that
case he would motor."

Beamish spoke authoritatively.

"I wish, Benson, you would go and ring up the Central and see if there
has been any message."

Willis whispered to the sergeant, who, beckoning to two of his men,
crept hurriedly down the port ladder to the lower deck. In a moment
Benson followed down the starboard or lighted side. Willis listened
breathlessly above, heard what he was expecting--a sudden scuffle, a
muffled cry, a faint click, and then silence. He peeped through the
porthole. Fox was expounding his theory about the railway connections,
and none of those within had heard the sounds. Presently the sergeant
returned with his men.

"Trussed him up to the davit pole," he breathed in the inspector's ear.
"He won't give no trouble."

Willis nodded contentedly. That was one out of the way out of six, and
he had fourteen on his side.

Meanwhile the men in the cabin continued anxiously discussing their
leader's absence, until after a few minutes Beamish swore irritably.

"Curse that fool Benson," he growled. "What the blazes is keeping him
all this time? I had better go and hurry him up. If they've got hold of
Archer, it's time we were out of this."

Willis's hand closed on the sergeant's arm.

"Same thing again, but with three men," he whispered.

The four had hardly disappeared down the port ladder when Beamish left
his cabin and began to descend the starboard. Willis felt that the
crisis was upon him. He whispered to the remaining constables, who
closed in round the cabin door, then grasped his revolver, and stood
tense.

Suddenly a wild commotion arose on the lower deck. There was a warning
shout from Beamish, instantly muffled, a tramp of feet, a pistol shot,
and sounds of a violent struggle.

For a moment there was silence in the cabin, the men gazing at each
other with consternation on their faces. Then Bulla yelled: "Copped,
by heck!" and with an agility hardly credible in a man of his years,
whipped out a revolver, and sprang out of the cabin. Instantly he was
seized by three constables, and the four went swinging and lurching
across the deck, Bulla fighting desperately to turn his weapon on his
assailants. At the same moment Willis leaped to the door, and with his
automatic levelled, shouted, "Hands up, all of you! You are covered from
every quarter!"

Henri and Fox, who were next the door, obeyed as if in a stupor, but
Raymond's hand flew out, and a bullet whistled past the i