This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized

by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the

information in books and make it universally accessible.

https://books.google.com
CRUISE of the

GYRO CAR

Herbert Strang
7222
7222
THE CRUISE OF THE

GYRO -CAR
HERBERT STRANG'S ROMANCES
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME

KING OF THE AIR : or, To Morocco

on an Airship
"Much the best book of its kind now in existence. " -Manchester
Guardian.
"The flights of the airship and final rescue of the imprisoned
diplomat are brilliantly told. "-Journal of Education.
"The story goes with a fine zest and gusto, and few writers have
known as well as Herbert Strang the exact proportions to allow of
amusement and information."- Bookman.

LORD OF THE SEAS : the Story of a

Submarine
"Mr. Herbert Strang has struck a new vein with remarkable
success, and has narrated a series of exciting adventures in the
South Seas in an effective and admirably sustained tone of
humour."-Notts Guardian.
"A rattling good story, full of life and go. "-Record.

SWIFT AND SURE : the Story of a

Hydroplane
"A grand yarn about a hydroplane, in which Mr. Strang shows
that he is a new Jules Verne."-Hearth and Home.
"The excitement increases from chapter to chapter. "-Literary
World.

JACK HARDY : a Story of the Smuggling

Days
"A story about a gallant young middy. . . . The characters are
drawn with originality and humour. "-Bookman.
" Herbert Strang is second to none in graphic power and
veracity."-Athenæum.
Price 2/6 each.
HENRY FROWDE AND HODDER & STOUGHTON
FAMILY

THE NEW AND THE OLD

[ See page 14
THE CRUISE OF

THE GYRO - CAR

BY

HERBERT STRANG

ILLUSTRATED BY A. C. MICHAEL

LONDON

HENRY FROWDE

HODDER AND STOUGHTON

1911
BRADBURY, AGNEW, & Co. LD. , PRINTERS
LONDON AND TONBRIDGE
 PREFACE

ALBANIA, once a Roman highway to the

East, has been for many centuries the wildest
and most inhospitable of European countries.
The mountains that had echoed to the tramp
of Roman legions, and had witnessed the
culmination of the struggle between Cæsar
and Pompey, became some fifteen centuries
later the scene of one of the most glorious
struggles for liberty of which we have record .
For nearly a quarter of a century Scanderbeg,
the national hero of Albania, with a few
thousands of his mountaineers, stemmed the
advancing tide of Turkish conquest. When
at length the gallantPrince and his people
were borne down by sheer weight of numbers,
and Albania became a Turkish province, this
mountain land, which had been a principal
bulwark of Christendom against Islam , served
to buttress the unstable empire of her new
masters. It has been the settled policy of the
Turk to keep the Albanian in a condition of
semi-independence and complete barbarism ,
vi PREFACE

as a kind of savage watchdog at the gate.

From time to time the dog has turned upon
his master, and in many a fierce struggle the
mountaineer has shown that he has not lost

the fine qualities of courage and love of liberty

that inspired Scanderbeg and his followers.
To the few Europeans, including J. G. von
Hahn, Edward Lear, H. A. Brown, and E. F.
Knight, who at no little personal risk have
made a study of this romantic land and people,
I am indebted for many interesting particulars,
and especially to Miss M. E. Durham for the
stories of " The Man and the Ass," and the
" Dismembered Cow." The opening up of the
country under the new régime in Turkey may
soon render the visit of a motor- or gyro- car

not more perilous there than in other parts of

Europe, at present of better repute. But it
will be long before the Via Egnatia, once the
eastward continuation of the Appian Way,
becomes as good a highway for motor or other
traffic as it was two thousand years ago.
My young friend, George Buckland, is at
present the sole possessor of a gyro- car, and he
looks forward somewhat ruefully to the day
when his scamper across Europe will no longer
have the charm of novelty.

HERBERT STtrang.
 CONTENTS

PAGE
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCES THE GYRO-CAR 11

CHAPTER II
UNWELCOME ATTENTIONS 26

CHAPTER III
THE YELLOW CAR . 45

CHAPTER IV
RUNNING THE PLANK 63

CHAPTER V
ACROSS THE ALPS . 76

CHAPTER VI
A NARROW MARGIN 91

CHAPTER VII
AN ACT OF WAR 103

CHAPTER VIII
A ROMAN ROAD 115

CHAPTER IX
THE HONOUR OF AN ALBANIAN 129
viii CONTENTS

PAGE
CHAPTER X
SOME RIDDLES AND A NURSERY RHYME 142

CHAPTER XI
IN THE SMALL HOURS 154

CHAPTER XII
THE SWAMP • 164

CHAPTER XIII
A LANDSLIP IN THE HILLS 177

CHAPTER XIV
A RUSH THROUGH THE RAPIDS 188

CHAPTER XV
THE END OF THE CRUISE 207

CHAPTER XVI
RECONCILIATION AND REWARDS 231
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
THE NEW AND THE OLD (frontispiece) : see page 14

A DESPERATE EXPEDIENT 73

A TENSE MOMENT • 156

THE RAPIDS OF THE BLACK DRIN 199

MAP OF THE ROUTE OF THE GYRO-CAR, to face page 11

 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCES THE GYRO-CAR

AMONG the passengers who alighted from

the train at the terminus of Shepperton, the
little village near the Thames, one evening in
early summer, was a young man differing
noticeably, but in a way not easy to define,
from all the rest. He was tall, but so were
many ; dark, but most men are dark ; bronzed,
but the young men who spent idle hours in
sculling or punting on the river were as sun-
tanned as he. Nor was it anything in his
attire that marked him out from his fellow-men,
99
unless, perhaps, that he was a trifle " smarter
than they. Yet many eyes had been attracted
to him as he walked down the platform at
Waterloo, and many followed him , at Shepper-
ton station, as he stepped out of the compart-
ment and doffed his soft hat to a young girl,
who stood evidently awaiting him, and whose
face lit up at his approach.
66
Hullo, kid ! " he said, in the young Briton's
casual manner of greeting. " Where's
George ? "
"He'll be here in a minute or two," replied
the girl. " I am glad to see ""you, Maurice. "
" Thanks. How's Aunt ?
12 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

" The same as ever," said the girl with99 a

smile. "Have you brought your luggage ?
" Just a valise. The porter has it. Take it
to that fly, will you ? " he added, as the man
came up .
" Oh! Wait a minute," said his sister,
laying a hand on his arm. " George will be
here in a minute."
" That means ten, unless George has
reformed . Well, well, children must be
humoured. "
Brother and sister stood side by side chatting.
The porter set the valise down by the fence.
We may take advantage of the delay to
explain that Maurice Buckland was one of the
secretaries of the British agency at Sofia, and
had come home on short leave. It was nearly
two years since he was last in England .
Affairs in the Balkans had been in a very
ticklish condition, the focus of interest to all
the chancelleries of Europe. A grave crisis
had just been settled peaceably after a long
diplomatic game of Puss inthe Corner, and
Buckland was at last free to take his well-
earned holiday.
He showed an impatience far from diplo-
matic as the minutes flew by, and his younger
brother George did not appear.
66 ""
Really, Sheila- he began after five
minutes.
" Please, a little longer," interrupted his
sister. 66 George has a surprise for you."
 INTRODUCES THE GYRO-CAR 13

"Has he, indeed ! The greatest surprise

would have been to find him punctual. What
is he cracking his wits on now ? "
66
" I mustn't tell you . I wish he would
99
come.'
They stood at the gate. A hungry flyman
touched his hat. The porter was distracted
between keeping one eye on the valise, the
other on an old lady who seemed determined
to enter the train before it had shunted to the
up-platform .
Five more minutes passed.
"His surprise can keep," said Maurice.
" Porter ! "
The man shouldered the valise and carried
it to the waiting fly. Buckland and his sister
entered the vehicle, the driver shut the door,
touched his hat, clambered to his seat, and
drove off. He knew the address ; for the past
year The Acacias, on the Chertsey Road, had
been occupied by the Hon. Mrs. Courtenay-
Greene, a middle-aged widow who kept house
for her orphan nephew and niece. The fly
rattled along through the village.
About half a mile from the station, as every
one knows, the road sweeps round in a sharp
curve to the right. To the left, at right- angles
with it, stands the Anchor Hotel, with the
vicarage adjacent and the old ivy-clad church
beyond. Just as the fly reached the curve,
there was a warning hoot from the opposite
direction, and Buckland, glancing past the
14 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

driver, saw a motor-car of unusual shape

rushing towards them at the speed of an
express train. With great presence of mind,
and a violent execration, the flyman whipped up
his horse and pulled it sharply to the near side
towards the little post-office. Quick as he
was, he could not prevent an accident. The
motor-car, indeed, did not cut the horse and
vehicle in two, as had seemed imminent, but
merely grazed the off hind - wheel. Its
occupant let forth a shout ; the flyman had
much ado to prevent his horse from bolting ;
and the motor- car, swerving from the shock,
and wrenched round by its driver, dashed
across the road, into the brick wall that bounds
the curve, and fell with a crash .
" Oh ! He's killed ! " cried Sheila, rising to
spring from the fly.
" Sit still," said her brother sternly, holding
her down. " Pull up, driver. "
" Easier said nor done," growled the man,
" with the hoss scared out of its wits. "
But in a few seconds he had the horse in
hand, and pulled up a few yards down the
road. Buckland then helped his sister out, and
rushed to see what had become of his unfor-
tunate brother. The landlord, ostler, and
boots of the Anchor were already on the
spot ; the proprietor of the Old King's Head
opposite was running to join his rival ; and as
Buckland came up, the vicar hastened out of
his gate in his shirt- sleeves.
 INTRODUCES THE GYRO-CAR 15

The late occupant of the car, a young fellow

of eighteen or thereabouts, turned from
contemplating his battered machine to greet
his brother.
" Hullo, old man ! " he said. " Here's a
pretty mess ! "
"H'm! No bones broken, then . Is this
your surprise ? " said the elder brother in his
best ironical manner.
" More or less,” replied George with a rueful
66
grin. Why didn't you wait for me ? "
" It appears that by not doing so I narrowly
escaped extinction. "
" She's a beauty, really, you know—or was,"
said George.
" I notice a beautiful hole in the wall. But
come, we are being stared at by the whole
population. What are you going 99 to do with
this beautiful machine of yours ?
" I shall have to put her into garage for
to-night, and get her to my workshop for
repairs to-morrow. The front wheel is buckled ;
it's a wonder the whole thing isn't smashed .
If you had only waited, instead of taking a
wretched old fly, we should have been safe
home by this time."
"Meanwhile the fly is waiting. I will leave
you to make your arrangements, and may I
beg you to be expeditious.
Maurice Buckland affected at times a formal
mode of speech that his brother, fresh from
Winchester, found very galling.
16 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

Maurice returned to the fly with his sister,

ignoring the crowd which had by this time
gathered about the car. Having seen this
wheeled by a score of helpers into the garage
attached to the Old King's Head, George
rejoined the others, and the homeward journey
was resumed.
" Just my luck ! " said George. " I was
going to drive you home in fine style. That's
my new gyro-car. "
" Indeed ! "
" It goes like winking."
" So I saw," said Maurice dryly.
" Yes ; my own idea, you know that is, it's
an adaptation of Louis Brennan's mono-rail
car. You saw it has four wheels tandem ; it's
like a motor bicycle. You've heard of the
gyroscope, of course ? "
" I am not aware that I have. "
" Goodness ! Is Sofia such a dead- alive
place as that ? I'll show you how it works
to-morrow. "
66
Spare me ! I have seen how it plays the
dickens with time-honoured means of loco-
motion."
99
" But, you know, it's a splendid-
" So are you, dear boy, but if you'll allow
me to say so, it was quite time I came
home. As your guardian, I must really
exercise a little restraint upon your exuber-
ance. Your allowance is clearly far too big,
if you are squandering it in devising means
 INTRODUCES THE GYRO-CAR 17

for the slaughter of your innocent fellow

creatures ."
George felt somewhat resentful of his
brother's superior attitude, and held his peace
for a minute or two. But his enthusiasm soon
got the better of him, and he began again.
" It's perfectly stunning, Maurice, the way
she goes : isn't it, Sheila ?"
"Yes ; it really is, Maurice," said the girl
eagerly. "We have had some splendid rides."
" Do I understand that you are so dead to
all decency of feeling as to endanger your only
sister's life as well as your own ? " said Maurice
severely.
"There's no risk at all," replied George ;
" that is, no more than in an ordinary motor.
It was simply a piece of rotten bad luck.
The gyroscopes are all right, but there's a
terrific amount of side thrust in turning a
corner, and they've watered the road recently,
so that in making allowance for the possibility
of skidding-
"Pray don't treat me to a lecture on
mechanics. The accident, as I conceive it,
99
was the fault of your making an ass of yourself."
" Here we are," said Sheila, before George
could answer, as the fly drew up at the gate of
a large house. "We've got a lovely lawn,
Ma ur ic e ; I ho pe you've brought your tennis
racquet ."
" My dear child, we have left the dark ages
behind," replied her brother acidly, and the two
C.G. B
18 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

others, as they followed him into the house,

felt that Maurice was even more insufferable
than when he first put on high collars.
This impression was deepened at the dinner-
table. The Honourable Mrs. Courtenay-
Greene was a dowager of severe and wintry
aspect, who wore pince-nez and had the habit
of " looking down her nose," as George
irreverently put it. During dinner she and
Maurice exchanged notes about common
acquaintances, ignoring George until a chance
mention of the gyro-car drew upon him a
battery of satire, reproof, and condemnation.
" I shudder for our reputation," said the
lady. " We are already, I am sure, the talk of
the neighbourhood ."
66
Judging by what I have seen," said
Maurice, " we shall be lucky if we are not
more than the talk. It will be manslaughter,
""
at the least.'
" And our name will be in the papers ! " said
Mrs. Courtenay-Greene. " I live in a constant
state of nervous terror. A motor accident on
the road is disgraceful enough, but George is
actually talking of running his ridiculous
machine on the river."
"Well, Aunt," began George, but the lady
closed her eyes and waved her hands as though
warding off something ineffably contaminating.
66
"I will not listen to your plausible imperti-
nences," she said. " Maurice, shall we go and
hear Tetrazzini to -morrow ?
 INTRODUCES THE GYRO- CAR 19

George looked daggers at his aunt, and stole

away as soon as dinner was finished , to talk
over his grievances with Sheila.
Next day, he went early into the village,
and returned in an hour or two, sitting on a
lorry next to the driver, the damaged car
behind him. It was taken to his workshop at
the foot of the garden. Maurice was walking
on the lawn, smoking a cigarette . He did not
so much as lift his eyes as the vehicle passed,
and George turned his head aside : the brothers
might have been strangers .
For several days George was hardly to be
seen. He had ordered a new front wheel and
fork from the maker, and until they arrived
forbore to speak of the gyro- car, and occupied
himself in repairing the wind-screen in front,
and in working at various mechanical models
with which he was experimenting. He was
going up to Cambridge in October, and the
science master at his school foretold that he
would take a first-class in the engineering
tripos, if he would only concentrate himself and
not dabble in things outside the curriculum .
The new parts arrived . On the next day
Maurice was strolling past the workshop, which
he had never yet deigned to enter, when his
attention was arrested by the sight of his
brother's car standing by itself on the path.
A faint humming proceeded from its interior.
George was not to be seen. In spite of himself,
Maurice found himself gazing at the machine
B2
20 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

with interest, for, though it had four wheels

tandem, and was not supported on either side,
it stood perfectly upright. He glanced round
furtively to make sure that his brother was not
watching, and then walked round the car,
stooping at every few paces to look beneath it
and assure himself that he was not mistaken.
There were no supports ; the machine was
actually balancing itself on its four wheels.
66 Rummy !" he murmured.
" How's it
done ? "
He was peeping over the side of the car,
when George's voice hailed him heartily.
66
Hallo, Maurice ! Isn't she a beauty ? "
Instantly he moved away, and began to
stroll down the path as if nothing could be
less worthy of his attention.
" Swank ! " said George to himself.
He turned the starting-handle, mounted
into the car, depressed the clutch-pedal, and
having advanced the speed -lever a little,
ran up the path, out at the front gate, and
disappeared.
Maurice flung his cigarette away, looking a
trifle disconcerted. He went to his room
opening on to the road, and remained at the
window until he heard the hum of the car
réturning. Then he slipped into the garden,
and was sauntering up and down, when George
ran the machine down the path to its garage.
"I've had ajolly spin," said George. "Nearly
ran into a foreign fellow in the village : there
 INTRODUCES THE GYRO- CAR 21

appears to be a little colony of foreigners there :

come to try boating, I suppose. "
He sprang out of the car, causing it to set
up a slight rocking motion, and went into his
workshop. Maurice stood at a distance of a
few yards, contemplating what was to him an
embodied mystery .
The machine was several feet longer than an
ordinary motor- car, but about half as wide,
and shaped like a boat. Indeed, its general
appearance was that of a motor-cycle which
had broken through the bottom of a rowing
boat. Abaft amidships there was a seat for
two persons, arranged pannier fashion, and
sunk somewhat below the top of the framework
on which it rested . A little to the rear of the
seat was a glass chamber, in which were two
top-like things, connected by a bar. It was,
apparently, from these that the humming pro-
ceeded, but they were not visibly rotating ,
though they swayed slightly. In front was
the casing, presumably covering the motor ;
behind was a similar object, but smaller.
George came out of the workshop.
" Hallo ! " he said, as if recognising his
brother for the first time. " Taking a squint ? "
" What are those things ? " asked Maurice,
nodding towards the glass case.
"Those ? Oh, they're the gyroscopes."
He got into the car, and let down, one on each
side, two supports, each with a small wheel
at the end. Then he moved a lever to stop
22 CRUISE OF THE GYRO -CAR

the spinning of the gyroscopes, got out again,

lifted the cover of the motor, and proceeded
to oil the engine. For some time not a word
was spoken. Then Maurice broke the silence.
" Er ! H'm ! What, may I ask, is a
gyroscope ?"
"
" A top.
" H'm ! Do you think you could manage
to speak in words of more than one syllable ?"
66
Well, gyroscope has three ."
66 I am still a little doubtful
Undoubtedly.
as to the accuracy of your definition, or perhaps
I should say, of the perfectness of my appre-
hension. Will you condescend to be lucid ? "
66
Oh, you want to be treated to a lecture in
mechanics, do you ? Are you sure it won't
hurt you ? Aren't you afraid of your name
getting into the papers ?"
Maurice opened his cigarette- case and
offered it to his brother.
66
Thanks, old man," said George, contritely.
"Got a light ? "
Maurice struck a match, replaced the box in
his pocket with deliberation , and said :
"George, old boy, what is a gyroscope ? "
66
Well, old man, it's a sort of top, as you
see. They're stopping : it takes some time
when they're going at 5,000 a minute. You
can see ' m spinning now. They're in a vacuum ,
to get rid of air resistance and skin friction,
and so you get a high velocity with a minimum
99
of power.
 INTRODUCES THE GYRO-CAR 28

" That is not beyond my intelligence.

Proceed with your lecture, and, if I may
make a suggestion, begin with the use of this
-gyroscope, I think you said."
" It's to keep the machine steady- balance
it, you know."
" I saw that it remained upright when
stationary. That is very remarkable."
"But that's not all. Having two, I can
take the sharpest corners with the greatest
ease. I set them spinning in opposite direc-
tions, and they are so linked that as one sways
to one side, the other sways to the other, so
that the car doesn't topple in turning a
corner."
"The machine apparently goes like a bicycle,
with this difference, that you can stop dead
without tumbling ? "
" Yes, but it's better than a bicycle. A
cyclist has to keep his machine upright : the
gyroscopes do that, and you can give your whole
attention to steering. The wheels being tan-
dem, too, I can use ball-bearings. I've got
a petrol motor that actuates a dynamo, and so
avoid the necessity of altering the gear going
up-hill, and the noise it makes."
In his enthusiasm he had forgotten his
brother's former aloofness, and was now bent
on instructing him. He proceeded with a
piece of stick to draw a diagram on the gravel
in illustration of the scientific details he gave.
•
Maurice listened and looked patiently, but
24 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

at the end of five minutes' technical explana-

tion he yawned and said :
" Ah ! Very interesting, but quite beyond
me. In other respects the thing is an ordinary
motor-car?"
"Yes, but as much faster as a bicycle is
faster than a tricycle. I can go faster than
a four-wheeled motor of double the horse-
power."
" A doubtful advantage. The temptation
to exceed the speed limit must be rather dis-
tressing."
" Besides, being so much narrower, it can go
99
where a motor cannot.'
"That would certainly be an advantage in a
tight place, but I presume they don't allow
you to run on the pavement ? By the bye,"
continued Maurice, " I see that your gyro-
car, as you call it, has no doors, and you have
to vault over the side in getting in and out.
That strikes me as being somewhat of an
inconvenience, and an unnecessary one, to
boot. "
"Not a bit of it. The car is built so low
that it doesn't matter. Besides, it's an amphi-
bious animal, old man ; any sort of opening
in the sides would hardly tend to increase its
sea-worthiness."
" You don't mean to say that the thing
goes in the water too ? said Maurice,
genuinely surprised .
" Aha ! I thought I'd surprise you. I tell
 INTRODUCES THE GYRO-CAR 25

you what, Maurice, we'll go for a spin this

afternoon, and I'll show you how it goes, both
on land and water : that is, if you're not afraid
to trust your precious skin to me."
" My dear boy, I have made my will . Let
us wait and see the condition of my pulse after
luncheon ."
 CHAPTER II

UNWELCOME ATTENTIONS

THE gyro-car ran that afternoon with such

easy speed that Maurice Buckland was stirred
out of his carefully cultivated indifference.
Before it had gone a quarter of a mile he had
ejaculated " By George! " three times in a
crescendo of admiration, and gave a hearty
assent to George's assertion that " she " was a
spanker. Nor was he perturbed when she
narrowly shaved a foreign - looking man
hanging about at the corner of the road that
led to the Weybridge Ferry. After half an
hour's spin George suggested that they should
try her on the water, but then Maurice
relapsed into his former sceptical manner, and
declared that he had had enough for one
day.
On the way back they again passed the
foreigner, who stood aside and watched the
strange car as it flashed by.
Did you notice the greedy look on that
fellow's face ? " said George.
66
I am not in the least interested in him,”
replied Maurice coldly.
66
" I suppose not. You see foreign Johnnies
 UNWELCOME ATTENTIONS 27

every day. He looked as if he wished the car

were his. Will you come on the river to-
morrow ? "
" No. I am going to Town."
" You'll let me drive you to the station ? "
66
By all means, if you'll promise to go
carefully round the corner."
" Rather ! Those old flies are dangerous ,
and ought to be abolished."
Next afternoon George had the pleasure of
driving his brother to the station. As they
passed the Anchor they noticed a large
motor-car with a yellow body standing at the
door ofthe little hotel. Several foreigners were
lounging on the garden seat in front of the
coffee-room. They broke off their conversation
as the gyro-car ran by, looking after it with
curiosity. A minute after it arrived at the
station the motor-car dashed up. Two men
alighted from it, and went into the booking-
office, where Maurice had just taken his ticket.
George did not leave the gyro-car or wait to
see the train off, but called a good-bye to
Maurice over the fence, and promised to meet
him on his return.
Maurice came back by the train arranged.
The gyro-car was awaiting him. Behind it
stood the yellow motor- car, and Maurice was
followed out of the gate by the two foreigners
who had travelled by the up train.
" One of those fellows is a Count something
or other," said George as they drove back.
28 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

" A general "" too. The village is quite excited

about him .'
" British snobbishness ! " said Maurice.
"They came down in my compartment : don't
know our ways, I suppose."
" How do you mean ? "
" There was another smoker two compart-
ments off, quite empty, but they came in with
me : don't know we prefer to travel alone
when we can."
" British standoffishness ! " said George with
a smile. " Did they speak to you ? "
" Yes. It was rather amusing. They

spoke in French about all sorts of subjects,

and by and by got on to ' le cricket,' as they
called it- with the deliberate purpose of
attracting my attention, I believe. They
talked the most fearful tosh. By-and-by one
of them turned to me. I beg your pardon,
6
sir,' he said, in excellent English, but I see
that Kent has beaten Yorkshire by three
wickets. Will you have the goodness to
explain precisely what that means ?""
"What did you say ? " asked George.
" Oh ! I explained to them that the wickets
were three stumps stuck in the ground, and
without waiting for any more, the man turned
6
to his companion and said, Eh bien ! Je l'ai
bien dit. Les vainqueurs rossent les vaincus
avec les stomps .""
" Construe, construe, old man : they didn't
speak French like that at school."
 UNWELCOME ATTENTIONS 29

" More's the pity . What he said was : ' I

told you so. The winners whack the losers
999
with the stumps .'
66
By gum ! " said George with a laugh.
"That stumped ' em. What happened next ? "
" Oh ! I buried myself behind my paper . I
99
dislike extremely being disturbed in that way.'
" There are about half a dozen altogether ,"
said George. " The Count and another are at
the Anchor : the rest, servants , I suppose ,
have overflowed into the Old King's Head.
Rather hard on the boating-men, isn't it ?
Several couldn't get rooms to-day."
" Really, George, I hope you are not
becoming a Paul Pry."
" Of course not. Sheila went into the post-
office to get some stamps, and had it all
thrown at her by the girl there. Foreign
counts are a rarity in Shepperton. What in the
world brought them here ? They don't appear
to go in for boating. "
66
My dear fellow, does it matter ? "
"Well no, but it's funny, that's all. "
Mrs. Courtenay-Greene agreed with her
elder nephew that it was undesirable to pay
any attention to the strangers, even though
one of them was a count and a general.
"It is perfectly shocking," she said, " the way
we are being eaten up by aliens. "
To Maurice Buckland's great annoyance,
however, it proved impossible to avoid the
foreigners. If he walked to the village, he
30 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

was bound to meet some of them. Whenever

he went to Town, it appeared that one or
more of the party had business there too.
Sometimes they returned by the same train,
and then, no matter how many empty compart-
ments there might be, his privacy was sure to
be invaded. Once, when the train was full,
the man whom he supposed to be the count
entered the compartment at the last moment,
and stood between Maurice and the passenger
opposite, courteously apologising for the
inconvenience he caused. Room was made for
him when some of the passengers got out at
Clapham Junction, and he seated himself next
to Maurice, and remarked on the immensity
of the station. His manner was so polite and
conciliatory that it was impossible to snub him
outright, but Maurice took refuge in a cold
reserve that discouraged further advances.
One day George persuaded his brother to
attempt a spin on the river. They ran the
gyro-car down on to the ferryboat, and
George having made the necessary adjust-
ments, took the water and proceeded up stream
in the direction of the lock. Only a minute or
two afterwards the yellow motor-car came
dashing down the road. Three of the
foreigners dismounted from it, hired a boat,
and followed in the wake of the gyro-car,
which had by this time entered the lock. The
gates were still open ; the lock- keeper thought
it hardly worth while to fill and empty for the
 UNWELCOME ATTENTIONS 31

sake of one toll. Consequently, as the gyro-car

lay against the side, waiting, the Bucklands
saw the foreigners' boat coming in at the lower
gates, and zigzagging in a manner that proved
its occupants to be inexperienced watermen.
George smiled as he watched the men's
clumsy movements. The boat entered the
lock, the gates were shut, and the lock-keeper
ran along the side to let in water at the upper
end. When the vessels lay opposite to each
other, with only a narrow space between them,
it was natural enough that a word or two
should be exchanged between their occu-
pants ; and George, who was free from any
taint of standoffishness, responded readily to
the distinguished-looking stranger in the stern
of the boat when he said :
" This is a very remarkable car of yours, sir.
I have seen it once or twice, and always with
great admiration . "
At the same time he made a courteous
salute to Maurice, who acknowledged it
freezingly.
" Yes, it is rather useful," said George,
flattered by the stranger's attentions. A con-
versation ensued between them, in which
George described his mechanism with some
minuteness. The gyro-car was simply a hobby ;
he had no idea of making a secret of it ; and
the stranger's interest was so genuine, and yet
so devoid of inquisitiveness, that George was
soon on friendly terms with him.
32 CRUISE OF THE GYRO -CAR

While they were talking, the upper sluices

were opened, and the water poured with rush
and whirl into the lock. The mechanism
formed another topic of conversation, which
lasted until the lock was filled, the keeper
had collected the toll, and there was free
access to the higher reach.
" I am very much interested," said the
stranger. " Permit me, sir." He handed
George a card. " I am staying with my
secretary at the Anchor Hotel, and I shall be
charmed if you will do me the honour to call
on me there. And you also, I need not say,
sir," he added, bowing to Maurice.
" Thanks awfully," said George.
"I am exceedingly obliged, " said Maurice.
Salutations were exchanged ; the gyro-car
ran smoothly out of the lock, and the boat
followed slowly, watched with a quizzical eye
by the keeper.
" General Count Slavianski ," read George
from the card. "Russian, Maurice ? "
" Or Polish . You will not call on the
99
man ?
" I don't see why not."
" Oh, well, do as you please, but don't drag
99
me with you. I am fed up with continentals.
George called next day on Count Slavianski
at the hotel, and was charmed with his new
acquaintance, and also with Major Rostopchin,
his secretary. He would have liked to return
their hospitality, but Mrs. Courtenay- Greene
 UNWELCOME ATTENTIONS 33

refused to have anything to do with them, so

that the budding friendship did not develop.
One of the Count's servants scraped acquaint-
ance with the under-gardener at the Acacias,
who told his fellow-servants that the foreigner
was a decent chap, and a dab at billiards, as
he had discovered at the Old King's Head.
Three weeks went by. One Monday morn-
ing Maurice received a letter from the Foreign
Office requesting him to call that afternoon
on important business. He took the 2.10
train to Waterloo, carrying a black official bag
in which he had a few unimportant papers that
he intended to leave at the office. Just as the
train was on the point of starting, two of the
Count Slavianski's servants rushed through the
gate and sprang into the nearest third-class
compartment . Maurice congratulated him-
self that they were not the Count himself and
his secretary ; he was a little tired of the too-
frequent company of those gentlemen.
At Waterloo he entered a taxi-cab, which
landed him within a few minutes at the door
of the Foreign Office in Whitehall. He was
somewhat surprised when he learnt that his
interview was to be, not with one of the prin-
cipal clerks, but with the Foreign Secretary
himself, and still more surprised at the com-
munication which that great man made to him.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Buckland ," he said.
" I am sorry to cut short your leave, but you
must return to Sofia at once. I have a despatch
C.G. C
34 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

of the highest importance for your chief, and

you must start to-morrow. I wanted to see
you myself, for this reason : it will be better
for you to go by some route that does not pass
through Austrian or German territory. That
is unfortunate on the score of time, for the
quickest way is undoubtedly by Vienna ; but
you will remember that during the last crisis
a Montenegrin Minister was stopped and
searched by the Austrians-a flagrant viola-
tion of the etiquette of civilised nations, but
one that Montenegro was not strong enough
""
to resent.
" I understand, sir," said Buckland.
" I need not enter into particulars with you,"
pursued the Secretary. " It is enough to say
that things are once more looking exceedingly
black in the Balkans- so black that I do not
care to trust to the telegraph. The despatch
will be written to-night, and you will call for
it to-morrow in time to catch the day train for
Paris. Probably your best course will be to
go straight to Brindisi, where I will arrange
for a torpedo-boat to meet you and convey
you to Constantinople . From Constantinople
you will go by train to Sofia. The Paris train
leaves Charing Cross at 2.20 , as you know ;
you will find the despatch ready for you
by 11."
The Secretary was a man of few words.
He had given his instructions, and had nothing
more to say. Buckland withdrew, left his
 UNWELCOME ATTENTIONS 35

papers with one of the clerks, and, looking at

his watch, saw that he had plenty of time to
catch the 5 o'clock train from Waterloo.
When he left the Foreign Office, the news-
boys were crying the evening papers, and on
one of the bills Buckland read, in large block
letters, the words BALKAN CRISIS . It was
clear that the foreign correspondents had
already got hold of something. He wished
that the Secretary had been more communica-
tive ; it was tantalising to carry an important
despatch of whose contents he knew nothing.
No doubt it was an instruction as to the
policy of the British Government. He bought
two or three papers to see what the rumours
were, then turned into the National Club to
wait until it was time to return to Waterloo.
Just as he entered the door he saw one of
Count Slavianski's men, who had come up by
the same train from Shepperton, walking along
from the direction of Trafalgar Square. The
man gave him a salute and passed on.
The few men in the club smoking-room
were talking about the news from the Balkans.
Buckland, an infrequent visitor, was unknown
to them, and they went on with their conver-
sation, while he sat by the window reading his
papers . He smiled as he caught an oracular
remark occasionally, in a keen discussion as
to what the British policy would be. As to
that he knew no more than they, but his
knowledge of the general situation enabled
c 2
36 CRUISE OF THE GYRO - CAR

him to listen to their random shots with

amusement.
What he knew was as follows.
Austria, having absorbed the Bosnian pro-
vinces some years before, and digested them
with more or less satisfaction to herself, was
now hungry for another meal. The raids of a
number of Servian bands into the discontented
portion of the annexed territories had given
her a cause of complaint against Servia. The
Serbs of Montenegro had been implicated in
these raids, and it was common knowledge
that Austria had long fixed a covetous eye on
the little mountain principality which had
lately become a kingdom. The papers now
announced that three army corps were mobi-
lising on the south-eastern frontier of the
empire, threatening Belgrade and Cettinje.
It was not announced, but all well-informed
people knew, that behind Austria in these
movements, as in the earlier annexation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, was the second
member of the Triple Alliance Germany.
The question that interested journalists,
clubmen, and the Services was, what attitude
would Britain take up in face of this menacing
action ? She had not shown up very well
when Bosnia and Herzegovina were absorbed ;
would she do anything now to protect the tiny
kingdom of Montenegro against her powerful
neighbour ? Buckland suspected that these
questions would be answered in the despatch
 UNWELCOME ATTENTIONS 37

which he was to receive for conveyance to

his chief. He hoped and believed that the
answers would satisfy all who cherished the
prestige of Britain. The British Cabinet would
probably make a firm stand. Russia was now
much more able to stiffen her back than she
had been during the previous crisis, when she
was only beginning to recover from the strain
of the war with Japan. Turkey, too, was in a
better position to resist the southward move-
ment by which Austria was creeping to her
ultimate goal - Constantinople. An improved
government , and a general overhauling of the
army and navy, had made her a power to be
reckoned with. The third member of the
Triple Alliance ― Italy - certainly had no
interest in seeing an Austro- German Empire
extend from the Balkans to the Bosphorus,
perhaps, indeed, to the Euphrates. Britain
might therefore expect support from the
Powers which had formerly been helpless.
One unfortunate element in the situation
was the probability that Austria would have
assistance from the mountaineers of Albania.
These had always looked with suspicion on
the reforms in Turkey, and their distrust had
of late been carefully fomented by Austrian
agents.
This being the general situation , the attitude
of Bulgaria was of the highest importance in
the calculations of each of the Powers con-
cerned. It was rumoured that Austria was
38 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

tempting Bulgaria with promises of large

territorial gains when the projected dismem-
berment of Turkey became an accomplished
fact. Bulgaria had an excellently appointed
army ; her support would be of great value
to Montenegro ; and the diplomacy of the
interested Powers was therefore keenly en-
gaged in the attempt to sway the counsels
of the Government at Sofia. Buckland's
despatch would without doubt convey the
advice of the British Cabinet, through their
representative.
Such were the facts, and such the specula-
tions, discussed in the papers on that July
afternoon. Buckland had a cup of tea in the
club, and at 4.40 hailed a taxicab to drive him
to Waterloo . The 5 o'clock train was not
crowded. Many of its usual passengers were
holiday- making ; it was too early for the rush
of men returning from business. Buckland
settled himself in the near corner of an empty
first-class compartment, placing his official bag
on the seat next to him. A few moments
before 5, Count Slavianski and his secretary
strolled down the platform, smoking very fat
cigars, and entered the compartment in which
Buckland was seated.
A beautiful day, is it not ? " said the Count
genially, as he stepped past Buckland .
"Rather hot in town," replied Buckland ,
burying his face in his newspaper. Really,
these intrusive Russians were very annoying.
 UNWELCOME ATTENTIONS 39

