Colonel Thorndyke's Secret

  CHAPTER XIV.

  Some little time after this Mark was intrusted by his chief with thework of discovering a man who had committed a very atrocious murder, andwas, it was tolerably certain, hiding in the slums of Westminster. Itwas the first business of the kind that had been confided to him, and hewas exceedingly anxious to carry it out successfully. He dressed himselfas a street hawker, and took a small lodging in one of the lanes, beingaway the greater portion of the day ostensibly on his business, andof an evening dropped into some of the worst public houses in theneighborhood. He was at first viewed with some suspicion, but it was notlong before he became popular. He let it be understood that he had gotinto trouble down in the country, and that he was quite ready to takepart in any job that promised to be profitable. But he principallyowed his popularity to the fact that the bully of the locality pickeda quarrel with him, and, to the astonishment of those present, Markinvited him to go outside.

  "You had better make it up with him, mate," a man sitting by his sidewhispered. "He was in the prize ring at one time, and thrashed big MikeHartley at Kennington. He had to give it up owing to having fought across. He would kill you in five minutes."

  "I will chance that," Mark said quietly, as he moved towards the door."I don't think that he is stronger than I am, and I can use my fists abit, too."

  By the time they had taken off their upper garments a crowd hadassembled. The news that a hawker was going to stand up againstBlack Jim circulated rapidly, and caused intense excitement. To theastonishment of the spectators, the bully from the first had not ashadow of a chance, and at the end of the third round was carried awaysenseless, while the hawker had not received a scratch. A few days laterMark, who, on the strength of his prowess, had had two or three hintsthat he could be put up to a good thing if he was inclined to join, wasgoing down to Westminster when two men stopped and looked after him.

  "I tell you, Emerson, that is the fellow. I could swear to him anywhere.What he is got up like that for I cannot tell you, but I should not besurprised if he is one of that Bow Street gang. He called himself MarkThorndyke, and Chetwynd said that he was a gentleman of property; butthat might have been part of the plant to catch us. I have never beenable to understand how a raw countryman could have caught you palmingthat card. I believe that fellow is a Bow Street runner; if so, it isrum if we cannot manage to get even with him before we go. It seemedto me that luck had deserted us altogether; but this looks as if it wasgoing to turn again. Let's go after him."

  Keeping some fifty yards behind him, they watched Mark to his lodgings,waited until he came out again, and followed him to a public house.

  "He is acting as a detective, sure enough," Emerson said. "The questionis, what are we to do next?"

  In half an hour Mark came out again. Several people nodded to him as hepassed them, but they saw a big man, who happened to be standing undera lamp, turn his back suddenly as Mark approached him, and, after he hadpassed, stand scowling after him, and muttering deep curses. Flashat once went up to him. "Do you know who that fellow is, my man?" Thefellow turned savagely upon him.

  "I don't know who he is; but what is that to you?"

  "He is not a friend of ours," Flash said quietly; "quite the contrary.We have known him when he was not got up like this, and we are rathercurious to know what he is doing here."

  "Do you mean that?"

  "I do; I owe the fellow a grudge."

  "So do I," the man growled. "Just step up this next turning; there won'tbe anyone about there. Now, then, what do yer want to know?"

  "I want to know who he is."

  "Well, he calls himself a hawker; but my idea of him is he is one of thefancy, perhaps a west countryman, who is keeping dark here till he canget a match on. I have been a prize fighter myself, but he knocked meout in three rounds the other day."

  "Well, the last time I saw him," Flash said, "he was dressed as a swell.My idea of him is, he is a Bow Street runner, and he is got up like thisto lay his hands on some of the fellows down here."

  "You don't mean it!" the man said with a deep oath. "Then I can tell youhe has come to the wrong shop. I have only got to whisper it about, andhis life would not be worth an hour's purchase. I had meant to sticka knife in him on the first opportunity, but this will save me thetrouble."

  "Well, you can have your revenge and five guineas besides," Flash said."But we must be there at the time. I should like him to know that I wasat the bottom of his being caught."

  They stood talking together for a few minutes, and then separated, Flashand his companion going back to a quiet lodging they had taken untilthey could finish their arrangements for disposing of their furnitureand belongings before going abroad, while at the same time they finishedplucking a country greenhorn they had met at a coffee house. Two dayslater, wrapped up in great coats, and with rough caps pulled down overtheir eyes, they entered the thieves' resort half an hour before Mark'susual time of getting there. A larger number of men than usual wereassembled, and among them was Black Jim. The men were all talkingexcitedly, and were evidently furious at the news that the pugilist hadjust told them.

