looking round and innocent through his glasses. I told him of the Flemish document, and how Roy's wife had stolen it in the absence of the Laird. I told him, also, that I believed, from what I had seen myself, that Roy knew nothing about this, and, as far as I could discover, had no knowledge of the treasure whatever. The fact that I had found the paper in his wife's possession, and that he was quite ignorant of its significance, seemed to show that she was playing a lone hand. "A bit of a dark horse, is Mrs Roy," said Morgan, as I concluded. "Well, Seaton, we've cleared the air a bit with our stories, and I don't think you'd have told me yours if you hadn't begun to trust me a bit more. What am I to do now? If I go to Blackdykes, the Squire will take it that I'm in league against him, and I want to conciliate the old scoundrel for the sake of Marigold." As I was about to reply, I heard a voice in which I could not be mistaken. Sure enough the door opened a moment afterwards and Betty Forbes walked into the room, bringing with her an atmosphere of colour and beauty. Her rich hair flamed as it caught the evening sunlight-there was a flush of heightened colour in her face-and from her brown eyes there sparkled a new excitement. "Still here, Bob," she exclaimed as she entered. "I thought I might catch you. Please excuse this intrusion Mr Morgan. It is important that I should speak to Dr Seaton as quickly as possible.' "That's all right, young lady," said Morgan, beaming upon Betty so amiably that one could almost imagine that his spectacles were radiating light; "I'll leave you to have it out with him," and he made as if to go out of the room. "Just a moment, Morgan," I said, putting my hand upon his shoulder. "Has what you have to say got anything to do with the Tanishes, Betty?" "Yes, it's about the Lairdand Marie!" replied Betty. "Then I don't think Mr Morgan need go. He had better hear all there is to hear on that subject." "Aha!" exclaimed Betty. "I see you have come round to my view of Mr Morgan." "I hope your view was a favourable one, Miss Forbes," said Morgan earnestly. "I only said that you look honest,' "" answered Betty. "But I don't claim to be a judge of character." Her eyes twinkled merrily as she paid him this rather dubious compliment. Morgan bowed deeply, as though overcome by her good opinion. "Now my news," Betty went on. "You know, before you left, Bob, I said that I'd call upon Marie Tanish again at Blackdykes. A few minutes later the Dad came in, and as the pony had done very little work to-day, I thought I might just as well go at once. I left the trap at the end of the farm road and walked up to the house. As I got no answer to my knock, I wandered round to the garden at the back, thinking that probably Marie was out amongst the flowers. "Of course I know-everybody in the district knowsthe kind of terms that Roy and his father are on, so I was naturally astonished to hear the voice of the Monster of the Glen in the garden-and not raised in wrath either!" "The Laird at Blackdykes!" I exclaimed. "There's going to be trouble!" "That is what I am afraid of-if Roy comes home," agreed Betty. "You know that I dislike meeting the Laird. When I heard that he was there, I stopped for a moment to think what I should do. I had no intention of eavesdropping, but I overheard a few words which showed me that the Monster and Marie are quite friendly again. What I heard was something like this "And you swear that Roy knows nothing of this?' That was the voice of the Monster. "I have told him nothing. He has never seen the paper,' Marie answered. I can't imitate her broken English properly. "That's a bargain, then,' said the Laird. "I shall keep it,' replied Marie. 'But you must keep away from here. If Roy saw you' gold has told me all that happened after her return with her father from America, and I know the tempers of both men. both men. You have a lot of influence with the Laird, Bob, so I thought it best to see you at once." "Hang it all, Betty," I protested, "I'm only Duncan's tutor and nurse. I can't go off to Blackdykes and insist on taking the Laird home and putting him to bed." "I don't think there is anything to be done," declared Morgan. "From what Miss Forbes has told us, I should say the Squire was just about at the end of his interview with Mrs Roy. They had made some bargain. Probably he left soon after." "I daresay you are right," I agreed, the more willingly as I did not want to be mixed up in the affair. "Then you think I have been agitating myself about nothing?" said Betty in a disappointed tone. "On the contrary, it's likely that it will prove a pretty serious business," replied Morgan. "The Squire and Marie are in league for the discovery of the treasure, and Roy is being left in the dark. If ever he finds out anything, blood will flow- at least it would in the