ly gathered that he regarded Huang as responsible
for the death not only of Cohen, but also of the Chinaman who was
hauled out of the river about three weeks ago, as you well remember. The
post-mortem showed that he had died of some kind of poisoning, and when
we saw Cohen in the mortuary, his swollen appearance struck me as being
very similar to that of the Chinaman. (See my report dated 31st ultimo.)

He finally agreed to talk if I would promise that he should not be
charged and that his name should never be mentioned to anyone in
connection with what he might tell me. I promised him that outside the
ordinary official routine I would respect his request, and he told me
some very curious things, which no doubt have a bearing on the case.

For instance, he had discovered--I don't know in what way--that the dead
Chinaman, whose name was Pi Lung, had been in negotiation with Huang
Chow for some sort of job in his warehouse. Poland had seen the man
talking to Huang's daughter, at the end of the alley which leads to the
place. He seemed to attach extraordinary importance to this fact. At
last:

"I'll tell you what it is," he said. "That Chink was a stranger to
Limehouse; I can swear to it. He was a gent of his hands; I reckon
they've got 'em in China as well as here. He went out for the old boy's
money-box, and finished like Cohen finished."

"Make your meaning clearer," I said.

"My meaning's this: Old Huang Chow is the biggest dealer in stolen and
smuggled valuables from overseas we've got in London. He's something
else as well; he's a big swell in China. But here's the point. He's
got business with buyers all over London, and they have to pay cash--no
checks. He doesn't bank it: I've proved that. He's got it in gold, or
diamonds, or something, being wise to present conditions, hidden there
in the house. Pi Lung was after his hoard. He didn't get it. Cohen and
me was after it. Where's Cohen?"

I agreed that it looked very suspicious, and presently:

"When I went in with Cohen," continued Poland, "I knew one thing
he didn't know--a short cut into the warehouse. He's been playing
pretty-like with Lala, old Huang's daughter, and it's my belief that
he knew where the store was hidden; but he never told me. We knew there
were special men on duty, and we'd arranged that I was to give a signal
when the patrol had passed. Cohen all the time had planned to double on
me. While I was watching down on the Causeway end he climb