ar off his biscuit and not to know enough for that; but if
you'd like me and my mate to lend a hand----"

"No, thanks; I shall be able to manage him myself, I fancy," said
Cleek, serenely. "Get him on his feet, please. That's the business!
Now then, Mr. Narkom nip off; I'm following."

Mr. Narkom "nipped off" without an instant's delay, and two minutes
later saw him slipping out through the rear door of the building with
Cleek and the jabbering, unresisting prisoner at the bottom of the
last flight of stairs not twenty yards behind.

But the passage of the next half minute saw something of more moment
still; for, as Narkom ran on tiptoe up the dim alley to the waiting
limousine standing at its western end, and unlatching the vehicle's
door, swung it open to be ready for Cleek, out of the stillness there
roared suddenly the shrill note of a dog-whistle, and all in a moment
there was--mischief.

A crowd of quick-moving Apache figures sprang up from sheltering
doors and, scudding past him, headed full tilt down the narrow alley,
calling out as they ran that piercing "La, la, loi!" which is the
war cry of their kind.

A blind rage--all the more maddening in that it was impotent, since
he had neither weapon to defend nor the power to slay--swept down
upon the superintendent as he realized the import of that mad rush,
and, ducking down his head, he bolted after them, into the thick of
them--punching, banging, slogging, shouting, swearing--an incarnate
Passion, the Epitome of Man's love for Man--a little fat Fury that
was all a whirl of flying fists as it swept onward and that seemed to
go absolutely insane at what he looked up the alley and saw.

"Get back, Cleek! Get back, for God's sake!" he yelled, in a very
panic of fear and dismay; then cleft his way with beating arms and
kicking feet through the hampering crowd, arrowed out of its midst,
and bore down upon the cavalry-hatted figure that had stepped out
of the dark doorway of Trent & Son's building and was standing
flattened against the rear wall of it.

He reached out his hand and made a blind clutch at it, and, while he
was yet far out of reaching distance of it, faced round and made
a wild effort to cover it with his short, fat body and his arms
outflung, like a crucifix, and looked at the Apaches and swore
without one thought of being profane.

"Me, you damned devils! Me, me, not him! Not him, damn you! damn you!
damn you!" he cried, hoarse-throated and--sa