Vintage Science Fiction from Australian Newspapers

The Automatic Killers

Item

Title of Story

The Automatic Killers

Attributed Author

O'Donnell, Philip James

Year For Sorting

1934

Future Year Set

Contemporary

Story Summary

Trigger warning. Some graphic body dismembering near the start. An evil half Chinese half Japanese genius has controlled the dead using 'Radcliffe' a liquid form of electricity and 10 times more powerful able to increase the strength and resistance of anything living or dead. He also has a giant rat!

Critical Introduction

In my personal opinion the early 1930s saw a drop in the quality of science fiction stories in newspapers, with it seems many writers either foregoing research into scientific ideas or the acceptance of stories that had fantasy disguised as science. This story by P. J. O'Donnell (later reprinted under Philip James O'Donnell) is no exception with the antagonist having been able to harness 'liquid electricity' and use it to turn dead bodies into his slaves.

I have chosen this story as part of the group of stories to research to show the steady decline in the quality of science fiction in newspapers since 1930s. This may either be due to newspaper publishers no longer being able to buy higher quality stories due to the Great Depression or that with the steady exodus of good writers to higher paying magazines, it was simply that there weren't any good science fiction writers available to write for newspapers. Also, this was a time when international science fiction magazines were becoming more popular, such as Hugo Gernsback's magazines, with payments more of a drawcard for writers.

This story is a complete mash-up of several genres. A detective (crime fiction) is introduced to a device that can record pictures and sound without film (invention opera) which shows a mad scientists cutting up bodies and placing their brains in an electrical liquid before returning them to their skulls (horror), enabling him to control them wirelessly (zombie fiction). The detective falls in love with the genius' assistant (romance) but suspects she's been hypnotised (mesmerism). It turns out the genius got his ideas from embalming (Egyptian mummy fiction) with the goal to rob the local Commonwealth bank. He will use the funds to train his army to invade Australia (future war). The detective fights off various attempts to stop him in increasingly absurd situations (fantasy) before being captured (action adventure), escaping with Zara in a wirelessly controlled propellerless ornithopter (spyfi). Mercifully the ending is abrupt, suggesting an editor intervention!

Science

electrical engineering

biology

Telecommunications

Inventions

Liquid electricity able to be injected and controlled

Video and audio recorder and projector not requiring film (Digital!)

Wireless Energy

Wirelessly controlled propellerless helicopter for two.

Networked video and audio recorders broadcasting across the asylum

Science Fiction Subgenres

Experiment

Science Fantasy

Future War

Historical Context

Great Depression and an increase in fears of an invasion by Japan

How this Story was Identified

Using a python script and ChatGPT API to determine the level of science fiction concepts in a database of unclassified texts.

Date Details Added to IA

November 2024

Author Gender

Male (Austlit)

Nationality

Australian (assigned from Sydney-focused content)

Biographical and Other Sources

P. J. O'Donnell at AustLit

Single or Serialised

Serialised

First Published Date of Last Installment

1934-05-25

Date Range

1934-04-21-1934-05-25

Number of Installments

16 Chapters broken over several day issues

Complete or Supplemented

Complete - note that the copy below is from the later 1936 reprint in The Evening News (Qld)

Estimated Word Count

26000

Length

Novella

Book Release Details

It may be that "Secret Weapons," (1941) published by Wilkes as part of their Ace Detective Novels series is the same story. However, I haven't been able to source a copy to confirm this theory.

Links in To Be Continued

https://readallaboutit.com.au/#/title/89948

Newspaper Publisher Citation

Warwick Daily News

Newspaper Name Location Years

Warwick Daily News (Qld 1919-1954)

Location Town City

Warwick

Location State Territory

Queensland

Provincial or Metro

Provincial

Also Published in

The Evening News (Rockhampton Qld 1924-1941) 1936-01-25-1936-02-08

Language

English

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Content Advisory

These items are historical texts digitised from their original publication, and reflects the social attitudes, cultural values, and language of the time in which they were created. Some content may include depictions or references that are racist, sexist, ableist, colonialist, or otherwise offensive by contemporary standards. This material is presented uncensored for scholarly, archival, and educational purposes. It serves as a record of past cultural attitudes and is preserved here to support critical engagement, historical reflection, and the advancement of inclusive scholarship. Reader discretion is advised.

