The Bla 'The BLACK BOX By E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM Author of "Mr. Grex of Monte Carlo," * The Vanished Mess- enger." "The Lighted Way, etc. Novelized from the motion Jmiversal Film Momo photograph drama of the same name ring Jompany. + from the motion picture producti produced by the Illustrated with on ATEN (Copyright, 1915, by Otis ¥, Wood) SYNOPSIS. Banford Quess, master eriminologist of the world, finds that in bri 1g to jus- tice Macdougal, the murders of Lord Ashleigh's daughter, he has but just be- Bun a life-and-death struggle with a mysterious master criminal. In a hidden ssor Ashleigh's garden he has thropold ape skeleton and a uman creature, half monkey, half man, destroyed by fire. In his rooms have appeared from nowhere black boxes containing sarcastic, notes, signed by a Jair of armless hands. 1 an and Lenora, ils assistants, suspect Craig, the pro- fessor's servant, of a double murder. The black boxes continue to appear in uncan- ny fashion. Craig is trapped by Quest, but escapes to England, where Quest, Le- nora and the professor follow him. Lord Ashleigh Is murdered by the Hands, Le- nora is abducted In London and rescued. Craig Is captured and escapes to Port 8ald, where Quest and his party also go, and beyond into the desert. ELEVENTH INSTALLMENT CHAPTER XXIII, IN THE DESERT. Quest was the first the next morn- ing to open his eyes, to grope his way through the tent opening and the alabaster skies. He turned laz- ily. around, meaning to summon the Arab who had volunteered to take Hassan's place. His arms--he had been in the act of stretching--fell to his sides. He stared at the spot where the camels had been tethered, incredulously. There were no cam- els, no drivers, no Arabs.. There was not a soul nor an object in sight ex- cept the stark body of Hassan, which they had dragged half out of sight behind a slight knoll. High up in the sky above were two little black specks, wheeling lower and lower. Quest shivered as he suddenly realized that for the first time in his life he was They struggled on once more. Night came and brought with it a half-sooth- ing, half-torturing - coolness, That vain straining of the eyes upon the horizon at any rate was spared to them. They slept in a fashion, but soon after dawn they were on their feet again. Suddenly Quest, who had gone 2 little out of his way to mount a low range of sand hills, waved his arm furiously. He was holding his field-glasses to his eyes. It was won- derful how that ray of hope trans- formed them. They hurried to where he was. He passed the glasses to the professor. "A caravan!" he exclaimed. see the camels, and horses!" The professor almost snatched the glasses. "It is quite true," he agreed. "It is a caravan crossing at right angles to our direction. Come! They will see us before long." Presently three or four horsemen detached themselves from the main body and came galloping towards them. The eyes of the little party glistened as they saw that the fore- most had a water-bottle slung around his neck. He came dashing up, wav- ing his arms. "You lost, people?" he asked. "Want water?" They almost snatched the bottle from him. It was like pouring life into their veins. They all, at the pro- fessor's instigation, drank sparingly. Quest, with a great sigh of relief, lit a cigar. "Some adventure, clared. ' The professor, who had been talking to the men in their own language, "I can this!" he de- Jooking upon the winged ghouls of the pturned back towards the two girls. desert. Lower and lower they came. He turned away with a shiver. The professor was still sleeping when Quest re-entered the tent. He woke him up and beckoned him to come outside, Quest pointed to the little sandy knoll with its sparse covering of grass, deserted--with scarcely a sign, even, that it had been the resting place of the little caravan. The professor gave vent to a little exclamation, The Professor hurried off towards the spot where the encampment had been made. Suddenly he stood still and pointed with his finger. In the clearer, almost crystalline light of the coming day, they saw the track of the camels in one long, unbroken line stretching away northwards, He glanced around a little helpless Ty. Quest took a cigar from his case and lit it "No good worrying," Quest sighed. \'The question is how best to get out of the mess. What's the next move, anyway? The professor glanced towards the son and took a small compass from his pocket. He pointed across the des- ert, "That's exactly