked 
 back to the hotel, I was completely convinced that I had 
 been an unutterable cad ever to allow a single doubt con- 
 cerning him to enter my mind, much less to harbour 
 there. 
 
 I left him at the hotel door and went in search of 
 my car to continue my journey to Sutgrove Hall. H 
 was still standing where I parted from him when I swept 
 post, and he waved his hand to me, a smile upon his face.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 RELATES MOW THE PIRATE HOLM UP All AUOWT 
 PERSONAGE 
 
 I REACHED my destination about fire, and found, as I 
 hoped, a telegram awaiting my arrival It read 
 
 "Ever so much better. Do not worry about me. 
 Cannot spare you for long though. Lots of love. E. M 
 
 With my mind very much relieved, I was able to 
 devote my attention to my aunt, who was full ot 
 questions as to the reason for my unexpected arrival and 
 equally eager for a full account of my doings during the 
 past six months, during which time, she assured me, I 
 had grossly neglected my duties, especially by my failure 
 to keep her adequately posted regarding my engagement. 
 
 I was anxious, after reading Evie's wire, to start forth- 
 with for St. Albans ; my aunt was equally anxious that 
 I should remain the night at Sutgrove, and while we 
 were arguing the point, a second telegram arrived, which 
 settled the matter. I tore open the envelope and read 
 
 " Meet the 8.49 at Cromer with motor. Do not fail. 
 Most important. FORREST."
 
 20* THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 The message had been handed in t Lircrpool Street 
 at 4.50, and I wondered what could have happened to 
 necessitate Forrest's presence in Norfolk. There was 
 litde use speculating, however, and I settled down to 
 satiate, if it were possible, my aunt's curiosity. 
 
 She was duly impressed by such of my adventures as 
 I thought fit to relate, but she was not neglectful of 
 what she considered her duties as hostess and, in spite 
 of the fact that I had eaten a hearty lunch about two, I 
 was able shortly after seven to do adequate justice to the 
 early dinner which she provided for me. I left home 
 soon after eight, and, in consequence of my impatience, 
 had to wait ten minutes on the Cromer platform for the 
 arrival of the train. 
 
 As the engine drew into the station, I saw Forrest's 
 head thrust out of the window of one of the carriages, 
 and, before the train had come to a standstill, he had 
 leaped from the door and was at my side. He was for 
 him unusually excited, and, without reply to my greeting, 
 save with a silent hand grip, he said 
 
 ** Seen anything of Manner ing ? " 
 
 "Why, yes," I replied directly. "I lunched with 
 him, to-day. He's stopping at the Royal." 
 
 "That's a bit of luck," replied the detective. 
 " Come along ; " and he pushed on in advance of me 
 through the barrier. 
 
 " What has happened ? " I asked, as I caught him up 
 in the station yard. 
 
 u I hold a warrant for his arrest, and I am desirous of
 
 HOLDS UP THE 209 
 
 executing it at the earliest possible moment, that's all," 
 he replied. 
 
 I could hardly believe my ears. ** What in the world 
 for?" I asked. 
 
 a What should it be for ? " said Forrest, with a touch 
 of sarcasm in the tone of his voice. 
 
 " He cannot be the Motor Pirate. It is impossible. 
 He could not have deceived me so completely," I 
 exclaimed. 
 
 **I would stake everything I hope for in the future, 
 as well as everything I possess at the present moment, 
 that he is though," returned the detective with conviction. 
 " But we must not waste time. Take me to the hotel." 
 Without stopping to argue the point, I jumped on my 
 car, Forrest took the seat beside me, and we proceeded to 
 the Royal. 
 
 ** Leave the car and come with me, I may want your 
 assistance," he said, as we pulled up at the entrance to 
 the hotel. 
 
 He sprang out the moment I stopped and ran briskly 
 up the steps. A porter was in the hall, and to him 
 Forrest turned. 
 
 " I want to see a Mr. Mannering, who is stopping here, 
 at once, and I do not wish to be announced," he said. 
 
 The man walked across to the office and made an 
 inquiry of the clerk, then returning, announced that 
 Mannering had left an hour previously. 
 
 " Left ? " said Forrest, and his jaw felL He stepped 
 across to the office himself, only to learn that though 
 
 F
 
 no THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Mannering had booked a room for the night, he had 
 after dinner called for his bill, paid it, and left on his 
 motor, without giving any reason for his alteration of 
 plans. 
 
 Forrest stalked out of the hotel, his brow heavy with 
 thought. I followed him. He stepped on to the car, 
 and, taking my seat, I asked him tersely 
 
 "Whereto?" 
 
 "St. Albans,** he replied with brevity equal to my 
 own, and without further question we were off. 
 
 ** Don't mind taking a few risks," he said presently. 
 " The sooner we can get there the better I shall be 
 pleased." 
 
 Then, leaning back in his seat, he asked me to tell 
 him how I happened to learn of Mannering's presence in 
 Cromer, and what he had said to convince me that he 
 was in no way connected with the Pirate. So while we 
 were still running at a moderate pace, I gave him a brief 
 history of my adventures of the previous night. Before 
 I had concluded, however, the road ahead seemed clear, 
 and, pulling my mask over my face, I jammed on my 
 highest speed and conversation became impossible. 
 
 Forrest pulled his cap down over his eyes and, turning 
 his coat-collar about his ears, settled himself apparently 
 to slumber. Within half an hour the lights of Norwich 
 sparkled in front of us, and it became necessary to slacken 
 speed. 'Forrest immediately resumed the conversation at 
 the point where we had broken off^ and questioned me 
 closely with regard to what Mannering had said to me.
 
 HOLDS UP THE *ii 
 
 Once and again I endeavoured to ascertain what had 
 induced him to take out the warrant ; but he would not 
 satisfy my curiosity, declaring that it was of more 
 importance that he should know all that I could tell him 
 first. There seemed little likelihood of my learning 
 anything, for we soon left Norwich behind us, and were 
 running at full speed on the road to Thetfbrd and New- 
 market, slackening speed only slightly as we swept 
 through the villages and trusting to the continuous toot- 
 toot of the horn to clear our path. Our progress was 
 uninterrupted until we had reached and left the little 
 town of Attleborough five or six miles behind us, when 
 Forrest was afforded an opportunity, much to his chagrin, 
 of giving me the reasons for his haste. 
 
 Incidentally, I may remark, that the occurrence which 
 afforded this opportunity came very near depriving me of 
 the chance of hearing anything from anybody, or him 
 from ever opening his lips again, for while we swept 
 along at our top speed there was a sudden hissing sound, 
 a sudden succession of jars, and the car swerved violently, 
 nearly overturning. I jammed on both my breaks, and 
 by good fortune the car did not overturn. I guessed 
 what had happened, and there was no need for me to get 
 a light to make sure my sense of touch informed me 
 that the off back tyre was as fiat as a pancake. 
 
 I hoped that the injury was only slight, but my hopes 
 faded the moment I examined the injury. The* tyre had 
 picked up a curved and pointed piece of iron, and had 
 been irreparably damaged. No patching was of any use.
 
 212 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 There was nothing for it but to replace the tyre with 
 a new one. Fortunately, I was prepared with a spare 
 outer cover as well as inner tubes, and, with a muttered 
 curse, I threw off my coat and set about the job. Then 
 when that was done, and it took me a good hour to 
 complete the task, I discovered, on restarting the car, that 
 a further misfortune had befallen us. Either owing to 
 the jumping of the car when the tyre went, or more 
 likely because of the sudden application, the footbreak 
 had seized, and the transmission was so far injured that 
 I could not get the car along above seven or eight miles 
 an hour. I did my best to put the damage right. I lay 
 on my back in the middle of the road, and used all the 
 language approved by the most fluent members of the 
 Automobile Club for use on such occasions, but entirely 
 without result. Exactly where we were I did not know, 
 and, after I had relieved my feelings, I thought it best to 
 jog along until we came to some town where it would 
 be possible to get skilled assistance. 
 
 And it was while we were progressing in this hum- 
 drum fashion that Forrest confided to me the reasons for 
 his anxiety. 
 
 "In the first place," he said, "your theory as to the 
 stud found by Mannering's servants proved to be correct. 
 It was Winter's. I arrived at St. Albans the first thing 
 this morning, and, after getting your note, went straight 
 away and interviewed the girls. They handed me the 
 trinket. I took it to Winter, and he identified it. He 
 will swear to it anywhere. By the time I had done this.
 
 HOLDS UP THE 213 
 
 your wire for me had arrived, and your man, having seen 
 me go into Winter's house, brought it on. I took the 
 next train to town and went straight to the Yard, 
 thankful that at last I was able to report something 
 definite. Besides, I wanted to take a warrant without 
 any one being aware of it, and I knew I could manage 
 that better in London than in the country. Well, I 
 called at the Yard, ran across to Bow Street and got my 
 warrant, and returned to the Yard in order to instruct 
 a couple of our men who had been placed at my disposal. 
 While I was there particulars came to hand of a feat 
 which throws all the other doings of the Pirate into the 
 shade. You mentioned, I think, that Mannering, when 
 he told Miss Maitland that he was going away, said that 
 all England would be talking of him." 
 
