The Pit Prop Syndicate

he was amazed to see Hilliard, dressed only in his pajamas, leaning over him. On his friend's face was an express

y a little after five-"I'm frightfully sorry to stir you up, but I

man g

u're talking about,"

e! I see it now, but what I don't see is how we missed it before. The i

ghly aroused, moved

lain yourself," he dema

how it was done. Well, I see now. It's brandy smuggling right enough, an

l, but began to pace up and down the room. His emotion was infectiou

ard w

uldn't suggest anything else. But we didn't see

turned impatiently.

th a delighted laugh. "That's the

elt his an

ested. "If you haven't anything bett

Look here, it's perfectly simple. We thought brandy would be unloaded! And what's more, we both sat in that cursed b

suddenl

breathlessly. "It

rops; a few hollow ones full of brandy to unload in their shed, many genui

involved. Hilliard, moving jerkily about the room as if

he props in half and bore them out, attaching a screwed ring to one half and a screwe

man n

ey'd be designed of such a thickness that their weight would be right; that th

d at Merriman. The

nocent props-ready for loading up on the Girondin. Of course, they'd have them marked. Then when they're being unloaded that manager would get the marked ones put aside-they could somehow be defective, too lon

e a conjurer who has just drawn a

erriby manager sleeping in

I hadn't tho

be enough genuine props carried

three per cent. My goodness, Merriman, it's a clever scheme; they de

d recovered his composure, and had

" he said slowly. "What's to prevent them running

"That's another idea. My eyes, w

ement was beginning to wane, went back to his room for some cloth

ine feet long. Now you can't weaken it enough to risk its breaking if it accidentally falls. Suppose you bored a six-in

at anyway," an

deep a hole we may split the prop. What about two f

that," Merri

loud, Merriman checking each step. "That works out at a cubic foot of brandy, six and

ed at his frien

herefore, if you can smuggle the stuff over you make a profit of two shillings a glass.

considered the idea, the more likely it seemed. He listened eagerly as

ve, of course, but one out of every hundred is surely a conservative figure. Seventy props means 2,800 pounds profit per trip. And they have a trip every ten

ell for it! I bet, Hilliard, you've got it at last. 84,000 pounds a year!

la, Coburn, Henri, the manager here, and the two men they spoke of, Morton and Archer-tha

." Merriman lay silently pondering

igures of yours ar

size of the tubes and the number of the props, but it's not guesswork that they can make a fortune out of smugg

dded and sa

f that coat pocket like a good m

e emptied at that depot, and if not we shall have to find out where they're sent, a

eerfully. "No time to make 'em yet

ace within the building from which the investigations could be made. This alone was an undertaking bristling with difficulties. In the first place, all the doors of the shed were locked and none of them opened without noise. How were they without keys to open the doors in the dark, silently and without leaving traces? Observations might be required during the entire ten-day cycle, and that would mean that at some tim

e solved the problem. The faked props might be loaded up and forwarded to some other depot, and, if so, this other depot might

required. During the whole of that day and the next they brooded over the problem, but without avail. The more they thought about

first came. They were seated in the otherwise empty hotel lounge when he suddenly stoppe

e people to see if they would sell him a cargo of props-an entire cargo. I should explain that he has a private wharf for lighters on one of those rivers up beyond Goole, but the approach is too shallow for a sea-going boat. Now, why shouldn't he tell these people about his wharf, saying he had heard the Girondin was shallow in the draught, and might get up? He would then say he would take an entire cargo on condition that he could have it at his own place and so save

smote h

there any chance your friend would take a cargo? It's rather a large

cheap as any he could get elsewhere. Taking them at his own wharf would be good business. B

t's

t on. "And yet I think they will. It would look

ther idea seemed to strike

en one thing. If they sent a cargo of that kind they'd

an was not

some indefinite date ahead, then on the day after the Girondin leaves France he goes to Ferriby and says some ot

instinct and no mistake! I think the scheme's worth tr

hat we shall be over

g his office when Merri

't you both come over now and stay the night? You would be a perfect

train to Ellerby. Leatham's car was waiting for them at the sta

a strong, clean-shaven face, a kindly though direct manner, and there was about him a SUGGESTIO

you, old man? Glad to meet you, Hilliard. This i

d they were stretched in basket chairs on the terrace in the cool evening

nk so too. As a matter of fact, we've accidentally got hold of information that a criminal organization of some kind is in operation. For various reasons our hands are tied about going to the police, so we're

ng on Leatham's face whi

ghts!" he exclaimed. "You're no

n reass

oing on, the parties concerned won't be squeamish about the means they ado

nishment did not decrease, b

can only tell you ab

questioningly at the other,

his voyage of discovery with Hilliard and what they had learned in France, their trip to Hull, the Ferriby depot and their adv

ed he expressed his feelings by giving vent to a long and complicated oath. Then he asked how they thought h

t the props, but I'd do it anyway to see you through. If there's anyt

or a moment,

a cargo. It'll be INTERESTING to have a chat with that manager fellow, and you may bet I'll keep my eyes ope

and even friendly, had seemed pleased at the visit of so influential a customer, and had shown him over the entire concern without the slightest hesitation. He had appeared delight

ywhere in that shed and enclosure, and I saw nothing even remotely suspicious. The manager's manner, too, w

be about the brandy smuggling. But there's no mistake at all about

am no

this present scheme we shall know something more. Now le

g, we reckon," H

tch my yarn about my consignment of props having gone astray,

could b

n't go near London either. That chap Morton has lost you once, but he'll not do it a second time. Go a

