I had not been in my unnatural position for many minutes before Ibegan to suffer agonies, agonies not only physical but mental; forstanding there like some prisoner of the Inquisition, it came to mehow this dismantled apartment must be the focus of the dreadfulforces of Hassan of Aleppo!
That Earl Dexter had the slipper of the Prophet I no longer doubted,and that he had sustained, in this dwelling beneath the roof, anuncanny siege during the days which had passed since the theft fromthe Antiquarian Museum, was equally certain. Helpless, gagged, Ipictured those hideous creatures, evil products of the secret East,who might, nay, who must surround that place! I thought of thehorrible little yellow man who lay dead in Wyatt's Buildings; andit became evident to me that the house in which I was now imprisonedmust overlook the back of those unsavoury tenements. The windows,sack-covered now, no doubt commanded a view of the roofs of thebuildings. One of the mysteries that had puzzled us was solved. Itwas Earl Dexter who had shot the yellow dwarf as he was bound forthis very room! But how humanly the Hashishin had proposed to gainhis goal, how he had travelled through empty space--for from emptyspace the shot had brought him down--I could not imagine.
I knew something of the almost supernatural attributes of thesepeople. From Professor Deeping's book I knew of the incrediblefeats which they could perform when under the influence of the drughashish. From personal experience also I knew that they had powerswholly abnormal.
The pain in my arms and back momentarily increased. An awesomesilence ruled. I tortured myself with pictures of murderousyellow men possessed of the power claimed by the Mahatmas, oflevitation. Mentally I could see a distorted half-animal creaturecarrying a great gleaming knife and floating supernaturally towardme through the night!
A soft pattering sound became perceptible on the sloping roof above!
I think I have never known such intense and numbing fear as thatwhich now descended upon me. Perhaps I may be forgiven it. A moredreadful situation it would be hard to devise. Knowing that I wason the fifth story of a house, bound, helpless, I knew, too, that asecond mystic guardian of the slipper was come to accomplish thetask in which the first had failed!
I began to pray fervently.
Neither of the windows were closed; and now through the intensedarkness I heard one of them being raised up--up--up...
The sacking was pulled aside inch by inch.
Silhouetted against the faintly luminous background I saw a hunched,unnatural figure. The real was more dreadful even than theimaginary--for some stray beam of light touched into cold radiancea huge curved knife which the visitant held between his teeth!
My fear became a madness, and I twisted my body violently in a wildendeavour to free myself. A dreadful pain shot through my leftshoulder, and the whole nightmare scene--the thing with the knifeat the window--the low-ceiled room-began to fade away from me. Iseemed to be falling into deep water.
A splintering crash and the sound of shouting formed my lastrecollections ere unconsciousness came.
I found myself lying in an armchair with Bristol forcing brandybetween my lips. My left arm hung limply at my side and the painin my dislocated shoulder was excruciating.
"Thank God you are all right, Mr. Cavanagh!" said the inspector."I got the surprise of my life when we smashed the door in andfound you tied up here!"
"You came none too soon," I said feebly. "God knows how Providencedirected you here."
"Providence it was," replied Bristol. "From the roof of Wyatt'sBuildings--you know the spot?--I saw the second yellow devilcoming. By God! They meant to have it to-night! They don't valuetheir lives a brass farthing against that damned slipper!"
"But how--"
"Along the telegraph-wires, Mr. Cavanagh! They cross Wyatt'sBuildings and cross this house. It was a moonless night or weshould have seen it at once! I watched him, saw him drop to thisroof--and brought the men around to the front."
"Did he, that awful thing, escape?"
"He dropped full forty feet into a tree--from the tree to theground, and went off like a cat!"
"Earl Dexter has escaped us," I said, "and he has the slipper!"
"God help him!" replied Bristol. "For by now he has that hell-packat his heels! What a case! Heavens above, it will drive me mad!"