The two foreigners occupied the far corners

of the compartment, and chatted to each other
on subjects in which Buckland took no interest.
The train crawled down the line ; it takes
forty-seven minutes to perform its short
journey of nineteen miles ; and Buckland felt
rather sleepy. At Sunbury, just as the guard's
whistle sounded, the two foreigners suddenly
jumped up, the Count saying to his secretary
in French, " We must get out here." There
was a moment of hurry-scurry ; the train was
already in motion when the two men sprang
on to the platform. The Count waved his hand
to Buckland, with a hurried " Bon soir, mon-
sieur ! " and Buckland wondered for a brief
moment why they had alighted a station short
of Shepperton. But he was so little interested
in them that before he reached his own station
he had forgotten them.
When the train drew up, he rose and took
up the black bag from the seat. An unaccus-
tomed something in the feel of the handle
caused him to look at it. It was exactly
similar to his own bag, but it was not his.
66' I suppose I took up the wrong bag at the
Foreign Office," he said to himself ; " though
I didn't notice anything in the feel of it
before."
The bag was not locked, and he opened it.
There was nothing in it but a morning news-
paper.
The household at the Acacias was variously
40 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

sorry when Buckland announced his imme-

diate departure. Mrs. Courtenay- Greene was
regretful at losing the company of a man
of the world ; Sheila was fond of her brother
when he allowed his natural self to appear ;
and George had found him a very pleasant
companion since he had become interested in
the gyro - car.
"How rotten ! " said the boy on hearing
the news. " Why can't "" they let you enjoy
your holiday in peace ?"
"My dear George," replied Maurice, “ our
little private concerns are as dust swept by a
broom when world-forces are at work. You'll
learn that some day.'
George merely snorted.
Before dinner Maurice made all his prepara-
tions for leaving by the 10 o'clock train in the
morning. After coffee and a game of billiards
he scribbled a note to an old college friend
with whom he had arranged to spend a few
days in the following week, and went out with
George to post it at the little post-office
opposite the Anchor Hotel. When they
reached their gate they saw a man walking
slowly up the road, and at the second glance
recognised him by the light of a gas-lamp as
one of the servants of Count Slavianski. He
turned at the sound of their footsteps, but
immediately faced about and went on more
quickly towards the village.
Maurice Buckland was not by nature a
 UNWELCOME ATTENTIONS 41

suspicious man, but the sight of the foreigner

brought to his recollection the incidents of the
day and of the past fortnight, and for the
first time he wondered whether he was being
dogged. The arrival of the foreigners in the
village a few days after his own ; their apparent
want of occupation ; their frequent visits to
town, going and returning by the same trains
as himself ; their persistent endeavours to im-
prove their acquaintance with him all these
incidents, which appeared to have no special
significance when they happened, seemed now,
in the light of the European situation, to gain
importance. He recalled the strange matter
of the bag, and, thinking backward, fancied
he remembered that the Count's secretary had
a black bag when he entered the carriage at
Waterloo. If in the hurry of their departure
at Sunbury they had taken his bag by mistake,
surely it would have been returned by this
time ; his name was in it. Short though his
experience in the diplomatic world had been,
he was alive to the dangers of espionage ; was
it possible that Count Slavianski and his sub-
ordinates were agents of one of the Powers ?
" A penny for your thoughts," said George
suddenly.
Maurice slackened his pace.
"What would you say to your friend the
Count being a spy ? " he replied in a low tone.
" I say, do you mean it ? " said George.
"What a lark ! Who is he spying on ? "
42 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

" Speak low, and I'll tell you what I

suspect."
He told George some of the essential facts
of the situation, winding up with the incident
of the bag.
" It's rummy, certainly," said George, con-
siderably excited. " But do you think it's
likely ? Why should half a dozen foreigners
spy on you ? What reason have they to sup-
pose that you would have any information of
importance to them ? "
66
Only this ; that I am the only member of
our agency at present in London. These
foreigners do things very thoroughly ; it is not
at all unlikely that they would keep me under
observation. The Count did not travel up
with me to-day, but two of his men did.
wonder whether you could find out discreetly,
in the village, when the Count went up ? "
" Oh ! I can tell you that. I went down to
the village this afternoon to arrange for some
petrol to be sent up. I was standing near
the door of the King's Head, when I saw
a telegraph boy go into the Anchor with a
telegram, and a minute afterwards the Count
and his secretary came out, got into the motor,
and rushed off full pelt to the station, just in
time for the 4 o'clock.'
" Sharp work ! " said Maurice. "Those
fellows must have handed in a telegram
directly we got to Waterloo. No doubt they
heard me tell the taxi-driver to drive to the
 UNWELCOME ATTENTIONS 43

Foreign Office, and the Count hurried up to

see what he could get. He couldn't have
reached Waterloo more than five minutes
before the down train started . He must have
arranged for the car to meet him at Sunbury,
so that there would be no inquiries about the
exchange of bags here. My bag was empty ;
it's lucky the Secretary hadn't his despatch
ready."
By this time they had reached the post-
office. Maurice slipped his letter into the
aperture, and threw a look round. The man
who had preceded them along the road
had disappeared . There were lights in the
Anchor, but no one was in sight.
" I say, Maurice," said George as they
returned, " would a nobleman descend to such
dirty work as spying ? "
" If he's a spy, he's no more a count than I
am," Maurice replied . " He's probably some
clever rascal with a turn for languages ; cer-
tainly his appearance and manner would pass
muster anywhere. Of course I may be utterly
mistaken ; but seeing this is an important
business, it will be just as well to take a few
precautions to cover my departure to-morrow.
We'll suppose they are actually spying on me.
Well, if I leave the house with baggage they'll
know I'm off on a journey, and will dog me.
I'll go up by the 10 o'clock without my
valise, and one or more of those fellows will
come too, you may be sure. They won't
44 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

watch you in my absence ; you can bring up

my valise by your gyro-car, and meet me
in the lounge of the Grand Hotel at Charing
Cross after I've left the Foreign Office. You
can leave the car in the garage. Don't go

through the village, and they won't be any the

wiser.
66 I say ,this is jolly. It will be no end of a
lark to do them. But look here, old boy, if
they are spies, they must keep watch night
and day."
" I daresay they do. We'll find that out."
About midnight the brothers, wearing over-
coats and slippers, left the house by the
backdoor, stole along the shrubbery that
bounded it on one side, and so came to the
hedge dividing the garden from the road.
George crawled through the hedge at the
bottom where the foliage was thinnest, and
peered up the road towards the village.
Nobody was in sight. But as they went up to
their bedrooms they glanced out of a window
on the staircase, overlooking the field on the
other side of the road. A full moon threw its
light from behind the house. Just beyond the
hedge of the field opposite they caught sight
of a man smoking a cigar.
"There's our proof," said Maurice quietly.
66 By gum ! we'll dish them," cried his
brother.
 CHAPTER III

THE YELLOW CAR

NEXT morning Maurice left the house at

half-past nine, and walked through the village
to the station, carrying his black bag. Seeing
Count Slavianski and his secretary on the bench
in front of the hotel, he saluted them with a
shade less coolness than usual, fully expecting
to hear the motor- car behind him before he was
half- way to the station. To his surprise, how-
ever, none of the foreigners arrived in time for
the train, and he supposed that he was to be
allowed for once to make the journey to London
unshadowed . This idea was dispelled as soon
as he reached Sunbury. When the train drew
up, he saw the Count and his secretary on the
platform . They entered a compartment some
little distance away .
At Waterloo he stood at the bookstall for a
few moments, looking out for the Russians
with sidelong glances. He saw nothing of
them. Hailing a taxi-cab, he was driven to
the Foreign Office, which he reached at a
quarter-past eleven. On entering, he was taken
this time to the Under- Secretary's room .
" Good morning, Mr. Buckland,” said the
46 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

official ; " I am sorry to say that the despatch

is not yet ready. News came early this morning
which caused the Secretary to modify his
instructions to your chief. He has drafted a
new despatch, which is in course of being
translated into cipher. I am afraid it will not
""
be ready for a couple of hours yet.'
" That will give me time to make a few
purchases," said Buckland. " I shall be able
to catch the two-twenty ? "
66
" I hope so. It will be a pity to lose half
a day. "
66
" I will leave my bag with you, then, and
return in good time. By the way, you don't
happen to have heard of a gang of Austrian
spies in London ? "
"Not a word. Why do you ask ? "
" A number of foreigners have been living
at Shepperton for a week or two, and I've an
idea they may be shadowing me. The chief
of them passes as a Count Slavianski ."
"I never heard of him. Wait a minute ."
He touched a bell, and a clerk appeared .
" Ask Mr. Rowlands if he knows any-
thing of a Count Slavianski, now lodging at
Shepperton. "
The clerk soon returned .
"Mr. Rowlands heard of the Count this
morning, sir," he said, " and has sent Williams
down to inquire."
Thank you." The clerk disappeared . " We
shall know more presently. Perhaps you had
 THE YELLOW CAR 47

better have a detective or two with you, as far

as Dover at any rate.”
"I think not. They would only drawattention
to me and show the importance of my journey.
These fellows, if they are spies, no doubt have
agents abroad, and would put them on the qui
vive. I had better go quietly, and try to find
some means of throwing them off the scent. "
"Just as you please," said the Under-
Secretary, with a smile.
Buckland went up Whitehall into the Strand,
made his purchases, and started back again to
the National Club. There was no sign of
the foreigners. He took an early lunch, and
returned to the Foreign Office at half-past one.
The despatch still not being ready, he sat down
to wait. While so doing an idea struck him.
He got some Foreign Office paper, and amused
himself by writing an imaginary despatch in
the usual cipher, jotting down the first
words that came into his head. This he
sealed up in a long envelope like those that
were ordinarily used, but took the precaution
to make a small mark on it, by which he
would be able to distinguish it from the real
despatch.
The minutes flew by. Two o'clock came.
Holding his watch in his hand, he began to
doubt his chance of catching the Paris train.
At a quarter past he gave it up. It was half-
past before he was summoned to the Secretary's
room .
48 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

"You have lost the train, " said the Minister.

"It was unavoidable, and is perhaps not alto-
gether unfortunate. The police have just
reported a number of suspicious characters
hanging about the termini.'
66
"I fancy I have been shadowed this morning,
sir," said Buckland . "A Count Slavianski
has been living at Shepperton for some weeks,
with a suite. A detective has been sent down
to make inquiries .'
" Indeed ! Then it will certainly be inad-
visable to charter a special train and hold up
the boat at Dover. We must do nothing to
attract attention. I leave the route entirely
to your discretion. A torpedo-boat will be at
Brindisi on Friday, but should circumstances
render it necessary for you to choose some
other route, you are perfectly at liberty to do
SO. One thing is essential : that you should
99
lose no time ."
" Might I have an Admiralty launch to put
me across the Channel ? " asked Buckland.
"Certainly. What is your idea ? "
"To dodge these fellows, if I can, and join
the slow train to Dover at some little station
down the line. Then I could slip out at Dover
Town station, and cut off to the launch ."
"That sounds promising. I will telephone
to the Admiralty at once.
The arrangement was quickly made. Buck-
land shook hands with the Secretary, locked
the despatch in his bag, and left the building.
 THE YELLOW CAR 49

Glancing down Whitehall, he saw one of

Count Slavianski's underlings forty or fifty
yards away on the opposite side of the street.
He began to walk in the other direction
towards Trafalgar Square, and was not much
astonished to see another of the foreigners
hanging about, in an apparently aimless manner,
nearly the same distance away. As he went
slowly towards the Grand Hotel, this man
moved on also . Buckland crossed the road,
and halted to look in at a bookseller's window.
A glance to the left showed him that the other
man had followed him at about the same pace.
There was no longer the least room for doubt.
He was being dogged.
He went on, and glanced down Northumber-
land Avenue, on arriving at the corner. At the
entrance of the Victoria Hotel stood a large
racing motor-car, with a yellow body. It was
empty, and neither Count Slavianski nor any of
his party was to be seen. But Buckland felt
certain that it was the Count's car. "A very
keen lot," he thought. Keeping a careful guard
over himself so that he should not betray any
sign of consciousness that he was surrounded
by watchers , he walked into the hall of the
Grand Hotel.
" I thought you were never coming," said
George, springing up to meet him. " I've been
here hours. You have lost the train . "
" Yes. Speak low, and don't look towards
the door. I'll tell you all about it. "
C.G. D
50 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

They seated themselves on chairs, placing

them where there was no danger of being
overheard. Buckland lit a cigarette.
" I had to wait while a new despatch was
ciphered," he said. " There's no doubt that
I'm being shadowed, George. The Count and
his secretary got in at Sunbury ; their car's
outside ; and I've just seen two of their men
in Whitehall."
" By gum ! the two others are somewhere
about. I drove across country to Richmond,
but I believe I saw the yellow car behind me
as I came through Putney. It was a good
way behind, and I couldn't be sure of it. I had
enough to do to steer clear of the traffic from
Putney on ; but, you may depend on it, they
had their eye on me, and they know I've got
your baggage."
" Well, it's pretty clear that they mean
business. They're bent on intercepting my
despatch. We know there are six of them ;
how many more we can't tell ; but it looks as
if they've made their plans on a pretty large
scale."
" It must cost a heap of money," said George.
" That's a small matter compared with the
value of the information they hope to get.
For every hundred they spend in obtaining
news they may save a million. They mean
by hook or crook to find out what England's
next move is to be, and when they take a
matter of that sort in hand they don't do things
 THE YELLOW CAR 51

by halves. I'm certain they have made very

complete arrangements to shadow and run
down any one passing between the Foreign
Office and our agency at Sofia. "
" By Jove ! " was all that George could
utter for a moment. His notion of it's being
what he had called a " lark " had quite
vanished. "What will you do, old man ? "
he asked at length.
" I think I had better slip out by the back
entrance in Craven Street, and make a dash in
a taxi for Herne Hill. You stay here till I
'phone you from the station ; then send the
porter with my valise to Charing Cross and
tell him to book it through to Paris by the
9 o'clock. I'll wait at Herne Hill for the next
Dover train."
" That sounds all right. But did they see
you come in ?"
" You may be sure they did."
" Well, they'll watch for you to come out
again. "
66
They may not know of the back entrance.
I'll go and see."
He rose and left the hall. In less than five
minutes he was back again.
" One of the fellows is standing at the
corner of Craven Street and the Strand," he
said quietly. " There's another, whom I don't
recognise, strolling a little way down the street,
and near him there's a taxi with its flag
down. "
D 2
52 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

"Just what you might have expected. You

can't get away without being seen, that's
clear."
66
Well, I must simply go openly, and take
my chance. Where's the gyro-car, by the
way ? "
""
"In the garage.
" Then this is what we'll do. I'll engage a
taxi, and tell the chauffeur to drive northward,
and zigzag for a quarter of an hour or so
through the streets between here and Oxford
Street. If he's up to his work, it will be
impossible for the Count's motor to keep the
taxi in sight. When we're clear, we'll drive
straight to Herne Hill. You must get away
as soon as you can without attracting atten-
tion ; then run out and make for Herne Hill
too. You'll get along faster than any ordinary
motor, because you can squeeze through the
traffic. I hope that I shall draw them all off, so
that they won't trouble about you ; but if they
see you, you must come on as fast as you can,
with due regard to the speed limit. Pick me
up at Herne Hill, and run me down to Dover ;
an Admiralty launch will be waiting for me
there. Have you plenty of petrol ? "
66
Enough to drive from here to Edinburgh.
This is going to be great sport after all . ”
Maurice beckoned the hall porter and asked
him to call a taxi. In half a minute it was at
the door. Maurice walked out slowly, threw
the end of his cigarette away, and, as he stepped
 THE YELLOW CAR 53

in, told the chauffeur to drive to 73, Cavendish

Square, the first number and address that came
into his head.
"Beg pardon, sir, there is no number 73,"
said the driver.
" Oh no ! Thirty-seven. Drive slowly."
At a glance towards the Victoria Hotel,
Buckland saw that the yellow car was no longer
there, but he caught sight of it in a moment
drawn up on the south side of Trafalgar
Square, opposite the offices of the Hamburg-
American Line. Looking over the lowered
tilt of the taxi-cab he failed to see the car
in pursuit, but on reaching the Haymarket he
noticed another taxi-cab about forty yards
behind, and behind that, rapidly overhauling
it, a small private motor-car. He was not
sure that these were on his track, and
determined to put it to the test.
" Driver," he said through the speaking tube,
“ I think that taxi behind is following me, and
I want to shake it off. Take all the side streets
you come to ; never mind about Cavendish
Square ; a sovereign if you do it."
The cabman winked. He ran up the
Haymarket, was checked by a policeman at
Coventry Street ; then, when the traffic was
parted, cut across into Windmill Street, swept
round into Brewer Street, turned the corner
into Golden Square at a speed that caused an
old gentleman to shake his stick and call for
the police, and so by Beak Street into Regent
54 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

Street and presently into Savile Row. Long

before this the taxi-cab which had followed was
lost in the traffic.
" Well done," said Buckland . " Now turn
back and hurry to Blackfriars Bridge, and then
""
to Herne Hill. Choose the quietest streets .'
He sat well back in the cab, congratulating
himself on the success of his stratagem. The
driver made his way by a roundabout course
to the Strand, down Arundel Street to the
Temple, and along the Embankment. At the
entrance to De Keyser's Hotel Buckland noticed
a man standing with his hands in his pockets
beside a stationary taxi- cab. No sooner had
Buckland passed than the man darted towards
the cab, and said a few words to a person
inside . The vehicle instantly started in pur-
suit across the bridge, the man who had given
the alarm dashing into the hotel.
" Well I'm hanged ! " said Buckland to
himself ; he had watched these movements
intently. The pursuers had evidently guessed
that he might make for one of the southern
stations, and had set a watch probably at all
the bridges. He had no doubt that the man
who had run into the hotel was now tele-
phoning to his friends, and the taxi-cab
following close behind would keep him in view.
The number of his own cab had almost certainly
been noted as soon as he entered it.
The affair promised to become even more
serious than he had expected. Considering
 THE YELLOW CAR 55

the best course to follow, he decided that there

was nothing better than to make all speed to
Herne Hill, and then get George to drive him
straight to Dover. The Admiralty launch
would be there awaiting him. He could cross
the Channel at once, while the pursuers would
have to wait for a boat.
The chances of the traffic, and the eagerness
of the cabman, enabled him to outstrip the
pursuing cab as soon as he had passed the
Elephant and Castle, and it was not in sight
when he reached Herne Hill. There the gyro-
car was awaiting him. It was surrounded by
an admiring crowd, and Buckland wished that
he could have chosen a less conspicuous
vehicle. Having paid and tipped his driver
he sprang into the car.
"Straight for Dover, George ! " he cried.
"Right. I have kept the gyroscopes working,
in case anything happened . Are they on your
track? "
"Yes. There's a taxi after me : there it is,
not a hundred yards away."
"Well, they can't interfere with you openly.
There's no hurry. They'll be sold when they
find that you are not going into the station.
Couldn't we have them arrested ? "
" There's no time. I should be wanted as a
witness. Besides, there's no policeman. Now
for Dover : you know the road ? "
"Yes. We'll give them a run, at any rate."
The taxi-cab had by this time pulled up, but
56 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

no one had as yet alighted from it. George

started the gyro-car, and the crowd gave a
cheer as it ran forward at ten miles an hour.
The occupant of the pursuing cab had now
stepped out, and stood on the pavement
watching the departing car with ill-concealed
chagrin. He was a foreigner, but not one of
those whom the Bucklands had previously seen
in the suite of Count Slavianski.
"He sees he is no match for us," said George
gleefully. " I think we are safe now. "
The suburbs were soon left behind, and as
soon as the gyro- car came into the main Dover
Road, away from the bewildering traffic of
London, he increased the speed to twenty
miles an hour.
" Remember the limit," said Maurice
warningly. "We don't want to be held
up .
"We'll chance it," replied George. " In
any case, they'll only take our name and
address, and the Government won't mind
paying the fine, I fancy.”
The gyro-car ran with much less noise
than a motor-cycle, and being also much less
cumbersome than an ordinary motor- car, it
was able to travel at a high speed without
attracting too much attention. Its unusual
shape did indeed arouse a certain curiosity and
excitement among pedestrians and carmen, but
they were more interested in the vehicle itself
than in any calculation of its speed. There
 THE YELLOW CAR 57

might, of course, be police traps on the road,

but it was probable that before the police
became aware of the approach of a car at
excessive speed, it would have shot past
them .
When they had passed through Gravesend,
George ventured to increase the speed to
thirty-five miles.
"I can get eighty or more out of it, if
you like," he said, and in truth he was itching
to put it to its maximum speed, in defiance
of all regulations.
66
' I am quite satisfied as it is, " said Maurice
with a smile. "We are going faster than the
ordinary train, and there's no pursuit."
Here and there the speed had to be reduced
in order to avoid the traffic, but the narrow-
ness of the vehicle enabled it to pass with
much less delay than a motor-car.
"We're nearly halfway," said George, as he
slowed down on approaching Sittingbourne.
6. I say, old man, why shouldn't I take you all
""
the way to Brindisi ?
99
"My dear fellow
66
Oh, I mean it. I can send a wire to Aunt,
and get some pyjamas and a toothbrush in
Paris. It would be the jolliest thing out."
This suggestion, which Maurice was at first
inclined to scout, started a train of thought.
There was very little doubt that Count
Slavianski would take the first train to Dover,
in the expectation of crossing the Channel by
58 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

the ordinary boat with Buckland. Having

made such elaborate arrangements, he would
not stick at trifles to gain his end. On the
9 o'clock train from Charing Cross there
would probably be the Count himself and
several of his men. They would cling to his
track as he journeyed across France, and not
until he joined the torpedo-boat at Brindisi
could he feel safe.
Moreover, when he remembered the out-
rages that had been committed with impunity
on the continental trains, he could not doubt
that he would meet with his greatest dangers
on the other side of the Channel. Three or
four desperate men could certainly find or
make an opportunity of attacking him during
the long and tedious journey to Brindisi,
especially on the Italian portion of it, when
the train, as he well knew, crawled along for
twenty-two hours at an average speed of
twenty miles. He had his revolver, but that
would avail him little if the attack were of the
nature of a surprise, as it assuredly would be.
If the train journey could by any means be
avoided, he would have a much better chance
of eluding the trackers, keeping a whole skin,
and ensuring the safety of his despatch.
" I don't see why we shouldn't try it," he
said after a minute's consideration.
"Good man ! ” cried George, delighted.
" Don't be in a hurry," proceeded Maurice.
"Your licence doesn't run in France."
 THE YELLOW CAR 59

" Of course it doesn't ; but don't you

remember I spent the Easter holiday in Nor-
mandy on a motor-bicycle ? I wrote you ,
didn't I ? I've got my licence for that in my
pocket-book, and we'll make that do. "
66
foresee the necessity for a little
diplomacy," said Maurice, laughing. " But
you haven't any licence at all for Italy."
" That's true, but the Italians will do any-
thing for a tip, won't they ? I hope you've
got plenty of money with you : there'll be
import and octroi duties to pay."
" I think I can manage them. As for the
licence, we shall see."
66
Yes, and I shall say you are not fit for
your job if you can't manage a trifle like that.
It will be great fun. With luck we should
get to Brindisi as soon as the train : and if
you're game to do without sleep, or take turns
with me at snatching a nap, we'll beat the
train . "
"The roads in south Italy are pretty bad,
you know. "
"So are the railways, I'll go bail. Besides ,

we don't want such a good road as the ordinary

motor. I'm sure we can do it."
" Very well ; I'm game, as you put it.
There's this advantage, that if we come to
""
grief
"My dear chap, we shan't come to grief ;
that is, unless we are smashed up by some
scorching motorist. "
60 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

" I wasn't thinking of a smash-up. We

may find ourselves held up for want of a
licence, you know, and have no end of trouble.
What I was going to say was that we can join
the train anywhere en route. If they find we
don't leave Paris by it, they'll not travel by it
themselves. We've several hours ' start of
them, allowing for the Admiralty launch, and
if we go straight ahead we shall be a good
many miles on our way before the train starts,
even ; the Turin train doesn't leave Paris
until 2.10 to-morrow afternoon. We shall
have time for a rest in Paris, and even then
start several hours ahead ."
66 This will be better
Ripping, old man.
sport than going to Scotland with Aunt
Muriel. Here's Harbledown ; we shall be in
Dover in another three-quarters of an hour."
It was a quarter to four when they left
Herne Hill. At twenty minutes past six they
arrived at Dover. They ran straight down to
the Admiralty harbour, where the launch,
with steam up, was awaiting them. It was a
temporarily awkward
awkward matter, getting the
gyro-car on to the launch, for no prepara-
tions had been made for that. But British
tars are handy fellows. At a word from the
lieutenant ten men, five on each side, lifted the
vehicle bodily and carried it on to the deck.
Maurice gave a hurried explanation to the
officer, and scribbled a telegram to Mrs.
Courtenay-Greene to say that George would
 THE YELLOW CAR 61

not be home for a few days. He handed this

to one of the harbour men, the vessel cast off,
and the two brothers mounted to the bridge
at the lieutenant's invitation.
Just as the launch was getting under way,
George suddenly called Maurice's attention to
a large motor-car dashing down the hill above
at a somewhat dangerous speed . It was
coloured yellow.
" Hanged if old Slavianski isn't on our
tracks already ! " he cried. " By Jove ! I
wonder how many policemen he has knocked
over ! "
The car ran straight on to the quay and
pulled up .
" Can you lend me a telescope ? " asked
Maurice of the officer.
In a few moments a seaman brought a glass
from below. Looking through it, Maurice
saw Count Slavianski, his secretary, and two
other men standing beside the car, and speak-
ing to a policeman, whose right arm was
outstretched towards the launch.
" It's rather a joke to think of these
foreigners applying to a British bobby for
information about us," said Maurice, handing
the glass to his brother.
Next moment the men sprang into the car
again, and drove quickly in the direction of
the inner harbour.
"I hope we've seen the last of them," said
George .
62 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

" You may be sure we haven't," replied

Maurice, who more fully realised the serious-
ness of this headlong pursuit. " We must
make the most of our start. The Calais boat
lands passengers in time for the train that
reaches Paris at 5.50 in the morning. We
shan't"" have more than a couple of hours at the
most .
"What's in the wind ? " asked the lieutenant,
whose curiosity had been aroused by the
appearance of the odd -looking gyro-car and the
evident interest of his passengers in the pro-
ceedings on shore. And Maurice Buckland
told him as much as he thought proper of the
story.
 CHAPTER IV

RUNNING THE PLANK

THE Admiralty launch made the Harbour

of Calais about a quarter-past eight. There
was a train for Paris waiting at the Gare
Maritime, but learning that it did not arrive
until 4.15 , the Bucklands decided to stick to
their plan of riding through the night. The
production of George's card of membership of
the Automobile Club, and a short and pleasant
interview between the naval lieutenant and
the Custom House officer, sufficed to frank
the gyro-car without the payment of import
duty. Having enjoyed a meal on board the
launch, the brothers were ready to start at
once, and with cordial good-wishes from the
66
officer, and amid many " He's ” and “ Ah's "
and other exclamations from the onlookers ,
they set off on their journey.
The distance from Calais to Paris is a
hundred and eighty odd miles. George had
cycled over the route in the previous spring,
and knew its general features. It would be
easy, he thought, to maintain an average
speed of at least twenty-five miles on a high-
way kept in such admirable repair as are all
64 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

the French main roads, even allowing for

slowing down when passing through villages
and towns. The sky was clear, and illuminated
by a half-moon, and the powerful acetylene
lamp which he carried at the front of the car
shed its rays many yards ahead. The interior
of the car was lit by two small electric lamps,
one on each side.
" There's no chance of their catching us, is
there ? " said George, as the car spun merrily
along.
66
"I think not," replied Maurice. " They
will have to wait for the train, which doesn't
get to Paris until 5.50. We ought to be
there before four, so that at the worst we shall
have an hour and a half before they can
arrive."
Before they had been two hours on the road,
they were glad to think that they had so much
margin. George was not accustomed to
steering the car at a rapid pace by night, and
Maurice's experience was even less than his
brother's, so that they found it by no means
easy to maintain the speed that George had
mentioned. Until they reached Béthune they
had a clear run, but thenceforward they had
to slow down more often than they wished.
There were octroi barriers, where they were
halted and examined, much to George's
disgust . He found also that the places
through which they passed had quite a
different aspect at night from what he remem-
 RUNNING THE PLANK 65

bered of them by day, and more than once he

had to stop to allow Maurice to ask the way
of a gendarme or an innkeeper. At such
times the curiosity excited by the unusual
appearance of the car found expression in
questions which had to be evaded rather than
answered.

It was growing light by the time they

reached the Porte Maillot. Here they had to
submit to an interrogatory by the officer of
the gate, and George smiled discreetly as he
witnessed for the first time is brother's
diplomatic manner.
" I never knew you could be so polite," he
said, as they ran down the Avenue de la
Grande Armée, " Perhaps it sounds politer in
French than it really is. But it's rotten to
have to pay a tax on the petrol we carry."
A few yards from the gate they saw a taxi-
cab standing at the side of the road. The
driver was in his seat, and two men were
entering the cab as the gyro-car sped by.
" Early birds - or late," said Maurice.
The street cleaners paused in the work to
wonder and admire, and when the car came to
the Place de l'Etoile Maurice turned about to
glance back at an old fellow whose comical
expression of face amused him. He noticed
the taxi-cab coming at a good pace behind
them ; but the road was so broad, and so clear
of traffic, that George drove the gyro-car
through the Champs Elysées at a much higher
C.G. E
66 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

speed than he would have dared in Hyde Park,

and moment by moment it increased. He
turned to the left into the Rue Royale, then
to the right into the Rue St. Honoré, and ran
the car into the garage of the Hotel St. James,
where he and Maurice had both stayed during
previous visits to the city. Having arranged
for the replenishment of the petrol tanks and
the cleaning of the car, they went into the
hotel to get a wash and brush up, which they
much needed after their long journey over
dusty roads. It was half-past four.
Few of the hotel staff had as yet risen, and
the travellers might perhaps have been received
with less consideration had not their former
visits, and their generous tips, been remem-
bered. But a few minutes after they
descended to the salle à manger an appetising
little breakfast was put before them.
"What a difference from England ! " said
George. " I say, Maurice, I'll just run into
the garage to see that things are going all
right. The fellow looked rather sleepy. Pour
out my coffee, will you ? I shan't be a
minute."
While he was in the garage, he heard the
clatter of a horse's hoofs and the hum of a
motor-car in the street ; the sounds struck his
ear all the more forcibly because of the peace-
fulness of the neighbourhood. In mere
unreflecting curiosity he stepped to the door
and glanced out. Next moment he started
 RUNNING THE PLANK 67

back, pushed the door outwards until he felt

that he could not be seen, and peeped out
through the narrow opening just as the motor-
car passed. There were three vehicles. The
first was a large racing motor, not unlike that
with which he had become so familiar at home,
but its colour was a bright green. In it were
seated- and the sight sent a strange thrill
through him - Count Slavianski and Major
Rostopchin, his secretary. Behind it came a
taxi-cab, and a few yards in the rear of this a
fiacre, the driver of which was gee-hoing and
whipping up his horse to its best pace, with
the evident intention of keeping up with the
motors in front. Within this two men were
seated. One of them George recognised as a
servant of the Count's ; the other's head was
at the moment turned away.
George was thunderstruck. By what means
had these persistent foreigners arrived in
advance of the mail ?
"Tell me," he said in his best French to the
man who was rubbing the car down , " is there
""
a train from London at this hour ?
" Ah non, monsieur," replied the man, " but
there is a train from Calais. It arrives at the
Gare du Nord at 4.15 , an hour and a half
before the London mail. "
" A slow train ? "
66 ""
Certainly, monsieur, a very slow train.
" It must be the train we saw at Calais,
said George to himself. "Those fellows must
E 2
68 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

have caught it : but how on earth did they

cross the Channel so soon ? "
He had the presence of mind to show no
sign of his consternation and anxiety, but
strolled out of the garage, and then dashed
into the salle à manger.
"I say, Maurice "- he began, but then
remembering that the garçon had a thorough
command of English, he checked his impetuous
tongue, and sat down beside his brother, who
had already started upon his breakfast.
" Send him to fetch something," he said in
a low tone.
" Bring me an omelette aux fines herbes," said
Maurice to the waiter.
66
Certainly, sir, in five minutes."
" What is it ? " asked Maurice, when the man
had gone.
" Those fellows are on our track," said
George breathlessly . " The whole gang by
the look of it. I have just seen a large green
motor, a taxi, and a fiacre go down the street.
99
The Count and his secretary were in the first.'
66 They went by ? " said Maurice in
amazement.
" Yes."
"Then they don't know our whereabouts ,
yet," said Maurice, heaving a sigh of relief.
" But it won't be long before they do. The
place is full of German spies, and if this so-
called Russian is a German, as I suspect, he'll
soon learn from one of his agents about the
 RUNNING THE PLANK 69

appearance of an odd-looking thing like the

gyro-car. Indeed, I shouldn't be surprised if
those fellows I saw get into a taxi just this
side of the Porte Maillot were his men."
" But how did they get here in the time ? "
66
They must have had a swift vessel with
steam up waiting at Dover. There's no end
to their resources when anything big is at
stake . We're in for a race, George."
"You take it pretty coolly," said George,
who was quivering with excitement.
"That's the first lesson I learnt from my
6 Never get flustered ,' he dinned into
chief.
me. We shall have to trust to the speed of
your car. They don't know where we are, nor
which way we are going, which is one to us .
Get on with your breakfast ; I'll think it
out. "
He ate his omelet with an air of abstraction .
After a few minutes he called the waiter.
" Have you got a road-guide ? " he asked.
" Yes, sir : I will fetch it."
He soon returned with a copy of the
Guide Taride. Maurice glanced at the title
page : " Les Routes de France, à l'usage des
conducteurs d'automobiles et cyclistes .'
"The very thing. I will buy this, waiter ;
the proprietor can easily replace it. It gives
everything we want, George."
He turned over the pages until he came
to the section dealing with the roads out of
Paris.
70 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

66
They'll watch the bridges, as they did in
London," he said, " but they can't watch all
the gates, unless they have a much larger
number of men than is likely. We mustn't
cross the river, so we can't take any of the
three roads to Marseilles ; they all go by the
Porte de Choisy, and that's on the other side
of the Seine. Here we are : Paris to Melun,
forty kilometres. They don't recommend the
first route, by the Porte Daumesnil and the
Bois de Vincennes, so we'll choose that. We
shall join the direct road at Villeneuve- Saint-
Georges, thirteen kilometres distant. And
the sooner we start the better. Go and set
your gyroscopes working, while I pay the bill."
It took several minutes to set the gyroscopes
running at full speed . Maurice was anxious
to start before this, but George pointed out
that they had better not appear in the street
until the car was thoroughly ready, in case
any of the Slavianski scouts were on the
watch.
A few minutes after 5 o'clock they set
off, running back through the Rue Royale
thence into the Rue de Rivoli, until, having
crossed the Place de la Bastille, they struck
into the Avenue Daumesnil. There was little
traffic as yet in that broad thoroughfare,
except for the wagons of tradesmen and
market gardeners coming into the city from
the suburbs.
" We mustn't go too fast while we're within
 RUNNING THE PLANK 71

the walls," said George, " but as soon as we're

outside I'll let her rip, old man. Keep your
eye on the map and tell me how to steer.
Maurice had opened the map of Paris and
spread it on his knees. Directed by him,
George turned into the Rue de Charenton,
left the city at the Charenton gate, after
exchanging a pleasant word with the officer,
and then set the car spinning along until they
came to the bridge over the Canal de Marne.
Being now beyond the probable risk of inter-
ference, George increased the speed to thirty-
five miles an hour, which he maintained for
forty minutes, until they reached the outskirts
of Melun. There the road made a sharp
descent.
" Slow down here," said Maurice anxiously.
" This hill is dangerous, according
to the
Guide, and the pavé is rather slippery with
dew. A sideslip here would break us up.'
Reducing speed to fifteen miles an hour, they
ran down the hill. Before they had reached
the foot of it they saw, on turning a bend,
that the road about two hundred yards ahead
was broken for mending on the right-hand
side the side on which they were travelling,
according to the rule of the road in France.
A thin rope was stretched half-way across the
road, supported on a light iron rod, from which
hung a lantern, that had, no doubt, been lit
during the night. It was not yet 6 o'clock,
and no labourers were on the spot ; but on the
72 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

left-hand side of the road, where there was a

space between the excavation and a wall just
wide enough for the passage of an ordinary
market cart, a small motor-car was approach-
ing the gap in the same direction as the
gyro-car at a low speed. There was plenty of
time for it to pass through the narrowed
portion of the roadway before the gyro-car
overtook it, so George did not reduce his speed
any further, but sounded his hooter as a
measure of precaution.
The motor- car crawled on towards the gap,
the chauffeur throwing a glance over his
shoulder, as if to see whether he had time
to win through before the vehicle behind
overtook him. Moment by moment the
space between the two cars diminished. The
gyro-car was within a few yards of the narrow
portion of the road, when suddenly the motor
stopped dead, completely blocking the pas-
sage, and the chauffeur sprang from his seat
towards the wall bordering the road on the
near side. George involuntarily let out a cry
There was no time to consult with Maurice,
nor even to hesitate between two courses.
The momentum of the gyro-car was so great
that it could not be checked before dashing into
the stationary vehicle. To the left was the
wall, to the right an excavation several feet
deep. Across it lay a narrow plank, used, no
doubt, by the workmen in wheeling their
barrows from one side of the hole to the other.
 1
899Y

