st have been heard by his friends on the boat.

No use now for precaution. Determined to have the other weapon, but
not unmindful of the peril involved, he strode the few remaining steps
and hastily shoved open the door of the dining-room. If a foe was
there with the revolver he was quite likely to hold it levelled at the
intruder, because of which Jack, when he burst into the room, held his
own weapon pointed, so as to prevent any enemy from "getting the drop"
on him.

For one moment the young man believed it was all a mistake and that,
despite the precaution taken upon leaving the house, he had not
extinguished the lamp, whose wick had recovered its vigor, but the
suspicion was hardly formed when he knew there was no foundation for
it. In the first place no lamp ever acts that way, and, the front door
having been closed, could not open of itself. More convincing than all
was the fact that Mary Marlowe's revolver, which had brought him back,
was missing.

Diagonally across the dining-room from where Jack Everson stood was the
door leading to the rear of the house. This was open for three or four
inches, and while searching the apartment with all the keenness of his
powerful vision, he distinctly saw it move. The distance was no more
than an inch, but he was not mistaken, and knew it had been drawn that
much nearer shut. Since no air was stirring the conclusion was
inevitable that some one was on the other side who was aware of the
entrance of the American.

The position of the lamp on the table threw the crevice caused by the
slight opening of the door in shadow, and all was blank darkness
beyond. But, looking in that direction, Jack caught the gleam of a
pair of eyes, peering from the gloom like the orbs of a jungle tiger
gathering himself for a spring. Nothing could be seen but the glow of
the eyes, that seemed to have something of the phosphorescence of the
cat species, but he could not mistake the meaning of what he saw.

Jack had partly lowered his revolver, after the first glance around the
room, but it now came to a level again with the suddenness of lightning
and was pointed straight at the gleaming eyes, as he spoke in a low,
deadly tone:

"Come forth or I'll send a bullet through your infernal brain!"

Never was man more fairly caught. In the language of the West, Jack
Everson had the drop on him, and none could be more alive to the fact
than the fellow who was thus taken at disadvantage. I