 " She said so," I replied doubtfully ; u but she was so 
 excited " 
 
 " She was probably correct in her recollection of what 
 passed," he said. " If further proof were wanted to 
 connect your friend with the Motor Pirate, those words 
 would be sufficient. If what I know leaks out, the Pirate 
 will fill the popular mind more to-morrow than he has 
 done in the past even. Yesterday morning, within six 
 miles of Sandringham, he held up " he hesitated " 1 
 must mention no names he held up, let me say, an 
 August Personage " 
 
 " The King ? " I cried. 
 
 An August Personage," remarked Forrest, severely, 
 ** in broad daylight."
 
 2I 4 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 " Let me hear all about it ? " I asked eagerly. 
 
 "I don't know that I can tell you everything, fot 
 so far I only know the particulars wired to the Yard. 
 But the story is complete enough to enable me to do what 
 I have hitherto failed in, and that is, complete the 
 necessary identification of our friend Mannering. And 
 curiously enough, it is owing to the keen powers of 
 observation possessed by the " 
 
 " The August Personage," I reminded him, a trifle 
 maliciously as he hesitated. 
 
 Forrest laughed. " Quite right, you score that time," 
 he remarked, before resuming his tale. ** Owing to the 
 August Personage's keen powers of observation, I am able 
 to lay my finger on the one point which has puzzled me, 
 namely, the manner by which Mannering has managed 
 to escape suspicion. It is a simple trick. So simple, in 
 fact, that I cannot conceive how I managed to overlook 
 such a possibility for so long. However, you shall hear 
 the facts as they were told to me, and judge for yourself 
 with what transparent means we have been hoodwinked 
 by the rascal. The August Personage, who, as you are 
 probably aware, has been staying at Sandringham for 
 some days past, has been in the habit of taking a ride on 
 one of his cars whenever the roads were in good con- 
 dition, accompanied only by his chauffeur. This morning 
 he started for the customary run shortly after eleven, with 
 the intention of taking a circular trip through Hunstanton, 
 Burnham, Docking and Bircham, and returning for 
 \uncheon. The intention was not fulfilled since, before
 
 HOLDS UP THE 
 
 reaching Hunstanton, the Pirate made his appearance, 
 and approaching as usual from behind, overtook the 
 August motor. The August driver did not at first take 
 any notice of the approaching car, but, merely imagining 
 that the driver had recognized him, and felt some 
 delicacy at passing, he signalled with his hand for the 
 stranger to go ahead. What was his surprise to hear the 
 stranger in a loud voice bid him stop his car. He turned 
 to look at the audacious person who had dared take such 
 unwarrantable liberty, and at once observed with whom 
 he had to deal. The Pirate had in his hand a revolver, 
 which was levelled at the August head. The August face 
 flushed with anger, and turning away, he contemptuously 
 took no notice of the summons. The Pirate thereupon 
 fired two shots, aimed, fortunately, neither at the August 
 Personage nor at the chauffeur, but at the tyres of the 
 back wheels. The aim was good, the tyres ran down at 
 once, and the August Personage found progress on the 
 rims to be so uncomfortable that he thought it desirable 
 to stop. The stranger ranged alongside, and the chauffeur, 
 rising from his seat, was about to throw himself at the 
 throat of the assailant, when his August master laid a 
 hand upon his arm. 
 
 " * No, no,' he said, * I can easily get another car, 
 but I do not know that I could replace my chauffeur.* 
 
 "Thereupon the Pirate observed, 'I think, sir, there is 
 so much wisdom in your remark that, in spite of my 
 necessities, I almost feel inclined to forego my usual toll 
 in your case.
 
 216 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 "The August Personage, whose coolness had never 
 for a moment deserted him, replied imperturbably 
 
 " * Having robbed me of a morning's enjoyment, it 
 seems to me there is nothing of any particular value left 
 for you to take.' 
 
 ** * Then, sir,* replied the rascal, * you will be doubt- 
 less glad to purchase my immediate disappearance with 
 the contents of the August pockets ? ' 
 
 ** August was not the word he used, but it was one 
 which showed that he was acquainted with the personality 
 of his victim. 
 
 a The August Personage shrugged his shoulders, and, 
 searching his pockets, could produce nothing but a 
 cigarette case and a button. To show his sang-froid, I 
 need only remark that when he produced the latter 
 article he laughed heartily and said to the chauffeur 
 
 u * I hope, P , you have something to add to the 
 
 contents of my pockets, or I fear this too eager gentle- 
 man will destroy our front tyres as well as the back.' 
 
 " The chauffeur had some loose gold, a silver match* 
 box, and a watch, and when these were produced, speaking 
 with the same nonchalance he had retained throughout, 
 the August Personage remarked 
 
 ***! fear you have drawn a blank this time, Mr. 
 Pirate ; for, upon my word, that is the best I can do for you.' 
 
 " The Pirate took the articles. Then he raised his hat. 
 * I take,' he said, * the August word as readily as I take 
 these souvenirs of this memorable meeting,' and with 
 these words, he pulled a lever and was speedily out of sight."
 
 HOLDS UP THE 217 
 
 ** By Jove ! " I muttered. ** The fellow's audacity is 
 almost past belief. But you said something of observations 
 made by the August victim ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Forrest. M The chauffeur was much too 
 agitated to notice anything, but his master was not. He 
 observed four things. First, that the Pirate was a man 
 of about six feet in height.'* 
 
 " Mannering is five feet eleven and a quarter in his 
 socks," I remarked. 
 
 " Secondly, that his hair was black. Thirdly, that the 
 nails of the right hand, with which he took his plunder, 
 were bitten to the quick." 
 
 " The identification becomes nearly perfect," I 
 interrupted. 
 
 " Fourthly, that the car was originally a two-seated 
 car, with a tonneau body, but that the seat had been set 
 back, and the bonnet was enclosed by metal plates shaped 
 into the form of the bow of a canoe, and bolted together 
 in a manner which gave the impression that they might 
 easily be removed. Why," continued the detective, " I 
 did not think of so obvious a solution of the Pirate's 
 mysterious disappearances before I cannot imagine. It 
 is the trick the black flag merchants have practised since 
 the days of Captain Kidd." 
 
 I was silent. I could only wonder at my own 
 blindness. Then an excuse occurred to me. 
 
 " After all," I remarked, a we only met him in the 
 dark."
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 WE PLAN AN AMBUSH 
 
 FORREST had just concluded his story when the lights of 
 Thetford gleamed in our eyes. The time was 12.30. 
 The last train was gone. The inhabitants were all in 
 bed, and there we were, stranded with a broken car, and 
 no means of putting it right. Forrest would not despair, 
 however, and after some difficulty we managed, with the 
 assistance of the local police, to knock up a man who 
 was locally reputed to know all about motors. He was 
 a little surly at first, but the inducement I offered him to 
 make an attempt to put the transmission right, was suffi- 
 cient to dissipate his rery natural disgust at being disturbed 
 in his beauty sleep. Fortunately his local reputation had 
 reasonable foundation. He was a very capable mechanician, 
 and the way he set about the job gave me great hopes 
 that the car would run as well as ever when he had 
 done with it. And my expectations were gratified. In 
 less than an hour he had completed the repairs. I paid 
 him and asked him to remain up for ten minutes in case 
 we had another breakdown, telling him that after that 
 period had elapsed, he would be at liberty to return to his 
 
 it
 
 WE PLAN AN AMBUSH 119 
 
 bed. Whether he waited the ten minutes or not I do 
 not know, for by that time we were halfway to New- 
 market, flying through the darkness at a pace which two 
 months previously I would not have dared venture upon 
 in broad daylight. And right onward to St. Albans, we 
 kept it up, reaching the ancient town just as the birds 
 began to twitter in the hedges at the first grey light of 
 early dawn. At St. Albans we stopped at the police- 
 station. A man was waiting at the door. 
 
 a Any news ? " asked Forrest. 
 
 The man shook his head. 
 
 ** You know where to bring it ? " asked my companion. 
 
 The man nodded. 
 
 ** Let us get on home," said Forrest to me. 
 
 As I wheeled my vehicle into my yard I thought I 
 should drop. The strain of that rush through the night, 
 expecting every moment that something would give way, 
 had been tremendous, and the moment the tension was 
 relaxed I shook like an aspen leaf. When I tried to get 
 in at my own door I found I could not fit the latch-key, 
 and was obliged to hand it to the detective. He saw 
 what was the matter with me, and the moment we were 
 inside, he led the way to my study, thrust me down into 
 a chair and mixed me a whisky-and-soda. I was never 
 more grateful for a drink in my life. It pulled me 
 together, and in less time than I had conceived possible, 
 1 felt as if I could have managed another seventy-five 
 miles without a halt. 
 
 The moment he saw my nerves were steaay again,
 
 220 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Forrest proposed that we should get something to eat. I 
 declared that I did not want anything. 
 
 "When you haven't time for sleep, the next best 
 thing is to feed well if you want to keep fit," he 
 remarked. " Besides, I am as hungry as a hunter has a 
 right to be." 
 
