*CHAPTER XIII*
*AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE*
The discovery did not startle Mercer as much as it otherwise might havedone. There had been so many strange events during the last two daysthat an incident like this was trifling by comparison. Still it had itsbearing upon the central mystery, and Wilfred was not disposed tounderrate its importance. He wondered why he had not connected thenegro of the night before with the Imperial Circus, for the big negrowas the kind of man to be attached to this sort of undertaking. Andthis having been established it followed logically that the strangelittle men were to be identified with the circus also. Wilfrid feltglad he had come. He had forgotten about his own affairs in theexcitement of the moment.
"I hope you won't mind," he whispered hurriedly to his companion, "but Ishould rather like to hear what takes place between you and yourinteresting client. I know the request is unusual, but I have thestrongest reasons for making it, as I will explain to you presently."
"Well, it is irregular," Vardon said dubiously. "Still, there is nogreat secret about the matter. The negro is charged with an assault, andI have been asked to defend him. You can sit down and smoke a cigaretteand hear as much or as little as you like."
Fortunately the negro's English was good enough. Probably he had beenin the country for a long time. He stated his case clearly, and, so faras Wilfrid could gather, he relied for his defence on an alibi.
"It was like this, sir," he said. "There were a lot of soldiers overhere from the barracks last night, and most of them had been drinking.Mr. Gordon, he stood it as long as he could, and then the men wereoffered their money back to leave. The noise got worse and worse tillat last we were obliged to turn them out. They say that I followed themdown the road and struck one of them, who is now in hospital, so violenta blow that he fell and hurt his head. They say that there was no causefor me to do this at all. I say that they made a mistake, because I wasaway from the circus on business last night and did not get back tillhalf-past eleven. If you will ask Mr. Gordon he will prove that what Isay is true."
"In that case, there is an end of the whole business," Vardon saidcheerfully. "I should like to have a few words with Mr. Gordon."
The negro hesitated and appeared to be confused.
"Must we do that, sir?" he asked. "You see, I was away on veryimportant business. I had to go and look for two men who were missing.If I am asked questions about them I shall not be able to answer. But Iam telling the truth, sir, when I say that I was away last night, andMr. Gordon will tell you the same thing."
Wilfrid could have told Vardon so, too, but he held his tongue. It wassingular that circumstances should have placed him in a position toprove the truth of the negro's words. It was strange, too, that theAfrican should have been so eager to conceal his movements on theprevious evening. Vardon listened impatiently.
"But that is all nonsense," he said. "You don't seem to understand whata serious position you are in. A man in hospital is badly hurt. Hedeclares that he gave you no provocation whatever, and he has a score ofwitnesses to prove that your attack was brutal and uncalled for. If youcan't prove beyond a doubt that you were elsewhere last night, you willbe committed to take your trial at the Assizes, and at the very leastyou will not get off under two years' imprisonment. In any case, the_alibi_ will be a difficult one to establish; all the more becausenegroes of your size are not to be found wandering about in everycountry road. Now, are you alone here? Have you any fellow-countrymenin the circus?"
"Two," the Ethiopian replied. "Only two besides myself. But the othersare men just about the usual size, and they were in the stable all thetime."
"That is rather awkward," Vardon murmured. "Still, as we are not veryfar from Chatham, where there are sailors of all kinds, it is possiblethat one of your own countrymen about your own build might have beencoming along at the time. As those fellows were all more or lessintoxicated some insulting remarks might have been made. Still, it isin your own hands. And unless Mr. Gordon comes forward and speaks foryou, your position is by no means a safe one."
The negro began to comprehend now. He glanced uneasily at the face ofhis lawyer.
"I'll go and see, sir," he said.
He came back presently with a large, florid-looking individual, loudlydressed and smoking an exceedingly strong cigar. The pattern of hisclothing proclaimed the man, as also did his white bowler hat, which wasjauntily cocked on the side of his head. Wilfrid hardly needed to lookat the man to recognize him as the individual who had been driving thedogcart near Maldon Grange the night before. Indeed, Wilfrid would havebeen surprised to see anybody else.
"This is Mr. Gordon, sir," the negro said.
"Quite at your disposal," the proprietor of the circus said floridly."This poor chap of mine seems to have got himself into trouble. Butwhatever those drunken scamps say, Sam is innocent, for the simplereason he wasn't here last night. He was out on important business forme; in fact, we were out together. It is rather a nuisance because Idon't want our errand to become public property, as it had to do withtwo of my troupe who had absconded. We have only been in England two orthree days and within twenty-four hours those fellows took French leave.A great nuisance it is, too, because they were down for a turn whichwould have packed the circus for the next month to come. And I give youmy word for it, I picked up those two fellows at Marseilles where theywere absolutely starving. And after costing me thirty or forty poundsbetween them, they go off and leave me in the lurch like this. Still, Ican speak plainly enough now because they have vanished again. Ithought I had them safe and sound last night, but those chaps areslippery as eels. I am not going to trouble any more about them andI'll just cut my loss and let them slide. And now, sir, I am prepared togo into the witness-box and take my oath that Sam here was with me in mycart ten miles from Castlebridge at the moment when the assault wascommitted. Is that good enough?"
Wilfrid could have testified the same had he chosen to do so, but it wasnot for him to speak then. He had learnt a great deal the last tenminutes. He had learnt that the two mysterious men who had caused suchcommotion at Maldon Grange were foreigners who had been members of thecircus troupe. It was obvious, too, why they had signed an agreementwith Gordon. They had been eager to come to England, and for thatreason had jumped at Gordon's offer. Perhaps they had ascertained that,sooner or later, the wanderings of the circus would bring them in moreor less close contact with Samuel Flower. An absence from the circus thenight before was easily explained. But after being brought back againto Castlebridge why had they disappeared in this extraordinary fashion?Beyond all doubt they had made up their minds to murder Samuel Flower,but their work was far from being accomplished. Therefore, why had theygone? Were they following Flower? Had they already discovered that hehad gone to London where he was likely to remain for the next few days?
Wilfrid would have liked to ask the negro and his employer a fewpertinent questions, but, perhaps, it was wiser not to do so for thepresent. He sat there quietly until Vardon intimated that he did notrequire the negro any longer, seeing that he had in Mr. Gordon a witnesswho was sufficient for his purpose. As the African left the officeWilfrid followed. Without arousing the negro's suspicions he might, bytwo or three promiscuous questions, learn something of the two men ofwhom he was in search. The negro was walking along at the back of thecircus, where most of the lamps were extinguished now, save anoccasional naphtha flare near the spot where the men were attending tothe horses. It might have been Wilfrid's fancy, but it seemed to himthat the African glanced cautiously about him from time to time as ifafraid of being followed. Mercer made a wide sweep into the darkness ofthe field, then waited to see what was likely to happen. He wasrewarded for his diligence, for the negro stopped under a tree andproceeded to light a cigarette. The evening was calm and still so thatthe match flared brightly and steadily. In the narrow circle of lightstood another figure in evening dress, hi
s coat unbuttoned. Just for aninstant the circle of light fell upon his face and Wilfrid had nodifficulty in recognizing the features of Samuel Flower. Then the matchdied away and the gloom became all the deeper. By the time that Wilfridhad thought it prudent to creep up to the tree, Flower and his companionhad vanished. Which way they had gone Wilfrid did not know. Not thatit much mattered. Still, the discovery was worth making and Wilfridreturned to the circus in a thoughtful frame of mind. He was passingthrough the office again when a hand was laid upon his arm. He turnedabruptly.
"Swan Russell!" he exclaimed. "Fancy seeing you here! I thought youwere at the other side of the globe."
The Five Knots Page 13