My Strangest Case

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walk, ranging say from Parisian French to Pigeon English; you shall make the acquaintance of every sort of smell the human nose can manipulate, from the sweet perfume of the lotus blossom to the diabolical odour of the Durien; and every sort of cooking from a dainty vol-au-vent to a stuffed rat. In the harbour the shipping is such as, I feel justified in saying, you would encounter in no other port of its size in the world. It comprises the stately man-of-war and the Chinese Junk; the P. and O., the Messagerie Maritime, the British

lars by selling liquor that is as bad as it can possibly be, in order that he may get back to Lisbon before he receives that threatened knife-thrust between the ribs which has been promised him so long. There are times, as I am unfortunately able to testify, when the latter possibility is not so remote as might be expected. Taken altogether, however, the Hotel of the Three Desires is an excellent place to take up one’s abode, provided one is not desirous of attracting too much attention in the city. As a matter of fact its patrons, for some reason of their own, are more en evidence after nightfall than during the hours of daylight. They are also frugal of speech as a rule, and are chary of forming new acquaintances. When they know each other well, however, it is surprising how affable they can become. It is not the smallest of their many peculiarities that they seldom refer to absent friends by their names. A will ask B w

liner in the Red Sea. Morning, noon, and night, the quarter in which the Hotel of the Three Desires was situated was fragrant with the smell of garbage and Chinese tobacco; a peculiar blend of perfume, which once smelt is not to be soon forgotten. Everything, even the bottles on the shelves in the bar, had a greasy feel

or got their ships, and by those ships, or that business, received their wages. That those hard-earned wages should eventually find themselves in the pocket of the landlord of the Three Desires, was only in the natural order of things, and, in consequence, such of his guests as were sailors, as a general rule, eventually boarded their ships without as much

for the proprietor. Pleased to find that there was at last to be a turn in the tide of his affairs, the landlord int

y, was a tall man, with a hawk’s eye and a nose that was not u

een; thereby insinuating that while he was not overflowing, he was still not empty. It w

e stranger, and set down the small

e might be, however, was either not fastidious, or as is more probable, was used to similar accommodation, for he paid as little attention to the perfume of the bar as he did to the dirt upon the floor and walls, and also upon the landlor

hrowing open the door of one of the rooms as

the handle, apparently conscious of the fact that the landlord had glued his eyes to the keyhole in order that he might, from a precautionary point of view, take further stock of his patron. Foiled in his

d placed it in his pocket. Then he continued, “this is the hotel, and to-day is the fifteenth of March. But why don’t they put in an appea

kled from round his waist a broad leather money-belt. Seating himself on the bed once more he unfastened the strap of the pocket, and dribbled the contents on to the bed. They consisted of t

I hadn’t been fool enough to listen to that Frenchwoman on board, I shouldn’t have played cards, and then it would have been dou

r he smiled, and then said to himself as if in term

ng he might undertake. The mouth was firm, the chin square, the eyes dark and well set, moreover he wore a heavy black moustache, which he kept sharp-pointed. His hair was of the same colour, though streaked here and there with grey. His height was an inch and a half above six feet, but by reason of his slim figure, he looked somewhat taller. His hands and feet were small, but of his strength there could be no doubt. Taken altogether, he was not a man with whom one would feel disposed to trifle. Unfortunately, however, the word adventurer was written all over him, and, as a consid

was in its proper position, and then unlocked the door, passed out, re-locked it after him, and returned to the bar. There he called for certain curious liquors, smelt them suspiciously before using them, and then proceeded deliberately to mix

asked, when the other had

r replied. Then, with a sneer upon his face, he a

might have been amused by the motley crowd that passed along the street beyond the verandah-rails, but Gideon Hayle, for such was his name, took no sort of interest in it. He had seen it too o

the liquor in the glass began to wane. “Can this letter have been a hoax, an attempt to draw m

as though

uspices. He had witnessed it as a deck-hand and as a saloon passenger; as a steerage passenger, and in the humble capacity of a stowaway. Now he was regarding it as a gentleman of leisure, who smoked a cigar that had been paid for, and round whose waist was a belt with gold in it. Knowing the spot where the British India boats from Calcutta usually lie, he made his way to it, and inquired for a certain vessel. She had

t you were not coming,” he

ter to nine,” the taller of the two new

volunteered no further information. A good poke

not full?” inquired the

“It’s full of cockroaches and

’t listen at keyholes. What’s more, if they trouble you, you can put your heel on them. Now let’s see the landlord an