  "Those are the gents that have given me the office," he said, as Flashand his companion entered. "They can tell yer he is one of that cursedBow Street lot."

  "That is right enough, my men," Flash said. "He and four of his matesbroke into a place where we were having a bit of play, three weekssince, marched us all away to Bow Street, and shut the place up. I don'tknow what he is down here for, but you may be sure that it's for no goodto some of you. We owe him a heavy one ourselves. He came spying on usdressed up as a swell and spoilt our game, and got the darbies put onus, and we have sworn to get even with him."

  "You will get even, don't you fear," one of the men growled, "and morethan even, strike me blind if you don't."

  "Look here, lads," Flash said. "There is one thing I say--don't use yourknives on him; remember he is a runner, and no doubt his chief knows allthat he is doing, and no doubt ordered him to come here. There will bea big search, you may be sure, when he don't turn up to make his report.So don't let's have any bloodshed. Let the thing be done quietly."

  "We can chuck his body into the river," one said.

  "Yes, but if it is picked up with half a dozen holes in it, you may besure that they will be down here, and like enough every man who has usedthis place will be arrested; you know that when there are twenty men ina job the chances are that one will slip his neck out of the halter byturning King's evidence."

  An angry growl went round the room.

  "Well, you know well enough it is so, it is always the case; besides, weought to give him a little time to prepare himself. My idea is that thebest plan will be to bind and gag him first, then we can hold a littlecourt over him, and let him know what is coming. An hour later, when theplace gets a bit quiet, we can carry him down to the river--it is notabove fifty yards away--tie a heavy weight round his neck, cut his cordsthe last thing, and chuck him over; if his body is found, it will bethought it is that of some chap tired of life who took pains to drownhimself pretty quickly, and there won't be any fuss over him, and therewill be nothing to come upon any of you fellows for."

  There was a general murmur of assent. Several of those present hadalready committed themselves to some extent with the supposed hawker,and were as eager as Flash himself that he should be killed; still,all felt that it was as well that it should be managed with the leastpossible risk of discovery, for while an ordinary man could be putout of the way without any trouble arising, the fact that he was a BowStreet runner added enormously to the risk of the discovery of his fate.

  There was a little talk, and then two of the men went out and broughtback a couple of strong ropes. A few minutes after their return MarkThorndyke came in. He paused as he entered the room, in surprise at thesilence that reigned, for he was accustomed to be greeted with friendlyexclamations. However, as he walked in the door closed, and thensuddenly, with shouts of "Down with the spy!" the men sprang fro
m theirseats and made a sudden rush at him. For a minute the struggle wastremendous; man after man went down under Mark's blows, others clungonto him from behind, a rope was passed round his legs and pulled, andhe fell down with a crash, bringing down five or six of his assailants;a minute later he was gagged and bound.

  While the struggle was going on no one noticed that a Lascar's face waspressed against the window; it disappeared as soon as Mark fell, andten minutes later a dark faced sailor ran into Gibbons'; it was a quietevening at Ingleston's, and Gibbons, after smoking a pipe with half adozen of the pugilists, had just returned.

  "Hallo," he said, as he opened the door, "what the deuce do you want?"

  The man was for a moment too breathless to answer.

  "You know Mr. Thorndyke," he said at last, in very fair English.

  "Yes, I know him. Well, what of him?"

  "He has been attacked by a number of thieves in a public house near theriver, at Westminster, and he will be murdered unless you go with othersto help him."

  "What the deuce was he doing there?" Gibbons muttered, and then, seizinghis cap, said to the Lascar,

  "Come along with me; it aint likely that we shall be in time, but wewill try, anyhow."

  He ran to Ingleston's.

  "Come along, Ingleston," he exclaimed, "and all of you. You all knowMr. Thorndyke. This man says he has been attacked by a gang down atWestminster, and will be murdered. I am afraid we shan't be in time, butit is worth trying."

  The prize fighters all leaped to their feet. Mark had sparred withseveral of them, and, being open handed and friendly, was generallyliked. In a moment, headed by Ingleston and Gibbons, they started at thetop of their speed, and in less than a quarter of an hour were at bankside.

  "That is the house," the sailor said, pointing to the public, where ared blind had been lowered at the window, and two men lounged outsidethe door to tell any chance customer that might come along he was notwanted there at present.

  Inside a mock trial had been going on, and Mark had been sentenced todeath as a spy, not a voice being raised in his defense. As soon as hehad been lifted up and seated so that he could see the faces of thosepresent, he recognized the two gamblers, and saw at once that his fatewas sealed; even had they not been there the chance of escape would havebeen small. The fact that one of the detectives had been caught undercircumstances when there was but slight chance of its ever being knownhow he came to his end, was in itself sufficient to doom him. Severalof the men present had taken him into their confidence, and he hadencouraged them to do so, not that he wanted to entrap them, or that heintended to do so, but in order to obtain a clew through them as to thehiding place of the man he was in search of.

