BUCK SEES LIGHT.
Jack walked rapidly through the city, and, free from the presence of
Baumann and his vile insinuations, began to cool rapidly and survey
the situation with a steadier eye.
"This needs talking over," he said to himself. "Here's a big new
development." He hailed a cab and was driven to Lincoln's Inn. He
found Mr. Buxton's sitting-room littered with the baggage they had
brought home, and Mr. Buxton himself in close confab with Buck Risley.
"Hullo, Jack," said the elder man, rising to shake hands with him;
"how have you been getting on with Lane and Baumann? You look
excited."
"Rather, Mr. Buxton," said Jack. "I have been learning a great deal."
He struck into his story at once, and the two men listened with great
interest.
"He had an immense ruby of incalculable value in his possession," said
Mr. Buxton slowly, when Jack had finished. "I say, this changes the
whole situation. I'm afraid, Jack, something very serious has happened
to your father."
"Then that's what was on the Professor's mind," cried Buck. "I knew
very well there was something. It was big enough to make even him
feel uneasy."
"It's an odd thing he didn't mention it to you, Risley," said Mr.
Buxton. "I've always understood that you were privy to all his
business movements."
"That's all right, Mr. Buxton," said Risley cheerfully. "You've got
that quite straight. In a general way the Professor hid nothing from
me. But this time he did hide it about the big stone, and I'm goin' to
show you how right, just as usual, the Professor was. You must
remember," went on Buck, "that when he picked me up at Mogok on the
way home, he found only a dim and distant shadder o' the party now
talkin' to you. I'd been on my back for weeks with fever, and was as
weak and nervous as a kitten. I've picked up wonderful on the voyage
home. Well, if he'd told me o' such a thing as he'd certainly got at
that moment in his belt, it would ha' rattled me to pieces. I should
have been certain to give the show away in my anxiety for fear anybody
should get to know about it, and do him a mischief. So he said nothing
at all. But it puts everything in a new light, everything."
"Buck!" cried Jack. "What about that fellow who stopped me on Rushmere
Heath and then turned up in Brindisi? Can he have something to do with
it?"
"Now you're talking, Jack," said Risley, nodding at the young man.
"'Twas all runnin' through my mind. It all hangs together, as straight
as a gun."
Buck knitted his brows in deep thought, and stared into the fire. Mr.
Buxton was about to speak, but Buck held up his hand for silence, and
the quiet remained unbroken till the American slapped his knee with a
crack like a pistol-shot, looked round on them, and nodded briskly.
"I've worked it out," said Buck. "The Professor's been kidnapped, and
I'll lay all I'm worth I can spot the parties who have boned him."
"Kidnapped!" The cry burst in irrepressible surprise and excitement
from the other two.
"Sure thing," said Risley. "Just listen to me. That half-caste Saya
Chone comes from up-country somewhere in the direction the Professor
headed for after leaving Mogok. That's the starting-point for the
whole business. He's mixed up in it from first to last, that's plain
enough, by his showing up at Rushmere and then followin' Jack to
Brindisi as he must have done. What brought him trackin' us all this
way if he didn't know about the big ruby and was in with the gang
that's carried off the Professor?"
"But why are you so sure that they have carried Tom Haydon off,
Risley?" asked Mr. Buxton. "Perhaps they--" Mr. Buxton paused, unable
to put into words the terrible thought which filled his mind.
"Say it right out, sir," said Buck encouragingly. "You can say it out,
for I don't believe it's the least bit true. You meant, suppose
they've murdered the Professor for the ruby?"
Mr. Buxton nodded, and Jack went white about the lips.
"Well, that's all right," said Buck cheerfully, "they ain't done that,
anyway. First thing, if so we'd ha' found the Professor, for all they
wanted was the stone; they'd no use in the world for his body. But
there's a lot more in it than that. They want the Professor himself.
It's a dead sure thing that where that big stone came from there's a
lot more, and they intend to make him show them the place."
"Ah," said Mr. Buxton, "there's a good deal in that, Risley. I hadn't
thought of that."
"Then, Buck," cried Jack, "you think that my father has been seized
and is being carried back to Burmah?"
"I'm as sure of it as I am that we are in this room," said Buck
solemnly.
Jack drew a long breath of immense relief. To feel that his father
might be alive, and possibly could be rescued, was to bring a bright
gleam of hope into the darkness of this strange affair.
"How have they carried him away?" cried Jack.
"By sea," replied Buck. "Couldn't be done by land, nohow. But you can
get a quiet road by sea easy enough. I wonder how much that boat that
disappeared from the harbour had to do with it. They might have nailed
him, pulled him out in it to a vessel waiting off the harbour, and
then sent it adrift when they'd done with it."
Mr. Buxton had filled his pipe and was smoking thoughtfully. Now he
took the pipe out of his mouth, and spoke.
"I can see another thing which, in the light now thrown upon the
affair, seems very possible," said he. "How many letters did you
receive from your father, Jack, when he was on his way home?"
"Only one, Mr. Buxton," replied Jack. "The one he sent me from Cairo
was the first I had had from him for a long time."
"Isn't it possible," went on Mr. Buxton, "that those who were
following him up knew of that letter being sent, and were anxious to
read it, hoping that he would describe where he had been and what he
had been doing? Then, even if they failed to secure him and the big
stone, they would know the spot where he had discovered the
ruby-mine."
"Say, Mr. Buxton, you've hit the bull's eye," remarked Buck. "That's
about the square-toed truth."
"And that's why they threw the letter away when they had read it,"
cried Jack. "There was no hint of any such thing in it."
There was silence for a few moments, while all three pondered over the
strange events which had taken place. It was broken by Jack.
"Oh, Buck," he said, "I suppose there is no chance of such a precious
thing being in the baggage after all."
"Not it," replied Risley. "I packed every consarned thing with my own
hands. I had just enough strength for a job like that."
"And you feel convinced, Risley, that Tom Haydon has been spirited off
back to Burmah by a gang who have learned of his wonderful find, and
mean to seize it for themselves?" said Mr. Buxton.
"Dead sure of it, sir," replied Buck.
Jack sprang to his feet and paced the room excitedly.
"Then we'll go ourselves, Buck," he cried, "and run them to earth."
"Sure thing," said Buck calmly. "I'm on at once for a look into what's
happened to the Professor."
"It will be a dangerous quest," said Mr. Buxton slowly; "a very
dangerous quest, among wild lands and savage peoples. I know that
much. Do you think the Government authority extends over the district
where the discovery was made, Risley?"
"No, it don't," replied Buck. "They're all savage Kachins and Shans up
there, as ready for a scrap as any you ever met. It's all the
authorities can do to hold 'em off the settlements."
"A dangerous quest indeed!" repeated Mr. Buxton.
"But one that must be undertaken," cried Jack earnestly. "Would you
have me leave my father's fate a matter of uncertainty, Mr. Buxton? I
know very well it's a long journey on the chance of Buck being right
in his suspicions. But so many things point that way, and if Buck is
willing to guide me to the country where the search ought to be made,
I will gladly go."
"Oh, I'm with you, of course, Jack," sang out Buck Risley. "We'll have
a look into things, anyhow, an' I know more than a bit of that
country. I've been three times up the river, an' made all sorts o'
little side-trips."
"Thank you, Buck," cried the lad. "I knew you'd be willing to help me.
We'll start as soon as possible. You'll find us plenty of funds, won't
you, Mr. Buxton?"
"Oh, yes, Jack," said Mr. Buxton, "I'll find you all the money you
want for such a purpose."