keep out of our way, he was greatly concerned lest we should see him
and conclude that he had joined the gang and was privy to its past and
present doings. But that very night a much more serious development
materialized. The Chinese gentleman, arriving from London, and being
met by the Frenchman at Berwick, had a scheme of his own, which, after
he had attempted the drugging of his two principal associates, he
unfolded to his fellow-countrymen. This was to get rid of Baxter and
the Frenchman and seize the yawl and its contents for themselves,
sailing with it to some port in North Russia. Wing had no option but
to profess agreement--his only proviso was that Miss Raven and myself
should be cleared out of the yawl. This proposition was readily
assented to, and Chuh was charged with the job of sending us ashore.
But almost immediately afterwards, everything went wrong with the
conspirator's plans. The drug which had been administered to Baxter
and the Frenchman failed to act; Baxter, waking suddenly to find the
Chinamen advancing on the cabin with only too evident murderous
intent, opened fire on them, and the situation rapidly resolved itself
into a free fight, in the course of which Wing barricaded himself into
the galley. Before long he saw that of all the men on board, only
himself and Baxter remained alive--he saw, too, that Baxter was
already wounded. Baxter, evidently afraid of Wing, also barricaded
himself into the cabin; for some hours the two secretly awaited each
other's onslaught. At last, Wing determined to make a bid for liberty,
and cautiously worming his way to the cabin he looked in and as he
thought, saw Baxter lying either dead or dying. He then hastily
stripped Chuh of the belt in which he knew him to carry the precious
stones, and taking to the boat which lay at the side of the yawl,
pushed off, only to find Baxter after him with a revolver. In the
exchange of shots which followed Wing was hit twice, but a lucky reply
of his laid Baxter dead. At that he got away, weak and fainting,
managed to make the shore, to bind up as much of his wounded body as
he could get at, and set out as well as he was able for his master's
house. The rest we knew.

* * * * *

So that was all over, and it only remained now for the police to clear
things up, for Wing to be thoroughly whitewashed in the matter of the
shooting of Netherfield Baxter, and for everybody in the countryside
to talk o