OCR from TBC and Trove

The Automatic Killers by P. J. O’Donnell [Philip James]
21 April 1934-25 May 1934
Warwick Daily News Qld 1919-1954
Sat 25 Jan 1936- Sat 8 Feb 1936
The Evening News (Rockhampton Qld 1924-1941)
This copy from The Evening News
The Automatic KiUe$
BY PHILIR JAMES O'DONNELL. ftl JjjrW:
PROLOGUE.
April the. second, nineteen thirty-four,, will be remembered vividly-by.-.tlic ' people of Manly, a: marine \Bubur.b pf- Sydnby,": On that' date a 1 .'terrible storm' occurred In the
vicinity. The following day two small ;boys rescued a bottle from T the surf. It was a large white - "'glass' -bottle. Visions of burled treasure at once came Into their : youthful heads ; for they plainly-discerned'; inside the bottle a roll or white paper. As they could not -t --.puH' 'out the cork, ' they, decided to ,i :r. take their find home;!., Almost out .-of breath, they reached . the house. 'f.Look, Dad, what f we found on ' the beach !" they cried. /. Their 'father removed : the cork, :a'nd. ' 'drew- out the ' roll; of paper. , He.boganto read . . . . . : . : CHAPTER I.— INTRODUCING PRO-_ FESSOIt NOYOKE. : " V GLANCED,-, at my newspaper and . . ' at oiice this paragraph In the loading article, caught my eye: JApan v. wants .war. She , ; covets . Australia, .and her idea .is to absorb ..'Manohukuo ."..first, and then China, , India, Australia, ' New ' Zealand, and Hussla. It. will, come sooner thl.n expected. Japanese are ruthless and ' treacherous. They will carry out their1 plans first to. subjugate the East, un-" less -the ; Powers step in. Japan's word Is worthless. She Is working at top-speed towards war apd will Bodn' march on Chlna: She will: ad-/ Vhnbe ofveY'tho whole of Asia and ln-' Vrfde.tho'- Islands of the Houth- Seas, '< 'and, ff she -wishes to do so, put the in'habrtahts' to ' the "BWord without moi'cy." ' : "BOrir'e-mongers," I-thought; and ' 'turned tfto page. Again" my eye' was ' caught by a startling headIlnb; "Mar--yoilous Phenomenbn'.'i: ' :I:'read that - captains of vessels trading In and out "of Sydnoy reported . that ten i miles : . ' Ifrom the const they had' encountered i 'a gigantic- fog-patch.' Thoy cilBo de i 'clared that the sea'was"cohgealbd n ' ' that vicinity ... ' ' 'I folded 'the newspaper nnd placed ' If on tho table. Little did I-dfeam qf . - 'I'llst "how- true ' the 'first paragraph was," and th'o aBtoiinding solution .Of ' the- fog-pfttch enigma: ' : ' ' ' . J The bell on my' office table jangled | discordantly. The next moment my
assisTOafeimficlosed/the1 dooir ( ra rpfiiiit|ifflfhim. and handed me a card. ''Professor. Noyoke," I read. "Now , where: have I heard- that, name he-, fore?" "Professor Noyoke ownB half .of Bondi, lives In. Manly-; Australian by | birth, German-American parents," and has recently placed on the market several minor ;lnyentionB," my assistant told me.,. . ... "Thanks, ABher. Show! him In.", A -minute later the 'Professor appeared. He was a man of slight build, well-groomed, and, judging by the greying hair aa he removed his hat, about fifty years of age. I noticed that he was, carrying a brown- paper parcel. He haridled.lt very carefully, almost reverently,, as If It were .a priceless treasure;'' In -spite of myself I became interested; In the little man and his parcel. Asher, too, was -mildly curious, and we both waited while the Professor seated himself. "I came to you, Mr Saunders," he began, "for you and your assistant, Mr Asher, are the only two men In all Australia whom I feel Inclined to' trust with— r" He paused and looked at each of us In turn with, stern,, level eyes. " . . . the most awful and the most gruesome secret. .And when I tell you," he continued,- "you' will' agree with me,- 1 think;. that here in Sydney is a genius, the greatest the world has known. This, little invention of mine ..." "Pardon me, Professor," I Interrupted, "I am a private detective, not an agent for inventions or patents and . .. . my time Is, valuable." 'Fair enough,;. Mr. .Saunders," the Professor replied;, "I will pay. yob. two thousand pounds In advance If you take , up this, .case/' He produced a cheque-book and fountain-pen from his breast pocket, filled in a cheque and: handed it to me. ' : Asher never batte.d an eye-lid; but i myself was frankly astounded as
the .Prof easor placed what waS' to me a -small fortune In my hands. Carefully I locked the valuable scrap of paper , In, the. office safe, and. settled myself, comfortably in my chair- to await 'jturther. information . from, my extraordinary cllenL - x | ''Nowi, gentlemen," lie resumed, "before I . demonstrate my Invention to you,. I should like to ask a question." "Certainly1,"- 1 - said, and waited, watching this strange man with curious ' eyes. He then asked J me if I bad seen a - certain talking-picture which had recently been screened In the city theatres; the picture to which he referred was of the "horror" type. I replied that I had witnessed v it, but thougni Its story " impossible.'.' "Rubbish ! "; commented; the Professor.- " It was . j not , impossible. . . . . Do- you - know — p," and he leaned forward in , his chair, pointing s tense finger: at iriy face, " do you know-that not one mile from this:- offiqe, right in the heart of Sydney, the oc-. currences which made' that film eo gruesome and so horrible, 'are . being actually outdone ? " Asher And I have, a system, of communication with our eyes; : you might almost call It "Eye-wi-eless;" .arid glancing .quickly at my assistant. I was just In time to receive, a message from him which -said simply;: " Crank." . "In this State, of New South Wales," went- on' the' profesor, '." there have lately been six hangings. What has happened to the bodies, after the execution?" "Five of' tliem were given to Dr Chang-Lu for scientific experiment, whjle the sixth and last was.claiiried by :the relatives and: Interred privately," put In Ashen . " If I were to inform you, . gentlemen,' that those five men were stjll abie to walk, you would \teli me I ain crazy, wouldn'.t you ? " exclalmeia Professor Noyilke. " But there IS an old saying that the proof, df the. pudding Ib In the eating — arid right here in
this instniment is the. proof ! " This, ' .'gentlemen, la. .called' the ' MloroYlslbnscope.' " , He' uriwrapped the parcel, and I, could, .see 'that it was. a': '.blaclc box,; ! six: . .ihcries . by" ; niile' Inches, and four lnclies deep,. . '.Look: lug.' closely,. I' noticed that the.- top Was made of glass;! -or rarther, It was a darkish screen, similar. to that' used. fey'..tfie. process engraver In the manufacture,. 'of the riegative for a half-tone .block, pn the side' of the instrument was double' length of Insulated wire plugged in;, on the, free end-'of the insulation 'was a .sister-plug. The . Professor looked at his watch. "H'm," he muttfered, "It Is just 5.30, and I know your . closing time is 6; that leaves me' lialf an hour to demonstrate the MIcrov'isi'onscope.' You have heard of the talking picture camera, of course; with the Micro-vlslonscope, however, there are no films required," he explained. "Do- you mean to. tell us that you can put, that box anywhere, and practically obtain a talking piicture: without films?" I asked in astonishment. "That Ib precisely wnat I can do with this little lnstruirient," replied the Professor proudly.-. "It would be worth a fortune in Hollywood," said Asher drily. ' "Now, gentlemen, . I will endeavour to prove -the truth of -my- statements," said the Professor. He reriioved the bulb from the overhanging- 'light above the table and1- plugged ' In the connexion. Asher ana myself took up . positions around the 'instrument The -Professor switched on the power from- the wall-button and instantly the dark screen became illuminated. W.e were looking down into a room/and I -knew 'at once that It was an operating .theatre in a hospital. '. Eveirythlng in the room appeared to be white, shln-Irig white', which I" recognised as be ing porcelain. There were five tables.-
and on each was a bundle shaped in'-seml-clrcular fashion. Protruding from beneath tho cover of these white bundles were tw.o feet, paled .almost to the same colour as the porcelain; "Each one is a body,". I thought, and I could feel a -bead .of perspiration rolling down the- middle of mi' back. . "Ha, ha, ha.! I jumped back a step— and even .Asher was shaken out of his,. usual calm; for the laugh ..that came seemingly froin nowhere was more in the nature-, of a harsh, unreal whisper. Then, to our amazement, a slightly built man entered the room of death. He was clean-shaven, about 40 years of. age, and" clearly of Japanese extraction. " That, is, Dr". Chang-Lu, the greatest-genius in the world," Baid Professor Noyoke in a.-voice full of admiration. " Ha, har ha !" paiie the whispered exclamation of the- Japanese. " Five dead men who are not dead., " Zara ! Zara 1 Where are you ?" hie cried. " Coming, coming; » came .the whls-'' pered answer.
..fn : the : next ln|ast!rl appeared. . She was dressed in the uni-form of , a. nurse. I gasped in ad-, miration, for she was beautiful beyond description. '|That is Zara, Chang-Lu's only assistant," explained the Professor. "Hurry!" whispered Chang-Lu to the girl. " I "wait you to open up Number Five's skull." He then went to a shelf and from a sterilising bowl thereon took a pair of rubber gloves and put them on his slim brown fingers. Next , he drew the cloth from the nearest table, it disclosed the body :of a young man clothed in running trousers only. I suddenly began to feel my stomach getting the better of me, for about the neck of .the corpse, from ear to ear, was. a blue-black bruise ; and I, realised, that l was looking at the re-' mains of Philip Bently, hanged .a' week before in Long Bay Gaol for the murder of -his wife. . "Great Heavens 1" I thought. ' ', that bruise -around the neck is the brarid of the hangman's rope!" I glanced at Asher. He was white as -the corpse at which. we were gazing, professor Noyoke, however, was actually smiling, "The man has no nerves," I reflected. I forced myself to look: again into the extraordinary Microvlsionscope, Dr phang-Lu held ' a lorig keen-bladed knlfe ln his gloved hand . . . and I shuddered as he touched the bones below the throat- of - the corpse. ;
chapter Two. ;; |-| ORRIFIED, I watched as the knife moved slowly' up arid1' down the body. I looked away for an' instant, for I felt that I could not endure much more of "this. In the moment that I took iriy gaze off the instniinerit Dr Chang-Lu had iriade an incision, and when I - dared to ' look ' again tie had cut to the breastbone. I "could plainly see the great body Cavity. While this was going on, Zara, the
assistant, was working at the head of. the corpse. . She had pulled the scalp forward, . . and was . busy! - .'sawing through, the, .bones. ' . Faint- but,, distinct, i;cpuld,hearxbe;,spubd/me,:by. by. theeay? .arid.' it reminded ously-.-of'ttie' sound made tiy a\: child " snoring. " Truly, the Professor has invented a marvellous instrument," I thought. Zara by, now -had finished her gruesome task, and had severed the skull bones. " ' She then removed the brain, arid han'ded.'it to Dr Chang-Lu, who placed it- carefully , in a basin. In-stantly a, blue-red flame appeared, and in the refleption, the doctor's face was stained a purple-red; making him look for all the world like a character in . Dante's = .".Inferno." The doctor appeared- to be pleased
with' the experiment, whatever ft wap, for he was smiling. Zara, heg beautiful face quite expressionless, was standing at the head of the corpse which reminded me of a Bmall pumpkin with the inside scooprid out. Zara evidently; knew/what to do, and the . thought occurred to me that she had! obviously carried put the ghastly process before — probably, with the other' four bodies. The doctor now handed the bowl to tils assistant who proceeded to empty the -contents, back into -the skull., in. stantly the whole body, glowed with a purple-ired, and to my horror and amazement the eyes slowly, began to open. ; . . "God in Heaven . . .. . . it's alive!" gasped Asher hoarsely. " So are the other four— alive, yet dead," said Professor Noyoke solemnly. Zara now; commenced to stitch the body. Suddenly the whole screen in the Microvlsionscope was filled with the leering face- of Dr Chang-Lu. Asher ana I drew back in alarm; for it' seemed to us .that he was about to step out Of the instrument. We watched, fascinated, as the face gradually appeared to evaporate, leaving two great atmorid' eyes. Then Chang-Lu spoke..' " What Is this box for ?" he whispered to-. Zara. "That friend of youra, v Professor Noyoke, left it here yesterday," the girl replied. . "A clever littlev man that Professor Zara. I'll have him wonting lot me some day. Ha, ha, ha ! What a-joke! " whispeired the doctor. "You .know, Zara, I felt certain someone.; .was watching the operation on Number Five." "Impossible ! " she answered. "Nobody can get in here; and even if they could, aren't you experimenting with an embalming process?" " "I suppose you are right. ; I must be getting superstitious," came the whispering voice of Chang-Lu."' The blood froze in my veins then, 'for as I watched,- one of r the doctor's eyes closed in a wink. The light flickered for an instant, arid suddenly died out of the Microvlsionscope. I was. relieved; and Asher, I felt sure, was not sorry that .the . ghastly demonstration had concluded. . '"That is all there. Is vrecorfled," said. Professor, Noyoke, as he disconnected the instrument. "But, gentlemen, it Is there for all time," he added. (To be continued.) ' ,.
The Autoiriatic fCpdes
JPHILIP JAMBS 01)0NNEIIfc,W/ ; 1 WW -, . 1 ' - " 'I T"" TH 1 . wml7TZmmr7m -- ''fSRMET' '
'.' Dr Chang-Lu knows what the Microvlslonscope is capable of doing," I -;,;8iild.; Asher.'," Can't, you see that, Pro-Tessor; . ... and can't youisee. that la. in ftflrioAP'? PATTlfiDlbfiri bfi
;:'j said that you' would soon be working ....'for/him 1 He'll;' kill you; , 'YouUl be another of hls: dead-alive men ! " "I've, thought all that out, and if ' my .life will' help I will gladly forfeit it," said the Professor quietly. v' I looked at the little man in mingled ' astonishment arid admiration, "Pro-! .-fess'or, I'll.. take this case. I speak for. myself. . If Asher wishes to with 1 /draw,' he'vls at perfect liberty to do ' bo/.' 1 Bald, i / " Chief, I've never fallen down on a job" yet/' said my assistant, " and I'm in on this until — the death ! " 1 ' ' "Thanks,' Asher. .. This is going to be a gruesome buslrieBB and, candidly speaking/ it may mean death for all of us." . ' 7. . .... ' The v ' Professor interrupted. II Chang-Lu Is aware; aB I believe he is, that , there were witnesses to the operation, he will undoubtedly silence the three of us." "You ;meaft— murder us?"; asked Asher. " Exactly !" , !But tell, me, .Professor," I asked, '"-how did you manage to plant the Mlcrovlslon scope In Chang-Lu 's operating theatre ? " "As you- know, Dr 'Chang-Lu is Chief Physician in the Domain Mental Asylum. , I .took- the Mlcrovlslonacope around, Intending to surprise him with my invention. When I arrived, Gharig-Lu was experimenting with the corpses. He actually invited me Into the theatre, whilst Zara waB working on one of the bodleB. T became (leepl)''' Interested, SO' Interested that I . . , , fojrfeot the '. Microvlslonscope, and left It there 1" " Do you moan to say that you were aware of ,wha.t the doctor waB doing ?" asked Asher. "Not at all." replied the Profes sor. " Ho told mo /that ho had discovered the embalming process used by the Egyptians thousands of years ago. . I quite believed him. for those corpses were as hard as any ancient mummy." "And what is Zara to Chang-Lu?" I enquired:' "How did a girl bo ' beautiful > as she become Involved in this ghastly business ?" | > " That's .a question I can't answer," , said the Professor. " But j think the.
doctor a£s\shw updqra1' a hypnotic " What a MtablnStWnjrCorpseB that-are alive, a beautiful girl hypnotised,, and a doctor who has discovered the Great Secret 1" " You are quite right, gentlemen/It Is a weird: and. wonderful ; combination." The ;three of -us turned as one man; for the words were: spoken In "a harsh whisper . . . ... and there, standing with their backs to the wall, were five grey-clad figures. . : Each man wore a grey silk scarf about his throat— a most unusual thing, It struck me, for the day was quite hot, " Dr Chang-Lu has acted quickly," said Professor' Noyoke7 quietly. " Again, I agree with you,! gentlemen— I have acted quickly," went on the Btrange whispering voice. " I was fully aware of the Professor's Invention, which I 'tested and duplicated before he returned to claim it this morning. . Standing in your office are five men. You will notice that. they are speaking as one man. It is my voice-7-Dr Chang-Lu'a volce — which you hear. . With the aid of "Radllife/f a chemical mixture which I have discovered: and named, not only .have I put life into five' dead men, hut solidified their bodies also. No bullet, ever invented will destroy them. They do not need to eat, drink, or sleep- My voice Ib tuned in. and their eyei- act as reflectors to the Microvlslonscope- hero in , front of me. The Professor's very clever. Invention perfected by creations,, for I have to admit that I not only copied his idea, but improved upon it . . . . . Look at/those five men, gentlemen ! When they were alive, they were the subjects of disputes, domestic warfares perhaps ; the State made them the butt of all It's evils. Finally, Society demanded their lives.'- They have paid their debt for the crimes they committed.". " Why am I telling you this, gen
tlemen ?" the voice wentvon.'-! ' l am ;jtelHng you: becaure— V-. andj-'the doctor's "tones became loud and'; meriab--ing — " if I don't destroy ' yo-u, I and my creations will be. destroyed !" An the whispering voice ceased, -the five figures slowly advanced towards us, walking in goose-step paceB.' Professor Noyoke was intensely interested and cool. I looked from the little man to Asher. I caught his eye —read the message he flashed to ine: " This -revolver in the desk." It was a matter of a spllt-Becond to seize this .weapon from the drawer; the-work of another split-second to send five leaden pellets spitting across - the room , . ! . . But /nothing' happened. The five .grey figures noiselessly advanced. Slowly and surely they were coming upontos; ' -" Try 'arid get ; out— you're nearest the door J " i shouted to Anher. "RIght'!"!he answered. Things begari to happen; for. with a rush the men; were upon ub, and the ProfesMr . arid. Asher were pushed against me. Yin the struggle that followed one of our extraordinary visitors lost hlsneckscarf, and' 'suddenly I couid. feel myself growing cold from the feet uprrtfor around his neck was a blue-black mark — the hangman's brand ! " They are dead— they are dead I" : screamed- Asher., . . ' ' Don't ! get' into a- panic'," said the Professor to a voice whose coolness was '.to the : fcircumstances astounding. " Our best plan. is to get' out into the street if we can, for .Ching-Lu's idea 1b undoubtedly to transport us' to his asylum, arid there . murder thij three of us." ( V';. ' " You are correct," whispered the five figures together. "But I do not intend to -murder you— I' will merely give you a new .life. . Just think of it, gentlemen, you will have nothing to worry about. No taxes to pay, no financial worries to fret oyer, no prob? lem of civilisation as you ' now. know It to harass you 1 You will be
