he halted, lowered the lamp he held, and
pointed to something dark on the floor to the right of his bedstead,
saying, "Look!"

There lay a dead man, and by his side a great knife that evidently had
fallen from his hand. At the first glance we recognised the face which,
by the way, was singularly peaceful, as though it were that of one
plunged in deep sleep. This seemed odd, since the throat below was
literally torn out.

"Shadrach!" we said, with one voice.

Shadrach it was; Shadrach, our former guide, who had betrayed us;
Shadrach who, to save his own life, had shown us how to rescue Higgs,
and for that service been pardoned, as I think I mentioned. Shadrach and
no other!

"Pussy seems to have been on the prowl and to have met a dog," remarked
Quick.

"Do you understand what has happened?" asked Oliver, in a dry, hard
voice. "Perhaps I had better explain before anything is moved. Shadrach
must have crept in here last night--I don't know at what time, for I
slept through it all--for purposes of his own. But he forgot his old
enemy Pharaoh, and Pharaoh killed him. See his throat? When Pharaoh
bites he doesn't growl, and, of course, Shadrach could say nothing, or,
as he had dropped his knife, for the matter of that, do anything either.
When I was woke up about an hour ago by the telephone bell the dog was
fast asleep, for he is accustomed to that bell, with his head resting
upon the body of Shadrach. Now why did Shadrach come into my room at
night with a drawn knife in his hand?"

"Doesn't seem a difficult question to answer," replied Higgs, in the
high voice which was common to him when excited. "He came here to murder
you, and Pharaoh was too quick for him, that's all. That dog was the
cheapest purchase you ever made, friend Oliver."

"Yes," answered Orme, "he came here to murder me--you were right about
the risk, after all--but what I wonder is, who sent him?"

"And so you may go on wondering for the rest of your life, Captain,"
exclaimed Quick. "Still, I think we might guess if we tried."

Then news of what had happened was sent to the palace, and within little
over an hour Maqueda arrived, accompanied by Joshua and several other
members of her Council. When she saw and understood everything she was
horrified, and sternly asked Joshua what he knew of this business. Of
course, he proved to be completely innocent, and had not the slightest
idea of who had set the murderer on to work this deed of darkness.
N