States ! " "What do you mean by the treasure?" demanded Betty. I "Seaton will tell you all about it, Miss Forbes. must get away." Then, turning to me, he continued, "This latest news has decided me. I am going to stay at Blackdykes. I want to see so, I thought how Morgan more of Roy's wife. But I had managed to have his shall say nothing of the own way again. I had begun cipher. As I told you, I this interview with him, demeant that Roy should have termined that he should have a copy, but for the present no help from me in his I shall keep it dark. Tell schemes, and now I found Marigold as much of my myself willingly taking his story as you think fit. Give instructions. her this copy of the cipher, and see if she can make anything of it. She may show it to her father if she likes. See if you can solve the thing yourself. Miss Forbes here will lend you a hand, and she is a cute one. We're all in the running now, and if any one of us can make good, we'll share the profits." I took the copy of the oipher, folded it, and put it in my pocket; and as I did "By the way," he resumed, 66 we must make some arrangement to meet. I can't come to Hopeton at present, and you don't want to be seen at Blackdykes." "But you can both come to Kilbrennan, and either meet at our house, or leave messages for each other with me," said Betty. "The very thing," agreed Morgan, and at that we left it. (To be continued.) AN AIRMAN'S EXPERIENCES IN EAST AFRICA. BY LEO WALMSLEY. XVI. TO NORTHEY. ON my discharge from the base hospital at Daresalam I was ordered by the Squadron to report to the officer in charge of A-Flight at Iringa, a "late" German military post in the Highlands, some 250 miles in from the coast. Two days later I arrived by rail at Dodoma, whence the road ran almost due south to my destination. The rains were becoming very heavy, and according to the natives all communication with Iringa would be broken down before the end of the week. I left early next morning with two Ford light lorries. The road was practically a canal, and the Ford was the only type of car that could make any headway at all. Thirty miles from Dodoma I had to abandon the idea of proceeding by motor, and ordered the drivers to get back as best they could, transferring my kit and stores to a dozen porters whom I procured from a local village. After three days' hard marching we reached the Ruaha river swamps, where for twelve miles the road lay under a sheet of turgid water averaging 4 feet in depth. Along this "road" was passing a continuous stream of porters, bearing much-needed rations to the troops ahead. Many of poor natives had to endure I reported to Captain Hodgkinson (otherwise "Hodge "), my new Flight-Commander. He was one of the old Henry Farman pilots, and he had These participated in many & One lengthy bombing raid behind ness." When we came to fit the enemies' lines. Only it to the machine it was found two machines were available, to be the wrong size and B.E.2. Cs. (naval type), with utterly useless. The porters 100 h.p. Rolls-Royce R.A.F. engines, and both these were urgently needed at Njombe, a German post nearly 150 miles farther south, which was new General Northey's headquarters. At present there was no motor road to the place, and all our stores, including bombs and petrol, had to be sent by perters. The only other pilot in the flight was Murray, and he left by air for Njombe on the day following my arrival. He landed safely, but before he had time to carry out a reconnaissance over the German positions within range of Njombe, he was ordered to proceed to Ssongea, the headquarters of one of Northey's columns, 150 miles south of Njombe and fifty miles east of Lake Nyassa. Hodge was now ordered to proceed to Njombe. He left the first fine morning, and arrived without any adventure other than that provided by a few thunderstorms through which he had to fly. My own orders were to take charge of the Iringa depot and superintend the forwarding of stores. The hangar, by the way, contained one aeroplane minus its starboard top plane. Hodge had wired to Daresalam for a spare plane for this machine, and we had received notification of its despatch. Three weeks later it arrived. It had been carried the whole distance by relays of porters, who pathetically described the journey as a "very bad busi decided that it had been an At last I was overjoyed to receive a message from Hodge: "Report Njombe immediately." The journey took me five days' solid marching, averaging twenty-five miles a day. Njombe is something like 6500 feet above sea-level, and the rolling grassy hills of eurrounding country remind one very much of Salisbury Plain. The aerodrome had been prepared on the summit of one of these hills, three miles east of the German fort, and a eolder and more bleak position could not have been chosen. We had no tents, but large |