our route," he said, "but 1 reckon we still must be two days from the Mongars, and how we are going to get there ourselves, much more get the women there, without camels, I don't know. There are no wells, and 1 don't believe those fel- lows have left us a single tin of wa- ter." Laura put her head out of the teat in which the two women had slept. "Say, where's breakfast?" she ex- claimed. "1 can't smell the coffee" They turned and approached her si- lently, The two girls, fully dressed, came out of thé tent as they ap- proached. "Young ladies," the professor an- nounced, "lI regret to say that a mis- fortune has befallen us, a mis fortune which we shall be able, with- with them all our stoves, our rifies and our water." t "How far aré wo from the 2 HI i i "It is a caravan," he explained, "of peaceful merchants on their way to Jaffa. They are halting for us, and we shall be able, without a doubt, to arrange for water and food and a camel or two horses.' The man here asks if the ladies will take the horses and ride?" They started off gayly to, where the caravan had come to a standstill. They had scarcely traversed a -hundred yards, however, before the Arab who was leading Lenora's horse came to a sudden standstill. He pointed with his arm and commenced to talk in an excited fashion to his two companions. From across the desert, facing them, came a little company of horsemeh, galloping fast and with the sunlight flashing upon their rifles. L "The Mongars!" the Arab cried, pointing wildly. "They attack the caravan!" . The three Arabs talked together for a moment in an excited fashion. Then, without excuse or warning, they swung the two women to the ground, leaped Mongar | Wards, | salloped back to his host's side. The THE DAILY BRITISH WHIG, SATURDAY. JUNE 19, 1915. ck Box cloak; "the chief by his side--a fine, upright man with long, gray beard; be- hind, three Mongars, their rifles al- ready to their shoulders. The chief | wheeled up his horse as he came with- in twenty paces of the little party. "White! English!" he shouted. "Why do you seek death here?" He waited for no reply, but turned to his men. Three of then dashed for- | ward, their rifles, which were fitted | with an odd sert of bayonet, drawn back for the linge. Suddenly Craig, , who had been a little in the rear, gal- i loped, shouting, into the line of fire. '"Stopd" he ordered. "Chief, these | people are my friends. Chief, the word!" The chief raised his arm promptly. The men lowered their rifles. Craig chief listened to him and nodded gravely. Presently he rode up to the little party. He saluted the professor gravely and talked to him in his own language. The professor turned to the others. ' "The chief apologizes for not recog- nizing me," he announced. "It seems that Craig had told him that he had come to the desert for shelter, and he imagined at once, when he gave the order for the attack upon us, that we were his enemies. He says that we are welcome to go with him to his encampment." Craig turned slowly towards them. It was a strange meeéting. "It is necessary," he told them, "that you should pretend to be my friends, The chief has ordered two of his men to dismount. Their ponies are for the young ladies. There will be horses for you among the captured ones from the caravan yonder." They all turned towards the chief, who remained a little on the outside of the circle. The professor raised his hat and spoke a few words in the Mongar language, then he turned to the others. "I have accepted the invitation of the chief," he announced. "We had better start." - * . * . . . "This may not be Delmonico's," Laura remarked, a few hours later, with a little sigh of contentment, "but believe me that goat-stew and sherbet tasted better than any chicken and champagne I ever tasted." They moved to the opening of the tent and sat looking out across the silent desert. Laura took the flap of the canvas in her hand. "What do all these marks mean?' she asked. g "They are cabalistic signs," the professor replied, "part of the lan- | guage of the tribe. They indicate that this is the guest tent; and there are a few little maxims traced upon it, extolling the virtues of hospitality." Lenora leaned forward to where a little group of Mongars were talking together. "lI wish that beautiful girl would come and let us see her again," she murmured. "She," the professor explained; "is the chief's daughter, Feerda, whose life Cralg saved." "And from the way she looks at him," Laura observed, "I should say she hadn't forgotten