aeaa ana yet, like these men, .. you will be alive ! Ha, ha, ha! What a 'joke!" concluded the five-fold whisper..- ; . " God; in v Heaven ! " cried ' Asher. " They are inade of" ice T" 7 "r They are- 'certainly! very - told,"! said the Prof esBor---and calmly he bared' the ana of one of the figures. Feel— as ' hard x as' marble, . Sarin-, ders, and quite as cold." '' 'Gingerly; I touched the .' arm. .1 'shuddered and drew my fingers quickly away. I thought to' jriyself: "And .before many hours we three will be as cold arid as hard as marble ourselves." ' My unpleasant thoughts were rudely interrupted, for gently but firmly we were being forced towards the door. I. felt my arm gripped from behind. Something soft and silky slithered Over my head, My. chin hid whatever it was, but glancing at Professor' Noyoke, I saw around his throat a silken cprd . . .
CHAPTER III. — TAKEN FOR A RIDE. . V-7v/ A SHER. I was imable to see; :for it was 7 o'clock; and almost, dark, in the office. . " Gentlemen — — Again, it was that whispering voice/-!'— —-the boys will bring you to me in the . van, which is waiting outside: . i . don't care -how m'uch nolseyou make inside the van for nobody will take any notice, but yon have to walk. a. short distance along the street, so I have taken the precaution of safeguarding myself. Around . each of your throats Is a cord, it is a mixture of catgut and silk. One twist of that cord from behind, .gentlemen, means unconsciousness,. and two turns. irieanB —death ! An old' Chinese custom, you know . ... .Of course, as soon as you enter the van the cord will be removed." "This Is surely a ghastly nightmare," I thought " Tomorrow, I'll be laughing over It" Silently we were escorted out of the office. 1 made . up my mtnd to call for assistance. . " Help J Help ! " I vegari; but I got no further; for the cord tightened until I was gaBping for breath. Along the corridors we were marched. The building at /that ' hour was. deserjd. Out into Pitt Street and along a side-street we were hurried . .... and there, parked' well up against the footpath' was a covered motor-van with a step at the rear, i; was not unlike a Black Maria, The Professor and Asher were bundled Into the vehicle from behind. Four <f the monsters followed, and i was left with the fifth. The cord around my neck was removed, and the next Instant I found myself sitting next to the driver in the front seat. 1 glanced sideways, expecting to see another of Dr Chang-Lu's horrible creations. I - was astonished to Bee that the driver was a girl, and I caught a faint whiff of intoxicating
perfume. The grey .- figdre on my ' other side had .mevgripp«i by the arm, and gently but firmly I felt myself being pressed against the girl. I.thrllled, while on my opposite side, to contrast to the warmth of her body, I . could feel the Ice-cold nearness of my! escort. . Suddenly I. realised that the driver was Chang-Lu's assistant, the beautiful Zara. I shuddered as I recalleu the horrible scene which I had witnessed less, than -two hours before. " Perhaps, to an hour, she will be sawing . the top of my head off, . and liftirig my brains out," I thought, : Zara. stepped on the self-starter, and: away we went. I noticed that the van was on the Darlinghurst road. "Surely," I thought, "Chang-Lu Is not going to butcher us in a publ'. : street/' The van stopped in an un-llghted thoroughfare, and the . only Bound that could, be heard was the soft purr of the running engine. Suddenly the silence was broken: 1/ two horrible gurgling noises from, inside the van. " God to Heaven ..... the Professor and Asher have been strangled ! " The thought paralysed me. I wondered whether the whole business was a dream or if I was ; really in Hades . .. . . And then the vari .began to move along the street again. Every turn of the wheel seeiried . to pound into my brain the words; "You are next— you are next ! " And - then I realised that we were returning to the city. . . -I. felt. I Bhould cry for help, for we were now in Lower . George Street/ I took a deep breath, and .then gave a mighty shout: "Police! Help! Help ! " In the -street dozens of people, asto-unded by my BUdden cry, paused. and stared at the' yan;' and l saw with a tremendous feeling of relief that a policeman had raised his hand against the vehicle; ' , The van Btopped// - < . " Quick, officer Get me out of this!" I cried as\ the policeman ran So 4Ua «n. . It ftlL.h. ' ' Ji
uiu vou. - luere ar© nv9 dead men inside this .van: and another. two have. Just been strarigled Murdered ! Help' me out— quickly .1 , This man beside me is a. corpse 1 ,, / . / . j . The police- " officer : gazed at .me queerly. "Poor chap," be muttered. "Will you need any assistance; miss?" he aBked, turning to Zara. "No thank you, officer. He's a bad case,, but, the , attendant here can handle him all- right His particular mania, you see, is that everybody is dead and himself the only one that is alive," replied the girl. /Constable!" I interrupted,. "I am Detective Saunders. "This man beside me is dead. I tell you he's a corpse— a corpse!" I shouted; "Well, well, well. Now we'll have
to get him a coffin, won't we!" saW the idiot "But you muBt believe me! There are seven dead men in tnis van. Look foi yourself!" I cried to desperation. . "Too bad! All: th„se dead V jokers joyriding round une country like this," said the policeman with' 'a wink' at Zara. "But don't worry; Sherlock Holmes," he continued In a . soothing voice, "I know where I can get seven second-hand- cofflris, so the chap alongside you and each; of his dead mates will have a nice! comfy home to camp in. ' Tobdle-oo," Sextori Bialie/V he ,con-tiriued with a stupid grin" at" me .' arid a knowing look at the beautiful Zara, . I groaned in despair, for I -realised that the man thought I was' a lunatic being transported to an asylum. Lunatic! The word stuck in my brain. I marvelled at the fiendish cunning of Chang-Lu, and I realised that the. van in which I sat a prisoner was the conveyance used by his asylum staff to collect and transport lunatics. No police officer, knowing ine van, would interfere with its progress through a city street. Zara stepped on the starter. L sat quietly and ceased ,to struggle against my fate. The monster still gripped myj elbow, firmly. Zara ignored my. repeated efforts at conversation 'and treated me absolutely with silent contempt; I began to wonder if ; the policeman was correct and I was indeed crazy,Then, Then, with a grinding of brakes, the vari pulled up before a hyge, iron-studded gate. My heart almost missed a beat for I knew this to he the outer wall of the Domain Asylum. 'The headlights shone full upon the gate,:;and to my excited brain every, iron stud was a leering almond eye. Once inore the vehicle stopped. I was whisked out of my seat, hurried through a door, then- along a dark passage/ The dead man who was my escort : still held - my elbow. It was a waste of time and energy to struggle 'against him;, for he possessed the strength of twelve men/ Abruptly we turned to the right and the next moment I' was free of the terrible grip. From the elbow down my arm was quitfe dead;
The Automatic Kilters!
, ' J M " Mf VhI -BY PIHLIR JAMES O'DONNELLY IsV M# i f _____ : - ' v:- - s-#
Curiously I 'put out the 'other hand. My groping/ Angers touched one side of a wall.-' Fear and terror 'seized me, and I trembled' from 'head 'to foot; the wall was .composed, of porcelain; I could feel the; cold smoothness on the
tips 'Of my -Angers. The death room: . . . The death room I The words tumbled over and' over in my horrified brain, ,. . .'The next instant the corridor was jloodcd. with, light. For a while I was. > dazzled by.-, the. glare. .When' my eyes.' became accustomed to the light, I saw 'that I was standing in' a white porce-.lainj.r.coqrldor, illuminated ' by an .overhanging light In the celling. - I . noticed .that there "was . a closed lroii . .grill . fit the'.' far end. Turn-' ' ing - my : back .to the .grill - 1' was sur-. ' prised , to see a, blue and gold velvet /curtain hanging' from the celling. The ' contrast in colours was startling. I Stpod. .for; a moment hesitating; then .1 decided '.to see what web' behind the , curtalR. 'f'if it is a trap,'! I reasoned, . : "I .might' just as well, walk into it, for Chang-Lu clearly Intends to. murder mbi"; . v"-' .Boldly;.; Imparted the curtain and -stopped through. ' " It had bech> a day of unexpected hnd '.amazing happenings, but ' with '.the partlnggof ; that curtain. I came . upon the greatest surprise of 'all. I ' found' myself in a remarkably beautiful room: Everything In It was of the costliest- The silky-oak - walls were / /panelled from floor to ceiling. The i ''carpet .was a 'blue .and gold masterpiece, and. tile chairs Uhd table, and ' couch werh- each- toned In the same colours. ' . . . "Swish!"-' Instinctively I wheeled at the soft .' sound fand was- -just In time to. see the blue "and! gold curtain disappear. "I blinked' my eyes ln amazement, for where ;the curtain lmd been was now a panelled wall. : ? "Sl't down pn. tiiat couch! " boomed ' a' harsh voice. I sat down, as ordered,. and waited for the next command, .Curlously-I. glanced -around . the room In an effort to locate the voice, which appeared to come from the panel in the opposite 1 wall. Thls/V panel I judged to bo about -eight feet square and much-larger than those of the otlier walls. And as I watched the panel hocame illuminated. Then I know,, that in.reatlty I was gazing at a llfe-slze; copy- of Professor Noyoke's | MlCrPvlsloiiscope. T riveted my eyes upon it. I was staring Into an empty
watched;, the .door %jB«(pda ag<rar Chang-Lu entered. /euiunders, you are h.ere ajt last/''sald Chang-Lu In a perfectly natural voice. . "I suppose," he went on, smiling a little, "you wonder why I have spared:, your life. I admit you-were intended to, Bhare the- -fate of Asher and the Professor. And, I. might toll you, you' would have by this . been a dead man bad It not been for . . . Zara." ' .//' /: , "Zara?'; ! murmured , questionably. "Yes, Zara,". said Gbang-Lu .quietly. "She begged for your body.' ' . I shuddered. . ' The thought; flashed through, my brain that this lovely girl who shared In .tyj doctor's fiendish experiments must be almost as" monstrous, in her soul as he himself. She had asked for my body, apparently, to sate her lust for- blood . . "I'll give you the brief history of .this place you are now In— the Domain Asylum," . continued Chang-Lu. "Years ago the property belonged to a millionaire . station-owner. His only son became Insane: The ' brokenhearted father had the apartment you are occupying built with two additional . rooms and an enclosed garden, This man had very modern Ideas and Installed electricity and many novel fixtures." ' It was difficult to realise that I was not listening to the doctoF.ln ' the flesh; for the voice was flawlessly natural and the life-sized image per-, feet.- Fascinated, I watched him light a; cigar, and I could; actually hear his Intake of breath as he drew at the weed.- , "One of those fixtures,'' resumed Chang-Lu's voice — ". . . I am referring to> the sliding panel in/front of the -curtain — you already know; of. The same system , is used in the other apartments. The asylum covers a lot of ground, and has . accommodation for one hundred patients; also a large staff. These apartments are for my own private use, and are separated from ' the main building. One'
might say that'thls block is an island. .Air work is done by the automatic .boyB . /.' . superintended of course, by. Zara. . Nobody else is permitted to enter the building. I take. no unnecessary, risks of my plans' miscarrying. Well; getting back to the millionaire's son I was speaking of— he eventually regained ills' -.sanity, and the de: lighted parents'presented the property to the State. Later on In the evening one of the -automatic, boys will show you ' around," he ; concluded. Abruptly the light went out I sat quletly: wondering what new surprise or tricks . this insane genius had up his.; sleeve. 1 was still gazing at .. the . Microvislonscope and . suddenly . I > gasped, , for I saw that the glass A'creen was slowljr opening inwards. And then, oddly enough, I . caught a . faint' whiff of roasting meat./'I had not eaten 'since lunch,, and l was indeed hungry. The next mlnute ajdouble-decked traiy on rubber-tired whepis appeared' from out of the black, opening.-;' It' was' packed with food. . Proppllihg the. tray was a tall figure, and. for a moment or two I did not realise who It' was ; then, as the tray- and the.-figure entered thb circle of light -focus,-: I gave a Bhout ofy Joy— for there; stood my : assistant, Asher,. . t , ; " Why, Asher !'? i"crled. ." i thought you. dead, man!'.' ' ; Aslie'r stared at ' me dully : '/So I am,"' he replied in af toneless, - solemn whisper, v7;/''-' '' I feisped., "Asher !. Asher ! Speak to me, man !" in my' excitement ' I griaspgi his. hand. - \ It was- cold— ice-cold, Horrified, I. staggered back a stepi<>«-My eyes-wandered to his head. I shudderedfor there' on his- scalp I plainly: dlsceraed a criBs cross line, the line .which' told md that Zara 's little saw 'had been at its, grisly work " Too bad, sir, to secure you - like this,", said the shell of Asher In a harsh . whisper, I knew that , Asher was now an. automatic body — or rather, if Dr Chang-Lu's grim experi-
ment was destined to be successful, an automatic killer ! I shuddered again , . ... . . ,. Thpn;..i;;..heardAsher'sf;whlsper agaih:./,You-must;?adirdt;rBlr,.:that RadiUfe; acts . quickly. . It is, just ;; '6 o'clock, and the whole operation took exactly/one hour. Zara is: working on the Professor now. Listen . v . 1" Plainly I heard, the tiny buzz of a, saw;/;: v/- ' Asher had .-all., this while .been standing at attention;, now he wheeled ' the- tray- to 'the table. / Fascinated, . I watched. his . dpad . .. fingers/ lift . a steaming dish' off the tray. The table was covered with a white cloth. After my 'automatic waiter; had set the foods correctly,: he. stood behind my chair in' the maiiner of a butler. ' . "Eat, sir— and think yourself lucky," he whispered. Scared and. excited as I was, rhy. appetite, -web. gooij, and putting aside all thoughts of automatic killerB and the wily: Chang-Lu I attacked the good things before me. My, huhger sated, I rose from the table, .walked to the couch, ..and, sat down: /.I marvelled
: at the qulckneiaLtne .quietness of the automatic " waiter, for within a few minutes the table, was cleared the dishes neatly packed, and the tray wheeled over to the secret panel in the wall. A final push, and .the tray and, contents disappeared from sight. My automatic companion turned, then goose-stepped across the floor to within afoot of me. ' ' Number Seven will show you round," it whispered. So, I thought grimly, Number Seven is Asher, the Professor wlli be Number Six, and I— I will be Num: ber Eight. Number Seven walked to the far end of the room, I- watched him press a button on the wall. I stared ln astonishment, for; the' entire wall rose arid vanished into the ceiling. I gasped in admiration at what . I then : saw,' for no words of mine could describe the heautyof the apartment revealed by the removal of the wall. ' It was a blue and gold "bbd-rooin. I noticed a pair of silk pyjaaias neatly folded' on the nearest pillowiln tlie massive, bed ;.. . and two . wy. chairs, a couch, a dressing .table, nmdi a wardrobe completed the iurniahings; :On the side of the dressing table/?; obseiyed a -button, / anil with- - childlike -curiosity,- I ipubhed past Number Seven and pressed ' the button. The wall behind the bed immediately began to,move upwards, and, in three-seconds I. was ; looking into a tiled bathroom, .another ; blue and gold creation, the. beauty of which took my. breath away. , . .,' . . Number Severn now- took; his departure.- I . gazed at bis receding figure and noticed that when he reached the glass panel , in the adjoining apartment ;it opened for his entrance- and/ shutv/after him. I realised that ;the master-inlnid: of Dr Chang-Lu was responsible! for . all the wonder of his weird place destined to be my home for . . . . . well, God alone knew for how long. " As I stood staring in wonder at the
neauiy ot tne room a little clock on the dressing-table registered /' 11 o'clock, and the next instant beautiful chimes ; reverberated through: the, . apartment,: / I decldedi.to/retlre'.:- .The bed Tooked inviting/ ' /Qulckly l un-: dressed,/ placed, iny. clothing on a chair, and drew oh the silken sleeping suit,; which lay on the pillow, . Then. I., heard a rustle behind me. I. turned quickly. Standing! within an arm's length "of me was. Zara. She was a/ vislon < " loveliness. A long, pink, shimmering, robe fell . from, her lovely , throat to her ankles'; and through- the diaphanous; material the soft contours of her beautiful body .were , plainly discernible. As I. stared In amazement at her, It seemed hard for me to believe that this ravishing creature bad sawn through the top of a corpse's head . , . '
"I :am Zara," she-, said Boftig. " Your ; body belongs to me." , "Do you want to saw through my skull, too ? " I asked sarcastically. " " Your body belongs to me," she repeated quietly. "Not the. corpse; but your warm, living, body." /. " So that you can cut it up, eh ? ' I asked. -She Ignored my gentle sarcasm. ' "I understand you asked Chang-Lu for my body," ; I continued. MjBy. the way, what is; that' bird ' tdL yoii-?. " " Dr Chang-LuV" - she answered; " is my brother.' / ... Your brother I Anu might: I;. a'sk u you are helping him -in his murderous experiments of your, own free '.-Will 7. ' " It' is in the cause of science/' she replied solemnly. . " As mad as her brother,'/ I. reflect- . ed grimly. " How old. are yod ? " " Twenty-one," she answeredt.dn her 'soft; melodious voice. I walked' to the couch' and sat down; I had. to admit that the present# jof this ' lovely giil In my room was- somo-what disturbing,' not to say embafrass-Ing. No sooner had I:' seated 'inyself than Zara- walked over ' and -dat be- s side , me. Her hair was a- mass of shimmering gold and fell In :; 'waves , almost to her waist. Then two soft, beautiful arms stole about my /neck. My head -began to /swim, my' iheait thumped against: my chest . . . . .i "You will give me love," she mur-"mured. A rosebud fiiouth . was pressed suddenly 'against my lips, and I thrilled to a fierce kiss, , Then she /took, her arms from about my neck. Madly I clasped her -to /me, and with a. warmth that surprised me she responded' to my ardent caresses. Dizzily/:! pressed mjr lips to her Hps (To be continued.)