 "That settles it," I laughed. "We shall have to 
 forage for ourselves. The servants are all asleep." 
 
 We found our way to the larder and made a hearty 
 meal on a cold pie we found there ; and directly we 
 had finished, we set out forthwith in the direction of 
 Mannering's home. As soon as we arrived opposite 
 the house, Forrest paused and gave a low whistle. It was 
 answered immediately by a man dressed as a labourer, 
 who made his appearance from behind the hedge opposite 
 the house. 
 
 " Any one been here to-night, Laver ? " asked Forrest. 
 
 ** No one," the man answered. " The servants 
 turned in about ten after locking up. No signs of any 
 one about the place since." 
 
 "That's all right," grunted Forrest. "We shall be 
 ready for him when he does come. Have you got the 
 tools?" 
 
 The man was proceeding to scramble through the 
 hedge when Forrest checked him. 
 
 u Better stay where you are," he advised. " Keep out 
 of sight, and if I whistle, come at once." 
 
 "All right, sir," replied the man, as he handed through 
 a gap in the hedge a small chamois leather bag.
 
 WE PLAN AN AMBUSH 221 
 
 I had no idea as to what steps Forrest proposed to 
 adopt in order to effect the arrest, so I asked him, and he 
 explained briefly his plan of campaign. 
 
 " One can see," he remarked, " that Mannering feels 
 so confident of the completeness of his disguise that he 
 will have no hesitation about returning. I am reckoning, 
 too, upon there being an element of truth in the story 
 he has told you about the construction of his motor, in 
 which case his own workshop would be the only place 
 where he would be able to refill his tank. We shall be 
 able to decide that point in a very few minutes. If we 
 do find any plant for the production of liquid gases, we can 
 count upon catching our man within a very few hours." 
 
 " Unless he smells a rat, and makes for some convenient 
 port and gets out of the country," I remarked. 
 
 "That eventuality is provided against," remarked the 
 detective. " His description is in the hands of the police 
 at every port in the kingdom, and even if he changes the 
 colour of his hair, I don't think he will manage to get 
 away. What I propose is, that we shall remain concealed 
 in his coach-house and await his return." 
 
 " How are we going to get in ? " I inquired. 
 
 Forrest took a bunch of skeleton keys from the bag 
 Laver had handed to him and dangled them before his eyes. 
 
 "There's not a burglar in the kingdom is better 
 provided," he remarked, and set to work upon the lock 
 forthwith. 
 
 The lock was an ordinary one, and his efforts were 
 speedily successful. The door swung open, and we
 
 222 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 entered eagerly a bare, stone-paved coach-house. Op- 
 posite the door by which we had entered from the road 
 was a similar door, which gave upon the inner yard. On 
 the left, a large sliding door had been fixed in place of the 
 wall which had divided the coach-house from the stables. 
 Relocking the door by which we had entered, Forrest 
 led the way to the door on the left. It was unfastened, 
 and as it swung back a cry of amazement sprang to 
 my lips. 
 
 u Hush sh sh ! " said the detective warningly. 
 
 But I could not have repressed the cry, for there before 
 me stood a replica of the car I had seen on two occasions. 
 There was only one point of difference at first apparent. 
 The pirate car had been black. This one was built of 
 aluminium and gleamed silvery white. But although the 
 lines were very similar, I soon came to the conclusion that 
 the car we saw before us was not the one which the 
 Pirate had used when engaged upon his nefarious work. 
 One glance at the tyres convinced me that they had 
 never been upon the road, and I fancied that the wheels 
 were smaller and the lines of the body finer altogether. 
 I pointed these things out to Forrest, who, while agreeing 
 that this particular car could not have been the one 
 which had been responsible for holding up the "August 
 Personage" on the previous day, would not commit 
 himself further. 
 
 We did not spend much time upon a close examina- 
 tion of the car, for the other contents of the building 
 claimed our attention. We found ourselves in a long
 
 WE PLAN AN AMBUSH 223 
 
 workshop. There were no windows in the walls, but 
 the place was amply illuminated by a skylight which ran 
 along nearly the whole length of the northern slope of 
 the roof. On the right of the large door by which we 
 had entered the inner shop was a small room, which had 
 probably once served as a harness-room, for through this 
 another door gave on to the yard, though this exit was 
 evidently never used, for the door was fixed by screws. 
 The contents were a couple of broken chairs, and some 
 coats and rugs hung upon hooks upon the walls, together 
 with a miscellaneous assortment of odds and ends upon a 
 shelf. I gave merely a cursory glance at the contents of 
 this apartment, for my attention had been attracted by a 
 plant of machinery, which occupied the far end of the 
 large room. As it happened, I had once had an opportunity 
 of inspecting the laboratory of the Royal Institution, and 
 I recognized at once that Mannering had set up an instal- 
 lation for the preparation of some one or other of the 
 liquid gases. Without this experience, I doubt whether 
 it would have been possible for me to guess even the 
 purpose for which the plant had been devised. As it 
 was, I had no hesitation in discovering the receiver into 
 which the liquid gas was distilled ; and when I let a little 
 of the liquid with which it was filled run into a glass 
 which I found handy, and saw the air fall in a shower of 
 tiny snow-flakes as the stuff evaporated, I knew that 
 Mannering had told me the exact truth when he had- 
 in formed me that liquid hydrogen supplied the power for 
 kis new car.
 
 2i 4 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Once satisfied on this point, I examined the other 
 contents of the place. I do not think there is any need 
 to particularize all that we discovered, even if my memory 
 served me. Practically the workshop contained a sufficient 
 engineering equipment to build such a car as stood in the 
 centre, though I judged that there was no convenience 
 for the forging of the parts of the motor. 
 
 Still, as I pointed out to Forrest, there was nothing 
 in all these discoveries to negative the truth of the story 
 Mannering had told me about his being engaged in build- 
 ing a car which should serve to outpace the Pirate car, 
 but he would not listen to any theorising on the subject. 
 
 " He can tell that story to the jury," he said, as he 
 significantly drew a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and 
 clinked them together. Then he proceeded to investigate 
 the contents of the harness-room, while I went back to 
 the new car and began a careful examination of the 
 engines. The whole mechanism was, however, so novel 
 to me, that I could only surmise as to the method of its 
 working. I did notice, however, that the driving and 
 steering gear varied very little from that of my own car, 
 so far as it was controlled by the levers and wheel, while 
 the breaks seemed to be particularly powerful. There 
 was only seating accommodation for two, and judging 
 from the size of the tank which was fitted behind the 
 seat, I judged that Mannering contemplated runs over 
 distances which would make large demands upon his 
 supply of liquid gas. 
 
 At the moment I made this discovery, I heard Forrest
 
 WE PLAN AN AMBUSH 225 
 
 call to me in an excited whisper, and going across to 
 him, I found him contemplating with keen interest a 
 dirty piece of rope. 
 
 "Look here, Sutgrove," he said ; "this is the piece of 
 cord with which he trussed me up on the occasion when 
 he dropped me into the pond. Compare it with this " 
 he kicked a coil which lay at his feet "and tell me if 
 they are not identical." 
 
 I examined them both, and came to the conclusion 
 that Forrest was correct in his supposition. Next, mount- 
 ing one of the chairs, he proceeded to rummage amongst 
 the rubbish piled on the shelf. A moment later he 
 observed triumphantly, albeit in subdued tones, "Another 
 piece of evidence," and descending from his perch, he 
 handed me a box of cartridges. A glance at the label 
 had apparently been enough, nevertheless, to make sure, 
 he searched again in his pocket, and produced the bullet 
 which had proved fatal to the poor victim at Towcester. 
 He compared it with one of the cartridges, and gave a 
 grunt of content. "I fancy we shall soon obtain suffi- 
 cient evidence to hang him," he murmured. Then a 
 shadow crossed his face. " What an infernal dunderhead 
 I have been not to suspect him before," he said, and 
 turning impatiently away, he replaced the box of cartridges 
 on the shelf, before renewing his systematic examination 
 of the rest of the contents of the room. The search 
 revealed nothing further, and at length he desisted. 
 
 All the while we were keenly on the alert to detect 
 any sound which should tell us of the approach of 
 
 9
 
 226 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Mannering*s car. But the minutes passed and grew into 
 hours without a sign. It must have been about five in 
 the morning when we had entered the coach-house, and 
 when I saw by my watch that it was nearly ten, I began 
 to think that in some way or another Mannering had got 
 warning of the danger that threatened him. I suggested 
 to Forrest that we might as well leave our hiding-place, 
 but he would not hear of it. 
 
 ** I don't leave this building except in his company, 
 unless I hear that he has been captured elsewhere," he 
 declared obstinately. "At the same time, don't let me 
 detain you." 
 
 I wanted badly to see Evie, whom I thought might 
 be getting anxious concerning me ; but I hardly liked 
 the idea of leaving Forrest to tackle Mannering alone 
 if he should return. However, my first desire triumphed, 
 so I persuaded Forrest to let me out of the door, promising 
 to return within as short a time as I could manage. 
 
