ots, of sand-bagging and bludgeoning, without any suspicion of
vaunting himself. The baronet made some comment.

"No," said Foyle. "Take it all round, a detective's life is more
monotonous than exciting. It's taken me thirty years to collect the
experiences I'm telling you about. Things always happen unexpectedly.
Some of my narrowest squeaks have taken place in England, in the West
End. Why, I was nearly shot in one of the best hotels by an officer sent
over from the United States to take charge of a man I had arrested. He
was the sheriff of some small town and had a bit of a reputation as a
gun-man, and had come over with the district attorney to escort the chap
back. They did themselves well while they were here waiting to catch a
boat back. One morning I strolled into the hotel, and who should run
into me but the attorney with a face the colour of white paper.

"'That you, chief?' he gasps. 'For God's sake don't go upstairs. ----'s
on the landing, blazing drunk and with his gun out. He's a dead shot.'

"Well, I could see that a Wild West sheriff was out of place in a decent
hotel, so up I went. He had me covered like a flash, and I yelled out to
him not to shoot.

"'Hello, chief,' he says. 'That's all right. Come right up. I won't do a
thing. Just wait till I've plugged that cur of an attorney and we'll go
and have a drink.'

"By this time I was up level with him. I daren't risk trying to get the
revolver from him, for he was a quick shot, so I pushed my arm through
his.

"'I haven't got much time, sheriff,' says I. 'Let's go and have a drink
first, and you settle up with him afterwards.'

"'That's a bet,' he says, and I led him down to the bar. I persuaded him
to try a new drink of my own invention--its chief component was
soda-water--and followed it up with strong hot coffee. Meanwhile I
managed to get the gun away, on the pretext of admiring it. He was
reluctant at first, telling me I could have it for keeps after he had
finished that cur of an attorney. But I got it, and he was fairly sober
by the time I left him.

"Then there was a sequel. I had warned the sheriff and the attorney, who
had made up their differences, that the man they had got was a slippery
customer to handle. However, they got him in the boat all right. When
they got to New York I had a cable from the captain--a friend of mine.
He said the prisoner had not only cleared off the ship by himself, but
had carried away the hand-baggage of h