ft his
seat. But the car was empty!

At first I was stupid with astonishment. _Par la barbe du prophete!_ I
was astounded. Then I saw that I had really made a great discovery.
The street into which I had injudiciously followed "Le Balafre" lay
between Limehouse Causeway and Ropemaker Street, and it was at no great
distance from this point that I had lost sight of the yellow car. In
that street, which according to my friend the policeman was "nearly
all Chinese," Zara el-Khala had descended; in that street was "The
Scorpion's" lair!

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION OF STATEMENT

I come now to the conclusion of this statement and to the strange
occurrence which led to my proclaiming myself. The fear of imminent
assassination which first had prompted me to record what I knew of
"The Scorpion" had left me since I had ceased to be Charles Malet. And
that the disappearance of "Le Balafre" had been accepted by his
unknown chief as evidence of his success in removing _me_, I did not
doubt. Therefore I breathed more freely ... and more freely still when
my body was recovered!

Yes, my body was recovered from Hanover Hole; I read of it--a very
short paragraph, but it is the short paragraphs that matter--in my
morning paper. I knew then that I should very shortly be dead indeed--
officially dead. I had counted on this happening before, you
understand, for I more than ever suspected that "The Scorpion" knew me
to be in England and I feared that he would "lie low" as the English
say. However, since a fortunate thing happens better late than never,
I say in this paragraph two things: (1) that the enemy would cease to
count upon Gaston Max; (2) that the Scotland Yard Commissioner would
be authorised to open Part First of this Statement which had been
lodged at his office two days after I landed in England--the portion
dealing with my inquiries in Paris and with my tracking of "Le
Balafre" to Bow Road Station and observing that he showed a golden
scorpion to the chauffeur of the yellow car.

This would happen because Paris would wire that the identification
disk found on the dead man was that of Gaston Max. Why would Paris do
so? Because my reports had been discounted since I had ceased to be
Charles Malet and Paris would be seeking evidence of my whereabouts.
My reports had discontinued because I had learned that I had to do
with a criminal organization of whose ramifications I knew nothing.
Therefore I took no more chances. I