 I hurried first to the Colonel's house, and had a 
 brief interview with the dear girl, telling her what had 
 happened and what was likely to happen in the near 
 future. Next, I went to my own place, and had a basket 
 packed with a plentiful luncheon, not forgetting to pro- 
 vide a couple of bottles of champagne, and thus provided 
 I returned to the coach-house after an absence of less 
 than an hour. 
 
 When in response to my signal Forrest admitted me, 
 his eyes twinkled with satisfaction as he saw my burden. 
 
 "It is truly thoughtful of you," he remarked, as I
 
 WE PLAN AN AMBUSH 117 
 
 lifted the lid of the basket and revealed the contents. 
 "I only hope our friend will not spoil our picnic by 
 arriving in the middle of it.*' 
 
 The better to avoid any such contretemps, we set about 
 our meal immediately with very good appetites. When 
 we had finished, I do not know how Forrest felt, but I 
 was confoundedly drowsy. I tried all sorts of tricks to 
 keep my eyes open, but the quiet of the place, the cool- 
 ness, and the subdued light of the saddle-room, where 
 Forrest thought it best for us to remain, were too much 
 for my powers of resistance and I dropped off to sleep. 
 
 I must have slumbered for a couple of hours, if not 
 three, when I was suddenly awakened by a hand placed 
 on my mouth, while a voice whispered in my ear 
 
 ** Wake up, man wake up I There's no time to 
 lose." 
 
 I came to myself with a start. Forrest had hold ot 
 me, and was shaking me violently. At the same moment 
 I became aware of the throb of an approaching motor. 
 
 Recognizing the sound, I turned to the detective. 
 
 ** That's Mannering," I whispered. 
 
 w Yes," replied my companion. a I could swear to 
 the sound anywhere,"
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 GONE AWAY 
 
 u DON'T stir an inch until I give the signal," whispered 
 Forrest in my ear, as soon as he saw I was fully awake. 
 He was perfectly calm, and he closed the door in order 
 to conceal us from the sight of any one entering the 
 workshop. 
 
 The car pulled up outside. We heard the grate of 
 the key in the lock, and the door creak on its hinges, 
 as it swung open. There was a second grating noise, 
 and I judged that the door of the inner yard had been 
 opened by whoever had entered. There followed a few 
 more pants from the motor, as it passed through the 
 coach-house into the yard, and then everything was silent. 
 The outer door shutting with a snap apprized us that the 
 crucial moment was at hand, and my heart began to 
 thump as I heard footsteps approaching. Forrest pointed 
 to a vacant hook over my head, and I recognized why 
 he had selected the harness-room for our hiding-place. 
 The footsteps came slowly nearer, then stopped, and a 
 long low laugh came from the lips of the unseen man. 
 I thought we must have been discovered in our hiding- 
 place and glanced at Forrest for instructions. He never 
 
 to!
 
 GONE AWAY 229 
 
 moved a muscle. He stood poised like a greyhound 
 about to be slipped from the leash. 
 
 The footsteps approached again. The door knob 
 rattled as a hand was laid upon it. The door flew open. 
 Forrest darted forward. 
 
 I caught one glimpse of Mannering's face, for it was 
 indeed he, and I saw it become suddenly livid. It was 
 not the pallor of fear. His eyes flashed. He had doffed 
 his coat and was holding it in one hand, and quick as 
 was Forrest's spring, he was equally swift to meet it. 
 His other hand passed swift as lightning from the door 
 handle, and catching the edge of the coat, spread the 
 garment in front of him. Forrest, missing his grip, 
 plunged heavily into the wide folds of the garment. 
 Mannering's arms closed as a vice. The door swinging 
 back had momentarily blocked my passage. I thrust it 
 open, and had taken one step forward to Forrest's assist- 
 ance, when Mannering with a herculean effort, swung 
 the detective from his feet, and hurled him full at me. 
 It was a magnificent effort, and I went down with a 
 crash amongst the remains of the lunch with Forrest on 
 the top of me. The whole incident had not lasted 
 twenty seconds, and before either of us could regain our 
 feet, the door was slammed and locked. 
 
 Forrest was the first to regain his feet, and he rushed 
 at the door furiously. We were trapped. The door 
 was a strong one of oak, and I remembered that it 
 fastened by a couple of bolts on the other side. The 
 detective worried the door like a bear at the bars of his
 
 230 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 cage, but he could not move it. He gnashed his teeth, 
 and he was white with rage. From the other side we 
 could hear the sound of heavy objects being moved, and 
 we guessed that our enemy was piling the most massive 
 articles his workshop contained against the door to make 
 it more secure. 
 
 D n you, Sutgrove I " shouted the detective. 
 
 "Don't stop to think, or we shall lose our man after 
 all. Come, both together." 
 
 I saw his intention, and I could understand and 
 forgive his curse in the excitement of the moment 
 Together we hurled ourselves against the door. It did 
 not move an inch, and a long low chuckle greeted the 
 attempt from the other side. We tried madly again and 
 again, but the barrier was immovable. 
 
 Then I looked round for some tool which would 
 enable me to break down the door itself. There were 
 only the chairs available, and so I tore off the leg of one 
 of them, and, bidding Forrest stand back, I swung the 
 piece of wood round my head, and struck as hard as I 
 could against one of the lower panels of the door. The 
 improvised club flew into half a dozen fragments, but 
 the panel had cracked. Forrest had provided himself 
 meanwhile with a similar club, and directed his blows 
 so effectively that the panel was driven out. I threw 
 myself at the gap, trusting to be able to force my way 
 through. 
 
 What I saw filled me with rage. The wheels of the 
 new car were moving, and right before my eyes the car
 
 GONE AWAY 231 
 
 disappeared into the outer coach-house. I made an un- 
 availing attempt to struggle through the aperture, but the 
 attempt was hopeless. It was too narrow to admit even 
 my shoulders. Withdrawing, I told Forrest what I had 
 seen. 
 
 "I had entirely forgotten Laver," he remarked, and 
 putting his whistle to his mouth, he blew it shrill and 
 clear. 
 
 Then together we renewed our attack upon the door. 
 The sound of a shout from the outside followed by a 
 pistol shot made us work like madmen, and within a 
 minute, another panel gave, and we managed to get at 
 the bolts and draw them. The articles piled against the 
 door toppled in all directions, as we finally forced our 
 way out. 
 
 We were too late. The outer door was wide open, 
 and just on the threshold, was Forrest's unfortunate 
 subordinate lying on the ground, with blood trickling 
 down his arm. He struggled into a sitting position as 
 we came out, and pointed up the road in the direction 
 of St. Albans. 
 
 ** Gone away, sir,*' he said. 
 
 " Hurt ? " asked Forrest, pausing as he did so. 
 
 " Not much ; smashed shoulder, I fancy," remarked 
 the sufferer philosophically. 
 
 "I'll send assistance," said my companion as he 
 rushed after me into the road, where I stood horror 
 stricken z.t what met my gaze. 
 
 Fifty yards distant, opposite the entrance gate at
 
 232 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 Colonel Maitland's house, the new car was standing still. 
 It was empty. The gate was open, and even as I 
 watched, I saw Mannering come out of the gate, bearing 
 in his arms the helpless figure of a girl. There was no 
 need to guess who the victim might be. Even before I 
 saw him appear, I knew intuitively why he had stopped. 
 Had he not told Evie that on the third day he would re- 
 turn, bidding her be ready for him ? 
 
 I rushed forward towards the car, but before I had 
 covered half the distance which separated me from it, he 
 was aboard with his burden and I knew pursuit on foot to 
 be hopeless. 
 
 Yet, even as I saw him move away, there flashed 
 across my brain one means by which I might possibly 
 get on terms with my enemy. There was just one 
 chance, and one chance only, of rescuing my darling from 
 the Pirate, and that chance depended entirely upon the 
 question as to whether the car upon which Mannering 
 had returned was fitted with the same sort of motor as 
 that on which he had departed. 
 
 With the haste of a madman I returned to the coach- 
 house I had just quitted. My hopes fell to zero. There 
 was an unmistakable scent of petrol about the car. They 
 rose again, however, upon a closer examination, for I saw 
 at once that the motor was a turbine, though petrol was 
 utilized in some way as a means of securing the necessary 
 heat to secure the expansion of the gas for the starting of 
 the engine, though I could see that once started, the ex- 
 panded hydrogen was, as in the new car, ingeniously
 
 GONE AWAY 233 
 
 utilized to produce the necessary heat. I was glad then 
 that I had spent as much time as I had upon examining the 
 car upon which the Pirate had escaped, for I was enabled 
 to see that, if only a supply of the liquid hydrogen were 
 obtainable, I should be able to put my wild plan into exe- 
 cution. As it was, the tank was nearly empty, so putting 
 my shoulder to the car, I shoved it into the workshop 
 where, unless Mannering had let it run to waste, I knew 
 I should find a supply of the hydrogen. Thank Heaven, 
 Mannering had forgot to empty the receiver, and filling 
 the tank and tightly screwing down the nuts of the cover- 
 ing, I wheeled the car into the open road. There I saw 
 Forrest leaning against the wall of the coach-house, a 
 figure of inexpressible dejection. 
 
 " Come and lend a hand ! " I shouted. 
 
