CHAPTER II.
ALICE AND THE CHINESE PRINCESS.
To make a quick opening of the box containing the Chinese Princess wasquite impossible.
Besides the difficulties already explained, there were others.
The box was not nailed.
Examination showed that it was put together with screws, and that theboards were of some hard wood.
Air-holes bored in the sides at regular intervals showed that theimprisoned princess certainly ought to have no difficulty in breathing,and made it seem that her present unconsciousness was probably nothingmore than a faint.
The landing at the bulkhead had now been made.
There appeared to be no watchman here--at least no one challenged theSecret Service party.
Behind the bulkhead extended a row of storage warehouses.
The boat had been tied up opposite a break in this row formed by astreet extending back towards Amador street, the first of whichparallels the Islais Creek Channel on the south.
The Bradys had plenty of rope, and the work of unloading now began.
Harry got into the sailboat along with the kicker and remained there.
Old King Brady, Alice and the other two Secret Service men ascended tothe bulkhead.
Such boxes and opium bales as were piled on the larger box weretransferred to the launch, and a rope made fast around the box, whichwas then hauled up, but not without considerable difficulty, and carriedin front of the first warehouse of the row, where it was placed on theboard platform.
Alice now called again to the imprisoned princess, but received noanswer.
"I'll be blest if I see how we are ever going to get this thing openwithout a screw-driver," grumbled one of the Secret Service men.
"I can supply that want," replied the old detective, who usually has afew tools concealed in some of the many pockets of that wonderful bluecoat.
He hastily produced it and went to work.
The screw-driver was not only a small affair, but the blade folded intoa slot in the handle.
The joint being loose, it made the tool wobbly.
Old King Brady soon discovered that he had attempted the impossible. Hecould not start a single screw.
"This is a bad job," he exclaimed. "We shall have to lower the boxagain. I greatly fear that we are up against a murder case. If the womanwas alive, she would surely have revived before this."
"She said she was dying," replied Alice. "It begins to look as if shespoke the truth."
"Get back to the boat," called Harry. "We may as well run around to theIndia Basin warehouse. We shall be able to open the box there."
"I see no other way," replied Old King Brady, and once again he startedto make fast the rope, when suddenly Harry called that he could hear thesound of oars.
"Which way?" demanded the old detective.
"Up the channel. Don't seem to be far off, either."
"Come, boys," said Old King Brady, "we'll sneak along the bulkhead andsee who it is. Crouch low, now. If it is the Chinamen prowling about, wemay be able to bag them. Alice, you better go aboard the launch."
"I'll stay here and watch the box," replied Alice.
The old detective and the two Secret Service men now crept along theline of the bulkhead with their revolvers drawn.
Alice quickly lost sight of them in the fog, which was now thicker thanever.
"Alice, are you all right up there?" called Harry.
"Of course," she replied. "Why not?"
"I wish you would come down."
"And abandon my imprisoned princess? I won't."
Harry and Alice are lovers, and practically engaged.
Long ago they would have been married if Alice would only consent togive up her work.
But Alice is perfectly fascinated with the life of a detective, so themarriage day is forever being postponed, for Harry insists that Aliceshall give up the business before becoming his wife.
But even under their present relations he sometimes tries to force herto yield to his ideas more than she cares for, although he has long agolearned that she is a difficult person to drive.
Harry knew by her tone now that Alice had made up her mind to stay justwhere she was, so he let the matter drop and was sitting in the launchin silence when suddenly a shot rang out.
It was followed by another, and others still.
Then Old King Brady shouted something in the distance, but Harry couldnot make out what he said.
"Alice!" he called, "can you hear what the governor is saying?"
There was no answer.
"She don't seem to hear you," observed the kicker.
"Alice!" shouted Harry again.
Still no answer.
"Can she have gone forward to see what that shooting is about?" heexclaimed. "It would be just like her. I'm going up to see."
"I hear somebody running," cried the kicker.
Just then Old King Brady was heard calling out:
"Lay for them, Harry! Chinks in a boat! Coming your way!"
Young King Brady listened, catching the sound of oars.
But it was only for a minute.
"They have either stopped or muffled their oars!" he said when he heardOld King Brady right above him exclaim:
"Good heavens! What's this?"
"Anything the matter with Alice?" cried Harry, and he went up thestanding ladder flying.
Old King Brady was peering about in the fog.
The two Secret Service men were just coming up.
"What is it?" cried Harry. "Where's Alice? I have called her severaltimes, but she don't answer."
"Why, I left her right here, and that box with her; both seem to havevanished," Old King Brady answered in a tone which fully betrayed hisanxiety.
But it was easy to mistake the exact position in the fog.
A moment's search revealed the puzzling fact that nowhere on thebulkhead Alice and the heavy box containing the imprisoned princess wasto be found.
The Bradys and the Secret Service men pushed about everywhere.
One of the first things they did was to turn the corner of the endwarehouse and look there along the street.
