by Sapper
I found one in the back premises, but it was not until the third application that his eyes opened and he stared at us.
“Wot the ’ell,” he began thickly; then he realised he was bound. And with the realisation the drink died out of him and fear came.
“Strike me pink, guv’nor,” he quavered, “’oo are yer? Wot ‘ave yer got me trussed up like this for? I ain’t done no ’arm.”
“That’s what we want to find out,” snapped Ronald. “Where are the other men who have been in this house?”
“Gone aht, guv’nor: gone aht two hours ago.”
“Where have they gone to?”
“I dunno, guv’nor: strite I don’t. But they’re coming back.”
“They are, are they? You’re sure of that?”
“Sure as I’m a’lying ’ere.”
“Who are these men?”
“I dunno, guv’nor. They’re furriners though they speaks English: that’s all I can tell yer abaht them.”
“Is one of them dumb?”
“Dumb. Gaw lumme – no.”
“What about this poor devil here? How did that happen to his thumb?”
“It wasn’t me, guv’nor: I swears it. It was them other two wot did it.”
“While you looked on and cheered. Why did they do it?”
“They was trying to make ’im give them something. You see, guv’nor, they couldn’t speak ’is langwidge. That’s why a bloke came dahn from London yesterday.”
“I know all about that. So having tortured him, they then doped him, and you carried him upstairs.”
The man’s odious little eyes shifted uneasily.
“That’s right, guv’nor, though I dunno ’ow you knows.”
“What orders did they give you when they left?”
“To wait ’ere with ’im, guv’nor, till they comes back.”
“Did they say what time they’d be back?”
“Didn’t give no time, guv’nor. Just said wait ’ere. Can’t yer let me aht now?” he whined. “I’ve got the cramp, I ’ave.”
“Delighted to hear it,” said Ronald. “Long may it continue. So we were right, Bob,” he continued. “I’m inclined to think that this beauty is speaking the truth, and that he is merely in on this as a guard. The people we want are the other two. Is there a cellar or some place downstairs where we can put him?”
“There are some outhouses,” I answered.
“That’ll do.”
He unlashed the man’s legs.
“Get up, you swine. And don’t try any funny stuff, or you’ll have a taste of that thumb screw yourself. Bob, you lead the way.”
It was beginning to get dark as we took him across to the stables. And there having relashed his legs, and dumped him in a loose box we locked him in.
“Now for that other poor bloke,” said Ronald, and even as he spoke there came the sound of wheels on the drive.
“By jove! Bob,” he muttered, “they’re back already. Keep out of sight while I reconnoitre.”
He faded into the gathering dusk, and I crept after him keeping in the shadow of the house. By the front door an empty car was standing, and suddenly I saw Ronald approaching it on hands and knees. Came the hiss of, escaping air repeated twice, and then after an interval twice again.
“I’ve punctured all four of their tyres,” he chuckled as he rejoined me. “Which will make ’em cough a bit: I wonder how many there are of them.”
From inside the house a man’s voice could be heard shouting “Carter” furiously: evidently our drunken acquaintance was wanted. And then a lamp was lit in the room with the curtains.
“By God! Bob,” muttered Ronald as a man came to the window and looked out, “this is big stuff. That’s Baron von Huyter – the most unscrupulous of all the European agents. And he’s a gentleman who doesn’t hesitate to shoot.”
Another man joined him, elderly and greyhaired – obviously the dumb Pilaudi. And a moment later two men, one of whom was the chauffeur, appeared carrying the unconscious Hungarian.
“Dump him there,” snarled von Huyter. “Now then, you.” He turned on Pilaudi. “How long will it take to bring him round?”
“Five minutes,” answered the other, and Ronald gripped my arm.
“Sprint like hell, Bob, and tell Seymour to go for the police. Then come back here.”
When I returned Pilaudi was bending over the Hungarian doing something with a hypodermic syringe.
“He’s not recovered yet,” whispered Ronald, “but they’ll torture him again when he does. We’ve got to stop ’em somehow, Bob. And quickly,” he added, “he’s conscious.”
The wretched man was sitting up staring round the room dazedly. And then he saw von Huyter and shrank back in terror.
“Don’t you want the interpreter again, Mr Smithson?” sang out Ronald, and the German swung round as if he had been shot. “He’ll be here soon with the police.”
Like a flash von Huyter blew out the lamp, and we heard his muttered orders.
“Into the car – all of you. Lift him in.”
And Ronald laughed softly.
Came the whirr of the self-starter as the chauffeur leapt into the driving seat. And then came the other three half carrying, half pushing their prisoner.
“Police,” roared Ronald.
“Here we are,” I shouted back.
Bump – bump – bump: the car had started. Often has one heard it with one punctured tyre: rarely, I imagine, with four. And to the accompaniment of hideous blasphemy from von Huyter the car stopped.
