visited upon any one who touched it! You are thinking of
my own immunity?"

"I am!"

"This is attributable to two things. Those who sought to recover
what I had in the case feared that my death en route might result
in its being lost to them for ever. They awaited a suitable
opportunity. They had designed to take it at Port Said certainly,
I think; but the bag was too large to be readily concealed, and,
after the outrage, might have led to the discovery of the culprit.
In the second place, they are uncertain of my faith. I have long
passed for a true Believer in the East! As a Moslem I visited
Mecca--"

"You visited Mecca!"

"I had just returned from the hadj when I joined the Mandalay at
Port Said! My death, however, has been determined upon, whether
I be Moslem or Christian!"

"Why?"

"Because," came the Professor's harsh voice over the telephone, "of
the contents of the brown leather case! I will not divulge to you
now the nature of these contents; to know might endanger you. But
the case is locked in my safe here, and the key, together with a
full statement of the true facts of the matter, is hidden behind
the first edition copy of my book 'Assyrian Mythology,' in the
smaller bookcase--"

"Why do you tell me all this?" I interrupted.

He laughed harshly.

"The identity of my pursuer has just dawned upon me," he said. "I
know that my life is in real danger. I would give up what is
demanded of me, but I believe its possession to be my strongest
safeguard."

Mystery upon mystery! I seemed to be getting no nearer to the heart
of this maze. What in heaven's name did it all mean? Suddenly an
idea struck me.

"Is our late fellow passenger, Mr. Ahmadeen, connected with the
matter?" I asked.

"In no way," replied Deeping earnestly. "Mr. Ahmadeen is, I
believe, a person of some consequence in the Moslem world; but I
have nothing to fear from him."

"What steps have you taken to protect yourself?"

Again the short laugh reached my ears.

"I'm afraid long residence in the East has rendered me something of
a fatalist, Cavanagh! Beyond keeping my door locked, I have taken
no steps whatever. I fear I am quite accessible!"

A while longer we talked; and with every word the conviction was
more strongly borne in upon me that some uncanny menace threatened
the peace, perhaps the life, of Professor Deeping.

I had hung up the receiver scarce a moment when, acting upon a
sudden determination,