A DESPERATE EXPEDIENT
 RUNNING THE PLANK 73

It was supported on the nearer side upon

some loose earth that had been thrown up from
below. What the support on the further side
was George could not pause to determine.
His brother had waxed satirical about his
unpunctuality, but in this critical moment,
when there was only an instant of time for
decision, the boy showed a surprising quick-
ness. There was one desperate chance of
avoiding a collision, which, even if it did not
result in personal injury, might at least
cripple the car. He steered straight for the
plank.
There was a jolt, a sudden dip, and the
sixteen-foot plank sagged under the weight of
the car. A moment of suspense ; then there
was a more serious jolt as the front wheel
apparently left the plank and struck the bank
of earth on the further side, just high enough
to make a passage for itself through the loose
soil at the edge. The two front wheels were
through . Arter an almost imperceptible
interval the third wheel dropped from the
end of the plank on to the earth, and
immediately afterwards the fourth wheel.
The gyro-car was safely across.
Almost before either George or his brother
could fully realise the narrow escape they had
had, the car was forty or fifty yards down the
road *
"Shall we stop ? " asked George, panting ""
with relief. " I'd like a word with that ass.'
74 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

" No, go on," said Maurice quietly. He

was looking back towards the gap. " They
are there !
"The Count ? "
" I don't see him, but there are others.
You were too busy to notice them, but just
as we came to the gap I saw several men
jump up from behind the wall and help to
hoist the chauffeur over. The whole thing was
planned."
"Great Scott ! How in the world did they
get there in time ? "
" I expect they wired or ' phoned from
Calais last night. They knew we must take
this road if making for Italy, and their agents
must have left Paris early to find a convenient
place for waylaying us. They couldn't have
chosen a better one, though, of course, the
opening in the road was purely accidental.
You're a wonder, George. Ishould never
have had the nerve to do it."
" My dear chap, you would run the car
across Niagara on a tight-rope if you knew it
as well as I do. But hang it all !-I hope it
isn't damaged. Don't you think we might
pull up for a minute to have a look ? "
"We had better go on. The Count will
be here before long to see how his trap had
succeeded , and the sooner we are beyond his
lordship's reach the better. We are not out
of the wood yet."
" Can't we stop at Melun and put the
 RUNNING THE PLANK 75

authorities up to collaring the fellows as

German spies ? "
"We've no proof that they are, and it
would never do for me, in my position, to set
France and Germany by the ears. It would
mean delay, too. No : our job is to get to
Brindisi as soon as we can. Run a few miles
farther ; then we'll halt to examine the car ;
but it goes so easily that I don't think much
damage is done."
" All right. Are they after us ? "
" There's no sign of them. We win the
trick. "
 CHAPTER У

ACROSS THE ALPS

It was still so early in the morning that the

gyro-car ran through Melun without attracting
attention, except from a few market - people
and a priest on the way to church. Maurice
inquired the way to Sens of a wagoner, and
they mounted the hill towards the village of
Sivry at a speed of twenty miles an hour. On
reaching level ground again George increased
the speed , and before 7 o'clock arrived at the
crest of the long hill descending to Monte-
reau. The morning sun shed a brilliance over
the town, which had scarcely yet awaked to
activity ; and as the travellers coasted down
the hill, they forgot their excitement for a few
moments as their eyes delighted in the
spectacle of river, church, and castle.
There being still no sign of pursuit, they
halted at a blacksmith's and alighted . The
clang of hammer on anvil ceased, and the
smith, attracted by the sound of the engines,
came to his door.
" Hé, messieurs ! " he said on beholding the
gyro-car balanced on its four wheels, " com-
ment ce diable de machine se tient-il debout ? "
 ACROSS THE ALPS 77

Maurice laughingly explained , while George

stopped to examine the wheels. He found
that the tyre of the foremost of them was
gashed . Luckily he had a spare tyre in the
car, and, replacing the injured one with assist-
ance from the smith, he was ready to set off
again in a few minutes.
On leaving Montereau they spun along the
excellent road at the rate of thirty-five miles
an hour.
" I presume they have a speed limit in
France," said Maurice, warningly.
" Oh yes, thirty kilometres. Every town
can fix its own, I believe, and it's as low as six
kilometres in some, but we needn't bother
about that. There are no bobbies on the
roads here, with stop-watches."
" But there's a penalty, I suppose ? "
" No doubt, but I don't believe they
prosecute unless you do some damage. Far
more sensible than our ridiculous regulations ."
" Mieux vaut prévenir que guérir," said
Maurice .
" What's that mean ? "
"Your ignorance is deplorable. Haven't
you heard that prevention is better than
cure ? "
" That's all rot : you don't have all your
teeth pulled to prevent toothache . I wonder
the French have such a proverb. It's our
confounded British caution that let them get
ahead of us in motoring and aviation. And
78 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

look here, Maurice, don't for goodness' sake

talk French to me. Keep it for emergencies.
I can't stand it.'
At Sens they waited only to purchase a
spare tyre and to swallow a plate of soup at
the Buffet. Then they set off again, intending
to get a substantial déjeuner at Dijon. Both
were rather sleepy, and as the temperature
increased Maurice began to doze. George
took advantage of this to spin along at a much
higher speed than before. The road was so
good, running almost all the way through a
valley, that the gyro-car travelled with as
little vibration, noise and dust as a motor-car
of the best make going at half its speed.
It was a little past twelve o'clock when
George came in sight of a large town, which
he guessed was Dijon. He nudged Maurice,
exclaiming :
" Here we are ! I'm desperately hungry,
and now's the time for you to air your
French."
" Surely we're not at Dijon already ! It's-
let me see " —he turned over the pages of his
Guide " it's over three hundred kilometres
from Paris-a hundred and eighty miles. You
must99 have been tearing along at a terrific
pace.
"Not fast enough to wake you. You don't
snore very loud, old man ; but I haven't had
to use my hooter."
Maurice ignored his brother's impudence.
 ACROSS THE ALPS 79

" This Guide is all very well," he said, “ but

it doesn't name any hotels. I shall have to
inquire."
66
Well , there are plenty of people about,
staring at us with all their eyes. Ask that
dear old Sister of Mercy there : did you ever
see such a happy-looking old lady ! "
But here a red- trousered gendarme came up
and requested Monsieur to show his certificat
de capacité. George was producing his motor-
bicycle licence, and a corner of it was visible,
when Maurice slipped a franc into the man's
hand and asked him to direct him to an hotel.
"Ah ! Monsieur is English ! " said the
gendarme. " There is a good hotel in the
Place Darcy to Monsieur's left. Merci bien,
monsieur. "
" As you've driven so fast," said Maurice, as
they went in the direction indicated, 66 we
ought to have plenty of time for a decent
meal, even if the Count is still after us. I'm
afraid there won't be time for you to have a
99
nap.
" Oh ! I'll take my turn when we start
again. I think I can trust you to drive—for a
few miles at any rate."
For seven francs they had a capital déjeuner
at the hotel. When they had finished, George
had the machine oiled, and bought a supply of
petrol, and about 1 o'clock they started for
the next stage of their journey, Beaune, thirty-
six kilometres distant.
80 CRUISE OF THE GYRO -CAR

" Now, old boy, it's up to you," said George,

as they left the town behind them . " The
road is quite flat, and we'll get along all right if
you're careful. Wake me if anything happens."
Maurice had driven the car once or twice at
home, so that he undertook the piloting without
any tremors. But, being cautious by nature
and training, he contented himself with a
speed of twenty miles. It was more than an
hour before he reached Beaune. George was
fast asleep, so his brother made no halt, but
ran on at the same pace along an equally level
road for another two hours. Then, just after
passing the village of Romenay, where for the
first time in more than fifty miles the road
undulated, he heard the characteristic hum of
a motor-car some distance behind. The gyro-
car itself, moving at a comparatively low speed,
made so little noise that he was aware of the
sound almost as soon as if he had been walking.
The road was clear, and, keeping his hand
on the steering wheel, he ventured to look
round. A considerable quantity of dust was
rising, and through this cloud he was for a few
moments unable to see whether the motor was
actually travelling the same road or not. But
going round a slight curve in the direction
from which the breeze was blowing, he saw,
as the dust was carried aside, a motor-car
running at a great rate towards him, about
half a mile away. He could take only a fleet-
ing glance, the alternate dip and rise of the
 ACROSS THE ALPS 81

road necessitating watchfulness ; but that

glance sufficed to tell him that the car was
running at a much higher speed than his own.
He wakened George .
" There is a motor behind us," he said.
" Just take a look at it."
George was up in an instant.
"There's so much dust that I can't be sure
of the colour of it," he said, " but it's a powerful
car, and gaining on us. What's your speed ? "
66
He glanced at the indicator . Twenty ! quite
lady-like, upon my word. Let me get back to
my place."
"I don't like the idea of running away,"
said Maurice. " It may not be the Count's
car at all. "
" Prevention is better than cure, as you
reminded me a while ago," said George with a
grin. He looked back along the road again .
66
By gum ! " he cried, " it's coming at
spanking pace. It must be a racer. Better
be on the safe side . I'll drive ; you keep your
eye on it. You may be able to see the colour
of it when we come to a curve."
They exchanged places. George immedi-
ately increased the speed to forty miles . At
that rate he dashed through the village of
Mantenay, outstripping a train that was
running along the line. Farm labourers
trudging home from the fields pressed into
the hedges to avoid the car, and at St. Julien,
a mile and a half further, George narrowly
C.G. F
82 CRUISE OF THE GYRO -CAR

escaped dashing into a flock of geese, which

waddled off into the village pond uttering
shrill cries of alarm .
Better be careful," said Maurice.
" Oh, geese don't matter. I killed one near
Caudebec at Easter, and the owner came up
in great excitement with a gendarme. But
the gendarme only shrugged his shoulders and
said, as near as I could make out, ' It is
999
forbidden to pasture geese by the roadside.'
Maurice smiled.
" Pasturing geese is distinctly good," he said.
Again the road was quite level.
"It is still gaining, very rapidly now," said
Maurice, who caught fleeting glimpses of the
motor through rifts in the cloud of dust.
" And it is green as grass ! ”
"Well, I hope the Count likes our dust,"
said George . " He must be getting his fill of
it.__We'll go a little faster. ”
He advanced the speed-lever, and increased
the pace to fifty, and finally sixty miles an
hour, at which rate the car dashed through
Javat. The horse attached to a market-
wagon there took fright, and galloped into a
by-road only just in time to avoid a collision.
The kilometre stones flashed by at two a
minute. A sign-post with a staring warning,
"Allure modérée," at the entrance to Mon-
trevel, forced George to reduce his speed to
fifteen kilometres ; but since this applied
equally to the pursuing motor he did not care
 ACROSS THE ALPS 83

a rap for that, as he said . By the time they

reached Bourg there was no sign of the motor,
but when they had run up the narrow wooded
valley of Alberine beyond Ambérieu , Maurice,
looking back, descried the pursuer rushing along
at a reckless speed, its dust trailing behind like
the smoke of a steam-engine.
66 "We
" They'll lose up-hill," said George.
have the better of them there . But it's lucky
the road is dry and pretty straight. If it were
wet I should have to slow down to avoid
skidding."
The road now undulated frequently, the
slopes in some places being very steep. They
dashed along beside a picturesque lake ; then,
a little distance ahead, they saw a level cross-
ing, and a man in the act of shutting the gates.
George sounded his hooter and increased the
speed. The man hesitated, looking up the
railway line. Before he could make up his
mind the car raced through.
A few miles further on they came to another
level crossing. Here the gates were already
shut. Continuous hooting failed to bring out
the gate-keeper, and George had perforce to
pull up.
" Another chance for your French , old
man," he cried to Maurice. " Skip out and
run to the cabin yonder. Tip the man
handsomely, and he'll let us through. "
Maurice sprang out and hurried to the
gate-keeper's hut. The man was eating his
F 2
84 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

supper. Maurice lifted his hat, and, jingling

the coins in his pocket, said :
"Will you be good enough to open the
gates ? "
" Impossible, Monsieur ; a train is due,"
replied the man.
"We have a little wager with some German
gentlemen in a green car behind," proceeded
Maurice, pouring out the words with extra-
66
ordinary quickness. They say 1870 is
forgotten : they can run across France as
quickly and easily as a Frenchman. They
have only to call, and a Frenchman will
spring to do their bidding. We don't believe
that, we English. You'll let us through, I'm
sure, and we shall be able to show our German
friends that the entente cordiale stands for
something. "
Before he was half-way through this speech
the gate-keeper had moved to the door. By
the time it was ended he was running to the
gate. He looked up the line ; the train was
not in sight, and in less than half a minute the
gates were thrown open.
"Conspuez les Allemands ! " said the man as
the gyro-car ran across.
The moment it had passed he closed the
gates, and stood looking up the road for the
mpudent Germans.
A few kilometres beyond Aix-les-Bains the
road was blocked by the gates of another
crossing. Here Maurice told the same story,
 ACROSS THE ALPS 85

and the keeper entered into the spirit of the

trick even more thoroughly than the other.
The train would have passed, he thought,
before the German car could arrive, and he
would have no reason for keeping the gates
closed against it.
" But no matter, Monsieur," he said. " If
no reason, I can find an excuse. I have a
little shunting to do. The Germans shall
see ! "
Pocketing Maurice's coin with a cheerful
grin, he shut the gates behind the gyro-car and
re-entered his cabin.
Evening dusk was falling ; it would soon be
dark. Maurice was anxious to cross the
Italian frontier that night. The little town
of Modane, where he must necessarily stop
to deal with the Customs officers, was still
more than a hundred kilometres ahead . It
might not be so easy there as it had been at
Calais to get the gyro-car passed. Maurice
was ignorant of the regulations, whereas he
had little doubt that the pursuers were well
informed on all essential points.
"The worst of it is," he said to George,
66
" they are so horribly persistent that we hardly
dare stop even for a meal. They are determined
99
to run us down .'
" Couldn't we lay a trap for them and smash
up their old motor ? " suggested George .
" It's too dangerous a game to play. We
might trap the wrong people. And I confess
86 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

I take a sporting interest in the race. We

don't want to harm the fellows ; they are only
doing what they are paid for. I regard it as
a match between our Government and the
Austrian, and so much the more credit to us
if we play the game."
66
They
"" won't scruple about playing the
game.
“ That hardly absolves us, does it ? Their
only chance of getting my despatch is to over-
haul us and take it by main force, so that it's
essential that we should keep ahead of them.
We have managed to delay them at the level
crossings ; we must see what we can do at
Modane, and if you're game, and we get
through, we'll go right on to Turin."
" Don't you want your dinner ? " asked
George.
" I am ravenous. We ought to have gained
an hour or two by the time we reach Turin,
and can then get a meal. Look out, George ;
this is rather steep ."
They were descending the hill into
Chambéry, and here, for the first time since
leaving Paris, they were delayed at the octroi
barrier. It was not yet dark, and hearing the
hum of the approaching car, the official stepped
out of his little house into the road and held
up his hand as a signal to stop .
"There is no tax on petrol here ; why can't
they leave us alone ? " grumbled George, as he
brought the car to a standstill .
 ACROSS THE ALPS 87

66
They like to show their authority, I
suppose," replied Maurice. "Treat them
civilly, and all will be well."
" Permit me, Monsieur," said the man
courteously, lifting his hat.
"Certainly, Monsieur," said Maurice, rising
in his seat.
The man looked into the car to see if the
travellers had anything taxable concealed :
then poked a bamboo stick down among the
air-chambers, George being on thorns lest he
should puncture them. Finding nothing
suspicious, he smiled pleasantly, lifted his hat
again, and waved his hand to indicate that the
car might proceed.
" Confounded red tape ! " growled George, as
he re-started, after lighting his lamp. " Now
I'll let her rip. What sort of road is it ,
Maurice ? Switch on the light and look at
your Guide."
" It's a hundred and one kilometres to
Modane, a gradual ascent all the way. We're
coming among the mountains."
" That's all right. We'll beat Slavianski
easily, going up-hill. And how much farther
""
to Turin ?
" A hundred and twelve : that's about a
hundred and twenty-seven miles altogether."
"Well, we'll do it in under four hours if
the Customs don't cause trouble . We ought
to get to Turin about eleven ; there'll be no
traffic on the road at this time of night ; then
88 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

we'll have dinner, and follow it with supper : I

feel as if I hadn't eaten for a week. "
They reached Modane in an hour and a
half, and halted at the Customs station.
Maurice, feeling very stiff, alighted from the
car, and met the official at the door. He had
already ascertained from his Guide that the
dues on motor- cars were levied by weight, but
that motor-cycles were passed on payment of
a fixed due of forty-two francs.
" Monsieur will place the car on the
weighing- machine, " said the official, politely.
"Certainly, Monsieur, if you insist," replied
Maurice : " but, as you perceive, our car is of
the nature of a motor- cycle."
The man walked towards it .
" It is as you say, Monsieur, " he said, staring
at the car. 66'But, pardon me, it runs on four
wheels : ma foi ! it stands on four wheels ! I
have never seen such a thing before : it is not
mentioned in the regulations ."
" No, it is a new invention," said Maurice,
courteously, as if he were addressing a prince.
"It is, as you see, a sort of double bicycle, and
is kept upright when stationary by the gyro-
scopes spinning at the back there. You would
like to look at them, no doubt . "
" Don't waste time," said
time," George in
English.
"It will save time in the end . Stop the
spinning and let down the supports. "
The official was vastly interested in the
 ACROSS THE ALPS 89

novel mechanism . Maurice explained it as

well as he could, perpetrating several howlers,
as George informed him afterwards ; then he
suggested that, as there was no provision in
the regulations , the law might be satisfied on
the payment of the sum for a motor- cycle.
" But it is double, Monsieur. I must ask, I
fear, for eighty- four francs ."
66
Very well," said Maurice, handing over
the money.
66 66
'Now, Monsieur," said the official, " I must
make out the certificate for importation tem-
poraire. You will give that up when you leave
the country, and the sum you have deposited
will be returned to you."
"Do you think you could stretch a point,
and let us go without that ? We are in a
great hurry, and I will tell you why. I am
proceeding on an important mission for the
English Government. There is a party of
Austrian gentlemen pursuing me in a green
motor-car, hoping to defeat me. They know
your country thoroughly, every pass and by-
road ; it used to belong to Austria, as you
know, and I think they would like to get it
again. "
The man let out an exclamation in Italian :
there are no friends of Austria in Italy !
" But I think that while you have your
Alpine troops on the frontier," pursued
Maurice, "the Austrians had better remain
on their own side of the Alps."
90 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

"Per Bacco ! I agree with you, Monsieur.

These Austrians are coming behind you ? "
"Yes. They have chased us from Paris.
Perhaps when they arrive you would suggest
that we are proceeding to Venice ? "
You
" Ah ! I perceive. Yes, I will do so.
may pass without a certificate if you will take
the risk. But you should have a green light
as well as a white ; it is the regulation."
"We will get one to-morrow. We must
take our chance to-night. What is the speed-
limit in Italy ?"
" Forty kilometres in open country, Mon-
sieur ; twelve in town. At night, fifteen."
" Thank you." George was smiling.
Maurice thanked the official profusely, and
with mutual compliments the interview closed .
"Fifteen ! " said George, as they set off
again. " Fifteen be hanged ! we'll do forty
at the least," and at that speed he set the
car spinning along the mountainous winding
road that connects Modane with Turin. There
was little but the coolness of the air to tell
them that they were now crossing the Alps.
It was too dark to see the form of Mont Cenis
towering above them, and even George felt a
little regretful that he could not get a glimpse
of the mountains. They reached Turin soon
after eleven, and at the Hotel Europa did full
justice to the excellent repast with which they
were provided at extraordinarily short notice.
 CHAPTER VI

A NARROW MARGIN

THE Bucklands spent very little time

over their supper at the Hotel Europa. Not
knowing how far behind the pursuers were,
Maurice hid under his imperturbable mien a
very real anxiety. George, for his part, was
much concerned about the gyro-car. After so
long a journey as he had just made, a railway
engine would have a thorough overhauling ;
but there was no time for more than a rapid
examination of his mechanism. He required
petrol and oil ; the hour was late, and no doubt
all the establishments where these essentials
could be procured had been closed long ago.
It was just possible that they might be obtained
in the garage of the hotel ; so, after satisfying
his hunger, he left Maurice to attend to the
wants of his inanimate steed.
Maurice, as he sipped his coffee, found him-
self wishing that someone had invented a means
of seeing in the dark, or of hearing at immense
distances. If he had possessed either of those
as yet hitherto unattained powers , he might
have indulged in the sleep he needed, with a
mind at ease.
92 CRUISE OF THE GYRO -CAR

A quarter of an hour after the gyro-car ran

the plank at Melun, Count Slavianski (whose
name in private life was Max Mumm ) arrived
on the scene with his so-called secretary, who
was neither a major nor a Rostopchin, but a
German ex -sergeant of cavalry, by name
Ernst Böhmer. The Count -let him enjoy
his brief ennoblement-was furious at the
failure of his trap . As Maurice Buckland
surmised, he had telephoned from Calais to his
agents in Paris instructing them to watch the
southern road, and to devise any plan that
seemed good to them for stopping the gyro-
car. The unusual shape of that unique vehicle
made its identification easy, and the Paris
agents laid their trap at the spot where the
chance breaking of the road seemed to promise
certain success. Perhaps the Count's anger
was the more intense because he had no
reasonable ground for complaint. His instruc-
tions had been carried out, and if he had not
wasted time by waiting for information from
his emissaries at the bridges, he would almost
certainly have reached Melun before the men
he was pursuing.
His stratagem having failed, there was
nothing to do but to continue the pursuit.
Without doubt the gyro-car would keep to
the main road, and in fact the Count had tidings
of it at every place where his racing-car had
to slow down in obedience to local regulations.
When he caught sight of it for the first time
 A NARROW MARGIN 93

a mile or two beyond Romenay he exulted.

If he could only catch it before it reached
Turin, he felt very pretty sure that at some
lonely spot on the mountain road he and his
three companions in the car would have the
diplomat at his mercy.
But at the level- crossing near Le Viviers he
suffered an exasperating check. The gates were
closed . Insistent appeals failing to bring the
gate-keeper from his cabin, one of the men
got out of the car to open the gates himself.
But a prudential management had ordained
that the apparatus should not be easily mani-
pulated by the first-comer, and the man was
still fumbling with it when the keeper appeared
from behind a hedge, and with great indigna-
tion demanded what he meant by interfering
with the property of the railway.
Then ensued a brisk and heated altercation,
in which the honours lay with authority. It
is wonderful what assurance even the meanest
office gives. The Count demanded that the
gates should be opened instantly. The gate-
keeper replied that not for the President of
the Republic himself would he open them until
the train had passed . The Count produced his
card.
" Germans ! " muttered the official, sniffing.
" But no ; we are Russians ! " cried the
exasperated Count.
66
"I know those Russians ! " replied the man
grimly .
94 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

The Count produced a five-franc piece.

66
Hé quoi ! you think to bribe me ! " said
the scandalised official.
"Really, my good man," said the Count,
struggling to command his temper, " you
exceed your duty."
" Ah ! Monsieur perhaps knows his duty
well. Where is Monsieur's certificat de
capacité ? "
" What right have you to ask that ? "
" Never mind ," said the Frenchman.
With an oath the Count drew from his
pocket-book the licence headed " République
Francaise. " The man took it and scrutinised
it carefully, comparing the little photograph
pasted on its left-hand side with the original
before him, wrinkling his brow as he read the
name, Alexis Slavianski, the birthplace,
Borisoglebsk, and the other details required
by the authorities. This wasted another five
minutes. Then the Count lost his temper
utterly, and exchanged a wordy war with the
gate-keeper, which had no other result than
to waste more time. It was twenty minutes
before the train ran by, and not till then did
the man open the gates for the passage of the
motor-car.
"We have forgotten 1870, have we ? " he
said with a chuckle, as the car disappeared in
a cloud of dust.
At every crossing the Count had the
same experience, with slight variations, chiefly
 A NARROW MARGIN 95

against him, in the period of waiting. His

eagerness, impatience, and finally abuse
convinced the gate-keepers that they were
serving their country in delaying him, and the
absence of other traffic on the road enabled
them to give free play to their patriotism
without inconveniencing their fellow - country-
men. Consequently the green motor reached
Modane nearly two hours after the gyro- car had
left it.
At Modane occurred the worst check of
all. The Customs officer took a long time
in weighing the car, and then, by an unfor-
tunate miscalculation, asked for a hundred
francs more than was due. He demanded
to see the Count's certificat de capacité, and
made out with great deliberation a similar
licence for Italy. He was equally deliberate
in preparing the certificate for importation
temporaire, and the Count, fume as he might,
had to wait for that document. Every
impatient word he spoke lengthened the delay ;
the officer broke a pen, made a blot which he
erased until not a vestige of it was visible, all
with the most charming courtesy and frank
apologies. He entertained the Count with a
full description of an extraordinary car which
had passed through on the way to Venice a
little earlier, noting with keen enjoyment
the exasperation which the traveller, weary
after his long journey, vainly tried to conceal.
By the time the motor- car once more took up
96 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

the pursuit, the Bucklands had finished

their supper, filled their tanks, and run forty

miles beyond Turin in the direction of
Venice.
This was, however, only a blind . If the
Count could be deluded into rushing on to
Venice, so much the better. About forty
miles from Turin George turned into the road
leading southward through Alessandria to
Genoa. It was a beautiful night, the air crisp
and clear, the sky a dark blue vault spangled
with stars, and a rising moon shedding a white
radiance over everything, The road was good
and fairly level. The brothers took turns at
driving and napping, and kept up an even
pace of about thirty miles an hour. It was
five o'clock in the morning when they reached
Genoa. Putting up at a quiet hotel where
Maurice had formerly stayed, they got a bath,
breakfasted , and spent some time in studying
the map. In Italy the Guide Taride no longer
served them, and they had to choose their
own route. They decided to run to Rome by
way of Pisa and Leghorn, then to Naples, and
thence across the Peninsula to Brindisi. By
six o'clock they were again on the road.
""
"This is the Grand Tour with a vengeance,'
said George as they sped along, with the
blue Mediterranean on their right, and on
their left the olive-clad slopes of the Apennines.
" I should like to do it at a more leisurely
pace. "
 A NARROW MARGIN 97

" I don't know. I find the speed exhilarat-

ing.'
" That's a confession for a cautious old
diplomat ! Well, if you like it you shall have
it. There's no one about."
He opened the throttle, and soon had the
car spinning along at nearly seventy miles an
hour.
" Look out for the turn ahead ,” said Maurice
anxiously, after a minute or two.
" All right. ”
He threw off the power, but there was
scarcely any slackening of speed. He clapped
on the brakes gently ; the bend in the road
was very near. It happened to occur at a
little hollow, partly overshadowed by trees,
and a few yards of the roadway were covered
with a film of greasy mud. The brakes, now
fast set, were unequal to the demand upon
them . Experienced motorist as he was,
George had the sickening feeling to which the
most hardened never becomes accustomed ;
the car was skidding. It swung round ; he
managed to steer it past a stone post at the
roadside, shaving the obstacle by an inch ; and
then it seemed to vault the shallow ditch, and
was finally brought up in the middle of a hedge
of brambles. But it maintained its balance.
" This is more excoriating than exhilarat-
ing," said Maurice coolly, as he passed his
handkerchief over his scratched cheeks . " You
steered wonderfully, but I think for the rest
C.G , G
98 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

of our journey we had better be respectable,

even if we are dull ; we can't afford time for
repairs ."
" You're right, as usual, old man. By Jove !
that was a squeak. I had the most ghastly
feeling. I hope there's no buckling."
They got out and examined the car. There
was no apparent injury. Dragging it back to
the road they resumed their Journey, content
to jog along, as George described it, at thirty
miles an hour.
It was a pleasant ride along that coast road,
through fishing villages, with the sea, spark-
ling in the early sunbeams, on one side, and
groves of oranges, lemons, and olives on the
other. Here was a row of date-palms, there
an avenue of plane trees, and at intervals
brightly decorated villas gleaming amid
abundant greenery. The road began to be
populous with fishers, donkey-drivers, girls
going to the lace factories, barefooted young
labourers on their way to the vineyards and
olive-yards. They stopped to gaze at the
gyro-car ; a youth would raise a " Viva ! " a
girl wave a coloured kerchief-smiling, happy
people in a smiling country.
Presently Pisa hove in sight, with her marble
cathedral and leaning tower gleaming white in
the sunlight. But the travellers could not wait
for sightseeing ; they ran across the Arno
and along the pine- clad road to Leghorn,
passed through this grimy seaport, on and on
 A NARROW MARGIN 99

until, as they topped a rise, the battlements of

the fortress at Volaterra struck upon their
view. Through the narrow, steep street of
Colle, crowded with children , who shrieked as
they tumbled out of the way ; along the
cypress-shaded road, winding over and around
the hills ; and they see the towers of Siena.
Still they do not halt, until one of the front
tyres burst with a loud report, and they had
to stay at a little village while it was replaced.
They profited by the enforced stop to take
their luncheon. The village inn had little to
provide them except hard brown bread and
eggs fried in butter, with a sourish wine
for beverage. But they were hungry enough
not to be fastidious. After a halt of half-an-
hour they set off again, and ran along steadily
through the hot afternoon until, about four
o'clock, they came to Rome.
Here they stayed an hour for an early
dinner. The next important stage would be
Naples, and as they could not hope to reach
that city until past midnight, they thought it
best to have a full meal before going on. They
bought petrol and two new tyres at the British
Stores, and left at 5 o'clock. Six hours
later they came to Naples, having again slept
and driven in turn. There they took a light
meal. The mail train, as Maurice knew,
arrived at Brindisi at 11.30 a.m. It was
possible that the Count himself, or if not he,
some of his men, had boarded the train, and
G 2
100 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

since it was all-important that it should not

reach the port before them, they refused to yield
to the solicitation of fatigue, and started at
2 o'clock in the morning for the ride across
from sea to sea.
They had an easy run to Eboli, but after
crossing the Sele river, when dawn was break-
ing, they found the road difficult. The soil
was loose ; there was scarcely half a mile
level ; the ascents and descents were steep and
dangerous. George was in a constant state of
anxiety lest a tyre should be punctured, and
drove more slowly than at any previous part
of the journey. They had almost forgotten
the pursuers . What was their amazement
and consternation, as they began the ascent of
a steep acclivity, when, hearing the sound of a
motor behind them, they turned their heads
and beheld the green motor flashing at head-
long pace down the incline they had just
descended.
George instantly threw open the throttle,
and the gyro- car raced up the hill at a speed
of forty miles . The motor was little more
than fifty yards in the rear when it reached
the foot of the hill. Then it lost ground,
but as soon as it arrived at the crest it
picked up its
up speed again. It was a

tremendous race. For many miles the road

switchbacked among the hills. Now the
motor would gain, now the gyro-car. Wher-
ever he could, George ran along the fairly
 A NARROW MARGIN 101

level foot-track by the roadside, thus escaping

the loose shingles of the ill -kept highway.
Here the motor-car could not follow it.
Fortunately there was little traffic. At one
point he swerved suddenly to avoid a man
driving a diminutive donkey. Warned bythe
hooter, the man snatched up the donkey, and
carried it to the side out of harm's way. Dense
volumes of dust rose behind the gyro -car,
flying full in the faces of the pursuers ; but
ever and anon the hum of their car could be
heard, and the Bucklands could not but admire
the reckless courage of the Count and his
party in maintaining so high a speed on so
rough a road.
Through Potenza both vehicles rushed like
whirlwinds, separated by only a few hundred
yards. The speed -limit was set utterly at
defiance. Then the switchbacking began
again, the dips occurring at even shorter
intervals. The road would drop several
hundred feet within half-a-mile ; in ten miles
there were as many as sixteen steep ups
and downs. Sometimes the green motor was
left out of both sight and hearing, and then
George would hope that it had broken
down. But it always reappeared whenever
an abrupt curve forced him to slacken
speed for fear of skidding, even though
in his excitement he took the corners at a
pace that he would not have dreamed of
risking a few hours earlier. The gyro -car had
102 CRUISE OF THE GYRO -CAR

always this advantage in the race : that it

was capable of higher speed than the motor
when pressed . It was only a question of
taking risks, and neither Maurice nor George
was unready to do this.
The sun was now beating down fiercely on
the travellers, and gilding the dust-cloud that
almost continuously hid the pursuers from view.
But the heat was tempered by the rush of air
as they whirled through it, and at these
altitudes the air itself was cool. As the gyro-
car spun along, the few pedestrians whom it
met or overtook turned to gaze at it in
amazement. Mile after mile was covered,
until at Ginosa nearly three-quarters of the
distance between Naples and Brindisi had been
completed .
"We shall do it ! " cried George jubilantly,
as they ran down the hill a few miles farther
on.
Hardly had he spoken when he was suddenly
conscious that the power had given out. The
car ran on for some distance by its own
momentum, but it was only too clear that the
engine had ceased to work. With a smothered
exclamation George brought the car to a
standstill, let down the supports, and sprang
out. Maurice listened anxiously ; there was
no sound from behind. Had the green car
broken down too ?
 CHAPTER VII

AN ACT OF WAR

FOR a brief, breathless moment George

almost lost his head. Then, pulling himself
together, he said :
" We can't go on, Maurice. We must get
the car out of the road before those fellows
99
come up.
There was nobody in sight of whom to ask
assistance. But a little way down the road
Maurice spied a narrow by-lane.
" Can you put the engine to rights ? " he
asked.
" I can have a shot at it," replied George.
" The ignition is all right ; there may be some-
thing wrong 99 with the compression or the
carburettor.
66
Well, let us wheel the machine down that
by-lane and hope the Count will run by and
not discover us, though that's hardly likely
when he doesn't see our dust."
" I hope to goodness he's had a smash, " said
George as they wheeled the car as fast as
possible down the by-way. It was narrow,
but not so narrow that a motor-car could not
follow it. It was also stony, and broken by
104 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

deep ruts ; but George was able to pick a

track for the gyro-car, and the two pushed it
for about a kilometre until they were out of
sight from the highway. Then George
stripped off his coat and began to examine
the engine, while Maurice walked a few yards
back to a spot whence he could see the road.
Almost before he got there he heard the
fast-approaching sound of the motor-car. A
minute later he saw it dash by the end of the
lane. Evidently the pursuers had not yet
discovered that the gyro-car was no longer in
front of them. But they were rushing at such
a pace that the absence of dust ahead must
soon make them suspect the truth, and then
it was hardly doubtful that they would cast
back and look about for tracks. It happened
just as he expected. Within five minutes he
heard the returning hum : the motor passed
slowly back. Two men were walking beside
it, examining the road. They discovered the
track of the gyro-car turning into the lane,
jumped into the motor- car, which swung
round and began to run towards the place
where Maurice stood concealed.
66 99
"They fancy we have taken a short cut,
said Maurice to himself ; "they would come on
foot if they thought we had broken down. "
It was soon clear that the motor was in
difficulties. The road became rougher the
farther it proceeded . It jerked and jolted
over the stones and into the ruts, going
 AN ACT OF WAR 105

quickly, at the imminent risk of overturn-

ing, or of an axle breaking. Its pace was
soon reduced ; for a moment or two it came
to a stop, but started again immediately.
Maurice, keeping out of sight, did not report
progress to George for fear of flustering
him. The boy was working busily inside the
engine.
As the seconds passed, Maurice became
more and more anxious. The pursuers would
soon come in sight of him ; then they would
instantly guess that the gyro-car had broken
down, and the two brothers would stand a
poor chance against four determined and un-
scrupulous men in a wild country. He ran
back ; George had heard the throb of the
approaching car, and called him with a low
whistle.
66
" A few seconds, and we'll be all right," he
said.
At that moment the motor came in sight,
moving now at less than a walking-pace.
Two hundred yards separated pursuers and
pursued. The Count and two of his followers
sprang from the car and rushed towards the
gyro- car. George slammed down the casing
and started the engine. Maurice was already
in his place. In a moment George was beside
him. He pulled over the gear lever, depressed
the pedal, and the car was off. The Count
was now within twenty yards of them. When
he saw George spring into the car he whipped
106 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

out his revolver and fired shot after shot ; but

his haste and the movement of the car ruined
his aim . George had already declutched and
changed into the second speed. The car
gathered way, and, running within a wide rut,
in less than a minute was out of sight.
"Won by a neck ! " said George with a
gay laugh.
66
By a head, I should say," remarked
Maurice " a head with brains in it. I had
no idea you were so expert a mechanician.
What was wrong with the engine ? "
" The carburettor. The nozzle was foul, so
that the petrol couldn't get into the float-
chamber fast enough. It didn't take me long
to put it right when I discovered what was
wrong that always takes time. "
"We had a lucky escape. Now we really
owe a good deal to the Count. He will have
to back his car to the main road ; there's no
room to turn it, and to follow us is impossible ;
the road gets worse and worse. We get off
through his error of judgment . He ought
to have run straight on and cut us off
from Brindisi. Now, barring another accident,
he is too late. "
"We may lose ourselves."
" Oh no ! According to the map, this road
runs to Castellane, which is not very far from
the main road. It makes a sharp turn a
few miles from where we left it. We shall
find somebody there who'll direct us, and
 AN ACT OF WAR 107

then we shall only be about sixty miles from

Brindisi."
They ran on to Castellane, thence regained
the highway below Mottola, and the road
being fairly level, reached Taranto in twenty
minutes. There they halted for a few minutes
to drink a glass of lemonade, then made by
way of Francavilla for Brindisi, where they
arrived at 11.20, ten minutes before the mail
train was due.
"Do you remember that Virgil died here ?
asked Maurice, as they passed the column
marking the end of the Appian Way.
66
"Poor chap ! " said George. " He might
have chosen a cleaner town. Perhaps it was
cleaner in his time ; it is a disreputable-
""
looking place now.'
The streets were indeed squalid in the
extreme. Here and there stood half-finished
buildings, the ground floor complete, but
falling into decay. On open patches heaps of
garbage polluted the air, and the harbour itself
had an air of neglect and stagnation.
The gyro-car was soon surrounded by a
motley crowd, apparently of many nationali-
ties. Maurice rejected the officious offers of
shabby touts to guide him to an hotel, and
George steered direct for the harbour, As
good luck would have it, they saw an English
naval officer walking along by the harbour
wall. Maurice sprang out of the car and
accosted him.
108 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

