The Men Who Wrought

tle cove below it, like some sentinel on guard over a dangerous criminal, with wide, childish eyes, and a mind full of terrified speculation. He had k

all those things which have gone before in the great effort of life, he had seen in it

ught he k

re secrets by the score in those every-day things which a lifetime of contact may never reveal. The stran

by the dim rays of a lighted lantern, counted the worn sto

up at the worm-eaten, oaken rafters which had stood the wear of centuries. The flooring which they supported had long since fallen into decay, and he only

ings beyond the doorway, within which he stood. The walls remained, heavily buttressed by the hardy hands of a race of men who had understood so well the necessity for fortifying their homes against all eventualities, but the timbers of the roofs had long since fa

he remotest sign of the old wooden doors which had probably been at one time heavy enough to resist

Mr.

t as the headquarters for their nefarious trade. But the incredible part of it is we unearthed a secret in it which has remained hidden for generations, possibly centuries. Now listen carefully and I will tell you of this secret. In the middle of the stone chamber under the mill there is the entrance to a passage which communicates with that villainous cove over which the evil eye of the old mill forever gazes. Six inches beneath the surface of the debris on the floor there is a slate slab, and, on raising this, you w

very si

Vlad

t was the final summons to that great adventure which was t

t the reality of the whole thing was developin

could hope to convince others, when the time came. But was this his sole motive? Was this the motive which had inspired that feelin

" His mind was searching and probing the feelings which inspired him, and he knew that the beckoning hand of the woman was exercising a greater power than any sense of duty. He did not blind himself. He had no desire to. Those dark Slavonic eyes of his were wide and bright, and the

extent of the power she was exercising. All he knew was that he had neither the power nor des

nty minutes to eight, and shortly after eight it would be low tide. The appointment had been made with rega

airway he had unearthed and began its descent, aided by the light of the

and wide, and constructed of masonry calculated to withstand the erosion of ages. It was m

urney he had counted upwards of one hundred steps. At the bottom he paused and looked back up the way h

d the natural obstructions of the flooring had been rendered smooth and clear by the hand of man. It was easy to estimate the purposes of this subterranean abode. There was less imaginati

t was a cave which opened in the face of the cliff overlooking the cove, but so ingeniously hidden

t of him a great projection of rock, as though riven from the main cliff at some far-off time by the colossal forces of Nature, hid the entire entrance of the cavern. And so narrow was the space intervening that he could touch it with an outstretching of his arm. It was a

re of a patch of golden sand with the still ebb

Even, for the time, he had no longer any thought of the purpose for which he was there. His mind was absorbed

rrible. But added to all these things was a discovery which he made almost upon the instant. With the instinct of personal security his eyes sought the high-water mark upon the beach. There was none. It was high up on the cliff sides at no point less that ten feet above the highest point of the bea

ho

ut of his reverie. In a moment his repulsion at what he beheld was forgotten.

en the last echo of th

scover no human being. And-it was

ven the gulls ceased their mournful cries at the

, weed-covered rock, stretching out into the calm water like a breakwater. There was a sound of clambering feet, and as his acute hearing caught it, a sort of instinct thrus

houghtful moments. Then without attempting

ir. This way,

crossed over to him and

rom--?" he

put sharply, but

n't come in here on a rising tide, and you can't get out of it either. It's hell's own place for s

as a petrol launch of some kind, but small and light as a cockle-shell. There was another man

u come in," he w

ere to wait till just before the tide turned. We've go

vessel?" en

outsid

n't se

ying sub

Vladimir i

he man, with a shadow of a sm

ation to Ruxton to climb down into the b

s forehead and displayed a shock of sandy grey

art. Once the tide turns it races in here like an avalanche. We'll never make Hel

ffect. Ruxton stooped down and lowe

s he dropped lightly in amidships. In a moment the clutch was

en the bow seat, and his loaded automatic was in his pocket still. However, the position was not without considerable risk. He had expected

he men in charge of the boat. They were British. Of that he was certain. Nor were they men without education.

of him, as the boat swung round head on to th

in the Navy-and had a bi

e the

. Before

he

his comrade drove the little boat at a

our Navy's cast-offs