  The savage exultation on the faces of the two gamblers, however, wassufficient to extinguish any ray of hope. He felt sure at once that theyhad been the authors of his seizure, and that no thought of mercy wouldenter the minds of these two scoundrels whose plans he had frustrated,whose position he had demolished, and to whom he had caused the loss ofa large sum of money. Neither Flash nor Emerson would have taken sharein a crime known to so many had they not been on the point of leavingEngland. Their names were known to no one there, and even should some ofthese afterwards peach they would at least be safe. Mark had been askedwhether he could deny that he was a member of the detective force, andhad shaken his head. Even if he had told a lie, which he would not do,the lie would have been a useless one. No one would have believed it,for the two gamblers would have been witnesses that he was so.

  He had been placed in one corner of the room, so that what light therewas would not fall on his face, and had anyone entered they would nothave noticed that he was gagged. One, indeed, had suggested that itwould be better to lay him under one of the benches, but Black Jim said,with a brutal laugh:

  "No, no; it is better that we should keep sight of him, and if anyoneasks a question of course we can say that the gentleman has thetoothache."

  Presently Flash spoke to the ruffian in a low voice.

  "Yes, I think you are right," he replied. "Look here," he went on,raising his voice. "There is no occasion to have such a lot in thisbusiness; Jake Watson, Bill the Tinker, and me are quite enough to carryhim to his bed. I reckon the rest had better make themselves scarce whenthe times comes, go home, and keep their mouths shut. I need not saythat anyone who lets his tongue wag about it is likely to come to aworse end than this bloodhound. We will have another glass of grogbefore you turn out; the streets won't be quiet for another houryet, and there is another guinea of this worthy hawker's to be spent.Summers, make another big bowl of punch. Don't put so much water in itas you did in the last."

  The landlord, a notorious ruffian, was just coming into the room with ahuge bowl when there was the sound of a scuffle outside.

  "You had better see what is up," Black Jim said, and two of the mennearest the door unbarred and opened it. As they did so there was arush, and eight powerful men ran in, knocking to the floor those who hadopened the door. The rest sprang to their feet; Gibbons looked round,and as his eye fell upon Mark, who had, the moment the men inside rose,got into a standing position, Gibbons launched himself towards him,striking four of the ruffians who endeavored to stop him to the groundwith his crushing blows.

  "This way," he shouted to his friends. "Ingleston and Tring, do you keepthe door."

  The moment the six men had closed round Mark, one of them, takingout his knife, cut the cords, removed the bandage from his mouth, andextricated the gag. The name of the two prize fighters had createdsomething like a panic among the crowd, which had increased when one ofthem shouted, "It is Charley Gibbons."

  Flash and Emerson sprang to their feet with the rest, and the lattershouted, "Go at them, men; there are only eight of them, and we aretwenty. Knife them, or you will all hang for this job."

  The knowledge of their danger was evident to all the men, and, nerved bydesperation, they rushed at the prize fighters; but the eight were nownine, and each of them in a fray of this kind was equal to half a dozenordinary men. Scarce a word was spoken, but the sound of crushing blowsand scuffling, and an occasional, oath, made a confused din in the halflighted room. Mark burst his way through his assailants to the spotwhere Flash and Emerson were standing, somewhat in the rear of thecrowd, for they had been sitting at the other end of the room. Flash hada pistol in his hand, but the man who was standing in front of him wasstruck with such violence that he fell backwards, knocking Emersonto the ground and almost upsetting Flash, and before the latter couldsteady himself Mark struck him with all his force under the chin. Amoment later the landlord blew out the two candles, and in the darknessthe ruffians made a dash for the door, carried Tring and Ingleston offtheir feet, and rushed out into the lane.

  "If the man who blew those candles out don't light them again at once,"Gibbons shouted, "I, Charley Gibbons, tell him that I will smash him andburn this place over his head; he had best be quick about it."

  The landlord, cowed with the threat, soon returned with a candle fromthe kitchen, and lit those that he had extinguished.

  "Well, Mr. Thorndyke, we just arrived in time, I fancy," Gibbons said.

  "You have saved my life, Gibbons--you and the others. How you got toknow that I was here I cannot imagine. I would have been a dead manin another half hour if you had not arrived. I thank you all from thebottom of my heart."

  "That is all right, sir," Gibbons said. "It is a pleasure to give suchscoundrels as these a lesson. Is anyone hurt? I fancy I have got ascratch or two."