"Yes, I am in command of the torpedo-

boat wired for from London," he said, in
reply to Maurice's question.
" My name is Buckland. My brother and
I have come across the continent in his gyro-
car. We want to get on to Constantinople
without delay."
" I'm sorry to say we've had a mishap. My
vessel went aground outside the harbour in
the mist this morning. If we can get her off,
it will be two or three days before she can
put to sea. Understanding that the job was
urgent , I wired to Malta, but I doubt whether
another vessel can arrive within a couple of
days ; they are all at manœuvres. They might
recall one by wireless, but she would certainly
have to return to Malta for fuel. It's rather
a bad job."
" It is indeed . We have been chased all
the way by a gang of German or Austrian
spies, who want to get hold of a despatch I
have. We only got away by the skin of our
teeth ; no doubt they'll be here before long. "
"The deuce they will ! " said the officer.
" Did they molest you at all ? "
Maurice related the circumstances of the
breakdown, and how the pursuers had fired at
them .
" That's good enough. Charge them with
assault on the highway. The authorities here
will take care of them."
" I'm afraid I can't afford the time. It
 AN ACT OF WAR 109

would mean endless delays, and I'm sorry to

say we haven't quite clean hands ourselves-
we don't possess a licence. "
" That's a trifle. Our consul can put that
right ; the authorities won't interfere with a
man in your position. "
" The less said about that the better,"
returned Maurice ; " my errand is best kept
quiet. What I am concerned about is how to
get to Sofia. I want to save time, and don't at
all relish the idea of kicking my heels here for
days waiting for a torpedo-boat. Isn't there a
vessel in the harbour that will take me ? "
"There's a weekly service to Port Said, and
an occasional boat to Constantinople. It takes
more than three days, though. Look here,
let us get out of this crowd and go to the
hotel and talk it over. That's a queer machine
of yours."
They proceeded to the hotel, George ex-
plaining the mechanism of the car as they
went. At lunch they discussed the situation,
having asked the proprietor to let them know
if a green motor- car appeared in the town.
"The delay is very annoying," said Maurice.
" If we wait for a vessel it will take us four
or five days to get to Sofia ; that's a week
altogether. Isn't there a steamer across the
Strait of Otranto ? "
" There's a sailing vessel that takes eleven
hours to make Corfu, but that won't help you
much. "
110 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

66
Why not cross in the gyro ? " suggested
George.
"What ! " exclaimed the officer.
""
" It goes perfectly well on the water,'
pursued George. " How far is the strait
across ? "
"From about fifty to a hundred miles.
But the idea, pardon me, is absurd. The sea
is calm enough now ; but these waters are
subject to sudden storms, and your ""car could
not live through anything like a sea.'
" I'm inclined to think we might try it,
nevertheless," said Maurice. " If the weather
holds we could make the passage in seven or
eight hours."
" And then ? "
"Then we should have to make our way
across Albania. ”
" Over the mountains ! My dear sir, it's
quite impossible. "
" Our gyro can go wherever there's a
track," protested George.
"You would be murdered en route," said the
""
officer ; " they're all brigands there
"When I was in Constantinople," said
Maurice, " I made acquaintance with several
Albanians, and learnt something of the
language. I think we might get through
safely.
" But, my dear sir, what about petrol ? You
will use far more in crossing the Adriatic
than you would over the same distance by
 AN ACT OF WAR 111

land, and you can't possibly carry enough with

you to take you to Sofia over mountainous
country. There's no chance whatever of
""
getting petrol on the other side.'
" Yes, that is decidedly awkward, " said
Maurice.
" Don't give it up," urged George. " Surely
there's a vessel of some sort that could take
us over, and plenty of petrol too . "
" Let us ask the proprietor ; he will know,"
said Maurice.
The proprietor, on being summoned, told
them that a small trading vessel, the
Margherita, plied between the Italian and
Dalmatian ports, frequently trading
at
Durazzo and Hagio Saranda. She was lying
in the harbour, and would , no doubt, sail in
the course of the afternoon. Maurice at
once decided to go down to the harbour in
company with the naval officer and interview
the skipper, leaving George to look after the
gyro-car and be on the watch for Slavianski
and his crew.
There were two or three Austrian vessels in
the harbour, including an Austrian- Lloyd
liner bound for Trieste. Maurice had no
doubt that, although the arrival of the green
motor-car had not yet been reported , Slavianski
had by this time reached the town. Probably
he was keeping out of sight, but some of his
party would be spying on the movements of
the Englishmen. If they went openly on
112 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

board the Margherita, she would almost

certainly be followed by one of the Austrian
vessels and overhauled at sea. But suddenly
an idea occurred to Maurice that the
Margherita should put off at her appointed
time, carrying some tins of petrol, if they
could be taken on board without attracting
attention. Somewhat later, the gyro- car
should run to some little spot northward , take
the water, join the vessel in the offing, and be
towed by her across the Adriatic. By that
means not only would petrol be saved,
but immediate pursuit would be rendered
impossible ; for though Slavianski would
certainly chase the gyro-car as soon as it
was clear of Brindisi, he would be quite
helpless when it ran into the sea, and be
compelled to return. At any rate, much time
would be gained .
The naval officer laughed when Maurice put
this plan to him.
"This is strategy, if not diplomacy, " he said.
"You are determined, I see ; the next thing
is to interview the skipper of the Margherita,
and find out whether he will make terms with
you. "
" Five English sovereigns will go a long
way, I think," returned Maurice.
And so it proved. The skipper, a stalwart
native of Gallipoli, whose broad Southern
patois was not easy to understand , readily
agreed to undertake what was required of
 AN ACT OF WAR 113

him. Maurice took him to a certain extent

into his confidence, and he needed no
persuasion to play a trick on Austrians. He
suggested, as the spot to which the English
signori should drive, Villanuova, a little place
about thirty kilometres up the coast. It was
not so far distant as Maurice would have
liked , but Antonio Fagazzi assured him that
beyond it the coast roads were impossible.
The arrangement made was that the gyro-car
should start about three hours after the
Margherita sailed .
" When I have you in tow, signor," said
66
the skipper, " I will make all sail for
Durazzo, and with the fair south wind behind
us, we shall make port early to- morrow
morning."
" Durazzo is farther north than I want to
go. On the other side I must make for
Monastir and join the railway from Salonika.
Hagio Saranda would suit me better. "
"We shall make better sailing to Durazzo,
unless the wind shifts, signor," said the
skipper.
"Very well, we will be at Villanuova at
dusk. "
They turned to retrace their way to the
hotel. At the harbour gates they were met by
a postal official, who handed a telegram to the
naval officer and stood patiently expecting a
gratuity.
"Just like our Intelligence Department,"
C.G. H
114 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

said the officer on reading the telegram . He

handed it to Buckland, who read :-
Nobleman notorious foreign spy : be on guard.
" The fruit of the inquiry set on foot by the
Foreign Office three days ago," said Maurice.
" It's very good of them. Now I wonder
whether I could get a map of Albania in the
town ? I don't know the country, except in
a very general way, and I should like to be
able to take my bearings."
"The chances are a hundred to one against
you," said the officer ; " but we'll see."
Inquiries at all the likely shops in the main
street proved fruitless.
"We shall have to take our chance," said
Maurice. " Now I must return to my brother,
and tell him what we have arranged. We
must also have some petrol sent to the
Margherita at once-as much as we can load
on to our car ; and a couple of tyres. We
can't expect to get through without punctures
on the mountains yonder."
" Let us hope only your tyres will be
punctured," said the officer grimly. " I don't
envy you your journey. "
 CHAPTER VIII

A ROMAN ROAD

MEANWHILE George had thoroughly over-

hauled the car.
" She's in tip-top condition," he said. " Not
a sign of weakness anywhere. Have you seen
""
anything of Slavianski ? '
66 " I don't
Nothing," replied Maurice.
think he has come into the town. The arrival
of a racing motor could not fail to attract
attention. The Foreign Office has discovered
who he is, and telegraphed to us to be on our
guard. "
"Thank you for nothing," said George with
a grimace. "Have you made all arrange-
ments ? "
" Yes. The skipper is a stout fellow, and if
his seamanship is as good as his Italian is bad,
we shall make Durazzo in less than twelve
hours."
"What about passports, by the way ? "
asked the officer. "You can't travel in Turkey
without them."
“ I have mine,” replied Maurice. " George
must pass as my chauffeur ; I daresay they'll
let him in without difficulty in that capacity. "
H2
116 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

Having dined early as the guest of the

officer, they left the hotel about five o'clock,
running the gauntlet of a crowd of urchins
who shrieked entreaties for alms. George had
started the gyroscopes while still in the
garage. They proceeded due westward over
a gradually ascending road until they ran
down into the little town of S. Vito de
Normanni. Immediately after leaving this
town Maurice, looking back, saw the green car
speeding after them at a tremendous pace.
"They haven't given it up, then," said
George, when Maurice informed him.
He opened the throttle until the car spun
along at the rate of nearly seventy miles an
hour. For a few minutes the racer held its
own, but then began to drop away, not from
any defect of speed, but owing to the bumpi-
ness of the road. Just before reaching
Ostuni there was a short, steep hill, first down
and then up . George did not slacken speed
until he reached the by-road that turned
abruptly to the right towards the sea. When
round the corner he drove at maximum
velocity, crossed the railway line, and came to
the hamlet of Villanuova, within twenty
minutes of leaving Brindisi. Maurice looked
anxiously behind. There was no sign of
the motor-car ; it had indeed overshot the
by-road.
Amid the wonderment of the fishermen,
the gyro-car ran down the beach, and into the
 A ROMAN ROAD 117

sea. The Margherita was not in sight, and

George steered eastward to meet her. They
were nearly a mile from the shore when they
saw the motor- car emerge from the village.
It halted for a few minutes ; no doubt
Slavianski was scanning the sea. Then it
turned about, and disappeared from view.
" He's running back to Brindisi, " said
George. " Will he pursue"9us in one of those
Austrian boats, I wonder ? '
" It's a lost game, I think,” replied Maurice.
" It will be dark before he can overtake us,
and even his perseverance won't be able to
discover us then. But I wish the Margherita
were in sight. "
There were several craft, including a large
steamer going south, near the horizon, too
far off to be distinguished with any certainty.
None of them was the Margherita. The
travellers became anxious ; had Antonio
Fagazzi failed them ?
" If she doesn't appear soon we shall be in
a pretty hobble, " said George. " I can't do
more than seven knots on the water."
"We could steer for Durazzo by your
compass if the weather keeps reasonably fine, "
suggested Maurice.
"That's true, but we should consume a
terrible quantity of petrol, and probably
shouldn't have enough left for a hundred
miles' run in Albania. Has that skipper
sold us ? "
118 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

" I doubt it. Perhaps he had to wait for

the petrol. We had better cruise about, and
99
not too far from Villanuova.'
An hour went by ; darkness fell, and they
switched on one of the small electric lamps
that lit the interior of the car. The wind blew
cold, and their spirits sank : the Margherita
might easily pass them in the dark, and they
hesitated to light the powerful acetylene lamp,
lest it attracted foes rather than friends. At
last, when they almost despaired, they caught
sight of a light some distance out at sea to the
north-east. Immediately afterwards a second
light appeared, near the first, but swinging like
a pendulum.
"I fancy that's a signal," said George ; " I'll
light our lamp and show it in that direction ;
it's too far northward to be seen towards
Brindisi. "
"We might make towards it, don't you
think ? " said Maurice. " If you find we are
"If
wrong, we must try to slip away in the
darkness."
They moved slowly towards the swinging
light, George every now and then turning his
lamp inwards. In half an hour they came up
with a sailing vessel, hove to.
" Is that the Margherita ? " Maurice called
in Italian.
"Si, Signori," came the reply. "An Austrian
gunboat ran down a little while ago, and I
thought it best not to take you in tow while
 A ROMAN ROAD 119

she was in sight. Now that they have this

telegraphing without wires, I feared she might
communicate with the Austrian vessels in the
99
harbour.'
Maurice complimented the man on his fore-
thought. A rope was thrown from the deck ;
George made it fast to the gyro-car ; the
skipper hauled up his courses, and the vessel
sailed away on the smooth sea, under a cloud-
less sky, towards the Illyrian coast. The
brothers slept for the greater part of the night,
too fatigued to feel the want of overcoats or
rugs.
At daybreak on the following morning
they saw, far ahead, the castellated fortress
of Durazzo gleaming white on its rocky head-
land, with the Albanian hills behind. Just as
Brindisi had evoked memories of Virgil and
Horace, so Durazzo - the Dyrhacchium of the
ancient world, and the starting-point of the
Via Egnatia - had familiar associations in
Maurice's mind. As they stepped on to the
jetty he said to George :
"It's odd to think that Cicero may have
come ashore on this very spot ? He chose
Dyrhacchium as his place of exile when he fled
from Clodius."
66
Well , all I can say is," said George, " that
I've lost all my respect for Roman noses.
Brindisi was bad enough, but there are several
generations of stinks here."
Maurice smiled, and turned from him to
120 CRUISE OF THE GYRO - CAR

meet the Customs officer, who addressed him

in Italian . The gyro-car was being swung
ashore from the deck of the Margherita .
" I am at a loss, Signor," said the officer,
eyeing the vehicle in perplexity. " I have no
scale for such a thing. Is it a boat or a motor-
car ? "
" It is both, Signor," replied Maurice.
" Then I fear I must refer the matter to
Constantinople. It will be a week or more
before I receive a reply. Meanwhile I must,
of course, impound the machine."
" Perhaps that will not be necessary, Signor, "
said Maurice, pleasantly. " As a boat it is not
subject to duty, I presume. I am quite willing
to pay the duty on a motor-car and on the
petrol we carry.
" That will be sufficient, Signor. But have
you a passport ? "
Maurice produced it, and the official handed
it back after inspection.
" And this other ? " he added, indicating
George, who stood looking on with the air of
suspicion common with persons who hear a
conversation in a language they do not under-
stand.
"He is my chauffeur ; he doesn't count,
Signor," replied Maurice, smiling as he
thought how indignant George would be if
he understood him.
This explanation satisfied the official, who
accepted the English money offered him in
 A ROMAN ROAD 121

payment of the duties, and allowed the

travellers to pass. They made their way,
wheeling the gyro-car, through the single dirty
street of which Durazzo consists, avoiding the
small hairy bullocks that lay here and there,
and the swarms of red-capped children who
buzzed about them, calling out : Capitagno ! O
capitagno! Pará ! pará ! Maurice beckoned
one, and asked him in Italian to lead him to
the little hotel recommended by the skipper
of the Margherita , promising him a couple of
paras for his trouble. Meanwhile the sailors
were trundling the tins of petrol in the rear.
The hotel was kept by an Italian, who
gave the English capitani-all well - dressed
strangers are captains in Durazzo- a satis-
factory breakfast.
Maurice entered into conversation with him,
and learnt, with a certain misgiving, that there
were several Austrians in the town. For some
time past there had been an influx of Austrians
into the seaboard districts of Albania. They
had been diligent in making friends with
the people, sympathising with them in the
diminished prosperity of the ports due to the
railway from Salonika, hinting that the day of
independence would soon dawn for them, and
that when they finally threw off the Turkish
yoke they might get a slice of territory from
Servia or Montenegro. These hints and sug-
gestions fell on a ready soil. The Albanians
were still sore from the stern suppression of
122 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

their rising a few years before, and the

disarmament which had been attempted by the
Turks. They resented also the endeavours of
the Turkish Government to enforce the use
in their schools of Arabic characters instead
of the Latin alphabet, which had been
formally adopted in a national congress.
Their discontent was being artfully fomented
by Austrian agents, who had plenty of secret
service money at their disposal. Something
of this was already known to Maurice ; but the
hotel-keeper having, as a good Italian, a cordial
dislike of the growth of Austrian influence,
told his English guest a great deal that was
not suspected by the British Foreign Office.
Maurice was making a careful mental note
of all this for the benefit of his chief, when
Antonio Fagazzi came in hurriedly :
"Per Bacco ! Signor," he cried, “ there is a
steam -launch making all speed for the harbour.
She shows no flag yet, but she is as like an
Austrian launch that lay in Brindisi harbour
yesterday as one egg to another. "
This news was disquieting, in the light of
what Maurice had learnt from the hotel-
keeper. He had good hope of escaping the
pursuit of Slavianski if they once got among
the mountains and had only natural difficulties
to contend with. These difficulties, of course,
were serious enough. Apart from the risks
of travelling through a wild and unknown
country of rugged mountains, there was the
 A ROMAN ROAD 123

danger of falling among brigands. To this

must now be added the probabilit y that the
Albanian mountaineers , who would, perhaps,
in any case be likely to regard the travellers as
fair game, would be egged on by the Austrians
to attack them, not merely as travellers, but
as enemies of the country. It was the Young
Turks that were troubling Albania, and the
Young Turks were encouraged by England.
Slavianski, if he was in the approaching launch,
would not scruple to make use of odium and
prejudice to effect his purpose.
Maurice thanked the skipper, and learning
from him that the launch would probably not
make the harbour for half an hour, decided to
leave Durazzo at once. The gyro-car could
travel a good distance in half an hour. He
told George rapidly what he had heard. They
laid in a stock of food and wine- this of a
poor quality, but the best, and indeed the only,
beverage the hotel afforded- and bought a fez
each as a measure of precaution, Maurice
saying that if they passed through the country
in infidel hats, some fanatical Moslems might
be provoked to molest them. Then they
prepared to start.
But they were not to get away easily. At
the door they were beset by people, old and
young, begging the nobili capitani to purchase
their wares . Maurice sternly refused, knowing
that if he bought from one, the rest would
clamour the more persistently. They had
124 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

mounted into the car, when the bimbashi of

the Turkish garrison came up and demanded
to see their taskereh. Maurice amiably showed
him the passport, and gave him the same
explanation about George ; whereupon the
officer became very friendly, and began to
ask questions about the mechanism of the
car. It required all Maurice's tact to make
his answers brief without offence ; and when
at last the car was started, nearly a quarter of
an hour had passed.
Maurice felt miserably handicapped by the
lack of a map. Monastir, the place he
intended to make for, was, he knew, due east
of Durazzo, but he did not know how far
distant it was, nor could the hotel-keeper tell
him with any certainty. The road at first
ran over a plain, but it was worse than the
worst by-lane in the wildest part of England .
To an ordinary motor-car it would have been
quite impassable, and even a cyclist would
have had to dismount frequently. But over
such rough ground the gyro- car had an
advantage, Its equilibrium was not easily
disturbed ; it could even run in a rut that
would prove fatal to motor-car or bicycle.
Yet it was only at a very modest pace that the
travellers were able to pick their way along
this apology for a highway. George's patience
was severely taxed when he found it impossible
to maintain a higher average speed than about
six miles an hour.
 A ROMAN ROAD 125

The ground rose gradually towards a barren

range of hills, along the sides of which ran a
track so narrow, that if it had rained there
would have been the greatest risk of skidding .
on the slippery clay soil. George had to drive
with infinite care, crawling along at a walking
pace, and often applying the brakes. When
they had crossed the ridge they saw a broad
river winding picturesquely between high
cliffs, and a village nestling among olive-
grounds. Here Maurice would have liked to
engage a guide, but reflected that there was
no time to make inquiries, and it would
be imprudent to employ a man without
recommendation. Maurice knew enough of
the Albanian language to ask the way of the
keeper of a small han, as the inns are called ,
and learnt that Tirana, the first town of any
size, lay about four hours' journey across the
river. Beyond Tirana, another four or five
hours' march, lay Elbasan, and though its
distance from Durazzo could scarcely have
been more than forty miles as the crow flies,
it was clear that they would be lucky if they
reached it by nightfall .
They passed on, and found that the river
wound so frequently that they had to ford it
eight times before they finally crossed it by a
stone bridge. At this point the road was a
trifle better, and they were able to drive faster.
At another time they might have been
interested in the scenes along the road-the
126 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

luxuriant olive-gardens, the women trudging

with heavy bundles on their backs, knitting
as they walked ; the teams of mules laden
with black wool, and driven by black-cloaked
men who call upon Allah as the strange vehicle
ran past them. But their anxieties forbade
more than a fleeting attention to their
surroundings. They crossed little streams on
crazy plank bridges, each one of which gave
George a shudder ; and as they approached
Tirana were amazed at the immense flocks of
turkeys that infested the road, and stubbornly
refused to heed the warnings of the hooter.
Tirana itself proved to be even more dirty
than Durazzo. They were hungry, but wished
to reserve for emergencies the food bought at
Durazzo, yet hesitated to seek a meal in the
wretched -looking hans. Plucking up their
courage , they entered that which appeared least
offensive, and found themselves in a low
room, suffocatingly hot, festooned with
cobwebs, and swarming with cockroaches.
They made a meal of grapes, the only article
of food for which they had any appetite, and
left the place in a few minutes, to find the
whole population gazing with awe at the
gyro-car.
On again, through a broad, undulating
plain, and once more into the mountains,
covered with beech and oak and a tangle of
ferns and creepers. Looking back over the
splendid prospect when they reached the
 A ROMAN ROAD 127

crest, they saw, in the valley about four miles

away, a party of horsemen following the same
track as themselves, and riding at extraordinary
speed, considering the nature of the ground.
They were too far away to be distinguished,
but, strung up to anticipate pursuit, the
Bucklands did not doubt that Slavianski and
his companions had engaged Albanian guides,
and were hot-foot in chase.
" We can go wherever horses can," said
George, " and faster. They daren't go at
more than a walking-pace in these hills. By
the time they get here we ought to be a dozen
miles away.
" I shouldn't risk too high a speed," said
Maurice ; " a single slip, and we're over a
precipice. "
"Don't be nervous, old man. Those white
minarets yonder should be Elbasan ; but we
can't venture to put up for the night, can we?"
" I'm afraid not. It will be four o'clock
by the time we get there, at a guess ; we shall
have to go on until it's dark, and then either
find a shelter in some village, or camp in the
open. It will be quite impossible to run by
night, as we did in Italy."
66 Well, luckily it's fine. I suppose there
"
are no wild beasts in these parts ?
"I don't know."
" I've got a fit of the blues," said George.
"I hoped we had seen the last of those
""
fellows.
128 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

" I confess I'm off colour too. There is

evidently a good deal at stake with Slavianski,
or he wouldn't have kept it up so long. We
have had good luck so far, but the country
is getting wilder as we go on, and we shall
come across the mountaineers before long.
If we are held up, we shall be overtaken. ”
""
" Confound your despatch !
" I'm not troubled about my despatch," said
Maurice with a laugh ; " that is, I don't think
Slavianski will find it. The bother is the delay.
The Foreign Secretary would have risked the
telegraph, I think, if he had had any inkling
of Slavianski's game.'
"Well, we've had some fun," said George ;
"but I hope it's not going to be spoilt now.
I'd relish a stand-up fight, with a fair chance ;
but this handicap's rather unfair, don't you
think so ? "
66
My dear fellow, have you lost faith in your
gyro-car ? "
 CHAPTER IX

THE HONOUR OF AN ALBANIAN

PASSING a long stretch of walled olive-

gardens, the travellers arrived at Elbasan.
The gate in its high and massive wall stood
open. They ran through into a narrow, dirty
street, roofed over with matting and dry
leaves, scattering the groups of wild, sullen-
looking inhabitants, some of whom raised a
fierce cry of " Shaitan ! " ; others put their
fingers into their mouths and whistled shrilly,
after the manner of English butcher-boys.
But the travellers were not molested ; they
left the town, spun through a barren valley,
and crossing the river Skumbi by the high
one-arched bridge, found themselves climbing
a steep and difficult path that wound along
at the edge of clay precipices, so narrow that
if they had met another vehicle, or a mule-
train, further progress would have been
impossible.
They had nearly reached the top, going
slowly, as the perilous nature of the path
demanded, when they saw, bright against the
grey wall ahead, a young man with a rifle in his
hand, intently watching them.
C.G I
130 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

" Our first brigand ! " said George. " Have

your revolver handy."
" The disarmament is evidently a fiction,"
said Maurice. " Sound your hooter ; he is
stepping into the middle of the path."
" Better not, in case Slavianski is within
earshot. I'll give him a shout when we come
near, and if he doesn't budge I'm afraid we
shall have to bowl him over.
But at that moment a shot rang out from
the hill above. The man gave a cry, staggered ,
and dropped his rifle, which fell over the
precipice, and could be heard clashing against
the saplings that grew out of the clayey wall.
There was a shout from the hill-top, and a
second man scrambled down the steep and
rugged slope about two hundred yards away.
The wounded man drew his dagger and faced
about as if to await the onslaught of his enemy ;
but as the car came up with him, he seemed
to realise that without a rifle his case was
desperate, and with a sudden spring clutched
at the side of the vehicle and began to run
along beside it. His action would have
overthrown a motor bicycle, but the gyro-
scopes kept the car steady.
" Beat him off ! " cried George, thinking
that the man meditated an attack. It was
impossible to shake him off by increasing the
speed on such a dangerous path, so he slowed
down in order to give Maurice assistance if
it were needed. But the man begged him
 HONOUR OF AN ALBANIAN 131

earnestly to proceed , and on the impulse of

the moment Maurice leant over the side and
helped him to scramble into the car. There
was a sharp bend in the path a few yards
ahead. As they came to this, a bullet struck
the face of the cliff at an angle, and bespattered
them with crumbs of hard clay. Next moment
they turned the corner, and were out of sight
of the man who had now descended to the
path.
George, though dubious of the prudence of
his brother's impulsive action, ventured to run
a little faster in spite of the risk. Before the car
reached a second bend another bullet whistled
past, unpleasantly close, and again he increased
the speed .
"Go easy," said Maurice, after a minute or
two. "We must be out of reach now. The
oaks below there are very picturesque, but I
shouldn't care for a closer acquaintance with
them ."
At this point the precipice on their left
broke away at the height of several hundred
feet, and through a cleft beyond they saw a
snow-capped mountain towering into the sky.
On the other side, far below, lay a dense oak
forest, through which they caught glimpses of
a river sparkling like a silver thread.
Mustering his stock of Albanian phrases,
Maurice questioned the man.
" You were attacked . Why ?"
" For blood, excellence," was the reply.
I2
132 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

Maurice had lived long enough in the

Balkans to understand what the man's answer
implied. Either he, or one of his family,
perhaps generations before, had injured a man
of another family, and there was a relentless
blood-feud between them. Maurice did not
press the question, but, as dusk was falling,
asked the man whether he knew of a han in
the neighbourhood where they might put up
for the night.
" No han, excellence ," replied the man ;
"but the house of my family is near ; there
you will be welcome. You have saved me,
excellence. Tan giat tjeter ! " (Long life to
you !)
They went on for a short distance . Then ,
at a narrow defile in the hill, they left the
track at a word from the Albanian, and
climbed up a still narrower path, winding
intricately amid dark, overhanging woods.
After about half a mile they came to an
opening among the trees, where stood a tiny
village clustered at the foot of the hill. First
was a square three-storied building, with a
narrow door in one face, and small windows on
two sides. This was the kula, a sort of watch-
tower for the village, and there, as the Albanian
explained , lived his grandfather, his father, two
uncles, three brothers , and a cousin, with their
families. Beyond were smaller houses, which
appeared to be entered through a hole in the
wall, approached by ricketty ladders.
 HONOUR OF AN ALBANIAN 133

At sight of the gyro-car, a child, dressed in

a kind of sack, screamed shrilly and fled
into the house. George stopped the car ;
they all alighted, and the Albanian led them
to the doorway, paying no heed to the
explanations of the neighbours who flocked
up.
Following him, the travellers mounted a
crazy ladder to the top of the house, and
found themselves in a vast dark room . At
the further end a fire was smouldering under
a kind of tent. As their eyes became
accustomed to the dimness, they saw nearly
a score of persons, male and female, squatting
on chests ranged round the walls. Their
guide spoke a few words. Instantly there
was commotion. A woman threw a faggot on
the fire, which flared up, revealing smoke-
blackened rafters, from which, as from the
walls, hung weapons , field implements,
haunches of dried meat, and festoons of
smoked fish. Others of the company strewed
the floor with sheepskins and cushions for the
visitors, and an old man removed a millstone
that blocked a narrow window, and shouted :
"We have guests ; we have guests." The
travellers wondered at this, until they learnt
presently that it was a warning to the people
of the hamlet : while guests were in the house,
blood -feuds were in abeyance.
The family's reception of their guests
lacked nothing in warmth. A kid was
134 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

instantly cut up in preparation for a meal ;

rakia, a kind of spirit, was poured from stone
pitchers into earthenware goblets ; no questions
were asked. When the grandson of the old
man explained what the strangers had done for
him, there were loud cries of praise and
gratitude ; and hearing that they had come on
a devil machine, the whole party trooped out
of the house to inspect it. Maurice asked
that it might be placed in safety, and it was
wheeled into the large chamber that occupied
the ground floor, and served as stable and
storeroom .
The old man meanwhile attended to his
grandson's injury. He professed to be an
expert in the treatment of gunshot wounds.
He took the white of an egg and a handful of
salt, mixed them together, poured the liquid
on the man's injured arm, and bandaged it.
This would suffice for an hour or two, until he
had compounded a lotion of rakia and pine
resin. While he was doing this he explained
to Maurice, who knew enough of the language
to follow him, that the man who had fired the
shot owned the house opposite. He had
accused Giorgio- such was the young man's
name-of setting fire to his haystacks. The
charge had been considered by a council of
elders, and Giorgio was acquitted . But in
Albania acquittal is no bar to a second trial ;
indeed, the case had been heard two or three
times, always with the same result. Then the
 HONOUR OF AN ALBANIAN 135

ill-feeling between the families found vent in a

free fight, in which a relative of the accuser
had been killed. Now there would be no
peace until either Giorgio or one of his
family had been slain, and the honour of the
accuser " cleaned ." For some weeks Giorgio
had not ventured to leave the house alone
until this day. If accompanied by a relative
he would be safe, but alone he was always in
danger. It was only because the enemy had
been absent for some days that he had gone
out unattended, and evidently he had met the
avenger returning home.
While they were eating their supper,
Maurice, knowing that, as a guest, he could
depend on his host's friendship, explained
briefly, and in halting speech, the circum-
stances in which he was placed, and his
intention of proceeding next day to Monastir.
The old man was much troubled. The
Inglesi, he said, were disliked in Albania.
They were represented by the Austrians as
friends of the Turks and the Serbs, whom the
Albanians hated and distrusted equally. He
recommended that the travellers should call
themselves Austrians, and be very free with
their money as they passed through the villages
in the interior.
They were still talking, when there was
the sound of a shot without. The women
and children shrieked : the men started up in
great indignation at this breach of the besa or
136 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

truce, which ought to remain inviolate while

guests were in the house. One of the sons
ran to the door, and soon returned shaking
with laughter. The shot had merely been
fired by one of their neighbours in sport.
An hour or two later, when the women were
preparing for the guests beds of reed mats,
felt sheets, and red-cotton pillows, laid on the
chests by the wall, a loud voice was heard
outside hailing the master of the house.
Feeling secure in the besa, the old man once
more removed the millstone from the window,
and asked who spoke and what he wanted.
It was too dark to see. Maurice tried to
follow the ensuing dialogue, and understood
enough of it to make him desperately uneasy.
"You Giulika, I know you, Christian dog
that you are," cried the man without. "1
demand that you give up the English spies, who
are overrunning the country on a contrivance
of Shaitan himself."
"What, you Moslem pig, have you come
from Elbasan on a fool's errand ? Shall I
deliver up my guests ? It is no custom of my
house to betray those who seek my hospitality.
Know that I take what guests I please, and
keep them."
"Hound, they are spies, infidels like your-
self. Give them up, or you will suffer a
grievous punishment when the Bey hears
of it."
" Get you back whence you came," cried
 HONOUR OF AN ALBANIAN 137

the old man, " lest evil befall you. Who are
you to bid Giulika lose his honour by betraying
a guest ? Begone ! Trouble me no more."
He spat out of the window and replaced the
mill-stone.
Maurice had understood only a part of what
had been said. The old man explained to him
that the summoner was a swordsmith of
Elbasan, a Moslem, and an ill-conditioned
fellow. And from the clanking of horses' bits
that he had heard at a little distance he believed
that the swordsmith was accompanied by a
considerable party. But no matter who they
were, or how numerous, he would never defile
his honour by betraying his guests.
Begging old Giulika to excuse him, Maurice
turned to consult with George, who was looking
puzzled and anxious.
"It's very unfortunate that we are here,"
said the elder brother. "The old fellow refuses
to give us up, but I'm afraid he'll suffer for it.
The man who summoned him is a Moslem ;
he's a Christian himself ; and though the
Christians and Moslems live peacefully enough
as a rule, they fight like tiger- cats if they're
set by the ears. I've no doubt that Slavianski
has hired a lot of ruffians who'll commit
any sort of outrage for pay, and if he works
up the anti-English feeling, we may have a
whole tribe attacking us. We've no right to
involve the old man and his family in our
difficulties."
138 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

" Couldn't we slip away in the darkness ?

