Dimly he divined something of the
truth. Kerry had fallen into the hands of the gang, but the dog,
evidently not without difficulty, had escaped. What lay below the
wharf?
Holding his breath, he crouched, listening; but not a sound could he
detect.
"There's nothing here, old chap," he said to the dog.
Responsive to the friendly tone, the little animal began barking
loudly with high staccato notes, which must have been audible on the
Surrey shore.
Seton was profoundly mystified by the animal's behavior. He had
personally searched every foot of this particular building, and was
confident that it afforded no hiding-place. The behavior of the dog,
however, was susceptible of only one explanation; and Seton
recognizing that the clue to the mystery lay somewhere within this
ramshackle building, became seized with a conviction that he was being
watched.
Standing upright, he paused for a moment, irresolute, thinking that he
had detected a muffled shriek. But the riverside noises were
misleading and his imagination was on fire.
That almost superstitious respect for the powers of Sin Sin Wa, which
had led Chief Inspector Kerry to look upon the Chinaman as a being
more than humanly endowed, began to take possession of Seton Pasha.
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