  Several of the men had been cut with knives, but the blows had beengiven so hurriedly that no one was seriously injured. Twelve men lay onthe ground.

  "Now sir, what shall we do with these fellows?"

  "I should say we had better leave them alone, Gibbons. I don't want anyrow over the affair. It is the work of these two fellows here. I think Ipretty well settled one of them."

  Gibbons stooped over Flash.

  "You have broken his jaw, sir; but he will
come round in time. I believethis other fellow is only shamming. I don't see any of our handiworkupon his face. The others have all got as much as they want, I think,"and taking a candle he looked at their faces. "There is not one of themwho will want to show up for a week or so," he said, "and there are twoor three who will carry the marks to their graves. Well, sir, if youdon't want anything done to them, the sooner we are off the better.Those fellows who got away may bring a lot of others down upon us. Aslong as it is only fists, we could march through Westminster; but asthey would have knives, it is just as well to get out of it before thereis any trouble. You are got up in a rum way, Mr. Thorndyke."

  "Yes; I will tell you about it afterwards. I agree with you that we hadbest be moving at once."

  But the men who had fled were too glad to have made their escape tothink of anything but to make for their dens as quick as possible,and the party passed through the lanes into the open space in front ofParliament House without interruption.

  "We will go up to your place, Ingleston, and talk it over there," Marksaid. "You can get those cuts bound up, and I shall be very glad toget a drink. That thing they shoved into my mouth hurt my tongue a gooddeal, and I have not gone through a pleasant half hour, I can tell you."

  He walked up past Whitehall with Gibbons and Ingleston, the othersgoing in pairs, so as not to attract attention. As soon as they reachedIngleston's place, the latter told the man in the bar to put theshutters up, led the way into the bar parlor, and mixed a large bowl ofpunch.

  "Now, Gibbons, in the first place," Mark said, after quenching histhirst, "how did you know of my being in danger?"

  "Well, sir, a black sailor chap ran into my place suddenly and told me."

  "Do you mean a colored man, Gibbons?"

  "Yes, sir, one of those Lascar chaps you see about the docks. I did notask any questions, but ran as hard as I could. I had only left here fiveminutes before, and knew that Tring and some of the others would stillbe here. They did not lose a moment, and off we went. The sailor chap hekept ahead. I tried to come up to him two or three times to get to knowsomething about it, but he always seemed to quicken his pace when I wascoming up, and I soon got too blown to want to do much talking. He ledus to the door, and after that I saw nothing more of him. What becameof him I don't know. I expect he was better at running than he was atfighting."

  "It is curious," Mark said thoughtfully. "He might have been in theplace when I went in, and slipped out while I was making a fight for it.I have seen a Lascar several times while I have been down there. I daresay it was the same man, though why he should take such trouble for thesake of a stranger I don't know. There seems to be a good many of themabout, for now I think of it, I have run against them several timeswherever I have been in town."

  "Now, sir, what did they want to kill you for?"

  "Well, Gibbons, it happened in this way. My father, you know, wasmurdered by a man who had a grudge against him, and who is both ahighwayman and a house breaker."

  "They don't often go together," Ingleston said. "The highwaymengenerally look down upon the burglars and keep themselves tothemselves."

  "I hew they do, Ingleston; but this fellow has been a convict, and isnot particular what he turns his hand to. The detectives have beenafter him for a long time, but have failed, and I determined to take thematter up myself, and ever since I have been up here I have been huntingabout in the worst quarters of the town. The people of Bow Street haveaided me in every way they could, and I suppose some of these men haveseen me go in or out of the place. Of course, when I am going into thesebad quarters, I put on a disguise and manage to get in with some ofthese thieves, and so to try to get news of him through them. Threeweeks ago I decided to try Westminster. I was getting on uncommonly wellthere, principally because I gave a tremendous thrashing to a fellowthey call Black Jim. He has been a prize fighter."

  "I know him," Tring said; "it was the fellow that was kicked out forselling a fight. He was not a bad man with his fists, either; but Iexpect you astonished him, Mr. Thorndyke."

  "Yes, I knocked him out of time in three rounds. Well, he has been abully down there, and everyone was very glad he was taken down. Afterthat I got to know several of the worst lot down there. They fanciedthat I was one of themselves, and several of them made proposals to meto join them, and, of course, I encouraged the idea in hopes of comingupon the man that I was after. Then some fellow in the street recognizedme, I suppose, and denounced me to the rest as being one of the runners.I suppose he told them this evening, before I went in.