ollowed them to the small, stifling rooms in the yard at the back, and observed that they were placed on either side of himself. He had already taken the

e all I have in the world,” he said to himself. “It would be bad business

ey met again in the courtyard. “He had got a concession from the Dutch, so he sai

ldn’t see yo

ls,” said the other; “an

le, but without any apparent interest. He

hell, with three pearls that would have

Stell

I have heard since that he died of starvation. They don’t feed you too w

e Stellman, or had probably heard the tale before, nodded his head in the direction of the room where the smaller man was engaged on his

s and documents, until you’d think he’d make himself ill. Lord, what a man he would

particular

In the meantime you can go to bed, and content yourself with the knowledge that, all being we

inkling of what it i

questions of Coddy, and that would upset the little man’s equilibrium. No! Go to bed and have a good night’s rest, and we’ll talk it over in the morn

xious insect, Hayle bade the other good-night, and, when he had visited the bar

g man, with a powerful, though somewhat humorous cast of countenance. His eyes were large, and not unkindly. His head was a good one from a phrenological point of view, but was marred by the

-netting of his bed. “He doesn’t trust me, and I don’t trust him. But he’ll be none the less usef

ment Mr. Kitwater prepa

orthies the hot, tropi

rning in the first place, and to a somewhat singular accident in the second, that the trio were now foregathered in Singapore. His personal appearance was a peculiar one. His height was scarcely more than four feet six inches. His face was round, and at a distance appeared almost boyish. It was only when one came to look into it more closely, that it was seen to be scored by numberless small lines. Moreover it was unadorned by either beard or moustache. His hair was grey, and was worn somewhat longer than is usual. He could speak fluently almost every language of the East, and had been imprisoned by the Russians for sealing in p

the verandah, where the inevita

t you’ve got to say

“There are too many listener

d a native boat for an hour’s sail. Then, when they were out of ear

ese in Hanoi, but we never put much trust in it. Then Coddy began to look around, to hunt up some of his fusty records, and af

or how

der. Such a place as you never dreamt of. Tumble-down palaces, temples,

s a remark that cannot be lightly turned aside. “After that I

se rubies as big as pigeon’s eggs, I suppose. You’ve got a use for

replied. “But what has this

“That’s where those rubies are, and what’s

g, or is this

tle man thus appealed to nodded his head

se. “Rubies, sapphires and gold, enough

then!” said Hayle. “But

I was in Hanoi, an old man had told me a wonderful story about a treasure-chamber in a ruined city in the Burmese jungle. A Frenchman who visited the place, and had written a book about it, mentio

big are t

London, so

irmation of this fact. But st

It strikes me that you will be an old man

on than that. There was an old Chinese traveller who visit

fty-seven,” Codd repli

and then goes on to tell how the king took him to the great treasure-cham

ou where the treasure-ch

ounts to. When the king had shown the traveller his treasure, the latter declared that his eyes were so blinded by its magnificence that he could scarcely mount the steps to the spot where his majesty gave audience to his pe

n away years ago? Do you think they were such fools as

Kitwater looked round him suspiciously before he answered. Then a pleasant

t for several years. He was a Frenchman, who I knew had spent the most of his life away back in Burmah. He was very flush of money at the time, and kept throwing out hints, when we were alone, of a place he knew of where there was the bigges

ands with a chuckle. Decidedly th

ity, and got his secret out of him by . . . well never mind how I managed it. It i

the Frenchman? How do you know that he i

a moment. “As a matter of fact they brought it in ‘suicide during temporary insanity, brought on by excessive drinking,’ and that got me over the difficulty. It must have been insanity, I think, f

both with evid

” he said enthusiastically. Then he added, “But wh

ng from it a small piece of parchment. “There’s no writing upon it, but we have comp

lder and pointed to a cert

said; “and what the red dot me

makes you send for me?” H

well, but you’re better. Codd’s head-piece is all right, but if it comes to f

nodded

in his quiet little voice. “Kit sent a

have to do is to arrange the business part of the m

s thereupon admitted a member of the syndicate for the explorati

e day Hayle was somewha

ne in his bedroom. “Kitwater is clever, I’ll admit that, and Coddy is by no manner of means the fool he

say, but from the smile upon his face, it was evident

sail for Rangoon