?" both men excl

unload here and put the faked props ashore and load up oil at Ferriby on her way out. But she mightn't. She might go into Ferriby first. It would be the likely thing to do, in fact, for

s swore and Le

t to Sunday night for the arrival; maybe until Monday night if she lies over to discharge the faked prop

smiled maliciously. "As a matter o

clared with decision. "We may just s

f his negotiations about the Girondin. They could then return to Hull and get out their boat on Saturday should that be necessary. When about midnight t

g themselves in Harrogate, until towards evening o

laimed. "Come on, Hilliard,

owner speaking

about it at first, for Benson-that's the manager-was afraid he hadn't enough stock of props for curre

good, L

end him the man who acted for me, and what I've arranged is this, I shall send Angus Menzies, the master of one of my river tugs, to the wharf at Ferriby about six on Saturday evening. When the Girondin comes up he can

and it was decided that as soon as the investigation was ove

board and pulled out on to the great stream. Merriman not wishing to spend longer in the barrel than was absolutely necessary, they went ashore near Hassle and had a couple of hours' sleep, and it was well past four when they reached the depot. T

the watcher than on the first occasion. Merriman felt he would die of weariness and boredom long before anything

hours of the afternoon no one appeared at all, the whole place remaining silent and deserted, and it was not until nearly six that the sound of footsteps fell on Merriman's weary e

hen Menzies began to stare eastwards down the river. It seemed evident to Merriman that the Girondin was in sight, and he began to hope that something more INTERESTING would happen. But the time dragged weari

l. He watched him go to the engine room tube and speak down it. It was evidently a call to Bulla, for almost immediately the engineer appeared and ascended to the bridge, where all three joined in a brief discussion. Finally Benson came to the side of the shi

h he and his friends had prepared, and he congratulated himself on having adhered to his program and hidden himself in the barrel, instead of leaving the watching to be done by Menzies, as he had been so sorely tempted to do. For it was clear to him that if any secret work was to be done Menzies would be got out of the way until it was over. Merriman was now keenly on the alert, and he watched every movement on the ship or wharf with the sharpness of a lynx. Bulla presently went below, leaving the other three chatting on the bridge, then a move was made and, the engineer reappearing, all four e

ired when dusk began to fall. An hour later they came out, said "Good-night," and separated, Benson coming ashore, Bulla a

iman, as silence and darknes

of activity became apparent. Nothing moved on either ship or wharf, until about two i

his watch, while his friend pulled back into Hull, and f

Goole, returning immediately. This brought him pas

the extreme irksomeness of a second night in the cask it was essential to continue their watch,

ut much success. The hours dragged by with an incredible deliberation, and during the next day there was but slight movement on the wharf to occupy his attention. And then

n Hilliard arrived some five hours later, he had fallen into a state of partial coma, and his friend had considerab

seated in his smoking-room with whiskies and sodas at their elbows and Corona Coronas in their mouths. All three were so

ppose we needn't say one thing and think ano

size of it," Hilli

nothing?" Merr

y had better fill up with oil first, and he sent to consult the engineer, and it was agreed that when they were in they might as well fill up as it would save a call on the outward journey. Besides, no one concerned was on for going up in the dark-there are sandbanks, you know, and the navigation's bad. They gave Menzies a starboard deck cabi

. "It's at least a blessing to be sur

ted in his ship, for it was the largest I have ever seen up at my wharf, and that I had been thinking of getting one something the same built. I asked him if he would let me see over her, and he was most civil and took me over the entire boat. There

silence for some time

nk of any other theory, or suggest

inning to pace the room. "But I know what I should do in your place. I'd go down t

ard s

d slowly, "but I needn't say we should much

he wrong track altogether. And that's what I think. I don't believe there's any smuggling going on there at all. It

d then Merriman, who had for some time bee

ves it couldn't have been faked props. Here, Hilliard, this was your theory, though I don't mean to saddle you with mo

ared at thi

he repeated. "Why, returned

t wasn't done. We've seen that boat unloaded twice, an

ey would have to be used again and again? Each trip's props couldn'

ok his head

props, would do. The props would have to be thoroughly well made, so that they wouldn't break and give the show away if accidentally d

at a total loss as to their next move. The only SUGGESTION in the field was that of Leatham

mily. "We've done our best on our own and failed, and we may l

when they had taken leave of their host and were

he reason why. If she gets into any difficulty about the affair, you understand my life's at an end for any goo

e a gesture

it. But if you can't, I don't see that we'd be justified in keeping all that knowledge to o

I'll be satisfied. I have an idea that something might be learned from tracing that lorry number business, and if you have to go back to work I'll slip over by myself to Bordeau

s was still possible if he supplied information which would enable their detectives to establish one. And every day he delayed increased the chance of someone else finding the key to the riddle, an

, after an argument with his partner not far removed from a co