The Automatic Killeics ' it ... : ?V A \ / k J?
. BY
CHAPTER V. — SEVEN MONSTERS. EIGHT COFFINS.
OPENED my eyes. Bright . sun-irght shimmered over ... -the;5 gor-Hgeoui/room.; :/Zaa.;Was; gone. (Lazlly :r stretbiida- inyBeif, and glancing at
'/the clobh; oh the dresBing-taDie saw k that 'it'-was five minutes past .6 o clock, i; i wondered then from where the warm ;) sunshine cameras there were no J' "< lidows In this strange room; then above -ime.I-saw in the roof a great, slides panel. - V
I rose from Uie bed. aomeane, ruminated, must"be looking after oe ' forvthe blue and' gold -porcelain bath was full of wato.. . In a moment -I bad shed my pyjamas, and In the next instant was . submerging myself in hot: scented water. For the moment 'my" mind gave no thought, to monsters; corpse or miirders, " nor even to lovely women, and an I; splashed the si. w..«m m«i KnHv niiH Intherfid
BOLL WaiBl/VYUl 4UJ — V VT V myself from head to foot in bubbles of- creamy soap, my spirits rose and -exultantly- 1 sang at the top of my f , voice. L?, became' almost Intoxicated ,1 / .with- the fpryour . of my 'feelings. Then I was brought from theimlsts . ' ' of romdnco and dreams with a jolt. / At the entrance to the bath stood the . stiff, oro'ct'"flgurevbf Number Seven. " Your breakfas Is ready when you " are. There is a. new suit of clothes '. for you - and. later you will have , a 1 visitor,"; the figure whispered. Reluctantly I got out of the- bath. After drying myself on a soft, feathery b&th-towol. I donned the pyjamas again. On - the Vail was1 fixed a blue and gold cabinet. Curiously, I, opened ; the; mirrored door, and' there i saw -a: complete- shaving outfit. They say
tliat a conaemnea- mttu »« "' " ; the day, ho is tn be hanged; for man; . Is a slave to' the habits of a lifetime. 1 am no exception to the rule, and in a few mlnutoB with the help or a razor delightfully ' keen niy face was as smooth as a baby's. As' I left the bathroom the wall silently ' slid down Itto position, . I ' approached the bed, eager as a school-lv)y to get into the new suit which; Number Seven had informed 'me was provided. "I examined the" garments. The suit was similar in cut and fash: ' ion to my own." I marvelled at. the thoroughness of Charig-Lu's methods; for It had undoubtedly been tallorea to my measurements. ' \ noticed, too, that the material had a peculiar stiff-
Lss;. but\i'/t did 1 realise then the nurpose- of ttigt stiffness. - < >Srha-eHt«S&utfit, shoes, socks, shirt, XoUar,4ilnS;?tie; were all of a Ere, 'sfiadesSon I' was dressed and ready for breakfast. ' i surveyed myself to the full-length mirror of the wardrobe door, arid in the .reflection thrown back at me, I watf filled with astonishment that I appeared as young aB a man of 25. Arid I felt quite as youi z as I appeared. i walked into the dlnlng-apartment. a- t nannhriH Ihs 1 lo and -sat down
In' the "easy ctialr, tlie clock In the bedroom chimed eight times. My first day of captivity has begun, I reflected; and decided -tnat after all It wasn't so bad. „ In the next instant NUmhor appeared with the travelling tray. The - supper-' the "previous night- was- good, but the breakfast this morning was surpassingly, so,- .. After the . meal, Number Seron reappeared to remove the tray. . I lay back In the armchair, contentedly smoking" an- expensive cigar, a box of which -had been left on tin table. Idly I began counting the panels on the opposite wall and I observed that there were eight of them. T determined t„ investigate. " After all, if I - was destined to be murdered, curiosity could scarcely result . in a
worse fate. . I rose from the chair and.walked to the wall. . Then I heard the clock in the bedroom chime 9 . o'clock. The sound seemed to be .muffled; and glancing round I saw that the slldlig wall had - dropped, I -was a prisoner In the apartment. I pounded on each panel with my fist; "and the hollow sound each gave back .convinced me that; a-:cavity lay beneath them. I tried the experiment on the opposite wall. At the first panel my 'efforts were 'rewarded; fof 'on pressing an almost Invisible button which my groping fingers encoun-1 tered, the whole panel slithered aside'., I found myself staring at row upon
row of; Switches. The 'top tier was composed of ntae. buttons";'. Eight of "theiri Vere -Close together and of the same size; but the ninth waB larger and sot away from the others, and beneath it was the w;ord: " Simultaneously.;' 'My My heart thumped against my ribs as, eagerly, I turned -the marked button. I wheeled around to watch ^results; The eiglit pan ?ls on the opposite wall flptv to the ceilLng. I drew back in horror— for. facing me were seven coffins; and, each contained a
corpse i . , \ The eighth coffin was unoccupied — and I was Number Eight I I shuddered;' hastily turned ..the butc ton back. ' v ButV "nothing - happened. Frantically I tried again But the coffins still remained: uncovered; Suddenly I felt myself being drawn towards them. The .pulling power was tremendous, overwhelming. I tried with all the Torde: of my "will to lie down, and found tbat.I could not even bend my body. ' Slowly but surely I was drawn 'by that mysterious; awful power, towards -the / vacant casket. In a moment I found myself, somehow, standing full-length In its cold interior.' Perspiration streained down my .ashen face. " My brain stormed with a' turmoil sob -horrible anticipations. . " Was I dead ? V I wondered. I could even -8iriell the aroma of fresh
earth In my 'nostrils; , ; / For a little tirii'e-although. t seemeu an age, I stood still arid silent; then I found that I could turn in the' coffin. I examined the' sides' arid the back. They ' were padded with".' the same material' as the suit I was wearing ! The force that had' dran me into the coffin was now concentrated immediately in front of the coffin, making an iinprcgnable barrier to'escape. Abruptly, then the power again . gripped me. I lwas suddenly whisked out of thb. coffin. ' As 'I emerged I glanced Bldeways-and shivered; . The ; seven monsters .were .standing, in line, with my own. body ! The power continued, to diaw me forward— up to .'the table,, around it, and into the easy chair. ; I tried with an attempt at calmness to tal;e a cigar, from, the box.- on. ffie table, . but found to 'my. horror '.that. I toui'tf.apt jift iriy arm.' Curiously, then .1. surveyed .the seven figures standing like statues within a few. yards of me. Their faces ' In the harsh light of day wore ghastly expressions.' And then I gasped. , Professor No-yoke stood at the far end of the row ! Furttieririore, the figure next to him was that of Asher; and beside Asher stood, Philip Bently . . ... . . My' eyes filled with tears. I: could not think of Asher, nor the, little Professor, as automatic killers,, guided by the .fiendish .tunning' of Dr .Chang-Lu; yet I .had to face the. facts— they were mere automatic creations .of. a super-genius, and under, the control of the doctor would— yes— would -even de-
Biruy juac i :.r (. . I had been seated- for something like 10 minutes,, staring at the stiff, silent row of, figures, when Chang-Lu, with dramatic suddenness arid . deathly I quiet, appeared on the. floor at " my , right. - One of the blue and . gold j squares, of the carpet was evidently a cleverly-contrived trapdoor. The deb-
tor' sat iri an ordinary chair, behind. a flat-topped writing table, under which I noticed a large, bird-cage covered with brown papers. One half of the table was a mass of levers, switches, buttons, and wires. On the cleared space before Chang-Lu was a cut-glass stoppered bottlo filled with a scarlet-mixture.. Strangely I gazed at all this, with an odd 'unconcerria fact which the doc-itor was quick to notice. He seemed disappointed. - I waited for the crea-\tor of monsters- to open the conversa-
uon. " "Good morning— Number Eight!" he began. Number Eight! Then— then . . .1 was "dead!" ' '/I hope you enjoyed a good night's rest," the' doctor' proceeded. For some reason or other I felt the Wood racing to my .face . .. . for I felt instinctively that my romantic little interlude with the lovely Zara was. not unknown to -him in. all its detail. "Before I begin to entertain you with a few little tricks,'' he went on, "I will release your arms so that you may, if" you wish, enjoy a cigar." He turned a button on the table before him. Instantly I .could feel that horrifying power leaving., my arms. I dreW the box of cigars towards me, selected ope, ..and . lighted it. The doctor half-turned, glanced at the
open panel, and then smiled at me. ."You are rather;, clever, Number Eight,' at . firidlng- thingB out aren't you?" .he reinarked mockingly. "Of course/ though, 'private Investigator' ised to he your occupation." V Suddenly he burst out laughing, and ( looked , at him iri astonishment. "Ha, ha, ha! Seven second-hand coffins!. Ha, Ha! " "he chuckled. "You know, Number. Eight, that policeman roaily thought you, were a lunatic. He called me on the, 'phone later, and enquired if Sherlock Holmes had arrived safely.""I "I fall' to see the joke," I retorted coldly. ' "Ha, ha! But you were the "joke, and couldn't. see it. Ha, ha, ha!" He threw back his head in a peal of laughter, .. ; -; . "Do you -Intend to slaughter, me. in ; Oold-bldOd; arid; .then, create 'a killer out of my body?'.' 1/ 'asked,'. ','My1. dear, man, you are/already an automatic killSr!", \ "What!" My head sang, my pulses raced;. ;,..' . .. ' "You are already, a killer,",' he repeated. "But I don't, understand,'' I said dazedly. "That, suit you're wearing— If you examine it closely you will see that it iri ' a mixture . of cotton and fine silver wire,", Chang-Lu explained; "The boys iri front of you,' ' he added, waving his hands ' towards the row of stiff, silent .figures, "are all fitted out ip suits of' the same material. The
| coffins also are padded with it . . - « Silvocloth, It is called. We will disomies the "subject later, however . . v Now, on this table are eight divisions. ; Each 1b numbered. For instance, take number orie; I press this lever . , so . . -. Number One walks in a circle." He pulled the lever over, and I , sure enough," as : !. watched the auto- vf matlc. figure on' the left of the line goose;stepped in a- perfect circle. -g "If I want the hoys' to work to- " get her," .the . doctor-went on. "I simply press this lever — so — " Down went another shining lever. I stared in astonishment, for the six . remaining figures fell into Une - behind. Number One and formed an unbroken travel- r ling circle! Chang-Lu again manipulated a shining rod of steel.. Like well-dressed : soldiers each figure halted, broke formation, and returned to its original position. They now advanced seven abreast until only the width of the table separated us; Chang-Lu was
watching me like a cat watching a -mouse. The glassy eyes of 'the ; seven monsters were concentrated upon me, arid from the top of .my- head to the ends of my -toes a cold shlver. pf fear ran through me. (To .be continued.)
Tfee Automatic KiRlirs .& lev. — : S xr.iZM-EA
'P(M . )% ' -BY PHILIP JAMES O'DONNELL. \ A in — . — — — — '
' V.: J CHAPTER SIX. ) ... AUTOMATIC RAT.
TN the daylight the blue-mark about; their throats seemed like a neck-; lace. The Professor and Ashcr had a similar mark, .but it was faint and wnll down on tho n'eclt. '
"Of course," I reasoned grimly to: myself, ". they werq choked to death with -a cord ino thicker . than, si fish-line ; it would leave scarcely any bruise." The klllerB all had the mark of the saw, acrosB their foreheads. Blue sparks flashed in front of Chang-Lu as ho jammed down still another lover. The table slid away from , me. I noticed that It was solidly constructed and would have taken an hour of any man's time to destroy with hammer and bar. - .The monsters began to close around Tike hungry llcvs at a' kill, and In a few minutes 1 with their bare /hands, tore a table to matchwood. It was a sickening sight, and as 1 looked dazedly at the , heap of . splintered wood, I marvelled at the awful force wliic-Dr Chang-Lu had discovered, harnessed, and impregnated Into theBO weird dead-yot-alivo men. Once more I watched , a lever preBsed down. The monsters wheeled, gopsesteppod Ito the opposite wall, .'turned, and stood with their backs to the cofllns. " : ' H«l(«»|l "Well, Number Eight,"' said Chang-Lu,."what do you think of Radillfe now, eh 1" I decided to try tho effect of a little flattery. . . ; " I ' think it's wonderful I Wonderful ! You are; if I may say: so, a — . genius !" . I watched him carefully. to note tho ' effect. I saw with satisfaction that liis slanting eyes shone with undisguised gratification.' A tiny thrill of hope danced In my veins. . "I. have .demonstrated to you the talents of my creations," he went on in a boastful tono. "Now I will convince you that you are Just as much a killer as any of them ; but . first of all, I will tell you how it Is done. As I explained before, Radillfe Is tho force responsible for everything. It is another kind 'of electricity—but ten times more powerful ! When I discovered that it could bo manufactured and stored In bottles, I . also found tlint It nttracted silver In 'a way that magnet draws steel ; I
y /' . ' wpn,elmraTmftwt(h all the technical detaHsptamalBSr' countlesB experiments, I discovered the procesB of making silver thread. Companioned with an alloy, aim spun to .within a tenth of the thickness of ordinary; cotton, silver-thread joined with silk twist completed the process, and I knew I ha<i the problem solved." Now I understood why the material In the suit whiih I was wearing' appeared stiff to the touch, I looked at Chang-Lu .In reluctant admiration. "Tell me how ydu speak through these killers," I asked. Chang-Lu opened a drawer and lifted a square Bllver perforated block on to the table. iThpre was a silver wire connexion,; the ;free end of which hepluggediihto a.socket on the table. " Come over here,' Number Eight !"' Amazed, I looked towards the seven klllers--for ,the order I had -heard came from their direction, aind It was In a harsh .whisper. I glanced back to Chang-Lu. His lips were moving and once again the seven monsters whispered In chorus: "Come over here, Number Eight !" Chang:Lu then disconnected the wire, replaced the silver block in the drawer, and produced an iron bar. The table shook as he placed the bar upon it I saw that the bar was three or four Inches thick, about a foot long. Tho doctor's fingers closed on a button. As he twisted it, I was suddenly jerked to my feet. The Invisible force bad me in its terrible grip."' ' . I found myself drawn towards Chang-Lu, I baited in front of the .table. .My arms went out-and my hands grasped that solid-mass of iron, bent it double and replaced It on the' table! , Abruptly, then, tho power left me. Astounded, I examined my hands.l Not even a bruise! Ifwnlked back, to the I easy chair of my own free will and sat down. Chang-Lu again opened the drawer,
produced a pearl-handled dagger, laid It on the table and turned a button. The seven killere backed Into their coffins and seven panels dropped with a crash. The vacant casket remained uncovered. The doctor now turned . his 'attention to the; cut glass bottle, on the table. He handled- it carefully and. loosened the glass stopper; then he took- the dagger and unscrewed the handle! I saw that the blade was hollow. Holding the- dagger In one hand, with the othisr! he withdrew' the stopper from, the bottle, and then ..." proceeded; to empty some of the scarlet liquid Into the hollow 'blade.'' The operation completed-, -he replaced the pearl handle, tightened it, and laid the dagger on' the table. He also replaced the stopper In tne. cut-glass bottle.' From the time he. had .demonstrated -how the killers were made to . act as, loud , speakers, Chang-Lu had spoken ' no; word . . ... and no words, indeed! were needed;' for right from the .destruction of a. perfectly good table,' step _ by, step, he' was proving to me before my very - eyes his mastery of a stupendous and terrible force. . .. ... I watched "with renewed Interest, as he leaned down and lifted the bird cage on the table. ' ,/ "Bring your- chair , over here,'-' he said, breakihg his long silence. He waited until I was jBeated facing him. The cage reached, to his nose, and his evil silts of eyes glared at me over the top of it. Helurifastened the string and paper covering. . 'Horrified, I drew back— for facing me, Its slimy green-white fangs drawn in a snarl; was the largest rat I 'had ever ..seen. It was ''easily as big as a fully-grown cat!