One of the family might guide us. "
" I'll ask him. My good friend," he said to
the old man, " we thank you for your hospit-
ality, but we know what trouble we may bring
upon you. We wish to go to Monastir ;
could one of your sons or grandsons guide us,
if we slip out of the house by-and-by ?'
Giulika reflected, and spoke to his sons.
"It is not wise, stranger," he said at length.
"My honour is engaged, by the law of Lek,
to protect you for a day after you leave my
house. By night, it is true, you could go up
into the hills, and be safe : but when it is light,
you would be seen, and your presence would
be shouted from hill to hill, until the whole
country was roused. That is certain if you
proceed to Monastir by Ochrida. "
"Could we not go some other way ?'
66
suggested Maurice. " I wish ultimately to
reach Sofia."
"Yes, there is a long and difficult road to
the north. It would be safe, perhaps, to travel
by way of Prizren. The people of the north
do not love the Austrians : it is only they of
the south that are flattered and deluded by
them. They do not love the Serbs nor the
Montenegrins, but they have no wish to change
bad neighbours for worse masters. Do they
not remember what has befallen the Bosnians ? "
" It is a very long way to Prizren, and thence
to Bulgaria," objected Maurice.
 HONOUR OF AN ALBANIAN 139

"True ; it is farther than to Monastir, and

more hilly. But I tell you,
"" friend, it is safer."
" How could we go ?
66
Along the banks of the Black Drin. It
""
is a bad road ; but not impossible .'
At this an idea struck Maurice. If they
could gain the bank of the river, they might
float down the current on the gyro-car without
any expenditure of petrol. The river would
only take them a short distance in the direction
they wished to go, because it swept westward
towards the Adriatic ; but a river journey
would have the advantage of keeping them
off the frequented roads, and probably out of
sight from the pursuers.
" How far is it to the river ? " he asked.
"About five hours' march to Struga, by the
main road about seven hours to the Drin
below Struga, by the mountain paths. Why
does my friend ask ? "
"The machine you saw is a boat. Could we
take it over the paths you mention ? "
" You have brought it from Elbasan, by the
mercy of God," said the old man with a smile.
66
Why should you not take it to the Drin ?
For myself, I would not trust my life to it ;
but the Inglesi are great adventurers. The
mountains to the north are higher than those
you have passed, but I know of a pass that
avoids the highest summits. The track begins
but a little way behind this house ; it climbs
the hill, and then winds in and out among
140 CRUISE OF THE GYRO - CAR

the lower slopes of the mountains above the

Drin."
All this time the old man had preserved a
cheerful demeanour, evincing no anxiety as to
what might be going on outside. The silence
there seemed to Maurice suspicious. Slavianski
had shown such persistence hitherto that he
was hardly likely to draw back when, to all
appearance, he had his
he had his quarry in a trap.
Suddenly there was a great commotion
without. Shots rang out, followed by fierce
cries. Then came from below a crash as of
some heavy body driven against the massive
door, which had been closed and bolted at
nightfall.
66
They are trying to break in ! " cried
George.
The old man showed no trace of alarm .
Some of the younger members of his family
climbed up a ladder in a corner of the room,
leading to the roof, where a store of stones and
combustibles was kept for just such an occasion
as this. George, thinking of the safety of the
gyro-car, snatched up a rifle and cartridges
and hurried down the ricketty ladder to the
ground floor. Maurice followed him, gripping
his revolver ; and Giulika took a rifle from the
wall and descended the steps more slowly.
The Bucklands had just reached the door
when it was burst in, yielding to a tremendous
blow from something of the nature of a
battering-ram. They fired at the crowd
 HONOUR OF AN ALBANIAN 141

beginning to swarm in. In darkness them-

selves, they were able to take good aim at the
enemy by the glare of combustibles flung down
from the roof. The shots from the black
doorway checked the rush. The assailants
shrank back, into a shower of stones hurled at
them from above. At the same time, to
Maurice's surprise, they were met by a fusil-
lade from the opposite house-the dwelling of
the man who owed " blood " to Giorgio, and
had that very day attempted his life. It was
one of the inconsistencies of this strange people.
As a private person Giorgio was the man's
deadly enemy, to be stalked and shot down
without remorse as a family duty. But as a
fellow-villager, attacked by men of another
place and another religion, he was to be helped
even at personal risk. " Blood " was forgotten
in face of a public danger.
Taken thus between two fires, and battered
by the falling stones, the assailants were utterly
discomfited. The crowd fell apart, they flitted
away into the blackness beyond, and in the fit-
ful light of the fireballs from the roof, Maurice
caught a glimpse of Slavianski and his party
hastening after the Albanians.
 CHAPTER X

SOME RIDDLES AND A NURSERY

RHYME

OLD Giulika, laughing with a childish delight

in the discomfiture of the enemy, closed the
door, and, since the bolts had been broken, had
it barricaded with balks of timber that were
kept on the ground floor. Then he returned
with his guests to the living apartments at the
top of the house. He was quite cheerful. He
joked with the men of his family on their
victory, and ordered the women, who showed
no alarm, to prepare a sumptuous supper to
celebrate it. The larder, which consisted of
two large dug-out troughs, did not contain
anything very dainty ; but a fowl and a young
pig were soon simmering in a huge pot of
beans, and on these, served in wooden ladles,
and hard maize bread, the men feasted ;
the women would eat when their lords had
finished .

The guests had little appetite. They were

very weary, but too anxious and troubled to
sleep. The air of the room was hot and
oppressive, and by-and-by the old man, per-
ceiving how pale they were, asked if he could
 SOME RIDDLES 143

serve them in any way, and, at their request,

immediately removed the millstones from the
two unglazed windows, and let in a current of
cool air. He chuckled as he returned to the
company. The enemy, he said, had encamped
some little distance away, around a large fire ;
evidently they wished to be out of reach of
stones from the roof. They, too, appeared to
be cheerful. Strains of song rose from the
encampment-fierce songs of war, of struggles
with the Turks, and the heroic deeds of
Scanderbeg. Presently these ceased, and there
was a vast stillness without.
But not within. After supper the guests
expected the family to repair to their mat
beds, and felt some delicacy in remaining
among them . But Giulika commanded the
women and children to retire behind their
curtains, and the men to form a group in the
middle of the room.

"We must cheer our guests," he said,

"unless they wish to sleep."
Maurice assured him that to sleep was
impossible.
"That is well," said the old man ; " too
much sleep is bad for men. Now, Marko, ask
a riddle. And you, Doda, go to the roof to
watch. "
One of his grandsons drank off a mug of
rakia, and mounted to the roof. Another
cleared his throat, and said :
" Though it is not an ox, it has horns ;
144 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

though it is not an ass, it has a pack-saddle,

and wherever it goes it leaves silver behind."
" Ah ! that is a good one, " cried Giulika.
"What is the answer, friend Inglesi ?"
Maurice's head was racking, but he smiled,
and pretended to consider ; he would not hurt
the feelings of these hospitable folk. But he
confessed in a few minutes that the riddle was
beyond him.
" Aha ! it is a fine riddle : a snail, friend,"
""
and he chuckled with glee. " Ho, Doda !
he called up the ladder, "is there any-
thing ?"
66
Nothing," was the reply.
"That is well. Now, Dushmani, it is your
turn. "
His second son, a big, fierce-looking fellow,
with a huge moustache, scratched his shaven
head ; all heads in Albania are shaven, leaving
patches of hair of various shapes.
"What is that which wears the wool inside
and the flesh outside ? " he asked.
" A splendid riddle ! " cried his father ;
"Answer that if you can, friend ."
Again Maurice considered . He repeated
the riddle in English to George, who was
making heroic efforts to appear interested .
"They must think we're kids, " he said,
sourly.
"Well, smile, old boy ; they've done a good
deal for us."
George grinned vacantly at his host, who
 SOME RIDDLES 145

slapped his thigh, and asked if the young

Inglesi had discovered the answer.
No, we are not good at riddles in England, "
said Maurice. "We cannot tell."
"A candle ! " shouted the old man, triumph-
antly. " You would never have guessed that.
Now I will give one myself."
So an hour or two passed, every riddle
being received with the same gravity, every
answer with the same simple joy. At
intervals Giulika called to his grandson on
the roof ; the answer was always the same.
Then they fell to telling stories. One of these
tickled even George when Maurice translated
it to him .
“ A man,” said Giulika, “ bought a donkey
in the bazaar and led it away. Two thieves
followed him. His back being turned, one
slipped the halter from the donkey and put
it over his own head. The other went off
with the donkey. When he had had time
to escape, his mate began to pull and groan.
The purchaser looked back, and lo ! there was
no donkey, but instead, a man. 'Where is
my donkey ? ' he asked, in great amazement.
"Woe is me ! ' cried the thief ; I am that
luckless being. A magician turned me into
a donkey for fifteen years ; the time has just
come to an end. I am a man again, and have
nothing, and know not where to go.' And
the kind man released him, and gave him some
money. "
C.G. K
146 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

Roars of laughter greeted the end of the

story. Then Giorgio, the young man who
had been wounded, and had hitherto kept
silence, announced that he had had a very
funny thought. It tickled him so much that
for a time he could not tell it ; and even while
he told it, laughter interrupted him after every
sentence.
" Suppose a cow fell from the cliff opposite, "
he said. " It would be broken all to pieces.
Every man would run to pick up a bit for
supper. Then suppose, just as they got there,
the bits all joined into a cow again and ran
away ! "
The thought of their disappointment amused
the company so much that they shouted again
and again. More stories followed, and all the
time Maurice was pondering on his plight,
wondering what the next day would bring
forth . Šlavianski had not given up his
purpose ; the encampment outside was proof
of that. The darkness had been to his
disadvantage in the first attack ;
would he
renew his onslaught on the morrow ? Was
the kula strong enough to withstand him ?
Was it right to imperil the lives and goods
of these kindly, simple Albanians ? Presently,
from sheer exhaustion, both George and
Maurice fell into an uneasy sleep, from which
they were roused, as the dawn was stealing
into the room , by a shout from Doda, who
had remained on the roof. The enemy were
 SOME RIDDLES 147

advancing to the attack. There was a score

of Albanians, and four Europeans, and the
tall, bearded leader of the Europeans was
urging on men who bore a heavy tree-trunk
slung on ropes .
The old patriarch, instantly ordered the
ladder leading to the ground floor to be drawn
up. He knew that the door would not
withstand a battering-ram. At the same time
the rest of the men went to the windows and
the roof and fired at the assailants, some of
the boys hurling stones down among them .
There were scattered shots also from the other
houses in the village. The enemy replied
briskly with a fusillade. Several of them were
hit, but the others rushed forward to the
door, broke it in with one stroke of the ram,
and poured into the house, followed by the
Austrians.
But here they were baffled by the removal
of the ladder. They shouted to the old man,
commanding him to deliver up his guests .
They fired through the trapdoor ; there was
no one on the second storey, but the Mauser
bullets pierced the logs that formed the floor of
the upper room , and sent the inmates for safety
to the roof. Thence they fired , but sparingly,
for they had not many cartridges ; their
stock of missiles also was becoming exhausted :
but the old man declared that they were safe-
there was no ladder in the village long enough
to replace that which had been withdrawn .
K 2
148 CRUISE OF THE GYRO -CAR

What was to be the end of it ? The answer

was soon made clear. A smell of burning
arose from the bottom of the house . The
invaders had set fire to some of the stores.
Maurice could not but regard this as merely a
warning ; he could scarcely believe that
Slavianski, however unscrupulous, deliberately
intended to burn down the house and all that
it contained. Giulika, looking grave at the
destruction of his property, took the same
view, and declared that such threats were vain ;
every Albanian must know that his honour was
committed to the preservation of his guests,
and he could never give them up. Such
loyalty in a half-savage mountaineer stirred
Maurice to admiration.
" The car ! " cried George suddenly. " If a
spark catches"" the petrol the whole place will
be blown up.'
Without an instant's hesitation Maurice
sprang down into the room, down the ladder
to the next floor, and, leaning over the
opening, called aloud that he surrendered.
" Count Slavianski," he cried, " spare the
household."
66
Assuredly, Mr. Buckland," replied the
man.
" And wheel the gyro-car into the open,
away from the fire, or the petrol will
""
explode .'
The Count evidently had not thought of
that. The fire had indeed been started by
 SOME RIDDLES 149

the men of Elbasan , without orders from

him , and he had been too much occupied to
remember the danger. Fortunately the car
was at the rear of the large chamber ; the fire
was at the front. He ordered the Albanians
to beat out the fire, explaining to them that
the Inglesi had surrendered, and the siege was
at an end .
By this time Maurice had been joined by
George and the men of the household.
Giulika was almost angry at the turn of
events . But Maurice courteously waved
aside his expostulations, and, the ladder
having been let down, descended to the
ground.
"I congratulate you, " said the Count in
French, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction .
" On what, may I ask ? " said Maurice.
" First, on the ingenuity of your scheme of
travel ; now, on your return to your senses.
The air is fresher outside ; shall we continue
our conversation there ? "
They went into the open air. At a sign from
Rostopchin, George and the members of the
household were disarmed as they came one
by one down the ladder, the Austrian
explaining, in answer to Giulika's indignant
outcry, that the weapons would be returned
very soon.
"Now, Monsieur," said Slavianski when
they were outside, " I have wasted so much
time that we had better come to business at
150 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

once. You have a despatch from your Secretary

of State ? "
"You say so, Monsieur le Comte."
" I ask you to hand it to me- to save
trouble."
" Of course I shall hand you nothing. "
" Then I must search you. Resistance is
useless ." He glanced significantly at the group
of Albanians who stood beside their horses a
few yards distant.
" I shall not resist," said Maurice with a
smile. " But you will permit me to make a
formal protest.
66
" A protest can do no harm, " said the Count,
grinning, " Now, if you please."
The search was concluded in a surprisingly
short time. From one pocket the Count
removed a revolver, from another a long
envelope with the official seal, and addressed to
His Majesty's agent and consul-general at
Sofia. He did not attempt to conceal his
elation. Breaking the seal, he drew from the
envelope the folded paper it contained, opened
it, and, after a glance, said :
66
'Seeing that the game is up, you will no
doubt save time by deciphering the despatch."
" I won't deprive you of that pleasure, " said
Maurice serenely.
The Austrian smiled. Taking a little book
from his pocket, he turned quickly over a few
pages.
"We are not without resources, Mr. Buck-
 A NURSERY RHYME 151

land ," he said. "I have here the key to your

Foreign Office cipher. "
A faint smile showed itself on Maurice's
face. George, who, a moment before, had
glowered with indignation, for Rostopchin
had tied his hands behind him, now grinned
broadly. The scene was peaceful. Hostilities
had ceased : Giulika and his men leant discon-
solate against the wall of their house ; the
half- dozen neighbours lolled at their doors ,
idly watching ; and the intruders from Elbasan
stood beside their horses, looking on with
silent curiosity.
The Count rapidly pencilled , with the aid
of his key, the translation of the despatch.
After a word or two a look of puzzlement
stole upon his face. He knit his brows, com-
pared the words before him with the key, and
summoned Rostopchin to his side. The two
spoke in whispers inaudible to Maurice, who
had lighted a cigarette, and was pacing up and
down unconcernedly.
"It is clearly correct," said Rostopchin.
"Finish it ; we shall get the explanation
by-and-by."
The Count proceeded with his task. In
twenty minutes he had finished . His puzzle-
ment had but increased. With a frown of
irritation he pored over what he had written
with Rostopchin.
"There must be a secret within a secret," said
the secretary .
152 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

The Count strode towards Maurice.

66
Zis , is it correct ? " he asked in English
curtly, spreading his transliteration.
Maurice glanced over it.
"Quite correct, Monsieur le Comte," he
said.
"Zen vill you tell me vat zis mean ? I do
not understand it :-

Hey, diddle, diddle,

Ze cat and ze fiddle,
Ze cow jomp over ze moon-

" Vat is ze meaning of zis-zis galimatias ? ”

demanded the Count, his English failing him.
" It is very idiomatic," said Maurice, " but
as you have deciphered it correctly, I have no
objection to putting it into plain English.
Hey,' Monsieur, is an exclamation of warn-
ing : equivalent to ' look out,' ' beware,' in
French, gare. ' Diddle,' is ' to deceive,' ' take
in,' 'to spoof,' ' lead anyone a wild-goose chase.'
The cat, as you are aware, is not a musical
animal, but there is a certain variety, bred in
our county of Cheshire, that smiles at any
mention of fiddlesticks. The cow is just a
COW. It may be of any nationality: Russian,
German, or even Austrian, but it is merely
a cow, unless specially qualified. To jump
over ' or ' shoot the moon ' is English argot for
a sudden change of address. The moon refers
to the lunatics-you have the same word,
Mondsüchtige- who are deceived or diddled
 A NURSERY RHYME 153

thereby. The little dog laughed to see such

sport -that is quite clear ; but we usually say
in English, it is99 enough to make a cat laugh ,'
referring to—- ”
But at this point in Maurice's commentary,
delivered in an even, placid tone of voice, the
Count's rising fury burst its bounds.
66 Sapperment ! " he cried . "You dare to
play viz me ! I give you ten minutes -ten
minutes, and no more, to consider . You vill
tell me vere your despatch is "-he tore up and
cast away the fragments of the bogus despatch
-" or if your message "" is merely verbal you
vill acquaint me viz it.'
" And if I do not, Monsieur le Comte ?
"If you do not, you shall be shot."
 CHAPTER XI

IN THE SMALL HOURS

THE amusement with which George had

listened to his brother's ironic nonsense turned
to dismay and despair. Helpless with his
hands bound behind him, he hurried to
Maurice's side.
" He does not mean it ? " he cried.
Maurice shrugged, and lighted another
cigarette.
"Whatever happens to me, old boy, you
won't betray our secret."
" No ; but he can't mean it, Maurice."
Further speech was prevented when
Slavianski came up and demanded that
Maurice should take off his coat and waistcoat .
These he searched thoroughly : there was no
despatch in pockets or lining. Meanwhile
Rostopchin and the other Austrians had gone
to the back of the house, taken the valise from
the gyro-car, turned out its contents , and
thoroughly overhauled them. Then Slavianski
himself joined them and searched the gyro- car,
finding nothing but the Guide Taride, the maps
they had bought en route, and the provisions
 IN THE SMALL HOURS 155

brought from Durazzo. By this time the ten

minutes had expired .
The Count returned to the front of the
house. His face was black with rage. Address-
ing George, he cried :
" Are you ""a fool like your brozer ? Vere is
ze despatch ?
"I have nothing to say to you, ' replied
George, his cheeks going white.
"Zen I vill shoot your brozer before your
eyes and if zat does not cure you of your
99
obstinacy, ze next bullet shall be for you .
He raged up to Maurice.
" Once more I demand zat you tell me
vere is your despatch, or vat it contained .
It is ze last time. Refuse, and you vill be
shot. Don't flatter yourself zat I shall
99
hesitate.'
"I have no information to give,” replied
Maurice, between puffs of his cigarette.
The Count strode to him, snatched the
cigarette from his lips, and bade his men tie
his hands behind . When this was done he
called forward one of the Albanians from
Elbasan.
" Shoot that man," he said, pointing to
Maurice.
The Albanian lifted his rifle slowly. Maurice
faced him squarely, with not so much as the
tremor of an eyelid. The man hesitated,
looked from Slavianski to the prisoner and
back again, then grounded his rifle.
156 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

" No, no, excellence," he said. " In fair

fight, yes ; for blood, yes ; it is my duty. I

have killed five men for blood ; but I will not
shoot a man like a dog. If that is the way in
99
your country, do it yourself ; it is not our way.
Cries of applause broke from his comrades.
Slavianski turned angrily towards his own
countrymen. There was a something in their
demeanour that gave him no hope of finding
among them an executioner. With a snarl of
rage he whipped out his own revolver and
pointed it at Maurice, whose eyes looked into
his unflinchingly, and whose lips curved in a
slight smile. His finger was on the trigger.
66
My Government has a long arm, Monsieur
le Comte," said Maurice quietly in French.
" Had you not better think it over ? "
" Bah ! " cried the Count, dropping the muzzle
slightly, nevertheless. " Your ambassador at
Constantinople has given warning that Eng-
lishmen travel in this country at their own
risk ."
66
True," replied Maurice, as calmly as if he
were discussing a matter quite impersonal ;
" at their own risk-of interference by the
people of the country. You are not an
Albanian, Monsieur. "
"You will disappear- the mountains swallow
you."
" But not you, Monsieur. You are known
to have tracked me to Brindisi ; it is known at
Brindisi that you followed me to Durazzo.
 16
ཀ་ ་

A TENSE MOMENT
 IN THE SMALL HOURS 157

This is a time of peace. If you shoot me, if I

disappear, you will be suspected of murdering
me, and whatever your services may have been
to your Government,
99 I think it will hardly
protect you.
Rostopchin touched his chief on the arm,
and spoke to him in low tones . The Count
gnawed his moustache, frowned , muttered a
curse. Then, with an angry gesture, he called
to his men to take the prisoners into the
house, and walked towards his Albanian allies.
After a short conversation with them, he too
entered the house.
The brothers, on reaching the first floor,
were placed against the wall. Their legs were
bound. Leaving two of his men to guard
them, Slavianski mounted to the upper floor
with Rostopchin. In a few moments the
women and children came hurriedly down the
ladder. On reaching the ground floor they
were turned out of the house. Giulika and
his men looked on sullenly ; they were too
few to oppose any resistance. The men from
Elbasan laughed . They had no quarrel with
them . Even though some of them had been
wounded in the recent fighting, they were too
much accustomed to hard knocks to bear a
grudge on that account, so long as their
honour was not concerned. They had been
engaged to hunt down the Inglesi, and knew
that if they raised a hand against the villagers,
now that the Inglesi were captured, it would
158 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

start a feud that might involve the whole

countryside.
Slavianski and Rostopchin took up their
quarters in the upper floor of the kula. By
and by they summoned one of the men left
to guard the prisoners to prepare a meal.
After a time all three came down, descended
to the lower floor, and passed out of the
house.
"You were fine," said George in a murmur
to his brother. " I was in a most horrible
funk. I'm glad I wasn't put to the test."
" Oh, you'd have come through all right.
What I was most conscious of was a raging
thirst . Monsieur," he said, addressing the
guard in French, " may I have some milk,
rakia, coffee, or water, if it is drinkable ? "
The man grinned .
" The Count's order is that you have
nothing," he said .
66
They're going to starve us into giving in,"
said Maurice to his brother.
"The fiends ! " muttered George. " How
long can you hold out ? "
66
Long enough to tire them, I hope.
When they think of it, they'll see that we're
no good to them dead. They haven't found,
and won't find, the despatch ; they'll suppose
I carry a verbal message ; and starvation is
just as much murder as shooting."
" If they'd only give us a drink ! It's like an
oven here now that the sun is getting up.
 IN THE SMALL HOURS 159

My mouth is parched already : don't people

go mad from thirst ? "
" Oh ! it won't come to that. They'll give
in presently."
But the hours crawled on, and neither food
nor drink was given to them. The Austrians
re-entered the house. As they passed,
Maurice, in a rough, husky whisper, said to the
Count :
" Monsieur, will it not satisfy you that we
are hungry ? Is it in your instructions to
torture us with thirst ? "
Slavianski went by without a word. The
man who had been on guard mounted the
ladder, his place being taken by the fourth
member of the party.
The long day drew out towards evening.
The two prisoners at first lay still and tried
to sleep. But the heat and stuffiness of the
room, the cramping of their limbs, and their
increasing thirst caused almost unendurable
pain. They tossed and writhed, now and
again calling in hoarse whispers for water,
only to be answered with a jeer. The voices
of the others came to them from above ;
through the window floated sounds of laughter
and singing ; and as the light faded they felt
creeping upon them the numbness of despair.
Again the guard was changed. The man
lit a small candle-lamp, and sat against the
wall, a revolver beside him. Within and
without the sounds were hushed ; their
160 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

enemies slept, but no sleep came to cool their

fevered brows. Their guard began to doze ;
breathing hard, waking with a start, then
dozing again. By and by his breathing
became regular ; he too was asleep . How
many hours passed it was impossible to tell.
Wakeful, tortured with pain, the prisoners
longed for morning.
Suddenly they heard a slight creaking
sound. The guard awaked, sat erect, and
looked about him. The prisoners were lying
where they had been placed ; all was well ;
and after a minute or two his loud breathing
proclaimed that sleep had again overcome
him. There was a second creak, a rustle, and
a man slid into the room through the window.
He stole across the room towards the

sleeping guard ; there was a gurgle ; then

silence. The prisoners raised themselves
slightly from the floor, and saw the intruder
approaching them. Without a word he
stooped and with swift, silent movements cut
their bonds . Then for a few moments he
rubbed their numbed wrists and ankles, and
signed to them to follow him. They saw
now that the bars had been removed from the
window. He motioned to Maurice to climb
up. When he did so, he saw a ladder resting
on the wall just below the sill, its lower end
standing on a wagon beneath. He looked
anxiously below. Nobody was in sight, but
from round the corner of the house came the
 IN THE SMALL HOURS 161

glow of a fire. He descended , slowly , pain-

fully ; George followed him ; last of all their
rescuer issued forth and climbed down.
From the wagon they reached the ground.
In the dim glow the Englishmen saw that
their deliverer was Giorgio.
"Where is the car ? " whispered Maurice.
"At the front of the house," he replied.
" Come with me."
They followed him towards the trees at the
back of the house. Here they were met by
Giulika, Marko, and the other men of his
family, together with half a dozen strangers.
" Come with us, friends," said the old
man.
"We cannot leave the car," whispered
Maurice.
66
Is it worth a life ? " was the reply.
"Yes, we must have it. "
They spoke in whispers. How was the car
to be removed without discovery ? There
was no time to lose . The men in the upper
floor might waken ; there would be no waken-
ing for the guard in the room below. Marko
stole to the corner of the house. Between

the house and the camp fire a number of

horses were tethered . They cast a shadow on
the spot where the gyro-car rested against the
wall. Marko beckoned, and George joined
him. After a moment's hesitation they crept
round on all fours, placed themselves one on
each side of the car, and wheeled it silently
C.G. L
162 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

round the corner to the side of the house, and

thence to the back.
"Come with us," said Giulika.
He led the way through the trees, up a
steep path in the hill- side. Maurice helped
George and two other men to wheel the car.
It was a rocky path ; there were frequent
stumbles in the darkness, and they shivered
lest the slight sounds they made should reach
the ears of the men encamped below, who
were not all asleep. The hum of voices rose
and fell.
After a few minutes the slow procession
halted, and Giulika offered a gourd full of
sour milk to the famished Englishmen, of
which they drank greedily.
" Long life to you ! " said the old man
cheerily. " My honour is clean, and only one
man is dead. "
" Could we not have gagged and bound
him ?" said Maurice.
"The other was the shorter way," said
Giorgio. " He might have waked while I cut
your bonds, and made a sound."
" And we had to think of our honour,"
added his grandfather.
Maurice did not reply. Honour has
different meanings in different places.
They went on again. The moon was set,
and the stars gave little light. Following a
winding gorge between two almost perpen-
dicular cliffs, George thought that there
 IN THE SMALL HOURS 163

would be no danger in lighting his lamp.

By its bright flame they were able to see the
way, and marched more quickly. Giulika
went first, behind him came the Bucklands,
with four men wheeling the car ; the rear
was brought up by the rest of the company,
to keep a watch over the backward track.
Maurice drew out his watch ; it was nearly one
o'clock. They had three or four hours until
dawn, and Giulika said they must travel as
far as possible before sunrise. The car had
probably left a track by which the direction of
their flight would be discovered. There were
few dwellers in these mountain solitudes, but
someone might see them when daylight came,
and the passage of so strange a vehicle would
almost certainly be announced from hill to hill
by shouts .
"Where are you leading us ? " asked
Maurice.
" By the path I spoke of, to the Black
Drin," answered Giulika.

L2
 CHAPTER XII

THE SWAMP

YARD by yard the path became steeper, and

at times bent so abruptly that only with the
greatest care, and by the united efforts of the
whole party, could the gyro-car be dragged or
pushed round. More than once Giulika
muttered an imprecation on the people who
invented machines. On foot, even on horse-
back, the narrow path presented little difficulty
to a mountaineer, and the simple old man
could not understand why two travellers,
in peril of their lives from enemies, should
enhance their danger by clinging to a thing of
metal. He admitted , however, that the lamp
was a good one, and even said that he should
like to have a light as brilliant in his kula ;
it would enable the women to knit at night !
When they had gone so far from the village
that there was no risk of a sound reaching
the Albanians at their camp fire, George
started the motor actuating the gyroscopes,
and so made the haulage of the car easier, since
the men no longer needed to concern them-
selves with keeping it upright. This fact
caused no little consternation among them,
 THE SWAMP 165

and one asked earnestly whether the Inglesi

would assure him that the car was not a
creature of Shaitan.
They soon found that, difficult as it was to
get the machine up-hill, it was still more
difficult when the path took a downward
trend . At such times the car had a tendency
to break away from the hands of those who
held it. By-and-by it occurred to George to
climb into the car at the head of such descents
and apply the brakes. Even then, however,
the men had to hang upon it, for powerful as
the brakes were, they were scarcely strong
enough to hold it at the steepest parts.
Progress was slow. To start the driving
motor was out of the question : the one
consolation was that no petrol was being con-
sumed. Eager as all were to reach the
river, Maurice was determined not to
jeopardise the remainder of his journey to
Sofia by over-haste. Both George and he felt
utterly worn out. The strain of constant
travelling, the want of sleep and food, the
agitation of the past day, were telling upon
them heavily. They nibbled at hunks of hard
maize bread given them by Giulika, and
at some polonies they had bought at Durazzo ;
but with the exhaustion of their nervous
energy they had lost appetite. Their present
perils, and the thought of possible dangers to
come, kept them on the rack.
It was indeed anxious, terrifying work, this
166 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

scrambling up rough, tortuous acclivities, then

diving headlong into what seemed at times
an almost perpendicular gulf. The path was
little more than a goat track. Here a huge
mass of rock blocked the way ; there the
track diminished to a width of little more
than four feet, with a sheer cliff on one side,
and on the other a precipice of unknown
depth. Giulika confessed that but for the
light of the lamp he would never have
attempted the more hazardous portions of the
path ; and the Englishmen were thankful that
the surrounding darkness concealed from
them the full measure of the risk they were
running.
Suddenly they heard the baying of dogs.
" We are coming to the house of Zutni ;
he is a friend," said Giulika.
Descending a long incline, a bend in the
track brought them in sight of a rectangle
of light. A door stood open, and out of it
came a gigantic mountaineer, gun in hand.
He was dazzled by the white glare of the
lamp, and called suspiciously to the strangers
to halt. Giulika went forward ; his friend
recognised him, and kissed him affectionately.
A few words passed between them : then,
hearing that two Englishmen were with the
party, Zutni advanced, shook them warmly
by the hand, and invited them to enter his
house.
" Be welcome ! " he said.
 THE SWAMP 167

" Is it safe to delay ? " Maurice asked of

Giulika.
" Yes, indeed," replied the old man. " We
have come far ; the Austrians will not dare to
follow on horseback in the dark, and they
may not discover our
our
flight until the
morning."
The house was a small one, perched on a
rocky eminence. The whole party entered ;
Giulika and his men, according to Albanian
custom , handed their weapons to their host,
who hung them beside his own on the wall.
He placed mats for the Englishmen before a
blazing fire ; his women pulled off their boots,
and in a few minutes grilled for them some
mutton steaks on skewers. Rakia was pro-
duced : " Good health, friends," said the jovial
host ; and the travellers, basking in the
warmth, ate and drank with relish.
Giulika related what had occurred . His
friend listened with indignation.
"You have done well," he said, " but will
not the villains slay your women and children
and burn your house when they find that you
have gone ? "
"Aha ! " chuckled Giulika. "The women
and children are safe : I sent them this after-
noon towards Ochrida to my brother. " (It was
really a very distant cousin, but the ties of
blood are close in Albania) . " As for my
house, it is likely to be burnt ; but it is God's
will. I could not betray my guests. "
168 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

" True. And do I see Leka among you ?

Is it besa ? "
" Yes it is besa until we return to the
99
village. Leka is an honourable man.'
And then Maurice learnt, with amazement,
that among the villagers who had accompanied
him was the man who had shot Giorgio.
The blood -foes were at this moment squatting
side by side, laughing and talking in the
friendliest way, drinking alternately out of the
same mug. The truce between them would
hold until they returned to their village : then
Leka would watch for an opportunity of
stalking and slaying his enemy, with no
more compunction than if he were a noxious
beast.
66
" Sleep, friends," said Zutni presently to the
two Englishmen, who were nodding. " The
Inglesi need much sleep ; it is one of God's
mysteries. I will wake you when day comes.
Long life to you ! "
They needed no pressing. Zutni's wife
brought some mats for pillows, tucked them
up in blankets with her own delicate fingers,
and they slept till daybreak, oblivious of the
insects that feasted on them.
In the wan, grey light Zutni awoke them.
The fire was raked together : the women
made strong coffee ; and after a breakfast of
coffee and hot maize bread baked on the
hearth they set off to resume their journey.
Zutni himself accompanied them ; like Giulika,
 THE SWAMP 169

he felt responsible for his guests , and had

resolved to see them safely to the Drin.
When they looked back upon the track
they had traversed, they could scarcely realise
that it had been possible to cross the rugged
mountains behind them. Looking forward,
it seemed equally impossible that they could
climb the heights in front with so cumbrous
a vehicle as the gyro-car. Peak after peak
thrust its pinnacles into the sky. The path
was visible for only a few yards ahead, and as
each rugged corner was rounded, another
came into view. But the terrors of the night
had vanished. Daylight, while it revealed the
difficulties and dangers of the journey,
enabled the travellers to avoid them ; and the
Albanians hauled and pushed and dragged
joyously, grunting with satisfaction as each
new obstacle was surmounted. The only
check upon their high spirits was the necessity
of moving quietly, in order not to attract
attention from any who might be wandering
on the heights. For the same reason George
did not start his engine. In the clear
mountain air its throbbing might be heard
for many miles. But it was possible now to let
the car run down many a downward slope by
its own weight, so that the progress was nearly
twice as rapid as it had been in the darkness.
After they had been marching for about an
hour, and began to find the descents longer
than the ascents, they came to the blackened
170 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

ruins of a small mountain village. In answer

to Maurice's inquiries, Giulika explained that
the houses had been burnt by the Turks in
the last rising. The Ottoman troops, coming
to a village and finding any of the men absent
from their homes, would assume that they
were with the insurgents, and burn their
houses. There was no more effective means
of crushing an insurrection, for the Albanian's
house is his all.
""
" What we want is a good government,"
said the old man. "You Inglesi have a good
king, they say ; why does not he come and
govern us ? "
This was a question which Maurice found
it difficult to answer in any way that could
satisfy the simple mountaineer, to whom
international politics was an unknown world.
He was listening sympathetically to Giulika's
recital of the misdeeds of the Turks , when
the party encountered a more serious obstacle
than any they had yet met. A mountain
stream, running towards the Drin, had spread
out into a wide swamp, dotted with boulders.
So soft and oozy was the soil, that the leaders
of the march sank deep into it. There was
not water enough to float the car, and its
weight would clearly prevent its being run
across. Nor was there any possibility of
carrying it as the sailors had carried it from
the quay to the launch at Dover : the men
could not get a firm footing.
 THE SWAMP 171

They halted, looking blankly at one another.

