ge, for he has managed to put a bullet in my
shoulder."

"We have had a similar experience, and Mr. Sutgrove is the victim,"
answered Forrest. "So I am afraid I cannot offer much assistance."

"I think I can get to St. Albans all right," he replied. "It's only the
left, and I managed to get a handkerchief round it."

"If you will let us pass," I said, "I will run on to St Albans and see
that assistance is sent to you."

"Oh, I didn't notice I was taking all the road," he remarked, as he drew
aside.

Once more we drove ahead at our speed limit, and five minutes later we
stopped before the police office. There we found every one in blissful
ignorance of the fact that the Pirate was abroad. Nor did any one else
see him that night. Again he had mysteriously vanished under
circumstances which convinced the detective more firmly than ever that
his retreat was somewhere in the vicinity of my home.

CHAPTER XIII

OF THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING WOUNDED

I SUPPOSE I must have lost more blood than I had reckoned upon, or else
the excitement of the pursuit had been sufficient to keep me going; but
whichever it was, no sooner had we pulled up than I collapsed. I was
never nearer fainting in my life. In fact I had to take another stiff
dose of whisky, and even then I was only too glad to relinquish the
steering-wheel to Forrest, and let him drive me the rest of the way
home. He never left me until I was safely in bed, and the surgeon he had
summoned had stitched me up.

Fortunately my wounds proved, as Forrest had foretold, more painful than
dangerous. The bullet had carried with it some shreds of cloth; and the
removal of these from my arm was the only really painful bit of work the
surgeon had to perform. However, the medical man insisted upon my
remaining in bed, and I obeyed his orders for a couple of days; but on
the third I felt so well that I rebelled against any further
confinement, and though still considerably sore, I managed to get out
and about.

I found I was a little bit shaky, yet I managed to get as far as
Colonel Mainland's house, and there I found my adventure had been a
blessing in disguise, for I could see from the manner in which she
greeted me, that my last encounter with the Pirate had wiped from Miss
Maitland's memory all remembrance of the previous occasion. There was
only one thing to mar my enjoyment of the situation thus created.
Mannering had unfortunately been successful in making himsel