it, either." The professor held up a warning finger. The girl herself had glided to their side out of the shadows. She faced the professor. The rest of the party slie seemed to ignore. She spoke slowly and in halting English. "My father wishes to know that you are satisfied?" she sald. "You have no further wants® "None," the professer assured her. "We are very. grateful for his hos- pitality, Feerda." "Wen't you talk to us for a little time?' Lenora begged, leaning for ward. The girl turned suddenly to the professor and spoke to him in her own language. She pointed to the signs upon the tent, drew her finger along one of the sentences, flashed a fierce glance at them all and disap- peared. "Seems to me that we are not ex- actly popular with the young lady" very much afraid that the young lady must have been listening to our eon- +i ih i z See Motion Mictures of This Story at the| IDEAL Theatre, Monday and Tuesday Captured by absolutely refused my request. Feerda has overheard some of your conversa- tion, and the chief believes that you will betray us. You will have to come, too." They all rose at once to their feet, and a few moments later horses were brought. The little procession was already be- ing formed in line. Craig approached them once more. : "You will mount now and ride in the middle of our caravan," he directed. "The chief does not trust you. If you value your lives, you will do as you are bidden." CHAPTER XXIV. "You can call this fairyland, if you want," Laura remarked, gazing around her; "I call it a nasty, damp, oozy spot." Quest motioned them to sit a little nearer. "I had a moment's talk with Craig this morning, and from what he says I fancy they mean to make a move a little farther in before long. It'll be all the more difficult to escape them." "Yo think we could get away?" Lenora whispered, eagerly, Quest glanced caatiously around, They were surrounded by thick vege- tation, but they were only a very short distance from the camp. "Seems to me," he continued, "we shall have to try it some day or other and I'm all for trying it soon. Even if they caught us, I don't beligve they'd dare to kill us, with the Eng- lish soldiers so close behind. I am going to get hold of two or three rifles and some ammunition. That's easy, becatise théy leave them about all the time. And what you girls want to do is to hide some food and get a bot: tle of water." "What about Craig?" the professor asked. "We are going to take him along," Quest declared, grimly. "He's had the devil's own luck so far but it can't last forever. I'll see to that part of the business, if you othexs get ready and wait for me to give the signal." They dispersed in various directions. it was not until late in the evening, when the Mongars had withdrawn a little to indulge in their customary orgy of crooning songs, that they were absolutely alone. Quest looked oiit of the tent in which they had been sit- | ting and camb back again. "Well?" i Laura lifted her skirt and showed an unusual projection underneath. "Lenora and I have pinned up our petticoats," she announced. "We've got plenty of food and a bottle of water." Quest threw open the white Arab cloak which he had been wearing. He had three rifles strapped around him. "The professor's got the ammuni- tion," he said, "and we've five horses tethered a hundred paces along the track we came by, just behind the second tree turning to the left. I want you all to go there now at once and take the rifles. There isn't a soul in the camp and you can carry them wrapped in this cloak. I'll join you in ten midutes." "What about Craig? the professor inquired. "I am seeing to him," Quest replied. Lenars hesitated. "Isn't it rather a risk?" she whis- pered fearfully. the Mongars. Into a corner of the tent and drew a revolver from his pocket. "This time," he exclaimed, "we are going to make an end of The Hands! Out you go gow, You can leave me to finish gs Ap." One by one they stole along the path. Quest came out and watched them dis- appear. Then he gripped his revolver firmly in his hand and turned towards Craig's tent. Then, from the thick growth by the side of the clearing, he saw a dark shape steal out and vanish in the direction of Craig's tent. He came to a standstill, puzzled. There had been rumors of lions all day, but the professor had been incredulous. Then the still, heavy air was suddenly rent by a wild scream of horror. Across the narrow opening the creature had reappeared, carrying something in its mouth, something which gave vent