Zutni said that the morass could be circum-
vented, but only by striking back into the
mountains, and following a track that would
take them several hours' march out of the
direct course. Such loss of time was dangerous,
and might prove fatal. Remembering how the
man from Elbasan had refused to shoot him
at the bidding of Slavianski, Maurice asked
Giulika whether the Austrian might not have
permanently lost the help of his allies. But
the old man answered that this was unlikely.
The Elbasan had obeyed the dictate of
honour in refusing to kill a helpless prisoner ;
but the same sense of honour would bid him
fulfil his obligation to his employer when the
prisoners were free. They would certainly
pursue on horseback, and the delay involved
in fetching a circuit about the swamp would
enable them to gain upon the fugitives.
While they were discussing the perplexing
situation in which they found themselves,
George's eyes lighted on the ruined buildings
perched on the heights about half a mile in
their rear.
" If there are any planks left whole in those
buildings," he said to Maurice, " there is a
chance for us. We could lay them on the
mud and form a track. It would be slow
work getting across even then, but quicker
than going miles round. "
Maurice explained the suggestion to Giulika.
172 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

He at once sent half a dozen men back to the

village to see if the fire had spared enough
timber to serve the purpose. The Englishmen
gazed with admiration as the lithe young men
hastened up the slope, as nimbly as goats.
In an extraordinarily short time they were
seen returning, each carrying one or more
long, rough, blackened planks, ripped from a
half-demolished barn. They brought news as
well. They had caught a glimpse of horse-
men approaching through a defile in the hills
behind.
" How far away ? " asked Maurice anxiously.
Their answers left him very much in the
dark. Time and distance are alike vague to
the people of Albania. One said an hour's
march, another declared that it was less ; all
were agreed that if the swamp were dry
ground, the pursuers would overtake them
before they had reached the other side, and
from this Maurice inferred that the distance
between the two parties was even less than
the mountaineers supposed .
Without the loss of a moment he instructed
them how to lay the planks. The first having
been thrown down upon the mud, a man
carried a second along it and placed them end
to end, and so on, until there was a kind of
pier, sixty or seventy feet long, extending into
the swamp. George then mounted into the
car to steer it, and it was pushed from behind
until it reached the furthermost plank. At
 THE SWAMP 173

times the planks sank until they disappeared

below the surface ; but then, although the
wheels were running in several inches of
ooze, the boards beneath them afforded a
sufficiently firm foundation. Each plank was
held by a man at the nearer end as the car
over it, so that it should not swerve,
George well knowing that the slightest
deviation to right or left must precipitate the
vehicle into the morass .
Behind the car marched the whole of the
party in single file. The last man, on gaining
the second plank, lifted the first and handed
it to his comrade in front. Thus each board
was raised in turn. When the car arrived at
the end of the pier, and came to an enforced
standstill, a man passed through it and laid a
plank beyond, and the pier was reconstructed
as before. Then the advance was carried for
another sixty feet, and the operation was once
more gone through.
66 Upon
my word, I'd rather face the
precipices," said George to Maurice, as the car
reached the end of the third section. 66 They
were not half so trying to the nerves as this
slow crawl."
" Have patience, my dear fellow," replied
his brother. " It was an uncommonly happy
thought of yours. We've the consolation of
knowing that, as we take up our path behind
us, Slavianski can't follow, and will have to
go the roundabout way that we have escaped."
174 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

""
" Do you see any sign of the fellow ?
" Not yet. The mountain track winds and
undulates so much that we shan't catch sight
of him till he comes to the ruins. "
66
' Well, I hope that won't be yet, for if the
Albanians are anything of marksmen, they
can pick us off long before we get to the other
side. And we can't go any faster ; these
fellows are working splendidly. I suppose if

we get through to Sofia safely your chief will

reward ' em pretty handsomely."
"It isn't in the regulations, as the Customs
officer told us," said Maurice with a smile.
66
Still, I daresay we shall be able to do
something for them-if we get through ; we're
""
not out of the wood yet.'
By slow stages the party had advanced about
a quarter of a mile into the swamp, and only
forty or fifty yards yet remained , when there
was the report of a rifle. Glancing round,
Maurice saw a group of horsemen halted in the
ruined village ; several had dismounted . Then
came three cracks in rapid succession .
66
They're no good ! " cried George gleefully,
when neither man nor car was hit.
"The range is too long for accurate shoot-
ing," said Maurice, " but they can alter that.
See, they are coming down, and much faster
than we did. ”
The horsemen were putting their steeds to
a pace that seemed to the onlookers dangerous.
Before they were half-way down the hillside,
 THE SWAMP 175

indeed, one of the horses stumbled, throwing

its rider.
" He is an Austrian," said Giulika laughing.
“ No Albanian, Christian or Moslem , would
leave his saddle so quickly as that. ”
On coming within a quarter- mile of the
swamp the horses began to gallop ; but the
fugitives had advanced another sixty feet
before they reached the edge. There the
horsemen reined up, flung themselves from
their saddles, and fired a scattered volley.
Maurice looked grave as the shots whistled
round, but the danger of the party was not
so great as might be supposed, even had the
Albanians been better marksmen, because the
fugitives were not grouped, but marched in a
line. The car itself formed the best target.
One or two bullets struck its framework,
and George felt a little nervous lest one
should find its billet in the petrol- tank. But
no harm was done until a shot struck Giorgio
in the arm, just below the spot where his
former wound was bandaged . He growled
with rage ; but his grandfather laughed at his
ill-luck, and Maurice could not help smiling
when Leka, the young man's blood-foe, said
cheerfully :
" Never mind. We'll have besa until your
wounds are healed."
" Hadn't you better be friends for life ? "
asked Maurice.
" And lose my honour, excellence ? " said
176 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

Leka. " No ; I would sooner drown myself

in this swamp ."
The Albanians laid the track over the last
stretch with wonderful speed , and in a few
minutes the car and the whole party touched
terrafirma. The pursuers were still firing,
but without effect. Some of Giulika's party
paused to return the shots, but their marksman-
ship was no better than their opponents', and
Giulika presently ordered them to desist.
By this time Slavianski had recognised the
hopelessness of further shooting. Mounting
his horse again, he rode for a few yards into
the swamp, as if to test the possibility of direct
pursuit, but he halted when the animal's legs had
disappeared almost to the knees, and returned
to the shore. In a few moments his party
were in their saddles, and started at a gallop
to make the circuit of the swamp.
" Really, his perseverance deserves to be
rewarded," remarked Maurice, as he mounted
to his place beside George in the car.
 CHAPTER XIII

A LANDSLIP IN THE HILLS

On the eastern side of the swamp the

ground rose so gradually that it was possible,
for the first time since the escape from the
kula, to start the engine. The car's easy

motion surprised and delighted the Albanians,

who ran along beside it with cries of admira-
tion. Giulika himself, old as he was, kept as
good a pace as the younger men, and when
Maurice invited him to enter the car he
declined .
" Never in my life have I been carried by
anything but a horse," he said, " and I am too
old to try new things. Nothing but a horse
shall carry me until I am borne to my
grave. "
After a time the path again became steep
and rough, and the pace had to be moderated.
" How far are we from the river ? " asked
Maurice.
"About an hour's march," replied Zutni,
who was more familiar with this part of the
country than Giulika. " The track is very
bad."
C.G. M
178 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

" Shall we not come to a valley ? "

66
No , excellence. The river runs between
high rocky cliffs. There are but few places
where we can get to the water. "
" And will the horsemen come to the track
we are following ? "
66
They must. But it is a long way round,
and, if we do well, we may reach the river
before they discover us. But it is a very bad
track. "
It proved, indeed, to be even more difficult
than any they had formerly traversed. Again
their progress was checked at every few yards,
either by an abrupt bend that demanded the
most careful manoeuvring, or by a narrowing
of the path between a perpendicular wall on
one side and a yawning chasm on the other.
To keep the engine going was only a useless
expenditure of petrol, except when mounting
an incline. At one spot the ascent was so
steep that the car had to be lifted by the whole
party and hoisted over a sharp ridge. Progress
was terribly slow. The sun was now high in
the heavens, and its rays were reflected with
scorching heat from the rocks . The English-
men began to feel sick and dizzy. Their
boots, soaked through during their passage
of the morass, were torn into shreds by hard
marching over the rugged ground, and both
felt that if they did not soon gain the river,
they would be incapable of continuing their
journey without a prolonged rest ; then
 A LANDSLIP IN THE HILLS 179

all hope of escaping Slavianski must be

abandoned, and when once again in his
clutches they would hardly win release.
They struggled on. Then, rounding a
bend in the narrow track, they saw themselves
faced with an insurmountable obstacle . To
the right was a craggy precipice, to the left a
steep and rugged hill-slope. A mass of earth,
loosened, apparently, by rains, had slid down
the slope across the path, blocking it to the
height of several feet. Even the Albanians
were aghast.
" It is God's will," said Giulika, with the
fatalism of his race. " God sent rain that
washed the earth down. The way is blocked
for ever . No man will reach the Drin by
this path again ."
" Is this the path by which the Austrians
must come ?" asked Maurice.
" Certainly it is ; there is no other," was
the reply. " We must go back and meet
them, or, if you please, stay here and shoot ;
we can kill a good many of them before we
ourselves are killed ."
Maurice consulted with his brother.
" The question is, are you willing to be
collared again ? " said George, when he under-
stood the position. " I am not, I tell you
frankly. There will have to be a fight, and
it's not our fault ; they fired at us. If any of
these fellows have pluck enough to keep
Slavianski off while the rest of us work, I
M 2
180 CRUISE OF THE GYRO -CAR

don't see why we shouldn't cut a way through

this obstruction- it's loose earth."
Maurice put the suggestion to Giulika and
Zutni, and with them examined the position.
It was clear that, posted behind the rocks at
the bend in the path, a few bold spirits could
hold a regiment at bay. Screened from sight
themselves , they would have the enemy in full
view, and as these approached the bend they
would be completely at the mercy of the
hidden marksmen. The Albanians, accustomed
to mountain warfare, grasped the possibilities
of the situation ; their only doubt was whether
the obstructing bank of earth could be cut
through in time, but they were ready to make
the attempt.

Accordingly a division of the party was

made. Zutni and a few of the best marks-
men posted themselves behind convenient
rocks ; the rest, with assistance from the
Englishmen, set to work with knives and rifles
to cleave a way through the obstacle. It was
arduous work, lacking proper implements, and
with the sun beating upon them in all its mid-
day strength. As George pointed out, the
gyro-car needed only a narrow passage, and if
the enemy could be held off for an hour or two
the task might be accomplished .
Some ten minutes after they had begun
work, there was a crack from Zutni's rifle.
Slavianski and his party, approaching on horse-
back in single file, at once came to a halt. The
 A LANDSLIP IN THE HILLS 181

Albanians among them recognised that they

had the worst of the position, and though as
yet only one shot had been fired, they guessed
that there were other marksmen lurking
behind the rocks. They dismounted and held
a consultation , their perfectly- trained horses
standing stock- still.
Presently the man next to Zutni caught
sight of the muzzle of a rifle edging round the
bend, and then the arm of the Albanian holding
the weapon. Keeping his eye fixed on the
slowly-moving objects, the watcher bided his
time. Then there was a crack and a flash : the
rifle dropped from the hand of the advancing
enemy on to the path. The arm disappeared.
But in a few moments the fallen rifle was
drawn slowly backward by an unseen hand.
Save for the noise of the shots , and the sounds
made by the men in clearing the path, the
silence of that mountain solitude had hitherto
been scarcely broken. Now an eagle, which
had been startled by the crack of the rifles, flew
over the place with a hoarse scream, and there
broke in upon it the voice of Count Slavianski
urging the Albanians, in their own tongue, to
make a dash upon the fugitives . Maurice
smiled when he heard the answer, roared in so
loud a tone that it was plain the Count was
some distance behind his vanguard .
" You are our leader, excellence," cried the
men. "We follow you ."
It was not surprising that the mountaineers
182 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

were reluctant to advance . They knew from

what had happened already that the first man
to show himself round the corner would be
shot before he could see his enemy to make a
target of him. And there was a delicious irony
in the man's retort that pleased Maurice. The
Count, however courageous he might be-and
the Englishmen had had no reason to doubt his
courage- was debarred from undertaking the
office of leader by the narrowness of the path.
It was blocked by the men and horses of his
party, and no change could be made in the
order of their advance, unless they were willing
to retrace their steps for some distance, to a
spot where a cleft in the rocky hill-side would
permit them to turn without falling over the
precipice. But this plan had apparently not
yet occurred to them , for Slavianski continued
his exhortations, which led to an altercation
that became increasingly acrimonious .
Meanwhile the men of Giulika's party had
been working like navvies, or rather, with
much more alacrity than George had ever seen
English navvies display. The discussion
beyond the bend was still proceeding when
a narrow passage for the gyro-car was
completed .
" It is done, praise God ! " cried Giulika,
who, in spite of his years, had toiled as hard as
any of the younger men. "Now I will tell
my English friends what they must do . We
cannot all go at once, because when those
 A LANDSLIP IN THE HILLS 183

Moslem pigs beyond discover our absence they

will follow at once, and we shall have gained
nothing. It will be best for you to go on with
your machine, while we remain to hold the
path. Giorgio, poor unlucky one, is no good
as a fighter until his wounds be healed : he
will guide you. "
66
" Is it much further to the Drin ? " asked
Maurice.
"Not a great way, and presently the road
will be easier, This track runs into a broader
path when you come within sight of the Drin,
and you will be able to make your machine
buzz .
99
" And you can hold the path behind us ? '
66 Surely we can. You have seen how slow
those infidels are to face our bullets. With-
out doubt we can keep them back until our
cartridges are all spent."
Clearly the plan suggested by the old man
was the best in the circumstances. George
vaulted into the car to manipulate the brakes,
the path now becoming a gradual descent,
and Maurice and Giorgio walked ahead.
For some two miles they threaded their way
between bluffs and precipices. There was no
sound of firing behind them, which Maurice
regarded as a favourable sign. But to his
surprise Giorgio became more and more
uneasy. Every now and again he stopped to
listen, and to scan the path behind and the
country around, where a view was possible.
184 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

"What are you troubled about ? " asked

Maurice.
66
Why are there no shots, excellence ? "
Giorgio asked, in return.
" I suppose our pursuers are still considering
whether to try to force the pass or not."
" Ah no ! Look ! " cried Giorgio, pointing
to the left.
Following the direction of his outstretched
finger, George and Maurice saw, far above
them on the skyline, perhaps a mile distant, a
series of specks moving in the same direction
as themselves.
" That is why there are no shots, excel-
lence," said Giorgio. " They must have gone
back to a narrow gorge that runs up into the
mountains, a very bad path, but shorter than
this one. It leads to the road my grandfather
spoke of. If they get there first they can
block our way to the Drin. But the road
there is pretty good, and if you make the
machine buzz loud , you can dash into them
and throw them over the cliff, horses and all. ”
99
"We had better get there first, if we can,'
said Maurice, repeating to George what he
had just heard.
"We must make a dash for it, and take
our chance," said George. " I'm not going to
be collared again. Get into the car, old boy,
and Giorgio too. The path isn't so bad as it
was, and if we don't get a puncture we shall
do very well. "
 A LANDSLIP IN THE HILLS 185

Maurice mounted to his seat beside his

brother. There was no proper accommoda-
tion for a third person in the car, but
Giorgio crouched in the narrow space
between the seats and the gyroscopes .
George started the engine, and the car began
to gather away. The Albanian, stolid and
iron-nerved as he was, gasped with dismay as
the vehicle ran down the incline, bumping a
little when, in spite of George's careful
steering, it crossed a hollow or a knob of rock.
The path began to switchback. Then it was
a series of rushes at the up grades and
scrambles down the slopes on the other side,
with the brakes hard on. George knew well
that a few yards of specially bumpy ground
might break a spring or puncture a tyre ; but
the risk seemed to him negligible by compari-
son with the greater risk of being intercepted.
More than once he felt the indescribable
movement of the rear wheels that betokened
skidding, and he could not repress a shudder
as he recognised how the swerving of an inch
or two to the right must plunge them over
the chasm. But he set his teeth and kept a
firm grip on his levers, and after nearly half
an hour of this perilous driving he saw with
joy that the path left the rocky face of the
cliff, and ran into a wider and more level track.
They looked ahead . No one was in sight.
They looked behind, along the narrow track
by which the pursuers must come. There
186 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

was no sign of them. But they heard shouts

from the heights above them, long, vociferous,
howling calls that must have made great
demands on the lungs of the shouters. To
Giorgio's dismay these shouts were answered
on their right. It seemed as if they would
have to reckon with enemies on both sides of
them. But at present on neither side was an
enemy visible.
The path being now less rugged and
tortuous, with no yawning precipice at its
edge, George increased the speed of the
gyro-car. Giorgio said that they would soon
come in sight of the Drin. All at once
George was conscious of a lack of power in
the engine. He opened the throttle, to no
effect.
"We are done for," he said in despair.
" Something is wrong."
He brought the car to a standstill and
leapt out. The explanation was immediately
obvious. A trail of petrol lay behind the
car, stretching out of sight.
"The outlet plug of the tank has fallen
out," he cried, " and I haven't another."
He ran back, searching the path for the
missing plug. Maurice sprang after him,
snatching up Giorgio's rifle, in case the enemy
came in sight. George hurried to the spot
where the trail of petrol began, but there was
no plug.
"What an ass I am ! " he cried. " We were
 A LANDSLIP IN THE HILLS 187

going at a good speed , and of course the plug

might be carried some yards. Hunt back
along with me, Maurice. "
So many stones lay on the path that they
almost despaired of finding the plug. But
Maurice's foot by-and-by struck against some-
thing which the instinct acquired in searching
for lost golf balls told him was not a stone.
He stooped, and picked up the missing plug.
"Good man," said George. " It's lucky
we've plenty of petrol left, for the "9tank is as
empty as a drum, you may be sure.'
They ran back to the car, replaced the
plug, and filled the tank from one of the tins.
Then they started again ; the accident had
cost them more than five minutes . The
shouts from the hill-tops sounded nearer.
Giorgio now and again flung out his hand
on one side or the other, to signify the exact
direction from which the shout came. Like a
batsman who has just been " let off" in the
long field, George seemed to become reck-
less. He drove the car at a speed that made
Giorgio cling in terror to the back of the seat,
and even provoked a remonstrance from
Maurice.
" All right, old man," said George jubilantly.
"We've got another life, and By Jove !
Is that the Drin ? "
"Yes, yes," shouted Giorgio in wild excite-
ment. " It is the Black Drin. We have won
the race. "
 CHAPTER XIV

A RUSH THROUGH THE RAPIDS

FAR below the travellers, at the foot of

steep cliffs, clothed here and there with forest,
but in many places bare, flowed the Black
Drin. It seemed to Maurice to belie its
name, for its waters were of a yellowish
brown. They drove on rapidly, sometimes
losing sight of the river, but catching
glimpses of villages and cultivated fields in
the distance.
In a few minutes they entered a narrow
gorge which, as Giorgio explained , led straight
down to the river. A fast run brought them
to the brink of the stream . To the Albanian's
amazement and alarm George ran the car
straight into the water. He was rather uneasy
himself when he found how the additional
weight of a third person depressed the car.
The stream was shallow and sluggish, and he
had to bring the car very near to the middle
of the current before he was satisfied that it
would float without risk to the wheels . If
they should strike with any force upon a rock
in the bed of the river they might buckle, or
the tyres might be punctured, and then it
 A RUSH THROUGH RAPIDS 189

would be good-bye to any chance of finishing

their journey.
Owing to the make of the car, it was
impossible to employ the rods that supported
it when the gyroscopes were not working
to fend off obstacles in the channel. All
that George could do was to keep a sharp
look-out over the edge of the wind-screen,
and steer what appeared to be the safest
course .
" I suppose the channel deepens as we pro-
ceed, and we shan't be in such danger," he
said.
Maurice asked a question of Giorgio.
" Yes, excellence," replied the man. " The
river becomes deeper after the rapids are
passed, and deeper still when it joins the
White Drin and flows towards the sea."
66
Rapids, are there ! " cried George, when
66
the man's reply was translated . "I hope
they're not bad ones."
"The water is very swift there," Giorgio
replied to a question from Maurice. " And
many rocks stand out of it. Assuredly you
will not think of running through the rapids,
excellence ? "
George declared that he certainly would run
the rapids, unless they were very bad. What
else could be done ? The bank of the river on
either side appeared too high and rugged even
for a climber to scale.
Georgio explained that before they came to
190 CRUISE OF THE GYRO -CAR

the rapids they must pass the bridge that

spanned the river near the hill-side village of
Trebischte to their left. He threw out his
hand to indicate the locality of the village.
" A bridge ? " said Maurice. " Then there
is a road, and we may still be intercepted ."
" That is true, excellence. The river makes
many windings, and there are goat-tracks
over the hills leading to Trebischte.
" And if we run on to the land and cross
the river by the bridge at Trebischte, what
then ? "
66
Then, excellence, you will have a difficult
path until you come to the road to Prizren. "
" The only thing to be done, " said George,
" is to make all speed for the bridge, and get
there first. I think old Giulika might have
managed this a little better. Why didn't he
make straight for the bridge instead of lead-
ing us over that wretched mountain path ?"
" He was discretion itself," replied Maurice.
" You remember we have not passed through a
single village. The old man chose an unfre-
quented route to ensure that we should not be
molested or checked ."
" I daresay you are right. I'll set the pro-
peller going, though I wanted to trust to the
current alone, so as to save petrol. But if
there's a chance of those ruffians reaching the
bridge before us, the faster we go the
better. "
Almost immediately after the propeller was
 A RUSH THROUGH RAPIDS 191

started there was a faint shout from some

elevated spot on the left.
66
They hear the buzz," said Giorgio.
"Trebischte is over there."
A few minutes afterwards there were more
shouts, much louder, and now on both sides of
the river. It appeared that one party was
answering another. As yet no one was to be
seen. But in a few moments, as the gyro-boat
rounded a bend, its occupants saw a lofty one-
arched bridge spanning the stream. On either
side a steep path led up into the hills.
Giorgio looked anxiously around.
66
See," he said, pointing to the left-hand
path.
The Englishman espied a number of men
hurrying down towards the river. Just above
them stood some horses.
"The path is too steep for horses, " said
Maurice. " Do you see Slavianski and
Rostopchin among the men ? '
" I see them," said George grimly.
"We've got to shoot the bridge before they
get to it, or they can pick us off as we pass.
Slavianski won't care a rap what he does now.
Despatch or no despatch, he means to have his
revenge on you for the dance you have led
him . We'll beat him. With the current in
our favour we are going ten or twelve knots
now. But-great Scott ! there's another lot
on the other side, and much nearer, too."
" No doubt the fellows we heard shouting ,"
192 CRUISE OF THE GYRO -CAR

said Maurice, with an anxious glance at a line

of men running at breakneck speed down the
path on the right. " Some of them must
reach the bridge before we do. But they
""
have no rifles ; that's one point in our favour.'
That the men were unarmed was due to
the fact that they had been working in the
field above the river, and had left their labour
in response to the cries from the further bank.
But they were followed at a long interval by
some of their comrades, who had delayed to
fetch their rifles from the hedge under which
they had laid them. The Albanian and his
weapon are rarely parted.
Three or four men gained the bridge when
the gyro-boat was still some fifty yards from
it. Shouts from the hills beyond had already
apprised them that the travellers were to be
intercepted. For a second or two they were
lost in amazement on beholding the extra-
ordinary craft bearing down towards them.
Then, stationing themselves in the middle of
the bridge, they prepared to hurl down on the
gyro-boat, as it passed beneath, some heavy
stones from the more or less dilapidated
parapet.
Maurice had already divined their probable
action. It was a fearsome prospect, and one
that called for promptitude. He caught up
Giorgio's rifle-
"Put the helm hard over, George, when I
give the word," he said.
 A RUSH THROUGH RAPIDS 193

At the same time he rested the rifle on the

gunwale and took aim at the man nearest to
the right bank.
" Now !" he said, as he fired.
The wheel spun round, and the gyro-boat
swerved abruptly towards the right bank. It
was impossible to tell whether the shot had
taken effect. The Albanian, when he saw the
rifle pointed at him, dropped down behind the
parapet, loosing his grip on the stone he was
preparing to cast. His fear not only robbed
him of his chance, but prevented his com-
panions from hurling their stones, for those
who were already on the bridge imitated his
ducking movement with great celerity, and
those who were still running had to pass him
before they, too, could seize upon the missiles.
There was a moment of confusion. Then
the men began to hurry towards the bank,
evidently supposing that the occupants of the
gyro-boat intended to land there. But another
turn of the wheel caused the boat to swing
back into its former course. It shot under
the arch, and before the Albanians could turn
about and rush to the further parapet, the boat
was beyond the reach of their missiles, speed-
ing merrily on in the middle of the stream.
Shouts now sounded on all sides ; rifles
cracked, and bullets began to patter in the
water, none striking the boat or any of its
occupants.
"Dished ' em, old man ! " cried George, glee-
C.G. N
194 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

fully, stopping the engine. " That was a very

neat idea of yours. We must be going ten knots
with the current, and as they can't possibly
pursue us along the banks, I think we're safe. "
"What do you say, Giorgio ? " asked
Maurice of the man, who had crouched low
in the boat while it ran under the bridge, but
now raised himself and looked around. For a
few moments he made no reply ; then, point-
ing first to the right bank and then to the
river ahead, he said-
"There is danger, excellence. You see ! "
" I see them running from the bridge back
up the hill, but what of that?" asked Maurice.
"They will run to the rapids and cut us off
there, " replied Giorgio. " There is a short path
to them across the hills. "
" But they can't run so fast as we are
going."
"True, excellence ; but the river bends
and twists so much that they will be there
long before we shall, and we shall be in very
great danger. No fisher of this country has
ever dared to go down the rapids. "
"We shall see when we come to them.
Where is the other party- those who were
pursuing us ? "
Giorgio looked back along the left bank, but
Slavianski and his men were not in sight.
There was no path along the bank, which was
a line of precipitous cliffs, and Giorgio sur-
mised that the pursuers had retraced their
 A RUSH THROUGH RAPIDS 195

steps towards their horses, and would make

their way over the hills towards the rapids.
A moment later he cried out that he saw
another party ahead of them, and pointed to
a spot on the left, where, high on a ridge, and
too far away to be distinguishable, several
men were hurrying down towards the river.
Apparently they were few in number, and in
a few moments they were lost to sight behind
a shoulder of the hill.
"It looks as if the whole countryside has
been roused, " said Maurice. " There's no
doubt we are in a fix, old boy."
George looked much perturbed. The situa-
tion was a desperate one. On each side lofty
and precipitous rocks : ahead, unnavigable
rapids ; two parties on the hills, making for
this critical place by short cuts ; and in front a
third party already approaching it. These
numerous enemies would choose spots on the
cliffs above the river from which they could
pour a hail of bullets on the gyro-boat as it
came level with them .
"We must run the gauntlet. We've no
choice," said George. " Perhaps when we get
there we shall find some way of escape. I'd
give anything at this moment for a bullet-
proof awning. But it's no good wishing for
what we haven't got. You ought to have
shot that ruffian Slavianski when you had the
chance."
" I rather grudge him my revolver, " said
N2
196 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

Maurice. " If we do manage to get away, the

fellow will never dare to show his face in
England, at any rate. "
" Nor if we don't, either ; but that won't be
much comfort to us. · The current is
rather swifter here ; we can't be far from the
rapids, I should think."
The river wound from side to side erratically,
and the cliffs seemed to be higher. None of
the enemy were now in sight. Ahead, and on
both sides, mountains many thousands of feet
high appeared to hem the stream in com-
pletely. The surroundings reminded George
of the scenery in the fjords of Norway, or the
lochs in Scotland : its rugged majesty was
softened by the sun's engilding rays.
Never very wide, the river at length
narrowed to little more than a gorge, with
almost perpendicular walls, several hundred
feet high, descending into the water. It was
hard to imagine that the stream could find a
way through what appeared to be a solid
barrier of rock ; but as the gyro-boat sped on
upon the quickening current, there was always
a bend where the river swept round a bluff.
The boat was now rushing on at a greatly
accelerated pace, and the proximity of the
rapids warned George to stop the propeller.
There might be just the possibility of running
into some creek or upon some level bank if
the rapids proved too dangerous. Almost
suddenly they came to a reach where the
 A RUSH THROUGH RAPIDS 197

swirling and foaming of the water told of rocks

in the bed of the stream, and there was a
perceptible increase of speed. Tense with
nervous excitement, George bent forward over
the wind-screen, his eyes fixed on the channel,
his fingers clutching the steering wheel.
Meanwhile Giorgio, stout-hearted enough
on land, cowered like a very craven in the
bottom of the boat, ejaculating Aves and
Paternosters as fast as the words would pour
from his lips. From moment to moment
Maurice and his brother glanced around in
search of any possible landing- place or refuge ;
but on either hand there was nothing but bare
rock rising sheer from the stream.
The boat made its own course down the
tortuous channel. As the current became
ever swifter, it was almost hopeless to attempt
to steer the boat went in whatever direction
the seething torrent bore it, swerving to this side
and that, dashing between the rocks, shaving
their jagged edges, as it seemed, by a hair's-
breadth.
A sudden bend in the river gave the
voyagers at once relief and a new alarm. The
water ran more smoothly, the worst perils were
passed ; but the perpendicular walls had given
place to banks still steep, but more broken-
rather a succession of crags and irregular
columns of rock than walls. And here, at
several points on the right bank, perched on
rocks overhanging the river, stood armed
198 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

Albanians in wait, while on the hillside above

them others were clambering and leaping down
to find a post of vantage.
Hitherto the brothers had conversed cheer-
fully, neither letting the other guess the full
measure of his anxiety. But now the moment
was too critical for speech. Numerous as were
the perils they had met and overcome since they
started on their adventurous journey, both
recognised that the severest ordeal of all was
imminent. They sat firmly in their seats , with
tight-closed lips, and eyes fixed straight ahead.
Maurice offered no suggestion. He knew that
George would act as the emergency demanded.
To both it was obvious that the single chance
of escape, and that a desperate one, lay in rush-
ing past the enemy at the highest speed of
which the boat was capable. The Albanians
had been hurrying over a toilsome path ; even
allowing for the short cuts, they must have
made extreme haste to arrive at this spot before
the boat, favoured as it had been by a current
of ten miles an hour. The Bucklands knew
from experience how detrimental to steady
aiming is such violent exertion, and both
nourished a faint hope that the Albanians ' arms
would prove too unsteady to take good aim at
a rapidly-moving target.
It was no time for half-measures. George
started the motor. The effect did not become
manifest for some few seconds ; but then,
under the combined impulse of current and
THE RAPIDS OF THE BLACK DRIN
 A RUSH THROUGH RAPIDS 199

propeller, the boat shot forward at the rate of

at least seventeen miles an hour-a desperate
speed considering the rocky nature of the
channel.
The ambuscaders had been timing their
attack by the rate of the boat when it first
came into view. Taken aback by the sudden
and unlooked-for increase of speed, they were
flustered. Some raised their rifles hastily to
their shoulders ; others, who were unarmed,
stooped to lift the rocks and small boulders
which it was their purpose to hurl at the boat
when it came within striking distance. The
man nearest to it was a trifle too late in his
movement. His rock was a large one ; before
he could heave it above his head to make a
good cast, the boat shot by, and he had to jerk
it from him at haphazard. It splashed into
the river, being only a yard behind the boat,
in spite of the man's unpreparedness. The
occupants were drenched with the shower of
spray.
Picture the scene. The gyro-boat dashing
along in mid-stream at the mercy of the im-
petuous current . In it two young men,
conspicuous by the red fez, their features pale
and strained . Only George was needed to
manage the boat ; Maurice might have crouched
with Giorgio in the space between the side and
the gyroscopes ; but he disdained to shrink
from a danger which his brother could not
evade. Above, at heights varying from sixty
200 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

to a hundred and fifty feet, big moustachioed

Albanians, rugged mountain warriors, standing
on rocky ledges, firing down at the boat, or
hurling stones and rocks with the force of
sinewy muscles and high altitude. For a
hundred yards the occupants of the boat carried
their lives in their hands, and over all the sun
beat mercilessly down.
Bullet after bullet flashed from the rifles.
Rocks of all sizes plunged into the river,
behind, before, to right and left of the boat.
Now and then there was a metallic crack as
a bullet struck the steel framework. A
boulder crashed upon the vessel, tearing a
long gash on the exterior of the hull, but
above the water line. A smaller rock hit
the wind-screen, rebounded, struck George's
arm , and rebounding again, found a final
goal on the head of Giorgio, who crouched
face downwards on the bottom, pattering
his prayers. George was in terror lest a
large boulder, more accurately or luckily
aimed, should plunge into the interior of
the boat, for such a missile might break a
hole through the bottom, or hopelessly
damage the engine if it struck fair. But
the only injury suffered by the vessel during
that terrible half-minute was the shattering of
the glass case of the gyroscopes, which were
not in motion.
Nor were the passengers destined to escape
unscathed. When they had half run the
 A RUSH THROUGH RAPIDS 201

gauntlet, a rifle shot struck Maurice above the

knee. The burning, stinging pain was in-
tolerable ; yet neither by sound nor movement
did he give sign that he was wounded .
Everything depended on George's nerve, and
Maurice felt that a cry of pain might draw
his brother's attention from his task. George
knew nothing of the wound . Looking
neither to right hand nor to left, he kept his
gaze fixed on the channel ahead .
Suddenly a new factor entered into the
situation. There were rifle shots from the
heights on the left bank. Maurice glanced
up in dismay ; surely their case was now
hopeless ; they were running into the jaws of
destruction . For some seconds he was
unable to catch a glimpse of these new
assailants . Then an abrupt turn in the
channel carried them out of sight from the
enemy on the right bank, and at the same
time brought the men on the left into view.
A gleam of hope dawned upon Maurice's
troubled mind .
" Giorgio," he cried, " look up. Who are
these ? "
The Albanian timorously raised his head .
Then he sprang up in the boat and, looking
upward, shouted with delight. On the bare
hillside above the river stood a party of eight
or ten Albanians. As the gyro-boat swept
into view they shouted and fired off their
rifles, not, however, aiming downwards, but
202 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

shooting into the air, their usual mode of

expressing pleasurable excitement.
" It is grandfather Giulika," cried Giorgio,
" and Marko, and Doda, and Zutni ; yes, and
there is Leka, my blood -foe. All are there.
Praise to God, excellence ! They have come
over the hills to our help. While they stand
there those dogs behind cannot pursue us
further. We are saved ! "
" But where are the Austrians ? " asked
Maurice. 66 They were on the left above the
bridge as we passed. "
"We shall soon know, excellence," said
66
Giorgio. Stop the boat, and I will speak to
my grandfather."
George shut off the engine, and the current
being much less swift now that the boat had
come beyond the rapids, they drifted along
slowly. Then Giorgio lifted up his voice, and
in clear trumpet tones, with a force that
caused his face to flush purple and the veins
in his neck to swell, he bellowed a question to
the party above. The answer came in a long,
loud chant from Marko, and though the
distance was several hundred feet his words
were clear and distinct.
He explained that, some while after the
travellers had left the scene of the landslip,
the enemy retreated along the path, and
turned into the narrow gulley leading up to
the hills. Giulika, suspecting their intentions,
decided to follow them. After some time,
 A RUSH THROUGH RAPIDS 203

when the pursuers came in sight of a village

on the further bank, they called to the people
there to hasten down to the river and intercept
the boat. Their shouts were heard by Giulika
and his party, who instantly left the direct
track towards the Drin and hurried to a
point above the rapids where they in their
turn could command the ambuscaders.
"Where is the Austrian hound ? " asked
Giorgio.
" That we know not," replied Marko. " We
can see the Moslems behind, across the river ;
they are no longer pursuing ; but there is no
Austrian among them ."
"Surely he has not found another short cut
to head us off again ? " said Maurice to Giorgio.
" No, excellence ; he cannot do that, for he
would have to cross the river by the bridge at
Lukowa, and then recross. There is no other
w a y."
" That is good news indeed . And now what
had we better do ? "
Giorgio shouted to the men above. This
time the answer came from Zutni. He said
that about three hours' march down the river
was a bridge, and the bank was low enough
there to allow the boat to run ashore.
" And what then ? " asked Maurice.
“ Then there are mountains for many days'
march eastward. It is a very difficult road,"
replied Zutni.
"We had better keep to the river, " said
204 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

Maurice to George. " It is joined by the

White Drin some distance to the north, and if
I am not mistaken, Prizren, the old Servian
capital, is not far from the confluence. From
there we can make our way to the railway, and
then we can either go by train to Nish and
change there for Sofia, or make straight across
country, whichever seems best. We shall find
somebody to advise us in Prizren.
"Whatever you like, old man, " said George.
" At present I want nothing but a rest. Look
how my hand trembles.'
66
My dear fellow, you are dead beat, and no
wonder. Let me take your place . We can
float on the stream, and I can steer. "
" What's wrong ? " asked George, seeing his
brother wince as they changed places.
" Oh, I've got a scratch on my leg-nothing
to speak of. "
" Let's have a look."
On examination it proved that the bullet
had passed through the flesh just above
Maurice's right knee. Luckily it had not
severed an artery. They dipped their hand-
kerchiefs in the stream and extemporised a
bandage.
" That will do until we get to Prizren,” said
""
Maurice. "Now take it easy .'
"What about Giorgio ? "
" He must leave us at the bridge they spoke
about. I daresay his friends will meet him
there. We can't take him with us out of the
 A RUSH THROUGH RAPIDS 205

way of his blood -foe ; probably he wouldn't

come if we asked him, so far from his home,
and he would be of no use to us as a guide .
But we owe a great deal to old Giulika and
his family, and must do something to repay
them .'
It was arranged between Giorgio and his
friends that all should meet at the bridge, and
the marching party soon disappeared among
the hills. As the boat floated down with the
stream , the Bucklands and Giorgio ate and
drank ravenously of the food they had with
them .
"This is like heaven," said George, as he
leant back, " after the strain of the last few
hours. D'you mind if I go to sleep, old
man ?"
" Not I. You must want sleep badly. I'll
see that we don't run aground and jog you
when we come to the bridge. "
It was more than two hours before they
came to the bridge, and they had waited
another hour before Giulika and his party
arrived. The meeting was hilarious. The
Albanians appeared to take it all as a great
joke, and the fact of having got the better of
an Austrian and a Moslem from Elbasan
afforded them vast satisfaction and amuse-
ment. Giulika regretted that, being so far
from home, he could not give a feast to
celebrate their triumph, but assured the
Englishmen that if they would honour him
206 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

with a visit at some future time he would

assemble all his kinsfolk and hold high revel.
"Will you give Giorgio a tip ? " asked
George, as the man stepped on to the bank to
join his friends.
"He would be terribly insulted," said
Maurice. "Whatever we do for him and his
people must be done delicately. I'll see to
that when we get to Sofia."
He thanked Giulika warmly for his hospi-
tality and kindnesses , and promised to accept
his invitation some day. Then they parted
with mutual congratulations and compliments,
the Albanians to face the long march across
the hills, the Englishmen to continue their
voyage down the river.
 CHAPTER XV

