It was insufferably hot and I was glad to return
into the shade of the house.

The detective came in panting, a little later, with disappointment
plainly written in his face.

"The surgeon out?" I inquired.

"No," he answered. "But he was not much use though. Mannering kept the
bullet. He wanted to retain it, so he said, as a memento of his
adventure."

"Perfectly natural," I commented.

"Perfectly," returned Forrest. "The unfortunate result is, that his
doing so prevents me from dismissing the possibility of his being the
Pirate from my mind. And I ought to be doing something. Last night the
rascal seems to have been everywhere. Apparently he was actuated with a
desire to destroy everything which stood in his path. One would judge
him to have become absolutely reckless. Instead of avoiding the towns,
he courted observation by passing through them. This morning at the
police office, I heard particulars of at least half a dozen cases of
unoffending people being ruthlessly ridden down, and Heaven only knows
how many more there may be of which the details are not yet to hand. The
sheer devilry of his progress is simply amazing. What it comes to is
this, Sutgrove. If I can't get hold of him within the next week I may as
well resign the force at once. If I don't resign I shall be dismissed,
and quite deservedly."

I tried to say something consolatory, but he would not hear me; and it
was not until after he had made a savage attack upon the eggs and
rashers and had swallowed three cups of tea, that his usual equanimity
returned.

"What's the next move?" I asked, when breakfast was done.

"I am going to town to see if I can identify the purchaser of this
bottle," he replied, holding up the phial he had taken from the bag in
Mannering's house the night before; "and to inquire whether anything
more has been heard of the fair-haired German."

"Then I can be of no assistance to you, to-day?" I said.

"None whatever beyond remaining here and keeping an eye upon our friend.
I shall ask for another man to-day to assist in shadowing him, but
until his arrival I should be glad for some one to keep me acquainted
with his movements. If, as I presume you will, you go over to Colonel
Maitland's, you cannot help seeing whether he leaves his house."

I promised to do as he wished, and shortly after he had gone, I took my
hat and strolled over to the Colonel's place.

Evie appeared to have quite recovered from her fears of the