The Motor Pirate

me the Motor Pirate gave absolutely no sign of existence. It seemed as if, contented with the sensation he ha

gent who thought that he could obtain for me a 60-h.p. Mercédès, 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

nd man. He had not allowed his undoubted powers of observation to be entirely concentrated upon the seamy side of his profession. Judging 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 acu

ance with our preconceived plan-the Mercédès had not then arrived, and our progress was additionally slow as the roads we

ing of Persian poe

once represented his country at the Persian court, I

ing," he continued, "without wishing I ha

" I a

I was thrown a great deal into the company of a Persian gentleman, and we did our best to learn something of each

e of the shorter po

"It seems to me to have the real p

ile. Later he asked me diffidently not to ment

ned, "I doubt whether they wo

al friend. I confided wholly to him the hopes I entertained in regard to my love affair; and he ass

e 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 obtain

nd the roads from sloppy quagmires became in such perfect condition that I was looking fo

r our early dinner, "we can afford to spend the night rang

our friend will be tempted to make h

in which direction he makes his reappearance. If we wait in St. Albans at the end of th

evitable waste of time, and I had my reward. About eleven a message came over t

asked Forrest, the mom

ld say forty mil

ithin the hour, then," h

bright as to dazzle my eyes, and hitherto I had no experience of driving a 60-h.p. motor at top speed through the darkness. My companion's sang-froid soon 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 suffice

an hour brought us to Fenny Stratford. Here we wasted another minute or so in obtaining similar negative information. By this time I was feeling confidence in my car and in my powers to manage it. Once clear of

on the blackness ahead. With one movement I pressed down the clutch and jammed on the breaks. I was just in time

as another motor-car. It had no lamps burning, but it wa

ate!" I

orrest, jumping down and

was that all the lights were out, and I wondered that any motorist in

pright with one hand on a lever beside him. I shouted someth

est, as he put one foot on the step and

hold on the stranger, and, stepping back i

!" he m

s it?"

of the Motor Pirate's work, I fancy," he said s

ack night, beside us the two cars coughing and grunting as if anxious to be moving, and that silent figure sittin

ar, cool, incisive,

here, Sutgrove, if

ective made a brief inspection. It took him a very short

as m

scarcely marred the features of the dead man. One hand still grasped the lever, the other had dropped sligh

weapon. "One cartridge discharged," he sa

d to the dead man's coat. I pointed it out to Forrest. He un

y paper used for typing, and upon i

ng those who venture to

whether this is a case of suicide or not," I

s ends our pursuit for the night," he continued. "I think I must ask you to ru

the pace at which we had been travelling, I came to the conclusion we w

t along then.

affirmative as

ed as I was starting; "and

s and walked for five yards up the road, examining ca

ng down upon his knees, he examined the surface carefully. Then,

. He grunted in reply. When

. Judging from my measurements, our

o the side of the road, in case any one else came along and fell upon the fate we had so narrowly escaped.

Every moment I heard in my ears the strange humming of the Pirate. Yet I dared not lo

, I found myself in the well-ordered streets of a little town. The second person I met was a policeman,

was ready to accompany me forthwith. Then I remembered Forrest asking me to see that the services of a medical man were obtained, in order that he might make an examination of the body before its removal, and I mentioned the matter to the sergeant.

is 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 an

before we came to the spot where the motor-car stood, with the rigid figure of

orrest!"

er. The detective