“Police,” yelled Ronald again, and this time it worked the oracle. Doors were flung open: the occupants of the car dashed out and bolted, leaving their prisoner behind. And when the last footsteps had died away down the drive Ronald laughed again.
“Which settles Baron von Huyter’s hash,” he remarked. “A word to Scotland Yard will not be wasted. Let’s go and see if we can do anything for that poor devil.”
But it was not to be, and the true story will never, be known. For the Hungarian relapsed into unconsciousness again, and remained in that condition till he died two days later. They had overdosed him, and his secret died with him. Months after it transpired that he was an inventor who had specialised in aeronautics, and that he claimed to have discovered something which would revolutionise flying and which he wished to sell to the British Government.
But how von Huyter got him in his clutches: how, unknown to the agents, he had obtained possession of an empty house will for ever be a mystery. Only von Huyter could have explaned it, and his body was washed up on the Belgian coast a week later with fragments of wreckage of an aeroplane. Or the “dumb” Pilaudi. But his body was never found, though a grey-haired elderly man left Weston aerodrome with the Baron.
Series Information
Dates given are for year of first publication.
‘Bulldog Drummond’ Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
1. Bulldog Drummond 1920
2. The Black Gang 1922
3. The Third Round 1924
4. The Final Count 1926
5. The Female of the Species 1928
6. Temple Tower 1929
7. The Return of Bulldog Drummond 1932
8. Knock Out 1933
9. Bulldog Drummond At Bay 1935
10. Challenge 1937
‘Ronald Standish’ Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
1. Knock Out 1933
2. Ask For Ronald Standish 1936
3. Challenge 1937
‘Jim Maitland’
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
1. Jim Maitland 1933
2. The Island of Terror 1937
Synopses - All Titles
Published by House of Stratus
Ask for Ronald Standish
Introducing debonair detective, Ronald Standish – good-looking,
refined, and wealthy enough to be selective in taking cases that are of special interest to him. There are twelve tales in this compelling collection, written by the creator of Bulldog Drummond, who once more proves his mastery with the cream of detection.
The Black Gang
Although the First World War is over, it seems that the hostilities are not, and when Captain Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond discovers that a stint of bribery and blackmail is undermining England’s democratic tradition, he forms the Black Gang, bent on tracking down the perpetrators of such plots. They set a trap to lure the criminal mastermind behind these subversive attacks to England, and all is going to plan until Bulldog Drummond accepts an invitation to tea at the Ritz with a charming American clergyman and his dowdy daughter.
Bulldog Drummond
‘Demobilised officer, finding peace incredibly tedious, would welcome diversion. Legitimate, if possible; but crime, if of a comparatively humorous description, no objection. Excitement essential... Reply at once Box X10.’
Hungry for adventure following the First World War, Captain Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond begins a career as the invincible protectorate of his country. His first reply comes from a beautiful young woman, who sends him racing off to investigate what at first looks like blackmail but turns out to be far more complicated and dangerous. The rescue of a kidnapped millionaire, found with his thumbs horribly mangled, leads Drummond to the discovery of a political conspiracy of awesome scope and villainy, masterminded by the ruthless Carl Peterson.
Bulldog Drummond At Bay
While Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond is staying in an old cottage for a peaceful few days duck-shooting, he is disturbed one night by the sound of men shouting, followed by a large stone that comes crashing through the window. When he goes outside to investigate, he finds a patch of blood in the road, and is questioned by two men who tell him that they are chasing a lunatic who has escaped from the nearby asylum. Drummond plays dumb, but is determined to investigate in his inimitable style when he discovers a cryptic message.
Challenge
When Colonel Henry Talbot summons Bulldog Drummond and Ronald Standish, it is to inform them of the mysterious death of one of their colleagues – Jimmy Latimer. At the time of his death, he was on a big job, and was travelling on a boat to Newhaven when he died. But there was no sign of any wound, no trace of any weapon when they found him in his cabin. What strikes Drummond and Standish is why millionaire, Charles Burton, would have been travelling on the same boat – arguably the most uncomfortable crossing he could choose and very out-of-character.
The Dinner Club
A fascinating collection of tales, including stories related by members of a select club consisting of an actor, a barrister, a doctor, a soldier, a writer and an ‘ordinary man’. Each member of this club is obliged to entertain his fellows to dinner from time to time, after which he relates a story connected with his profession or trade – the only penalty is a donation to a worthy charity should he fail to keep his audience awake. Readers of these excellent stories may rest assured that there is no such danger.
The Female of the Species
Bulldog Drummond has slain his archenemy, Carl Peterson, but Peterson’s mistress lives on and is intent on revenge. Drummond’s wife vanishes, followed by a series of vicious traps set by a malicious adversary, which lead to a hair-raising chase across England, to a sinister house and a fantastic torture-chamber modelled on Stonehenge, with its legend of human sacrifice.