THE END OF THE CRUISE

It was now late in the afternoon. The

Bucklands were both on the verge of exhaus-
tion after the fatigue and the excitements they
had undergone, and since it was impossible to
reach Prizren before dark, they decided to float
down the stream for a short distance until they
came to some secluded spot where they might
rest. In little more than an hour they reached
a cove in the left bank where they could lie
up without the risk of being seen, except from
some passing boat, and since they had as yet
neither passed nor met a vessel of any kind,
it seemed likely enough that nothing would
disturb them.
So it proved. Taking turns to watch, they
remained throughout the night in the cove, and
when day broke felt refreshed by their rest.
They breakfasted on the remnants of the food
they had brought from Durazzo, and set off
about 7 o'clock.
The voyage down the Black Drin was slow
and uneventful. Careful navigation was
required to avoid the rocks and reefs with
which the bed of the river was studded . Here
208 CRUISE OF THE GYRO - CAR

and there they caught sight of villages perched

far up on the hillsides. At one point they
saw a file of horsemen winding along a path
two or three hundred feet above the river, and
for a moment feared that they might be
Slavianski's party ; but the boat had appa-
rently not been noticed, and the horsemen
disappeared.
About 3 o'clock they came to the junction
of the Black Drin with the White. Since
the united stream flowed from this point
westward, they could no longer avail them-
selves of the current, nor could they
proceed up the White Drin without an
expenditure of petrol which they did not care
to afford. It was time to resume their land
journey. The banks of the river were still so
lofty that they found no landing- place until
they arrived at a many-arched bridge. Here
they left the water and took to the road,
which was little more than a bridle-track. A
few minutes' run brought them to another
bridge, crossing a tributary stream . At the
near end of the bridge was a kula, and as the
gyro-car came to it a man stepped into the
path, holding a rifle.
" Shall we run past him ? " asked George.
"I think we had better pull up," replied
Maurice. " We don't want a bullet in our
backs. I daresay he will give us some food if
we approach him properly.
George halted the car, and Maurice gave
 THE END OF THE CRUISE 209

the man a courteous salutation, and, taking the

bull by the horns, asked if he could provide
a meal. The man looked amazed at the
question, then curious, and finally said gruffly
that the strangers might eat if they chose,
but he had nothing but bread to offer them.
This Maurice accepted, and while eating it
asked how far it was to Prizren. Hearing
that it was only four hours' march, he
decided to push on at once ; and, thanking
their reluctant entertainer, the travellers
set off again. The road improved as they
entered the dusty plain of Prizren. They
overtook many people as they sped along-
goat-herds, mule-drivers, horsemen, women
carrying huge bundles of wood, and here
and there an ox-sledge. George was amused
to see them skip aside at the sound of the
hooter, and many were the cries of con-
sternation and affright as the humming car
ran by.
At length the minarets of Prizren came into
view, and in a few minutes they passed the
guard-house at the entrance to the town. The
main street was cleaner than any they had
seen since leaving Italy. It was thronged
with people, who had come out of their houses,
now that the heat of the day was past, to
shop in the bazaars and gossip with their
neighbours. Here was a tailor's shop, blazing
with colour ; there a saddler's, where hung
bright saddle-bags, and horse-trappings with
C.G.
210 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

scarlet tassels ; in the open spaces were piled

vast quantities of luscious fruit, the sight of
which made George's mouth water. But the
car was attracting so much attention that
Maurice thought it best to find a han at once
before they were mobbed. They stopped at
the first han they came to, and by that time
there was a considerable crowd about them,
who looked on in hushed amazement as they
alighted .
Entering the place, Maurice was received
by a portly hanji, whose guests rose from
their seats and courteously saluted the new-
comer. George remained outside to keep an
eye on the gyro-car. When Maurice explained
that he wished the car to be taken to a safe
place for the night, the host sent two of his
household to wheel it to the stables. Maurice
took occasion to explain that anyone who
meddled with it would suffer a severe shock,
and to emphasise his warning got George to
let off a cloud of smoke into the faces of the
bystanders, who scuttled away holding their
noses. Feeling assured that the car would not
be molested, the travellers entered the inn ;
the innkeeper and his attendants removed
their boots and pressed strange drinks upon
them, which they politely declined, asking for
coffee. Soon they were furnished with an
excellent supper-a fowl boiled with rice,
maize bread and honey. This was a banquet,
compared with the meagre and uncertain
 THE END OF THE CRUISE 211

meals they had had since leaving Durazzo, and

they enjoyed it thoroughly.
" We will stay here for the night, and go on
to-morrow," said Maurice.
" Is it safe to delay ? " asked George.
66
Quite, I think. The people here are very
suspicious of Austrians, and Slavianski won't
venture to follow us any further. But we'll
start as soon as it is light to-morrow. Is there
enough petrol to take us to Sofia ? "
" That depends on whether we can make
a straight run of it. If we have to double and
wind as we have done up to the present, we
certainly shall not have enough. It is about a
hundred and fifty miles from here to Sofia, I
""
think you said ?
" About that. We shall have to cross the
railway. There's a branch line to Mitrovitza,
a few miles from here ; a few miles further on
there's the main line running north to Nish
and Belgrade ; and about forty miles beyond
that, across the hills, there's Kustendil, from
which there's a wretched train service to Sofia ;
so if we do break down en route, we shall have
opportunities of boarding a train. The mis-
chief is that there's such a poor service that we
may be hung up for twenty-four hours or
more . "
" Let us hope it won't come to that, ” said
George.
Here one of the inn attendants offered him
a cigarette which he had just rolled, and another
0 2
212 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

a glass of a liqueur called rosolio. George

accepted the former, but declined the latter,
which led to a polite inquiry on the part of
the host whether his guests were Mussulmans .
Before Maurice could reply, there came a tre-
mendous banging at the door, which had been
fastened to keep out the crowd . The hanji
sprang up and rushed, uttering loud impreca-
tions, to deal with the inquisitive person who
he supposed was intruding upon his guests.
But on throwing open the door he became
suddenly dumb, smiled with great deference,
and bowed himself nearly double as a stout
Turkish officer in a green-braided uniform
clanked into the guest-room, followed by
half-a-dozen soldiers similarly attired.
The inmates instantly rose from their stools
or the bundles of hay on which they were
sitting, and made humble obeisance . Maurice
got up and saluted, telling George in a low
tone to do the same. Ignoring the obsequious
bowings of the company, the officer marched
up to Maurice, gravely saluted him, and then,
with an air of great importance, addressed him
in Turkish.
" The effendi will have the goodness to show
his teskereh," he said.
Maurice smiled as he replied to the man,
and produced the document from his breast-
pocket.
" Who is the buffer ? " whispered George.
" An officer of zaptiehs -- a kind of gendar-
 THE END OF THE CRUISE 213

merie," said Maurice. "No doubt everybody

in the town knows of the arrival of two strangers
in a devil machine. We were bound to be
questioned . "
The officer proceeded to examine the docu-
ment with great solemnity, and a frown showed
itself on his features as he read. After a minute
or two he looked up and said sternly :
"The teskereh is not in order, effendi. You
must come with me immediately to the
konak."
" That I must decline to do ," replied
Maurice with a smile, " at least until I have
finished my meal and washed . We have come
a long way, and are, as you see, dirty. We
are Englishmen, and we should discredit our
nation and dishonour the Chief of the Police
if we appeared before him in our present
condition. If, therefore, you will be good
enough to wait for a few minutes, we shall
99
be happy to accompany you.
66
Very well, effendi," said the officer, " we
will wait." He spoke to his men, who squatted
on the floor in a half circle round the travellers,
lighted cigarettes, and stared solemnly at the
prisoners.
"What did he say ? " asked George, some-
what uneasy .
" He is going to take us to the police
station."
"But he read your passport ! "
" I am not at all sure that he did. He held
214 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

it upside down, from which I infer that he

knows no language but his own. A few words
with the Chief of the Police will no doubt set
things right. But we are disreputable-looking
objects, and I'm afraid there are no toilet
arrangements here. Unluckily my valise is at
Giulika's kula : we haven't so much as a comb
between us. We must do the best we can."
Explaining to the host that they desired to
wash, they were led to the courtyard behind
the inn, where two of the servants poured
water over their heads from a tin wine-measure,
this performance being stolidly watched by two
of the zaptiehs. There was no soap to be
had, and the travellers had to be content with
this imperfect ablution. They returned to the
inn ; their battered boots were pulled on, and
amid respectful salutes from the hanji and his
people, they passed into the street under the
escort of the officer and his men.
A slight evening mist was gathering over
the city. They marched up the steep cobbled
streets towards the konak, perched on a ridge
up the mountain side, a motley crowd follow-
ing at their heels. After a fatiguing climb
they came to the courtyard of the konak,
guarded by sentries perched on wooden plat-
forms, and, passing these, came to the long
untidy building. Mounting a few steps, they
reached the great hall, where the officer left
them under charge of his men while he went
to report their presence.
 THE END OF THE CRUISE 215

The scene was more novel to George than

to Maurice. The great hall was thronged with
people, dressed in every variety of costume and
colour. Here was a rough countryman from
the hills, there a portly merchant ; soldiers
marched up and down with clanking heels ,
or lounged against the wall ; messengers
elbowed their way through the crowd with
shrill outcries. The noise was deafening as
the people chatted, laughed, disputed in a
score of different dialects. George thought
that they were politer than an English crowd
would have been, since they paid little atten-
tion to the newcomers .
Presently the officer returned, and led the
travellers through a curtained doorway into a
large room railed off at one end, where a
number of officers and secretaries were seated
on a divan raised a few inches above the floor.
In the centre, cross-legged in an arm-chair , sat
the Chief of Police. He rose as the prisoners
were led forward, saluted, and signed to them
to seat themselves on the divan near him.
George was amused at the elaborate ceremony
that followed. The whole company rose and
saluted, then sat down again, but immediately
half rose from their seats in turn, and repeated
the salutation. George copied his brother
faithfully, thinking what a pleasant description
he would make of the ceremony when he got
home again.
These preliminaries being concluded, the
216 CRUISE OF THE GYRO - CAR

Chief ordered the officer of zaptiehs to make

his report.
" Excellence," he said, " these men came into
the city in a strange machine, that makes a
noise like a motor-car, but is such as I have
never seen before. They are Austrians, and
spies ; their presence in this city is very injuri-
ous to our Government. The elder has a
passport, which I deliver to your excellence,
who will no doubt give orders that the spies be
lodged in the prison."
"What have you to say, effendi ? " asked
the Chief, not looking at the passport, from
which Maurice inferred that he, too, was unable
to read it.
" I compliment you, excellence, " said
Maurice blandly, " on the zeal of your officers.
His information is not absolutely correct, but
that is a small matter ; it is well that in these
times every care should be taken. In the first
place we are not Austrians , but Englishmen ."
Here there was a rustle of interest among
the company .
" How do you prove that ? " asked the Chief
suspiciously. " You speak Turkish ; how
should Englishmen do that ? "
"I have lived for some time in Constanti-
nople, excellence, " replied Maurice.
6
Why are you here ? '
Maurice thought it inadvisable to explain
either his position in the diplomatic service or
the object of his journey. There was in Prizren,
 THE END OF THE CRUISE 217

as he knew, an Austrian vice- consul, from

whose ears he wished to keep these particulars.
"Your excellence knows the singularity of
our insular habits, " he said gravely. "We
think that travel has a beneficial effect on the
mind. Tastes differ, of course, but having a
wish to cross the mountains, I came with my
brother, a student of mechanics, to test the
merits of a car that he has invented. You
are doubtless aware that the English are
friends of your country, and I assure you that
we have none but innocent designs in coming
here."
The Chief of Police stroked his chin .
"You say you are English," he said at length.
"What is the chief town of England ?
"To the best of my belief it is London,"
replied Maurice, whereupon the official nodded
gravely.
After a few more questions, he announced
that the Englishmen were free to return to the
inn, but since the hour of business was already
past, they must present themselves before the
Pasha next day ; he would give a final decision.
Thereupon a lengthy ceremony of leave-taking
ensued, and the travellers were permitted to
depart without a guard.
George laughed heartily as Maurice, on the
way back, repeated the substance of the
conversation ; but Maurice was annoyed at the
further delay which a visit to the Pasha would
involve. Turkish etiquette demanded that he
218 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

should remain until the Pasha had paid a

return visit, and then he would be lucky if
he got off without visiting other important
men in the town.
"We should have done better to go to
Constantinople from Brindisi," he said.
" My dear chap," replied George, "I
wouldn't have missed this for anything. To
be arrested as Austrian spies, after being chased
by Austrians for a thousand miles, is decidedly
comic . Of course , if you really want to escape
the Pasha we might scoot off in the night, but
I confess I'd like to see him , and I'd rather
have a good night's rest and ride in daylight."
66
Well, let us hope the Pasha won't keep
us long. "
On regaining the inn, they found that the
only sleeping apartment was a tiny box of a
room, approached by a rickety ladder. Here
they settled themselves on rugs provided by the
genial host, and tumbled off to sleep , unaware
that sentries had posted themselves at the
door.
Next morning they were awakened by the
sound of the ladder being replaced , and rose
to see the host and three of his family climb-
ing up, laden with towels and battered wine-
pots full of water.
" Good morning, excellencies," said the
smiling hanji. " Knowing your fondness for
water, we have brought plenty for the washing.
If you will be pleased to step on to the balcony
 THE END OF THE CRUISE 219

yonder, and lean over, we will pour the water

over your heads."
The travellers good-humouredly accepted
the host's kind attentions . A crazy balcony
ran along at the back of the inn. They stepped
on to this, removed part of their clothing, and
leant over, while the wine-pots were emptied
successively over their heads and bare backs.
In the courtyard below, two sentries and a
dozen idlers watched the performance with
grave interest. When it was over, and the
assistants had rubbed them dry, they descended
to the common room , to eat a breakfast of the
same fare as their supper.
Maurice knew that it was impossible to see
the Pasha until midday was passed, so George
and he spent the morning in wandering about
the streets, always closely attended by the
sentries. After an early dinner they set off
for the Seralio . At the door an official wanted
to pull off their boots, but Maurice objected
to this, pointing out that it was not the
custom of his countrymen , who showed respect
by taking off their hats, whereupon the man
pulled aside a heavy curtain over the doorway,
and gave them admittance.
They found themselves in a long room
furnished in European style. The Pasha, a
tall, handsome Turk, gorgeous with medals
and decorations, was seated at a small table at
a window overlooking the city. Rising at
their entrance, he motioned them to seat
220 CRUISE OF THE GYRO - CAR

themselves on chairs beside his own, and

offered them glasses of a pink syrup.
"I am exceedingly sorry, Messieurs," he
said in French, " that you have been incon-
venienced by the action of our police . When
they heard of your arrival, they suspected you
to be Austrian spies, but no sooner did the
Chief of the Police see you, and perceive your
noble appearance, than he felt the groundless-
ness of his suspicions . "
Maurice made suitable acknowledgment of
so handsome a compliment, remembering that
he was dirty and tattered, and had several
days ' growth of bristles on his chin. He then
had a short conversation with the Pasha on the
state of the country, the last revolution , the
reforms of the Young Turks, and finally asked
permission to continue his journey eastward.
" You are travelling on on some wonderful
machine , I am told," said the Pasha.
" It is novel, excellency," replied Maurice,
" and if you would care to see it, we shall be
""
most happy to show it to you.
" You do me great honour, " said the Pasha.
" I shall return your visit presently, and shall
then be charmed to inspect your car."
Coffee and cigarettes were brought in, and
after the interview had lasted an hour the
visitors rose to go . Maurice's wound had as
yet given him little trouble, but he moved
somewhat stiffly after remaining seated. The
Pasha noticed this, and asked whether
 THE END OF THE CRUISE 221

Maurice, like himself, suffered from rheuma-

tism . On being told that the lameness was
due to a slight accident in the hills, he insisted
on summoning his hakim, who immediately
discovered that it was a gunshot wound, and
reported the fact to the Pasha.
" You were molested on your way ? " the
Pasha asked. " I will provide you with an
escort for the road."
" It is unnecessary, excellency," said Maurice
quickly. " Our car will go so fast that even
horsemen would find it difficult to keep up
our speed for
with us,99 and we shall rely on
safety.
" Then we will have a race, " said the Pasha
eagerly. "There is a suitable course along
the valley of the river. It will amuse me to
see a race between a horseman and your car.
I will arrange it, and let you know the time
fixed ."
No one could have guessed from Maurice's
demeanour that he was annoyed at the
proposition. He politely assented, and after
having had his wound dressed with strange
ointments by the hakim, he returned with
George to the inn.
George spent the greater part of the after-
noon in overhauling the mechanism of his car.
The glass case in which the gyroscopes spun
was wrecked, and could not be replaced in
Prizren ; but the gyroscopes themselves, the
motors, and the dynamo were uninjured, and
222 CRUISE OF THE GYRO - CAR

there was quite enough petrol left to make the

run to Sofia, if a direct route could be followed.
The proposed race, George thought, was rather
a nuisance, for it would consume a good
deal of petrol, without carrying them a yard
on their way. And yet !-an idea struck him
that made him chuckle with anticipated
delight, and astonished the grave bystanders,
who had watched his proceedings in stolid
silence.
Maurice meanwhile had found the time drag.
Unwilling to leave the inn in case the Pasha
called in his absence, he sat in front of
the door to watch the passers-by. Down the
steep street came hill-men driving pack-
animals, women with empty pitchers on their
heads, zaptiehs with rifles slung over their
backs, long-bearded scribes, gipsy tinkers—but
never a sign of the Pasha. Small boys
gathered opposite the inn and watched the
stranger as he smoked cigarette after cigarette,
and rushed forward at intervals to pick up,
not the discarded ends, but the matches he had
thrown away. After a time Maurice got the
hanji to despatch one of his sons to find out if
the Pasha was coming ; but the youth could
get no farther than the sentries at the entrance
of the Seralio, who replied to his question with
a threat to kick him if he was impertinent.
When George had satisfied himself that the
engines were in good working order, he sought
his brother.
 THE END OF THE CRUISE 223

“ Well, "" old man," he said cheerily, " how's

the leg ?
"Quite easy. The hakim's ointments seem
to be effective. But I'm getting very tired of
this. "
" What will happen if we don't wait for the
Pasha ? "
"We shall have some trouble to get out of
the city. They will immediately jump to the
conclusion that we are shady characters. The
Pasha's exeat is necessary . The worst of it is
that if he has set his heart on this ridiculous
race we shall have to waste more time.
Probably he won't be satisfied with one, but
will want to keep us racing for hours."
"We'll get over that," said George, laugh-
ing. " I've had an idea."
And then he told his brother of the notion
which had occurred to him as he cleaned the
engines.
"A very happy thought," said Maurice .
" I'll question our host and see how the land
lies ."
Evening came, but still no Pasha ; and at
sunset, there being nothing else to do, the
Bucklands turned in, expecting to be honoured
by a visit in the morning. They had not been
long asleep , however, when they were roused
by the sound of shots in the street. They
sprang up and ran to the hole in the floor,
from which the ladder had been removed to
secure their privacy. More shots were fired
224 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

outside ; there was a loud banging at the door

and a hullabaloo of voices.
By the dim light of a small lamp the
guests saw the hangi hurry to the door and
throw it open. Instantly he fell forward in an
attitude of supplication, to receive a cuff on
the head from one of the Pasha's guard, who
entered, followed by the Pasha himself.
" Where are the Inglese effendis ? " said the
66
great man. Acquaint them that I am come
to pay them a visit ."
" Great Scott ! " ejaculated George, when
Maurice told him what was happening.
"What a time to come ! We can't receive
him here."
"We must. Roll up these rugs and make
some sort of a divan, and for goodness '
sake don't smile ; you must be as grave as a
judge, or he'll be mortally offended."
The hanji, having placed the ladder in the
hole, clambered up with a lamp and announced
the august visitor, and descended again, to be
soundly cuffed for being so long about it.
When the Pasha mounted and entered the
room , he found the two Englishmen sitting in
state on what had but recently been their bed.
" A thousand regrets, Messieurs, for dis-
turbing you," said the Pasha, smiling affably,
and seating himself on the rugs beside the
Englishmen as soon as he had acknowledged
their respectful salutations. " I thought it
would be quite in the Frankish manner to
 THE END OF THE CRUISE 225

call on you at this time ; such is the custom

in Paris and London, I understand, and I did
not dream that99 you would have retired to
rest so soon ."
"We are charmed to see you, excellency,"
replied Maurice, " and only regret that you
should have been troubled to waken
99
sleepy host.
He called for coffee. After a little more
polite conversation the Pasha broached the
matter of the race. Maurice suggested that
the starting-point should be some little
distance eastward of the city, where the road
was not likely to be blocked by traffic, and
that the course should be to the railway line
and back, a distance of about forty miles, the
horseman to be allowed a fresh mount for the
second half. To this proposal the Pasha
assented the more eagerly because he was by
nature somewhat indolent, and would be
spared by this scheme the necessity of riding
out to a distant winning -post. He said that
he would send out swift messengers to forbid
any movement of man or beast on the road
until the race was over, and to arrange for a
horse to be in waiting at the railway line.
The hour fixed for the start was 10 o'clock
next morning .
Before leaving, the Pasha wished Maurice
to accept a fine Roman coin that he wore
among his medals ; but having no present of
equal value to offer in return, Maurice grace-
C.G. P
226 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

fully declined it. The Pasha departed with

his guards , and the Englishmen , relieved at
having come through the interview without
disgrace , unrolled their rugs and devoted
themselves again to slumber .
The town was agog next morning. News
of the race had penetrated everywhere, and
the whole population, dressed in all their
finery, wended their way from a very early
hour towards the vast plain where, in the
year 1389, the Turks won the great victory
that established them in Europe . A
company of soldiers marched with much
bugling and drumming to clear the way for
the Pasha, and at 11 o'clock-only an hour
late, which was punctuality to a Turk-
he rode out resplendent amid his staff. A

great throng of boys ran after the gyro-car as

it went slowly to the starting-place, a rival
crowd following the horseman chosen for the
contest, a lithe and sinewy Albanian arrayed
in festive colours, and mounted on a superb
arab .
At the starting-point the soldiers had much
trouble in keeping back the immense assembly
of spectators, who shouted and gesticulated
in great excitement, every now and then
letting off a rifle fully charged . The English-
men wondered that no one was injured in this
promiscuous firing ; the expenditure of
cartridges in Albania in mere festive sportive-
ness is enormous.
 THE END OF THE CRUISE 227

It was clear that horse and gyro- car could

not start side by side, for the animal reared
and plunged at the sound of the engine,
evoking shrieks of mingled terror and delight
from the boys . Maurice suggested that the
horseman should have a hundred yards start.
With the car behind him the horse would not
be alarmed, though perhaps he might be
spurred on by the humming sound. This
plan approved itself to the Pasha, who
appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself,
and told Maurice in a confidential aside that,
whether he won or lost, he was to be enter-
tained at a magnificent banquet that night.
The course was cleared ; the competitors took
their places on the road ; and at the sound of a
whistle, followed instantly by a wild discharge
of firearms, the race began.
The horseman set off at a furious gallop.
George contented himself with a moderate
pace, smiling at the frenzied cries that broke
from the spectators lining the road. On each
side extended the plain, the soil cracked
by the summer heat, the scattered hawthorn
scrub burnt brown. Clouds of dust flew from
the horse's hoofs, and still denser volumes
behind the gyro-car. At one spot a line of
bullock-carts loaded with maize was drawn up
beside the road , and the drivers burst into
shouts of applause for the horseman, and
derision for the gyro-car dropping behind
moment by moment.
P2
228 CRUISE OF THE GYRO -CAR

" It's a shame to take in the Pasha ; he's a

decent old boy," said George, when, after about
five miles, the spectators being now out of
sight, he quickened pace.
" The King's business must be attended to, ”
said Maurice sententiously ; " we have wasted
quite enough time."
As the gyro-car made up on the horseman,
he made desperate efforts to keep his lead .
When almost upon his heels, George reduced
speed, and allowed him to draw away for a few
minutes ; then quickened again. At length,
ten miles having been covered, and all danger
of pursuit being at an end, George thought it
time to put in practice the idea which had
occurred to him at the han. He opened the
throttle, increased his speed to fifteen, twenty,
thirty miles an hour, caught up the horse,
and as he passed, let out a volume of smoke.
Startled by the noise and the fumes, the horse
broke from the control of his rider, and dashed
madly across the plain. By the time that he
again answered the bit, the gyro-car was far
ahead, concealed in a cloud of whirling dust.
Still further increasing the speed, George
drove the car over the undulating plain until
suddenly the railway line came in sight. A
group of horsemen were halted there, with a
led horse among them. George steered a
little to the left to avoid them, slackened pace
when he approached the line, and when the
car had bumped over the rails, set off again at
 THE END OF THE CRUISE 229

full speed , heedless of the shouts of the waiting

party.
"The horseman is not in sight," said
Maurice, glancing back.
" At any rate he'll win the prize," said
George with a laugh. " I hope the Pasha
will give it him."
On they went, across the Morava river,
across the main line from Salonika to Belgrade,
past stockaded villages, over low dusty hills,
never checking the pace until, about 5 o'clock,
the domes and minarets of Sofia hove into
view. Soon they entered the city, slowing
down as they ran through the street. They
passed shops where cheese and onions lay on
open counters, larger establishments where
silk hats and French gloves were on sale,
dodged electric cars, and a gendarme who was
too much amazed to call on them to stop.
"There's the Italian agent," said Maurice,
indicating a frock- coated gentleman 99crossing
the street. "He won't recognise me."
They drove through a crowd of wondering
market-people, and finally halted at a large
building, surrounded by trees, that might have
passed for an English country-house.
" Here we are," said Maurice, heaving a sigh
of relief. " Now I'll deliver my despatch, and
then for a bath, a meal, and bed."
The door-keeper stared as Maurice alighted
from the car and approached him. A puzzled
look appeared on his face , then a smile of
230 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

recognition. He saluted ; Maurice stepped

into the hall. In a few minutes he returned
with his chief, who listened with amazement
to the outlines of his adventures. Maurice
introduced him to George, who had remained
in the car. Then, lifting the bonnet, George
produced a soiled envelope which had lain
concealed in the mechanism .
"The despatch, sir, " he said , handing the
document to the agent.
 CHAPTER XVI

RECONCILIATION AND REWARDS

It would be too much to say, perhaps, that

the receipt of the despatch prevented a Euro-
pean war ; but certain it is that within a few
days afterwards the troops which had been
mobilising on the frontier disbanded, and the
British Foreign Office was credited with an
unusually successful stroke of diplomacy.
Among the telegrams that passed between
London and Sofia was one from the Foreign
Secretary warmly complimenting Mr. Buckland
on his achievement, and another from the editor
of a well- known paper asking for a detailed
narrative, a request which, by the rules of
the Service, Maurice was bound to refuse.
The Bucklands were for a week or two the
lions of Sofia society. They were dined, danced,
invited to receptions and reviews ; George was
introduced to the King, who honoured him
with two words and a cigarette. Then, in
response to an agitated letter from the Honour-
able Mrs. Courtenay-Greene, he one day left
by train for Constantinople, the gyro- car being
conveyed on a truck, and thence returned home
by steamer.
232 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

He had just come down from Cambridge

for his first vacation when he received a letter
from Maurice that threw Mrs. Courtenay-
Greene into a fresh state of agitation . His
leave having been cut short in the summer,
Maurice had been recompensed with a fortnight
at Christmas, and had decided to avail himself
of this opportunity to revisit the hospitable
Albanian and reward him, or, if his pride for-
bade the receipt of pecuniary compensation for
the losses he had suffered, to thank him in
person for the services he had rendered . George
at once announced his intention of joining his
brother, and despatched a telegram asking
where they could meet . Mrs. Courtenay-
Greene protested against being left to spend
Christmas without her nephew's society, but
George was determined , averring that Christmas
in Albania would be much better fun than in
London. Sheila called him a pig, but in the
next breath said he was quite right, and she
only wished she could go too.
The brothers met at Trieste, went thence to
Scutari by steamer, and engaging a trustworthy
guide, set off on horseback for Giulika's dwell-
ing in the hills.
It was a bright, cold afternoon when they
jogged along the high road from Elbasan. The
weather for the last week had been rainy, and
George was aware for the first time that mud
is not at its worst in London . On the low
ground the road was sometimes impassable,
 RECONCILIATION 233

and the riders had to pick their way where

the mud was at least fathomable. When
they came into the hills they found that their
journey was scarcely less dangerous than ' it
had been in summer with the gyro-car, for
the horses slipped often on the rocky, frosted
track, and the riders had to dismount and
lead them .
They had nearly arrived at the path leading
from the road to Giulika's little village, and
were resting at the top of a steep ascent,
admiring the scene of wild grandeur outspread
before them, when suddenly their ears were
caught by the sound of a shot.
" Blood, excellency," said their guide with
a careless shrug.
They lifted the field-glasses which were
slung over their shoulders, and scanned the
surrounding country. For some time they
saw nothing but the rocks and crags, the dark
fir forest below, the snow-clad peaks above .
But presently there were more shots, and now
they descried, far away, but in the direction of
the road they were travelling, several puffs of
smoke. Then, a sunbeam lighting the spot,
they saw four men crouching behind some
rocks, with rifles in their hands.
" I say, Maurice," said George, " do you see
that one of those fellows is a European ? "
"D'you think so ? "
" I am sure of it. I can't see his features,
but he's a European by the cut of him. I
234 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

suppose he's a traveller attacked by brigands.

Hadn't we better lend a hand ? ”
" I think you're right," said Maurice, after a
long look through his glass. " There are some
Albanians creeping round the hill above them
to take them in the flank. "
"Yes ; I see their white caps. Come on.
There are not too many of them for us to
tackle. The traveller is probably an English-
man ; no one else would tour in Albania at this
time of year."
They had dismounted to rest their horses
after the climb. Springing to their saddles,
they rode down the hill as fast as they dared,
in spite of the expostulations of their guide,
who declared in much agitation that it would
be fatal to intervene between Albanian
mountaineers and " blood."
There was a cessation of the firing. In a few
moments the combatants were concealed from
view by the craggy cliffs ; but hurrying on, the
riders came on the scene at a moment when
the European and the two Albanians with
him were hard pressed by a dozen men, who
had surrounded them, and were on the point
of charging home. Letting out a shout,
Maurice fired his revolver, and with George at
his side dashed to the rescue.
The attacking party paused in astonishment.
At the same moment the European, whose
back had hitherto been towards the riders,
turned his head.
 RECONCILIATION 235

66
By gum ! " ejaculated George.
It was Slavianski . His glance was but
mome ntar y ; he turne d about to face his
enemy, and the Bucklands noticed that in
spite of the peril of his situation he appeared
quite unperturbed . His right arm had been
wounded ; he grasped his revolver with his left
hand, and his mouth was set with grim deter-
mination. But just as Maurice and George
sprang from their horses he swayed , staggered ,
and fell to the ground . And then from beyond
the rocks rushed Giulika , Giorgio, Marko , and
the other men of his household . Maurice
shouted to them to halt, not before two or
three shots had been exchanged between them
and Slavianski's escort .
Hostilities ceased . While some of the men
kept a watch on Slavianski, Giulika warmly
greeted his former guests.
"Welcome, excellencies," he said. " You
are come in time to see vengeance taken on
your enemy and mine."
" How does he come here ? " asked
Maurice.
" The Austrian dog, when running down the
steep path towards the Drin that day, fell and
broke his thigh, " answered the old man. “ We
did not learn of it until the other day. He
has been laid up ever since in the house of a
man of Trebischte, who is a famous bone-
setter. But it was a bad case, and needed
much time, and only now is the cure complete,
236 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

and one leg will always be shorter than the

other.
"A few days ago we learnt by examining the
breastbone of a black cock, one of my own
breeding, that an enemy would fall into our
hands, and we made besa with Leka until
this happy event should come to pass. And
lo ! one told me that the man from Trebischte
was taking to Durazzo the Austrian who
burnt my kula when he found that you had
escaped ; and we made an ambush for him
here, and we have him, and now he shall
die. "
" Let me have a word with him," said
Maurice.
Slavianski was seated on a rock. His escort
of two were amicably chatting with Giulika's
party. Maurice, as he went up to him, was
struck by his worn and haggard appearance .
" I hear you had an accident, Monsieur le
Comte," he said in French.
66
Precisely, Monsieur," replied Slavianski.
"My thigh was broken, and the healing has
been long, though the limb was set with
marvellous skill by the Albanian yonder. I
am not so young as I was."
" And Major Rostopchin ? "
" Is doubtless enjoying himself, Monsieur.
He has apparently forgotten me. He left me,
intending to make his way with the third
member of my party to Trieste. "
" I am sorry to see you in such a plight,"
 RECONCILIATION 237

said Maurice, " but, of course, you are in no

danger now. My friend Giulika will not be
implacable. "
" I am not sure that I thank you , Monsieur ,"
said the Count bitterly. " I am lamed for life ;
my failure in that little business in the summer
has discredited me with- you know whom ;;
and a bullet through the head would be an
easy way out of a hopeless situation. But I
should have killed a few of these ruffians
first. "
"It was evidently a mistake to burn the
""
kula, Monsieur-
" But they killed my man," interrupted the
Count. "The mistake was in turning aside
on the road to Castellane. If I had got into
Brindisi before you it would have been all up
""
with you .'
66
Perhaps," responded Maurice with a smile.
" By good luck and my brother's ingenuity I
managed to score a point, and I bear you no
grudge. The thing now is to secure your
safety. We have come to compensate the old
man for the losses his loyalty to us entailed,
and I daresay we can persuade him to let
bygones be bygones. You had better
accompany us to the kula, I think."
He returned to Giulika, and after a short
conversation the old man gave orders to
Giorgio and Marko to bring the Count to the
kula. The whole party set off, and, striking
up the bypath, soon came to the village.
238 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

The evidences of Slavianski's vengeance were

manifest. The kula was a mere shell. The
interior had been burnt out, with all the old
man's furniture and stores. He could not
hope to repair the damage until he had reaped
the crops of several years. Since the destruc-
tion of his property he and his family had
lived in the houses of neighbours. The
Englishmen were invited to enter one of these,
Slavianski being left outside in charge of the
young men.
Giulika entertained his guests with the same
kindly hospitality as on their former visit.
He did not speak of his misfortunes, but
begged to have a full account of their adven-
tures after leaving him at the Drin . Nothing
more delighted him than the story of the race
at Prizren, and he laughed heartily at the
thought of the Pasha's disappointment when
the horseman returned alone.
Maurice had to exercise much circumspection
in broaching the object of his visit . The old
man was restive at the least suggestion that
he should take a reward for his services, or
even accept compensation for the losses he
had suffered .
" Shall I be paid for keeping my honour
unstained ? " he said.
"That is not the way to look at it," replied
Maurice . "Your honour was concerned with
protecting us as individuals, but through us
you were doing a service to our King, to your
 RECONCILIATION 239

own Sultan, and to the people of this country

and of others. It is on their behalf that I
come to you. If I had not succeeded in
reaching Sofia, there might have been war. "
"Well, we are ready," said the old man
with a smile. "We are a free people ; we
obey none unless we choose ; but if there is
a war, we flock like butterflies."
Finding that he was on the wrong tack,
Maurice tried again. After a long argument
he persuaded Giulika that the King's honour
demanded that he should make some recog-
nition of the services rendered to him by a
stranger, and assured the old man that he
durst not return to England with the money
he had brought. Giulika agreed that if the
King's honour was involved, it would not
become him as an honourable man to do
anything to smirch it, and consented to accept
a sum that would enable him to rebuild his
kula and replace the weapons and furniture
he had lost.
Having succeeded on this point, Maurice
turned to the question of Slavianski. In this,
too, he found that " honour " was a good card
to play. He pointed out that the Austrian
had been entrusted with the duty of obtaining
a paper on which his Government set much
store ; that he had soiled his honour by his
failure ; and that, by the traditional laws of
Lek, the slaying of his man while asleep
demanded blood. In this regard the vengeance
240 CRUISE OF THE GYRO- CAR

taken by Slavianski had been moderate. He

reminded Giulika that the Austrian was ill
and weak, incapable of doing further harm ,
and for ever disgraced with his employers. By
harping on this string Maurice in course of
time aroused in the old man's breast a feeling
of sympathy for the Austrian, and he at last
declared that he might go free.
While they were talking, a young man
entered whom Maurice recognised as Leka,
the man who had wounded Giorgio .
"Welcome, excellency," said the man. " I
am glad to see you again. "
"Is there still blood between you and
Giorgio ? " asked Maurice."
66
Why, yes, excellency, there must be. We
have besa just now ; but when Christmas is
past he must look out."
Giulika explained that, except during besa,
Giorgio never left the house unless accom-
panied by his mother or sister, whose presence
protected him from the attack of his enemy.
" And how long is this to last ? " asked
Maurice.
"Until Giorgio is killed, excellency," said
Giulika simply.
"But why not pay blood-gelt, and end the
feud ?"
66
Giorgio is the innocent one, " replied the
old man, indignantly. " He was falsely
accused : why should we pay ? Besides, we
have no money : there are too many to be
 RECONCILIATION 241

paid. Leka must have one purse, and the

elders of the village another, or else an ox ;
and the Sultan's officer another, but we never
pay him unless we can help it. Still, we have
not money enough for the others, so it is
useless to speak of it."
Inquiry elicited the fact that the total
amount came to about £25 in English money.
" It is a pity that two such brave men should
be enemies," said Maurice.
"We are not enemies," said Giorgio, quickly :
"there is only blood between us. In besa we
hunt together and are very good friends."
" Well, I have some money that is lying
idle," said Maurice. " It cannot be better
employed than in removing the blood between
you . Will you let me have the pleasure and
the honour of settling your feud ? "
" It is good of you, excellency, " said Giulika.
" I think myself that it is foolish that there
should be blood between two such fine young
men, and if Leka's honour is cleaned they will
be like brothers."
" I am ready, excellency," said Leka. "It
is a pity I did not kill Giorgio when I
shot at him, and then you would have kept
""
your money."
Maurice smiled as he handed over the neces-
sary piastres. When the payment had been
made, Leka and Giorgio kissed each other, and
the former promised to buy a new rifle for his
friend.
C.G. Q
242 CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR

The Bucklands spent Christmas with their

Albanian friends, accompanying them for ten
miles over the hills to a little church. It was
packed with people in bright costumes ; a
week's besa had been sworn, so that all the
blood foes of the neighbourhood could meet
as friends. Hundreds of rifles were stacked
against the wall outside. After service there
was a wild rush for these, and a shooting com-
petition began, the spectators firing off their
rifles out of sheer high spirits . Shots were
fired again as the assembly broke up and
returned to their several villages , to resume
their feuds on the morrow.
Next day the Bucklands started for Scutari,
accompanied by Slavianski, for whom a mule
had been provided . At Scutari they parted .
Maurice had thought of warning the Austrian
not to set foot in England again, but the
man was so much broken down with illness
that he forbore to increase his bitterness of
spirit.
He saw him only once again. The course
of promotion brought Maurice at length to
Vienna. He was one day entering a club
with an Austrian officer with whom he was
on friendly terms. The door was opened
by a man who had once been handsome,
but was now worn and haggard, and walked
with a limp. He started as he saw Maurice,
hesitated a moment, and raised his hand to
the salute.
 RECONCILIATION 243

" He knows you ? " asked the officer in

surprise.
" Yes," replied Maurice. " I met him during
a little trip I made a few years ago in a
""
gyro-car. '

THE END .