"She has been captured and carried off. She must have gone this way,"Harry exclaimed.
"Or into one of the warehouses," said Old King Brady.
"I'll get up the street. You get along by the warehouses," cried Harry,and he started away on the run.
It was ten minutes before he returned.
"Learned anything?" demanded Old King Brady, anxiously.
"Nothing. I went two blocks. Didn't see a soul; no need to ask you ifyou had better luck, I suppose?"
"I had none at all. I have tried the different doors, but I can't findany that is open now, whatever the case may have been a few minutesago."
And such are the circumstances of the most mysterious disappearanceAlice has ever made, and she has made many, for, of course, troublesform a part of the life of a detective.
Poor Harry was in despair. Old King Brady exceedingly anxious and alsovexed with himself to think that he had not insisted upon Alice goingaboard the boat.
"And you heard no noise of any kind?" he asked for the third time.
"Not a sound," replied Harry. "I was sitting quiet in the boat, too."
"When was the last you heard her speak?"
"Just before the firing began. Was it you who fired?"
"We fired back at three Chinamen who fired on us from a boat."
"Sailboat--rowboat?"
"Rowboat. Didn't you hear the sound of oars?"
"Yes, yes! I am so rattled that I hardly know what I'm saying. What onearth shall we do?"
"We have to look after our captured opium, too. You remain here, Harry,and Leggett can stop with you. I'll run the stuff around into the IndiaBasin and make sure of it. Don't you go doing the disappearance actnow."
"Same to you, governor. Oh, these Chinks! I wish we might never haveanother mix-up with them."
Old King Brady mad
e no reply, but hastily descended to the launch, whichtowed the captured sailboat to a bonded warehouse on the India Basin,where Secret Service men were waiting to receive them.
It was daybreak before he got back to the Islais Creek Channel again.
The fog had vanished with the night, and a hot August wind was blowingthe sand about after the usual San Francisco style.
Harry and the Secret Service man were standing on the bulkhead.
"Have you learned anything?" demanded Old King Brady as the launch drewnear.
"Not a thing, worse luck," replied Harry. "If ever there was a mysteryit is this."
"It is certainly a bad job," replied the old detective, "but such as itis we must make the best of it. Let us wait for the opening up of thesewarehouses. Information of some sort may come from a quarter we leastsuspect."
Seven o'clock came, bringing with it the men connected with thewarehouses.
Among them was the dock foreman, who demanded the Bradys' business.
He seemed slightly startled when he saw the Secret Service shield.
"Who is Volckman?" demanded the old detective, abruptly.
"I am Volckman," was the reply.
"What's your position here?"
"I am dock foreman."
"Which means that you have charge of the laborers?"
"Yes."
"Who is superintendent of these stores?"
"Mr. Renshaw."
"When is he due here?"
"Eight o'clock."
"Will he remain here right along after that?"
"Yes; all day."
"I want to see Mr. Renshaw. Tell him Old King Brady was speaking to you,and that he will return in about an hour."
The Bradys went away in their launch then, going to breakfast at thePalace Hotel, where they were staying.
The first thing Old King Brady did upon their arrival at the hotel wasto call up Secret Service Commissioner Narraway and tell him of theirpartial success.
He did not mention Alice's disappearance nor the matter of the Chineseprincess, leaving these things to be communicated by word of mouth lateron when, it was to be hoped, he would understand them better himself.
Breakfast over, the Bradys lost no time in keeping their appointmentwith Mr. Renshaw, who proved to be a civil, intelligent gentleman.
Old King Brady at once explained the whole situation.
"This certainly seems to be a serious piece of business," said Mr.Renshaw after hearing the old detective through. "I can't understandwhat brought these Chinamen here or how they came to use Mr. Volckman'sname. Is there no possibility of Miss Montgomery being mistaken?"
"I don't think so. Her knowledge of Chinese is excellent."
"And her disappearance a serious matter for you, I realize. I can'timagine that she and this singular box can have been taken into any ofour warehouses."
"You have perfect confidence in Volckman?"
"Always have had. Would you like to question him? I will send for him ifyou wish."
"No; I think not. I certainly do suspect the man of being mixed up inthis business, but it will do no good to make him aware of it; still Ishould like to be given the opportunity to search these warehouses inevery part."
"And so you shall. I will go with you myself. If there is any crookedwork going on here I want to know it."
The search was made accordingly, but nothing came of it.
"Listen, Mr. Renshaw," said the old detective as they were about topart. "To-day a laboring man will apply for work at this office. Hewants to be hired and given a job, which will enable him to watchVolckman."
"I understand," was the reply, "and so it shall be."
And so it was. Secret Service man Leggett, an excellent detective in hisway, was the person selected, but three days passed, and at the end ofthat time he had nothing to report.
Nor had a word been heard of Alice.
This time her disappearance seemed to be a serious matter.
The Bradys exhausted every effort to find her, but in vain.