t cut from
living beasts, they are accursed because of their alleged association
with the Cynocephalus hamadryas (Sacred Baboon). I, myself, was taken
to a hut on the banks of the Hawash and shown a creature... whose
predominant trait was an unreasoning malignity toward... and a ferocious
tenderness for the society of its furry brethren. Its powers 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 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
toward 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 could get you there..."

"Well?"

"Karamaneh started back and treat