e of my companions and who received a knockdown blow that
caused his death from one of the others. It is a well known fact that
these people will cherish for many years a determination to avenge any
injury. However, I hope that after the failure of this attempt upon my
life I shall hear no more of them."

"Were any knives found on the prisoners?" the magistrates asked the
Lieutenant of the watch.

"No, sir; all carried clubs. And they told me that they had been
especially ordered not to take knives, and had indeed been searched
before they came out."

"What impression do you gather from that, Mr. Thorndyke?"

"My impression is, sir, that they desired to overpower those with me and
to beat them down, in order to carry out their revenge upon me."

After some consultation the magistrate who had before spoken said:

"The prisoners will be remanded. It is necessary that we should find out
who was the chief culprit who bribed this gang."

As soon as the prisoners were taken out of court Mark slipped across to
the magistrates, accompanied by the Lieutenant as interpreter.

"I hope, gentlemen, that our presence here will not be necessary, for it
would be a matter of extreme inconvenience. I may say that my marriage
is fixed for today three weeks, hence you can well imagine that I want
to return as soon as possible. Two of the men are, as you have heard,
Bow Street officers, whose presence could not well be spared."

The magistrates again consulted together.

"Your evidence has all been taken down by the clerk of the court.
Certainly we should not require your presence at the remand; but whether
we should do so at the trial would, of course, depend upon whether these
men all own their guilt, which, having been taken red handed, it is
likely enough they will do. We will consent, therefore, to your leaving,
if you will give us an undertaking to return for the trial if your
presence is necessary, and that you will bring with you the man who
struck down the Lascar who commenced the fray, and one of the others."

"That I will do willingly," Mark replied. "We are much obliged to
you for your consideration. I shall be traveling for a time after my
marriage; but I will as I pass through Belgium after my marriage give
you the route I intend to take and the address at which letters will
find me, and if you send me a sufficiently long notice I will at once
return for the trial."

CHAPTER XXI.

"You managed that very