 The light that flashed into his face, as he realized what 
 I would be at, was extraordinary. He sprang forward at 
 once to my assistance. Now, in my attempts to get at 
 the machinery of the car, I had discovered the plates with 
 which Mannering had been wont to disguise its shape, and 
 it occurred to me that they performed the further purpose 
 of diminishing the wind resistance, so that if I wanted to 
 get the full speed out of the car it would be necessary 
 to fix them in their places. I immediately set to work to 
 join up the various sections, leaving Forrest to bolt them 
 together. We worked like niggers at the job, and it was 
 nearly completed when a curious sound came down the 
 breeze. I looked up, and to my surprise I saw the Pirate 
 once more approaching.
 
 234 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 " Look ! " I shouted to Forrest in my excitement, 
 though there was no need to warn him. 
 
 Nearer the Pirate came ; still nearer. Every moment 
 I expected to see him pull up and surrender. But it was 
 a mad hope. He had not the slightest intention of so 
 obliging us. As he approached, he suddenly increased 
 his pace and flashed past us at full sixty miles an hour. 
 
 Forrest fingered a revolver, but he dared not shoot for 
 fear the bullet should find the slender form of Evie, who 
 we saw was huddled close to his side. Mannering laughed 
 as he passed us and waved his hand in derision. 
 
 " There are a couple of masks in the coach-home," I 
 said quietly to the detective. 
 
 He darted into the doorway and returned a moment 
 later with them, thrusting at the same time a bottle into 
 his pocket. It took us no time to climb into the car and 
 as, during his momentary absence, I had succeeded in 
 starting the engine, we were in a position to move at 
 once. 
 
 For a hundred yards we travelled at the speed at which 
 we were accustomed to see Mannering while using the car 
 in the sight of men and in the light of day. Then with 
 a word of warning to my companion, I pulled at the 
 change-speed lever. The effect was marvellous. The 
 car seemed to leap forward and the hedges suddenly trans- 
 formed themselves into long green streaks. 
 
 A cloud of dust on the road ahead gave the direction 
 Mannering had taken, so I jammed down the lever to its 
 limit and commenced the pursuit. At any other time
 
 GONE AWAY 235 
 
 the idea of chasing the Pirate on one of his own cars 
 would have delighted me beyond measure, but my thoughts 
 were too much occupied as to the fate which might await 
 Evie if we failed to overtake her abductor to allow room 
 for anything else. 
 
 Exactly what speed we made I cannot tell, it must 
 have been nearer eighty than sixty miles an hour, but the 
 smoothness of the motion was wonderful, and I felt not 
 the slightest tremor. 
 
 Mannering had disappeared on the Watford road, 
 and in a few minutes we swept through the north end 
 of the town and, directed by a boy at the cross roads, 
 made for Rickmansworth. Forrest took charge of the 
 horn, and kept it braying continuously. We slackened 
 speed through Rickmansworth, for the streets were full 
 of vehicles, and there we learned that the white car was 
 five minutes ahead. Once clear of the streets I let the 
 car go again, and we tore away towards Uxbridge. On 
 reaching the main Oxford road once more a dust cloud 
 in the distance served as a guide, and informed us that 
 Mannering had crossed the highway, and gone away in 
 the direction of Slough. The going was rough for a 
 while, but I did not slacken pace, though the road was 
 narrow, and to have met a cart would have meant certain 
 destruction. The road broadened after a time, and I 
 fancied we were gaining, for the dust cloud seemed 
 nearer. We skirted Slough to the east, the guiding 
 cloud bearing towards Dachet. Darting through that 
 little riverside town at a pace which set the police whistles
 
 236 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 blowing behind us, we came to the bridge across the 
 Thames, and here we were informed that our quarry 
 was barely a minute ahead, and running in the direction 
 of Egham. A mile further on, at a straight piece of 
 road, we first sighted the fugitives, and a cry of triumph 
 escaped my lips. It was a little premature, however. 
 Once again the silver car turned into a bye-road so 
 winding that I was compelled, much against my will, 
 to slacken speed. Then once more we came out upon 
 a main road, to find our quarry not more than a hundred 
 yards away as we swept out into the broad highway. 
 
 And here, looking back, Manner ing for the first time 
 learned that we were on his track. At that moment, 
 too, commenced a race which, I venture to think, will 
 not soon be equalled in the history of the motor world. 
 At all events, I trust it will never be my lot to take part 
 in any similar trial of speed, at least, with such issues 
 depending upon the result. Upon emerging from the 
 bye-road we were a mile from Egham, and knowing 
 the road, I asked Forrest to glance at his watch. The 
 way was clear before us, and three minutes and a quarter 
 later, we flashed through the railway arch at Sunningdale 
 railway-station, four miles from the point where the 
 timing commenced. But fast as we had travelled, 
 Mannering travelled faster. When we reached Bagshot 
 we learned he was half a minute ahead. 
 
 We flew through the lovely pine country on the 
 wings of the wind, through Hook, and so into Basing- 
 stoke. By this time we were covered from head to foot
 
 GONE AWAY 237 
 
 with white dust, looking more like working masons than 
 anything else ; but wherever we went, I knew Forrest 
 had the power to make the way easy. If he had been 
 anybody else but a detective from Scotland Yard, we 
 should never have got through Basingstoke, for there the 
 police, warned in some manner of our approach, had 
 drawn a huge waggon across the road, thus completely 
 barring our progress. It was soon drawn aside when 
 Forrest produced his badge, and once more we flew 
 westwards. So through Whitchurch and Andovcr. 
 
 How we succeeded in escaping accidents I cannot 
 explain. Providence seemed to watch over both pursuers 
 and pursued. We were always on the verge of a collision 
 with somebody or something. Cottages, carts, pedestrians, 
 cyclists, seemed to be flying by in a never-ending pro- 
 cession. Yet we touched nothing. 
 
 Once past Andover the road became clearer, for 
 instead of turning towards Salisbury, as I expected, the 
 Pirate chose the road through Amesbury and Stonehenge. 
 We swept over Salisbury Plain at a magnificent pace, 
 but we did not catch sight of the fugitives, though now 
 and again a glimpse of a distant dust cloud raised my 
 hopes momentarily. At Wincanton we learned we were 
 three minutes behind, and setting my teeth, I determined 
 I would not slacken speed again until we overtook the 
 fugitives or reached Exeter. The road was admirable 
 hereabouts, and we ran so steadily that, but for the 
 hedges flying past, we might have been sitting in 
 armchairs. After Ilminster the road became steeper,
 
 238 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 though it was yet too early in the year to be very 
 rough. 
 
 But how is it possible to describe a journey at the 
 pace we were making ? Our progress became dream-like 
 to me. It was almost monotonous. One could observe 
 so little, just an incident here and there to mark the 
 stages in the journey. Thus I remember Honiton by 
 the frightened scream of a cur which was swept off its 
 feet by the rush of the air as we passed close at his tail. 
 Then nothing of note until we reached Exeter. 
 
 At the cathedral city we were told the white car was 
 only a minute in advance. I began to wonder where 
 the chase was going to end, for Mannering was still 
 going westward without pause. Still we followed. Out 
 on to the Launceston road ; onward, ever onward until 
 the bare hills of Dartmoor frowned upon us, and we had 
 to slacken slightly for the long upward grind. Fortu- 
 nately the hills were free from mist, and on reaching 
 the summit of Whiddon Down we caught once more 
 a glimpse of the white car before it disappeared in the 
 distance. I was getting reckless, and I took the descent 
 at a pace which blanched even Forrest's cheek. Then 
 through a streak of white houses, which I fancied must 
 be Okehampton. There was no need to inquire the 
 way. At the pace both cars were travelling there was 
 only one road which would serve either Mannering or 
 myself. In fifteen minutes Launceston came into view. 
 Then up again until from the top of Bodmin moor we 
 caught fleeting glimpses of the sea on either side of us.
 
 GONE AWAY 239 
 
 On still without pause, through Redruth and Camborne 
 and Hayle. Finally a sight of them at last, as we opened 
 up St. Michael's Bay as we came to Marazion. And 
 here I thought the chase had come to an end, 1 was 
 mistaken.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 SAVED 
 
 MY brain reeled as we rushed along the road into 
 Penzance. My forehead seemed to be encircled with 
 a band of steel. My mouth was so parched that my 
 tongue rattled against my palate as I tried to speak to 
 Forrest. My fingers were so cramped with the grip on 
 the steering wheel, a grip which had never once been 
 relaxed during our five hours' run, that I could not 
 relinquish my hold. The road became dark, and in- 
 voluntarily I cut off the supply of the gas to the motor 
 and brought the car to a standstill. 
 
 " Go on, mani Go on !" shouted Forrest in my ear. 
 
 I could only gasp for answer. I felt suddenly sick. 
 
 Then Forrest gave proof of his ready common sense. 
 He thrust his hand into his pocket and produced the 
 bottle of champagne which had been left over from our 
 lunch, and which he had thoughtfully brought with him 
 in view of some such eventuality as this. Tearing off 
 the wire he cut the string. The cork flew out and the 
 liquor creamed from the neck of the bottle. Pushing up 
 my mask with one hand he held the bottle to my lips 
 with the other. 
 