CHAPTER VII.— I MEET DR ' CRIPPEN. rHANG'-LU'S face wore a fiendish expression. His eyes blazed like those of a wild beast excited with the anticipation of a. kill., He snatched the dagger from, the table.' I shivered ne
he placed It between the bars of the cage and savagely thrust It deep' into the grey of the rodent . . . . The doctor .now.,, produced a cigar-ette .case, took a cigarette fropa it, and ,paned"-the "Have -a gasper, Number Eight?" he 'invited.' rAs I'llt the cigarette from the match he handed me, the muffled chimes of the'' bedroom clock struck eleven! "I suppose you wonder what this Is .all about?'?. "I must say that 1 am a little puzzled," I admitted. "As I have remarked already, -Radillfe acts quickly,'' said Chang-Lu. "Of course, you know that friend rat here has just had a liberal dose injected." He opened the front of the cage and pulled ' the rat through by the tail. He replaced the cage beneath the table.,, "Feel its body," he . said, pointing to the rat. Overcoming my abhorrence, I leaned over and caught hold of the defunct rat. It was cold and hard as marble. I almost . Bmiled at tho Idea of an automatic rat, for I had no idea of the terrible use Chang-Lu Intended to make of it." " That completes the morning's entertainment. Now, I will do a little further explaining," said the
doctor. " In country of my birth, therCare eighty-one, millions .of people — fourteen and eight-elevenths as many as Australia's, population. In the natural course of events that figure will double Itself in less than five years, and," ha continued, " Japan . will seek additional territory for her overflowing millions. With the aid of Radillfe I mean to pave the way. for the successful entry, of Japan Into Australia." I heard him with amazement. " In other words," I said, "you mean — yr ar between Japan and England. But that will never come to pass, doctor/ for it would mean eventually that one half of the world would be fighting the-other - half. It would be a colour-war." '. " : , ":Exactly." ' "But you yourself, and your sister, have white! blood in your veins," I pointed out. ' "Ha, that's where you're wrong. My mother is Chinese, while my father is Japanese — and , Zara is NOT iny sister |" " But— but Zara told me herself that you were her brother I" "Twenty-one years ago, I was the prison doctor at Long Bay Gaol," said Chang-Lu; Awaiting execution were a man and woman. Another case of. the eternal triangle, vou know — and/the woman's husband was the victim. I believe," he continued, "that the wife and her lover fed the husband slowly 'with ground glass, until he died! " " The man was ' duly hainged ; " but/the woman escaped the noose because of her approaching motherhood. She died' in giving birth to — Zara ! : "I had only begun experimenting at that time; but I saw the possibilities in the birth of Zara; and I saw, too, what a wonderful' assistant she would maker-for murder was' born in her ! Do you understand, Number Eight Yrr-BORN- IN . HER ! ; Well, I obtained.' permission from the
ouwiwiiMoo, auuytuu uer quite legally, gave her a good education, and for five years she has assisted me in my experiments." I shuddered. . . „ - .f:VOf.-(jourse,";; Chapg-Lu - went on, " she is unaware of what I told you, and really believes that I am her brother. : She is the illicit love-child of- two cold-blooded murderers.'? . A , mist . came before my .eyes, as I thought with pity of this helpless girl who through no fault of her own was thrust into a world' of evil, born wlfh-the murder-lust throbbing through her veins— the girl I knew I already loved. " I have shown you tho power of Radillfe," resumed Chang-Lu. " i have also proved that If I will, you ore a killer, and, aliye or. dead, I am the
master of your . fate. . Y ou w;ll observe'. that one. coffin i's uncovered., i That Is yours, ready and waiting for you. It ig for you to decide if it will ev be occupied," he concluded ; and his hand stretched out to manipulate a lever on the. table. I heaved a sigh of relief as the panel in front of the: casket dropped noisily. " What am I to decide ?" I asked. "Whether you will act as my chauffeur," he replied. I stared at him in astonishment. "Chauffeur ? I don't understand, doctor.";..,. . ' " Then I will tell you. . . . I must have silver; and silver costs money. I have seven automatic machines that can be made to produce ' iponey. The boys are going to take a ride in the van tomorrow, and visit the Commonwealth Bank in Lower George Street." "But — why, surely you don't intend to rob the bank ?'" I asked. " If you are working in the interests of Japan, why doesn't she supply the necessary funds?" "To the first question, the answer is that my creations will stage the actual robbery,. directed of course by me, from this table." He. paused; , 'then he continued: "The reply to your other question is this: Japan, up to date, has financed my experiments. Unfortunately I have spent much more than my stipulated yearly allowance on ;an -invention for freezing the sa. jflj'izlne,' I call It." "Md how clS|l fit into allthis?"
fhe Automatic Killers
BY, PHILIP. JAMES O'DONNELL.
. "Well, Number Eight, 1 shall tell you . . ." Bald 'the doctor. "I can make ' the boys - do anything but drive a car. I want you to drive the van. You will hot be. asked to take any pajrt in the actual ; robbery, although you : will r know, of ' course, what la happening
, ' nt the bank. I ani fitting a small Microylelonscope into tho van. Once the boys are Inside the premises, the ; refloctoi'S in their eyes will throw the image; of everything to the Mlcro-visionscope. That, Number Eight, is where 'you fit in — or— In Coffin Number Eight.' It is for you to say." "But, man' alive, you'll never get away with It!" ' 'Chang-hu' lifted the, dagger from the tnble. "Each of tho boys will be equipped with one of these. I also have an ; infallible Instrument of destruction. which I mean to keep from you until ' tomorrow. Radllife is tho , greatest scientific discovery of the century. I can control anything — oven liie1 fish- in the ocean!" Little .did T dream of how true that boastful claim actually was, or the Blimy deep-sea horror which I was .destined to meet in tho very near future. I -looked at tho rat and shivered,. for I realised that the defunct . rodent . would play an active part in the forthcoming expedition.
VJ II i/llJfl Ltll/IVf u Ulll vll vuoiift UU| , "as I explained to you before, there are eight- divisions. The eighth section is yours, .because you sob, you are Number Eight, I will give you until six ' o'clock tomorrow to decide whether you will become Number Eight alive or — " lie paused slgnlfl-, c'aritly, his beady murderous; eyes penetrating deeply into mine, — "or still Number Eight; but a cold, dead-yot-rillvo automatic killer." Once ngain the; bedroom clock chlmod. I turned quickly; for now the chimes were loud- and musical. I blinked niy eyes, in amazement. The bedroom partition was up and also . was the wall behind tho bluc-and-gold bathroom. Although I was some dle-' taheo away, the scon t of flowers was heavy in my nostrils, and I knew that there was a garden outside for me to explore. I turned inquiringly towards the doctor— but ho had , vanished! Table and all had mysteriously, suddenly, gone! I rose from the easy chnlr, stopped over the heap of splintered wood that had once been-ii tablo.- and, fully determined to ex-, amine the garden, passed through the 1 bedroom. I noticed that this room had I
been swept' and tidied. That fact set me thinking; for the Automatic Killers had remained In' the other apartment all the morning. I decided that there must be other help in this-strange . house. I walked through the bedroom, and came upon a -glorious' garden. My exercise-yard, I supposed. The garden was enclosed by a twenty-foot wall. Seats were placed at Intervals along the path, which led. up and around a wonderful marble fountain. Every colour- of the rainbow was represented in the flower beds. I wandered on and on. When I realised' that I had reached the end of the path, I halted and gazed in admiration at a lifo-size statue of Venus, which web of solid marble and adorned the. centre of the fountain. A spray of water tossed a sparkling shower, of silver from the head of the fi mire. Reluctantly I. left the fountain
and soon found myself back at the entrance to the blue-and-gold bedroom. As I entered the clock struck tho hour of one. , "Dinner is served, Number Eight, 'f boomed a voice from the interior. It was the work of seconds to cover the dfBtance to the dining apartment. As I sat down at a new table, I noticed that the remains of the old one had been removed in my. absence. -There was no sign of Number Seven ; and in an uncanny silence I consumed my meal. The "blues " began to grip me. Even the company of Number Sovon wnn nrpfprn hT p fn this absolute
loneliness. There was an unopened box on the table. I broke the seal, selected a gold-brown cigar, and lit it. Suddenly Number Seven appeared with the travelling tray, and in a few minutes :the table was cleared ang the automatic waiter had vanished. Once again I was alone. ... As I rose from the chair, and turned towards- the couch, I noticed that the panel which I bad discovered earlier In the day was still open. I walked' towards it. The button marked
"Simultaneous" I left severely alone, but selected one with the letter "R" tacked below it. "This is 4RO," boomed the announcer's voice. Radio ! I turned back the . button; and the voice died away in a throaty gurgle. Again my : hand turned a button. Instantly a ' trap-door at the side of my feet opened. One look, and I waB seized with . sudden panic . - . real and blood-chilling panic. Horrified, I rushed blindly through both apartments, through the bathroom and ut in to the garden — anywhere to escape the ghastly nightmare which 1 had unearthed by pressing that button; Abruptly I ceased my headlong flight, forgetting for a . moment the writhing;-' 'Blimy,' horror behind me, and stared in- amazement at a long rope' which reached "down
from the 2'J ft wall. Standing near the rope, with' his arms folded was a powerfully-built- giant ' He was. hat-less, dressed In blue dungarees and athletic slnglef,'while his feet were covered in sandshoes; , V Curiously, a little tremulously, I approached Tilm. ' I stopped within a yard of him. : ' " Who are. you ?" I enquired. "I ?" ho asked. : "Yes— I've seen lotis'of .queer people-in this place, but I -fancy. I haven't seen you before.'! . He smiled— a grim,; repulsive smile. "I — I am Dr .CriDnen " he said.
. I gasped. "Dr Crlppen ? Not— not — — " . "Yes. The same. .The Dr Crlppen 1 they hanged— for murder; But, you-see, I have; come -to-life again." "Good God !" I.' waB. dumbfounded. Into What weird world , of marvels bad I stumbled ?< \ : ' " And,"., the. voice of .this giant went on, as he produced -With calculating slowness a gleaming razor, from hie pocket. "Blood— blood is a little weakness of mine." He grinned at -me— grinned menac-
iugiy auu' -uiui uuiuuDiji, " A lunatl.c !" I thought, and with beating . heart and trembling knees, I hastily backed : away from this/new; .terror.' " " '" " .
CHAPTER EIGHT. j -. '-CHARLIE'S: HAT..; RETURNED t'o the, dinlng-roqia as quickly as I had left It, with, Dr: Crlppen hard at my heels. " Blood f Blood J I want blood I " he screamed. ' I surmised .that he had. escaped from the main building, obtained a rope, and scaled the wall. I had no time for further1 reflections of this, nature, however; as be was now upon me. Panting, I staggered into the dining-room. Dr Crlppen: dropped the razor on the floor. Crying, and whimpering like a child, oyer a lost toy, he went down on hands and knees and began to search.' Fearfully I gazed at the trapdoor in the floor and shuddered with terror; for the ghastly, shivering octopus, with one great tentacle creeping around the top of the hole, told me that the .trapdoor covered a tank. Not
a foot from the trap-door lay the razor — — . , Then Dr Crlppen saw. the gleaming blade— and .at- the same time the slimy, hideous, arm of the octopus. Stupidly he Stared at the tentacle and by the look of. fear which came int his eyes I knew that for a moment sanity had returned to him. But his homicidal instincts predominated ; suddenly with a yell he dived , for the razor. With horrified . eyes, I watched the tentacle encircle his throat. The razor flew from his fingers and fell Into the water, as, instinctively, He felt'the death-grip of that slimy arm. Another tentacle sprang out of the holb, and swiftly -fettered his ankles In a double coil of flesh. .There was a sudden. splash— and while I gazed,, helplese, the man disappeared from
view. Below the floor for a few moments the unequal struggle continued. It did not last;dogg. In a little while a deathly silence fell over the place. Awed at the ghastly thing I had just witnessed, I stepped over and peered cautiously into the depths of the well. .Two"maleYolent eyes bridged by a par-rot-beaked , nose, glared hatefully at mie from the Ink-black water. There was no sign of the' hapless madman ; for the octopus has a gentle habit of blanketing its victims. Hastily, feeling a little sick, i left the apartment, I. knew that Dr Crlppen; or whoever he really was, was now. beyond all human aid . . . .Then something struck my mind like a thunderbolt. The wall— the rope— the -wall— the rope ! The words thudded against my brain. With the speed of a professional runner, I flew through the adjoining, apartments, ..out into the garden, then over to the dangling rope and — perhaps, freedom. I shinned up the rope like a monkey, and, pausing at the top of the wall, looked around me. Right at hand
wcio luws ot green neages, an<j in the distance I could see a cluster of buildings which I knew- to be the Domain Mental Asylum.' The rope was looped around' one of the- spikes'- in the :top of the, wall; and -'must." have /'bam thrown from the ground twenty feet below. It was the work of a moment to haul the rope up, and throw it over the opposite side. As soon : as the bottom end touched the ground, I grasped' "the rope, and elid down at-a. terrific pace. My hands were burn-tag with' ' the friction of flesh " aii.i hemp; but in my frantic anxiety to escape from this house of horror, I-hardly noticed the pain. As I reached the ground/the force of the - Impact bowled me over I bounded -to my feet, and the wind whistled -, past me ah I ran to the
IseiOTv of the green hedges. GaspiBg for breath, i at. last reached the nearest oblong jpf trimmed foliage. Exhausted I lay at full-length on the path until the overtaxed organs of ipy body returned to their normal E state. Then I rose and cautiously, walked along the path, ready at the: first sign , of danger to rush for coyer." There was a green wall of trees on either side of me, and I could hear the faint murmur of voices. "I say— who are you?" Abruptly I halted. I realised that I had been discovered. I turned around quite prepared to fight or -even kill for my freedom. Standing within a yard of me was a figure dressed in the' uniform of a warder. " Who are you ?" he repeated. I decided .to employ a little strategy. I am a detective looking for a dangerous criminal," I Replied. "Good!" he answered. Vi've been looking for you. I've captured the criminal. Of course," he added pleasantly, " I had to bash his brains' out ; but, anyway, they would have hanged him. This is his suit I am wearing. The Government would only claim it." , m "A lunatic ! I tried to remain Calm "Very thoughtful of you, bashing his brains out," I remarked. "But you see — it places me in a very awkward position." " In what way ?" Wen." I went on, "I have no proof that the criminal is dead, but if I had be ail'right.3" 6 everytilnld (To be continued.)
1 The Automatic KiUers
M.IS'. U| > BY PHILIP JAMES O'D0JNELL4--Mr : yCi I '. y I r : «!?«!&. J) v . \ du-Y3?
"That's easily fixed," said the madman. He proceeded to disrobe. I also discarded my clothing. Everything came oil.'.. I was -taking no charices- with the, sllyp-cloth. The
