een properly examined, that he had died from poisoning. Smith, declaring that I did not deserve his c

happened. There were no other fresh tracks for several yards around. He was attacked as he stood close

e blotting-pad, for this conversat

like the call of a nighthawk-is it s

sence of any moon, a mistake was made"-his jaw hardened at the thought of poor Forsyth-"ano

o the star world and summoning magic shadows into being. By midnight the high-road showed deserted, the common was a place of myst

cial constables, were posted. My friend was of opinion that the publicity which had been given to the deeds of Dr. Fu-Manchu in

he jerked suddenly; "he may not be

hy

a short time, his menagerie of venomous

ow clouds were scudding across the blue of the sky. Through a temporary rift in the veiling the crescent of the

spread out to the edge of the coppice;

Petrie!" hisse

darkness; it rose slowly, unstea

r the tree

making for the door

Give me at least twenty yards' start or no attempt may

ntom warring. The light did not appear again; and as Smith plunged off toward the trees, I wondered

ce of a witness. But we knew full well that the instrument of death which was hidden in the elm coppice could do its ghastly work an

The moon sailed clear of the straggling cloud wisps which alone told of the recent storm; and I noted th

n again. Black against the silvern

ried-and I was racing un

, he leaped-away fr

ie!" he screamed.

shoulder lowered,

ggered into the shadows it seemed that one of the elms was reaching down to touch us! So, at least, the phenomeno

ruth becam

bove. One piercing awful shriek there was, a crac

ol close beside me comple

it, Petrie! On your left! Fo

past me. I fired-once-twice. Another frigh

ng the ray of a pocket to

led it, Petri

s,

but the malignant eyes, wherein light was dying, regarded us with inflexible hatred. The man was pinned beneath the heavy bough; his back was broke

rous habit of shedding boughs in still weather-particularly after a storm. Pan

stand. Where w

tmarks. Last night no doubt he made his escape by swinging from bough to bough, ap

anced

h of tape soaked in spirit or something of the kind, and sheltered from the view of any one watching from your windows, behind the trunk of the tree; then, the end ignited, lowered,

servant, the hideous yellow man wh

of leather bag bes

e carried his dangerous instrument

ased

ng friend came to re

" I said bitterly. "Is

ld you of those which I had traced upon the gr

ought so! Bu

-and buried it on the mound. I was afraid to throw it in the pond, lest some juvenile fisherman

this Chinaman carried in a leather bag and released upon Forsyth. It was something which you recaptured, apparently with the ai

top

urning the ray to the left; "w

I replied

the lithe creature t

a bla

probably in the bushes. I finally located a cat, sure enough, and came for bait! I laid my trap, for the animal was too frightened to be approachable, and then shot it; I had to. That yellow fiend used the light as a decoy. The branch which killed him jutted out over the path at a

as growing

stoope

ou would find that they are coated with a shining black substance. Only Fu-Ma