 340
 
 SAVED 241 
 
 I spluttered. I choked. But I drank and I drank 
 again. Never surely was champagne more grateful or 
 more useful. My strength returned to me instantaneously. 
 My brain cleared. My eyes saw. My hope returned. 
 I drew a deep sigh of relief. Forrest handed me the 
 bottle again. 
 
 " After you," I said. 
 
 He took a drink and then remarked authoritatively, 
 " Finish the bottle." 
 
 I obeyed and,, draining it, tossed it into the hedge 
 and once more set the car in motion. If our progress 
 had been speedy before, when we were once through 
 Penzance, it became absolutely reckless. 
 
 My brain was dancing from the effect of the 
 champagne, and a wild exhilaration throbbed in every 
 artery. The pace was tremendous, and we had not left 
 Penzance a couple of miles behind us before the fugitives 
 came once more into view. Now for the first time I 
 could see that we were holding our own in the race. It 
 may have been that some bearing had become heated in 
 the car Mannering was driving, for undoubtedly his new 
 car was more speedy than the old, but it was clear that 
 he could no longer leave us as he had been able to do in 
 the earlier part of the chase. If only I could increase 
 ever so slightly the speed of my car, I felt confident of 
 overtaking him. I motioned to Forrest to bend towards 
 me, and when his ear was level with my mouth, I asked 
 him to throw everything which could be got rid of 
 overboard, in order to lighten the car. He took my 
 
 ft
 
 242 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 meaning at once, and away went the cushions and 
 rugs. The difference was slight, but still there was 
 a perceptible difference. At the pace we were now 
 travelling the car rocked from side to side of the road, 
 and Forrest had to brace himself stiffly against the foot- 
 board to prevent himself being thrown out. But we 
 were gaining foot by foot on the fugitives. I felt a thrill 
 of delight when, on reaching the brow of a hill, I saw the 
 white car only two hundred yards ahead, and reckoned 
 that in a couples of minutes we should have overtaken 
 them. 
 
 But one thing I had overlooked. I became conscious 
 that we should soon be at the end of our journey, for 
 suddenly I saw the sea on the horizon. I knew now 
 where we were, knew that the end was in sight. For 
 Mannering there could be no return, and I shouted aloud 
 with exultation when I realized it. We drew closer to 
 him, so close that I fancied I could see his eyes glittering 
 through the mica plate of his mask as he turned to look 
 at us. 
 
 A sudden horror gripped me by the throat. He 
 surely must know as well as myself that he was near the 
 spot where all roads ended j that we were barely a mile 
 or two from Land's End. What if he intended to end 
 his life and his journey together? And what if, not 
 content with destroying himself, he were to carry with 
 him to destruction the girl who rode beside him on his 
 car? 
 
 We reached within twenty yards of him, and then as
 
 SAVED 243 
 
 if in answer to my thought, I heard him emit a screech 
 of laughter as his car suddenly shot away from us, and in 
 half a minute placed him at least a quarter of a mile 
 ahead. The bitterness of that moment, as my hope died 
 within me, I can never forget. I only continued the 
 pursuit mechanically. 
 
 We thundered through Sennen without pause and 
 so onward until we opened up the hotel and the stretch 
 of green on the brow of the cliff. Then I could have 
 shrieked with delight. The white car was standing still 
 and Mannering had left his seat and was standing by the 
 side. Ten seconds would have brought us to him. Five 
 passed. He leaped again to his seat, and as he did so, 
 the white robed figure sprang from the car to the turf. 
 The Pirate gave a cry of baffled rage. But he had no 
 time to waste in recovering his escaping victim, for we 
 were within fifty yards of him. His car leaped forward 
 and, leaving the road, tossed like a boat at sea over the 
 uneven boulder-strewn turf. We were within five yards 
 of him, and it was as much as we could manage to do to 
 keep our seats. 
 
 Just in time I realized the danger into which we 
 were being unwittingly drawn, and reversing the gear, I 
 put on both breaks. I was in time, but only just in 
 time, for we were on a treacherous grassy slope and in 
 spite of the breaks our car continued to glide forward 
 under the impulse of the velocity it had attained. 
 
 w Jump for your life ! " shouted Forrest. 
 
 I had wit enough to obey without hesitation.
 
 244 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 As I leaped, my eyes were fixed upon Mannering 
 who at that moment had reached the very edge of the 
 cliff. I saw him disappear, and then I rolled over on the 
 turf. I was unhurt, and gathering myself together, I 
 regained my feet just as the car which had carried us so 
 well followed the maker over the cliff. A dozen paces 
 took me to the spot. I shuddered as I glanced down- 
 wards and saw the fate I had escaped. Two or three 
 hundred feet below the tide was boiling over the jagged 
 rocks. I fancied I could discern a few fragments of the 
 white car and that was all. 
 
 Not ten seconds before I had seen Mannering wave 
 his hand at us mockingly as he rode to his death, and 
 I guessed that his intention had been to lure us on to 
 a common destruction. Once again he had disappeared, 
 but now I knew it was for all time. 
 
 A strange calm came upon me. Straight in front of 
 us the Longships lighthouse made a pillar of black marble 
 against the huge red disc of the setting sun. In the far 
 distance the Cassiterides floated cloud-like on the horizon. 
 I gulped down a sob of thankfulness, for the memory 
 came upon me that the one whom I loved had been 
 saved by the merest chance from sharing the fate of the 
 madman who had so unhesitatingly rushed upon his 
 doom. 
 
 I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Forrest. 
 
 " Our work is done," he said, and with an impatient 
 sigh, he took from his pocket the useless handcuffs and 
 hurled them after the cars. " One thing we have to be
 
 SAVED 245 
 
 thankful for," he continued, " thank God, Miss Maitland 
 is safe." 
 
 For reply, I could only grasp his hands and wring 
 them silently. As I did so, I became conscious that a 
 number of excited people had gathered about us. 
 
 u Where where is she ? " I gasped. 
 
 Some one pointed to the hotel a hundred yards or to 
 distant, and Forrest and I hurried towards it. I was a 
 prey to the most horrible anxiety. I dreaded to con- 
 template what the result upon the mind of my darling 
 might be. I had nearly reached the hotel door, when 1 
 saw a slight figure step across the threshold and shade her 
 eyes with her hand. With a cry of delight I sprang 
 forward. 
 
 The next moment Evie was in my arms. 
 * * * 
 
 That is the story of the Motor Pirate. There re- 
 main but a few things to say. And first of them, let 
 me explain how it happened that Evie managed to fall 
 into the Pirate's clutches. 
 
 I told her later that it was owing to feminine curiosity. 
 She, on the other hand, declares it was entirely owing to 
 her anxiety on my account. Whichever was the reason, 
 the moment she had heard Mannering's car approach, 
 she had gone to the garden-gate, whence she was able 
 to command a view of the coach-house door. She had 
 seen the man Laver rush forward at the sound of the 
 whistle. Then the pistol shot rang out, and the next 
 moment Mannering had appeared on the new car. He
 
 246 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 had seen her, and she had attempted to fly to the house, 
 but he had overtaken her and carried her off. Once on 
 the car he had proceeded a short distance on the St. 
 Alban's road, and then stopped to speak to her, for the 
 first and only time on that day. 
 
 "I am going to take you for a ride with me, Miss 
 Maitland," he had observed. "I merely wish to warn 
 you before we start, that at the pace we shall travel, you 
 will find any attempt to escape exceedingly dangerous." 
 
 It was then from his manner and appearance she had 
 realized that she was in the power of a madman. 
 
 As regards the ride, she could tell me very little. The 
 pace was so great that, being unprovided with a mask, 
 she was obliged to crouch down on the seat and cover 
 her face with a rug as a protection against the dust. It 
 seemed an interminable time, she said, and the moment 
 the car stopped she made an attempt to regain her 
 liberty, without knowing how near she was to destruction 
 at the time she made it. 
 
 Fortunately the strain had been much less than I 
 expected, so far as Evie was concerned, and much more 
 than I anticipated, was its effect upon myself. It was a 
 long time before I completely recovered from the effects 
 of those three adventurous days. And the worst of it 
 was, that everything combined to prevent me obtaining 
 the absolute quiet which I needed. After spending a 
 night at the hotel I, of course, hastened to take train to 
 London in order to restore Evie to her father. But when 
 I arrived at my place at St. Albans, I found a veritable
 
 SAVED 247 
 
 army of pressmen encamped on my doorstep. They 
 would not give me a moment's peace. I was compelled 
 to remain in bed, and upon sending a message over to 
 Evie to inform her of my predicament, she informed me 
 that she was similarly besieged. 
 
 We exchanged a dozen notes. I rose when it wag 
 dark, and slipped out of my back door. I could only see 
 one method of securing quiet. Even a hardened press- 
 man has a dislike to intrude upon the privacy of a newly 
 married couple, so the next morning Evie and Colonel 
 Maitland joined me in town, and we were married by 
 special license and, without returning to St. Albans, we 
 started for my home in Norfolk. 
 