mrdn.-an , ana late waraer wbib =y» dc'nily. of much the wune build % - mysplf,' for the' suit fitted almost to perfeqtion. The lunatic lost no time in arraying himself in my suit. 7 As, he buttoned the '.last button, the uncanny w'aii of a siren shrieked its grim warning over- the countryside, A ' lunatic was at largo.' "Dr Crippen has evidently been mlBBed/' I thought. '.'.I sayAdetective, where's my hat ? ' the lunatic enquired-. "1 didn't have a hat." "No hat! No hat!" He wailed, and to. my ; astonishment began to cry like a baby. "Here,' take this, " I said,- in des-p'oration, as I returned- the late attendant's- headgear. He. took the hat, placed It' on his head, and 'at once his grief had vanished. " Come on, detective," he. invited. "I'll Introduce you to the kids. They're only a little: way away. You see—" he Informed me,. "I'm Daddy Hubbard. Ha, Ha, Ha I ,YoU»itfPWsed; aren't ybu? "You thought Ias'iKing John, didn't you:, a/far i>f' ' V"%-.Xv
"X did thinJoVou 'wereVweir a king ' or. a 'dukoi'M? admitted. V'Blijt where is Mother -.HabliaiWl't1 ./ " Mother is'Tmsy nolldhlng the shoe with condenser the sur-prising reply. " . Suddenly a look of amazement ap-. pearod on his face. The next moment ' his hat flew off, and the . surprised Daddy Hubbard began to run in a bee-,, ; line for tho garden wall. -As I watched him vanish with Incredible speed. I mentally congratulated myself on my strategy In exchanging suits. Suddenly I heard the crunch of gfpvel. I loapo'd behjnd - a clump -of bushos. There was also the sound of voices and footsteps coming in my . direction. I parted the loaves in front of my eyes, and almost. -laughed at what I saw. Six full-grown men were leapfrogging towards me. They ,-wero inmates of this weird asylum— madmen; possibly the "kids" of whom "Daddy Hubbard'' had. spoken. . "He must be somewhere in the . grounds," said a voice. I turned my head, and was able to see four trimly- 1 uniformed figures approaching. I
pyM - ' ' /jf "fMlW hgtlwLatrobe's - gang ! ' ' . cried voice. "But where's Latrobe, I wonder?". The lunatics and warders met directly in front of my hiding -place.' I, . crouched further back into ' the bushes, hardly, daring to breathe. Discovery now would probably end in my being accused of murder ! "Well; boys, how are you 1" said a voice. "Fellow! Do you not know how to address your King 7 " asked one of the lunatics indignantly. "I'm sorry, your Majesty," apologised one of the warders in . a humble tone. "But I muBt see Mr Latrobe.',' "Latrobe! Latrobe! Oh. yes! That is my servant, of course, of course. 1 lent him to Daddy Hubbard to play marbles with," replied tne madman. "There's a hat on the' ground over ttiofal » nrlort rtTIA nt thfl "WftrdGrfl.
There was a pregnant silence. I dared not '! look through the bushes and risk detection; ! but I surmised that they were examining the hat. "Yes, this is Charlie's hatairright,'' said the same voic<"Anq|£& he paused. "Why, GopuUDo'lk— there's blood chaftaS W&ft-rf / fcl i Es'Q/0ra. ; ' yS TNSTINCTIVELY elipfflyhhad where the bat: ifadresggds'for a few seconds when I had changed clothes with the lunatic. A' patch of my hair was stiff and matted! . . "Where's Daddy Hubbard ?" enquired a-warder."Fellow!" "Fellow!" retorted a haughty voice. "How should I know?" ."I'm afraid Crippen's got 'em both," remarked a quiet voice, and I could tell by the tone of it that the chief warder was speaking. "These chaps are all 'trustees, ' so I'll phone for the van, and the driver can take them back to the exercise yard." , There was evidently a phone handy for I could hear the bell ring, , and
also the : following ; one-sided conversation: "Hullo! . . Yes . . . a new "driver . . . -How long was the rope ? . . Then the Chief Wprder rang off, and I waited curiously for him to explain further. ; " This is very bad, ' men/' ' he begun. ' " Wilson informs me that the 22-foot rope is' missing -from -the bell tower. Dr Chang-Lu has ordered that these grounds' be thoroughly searched; All the spare men' 'are scouring the domain, and.Castlereagh Street is almost deserted. They are sending a voluntary civilian driver with- the van. . If Dr Crippen ; gets over the wall, there'll be a few, sad homes in Sydney, tonight." "How is Crippen described officially ?'' enquired a voice. \ By the rustle of paper that I heard I knew a . book .had been opened.
XJV V>nyy«UB uuiieut uauiy io ,i;uuu Warren," began the chief warder. ".Killed his .wife and three- children, then cut up Jthelr bodies into small pieces. . Tried for murder; acquitted on the grounds of insanity, and committed to the Domain Asylum on July 3, 1920." "There's the van now," said another voice. Risking discovery, I peered out from the bushes. The van bad arrlyed— a covered ford Utility-truck with door, and step at the rear. As the conveyance circled in order to return, i: could see' that the driver was- minus coat and hat. The lunatics at the command of A warder all entered the van, and the door was - Shut after them. " Deliver thiB gang to Officer Wilson/' ordered the chief -warder, "and then take the bus over to the garage. The chaps inside are all safe-cases, so. they won't need any other escort." " Right, sir !" replied the , driver. Abruptly, the chief warder and his : men disappeared, I could hear them crashing through the hedges. They had apparently decided to begin their search from the wall. The van and
its passengers had not yet- started on its short journey; the driver was having trouble with the engine, it-seemed, and he descended from the front seat and began to crank up. - 1 stepped cautiously from my- hiding-place. 1 I . waited' -.'until the / engine, 'was running before; I made my presence known to him. " Just a minute,'? I said quietly, as he was about to enter the, van.' "Mr Wilson sent me down to take over the van, and he said that you are to join the searching squad/' He seemed surprised ; hut I could see that the uniform I was wearing convinced him that the . order was genuine. "O.K.!" he cried; and; as he turned to take his departure he called : " Good-bye-e-e-e !'f ' . Quickly I dived into the vacant seat, took off my uniform tunic, and5 concealed it behind the upholstery of the . door. Viciously my foot ground the accelerator down to the level of the floor. Like a thing alive, the van leaped away and a howl of protest emerged from th startled, lunatics inside, it was a race
agatnqfclqe i.;for yjnllr v that the chief wArdefucoum .become aware, or the trIcftlmigedr|My /the . driver reached, him-'and- the search party. ' Abruptly I shut off the juice and Jammed on the brake ; for- rushing towards me waB a grey stone building, -which I knew must be.the asylum. The van came to a sudden standstill directly in front "of a flight of steps. Standing on the bottom Step, was a flgdre in uniform. ; I Btepped out of the van in a leisurely manner. The least sign of haste— and the game-would be given away. Boldly I advanced to the- warder. " The. chief warder bald that someone would take charge of .these chaps; and that I >vas to put the. car In the garage," I said. " Yes, I know/ ' he T.eplied "Mr Wilson was called away , and left me
..laae,.- ueuvery - oi : mem; My wora,-old "chap, you certainly stepped on the.; gas. I thought , the, old bus was a''' runaway train, the way the engine roared." ; : -"It's the fiyst time I've ever had, sixl lunatic fares," I said in a frightened;, voice. f "Got the wind up, eh? These fellows are all right They're, trustees.. Wouldn't hurt a 'fly, so you had your, thrill over nothing." I made no reply, but thought of the. blood on; my ! hair, and wondered. The warder unlatched the door of the- van. The lunatics trooped out in single file, and lined UP In front of the Steps. "Gome along, your Majesty ; this-way, Houdini," said the , warder. Each one of these poor creatures had a nom-de-plume '; like . little children they obeyed. "Freedom!" I almost cried aloud, as the last of, the men left the van. "I say, Mister, where is the -garage?" I asked. "Outside; follow this building around, and the gatekeeper will let you through." ' T.ilfa a nt 1!hLImI>.-
« ""van. vi. uguuiiag i was ra the van and away. The .watqhmari evidently was ex-, pecting me. The gate .w;as open, and he nodded in a friendly way as : the car passed through. .With/a thrill I stepped on the gas,', i had beaten the mighty Chang-Lu .In the . greatest game of wits I had ever .been called uppnto play. . Through the drive the car roared. I , slackened speed, pulled up outside the Domain Gate's, then parked the van at the end of a long string' of cars. As I strode along' Castlereagh Street, on all sides of me, already, I .could hear men discussing the' escape of this man who was known a£ Dr Crippen, Abruptly I turned dovto a lane between two buildings, "and In a few
(momenta.; was standing . in Pitt Street opposite my own place of bust- < VBH| ness. The window was half-opened, and I saw a figure pass by It. .The room was - occupied 2 . Suddenly 1 felt a tug at my feet. I: had i'orgptten to change shoe's with "Daddy Hubbard!" The shoes and sock's, of . course, were' made of Bilyo-cloth, and the sudden tug; proved to me that at the very moment, somewhere within a small, radius" of me, , the killers were operating; ;c' ( On the Impulse of : the moment, - 1 ' decided . to let the shoes guide me. Gently, . then, my feet -were,, urged over towards my office. ' I. waS satis- ' fled ; and with a slight effort I 'turned and retraced my- footsteps. I- realised that Chang-Lu was waiting for me. He would take nd chances in our next encounter, and if I wanted:.- to live ' I would have to- obtain police protection; I noticed a' crowd ' opposite the People's Palace. As - I walked across . the Bti'eec a . "loud speaker ' thundered: " This ' Is. 2TG- Sydney broadcasting. Beware! Beware! A homicidal maniac is loose somewhere In; the 'city ! He escaped- from-' the Domain Asylum today. He is wearing a shirt and blue trousers' " I did not want to hear more. The ftllDOIlDO.fir - Wfl a .rilnfnlv /las/w! KImi 'oi
PQ& rate, , so farjEis the clothes' were .coerned— mea. |/ ' (To m continued.)
The Automatic Killers
- Ry/ PHILIP. JAMES O'DONNElW/ .
Somehow; I;\vould liaye to change . my clothing, '.lor. 'back .would-" I be In the jclutchWot Dr Chang-Lu: I en-' ; tored an .outfitter's emporium, the , J. pwnor of which I know personally. ,
" Hullo, Peter I " he greeteu. -wnai have you been up to ? " , '.''I've, been chasing lunatics," I answered. "And I've got to have a ..'.complpte outfit immediately; also the I'j U'so of a basin -'of.; water n'nd'a towel. llIfiPU?yo.'lgQ.tc'a. blahk .cheque ready ' I'll lill It in for twenty pounds. You can give me the balance over my purchases In ready cash." " Sure, P.eter," he r aid. ". I'll soon fix yo.u up. Here, Mr Wills — attend to this gentleman, please." He hastened away.' ! Half an hour . later I emerged from the shop completely outfitted. Under my arm T cnirried the gray shoes and socks- wrapped neatly in n paper parcel. .1 looked at tho cheap watch I . : had bought with the outfit. It registered 12 o'clock. I .remembered that - I had not: oaten any dinner; so I decided to appease the Inner man. ' In the act of entering a cafe, I ' paused, for the miicled report of an explosion boomed -at me from the 'direction of . the Harnour Bridge. "Blasting operations," I thought; and dismissed the subject from my mind ns I seated myself at a. table. I noticed that' thbre was an extraordinary number of ladies In the dlnlng-troom. At the end of tho room was a large mlr-'' ror, and 1 could plainly see my reflection In It. Suddenly the shoos which I hnd
jfiiiUKU- uu> a yauiiub uuau ucvuuig ajjr tatcd. That coiild mean but one . thing— I waB about to have a visit from Dr Chang-Lu's creations. Gono was tho. thought of food; when .. the waiiress -placed the menu before me, I mechanically ordered lea and toast. Sho almost immediately returned with the .order,- placed the tea and. toast in front of me,- left tho tray . oh the table, and departed. T glued my eyes on the mirror, and watched the reflection of the street door bohlnd me. Suddenly a woman screamed from the street outside. The next InRtant a ghastly figure entered tho dining-room. -It was dressed in sllvri;cloth coat, dungarees, and sandshoes. I blinked In amazement; for I saw at a glance that it was Dr Crip-pen — killer in ltfo, and now, in death, an automatic monster !
CHAPTER X. I NUMBER NINE. I "IVTY God !" shrieked a waitress. "It's Dr Crippen !" Tho room was in an uproar, < As the crowd of women, suddenly grown frenziedly hysterical, fought for- the exit leading, apparently, out to the kitchen, I sat quietly, in my chair. 1 knew. I was out of the range of the reflectors in the killer's eye-sockets. But I knew that the monster, directed by the masterly fprces of Dr Chang-Lu, had entered that restaurant in Bearch of — me ! I was correct/ Suddenly the kilter's eyes turned in my direction. For a moment or two the strange gleaming eyes were fixed upon me. Suddenly tho parcel containing the shoes leaped like a live thing off the chair to the" floor aa.the automatic monster turned and advanced with its peculiar goose-step motion directly towards me. The silver forks and spoons on the table shifted slightly. . They were reacting to tho magnetic influence driving; the killer. Tho parcel containing the shoes was glued to the knee of one blue-dungareed leg.
j. win, iiuuiucr ejibui— -dui i <uu truly sorry to have to destroy such a brave man," whispered the voice of Chang-Lu through the lips or the monster. I sat there, rooted to the spot, paralysed with a nameless fear, staring at the scarlet poison dripping like my own blood from tho dagger's point. " Silver ...... silver silver I" The word danced through my brain In a continuous wave. . It came to me in a flush From the table I quickly lifted the silver tray and held it up directly in front of the monster's eye sockets. Instantly . the square of shining- metal was . drawn from my hand and Immediately adhered to the killer's face. With a cry of triumph, I dropped to J the floor. I had the one and only, vul-1 nerabie point in Chang-Lu's armour. I The blinded montroslty was moving
in a circle, arms threshing the air :; and on every table the silverware was dancing in a most uncanny fashion. I thought of the puzzlement which I knew would be clouding the face of Chang-Lu. .... In a .splrit.of bravado I crept up behind the kilier.; " Ne.ver. count your chickens," doctor," . I said "In a clear voice. / From the Hps' of the automaton cqrae, a long-drawn .vibrant hiss. Abruptly the. silvqr tray dropped to the floor, and a second later the killer crashed , (lown .beside it. I kept at a safe distance. ."'This,".' "i realised grimly might; bje. but a .trick of the siy Chang-Lu. ' "Pheuuuu !" shrieked an automobile siren from the street. I heaved a sigh of thankfulness ; for I knew by the walling tone that the police were close at hand. Within the space of a few minutes the police car arrived 'and pulled -.up before the open door. A police officer entered. With one glance he took In the whole scene. " Dead, eh ?" he remarked. "And a darned good thing too I . ... I am. Inanap.tnr Jnnpn (Thief of thA Homi-
clde Squad. Some hysterical female phoned the office .and reckoned a lunatic had killed all the customers."' "Glad to meet you, Inspector," I replied. "" My name is Saunders. I'm a private detective." -"Saunders? Oh, yes, I know you, now. You're the man responsible for the capture of that cove we called ' Cocaine Charlie ' out at Bondl last month.. A brilliant piece of work, Saunders'," he added enthusiastically. "Just a bit of luck, Inspector," I said. " I happened to be on the spot. As a matter of fact I. was on another case at the time." "Fiddlesticks! I know all about it." " Inspector," I said, " before I ask you to listen to this story of my adventures, examine that body on the floor,- will you ? " Inspector Jones knelt on one knee,
