The Quest of the Sacred Slipper

by Sax Rohmer

  CHAPTER VII

  FIRST ATTEMPT ON THE SAFE

  On the following morning I was awakened by the arrival of Bristol.I hastened to admit him.

  "Your visitor of yesterday," he began, "has wasted no time!"

  "What has happened?"

  He tugged irritably at his moustache. "I don't know!" he replied."Of course it was no surprise to find that there isn't a Mohammedanwho'll lay his little finger on Professor Deeping's safe! There'sno doubt in my mind that every lascar at the docks knows Hassan ofAleppo to be in England. Some other arrangement will have to bearrived at, if the thing is ever to be taken to the AntiquarianMuseum. Meanwhile we stand to lose it. Last night--"

  He accepted a cigarette, and lighted it carefully.

  "Last night," he resumed, "a member of P Division was on pointduty outside the late Professor's house, and two C.I.D. men wereactually in the room where the safe is. Result--someone has putin at least an hour's work on the lock, but it proved too tough ajob!"

  I stared at him amazedly.

  "Someone has been at the lock!" I cried. "But that is impossible,with two men in the room--unless--"

  "They were both knocked on the head!"

  "Both! But by whom! My God! They are not--"

  "Oh, no! It was done artistically. They both came round aboutfour o'clock this morning."

  "And who attacked them?"

  "They had no idea. Neither of them saw a thing!"

  My amazement grew by leaps and bounds. "But, Bristol, one of themmust have seen the other succumb!"

  "Both did! Their statements tally exactly!"

  "I quite fail to follow you."

  "That's not surprising. Listen: When I got on the scene about fiveo'clock, Marden and West, the two C.I.D. men, had quite recoveredtheir senses, though they were badly shaken, and one had a crackedskull. The constable was conscious again, too."

  "What! Was he attacked?"

  "In exactly the same way! I'll give you Marden's story, as he gaveit to me a few minutes after the surgeon had done with him. He saidthat they were sitting in the study, smoking, and with both windowswide open. It was a fearfully hot night."

  "Did they have lights?"

  "No. West sat in an armchair near the writing-table; Marden sat bythe window next to the door. I had arranged that every hour one ofthem should go out to the gate and take the constable's report. Itwas just after Marden had been out at one o'clock that it happened.

  "They were sitting as I tell you when Marden thought he heard acurious sort of noise from the gate. West appeared to have heardnothing; but I have no doubt that it was the sound of the constable'sfall. West's pipe had gone out, and he struck a match to relightit. As he did so, Marden saw him drop the match, clench both fists,and with eyes glaring in the moonlight and his teeth coming togetherwith a snap, drop from his chair.

  "Marden says that he was half up from his seat when something struckhim on the back of the head with fearful force. He rememberednothing more until he awoke, with the dawn creeping into the room,and heard West groaning somewhere beside him. They both had badlydamaged skulls with great bruises behind the ear. It is instructiveto note that their wounds corresponded almost to a fraction of aninch. They had been stunned by someone who thoroughly understoodhis business, and with some heavy, blunt weapon. A few minuteslater came the man to relieve the constable; and the constable wasfound to have been treated in exactly the same way!"

  "But if Marden's account is true--"

  "West, as he lost consciousness, saw Marden go in exactly the sameway."

  "Marden was seated by the open window, but I cannot conjecture howany one can have got at West, who sat by the table!"

  "The case of Marden is little less than remarkable; he was somedistance from the window. No one could possibly have reached himfrom outside."

  "And the constable?"

  "The constable can give us no clue. He was suddenly struck down,as the others were. I examined the safe, of course, but didn'ttouch it, according to instructions. Someone had been at work onthe lock, but it had defied their efforts. I'm fully expectingthough that they'll be back to-night, with different tools!"

  "The place is watched during the day, of course?"

  "Of course. But it's unlikely that anything will be attempted indaylight. Tonight I am going down myself."

  "Could you arrange that I join you?"

  "I could, but you can see the danger for yourself?"

  "It is extraordinarily mysterious."

  "Mr. Cavanagh, it's uncanny!" said Bristol. "I can understand thatone of these Hashishin could easily have got up behind the man onduty out in the open. I know, and so do you, that they're pastmasters of that kind of thing; but unless they possess the power torender themselves invisible, it's not evident how they can have gotbehind West whilst he sat at the table, with Marden actuallywatching him!"

  "We must lay a trap for them to-night."

  "Rely upon me to do so. My only fear is that they may anticipate itand change their tactics. Hassan of Aleppo apparently knows as muchof our plans as we do ourselves."

  Inspector Bristol, though a man of considerable culture, clearly wasinfected with a species of supernatural dread.