al! the time to the most awful yells. Quest fired his revolver on chance and broke into a run. Already the Mon gars, disturbed in their evening amuse- ment, were breaking into the under growth in chase. Quest came to a standstill. It was from Craig's tent that the beast had fssued! When he reachéd the meeting place, he found "the professor standing at the corner with the rest. "From the commotion," he an- nounced, "I believe that, after all, a lion has visited the camp. The cries which we have heard were distinctly the cries of a native," Quest shook his head, "A lion's been here all right," he said, "and he has finished our little job for us.' That was Craig. I saw him come out of Craig's tent." The professor was dubious. "You see that tree that loo¥s like a dwarfed aloe?" "What about it?" - "Craig was lyifig there ten minutes ago. He sprang up when he heard the yells from the encampment, but 1 believe he is there now." "Got the horses all right?" Quest inquired. "Everything is waiting," the profes- sor replied. "I'll! have one more try, then," Quest declared. He made his way slowly through the undergrowth to the spot which the professor had indicated. - Close to the trunk of a tree Craig was standing. Feerda was on her knees before him. She was speaking in broken English. "Dear master, you shall listen to your slave: These people are your enemies. It would be all over in a few minutes. You have but to say the word. My father is eager for it. No one would ever know." Craig patted her head His tone was filled with the deepest despon- dency. "It is impossible, Feerda," he sald. "You do not understand. I cannot tell you everything. Sometimes I almost think that the best thing 1 could do would be to return with them to the countries you know nothing of." "That's what ypu are going to do, anyway," Quest declared, suddenly making his reappearance. "Hands up!" ' He covered Craig with his revolver, "Drop your knife" Craig. He obeyed without hesitation. "Now, tie the sash around the girl." He obeyed mechanically. Quest took Craig=by-the-oolias and-Jed -hinmmto the spot where the others were wait- ing. They hoisted him on to a horse: Already behind them they could see the flare of the torches from the re. turning Mongars. "You know the way to Port Said," Quest whispered. - "See that you lead us there. There will be trouble, mind, it you don't." Craig made no reply. He rode off in front of the little troop, covered all the time by Quest's revolver. Very soon they were out of the jungle and in the open desert. Quest looked be hind him uneasily. "To judge by the row those fellows are making," he remarked. "I should think that they've found Feerda al- ready.' "In that case," the professor said gravely, "let me recommend you to push on as fast as possible. We have had one escape from those fellows, but nothing in the world can save us now that you have laid hands upon Feerda. The chief would never forgive that" They galloped steadily on. The moon rose higher and higher until it became as light as, day. Quest fell a little behind the pro- fessor's side, although he never left off watching Craig "Look behind you, professor," he whispered. In the far distance were a number of little black specks, growing every moment larger. Even at that moment they heard the low, long call of thé Mongars. "They are gaining on us," Quest muttered. } They raced on for another mile or more. A bullet whistled over their heads. Quest tightened his reins. "No good," he sighed. "We'd better stay and fight it out, professor. Stick close to me, Lenora." They drew up and hastily dismount: ed. The Mongars closed in around them. A cloud had drifted in front of the moon, and in the darkness it was almost impossible to see their whereabouts. They heard the chief's voice. "Shoot first that dog of a Craig!" There was a shriek. Suddenly Feerda, breaking loose from the oth- ers, raced across the little division. She flung herself from her horse. "Tell my father that you were not faithless," she pleaded. "They shall not: kill you!" She clung to Craig's neck. The bul- lets were beginning to whistle around she ordered Hi 2 A 2 £ x ihe ppd il i EL a ¢ i § § yk Hitt 1 i il k P i i ! il i fi § : 't | PAGE FIFTEEN MADE IN CANADA REFUSE ALL SUBSTITUTES AND DEMAND ROYAL YEAST EW.GILLETTCO.LTD. TORONTO, ONT WINNIPEG MONTREAL Friend to theAngler ~~ While waiting for $ e speckled au- ties keep your mouth cool and moist with STERLING GUM Coing Fishing to-morrow? 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