and placed his hand on the.regjon of the killer's heart. " Good Heavens ! " he cried. " He's as hard as a stone I Peculiar mark, that,, around his head, isn'tit?"' . . " Exactly !' And there are several " Tell me later, Saunders,' > he interrupted. "In the meantime, we'll have to .get this body but of here." "Place it in the strongest cell at the police station you can find— or, better still, hold an inquest, and destroy the body immediately after." He looked at me queerly, seemingly wondering what on earth I was talking about. "I'll explain later," I said. The twelve members of the inspector's party were grouped about the entrance to the restaurant, but at a sign from their chief, thoy entered the room. It took the united efforts of the twelve hefty police officers to' , place- the body of - the killer in the, ' waiting ambulance. I noticed that the dagger was still clasped in his hand. i solidly fixed between the marble-like ' fingers. I recovered the shoes, and accom-. panted the inspector to the police car. The headquarters of the Homicide Squad are situated on the ' harbour side of the Domain. The ambulance, drove through into -Elizabeth Street rapidly; I followed, with the inspector and his men, in the police car. The journey was quickly made, and in less than 10 minutes t was seated in Inspector Jones's office. It was a fairly-large room, and I noticed a wireless cabinet In the corner. For the next half-hour I carefully and truthfully re-' lated to him my adventures. "When do you think the attempted robbery of the bank will take place ? " be enquired at the conclusion of my weird narrative. "Candidly speaking, inspector," I replied, " I think Chang-Lu will strike while the iron is hot." . "In other word you mean tonight 1 " "Yes; because ho knows that I Intended to warn you." The telephone jangled. Inspector Jones unhooked the receiver. He listened attentively for a few minutes, then replaced the receiver in its original position."The "The private quarters of Dr Chang-Lu were destroyed by a mysterious explosion at 5 o'clock," he stated. Instantly I" remembered the detonation I had heard when entering the restaurant. " Any casualties ? " I asked. " Dr Chang-Lu and his sister are re-
ported missing.'"' Something made me glance towards
two wiitvi i A uau piauGu uip shoes. They were moving — moving I ever so slightly ..... . " Quick 1 Outside ! Outside !— If you value your life ! " I shouted at the astounded police officer, as I dived for the door. Inspector Jones was close behind me. The sound of bricks
fallinlkssuect from'-thWlnterlor of the buildinPx TheyiigaPor produced a key and quirfkljSniocKed an iron-barred . gate. The' noise had ceased by the time we arrived at the first of four cells. Two of them were unoccupied, and the doors were open. We reached the last cell. The inspector pulled back . a shutter, and gazed in though an observation-hole. " Good God ! "uhe gasped; then hastily replaced the shutter, and unlocked the door. ; The massive door swung back on well-oiled hinges, and I gazed in awe at a chaotic heap of hrlclts and twisted: bars.. The wall! of the cell, was ripped out. Suddenly I realised that this was where the body of Dr Crippen had been placed. ' " Saunders, we are up against gigantic odds. If one monster? can do all this damage, I -tremble to think of what eight of- them might do;" said the inspector. " This can mean bnly one thing," I said! "Chang-Lu intends to strike wit' out delay." ' " You're right ! Quick— there's no time to lose." Out Into a yard sped the Inspector,
nllU 1X16 ydUHUfi ucuiuu "Clang! Clang! Clang!" Policemen appeared from all directi'ons — for this was the alarm bell. The mfn foil, in and' waited for irders. "Men,"' began the Inspector. "I have reliable information that the Commonwealth Bank in Lower George Street will be raided within the next two hours. We.are up.again'st a gang of monsters. There is no time to explain ; but I warn you that if the robbery is successful, the very foundations of civilisation will, be destroyed, Some of us, perhaps, will not return, , . .1 know you' all have wives, children, homes," so — "But so have you, sir," interrupted a voice. " Men, I - am proud to be your leader," Said the Inspector. "You have all heard of Private-detective Saunders," he continued, waving a
nana in my uireciioii. - riuiu now on he will be in charge. What is our first move ?" he added, turning to me.- "/' . How ..'many, men have, . you altogether?'-" I asked. . "All told,, there are 24, including myself, But if you want reinforcements. I can draw them from the regulation staff- — "Help! Help!" Suddenly the cry, a terrified, cry, burst from ' somewhere inside the building. In a body we rushed to- the destroyed wall, ' for that was the quickest way in. J noticed that- one of the cells was locked. "Help! Help I" . "That's from the office!" someone shouted. In a split-second, we were
in. Inspector Jones's office. The . roo® I was empty. ' .. . ' . I ; "Someone having a game with us, I grunted the' Inspector, ; -" Quite' right, Inspector, it' ia a - I game) a great fascinating game of wita!" . , ' . .. , -Amazed, we crowded around :, the wireless cabinet: in the corner.' The AS' voice had issued from the,;, loud- ' speaker! Undoubtedly it was?; Dr .iv.!"' Chang-Lu's voice; but. of . course, I ( tk alone was aware of that fact, J -v The Inspector stared blankly at-.me, "What does this mean, Saunders ,?" . " It means that the doctor was not killed in the explosion, and that we are trapped here in this room," 1 ' Someone switched , on the .light-"That's better— a little light on. tho subject, eh ? Ha, ha, ha ! I'll wager you are puzzled,' Number, Eight. .Oh, I beg "your pardonl.'.'It was the voice of Chang Lu— "I mean . . Number ' Nine!" : - ' . : -"Number Nine ?" I gasped. a YeB_you are now Number Nine!" (To be continued.) !
Automatic Killers
BY PHILIE JAMES (DONNELL.
. CHAPTER XI. /' ... -INOCULATION.
piUillbUSLY, ! advanced to within a few inchea of. the wireless, cabinet. I examined It thoroughly/ but coiild' flnd'iahou't It nothing extra! lordinary ' it whs exactly,1 ' the same) in outward design as hundreds of others 1 had seen. .
."Every man is to strip to tne waist!" . , The voice of Chang-Lu again ! I understood at once how the set had been faked, for the voice, had issued, from two round holes above the loudspeaker.. Inspector Jones and his men were watching mo , silently, but none f them made any mdve to discard their 'tunics. ; " I said . .... every man is to strip to the waist !" came the order again, this time in a menacing tone. '- An icy-cold blast swept into the room; The killers here !" I -Mtniicrht n n ,1 1nBtlnctiV<>lV tUmed tO-'
wards the door. I was correct. Standing with their backs to the wall were five grey-clad figures. The shoes: on- the chair leapt off and slithered- towards the monsters. The Inspector and his men starod at the five figures with wonder-- ment and amazement In their faces.. < . " What do you chapB want ?" enquired the Inspector. < " Inspector," I interrupted. "L would ; strongly advise the men to obey Chang-Lu; and remove their tuhics." , As I spoke, I noticed that each killer was carrying beneath his 'right arm a bundle of gray cloth. .... I removed my- coat, vest, collar, and tie. The police officers did likewise.
In a row minutes twenty-iour semi-nude policemen and myself were . standing shivering and 'waiting, 't .No word was spoken. : These boys were trained and disciplined to a , hair. For the time being I was their, superior ofilcer. I had asked them, to strip, and they had simply obeyed . without demur. I glanced at the monsters. Asher, Professor Noyolte, and Dr Crlppen were absent. Numbers six, seven, ' and eight, I decided, were no doubt at the bank. . The five killers facing me all had the collar, of their Bilvoroloth suits pulled up about their "'necks'; and 'each monster was wearing a grey-felt hat, with the brjm turned well down. Suddenly the bundles dropped to
the floor, and five right arms auto- 1 matically straightened, Instantly .'VI understood. Each, parcel was 'composed of sllvo-cloth" Jerseys.; ?' Inspector Jones looked at ine in-, quirlngly. . I said nothing in reply to his unspoken question, but walked across the room, Collected the, jerseys; and placed them on the office , table. Turning my back to the five killers;' I prepared to make # speech. ' ' " Men," I' began, " I "know you are all game enough for anything ; but to disobey the order which came over thai, wireless set means . . . 'death
for everybody ! A horrible death. You must follow, and obey my leadership." I selected a jersey, and -drew it on. In ; ten minutes we were all equipped with a silvo-cloth garment, under our ordinary top clothing. ' " Put on 'your hats !" commanded the: voice from the loudspeaker.; "As I donned my hat twenty-four policemen did likewise, and immediately I felt the mysterious power pulling on the sllvo-cloth jersey. Looks of bewilderment appeared/ on the faces of the policemen,, as they also felt the uncanny force, urging closer tdgether. I was drawn towards the killers. Tire power was concentrated- on that- part of my body
covered with the jersey ; but my legs were .forced to obey the forward impulse, and I found myself standing in lino with the five monsters. Again the power was on the policemen, and they advanced to within a foot of the automatic figures, f noticed that there was a. policeman directly opposite each figure. Facing me was Inspector. Jones. His face was pale ; for he knew that he was confronting death— death, sudden and ghastly— staring from the glnssy eyes of the. five monsters. Automatically my hands \went out as the killer at my side produced a pair of grey gloves. The monster drow them quickly on to my fingers,
then clicked the clasp shut at, my .wrists. Next,, a' dagger: was ; thrust into miy'coveredVhand. , i I- shivered with fear, at sight of the scarlet iVsmudge'' at ' the ;; tip of the , 'blade. .This 'flye killers were equipped likewise.'; , The, six police officers now jtook, a ; step forward, , ,'Up ,;.went my arm in ;iine with ) five \ others. , As, .the reaUsatlon , of what - was. .about to.' happen entered my dazed brain, I felt faint with the horror of the thing. " Inspector ! , I can't help it !" I cried out in despair.
ne merely smiiea witn wane lips. Six shining poison-laden blades suddenly swished down. I closed my eyes.. . ... v..;;,; ... ' Like a flash, then I saw "Chang-Lu's plan, ) "Within an hour the -24 police officers would be dead, yet living again , asT-monsters ! I opened my eyes. I fully expected to find six bodies crumpled on the floor. .But I was amazed and relieved to find that such was not the case. The tip of my dagger was resting on the upper, lip of Inspector Jones. Glancing sideways, I could see that each policeman) wag in a similar hazardous position.. . Suddenly/ then, I . felt the „ power throh in mw ' am and hand, and in-
voluntarily I. pressed the, blade of the dagger slightly,, ever so slightly, into the inspector's upper dip. : Six blades were immediately .withdrawn and six policemen stepped sideways. The operation was .repeated until, every man in the .room with the 'single exception of myself, had been inoculated 1 tbe lip with— Chang-Lu's deadly poison.
CHAPTER XII. THE RAT AGAIN. fFHE dagger was then taken out of my gloved hand by the killer at my side. I was spun around and forced at a brisk- pace through the
doorway. Along tne lighted corridor I was guided into the brightly illuminated cell house -, right up to the cell ltht.jiy,asiJocHedvWfegaAearlJle.if,-.<in the, evening Iv had' passed it witli Inspector Jones. The next moment. I was in the cell. . . Then I got the biggest shock of the day's, extraordinary adventures-;, for seated behind a table was — Dr, Chang-. Lu. /' I marvelled, at the- ahdaclty- of the man, -as,. I: rem.embefedi distinctly - seeing this cell flocked ; undoubtedly Chang-Lu must have been inside at that time . . . " Well, good evening Number Nine !" he greeted me mockingly. : "Good evening; you 'damned murderer 1" I retorted. A sudden gleam shot into his almond eyes and his hand hovered over a button. I was very close to death at that moment-jJ had no doubts about that ; but 'Chang-Lu's wrath subsided quickly', and I breathed a sigh of relief. ; "You know, I'm sorry I, planned your escape," he resumed. "For I had to destroy a good octupus. My mistake — took Its life. It is now an automatic octopus, you see." I stared at bipa In astonishment. "You you allowed me. to get away from that infernal asylum of yours?" "Of course!" he replied. "Actually, I put that rope on the wall for Dr Crlppen. I made everything easy for you, even to sending officer Wilson away in order that you could safely impersonate the civilian driver." "Why did you do all this?" A crafty look came Into his eyes. "The reason is in the room you have just vacated." "In other words," I retorted. "You intend to obtain by force the co-operation of twenty-four police officers in the robbery of the Commonwealth Bank?" Exactly!" "Why war© the m<»n innriilotArtl"
"Oh— to keep them quiet." "Quiet? I don't understand " . "On a previous occasion," said Chang-Lu. "I explained to you that Radllife attracted silver in a similar way that magnet attracts a piece of steel. There were two alternatives left to me, as 1 thought out the police assistance idea. 1 could either destroy the life in the bodies of tbe policemen and substitute radilife, or think out a way of permanently sealing those men's lips. So each man has a small drop of radllfe injected into his upper lip. The magnetic pull from the silvo-cloth garment effectively keeps his mouth shut. So you see?" "And why didn't you went me the same way?" i enquired. "Your body belongs to Zara, and— he paused and a strange look came into his .slanting eyes, as though his thoughts were far away— "and I dare not mutilate it." -"What!" i was amazed. "Do you
mean to afraid ' of > well, offendingZirar- " . " VI am forced , to obey Zara,' : was his astonishing' answer. "I need.h'er in the manufacture of radilife,". he wfent on. "She is the offspring of murderers, rem'ember, and to. me . her body 1b priceless ' because there ii» ;ho similar blood available ; to me : in all the world.'! ..- js ,, No words of mine could describe the loathing that suffused me as this self-confessed human vampire explained to me his attitude towards the lovely girl who had won my heart. Had
I been able to free my limbs from the fetters of his horrible power, he would, have died there, and then . ... "And," I went on desperately struggling to keep my voice calm, "what port do I play in tonight's drama?" "You take no part in the actual robbery; as I explained to you before, your Job' will be to drive the van." "But how on earth do you expect to transport twenty-four policemen and eight of your killers in the one car." .. "There will be but one man accompanying you, and he will be inside the van." ' - . ' "Meaning ... yourself?" "Exactly," said Chang-tiu: He now manipulated a lever on the
table, and something or someone, entered. I could not turn around ; but in the next moment two automatic killers "appeared in my line of vision. One monster halted at the end of the table; the other continued its advance to the opposite end. I could see now that the control, table, and also the chair which Chang-Lu was occupying, was built into a. sort of platform. Simultaneously, the monsters stooped, grasped the platform and lifted the doctor bodily, with the table and the chair. They disappeared behind 'me,-, and I surmised that there was another exit, as the door was not of sufficient width for the table and . chair fixture .. to pass through. My' guess proved correct, for i was turned about by the power
ana compelled to Touow. In the tra'ct of Chang-Lu through; a newly-cut hole In the _ wall. The two automatic -klllers?goosB-ktepp'ed»'a yard Ttf Troht' with their burden, and Chang-Lu reminded, me then of nothing more or less than an Indian Maharajah squatting on .top of a sedan chair. I was now In jthe cellvlately occupied, by Dr Crlppen ; and as I advanced the; automatic monsters and'vtheir creator vanished through, the opening' ln: the wrecked - wall. Unerringly,-- 'I , - was urged out of. the Illuminated; cell into the darkness of the night. Close at hand were the headlights of a motor car, and I almost laughed as the automatic killers and Chang-Lu passed in front of the llght-they. looked ho comical.
' As I suspectea; ine iigncs peiongea to the van'; and within the space of two or three minutes I was occupying the driver's, seat. ; By the noise issuing from the interior. I knew' that the killers were "placing the control table in the .van. ' . sk , Abruptly, then, the power left my SL body. , .1 grasped the steering wheel, T) and in the act of stepping .on the self-starter lookedabove my' head. Hanging by its tail from the roof i of the van was the rat ! v The rat— Chang-Lu's infallible Instrument of destruction ! I recoiled in horror ; Lor its teeth were red-tipped. . " Drive to George Street!" whispered a voice. I looked at<the automatic, rat in astonishment— for the whisper had come from'. Its moist, loathBome mouth! I pre'ssed my foot down hard on the self-starter. ' . ' (To be continued.)