BRADBURY, AGNEW & CO. LD., PRINTERS, LONDON AND TONBRIDGE

SOME BOOKS FOR

BOYS AND GIRLS

PUBLISHED BY

HENRY FROWDE and HODDER & STOUGHTON

BOOKS FOR BOYS

By HERBERT STRANG

Boys who read Mr. Strang's works have not merely the advantage
of perusing enthralling and wholesome tales, but they are also
absorbing sound and trustworthy information of the men and times
about which they are reading. "-DAILY TELegraph.

His Chances and Mischances by Land and

Humphrey Bold Sea. Illustrated in Colour by W. H. MAR-
GETSON. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.
In this story are recounted the many adventures that befell Mr. Humphrey
Bold of Shrewsbury, from the time when, a puny slip of a boy, he was befriended
by Joe Punchard, the cooper's apprentice (who nearly shook the life out of his
tormentor, Cyrus Vetch, by rolling him down the Wyle Cop in a barrel), to the
day when, grown into a sturdy young giant, he sailed into Plymouth Sound as
first lieutenant of the Bristol frigate. The intervening chapters teem with excit-
ing incidents, telling of sea-fights with that redoubtable privateer Duguay Trouin ;
of Humphrey's escape from a French prison ; of his voyage to the West Indies
and all the perils he encountered there ; together with an account of the active
service he saw under that grim old English seaman, Admiral Benbow.
Glasgow Herald.-" So felicitous is he in imparting local colour to his narra-
tive that whilst reading it we have found ourselves thinking of Thackeray. This
suggests a standard by which very few writers of boys ' books will bear being
judged. The majority of them are content to provide their young friends with
mere reading. Herbert Strang offers them literature. "

A Story of the Fight for Canada. Illustrated

Rob the Ranger :
in Colour by W. H. MARGETSON, and three
Maps. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.
Rob Somers, son of an English settler in New York State, sets out with
Lone Pete, a trapper, in pursuit of an Indian raiding party which has destroyed
his home and carried off his younger brother. He is captured and taken to
Quebec, where he finds his brother in strange circumstances, and escapes with
him in the dead of the winter, in company with a little band of stout-hearted
New Englanders. They are pursued over snow and ice, and in a log hut beside
Lake Champlain maintain a desperate struggle against a larger force of French,
Indians, and half-breeds, ultimately reaching Fort Edward in safety.
Glasgow Herald. " Ifthere had ever been the least doubt as to Mr. Herbert
Strang's pre-eminence as a writer of boys' books, it would be very effectually
banished by this latest work of his. "
 BOOKS FOR BOYS

By HERBERT STRANG

One of Clive's Heroes :• A Story of the Fight for India.

With Illustrations by W. RAINEY,
R. I. , and Maps. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.
Desmond Burke goes out to India to seek his fortune, and is sold by a false
friend of his, one Marmaduke Diggle, to the famous Pirate of Gheria. But he
escapes, runs away with one of the Pirate's own vessels, and meets Colonel Clive,
whom he assists to capture the Pirate's stronghold. His subsequent adventures
on the other side of India- how he saves a valuable cargo of his friend,
Mr. Merriman, assists Clive in his fights against Sirajuddaula, and rescues
Mr. Merriman's wife and daughter from the clutches of Diggle-are told with
great spirit and humour. Mr. Strang lived for several years in India, and tells
a great deal about the country, the natives, and their ways of life which he saw
with his own eyes.
Athenaum.--" An absorbing story. . . The narrative not only thrills, but
also weaves skilfully out of fact and fiction a clear impression of our fierce
struggle for India. "

Samba : A Story of the Congo. Illustrated by W. RAINEY, R.I. Crown

8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.
The first work of fiction in which the cause of the hapless Congo native
is championed .
Standard. " It was an excellent idea on the part of Mr. Herbert Strang to
write a story about the treatment of the natives in the Congo Free State. •
Mr. Strang has a big following among English boys, and anything he chooses
to write is sure to receive their appreciative attention."
Journal of Education.-" We are glad that a writer who has already won
for himself a reputation for good and vigorous work should have taken up the
cause of the rubber slaves of the Congo. "
Scotsman.---- " Mr. Herbert Strang has written not a few admirable books for
boys, but none likely to make a more profound impression than his new story of
this year."

The Red Book for Boys . STRANG,by HERBERT

Edited
A miscellany for Boys, containing a large variety of complete stories and
articles by well-known writers ; episodes and narratives ofadventure ; poems, etc.
288 pages, with 12 Plates in Colour, and many Illustrations in black and
white. Picture boards, cloth back, 2s. 6d.

Some of the Contents.

TRAPPED. By G. A. HENTY.
THE PUNISHMENT OF KHIPIL. By GEORGE MEREDITH.
A MODERN ODYSSEUS. By L. QUILLER- Couch.
FOREST ADVENTURES. By HERBERT Strang.
HIS FATHER'S HONOUR. By Captain GILSON.
THE HIGHWAYMAN. By ALFRED NOYES.
OCEAN LINERS , PAST AND PRESENT. By FRANK H. MASON.
2
 BOOKS FOR BOYS

By HERBERT STRANG

Barclay of the Guides : A Story of the Indian Mutiny.

Illustrated in Colour by H. W.
KOEKKOEK. With Maps. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.
Of all our Native Indian regiments the Guides have probably the most
glorious traditions. They were among the few who remained true to their salt
during the trying days of the great Mutiny, vying in gallantry and devotion
with our best British regiments. The story tells how James Barclay, after a
strange career in Afghanistan, becomes associated with this famous regiment,
and though young in years, bears a man's part in the great march to Delhi, the
capture of the royal city, and the suppression of the Mutiny.

With Drake
on the Illustrated in Colour by ARCHIBALD
WEBB. With Maps. Crown 8vo, cloth
Spanish Main. elegant, olivine edges, 5s.
A rousing story of adventure by sea and land. The hero, Dennis Hazelrig,
is cast ashore on an island in the Spanish Main, the sole survivor of a band of
adventurers from Plymouth. He lives for some time with no companion but
a spider monkey, but by a series of remarkable incidents he gathers about him
a numerous band of escaped slaves and prisoners, English, French and native ;
captures a Spanish fort ; fights a Spanish galleon ; meets Francis Drake, and
accompanies him in his famous adventures on the Isthmus of Panama ; and
finally reaches England the possessor of much treasure. The author has, as
usual, devoted much pains to characterisation , and every boy will delight in
Amos Turnpenny, Tom Copstone, and other bold men of Devon, and in
Mirandola, the monkey.
School Guardian.- " Another of Mr. Herbert Strang's masterful stories of
adventure and romance. "

Swift and Sure . The Story of a Hydroplane. Illustrated in

Colour. Crown 8vo, cloth . 2s. 6d.
What the aeroplane is to the air the hydroplane promises to be to the sea.
This story is a companion volume to " King of the Air " and " Lord of the
Seas," a forecast of what may be expected from the progress of mechanical
invention in the near future.

A Story
Lord of the Seas : Colo a Submarine.
of wn
ur Cro Illustrated
8vo, cloth extr a. in
2s. 6d.
The present day is witnessing a simultaneous attack by scientific investigation
on the problems of aerial and submarine locomotion. In his book 66 King of
the Air" Mr. Strang gave us a romance of modern aeronautics. In " Lord of
the Seas " we have a companion volume dealing with the marvels of submarine
navigation.
3
 BOOKS FOR BOYS

By WILLIAM J. MARX

For the Admiral. Illustrated. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant , 6s.

The brave Huguenot Admiral Coligny is one of the heroes of French history.
Edmond le Blanc, the son of a Huguenot gentleman , undertakes to convey a
secret letter of warning to Coligny, and the adventures he meets with on the way
lead to his accepting service in the Huguenot army. He shares in the hard
fighting that took place in the neighbourhood of La Rochelle, does excellent
work in scouting for the Admiral, and is everywhere that danger calls. The
story won the 100 prize offered by the Bookman for the best story for boys.
Academy. " It is much the best book of its kind sent in for review this
season, and stands head and shoulders above its rivals. "

By DESMOND COKE

The School Across the Road

Illustrated in Colour by H. M. BROCK. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine
edges, 5s.
The incidents of this story arise out of the uniting of two schools-
" Warner's " and " Corunna "-under the name of " Winton, " a name which
the head master fondly hopes will become known far and wide as a great seat
of learning. Unfortunately for the head master's ambition, however, the two
sets of boys-hitherto rivals and enemies, now schoolfellows- do not take
kindly to one another. Warner's men of might are discredited in the new
school ; Henderson, lately head boy, finds himself a mere nobody ; while the
inoffensive Dove is exalted and made prefect. The feud drags on until the
rival factions have an opportunity of uniting against a common enemy. Then,
in the enthusiasm aroused by the overthrow of a neighbouring agricultural
college, the bitterness between themselves dies away, and the future of
Winton is assured.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph.-
.—“ Its literary style is above the average and the
various characters are thoroughly well drawn.'

Illustrated in Colour by H. M.
The Bending of a Twig. BROCK. Crown 8vo, cloth ele-
gant, olivine edges, 5s.
When " The Bending of a Twig " was first published it was hailed by com-
petent critics as the finest school story that had appeared since " Tom Brown. "
Then, however, it was purely a story about boys ; now Mr. Coke has enlarged
and partly rewritten it, and made it more attractive to schoolboy readers. It is
a vivid picture of life in a modern public school. The hero, Lycidas Marsh,
enters Shrewsbury without having previously been to a preparatory school,
drawing his ideas of school life from his fertile imagination and a number of
school stories he has read. Needless to say, he experiences a rude awakening
on commencing his new career, for the life differs vastlyfrom what he had been
led to expect . How Lycidas finds his true level in this new world and
worthily maintains the Salopian tradition is the theme ofthis entrancing book.
Outlook. " Mr. Desmond Coke has given us one of the best accounts of
public school life that we possess. · Among books of its kind ' The
Bending of a Twig ' deserves to become a classic."
6
 BOOKS FOR BOYS

By DESMOND COKE
The House Prefect. By DESMOND COKE , author of " The
Bending of a Twig," etc. Illustrated in
Colour by H. M. BROCK. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.
This story of the life at Sefton, a great English public school, mainly
revolves around the trouble in which Bob Manders, new-made house prefect,
finds himself, owing to a former alliance with the two wild spirits whom, in
the interests of the house, it is now his chief task to suppress. In particular
does the spirited exploit with which it opens-the whitewashing by night of
a town statue and the smashing of certain school property-raise itself against
him, next term, when he has been set in authority. His two former friends
persist in still regarding him as an ally, bound to them by their common
secret ; and, in a sense, he is attracted to their enterprises, for in becoming
prefect he does not cease to be a boy. It is a great duel this, fought in the
studies, the dormitories and upon the field.
World.-" -"Quite one of the books of the season. Mr. Desmond Coke has
proved himself a master. "

By A. C. CURTIS
""
The Voyage of the " Sesame
A Story of the Arctic. Illustrated in Colour by W. HERBERT HOLLOWAY.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.
The three Trevelyan brothers receive from a dying sailor a rough chart
indicating the whereabouts of a rich gold-bearing region in the Arctic.
They forthwith build a craft, specially adapted to work in the Polar Seas, and
set out in quest of the gold. They do not have things all their own way,
however, for a rival party of treasure seekers have got wind of the old sailor's
El Dorado, and are also on the trail. In the race and fighting that ensue,
the brothers come off victorious ; and after a voyage fraught with many dangers,
the Sesame returns home with the gold on board.
Educational News.-" The building of the stout ship Sesame at Dundee is
one of the best things of the kind we have read for many a day."

The Good Sword Belgarde : or, How De Burgh held

Dover. Coloured Illus-
trations by W. H. C. GROOME. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.
This is the story of Arnold Gyffard and John Wotton, pages to Sir Philip
Daubeney, in the days when Prince Lewis the Lion invaded England and
strove to win it from King John. It tells of their journey to Dover through a
country swarming with foreign troops, and of many desperate fights by the way.
In one of these Arnold wins from a French knight the good sword Belgarde,
which he uses to such good purpose as to make his name feared. Then follows
the great siege of Dover, full of exciting incident, when by his gallant defence
Hubert de Burgh keeps the key to England out of the Frenchman's grasp.
Birmingham Post. " Evidently Mr. Curtis is a force to be reckoned with.
He writes blithely of gallant deeds ; he does not make his heroes preposterously
wise orformidable ; he has a sense of humour ; in fine, he has produced a book
of sterling quality. '
7
 BOOKS FOR BOYS

By GEORGE SURREY

A Northumbrian in Arms . A Story of the Time of

Hereward the Wake. Illus-
trated in Colour by J. FINNEMORE. Crown 8vo, cloth, olivine edges, 5s.
Harald Ulfsson, companion of Hereward the Wake and conqueror of the
Wessex Champion in a great wrestling bout, is outlawed by the influence
of a Norman knight, whose enmity he has aroused, and goes north to serve
under Earl Siward of Northumbria in the war against Macbeth, the Scottish
usurper. He assists in defeating an attack by a band of coast-raiders, takes
their ship, and discovering that his father has been slain and his land seized
by his enemy, follows him into Wales. He fights with Griffith the Welsh
King, kills his enemy in a desperate conflict amidst the hills, and, gaining
the friendship of Harold, Earl of Wessex, his outlawry is removed and his
lands restored to him.
School Guardian.-" With this story the author has placed himself in the
front rank of writers of boys' books."

By FRANK H. MASON

The Book of British Ships . Written

FRANKand Illustrated
by H. MASON,
R. B. A. Crown 8vo, cloth, olivine edges, 5s.
The aim of this book is to present, in a form that will readily appeal to
boys, a comprehensive account of British shipping, both naval and mercan-
tile, and to trace its development from the earliest times down to the
Dreadnoughts and high-speed ocean liners of to-day. All kinds of British
ships, from the battleship to the trawler, are dealt with, and the characteristic
points of each type of vessel are explained.
British Weekly. "Mr. Mason has given us one of the best histories of
English ships that exist. It is admirably written and full of information."

By Rev. J. R. HOWDEN

Locomotives of the World. Containing 16 Plates in

Colour, 5s. net.
Many ofthe most up-to-date types of locomotives used on railways through-
out the world are illustrated and described in this volume. The coloured
plates have been made from actual photographs, and show the peculiar features
of some truly remarkable engines. These peculiarities are fully explained in
the text, written by the Rev. J. R. Howden, author of " The Boy's Book of
Locomotives," etc.
Daily Graphic.-" An absolutely safe investment for every boy who loves
an engine.'
Nation. " The large coloured pictures of the world's engines are just the
things in which the young enthusiast delights."
8
 BOOKS FOR BOYS

THE ROMANCE SERIES

Crown 8vo, illustrated , 5s. each.

By EDWARD FRASER

The Romance of the King's Navy.

"The Romance of the King's Navy " is intended to give boys of to-day an
idea of some of the notable events that have happened under the White
Ensign within the past few years. There is no other book of the kind in
existence. It begins with incidents afloat during the Crimean War, when
their grandfathers were boys themselves, and brings the story down to a
year ago, with the startling adventure at Spithead of Submarine B4 . One
chapter tells the exciting story of " How the Navy's V.C.'s have been won, "
the deeds of the various heroes being brought all together here in one connected
narrative for the first time.
Westminster Gazette.-" Mr. Fraser knows his facts well, and has set
them out in an extremely interesting and attractive way. "

By A. B. TUCKER

The Romance of the King's Army.

A companion volume to " The Romance of the King's Navy, " telling again
in glowing language the most inspiring incidents in the glorious history of our
land forces. The charge of the 21st Lancers at Omdurman, the capture ofthe
Dargai heights, the saving of the guns at Maiwand, are a few of the great
stories of heroism and devotion that appear in this stirring volume.

By LILIAN QUILLER- COUCH

The Romance of Every Day .

Here is a bookful of romance and heroism ; true stories of men, women, and
children in early centuries and modern times who took the opportunities which
came into their everyday lives and found themselves heroes ; civilians who,
without beat of drum or smoke of battle, without special training or words of
encouragement, performed deeds worthy to be written in letters of gold.
Bristol Daily Mercury.-" These stories are bound to encourage and inspire
young readers to perform heroic actions. "

By E. E. SPEIGHT and
R. MORTON NANCE

The Romance of the Merchant Venturers .

Britain's Sea Story.

These two books are full of true tales as exciting as any to be found in the
story books, and at every few pages there is a fine illustration, in colour or
black and white, of one of the stirring incidents described in the text.
9
 BOOKS FOR GIRLS

BOOKS FOR GIRLS

By CHRISTINA GOWANS WHYTE

The Five Macleods . Illustrated in Colour by JAMES Durden.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, gilt edges, 6s.
Nina's Career. Illustrated in Colour by JAMES DURDEN. Crown
8vo, cloth elegant, gilt edges, 6s.
The modern Louisa Alcott ! That is the title that critics in England and
America have bestowed on Miss Christina Gowans Whyte, whose "" Story-
Book Girls " they declare to be the best girls' story since " Little Women. "
Mrs. E. Nesbit, author of " The Would-be Goods," in likening Miss Whyte
to Louisa Alcott, wrote : " This is high praise-but not too high. ‫ " دو‬Nina's
Career " tells delightfully of a large family of girls and boys, children of Sir
Christopher Howard, the famous surgeon. Friends of the Howards are
• Nina Wentworth, who lives with three aunts, and Gertrude Mannering.
Gertrude, because she is the daughter of the Mrs. Mannering and grand-
daughter of a peer, is conscious of always missing in her life that which
makes
66 the lives of the Howards so joyous and full. They may have
careers " ; she must go to Court and through the wearying treadmill of the
rich girls . The Howards get engaged, marry, go into hospitals, study in
art schools ; and in the end Gertrude also achieves happiness.
Outlook.-"We have been so badly in need of writers for girls who shall be in
sympathy with the modern standard of intelligence, that we are grateful for the
advent of Miss Whyte, whohas not inaptly been described asthe new Miss Alcott. "
The Story-Book Girls . By CHRISTINA Colour
Illustrated GOWANS WHYTE.
in by JAMES
DURDEN. Cloth elegant, 6s.
This story won the 100 prize in the Bookman competition.
The Leightons are a charming family. There is Mabel, the beauty, her
nature strength and sweetness mingled ; and Jean, the downright, blunt,
uncompromising ; and Elma, the sympathetic, who champions everybody,
and has a weakness for long words. And there is Cuthbert, too, the clever
brother. Cuthbert is responsible for a good deal, for he saves Adelaide
Maud from an accident, and brings the Story-Book Girls into the story.
Every girl who reads this book will become acquainted with some of the
realest, truest, best people in recent fiction.

By WINIFRED M. LETTS
The Quest of the Blue Rose .
Illustrated in Colour by JAMES DURDEN. Crown 8vo, cloth, olivine edges, 5s.
After the death of her mother, Sylvia Sherwood has to make her own way
in the world as a telegraph clerk. The world she finds herself in is a girls'
hostel in a big northern city. For a while she can only see the uncongenial
side of her surroundings ; but when she has made a friend and found herself
a niche, she begins to realise that though the Blue Rose may not be for her
finding, there are still wild roses in every hedge. In the end, however, Sylvia,
contented at last with her hard-working, humdrum life, finds herself the
successful writer of a book of children's poems.
Daily News. " It is a successful effort in realism, a book of live human
beings that beyond its momentary interest, which is undoubted, will leave a
lasting and valuable impression.'
IO
 BOOKS FOR GIRLS

By ELSIE J. OXENHAM
Mistress Nanciebel . Illustrated in Colour by JAmes Durden.
Crown 8vo, cloth, olivine edges, 5s.
This is a story of the Restoration. Nanciebel's father, Sir John Seymour,
had co incurred the displeasure of King Charles by his persistent opposition
to the threatened war against the Dutch, that he was sent out of the country.
Nothing would dissuade Nanciebel from accompanying him, so they sailed
away together and were duly landed on a desolate shore, which they afterwards
discovered to be a part of Wales. Here, by perseverance and much hard toil,
John o' Peace made a new home for his family, in which enterprise he owed
not a little to the presence and constant help of Nanciebel, who is the
embodiment of youthful optimism and womanly tenderness.

By E. EVERETT- GREEN

Our Great Undertaking . Illustrated. 5s.

Miss Evelyn Everett-Green is one of the first favourites with giris and boys.""
This is how she tells about the beginning of " Our Great Undertaking.
The children have been asking granny for a story :-" Well, my dears, I will
see what I can do. You shall come to me at this time to-morrow night, and I
will tell you the story of how, when I was a little girl, we children undertook
what seemed to many people at the outset a labour of Hercules, and how we
learned from it a number of lessons, which have lasted us through life. " The
grandmother smiles as the happy children troop off to bed, and in these pages
Miss Everett-Green tells us the delightful story that grandmother told next
day.

By M. QUILLER- COUCH
The Carroll Girls . Illustrated. 55.
The father ofthe Carroll girls fell into misfortune, and had to go to Canada
to make a new start. But he could not take his girls with him, and they were
left in charge of their cousin Charlotte, in whose country home they grew up,
learning to be patient, industrious, and sympathetic. The author has a dainty
and pleasant touch, and describes her characters so lovingly that no girl can
read this book without keen interest in Esther's housekeeping and Penelope's
music, Angela's poultry-farming, and Poppy's dreams of market gardening.

By E. HAVERFIELD
L.
Illustrated in Colour by JAMES
Audrey's Awakening. DURDEN. Crown 8vo, cloth, olivine
edges, 3s. 6d.
As a result of a luxurious and conventional upbringing, Audrey is a girl
without ambitions, unsympathetic, and with a reputation for exclusiveness.
Therefore, when Paul Forbes becomes her stepbrother, and brings his free-
and-easy notions into the Davidsons' old home, there begins to be trouble.
Audrey discovers that she has feelings, and the results are not altogether
pleasant. She takes a dislike to Paul at the outset ; and the young people
have to get through deep waters and some exciting times before things come
right. Audrey's awakening is thorough, if painful.
Glasgow Herald. " Very pleasantly written and thoroughly healthy."
II
 BOOKS FOR GIRLS

By E. L. HAVERFIELD

The Conquest of Claudia. Illustrated in Colour by JAMES

DURDEN. Crown 8vo, cloth
elegant, olivine edges, 3s. 6d.
Meta and Claudia Austin are two motherless girls with a much-occupied
father. Their upbringing has therefore been left to a kindly governess, whose
departure to be married makes the first change in the girls' lives. Having set
their hearts upon going to school, they receive a new governess resentfully.
Claudia is a person of instincts, and it does not take her long to discover that
there is something mysterious about Miss Strongitharm. A clue upon which
the children stumble leads to the notion that Miss Strongitharm is a Nihilist
in hiding. That in spite of various strange happenings they are quite wrong is
to be expected, but there is a genuine mystery about Miss Strongitharm which
leads to some unforeseen adventures.
School Guardian.-"A fascinating story of girl life. "

Dauntless Illustrated
Patty. Crow n Svo,incloth
Colour
extraby DUDLEY
, olivin TENNANT.
e edges , 3s. 6d.
The joys and sorrows, friendships and disappointments-all the trifles, in
fact, which make the sum of schoolgirl life are faithfully delineated in this
story. Patricia Garnett, an Australian girl, comes over to England to complete
her education. She is unconventional and quite unused to English ways, and
it is not long before she finds herself the most unpopular girl in the school.
Several times she reveals her courage and high spirit, particularly in saving the
life of Kathleen Lane, a girl with whom she is on very bad terms. All overtures
of peace fail, however, for Patty feels that the other girls have no real liking for
her and she refuses to be patronised. Thus, chiefly owing to misunderstanding
and careless gossip, the feud is continued to the end of the term ; and the
climax ofthe story is reached when, in a cave in the face of a cliff, in imminent
danger of being drowned, Patty and Kathleen for the first time understand
each other, and lay the foundations of a lifelong friendship.
Schoolmaster. " A thoroughly faithful and stimulating story of schoolgirl
life. "
Glasgow Herald.-" The story is well told. Some of the incidents are
dramatic, without being unnatural ; the interest is well sustained, and altogether
the book is one ofthe best we have read."

By ANNA CHAPIN RAY

Nathalie's Sister . Illustrated in Colour by N. TENISON. Crown

8vo, cloth, olivine edges, 3s. 6d.
Nobody knows-or cares-much about Nathalie's Sister at the opening of
this story. She is, indeed, merely Nathalie's Sister, without a name of her
own, shining with a borrowed light. Before the end is reached, however, her
many good qualites have received the recognition they deserve, and she is
Margaret Arterburn, enjoying the respect and admiration of all her friends.
Her temper is none of the best : she has a way of going direct to the point in
conversation, and her words have sometimes an unpleasant sting ; yet when
the time comes, she reveals that she is not lacking in the qualities of gentleness
and affection, not to say heroism, which many young readers have already
learned to associate with her sister Nathalie.
Record.- " Nathalie's Sister ' is written in Miss Ray's best style and has all
those bright breezy touches which characterise her work."
12
 BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

By ANNA CHAPIN RAY

Nathalie's Chum. Tennant.

Illustrated in Colour by DUDLEY TENNANT.
Crown 8vo, cloth extra, olivine edges, 3s. 6d.
By her stories, " Teddy " and " Janet, " Miss Anna Chapin Ray has already
made English readers familiar with many of the distinctive features of boy and
girl life in America . The present story, which is cast in the same mould,
deals with a chapter in the career of the Arterburn family, and particularly of
Nathalie, a vivacious, strong-willed girl of fifteen. After the death of their
parents the children were scattered among different relatives, and the story
describes the efforts of the eldest son, Harry, to bring them together again.
At first there is a good deal of aloofness owing to the fact that, having been
kept apart for so long, the children are practically strangers to each other ; but
at length Harry takes his sister Nathalie into his confidence and makes her his
ally in the management of their small household, while she finds in him the
chum of whom she has long felt the need.
·
Teddy : Her Book . A Story of Sweet Sixteen . Illustrated in
Colour by ROBERT HOPE. Crown 8vo,
decorated cloth cover, olivine edges, 3s. 6d.
World. " Teddy is a delightful personage ; and the story "9 of her friendships,
her ambitions, and her successes is thoroughly engrossing."
Yorkshire Daily Post.-" To read of Teddy is to love her. "

Janet : Her • • Illustrated in Colour by GORDon Browne.

Crown 8vo, decorated cloth cover, olivine
Winter in Quebec . edges, 3s. 6d.
Outlook. " The whole tone of the story is as bright and healthy as the
atmosphere in which these happy months were spent. "
Lady's Pictorial. " The sparkle of a Canadian winter ripples across Anna
Chapin Ray's 'Janet.""

BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

By LUCAS MALET
Little Peter : A Christmas Morality for Children of any Age. New
Edition. Illustrated in Colour by CHARLES E. BROCK.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, gilt edges, 6s.
This delightful little story introduces to us a family dwelling upon the
outskirts of a vast and mysterious pine forest in France. There are Master
Lepage, who, as head of the household and a veteran of the wars, lays down
the law upon all sorts of questions, domestic and political ; his meek, sweet-
faced wife Susan ; their two sons Anthony and Paul ; and Cincinnatus the cat
-who holds as many opinions and expresses them as freely as Master Lepage
himself ; and -little Peter. Little Peter makes friends with John Paqualin, a
queer, tall, crook-backed old charcoal-burner, whom the boys of the village
call " the grasshopper man, " and whom every one else treats with contempt ;
but this is not surprising, since Little Peter makes friends with every one he
meets, and all who read about him will certainly make friends with him.
13
 BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

By CHRISTINA GOWANS WHYTE

The Adventures of Merrywink : Wustratedby WHEELHOUSE. M. V.

Crown 4to, cloth elegant, 6s.
This story won the £100 prize for the best children's story in the Bookman
competition. It tells of a pretty little child who was born into Fairyland with
a gleaming star in his forehead. When his parents beheld this star they were
filled with gladness and fear, and in the night they carried their little Fairy
baby, Merrywink, far away and hid him. Why was it necessary to carry
Merrywink away so secretly ? Because of two old prophecies : the first, that
a daughter should be born to the King and Queen of Fairyland ; the second
that the King should rule over Fairyland until a child appeared with a gleaming
star in his forehead. Now, on the very day that Merrywink was born, the
long- promised little Princess arrived at the Royal Palace ; and the King, who
was determined to keep his throne to himself, sent round messages to make
sure that the child with the gleaming star had not yet been seen in Fairyland.
The story tells us how Merrywink grew up to be brave and strong, and fearless
and truthful ; how he set out on his travels and met the Princess at court, and
all that happened afterwards.

By E. M. JAMESON
The Pend leto n Twins . Crown 8vo, olivine edges, Coloured
Illustrations, 5s.
A great number of little readers now look forward eagerly to the appearance
of further volumes telling ofthe adventures and misadventures ofthe Pendletons.
This year the family's Christmas holidays furnish material for another bright
and amusing story. Their adventures begin the very day they leave home.
The train is snowed up and they are many hours delayed. They have a merry
Christmas with plenty of fun and presents, and in the middle of the night Bob
gives chase to a burglar. Nora, who is very sure-footed, goes off by herself
one day and climbs the cliffs, thinking that no one will be any the wiser until
her return. But the twins and Dan follow her unseen and are lost in a cave,
where they find hidden treasure left by smugglers buried in the ground. Len
sprains his ankle and they cannot return. Search parties set out from Cliffe,
and spend many hours before the twins are found by Nora, cold and tired and
frightened. But the holidays end very happily after all.

Peggy Pendleton's Plan . Illustrated, 5s.

The Pendletons . Illustrated. 5s.

Two further stories dealing with the fortunes of the entertaining Pendleton
family.
Schoolmaster:- ""' Young people will revel in this most interesting and
original story. The five young Pendletons are much as other children in a
large family, varied in their ideas, quaint in their tastes, and wont to get into
mischief at every turn. They are withal devoted to one another and to their
home, and although often naughty,' are not by any means ' bad. ' The
interest in the doings of these youngsters is remarkably well sustained, and
each chapter seems better than the last. With not a single dull page from
start to finish and with twelve ""charming illustrations, the book makes an ideal
reward for either boys or girls.'
14
 BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

By AMY LE FEUVRE

Robin's Heritage. Illustrated by GORDON BROWNE. 25.

Robin, the little hero of Miss Amy Le Feuvre's latest book, is a charming
creation . He is certainly one of the most lovable of the boy and girl
characters in her books, whose adventures have given delight to so many
thousands of little readers.

Christina and the Boys . Illustrated. 25.

This is a splendid story for boys and girls. All who have read Miss Le
Feuvre's other books will want to read this. It is a story of three children ;
one from England, another from Scotland, the third from Wales. They are
all so jolly that it is difficult to say which of the three will be the favourite
with young readers.

Roses. Illustrated. 25.

This story introduces us to Mrs. Fitzherbert, a dear little old lady with
snow-white hair, as she moves among the sweet scents and sounds of her rose
garden. She lives in a quaint old-fashioned house with casement windows and
deep window seats, old oak staircase and panelled rooms. And into the midst
of this secluded scene comes Dimple-her real name is Isabella, but she will
not allow anybody to call her by that name on any account-whose father,
owing to ill-fortune, has had to go abroad. How Dimple wins the hearts of
all in her new home is told by Miss Le Feuvre in this little book.

His Big Opportunity . Illustrated. 2s.

The two principal characters in this book are Roy and Dudley- two
cousins. Both are anxious to become heroes, and they are constantly on the
look-out for an opportunity to do some good. This leads them, one day, to
pay a friendly visit to a sick man. They cannot get in by the door, so they
clamber in bythe window, greatly to the alarm of the invalid, who takes them
for house-breakers. The story tells how, when their big opportunity does
arrive, they are able to seize it and turn it to account.

Brownie . Illustrated. 2s.

A Cherry Tree . Illustrated . 2s.

Two Tramps . Illustrated. 2s.

The Buried Ring . Illustrated. 2s.

15
 BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

The New Line upon Line . Revised "" (containing

Edition
upon Line of " Line
Parts I and II of the original work), edited by J. E. HODDER WILLIAMS,
with a Preface by the BISHOP OF DURHAM. Illustrated in Colour. Leather,
2s. 6d. net ; cloth, 1s. 6d. net ; picture boards, 1s. net.

The New Peep of Day. Day "" Edition of " The Peep of
Revised
, edited by J. E. HODDER
WILLIAMS, with a Preface by the BISHOP OF DURHAM. Illustrated in
Colour. Leather, 2s. 6d. net ; cloth, 1s. 6d. net ; picture boards, 1s. net.
These new editions of two well-known children's books retain all the features
that made the previous issues so popular, but they have been thoroughly revised
with a view to making them more easily understood by the children of to-day.

THE CHILDREN'S BOOKCASE

Edited by E. NESBIT
"The Children's Bookcase " is a new series of dainty illustrated books for
little folks which is intended ultimately to include all that is best in children's
literature, whether old or new. The series is edited by Mrs. E. Nesbit, author
of "The Would-be Goods " and many other well-known books for children ;
and particular care is given to binding, get-up, and illustrations. The pictures
are in full colour.

The Little Duke . By CHARLOTTE M. YONGE.

Sonny Sahib. BY SARA JEANNETTE DUNCAN (Mrs. EVERARD

COTES).

The Water Babies . By CHARLES KINGSLEY.

The Old Nursery Stories. By E. Nesbit.

Cap - o'- Yellow. By AGNES GROZIER HERBERTSON.

Granny's Wonderful Chair. By FRANCEs Browne.

The volumes in " The Children's Bookcase " are issued in three styles of
binding: in paper boards, at 1s. 6d. net ; cloth, 2s. 6d. net ; and art cloth
with photogravure panel, 3s. 6d. net.
Scotsman. " In point of artistic beauty and general excellence, these
volumes, costing only Is. 6d. each, are a marvellous production."
16
 ‫نے‬

744606

PS3537

.T824

ст A000005647323
A00000564732
3