 So much for myself. 
 
 Forrest was for a long time inconsolable at the final 
 escape of the Pirate from the hands of justice. So was 
 his subordinate, Laver, whose sentiments on the subject 
 are quite too lurid for publication. 
 
 As for Mannering, no trace of his body was ever 
 found, though I have since heard that certain portions of 
 the cars have been fished up from the pools amongst the 
 rocks at the base of the cliffs at low tide. At present, 
 however, there has not been sufficient of the machinery 
 recovered to enable any one to construct a similar motor. 
 He had apparently made no drawings, or else had 
 destroyed them when they had served his turn, so it 
 would seem as if the secret of the singularly speedy motor 
 he invented is destined to be lost to the world. Still, it 
 may be that sufficient will be recovered to give some
 
 248 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 skilled mechanician sufficient guidance to enable him to 
 reproduce the lost pirate car. If not, well, I don't 
 suppose it matters. Some one else will be sure to invent 
 something similar. In fact, from the hints Mannering 
 gave me, and owing to the opportunity I had of examining 
 the car in his workshop, I think it is not unlikely tha! 
 I shall shortly be applying for letters patent my self.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 REVELATIONS 
 
 THERE remains only one thing more. I feel that the story 
 would be incomplete if I kept to myself certain particulars 
 concerning Mannering, which have come to my knowledge 
 since the day when he made his sensational flight into 
 eternity from the brow of the cliff at Land's End. At 
 the time, both my wife and myself wished never to hear 
 again the name of the man whose actions had provided 
 us with such terrible and nerve-shattering experiences, 
 but afterwards, when we came to think over the matter, 
 it occurred to both of us that in fact we knew very little 
 about the man who had nearly wrecked our lives. To 
 dwell upon that thought naturally awakened our curiosity 
 concerning his past life, and, needless to say, when the 
 opportunity occurred for gratifying our curiosity, we did 
 not for a moment hesitate about accepting it. It is true 
 that we had gathered from his conversation that he had 
 travelled widely, but in what capacity, or with what 
 object, we knew as little as we knew of his birthplace or 
 parentage. We found, too, a difficulty in understanding 
 the motives which had prompted Mannering's actions, 
 and, though we often discussed the question, we could 
 
 249
 
 250 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 never of ourselves have arrived at a satisfactory solution 
 of the problem. 
 
 On this latter point I must mention the conclusion 
 arrived at by The Speaker. This sober-minded and ex- 
 tremely British review declared that his animating motive 
 was " the strong rock of equity, or abstract justice," inas- 
 much as, by principally directing his attention to motor- 
 ists, he was avenging The Speaker s quarrel with a class 
 which this journal held in particular abhorrence. Natu- 
 rally, both Evie and myself smiled at the thought that the 
 Motor Pirate was a conservative gentleman, anxious only 
 to restore to the highways of England something of their 
 pristine calm. For myself, I inclined to the belief that he 
 was a remarkable specimen of the megalomaniac, whose 
 exploits were prompted much more by the desire for 
 notoriety than by any altruistic motive, or even by any 
 sordid consideration regarding the plunder which he 
 secured. Certainly had he been a mere criminal, impelled 
 by the desire for the easy acquisition of wealth, he could 
 have pursued his career for a much longer period than he 
 actually did. As for my wife, with a woman's natural 
 tendency to read a romance into any and every development 
 of human activity, she held fast to the opinion that the 
 Pirate's extraordinary career was the outcome of an over- 
 mastering passion for herself. The probability is, that in 
 his brain all these motives operated at different times. 
 The natural love of plunder, inherent in the criminal 
 mind, is as often as not accompanied by a morbid delight 
 in awakening the wonder of the public by the performance
 
 REVELATIONS 251 
 
 of startling deeds and, in the same temperament, it is not 
 unusual to discover the romantic nature developed to a 
 considerable degree. But, from the data at our command, 
 I fancy it would have been impossible even for the ex- 
 perienced psychologist to decide which, so to speak, was 
 the master impulse. 
 
 Perhaps, however, the few facts concerning him, which 
 came into our possession afterwards, tend to clear up these 
 points to some degree. Certainly they left me with a 
 clearer light upon his individuality. 
 
 To these facts I am indebted to Inspector Forrest, who, 
 some six months after our famous ride together in pur- 
 suit of the pirate, managed to find time to pay a flying 
 visit to our Norfolk home, where we had continued to 
 dwell in peaceful seclusion. 
 
 It was at dinner, on the night of his arrival, that For- 
 rest first hinted that he had picked up some details of 
 Mannering's life-history, and of course nothing would 
 content Evie but a promise that we should hear what he 
 had discovered. So, directly the meal was finished, we 
 adjourned for our coffee and cigars to my sanctum, where, 
 in front of a comfortable fire, Forrest made no difficulty 
 about satisfying our curiosity. 
 
 " You see," he began, when his cigar was once well 
 alight, " I was every bit as curious as Mrs. Sutgrove." 
 
 " Or myself," I interrupted. 
 
 " Or Mr. Sutgrove," said the detective, smiling, " for 
 there is precious little difference between the sexes so far 
 as curiosity is concerned, in spite of the generally accepted
 
 252 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 opinion on the matter. But being curious, I naturally 
 made the most minute search when I searched his place 
 at St. Alban's. I didn't find much there, it is true, but 
 I did secure a clue which ultimately led me to some lodg- 
 ings which he had occupied some three or four years 
 previously, and there, by the merest good luck, I dis- 
 covered that when he had departed he had left behind him 
 a worn-out travelling-bag, and in that bag was a bundle 
 of papers which supplied me with sufficient information 
 to reconstruct his history to some extent, though I should 
 not like to swear to the absolute accuracy of every detail 
 of his biography as I see it." 
 
 " Was there nothing at all found at St. Alban's then ? ' 
 asked Evie. 
 
 " I fancy you must have seen in the papers a pretty full 
 account of all that the police discovered there? " said the 
 detective. 
 
 " Yes," replied Evie. " We read a lot of stories, but 
 they varied to such an extent that we really did not know 
 what to believe." 
 
 Forrest smiled. " Now I come to think of it, the re- 
 porters did give their imaginations free reins, but you 
 can take it from me that, with the exception of the plunder 
 he amassed after his return from that Continental trip, 
 and the apparatus for the production of the liquid hydro- 
 gen, there was very little in his house of interest to me 
 or you. There was his bank-book, and some correspond- 
 ence with a learned professor at the Royal Institution. 
 I followed up both clues. At the R. I. I discovered noth-
 
 REVELATIONS 253 
 
 ing. Mannering had merely posed as a wealthy amateur 
 in chemistry, and of course he met with every assistance 
 when he had asked for help in following up his researches 
 into the behaviour of liquid gases. At his bank also, very 
 little was known about him. When he had come to St. 
 Alban's he had opened an account by a payment into it 
 of six or seven thousand pounds in Bank of England notes. 
 He had drawn steadily upon the account until it was 
 nearly exhausted, and, in point of fact, there was only a 
 few pounds to his credit from the time when he com- 
 menced his career on the road, until a week or two after 
 his return from Amsterdam, when he paid in two thousand 
 pounds in gold, and a fortnight later swelled his balance 
 with a similar amount." 
 
 " That was the proceeds of the Brighton mail robbery," 
 I remarked. 
 
 Forrest nodded. " That was his only really big coup. 
 As for his other plunder, he probably disposed of the 
 proceeds of all his early cruises on the Continent, at the 
 same time that he sold the diamonds. That which he 
 obtained afterwards was found intact in the safe in his 
 bedroom. Heavens! What an opportunity I missed by 
 not taking out a search-warrant for his house. When we 
 paid our midnight visit, there must have been ample evi- 
 dence-behind the steel door to have convicted him." 
 
 The detective was silent for awhile, and bit savagely 
 at his cigar. 
 
 " He was not a wealthy man, then," I remarked. 
 
 "No," replied Forrest. "There was no trace of his
 
 254 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 owning any property anywhere, and his expenditure on 
 the gas plant and on his motors we found that the 
 various parts had been made to specification at a variety 
 of works in England and abroad had eaten heavily into 
 his capital, so that at the time of the commencement of his 
 career he must have been very nearly penniless. Whether 
 he built the motor with the idea of utilizing it for the 
 purpose he ultimately put it to, of course I cannot say, 
 but I have a shrewd suspicion that he really did design 
 it for, the purpose, since from what I have learned of 
 him the predatory instinct <must have been pretty strongly 
 developed in him." 
 
 The detective paused for a minute, and, flicking the ash 
 off his cigar, gazed meditatively into the fire. 
 
 " You shall judge for yourselves," he continued. " Un- 
 fortunately, I cannot begin right at the beginning, for I 
 do not know where he was born, nor who his parents 
 were. I can only guess at these facts from the knowledge 
 that, as a boy, he was at school in the south of England, 
 and that then his name was Ram Krishna Roy." 
 
 " What? " I asked, in amazement. " A Hindu? " 
 
 " An Eurasian, I should fancy," replied Forrest. " He 
 had been sent to school in England by one of those petty 
 Indian princes, who still exercise sovereignty under 
 British suzerainty." 
 
