.."
"You fear for Chunda Lal?" said Stuart.
"Oh, yes! He has a terrible power--Fo-Hi--which he never employs with
me, until to-night. Ah! it is only Chunda Lal, who saved me! But
Chunda Lal he can command with his _Will._ From it, once he has made
anyone a slave to it, there is no escape. I have seen one in the city
of Quebec, in Canada, forget all else and begin to act in obedience
to the will of Fo-Hi who is thousands of miles away!"
"My God!" murmured Stuart, "what a horrible monster!"
They had reached the open door beyond which showed the dimly lighted
passage. Miska hesitated.
"Oh! I am afraid!" she whispered.
She thrust the keys into the hand of Inspector Kelly, pointing to one
of them, and:
"That is the key!" she said. "Have your pistol ready. Do not touch
anything in the room and do not go in if I tell you not to. Come!"
They pressed along the passage, came to the stair and were about to
ascend, when there ensued a dull reverberating boom, and Miska shrank
back into Stuart's arms with a stifled shriek.
"Oh! Chunda Lal!" she moaned--"Chunda Lal! It is the trap!"
"The trap!" said Inspector Kelly.
"The cellar trap. He has thrown him down ... to the ants!"
Inspector Kelly uttered a short laugh; but Stuart repressed a shudder.
He was never likely to forget the skeleton of the Nubian mute which
had been stripped by the ants in sixty-nine minutes!
"We are too late!" whispered Miska. "Oh! listen! listen!"
Bells began to ring somewhere above them.
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