  "The place was a regular thieves' den, which, of course, was why Iwent there. Naturally they were furious, especially those who had beenproposing to me to join them. Anyhow, they had evidently settled amongthemselves that I was to be put out of the way, and directly I went in Iwas attacked. I knocked down a few of them, but they jumped on my back,and one of them managed to get a rope round my legs, and down I wentwith three or four of them, and before I could get up again they hadtied and gagged me. Then they held a sort of court. Man after man got upand said that I had been drawing them on to find out what they were upto, and had agreed to join them, of course with the intention of gettingthem caught in the act, and two got up and said that they knew me as oneof the runners. They all agreed that I must be put out of the way.

  "I suppose, as the landlord did not want blood spilt in his house, theydid not knife me at once; however, they told me that they had decidedthat as soon as the coast was clear I should be carried down to theriver, and chucked in, with an old anchor tied to my neck. I had justa gleam of hope a short time before you came in, for then it had beensettled that it was just as well no more should be engaged in the affairthan was necessary, and that Black Jim, with two others, whom I hadbeen talking to, and the two men who had told them that I was a runner,should manage it, and the rest were to go off to their homes.

  "I had been all the time trying to loosen my ropes, and had got one ofmy hands nearly free, and I thought that if they waited another halfhour I might have got them both free, and been able to make a bit of afight of it, though I had very little hope of getting my legs free.

  "However, I had my eye on the knife of the man who was sitting next tome, and who was one of those who was to stay. I thought that if I had myhands free, I could snatch his knife, settle him, and then cut the ropesfrom my legs; that done, I could, I think, have managed Black Jim andthe others. As for the men who denounced me, they were small men, and Ihad no fear of them in a fight, unless; as I thought likely enough, theymight have pistols. One of them is the fellow whose jaw I broke; I hithim hard, for he had a pistol in his hand."

  "There is no doubt you hit him hard," Gibbons said dryly. "He looked abetter sort than the rest."

  "Yes, the fellow was a card sharper whom I once detected at cheating;and so was the one who was lying next to him, the man whom you said youthought was shamming."

  By this time the men's wounds were all bandaged up. Mark told them thathe would be round there again in the morning, and hoped that they wouldall be there.

  "I shall go home at once, and turn in," he said. "Straining at thosecords has taken the skin off my wrists, and I feel stiff all over; itwill be a day or two, Gibbons, before I am able to put the gloves onagain. I wish I could find that Lascar; I owe him a heavy debt."

  As Mark made his way home he thought a good deal about the coloredsailor. If the man had been in the den the ruffians would hardly haveventured to have attacked him in the presence of a stranger. Of course,he might have been passing, and have seen the fray through the window,but in that case he would run to the nearest constable. How could heknow anything about his habits, and why should he have gone to Gibbonsfor assistance? That, and the fact that he had so often observedLascars in the places he had gone to, certainly looked as if he had beenwatched, and if so, it could only be connected with those diamonds. Itwas a curious thing altogether.

  The next morning he went early to Bow Street. As soon as the chief camehe related the events of
the previous evening, and told him that it wasFlash and Emerson who had denounced him.

  "I know the place," the officer said. "It is one of the worst thieves'dens in London. However, it is just as well you decided not to take anysteps. Of course, all the fellows would have sworn that they did notintend to do any harm, but that Flash had put them up to frighteningyou, and I doubt whether any jury would have convicted. As to the othermen, we know that they are all thieves, and some of them worse; but themere fact that they proposed to you to join in their crimes won't do,as no actual crime was committed. However, I shall have the gang closelywatched, and, at any rate, you had better leave Westminster alone;someone else must take up the work of looking for that man you wereon the watch for. Anyhow, you had best take a week's rest; there isno doubt you have had a very narrow escape. It is strange about thatLascar; he might not have cared for going in to take part in the fray,but you would have thought that he would have waited outside to get areward for bringing those men to your rescue."

  As Mark did not care to tell about the diamonds till the time came forgetting them, he made no reply, beyond expressing an agreement with thechief's surprise at the man not having remained to the end of the fray.On leaving Bow Street he went up to Ingleston's. The men who had rescuedhim the night before were gathered there; and he presented each of themwith a check for twenty-five guineas.

  "I know very well," he said, "that you had no thought of reward when youhurried down to save me, but that is no reason why I should not show mygratitude to you for the service you have rendered me; some of you mightvery well have been seriously hurt, if not killed, by their knives. Atany rate, I insist upon you taking it; money is always useful, you know,and it is not often so well earned as this."

  The men were greatly pleased, and Tring said:

  "Well, sir, if you get into another scrape you may be sure that you cancount upon us."

  "I shall try and not get into any more," Mark laughed. "This has beena good deal more serious than I had bargained for, and I shall be verycareful in the future."