"You wantchee me?" crooned Sin Sin Wa.
"I do!" rapped Kerry. "I've called to look for opium."
He stepped past the Chinaman into the dimly lighted room. As he did
so, the cause of an apparent deformity which had characterized the
outline of Sin Sin Wa became apparent. From his left shoulder the
raven partly arose, moving his big wings, and:
"Smartest leg!" it shrieked in Kerry's ear and rattled imaginary
castanets.
The Chief Inspector started, involuntarily.
"Damn the thing!" he muttered. "Come in, Bryce, and shut the door.
What's this?"
On a tea-chest set beside the glowing stove, the little door of which
was open, stood a highly polished squat wooden image, gilded and
colored red and green. It was that of a leering Chinaman, possibly
designed to represent Buddha, and its jade eyes seemed to blink
knowingly in the dancing rays from the stove.
"Sin Sin Wa's Joss," murmured the proprietor, as Bryce closed the outer
door. "Me shinee him up; makee Joss glad. Number one piecee Joss."
Kerry turned and stared into the pock-marked smiling face. Seen in
that dim light it was not unlike the carved face of the image, save
that the latter possessed two open eyes and the Chinaman but one. The
details of the room were indiscernible, lost in yellowish shadow, but
the eye of the raven and the eye of Sin Sin Wa glittered like strange
jewels.
Pages:
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280