 " How did you discover that ? " asked Evie. 
 
 " It was like this, Mrs. Sutgrove," replied Forrest. 
 "Amongst the papers I spoke about as being in the old 
 portmanteau, were a number of letters written in char-
 
 REVELATIONS 255 
 
 acters I could not understand. I could see they were 
 oriental, and that was as much as I could make of them, 
 so I took them to a noted oriental scholar who translated 
 them for me. The language was Urdu, and the writer 
 was a munshi, who was obviously communicating with 
 an old pupil. There were so many references to scenes 
 with which the person to whom the letters were addressed, 
 as well as the writer, was familiar, that it was quite clear 
 that the former must have been brought up amidst purely 
 native surroundings. There were one or two more ob- 
 scure allusions which led me to conclude that the boy's 
 mother must have been a white woman, and from what we 
 saw of him there can be no doubt but that he was white 
 on one side." 
 
 " Nobody would have taken him to be aught but an 
 Englishman," murmured Evie. 
 
 " No," said Forrest. " I was intensely surprised when 
 I discovered these proofs of his identity and at first I 
 thought they could not apply to him, but before I come 
 to the connecting link, let me mention one curious thing 
 in the letters, which may do something to explain the 
 curious influence which Mannering exerted over Mrs. 
 Sutgrove." 
 
 " He hypnotized me, I am sure," declared Evie, 
 decidedly. 
 
 " Very possibly," replied the detective. " In nearly 
 every letter was to be found an admonition to the effect 
 I cannot give you a verbatim translation that the 
 writer hoped his old pupil would not forget that to him
 
 256 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 was entrusted the secret power of Siva, which would, by 
 practice, enable him to mould all men 19 his will." 
 
 " If he had possessed that," I interrupted, " there would 
 have been no necessity for him to have practised piracy 
 on the highroad." 
 
 " True," said Forrest. " But it is quite possible that 
 Mrs. Sutgrove's conjecture is correct, and that even at 
 that early age Mannering had learnt something about 
 hypnotism from his native instructor, for I am very cer- 
 tain that of these semi-occult sciences, the East has much 
 more precise knowledge than is realized by the Western 
 world." 
 
 " Very likely," said my wife, shuddering slightly at the 
 remembrance. " He certainly had a most singular power 
 over me." 
 
 " He probably increased his knowledge when he re- 
 turned to his native land, which, I gathered, must have 
 taken place when he was about seventeen. Then there 
 is a break for nearly ten years in his history." 
 
 " I don't quite see how you connect Ram Krishna Roy 
 with Mannering," I interpolated. 
 
 " I'm coming to that," replied Forrest. " With these 
 letters was another in its original envelope addressed in 
 the same hand to Julian Mannering at San Francisco. 
 It was the most interesting letter of the lot. It was full 
 of reproaches addressed to the dear pupil, who had cut 
 himself off from the asceticism of the East, and devoted 
 himself to the gross materialism of Western civilization. 
 It concluded by the expression of an intention to once more
 
 REVELATIONS 257 
 
 attempt to persuade him to return by a personal appeal. 
 On the back of the letter was a note in Mannering's hand- 
 writing. ' Old Chatter ji kept his promise. I had quite 
 a long conversation with him in the ballroom last night. 
 Everybody thought I was drunk or mad to be talking 
 Hindustani, apparently to empty air. However, that's the 
 last of him. I've done with the East.' ". 
 
 " You make him more a man of mystery than ever," I 
 exclaimed. 
 
 " I can't help it," said Forrest. " Perhaps his old tutor 
 really did appear to him. Perhaps Mannering was mad. 
 Who knows? Both are dead. However, he seems to 
 have carried out his intention of not returning to India. 
 Ram Krishna Roy disappeared from that time forth, and 
 Julian Mannering took his place. He seems to have been 
 doing nothing at San Francisco at the time, but a little 
 later he appears to have accepted an appointment as 
 engineer to a mine in Arizona. He left the berth sud- 
 denly a few months later, owing to some trouble about 
 the wife of one of the miners. The miner was shot, and 
 his comrades were so incensed that Mannering had to 
 depart hot-foot. Then for awhile I can only guess at his 
 occupation from some newspaper cuttings which he had 
 preserved. These point to his identification with the 
 leader of a gang of desperadoes whose most notable 
 exploit was the successful holding up of a train which had 
 a considerable quantity of specie on board." 
 
 " I remember him describing the affair," said Evie,
 
 258 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 " though he represented himself as on the side of the 
 attacked." 
 
 " The only assistance he gave to the plundered was to 
 assist them to a better land by the aid of his gun. He 
 escaped, though, and made his way to Australia, and 
 once again he resumed the practice of his profession, 
 mining engineering. For three or four years he was en- 
 gaged at a newly-opened mine in the northern territory 
 of West Australia. But instinct was too strong for him. 
 He must really have had a strong dash of the blood of 
 some of those Indian hill-tribe freebooters in his veins, 
 for he never seems to have been able to resist the prospect 
 of plunder, and the likelihood of having to fight for it 
 seems to have been an additional inducement. Thus, at 
 the mine, under his charge, it was the custom to send, 
 periodically, the gold extracted, under a strong escort, 
 to the nearest town, some forty miles distant. For a long 
 time these consignments were delivered with perfect 
 safety. Then, after a particularly rich vein had been 
 struck, it became necessary to forward a very large con- 
 signment of bullion. Contrary to the usual practice, only 
 two men were sent in charge of it. Their dead bodies 
 were afterwards discovered, and the gold was never re- 
 covered. No one seems to have had the least suspicion 
 that the gentlemanly engineer at the mine was likely to 
 have had something to do with the business, and when, 
 shortly afterward, he resigned his post and took a passage 
 to Europe, he received the highest possible testimonials 
 from his manager and directors. I have no doubt, myself,
 
 REVELATIONS 259 
 
 that he was the prime mover in the robbery, for hit salary 
 was a small one, and directly afterwards he spent six 
 months in Paris, where his expenditure would have been 
 lavish for a millionaire." 
 
 " That was where my father met him," remarked Evie. 
 " I remember him expressing surprise at the simplicity 
 of Mannering's life at St. Alban's in view of the luxury 
 with which he had been surrounded when they had met 
 previously." 
 
 " Just so," said the detective. " But his Paris career 
 ended as it had commenced. He disappeared suddenly, 
 without a word of farewell to any of his acquaintance, 
 and had it not been for one bit of evidence, I should have 
 had not the slightest idea as to what he had been doing 
 with himself in the interval between that time and his 
 arrival at St. Alban's. You may remember that a scientific 
 expedition was despatched by the Dutch government about 
 six years ago to make some investigations in the interior 
 of New Guinea? " 
 
 I shook my head. 
 
 " It started six months after Mannering disappeared 
 from Paris, and from the time it left Batavia en route 
 for New Guinea not a word has ever been heard of it." 
 
 " You cannot mean to infer that Mannering had any- 
 thing to do with that?" I asked, incredulously. 
 
 " I infer nothing," replied Forrest. " But I do know 
 that a pocketbook, which had belonged to a chemist 
 attached to the exploring party, was one of the documents 
 I found in his bag. The book contained a number of
 
 260 THE MOTOR PIRATE 
 
 notes upon the liquefaction of gases, and these may 
 very likely have first interested Mannering in the subject. 
 As I have since discovered from a search of the registers 
 at Lloyds that there were quite a number of ships lost 
 about the same time in those seas, I cannot help think- 
 ing that our friend had served an apprenticeship under 
 the black flag at sea before taking to land piracy." 
 
 " At that rate he must have been the greatest criminal 
 on earth," I declared. 
 
 " He was certainly the biggest I ever came across," 
 replied Forrest, " and my only regret is that I was un- 
 able to secure him in order that he might have judicially 
 paid the penalty for his crimes." 
 
 " It was a pity," I said, " though I fancy if we had 
 trapped him he would have found some means of cheating 
 the gallows and making a melodramatic exit from the 
 world." 
 
 " It is more than likely," said Forrest. " He was not 
 the ordinary type of criminal. I was speaking to a big 
 mental specialist the other day, and but I had better 
 complete the story of his career first. Where did we 
 leave him ? " 
 
 " New Guinea," I prompted. 
 
 " The only other reason I have for suspecting him of 
 being engaged in deeds of violence in that quarter of the 
 globe is that he returned to England via Singapore, with 
 a considerable quantity of bullion in his possession. The 
 rest of his history you know." 
 
 " He seems to have had a stirring existence, anyhow,"
 
 REVELATIONS 261 
 
 I commented. " And one hardly sees any reason for 
 it save natural sin." 
 
 " The alienist I was talking to the other day described 
 him as a moral pervert. He said he was a type oi 
 insanity usually associated with physical incapacity or 
 a low order of intelligence, but when, as in Mannering's 
 case, both physique and intelligence were above the 
 average, the moral pervert is a greater danger to the 
 community than an army of ordinary criminals. If ever 
 I said a prayer it would be when a madman of that type 
 was removed from the world." 
 
 " Amen," said both Evie and I, heartily. 
 
 THE END.
 
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