"The warehouse back of Yun Shatu's has been converted into a veritable
Oriental palace."
"The warehouse!" he exclaimed. "How can that be? I had thought of that
first, but I have carefully examined it from without. The windows are
closely barred and spiders have built webs across them. The doors are
nailed fast on the outside and the seals that mark the warehouse as
deserted have never been broken or disturbed in any way."
"They tunneled up from beneath," I answered. "The Temple of Dreams is
directly connected with the warehouse."
"I have traversed the alley between the two buildings," said Gordon,
"and the doors of the warehouse opening into that alley are, as I have
said, nailed shut from without just as the owners left them. There is
apparently no rear exit of any kind from the Temple of Dreams."
"A tunnel connects the buildings, with one door in the rear room of Yun
Shatu's and the other in the idol-room of the warehouse."
"I have been in Yun Shatu's back room and found no such door."
"The table rests upon it. You noted the heavy table in the center of
the room? Had you turned it around the secret door would have opened
in the floor. Now this is my plan: I will go in through the Temple
of Dreams and meet the Master in the idol-room. You will have men
secretly stationed in front of the warehouse and others upon the other
street, in front of the Temple of Dreams. Yun Shatu's building, as
you know, faces the waterfront, while the warehouse, fronting the
opposite direction, faces a narrow street running parallel with the
river. At the signal let the men in this street break open the front of
the warehouse and rush in, while simultaneously those in front of Yun
Shatu's make an invasion through the Temple of Dreams. Let these make
for the rear room, shooting without mercy any who may seek to deter
them, and there open the secret door as I have said. There being, to
the best of my knowledge, no other exit from the Master's lair, he and
his servants will necessarily seek to make their escape through the
tunnel. Thus we will have them on both sides."
Gordon ruminated while I studied his face with breathless interest.
"This may be only a snare," he mattered, "or an attempt to draw me away
from Sir Haldred, but----"