mangroves and the deceitful peace of the Eastern night.

"The hour was fairly late and not a soul was about. Nothing
disturbed the silence except those vague sibilant sounds which are
so characteristic of the country. Presently, as I rambled on with my
thoughts wandering back to the dim ages, I literally fell over a man who
lay in the road.

"I was naturally startled, but I carried an electric pocket torch, and
by its light I discovered that the person over whom I had fallen was a
dignified-looking Chinaman, somewhat past middle age. His clothes, which
were of good quality, were covered with dirt and blood, and he bore all
the appearance of having recently been engaged in a very tough struggle.
His face was notable only for its possession of an unusually long
jet-black moustache. He had swooned from loss of blood."

"Why, was he wounded?" exclaimed Jennings.

"His hand had been nearly severed from his wrist!"

"Merciful heavens!"

"I realized the impossibility of carrying him so far as the hospital,
and accordingly I extemporized a rough tourniquet and left him under
a palm tree by the road until I obtained assistance. Later, at the
hospital, following a consultation, we found it necessary to amputate."

"I should say he objected fiercely?"

"He was past objecting to anything, otherwise I have no doubt he would
have objected furiously. The index finger of the injured hand had one of
those preternaturally long nails, protected by an engraved golden case.
However, at least I gave him a chance of life. He was under my care for
some time, but I doubt if ever he was properly grateful. He had an iron
constitution, though, and I finally allowed him to depart. One queer
stipulation he had made--that the severed hand, with its golden
nail-case, should be given to him when he left hospital. And this
bargain I faithfully carried out."

"Most extraordinary," I said. "Did you ever learn the identity of the
old gentleman?"

"He was very reticent, but I made a number of inquiries, and finally
learned with absolute certainty, I think, that he was the Mandarin Quong
Mi Su from Johore Bahru, a person of great repute among the Chinese
there, and rather a big man in China. He was known locally as the
Mandarin Quong."

"Did you learn anything respecting how he had come by his injury,
Doctor?"

Matheson smiled in his quiet fashion, and selected a fresh cigar with
great deliberation. Then:

"I suppose it is scarcely a case o