. Map 24. Square F. North 27. West 33. Look it
up for yourself. It exists all right but there is no radium there, not
any within a thousand miles for aught I know to the contrary. In that
location and over a large stretch of surrounding country-side the
earth's outer crust is mainly argillaceous with here and there an
outcrop of sandstone. There is not the smallest indication of
pitch-blende anywhere in the neighbourhood, and radium, as even those
little versed in chemistry or geology are aware, is only to be found in
that particular ore.

It would be well, therefore, to think twice before embarking upon a
fruitless treasure hunt after reading what has here been set down. It
was the knowledge of the inevitable consequences that would result from
incautious confidence that sealed Barraclough's lips and made his
movements on arriving at Southampton so secretive. It is known there
was a fog over the Solent on the afternoon in question and that a small
brown-sailed boat with a man sitting in the stern put out from the
shore and was presently swallowed up in the white tasselled wreaths of
mist. That same boat was discovered minus its passenger in the early
hours of the following day. A coastal collier, racketing into port in
the quiet of evening, brought the tale of a seaplane that narrowly
missed crashing into her deck house. Long after it was out of sight
the crew heard its engines droning overhead. Then for a while there
was silence during which a curious pinkish glow appeared to the
starboard and died away. This glow was repeated three times and at the
third repetition the waterplane engine was again audible, increasing in
volume every moment. Presently it cut out and nothing was heard for
several minutes. When it started again it must have been quite near at
hand for the sound of water cut by the floats was detectable. The
engines howled and whined until the roar diminished to a sound no
greater than the buzzing of a bee fading into nothing over the wake of
the little steamer.

Whether or no these recorded circumstances have any bearing on the
mystery of Anthony Barraclough's disappearance it would be impossible
to say but the Harbour Authorities who were questioned as to whether
they had knowledge of the movements of this particular waterplane
replied with a regretful negative. They neither knew where it came
from nor whither it went and there is a strong rumour that one or two
quite important pers