acts. There was a big risk that, even if I weathered the other
dangers, I would not be believed in the end. I must take my chance of
that, and hope that something might happen which would confirm my tale
in the eyes of the Government.

My first job was to keep going for the next three weeks. It was now
the 24th day of May, and that meant twenty days of hiding before I
could venture to approach the powers that be. I reckoned that two sets
of people would be looking for me--Scudder's enemies to put me out of
existence, and the police, who would want me for Scudder's murder. It
was going to be a giddy hunt, and it was queer how the prospect
comforted me. I had been slack so long that almost any chance of
activity was welcome. When I had to sit alone with that corpse and
wait on Fortune I was no better than a crushed worm, but if my neck's
safety was to hang on my own wits I was prepared to be cheerful about
it.

My next thought was whether Scudder had any papers about him to give me
a better clue to the business. I drew back the table-cloth and
searched his pockets, for I had no longer any shrinking from the body.
The face was wonderfully calm for a man who had been struck down in a
moment. There was nothing in the breast-pocket, and only a few loose
coins and a cigar-holder in the waistcoat. The trousers held a little
penknife and some silver, and the side pocket of his jacket contained
an old crocodile-skin cigar-case. There was no sign of the little
black book in which I had seen him making notes. That had no doubt
been taken by his murderer.

But as I looked up from my task I saw that some drawers had been pulled
out in the writing-table. Scudder would never have left them in that
state, for he was the tidiest of mortals. Someone must have been
searching for something--perhaps for the pocket-book.

I went round the flat and found that everything had been ransacked--the
inside of books, drawers, cupboards, boxes, even the pockets of the
clothes in my wardrobe, and the sideboard in the dining-room. There
was no trace of the book. Most likely the enemy had found it, but they
had not found it on Scudder's body.

Then I got out an atlas and looked at a big map of the British Isles.
My notion was to get off to some wild district, where my veldcraft
would be of some use to me, for I would be like a trapped rat in a
city. I considered that Scotland would be best, for my people were
Scotch and I could pas