The Project Gutenberg EBook of My Strangest Case, by Guy Boothby

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Title: My Strangest Case

Author: Guy Boothby

Release Date: January 4, 2004 [EBook #10585]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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My Strangest Case

By Guy Boothby

Author of "Dr. Nikola," "The Beautiful White Devil," "Pharos, the
Egyptian," etc.

Illustrated by L.J. Bridgman and P. Hard

_Originally Published 1901_

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

"A DARK, NARROW HOLE, THE BOTTOM OF WHICH IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE."

"'LOOK HERE,' HE CRIED, 'IT'S THE BANK OF ENGLAND IN EACH HAND.'"

"'POOR DEVIL,' SAID GREGORY. 'HE SEEMS TO BE ON HIS LAST LEGS.'"

"HE FELL WITH A CRASH AT MY FEET."

"'LET'S OUT HIM, BILL,' SAID THE TALLER OF THE TWO MEN."

"'HOW DO YOU DO, MR. FAIRFAX?' SAID MISS KITWATER."

"IN HIS HAND HE HELD A REVOLVER."

"THE WOODWORK SNAPPED, AND THE TWO MEN FELL OVER THE EDGE."

_MY STRANGEST CASE_

~INTRODUCTION~

PART I

I am of course prepared to admit that there are prettier places on the
face of this earth of ours than Singapore; there are, however, I venture
to assert, few that are more interesting, and certainly none that can
afford a better study of human life and character. There, if you are so
disposed, you may consider the subject of British Rule on the one hand,
and the various aspects of the Chinese question on the other. If you are
a student of languages you will be able to hear half the tongues of the
world spoken in less than an hour's walk, ranging say from Parisian
French to Pigeon English; you shall make the acquaintance of every sort
of smell the human nose can manipulate, from the sweet perfume of the
lotus blossom to the diabolical odour of the Durien; and every sort of
cooking from a dainty _vol-au-vent_ to a stuffed rat. In the harbour the
shipping is such as, I feel justified in saying, you would encounter in
no other port of its size in the world. It comprises the stately
man-of-war and the Chinese Junk; the P. and O., the Messagerie
Maritime, the British India