of _scent_ were fully equal to those of a
bloodhound, whilst its abnormally long forearms possessed incredible
strength ... a _Cynocephalyte_ such as this, contracts phthisis even
in the more northern provinces of Abyssinia...."

"You have not yet explained to me, Smith," I said, having completed
this note, "how you got in touch with Fu-Manchu; how you learnt that
he was not dead, as we had supposed, but living--active."

Nayland Smith stood up and fixed his steely eyes upon me with an
indefinable expression in them. Then:

"No," he replied; "I haven't. Do you wish to know?"

"Certainly," I said with surprise; "is there any reason why I should
not?"

"There is no real reason," said Smith; "or"--staring at me very
hard--"I hope there is no real reason."

"What do you mean?"

"Well"--he grabbed up his pipe from the table and began furiously to
load it--"I blundered upon the truth one day in Rangoon. I was
walking out of a house which I occupied there for a time, and as I
swung around the corner into the main street, I ran into--literally
ran into...."

Again he hesitated oddly; then closed up his pouch and tossed it into
the cane chair. He struck a match.

"I ran into Karamaneh," he continued abruptly, and began to puff away
at his pipe, filling the air with clouds of tobacco smoke.

I caught my breath. This was the reason why he had kept me so long in
ignorance of the story. He knew of my hopeless, uncrushable sentiments
towards the gloriously beautiful but utterly hypocritical and evil
Eastern girl who was perhaps the most dangerous of all Dr. Fu-Manchu's
servants; for the power of her loveliness was magical, as I knew to my
cost.

"What did you do?" I asked quietly, my fingers drumming upon the
table.

"Naturally enough," continued Smith, "with a cry of recognition I held
out both my hands to her gladly. I welcomed her as a dear friend
regained; I thought of the joy with which _you_ would learn that I had
found the missing one; I thought how you would be in Rangoon just as
quickly as the fastest steamer would get you there...."

"Well?"

"Karamaneh started back and treated me to a glance of absolute
animosity! No recognition was there, and no friendliness--only a sort
of scornful anger."

He shrugged his shoulders and began to walk up and down the room.

"I do not know what _you_ would have done in the circumstances,
Petrie, but I--"

"Yes?"

"I dealt with the situation rather promptly, I thi