The Final Count
When Robin Gaunt, inventor of a terrifyingly powerful weapon of chemical warfare, goes missing, the police suspect that he has ‘sold out’ to the other side. But Bulldog Drummond is convinced of his innocence, and can think of only one man brutal enough to use the weapon to hold the world to ransom. Drummond receives an invitation to a sumptuous dinner-dance aboard an airship that is to mark the beginning of his final battle for triumph.
The Finger of Fate
The title story in this wry collection concerns acquaintances Staunton and Barstow, who witness a bizarre spectacle outside a bar in an Austrian village. A thin-lipped aristocrat steps down from his plush horse-drawn vehicle, and commences formidable target-practice on some playing cards – the Five of Hearts and the Five of Spades. Barstow remains utterly still during this peculiar display, and it emerges that he has witnessed this on six consecutive days – the shooter is the husband of his mistress, and he is challenging Barstow to a duel. Further stories of love, revenge, jealousy and fate complete this stirring volume.
The Island of Terror
When intrepid adventurer, Jim Maitland, returns to England for a brief visit, he meets a charming young woman named Judy Draycott, who solicits his help in a perilous matter. She relates the story of her brother, Arthur – drifting in South America until he meets an old sailor who, on his deathbed, tells him about a hoard of buried treasure. When Arthur is shot during an attempt to return to London, Maitland persuades his cousin, Percy, to accompany him to Lone Tree Island, where the treasure is allegedly buried. But what can they do with only half a map? And can they evade the undesirables on their trail?
Jim Brent
A soldier with a death wish is the subject of the title story in this inspiring collection of First World War experiences. Jim Brent, serving in Belgium with the Royal Engineers, has his heart broken when his sweetheart announces she is to marry someone else. He becomes instantly fearless and suggests a wild scheme to blow up a bridge – which could very well cost him his life.
Jim Maitland
Immaculate, charming, fearless wanderer, Jim Maitland, has a peculiar code of morals and an unforgettable character. Our enthusiastic narrator, Leyton, meets the legendary Maitland on the Island of Tampico – a flawless jewel in a sapphire sea, with more vice than the slums of a city – and leaps at the chance to accompany this charismatic man on his spontaneous travels.
John Walters
In the ranks of North Sussex – Number Three Platoon – serves a man whose physical stature is imposing, but whose mental state is said to be inert at best. This is the story of his remarkable awakening, one hot day in May, as he serves in the trenches of the front line. Other fascinating stories follow in this convincing commentary of wartime experience.
Knock Out
Ronald Standish – the charming, occasional detective who accepts cases when they take his fancy – receives a frantic phone call from a friend, who works for the Secret Service, asking for help. But when the line suddenly goes dead, Standish rushes round to his friend’s Hampstead abode, and is horrified to find him dead, with the receiver still in his hand and a horrific wound to his eye. When Standish teams up with Bulldog Drummond, the tangled political web surrounding this murder and the fearsome risks in pursuing the perpetrators are met head on.
Mufti
In a town called Poperinghe, during the height of the German offensive in May 1918, quartermaster-sergeant, Derek Vane, watches with mixed feelings as a pilot and his observer are shot down. What is there left for this ghost town, ravaged by war and utterly devastated? This penetrating story, which takes us through to the end of the war and charts the diverse experiences of soldiers and their loved-ones, was written by a man who experienced it all.
The Return of Bulldog Drummond
While staying as a guest at Merridale Hall, Captain Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond’s peaceful repose is disturbed by a frantic young man who comes dashing into the house, trembling and begging for help. When two warders arrive, asking for a man named Morris – a notorious murderer who has escaped from Dartmoor – Drummond assures them that they are chasing the wrong man. In which case, who on earth is this terrified youngster?
Sergeant Michael Cassidy RE
Cassidy is a legendary soldier in the Corps of Royal Engineers – courageous, fiery and full of Irish charm, he has been known to turn even Brigadier-Generals trembling and submissive. During his temporary absence from the plains of Flanders, he meets our narrator – a higher-r
anking officer who is in awe of Cassidy’s formidable reputation – and during their break from action, they share incredible stories about life on the front.
Temple Tower
As the ‘Maid of Orleans’ sets sail for Boulogne, two men wave goodbye to their trusting wives, who are completely unaware that their husband’s intended ‘golf holiday’ is a ruse. One of the men is Captain Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond – a demobilised officer with a fierce appetite for adventure and ale; the other is Bulldog’s loyal friend, Peter, who narrates this exciting tale of a man in fear of his life and in desperate need of their help in penetrating the ill-omened Temple Tower.
The Third Round
The death of Professor Goodman is officially recorded as a tragic accident, but at the inquest no mention is made of his latest discovery – a miraculous new formula for manufacturing flawless diamonds at negligible cost, which strikes Captain Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond as rather strange. His suspicions are further aroused when he spots a member of the Metropolitan Diamond Syndicate at the inquest. Gradually, he untangles a sinister plot of greed and murder, which climaxes in a dramatic motorboat chase at Cowes and brings him face to face with his arch-enemy.
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