Part 33 (1/2)

John Rhinds gnashed his teeth in his fury Had he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, just then, the man would have been afraid of his own reflection

Yet, with all his guilty knowledge of what he had encouraged Radwin to do, it did not occur to Rhinds to lay the blah hard fighting, Captain Jack Benson

Presently, John Rhinds cooled down

He even becahastly pallor lay on his cheeks

This change of outward temper was all because he was forced to become crafty before others

It is a common ith uratively speaking, and then to send reporters around to see how the victi

That hat happened to John Rhinds

Within half an hour after the newspapers had coe over the telephone from the hotel office informed the president of the Rhinds Submarine Company that a reporter was beloished to interview Mr

Rhinds

”Ah! Er--huh!” choked the wretch, sing hard ”Have the young gentleman shown up, of course And send up any other reporters who may ask for me”

By the time that the first reporter reached the door Rhinds had carefully removed all traces of the torn newspapers The old h he affected to be stung to the soul by the thought that any American could think that he, or any of his party aboard the ”Thor” could have been guilty of such a fearful atteed Rhinds, suavely, ”you will be able, through the great power of the press for right, to set all suspicions at rest You will, I beg of you, give renewed publicity to the fact that ere found to have our full number of torpedoes aboard That one fact, of course, disposes of any suspicion that we could have thought of doing such a fearful thing”

The reporter was young, but he was not lacking in shrewdness This boyish-looking journalist had interviewed s scoundrels before

”There is one little point I would like to inquire about, Mr Rhinds,”

hinted this reporter, chewing at the end of his pencil

”A dozen--a hundred points--anything you want to know!” protested theinterviewed

”Thank you,” nodded the reporter, coolly ”Now, it is a well-established fact that you had your full number of torpedoes aboard, when the naval officers searched But have you any place on board the 'Thor' that would serve as a hiding place for an extra torpedo--an extra torpedo that ht, let us say, have been obtained in any one of a nureat waves of chill passing up and down his spine Hang this san to feel that he hated this young man next to Jack Benson!

”No!” shouted the interviewed one, hoarsely, angrily ”We have no such hiding place on board We have no place that could be used for hiding an extra torpedo”

The reporter nodded, then continued with a cool s so important a question on such a vitally important point It is very i place ht exist”

”Very i forward in his most i the point for good and all”

”So that, of course, Mr Rhinds,” pursued the cool, sest to you the i a commission composed of, say, an editor and two reporters froo aboard the 'Thor,' search for such a hiding place, and then be prepared to infor place exists on the 'Thor'”