seemed to address no one.

Replacing the lamp on the box, he whistled softly; and:----

"Look!" breathed Max. "The stair again!"

Stuart cautiously turned his eyes toward the open stair.

On the platform above stood a bent old hag whose witch-eyes were
searching the place keenly! With a curiously lithe step, for all her
age, she descended, and standing behind Ah-Fang-Fu tapped him on the
shoulder and pointed to the outer door. He stood up and shuffled
across, went up the four steps and unbarred the door.

_"Tchee, tchee,"_ he chattered. "Pidgin make a look-out."

He went out and closed the door.

"Something happens!" whispered Max.

A gong sounded.

"Ah!"

The old woman approached the matting curtain hung over a portion of
the wall, raised it slightly in the centre--where it opened--and
disappeared beyond.

"You see!" said Stuart excitedly.

"Yes! it is the audience-chamber of 'The Scorpion'!"

The ancient hag came out again, crossed to a bunk and touched its
occupant, a Chinaman, with her hand. He immediately shot up and
followed her. The two disappeared beyond the curtain.

"What shall we do," said Stuart, "if _you_ are summoned?"

"I shall throw open those curtains the moment I reach them, and
present my pistol at the head of whoever is on the other side.
You--_ssh!"_

The old woman reappeared, looked slowly around and then held the
curtains slightly apart to allow of the Chinaman's coming out. He
saluted her by touching his head, lips and breast with his right hand,
then passed up to the door communicating with the shop, which he
opened, and went out.

His voice came, muffled:

"Fo-Hi!"

"Fo-Hi," returned the high voice of Ah-Fang-Fu.

The outer door was opened and shut. The old woman went up and barred
the inner door, then returned and stood by the matting curtain. The
sound of the water below alone broke the silence. It was the hour of
high tide.

"There goes the first fish into Dunbar's net!" whispered Max.

The gong sounded again.

Thereupon the old woman crossed to another bunk and conducted a
brown-skinned Eastern into the hidden room. Immediately they had
disappeared:

"As I pull the curtains aside," continued Max rapidly, "blow the
whistle and run across and unbar the door...."

So engrossed was he in giving these directions, and so engrossed was
Stuart in listening to them, that neither detected a faint creak which
proceeded from almost immediately behind them. This sound