dn't it be a streak of luck if he knew! Yes, I did the right thing
in sending in that ad. One man's bitten at any rate."

He went about the house all day chuckling away to himself.

* * * * *

The second incident which occurred that same day was of even a more
disturbing nature. Late that afternoon the telephone bell rang, and when
Bryce answered it a voice asked if he was the Mr. Bryce who had
advertised for an assistant in an expedition to the Grampians.

"That's me," said Bryce. "But I'm sorry to say that the position's
filled."

"Why are you sorry?" the voice asked disconcertingly.

"Um!" said Mr. Bryce. "Aren't you after it?"

"No chance," said the voice. "As a matter of fact, I was on the point of
writing out a similar one myself, when I saw yours and guessed I'd let
you do the work."

"Who are you?" Bryce demanded with a trace of sharpness in his voice.

The man at the other end of the wire laughed cheerfully. "Never you
mind," he said. "You'll know soon enough, as soon as you've landed Jack
Bradby's plunder. Now, I want to put up a sporting proposition to you.
We'll retire gracefully, if you'll split fifty-fifty."

"We!" Bryce repeated. "So there's more than one of you?"

"There's lots of us, and we've got the whip hand of you because, you
see, you don't know who we are. We know you; we've been following a
couple of jumps behind you right through all the records, and we guess
it's high time we cashed in."

"I'll see you in Hell first!" said Bryce angrily.

"Probably you will," said the voice with a chuckle. "If you won't treat
with us, we'll get what we want in other ways."

"No, by thunder, you won't!" said Bryce shortly. "I'll warn you that
I'll shoot on sight."

"So do we," the other laughed. "I hope, for your sake, you recognise us
first, though I don't think it likely."

"If I catch you monkeying around I'll fill you so full of holes that
your own mother won't know you from a colander," Bryce threatened; but
the voice laughed irritatingly, and when Bryce tried to get a reply he
found that the other had rung off.

He flickered the hook with his finger. "Exchange," he said, giving his
number, "can you tell me who was speaking just now?"

"Box three, G. P. O. public 'phones," said the girl wearily.

"Oh, hell!" said Bryce in disgust, and hung up the receiver.

* * * * *

The rest of the week passed without incident of any so