enchman, awaking from sleep sooner than
the Chinese had expected, had discovered that treachery was afoot and
that wholesale shooting had begun on all sides. Most of the slaughter
had taken place immediately in front of the hatchway which led to the
cabin in which I had seen Baxter and his two principal associates;
some sort of a rough barricade had been hastily set up there; behind
it the Frenchman lay dead, with a bullet through his brain; before it,
here and there on the deck, lay three of the Chinese--their leader,
still in his gaily-coloured sleeping suit, prominent amongst them; Lo
Chuh Fen a little further away; the third man near the wheel, face
downwards. He, like Chuh, was a small-made, wiry fellow. And there was
blood everywhere.

Scarterfield jogged my elbow as I stood staring at these unholy
sights. He was keener of look than I had ever seen him.

"That fourth Chinaman?" he said. "I must get him, dead or alive. The
rest's nothing--I want him!"

CHAPTER XXIV

THE SILK CAP

I glanced round; Lorrimore, after an inspection of the dead men, had
walked aside with the lieutenant and was in close conversation with
him. I, too, drew the detective away to the side of the yawl.

"Scarterfield," I said in a whisper, "I've grounds for believing that
the fourth Chinaman is--Lorrimore's servant--Wing."

"What!" he exclaimed. "The man we saw at Ravensdene Court?"

"Just so," said I, "and who went off to London, you remember, to see
what he could do in the way of discovering the other Chinaman, Lo Chuh
Fen."

"Yes--I remember that," he answered.

"There is Lo Chuh Fen," I said, pointing to one of the silent figures.
"And I think that Wing not only discovered him, but came aboard this
vessel with him, as part of a crew which Baxter and his French friend
got together at Limehouse or Poplar. As I say, I've grounds for
thinking it."

Scarterfield looked round, glanced at the shore, shook his head.

"I'm all in the dark--about some things," he said.

"I got on the track of this craft--I'll tell you how, later--and found
she'd come up this coast, and we got the authorities to send this
destroyer after her--I came with her, hell for leather, I can tell
you, from Harwich. But I don't know a lot that I want to know, Baxter,
now--you're sure that man lying dead there is the Baxter we heard of
at Blyth and traced to Hull?"

"Certain!" said I. "Listen, and I'll give you a brief account of
what's happened sinc