The Automatic Killers
: BY, RHbULIR JAMES O0)ONNEIX # l\-yr %/>£ - - . - ,
CHAPTER XIII. I ASSIST IN A ROBBERY.
\7TTH many an apprehensive glance at the swinging horror above, I drove through the yard gates. - We made 'George .Street In record time, and I. turned tha vain in the "direction of.the . Commonwealth Bank.
QQ Blow ! wniBpsreu iu6 r»t># HI most in .lny face. ; I obeyed the order, and the .vehicle crAwled at-a snail's pace through the traffic. " .. . . ;? .. . '' Turn down thls' street/and park the car at the end," was the final .whispered command. .-' Again I obeyed, and halted the van at 'the blind end of the Street, which I knew was the back entrance of the Commonwealth Bank. Instinctively, I dodged to one side as the rat dropped patit me,. and hit the floor with a ; resounding crash. The power again had me in Its grip,, and I was forced to open the car door. Instantly the automatic animal creation disappeared into the darkness. The door remained open,, and the thought came into my mina that I also would be compelled to, " take a walk." Suddenly; a space below . the' wind-screen became illuminated, aitd I. knew, that .lt was, the micro-vlslon'scbpe referred to by Chang-Lu, The front of the bank was projected on. the screen. I could see a huge illuminated poster over the door and reaching almost to the second floor. In front of the ban.': 'entrance was a covered-in arrange-mont which I recognised as a moving picture; camera. Professor Noyoke's .slight figure was standing near tho camera. My eyes returned to the poster. I read the following oxtra-ordinary message : " With the cooporatlon of the, police a sound picture depicting the .'; robbery of ttyn bank is about to bo ! fllmod. Tho public are earnestly requested not to converse with the ' police or actors while the camera is photographing' the scene." Tliero wns a lingo crowd of spectators hold in check by tho twenty-four 'dumb policemen. They had formed a- cordon round tha camera and motor-van housing the flood-light used in the .illumination of the poster. Tho wagon, I surmised, ha-I conveyed tho
pol I glanced at the drlwsr'asjswtf '"' It was occupied by Zara. ZARA, the woman I loved! Hate swelled in my heart;" hate of Chang-Lu. He was using this unfortunate girl in every possible way for his own vile ends. If she were now taken into custody, it would lead her either to the gallows or a life's imprisonment in gaol. . . . . Suddenly, a killer appeared with a. huge canvas bag . under each arm. I could plainly hear -the whispering murmur of the fascinated spectators, who were evidently ' enjoying the privilege of what they imagined to, be a " talkie " In the making. As the monster emerged from, the building, the dummy camera was focussed upon . him. Professor Noyoke, who was acting tli» part of cameraman, fussed about the handles and apparatus for all the .world like the genuine article. The killer with the bag was followed by four of his brother monsters. Each had two or three bagB. They quickly deposited them in the motor-wagon, and returned for more. This continued until- I tired of watching, ' Then suddenly the, image of a coin appeared on the screen and in less tlnvs than It takes to toll the screen resolved itselr Into a blank. A fierce tug on the slivo-cloth garment informed me that Chang-Lu had again turned on the power. Quickly I was drawn out of the seat and whisked around to the rear of the van. The back portion had been removed and replaced with a black canvas blind. This was probably done to facilitate the control table's entry. The blind flew up and, figuratively speaking, so did I , up the steps. The interior of the van was illuminated by a hanging oil lantern. The seats had been removed.- Chang-Lu' was seated behind the table "which had taken up half the available, space In the van. He was gazing intently into a .small black box which J immediately recognised as a micro-vislonscopo.
... He looked . up as the power brought me, to a standstill before him. The two automatic killers which I - knew had accompanied him were absent. I decided that he had sent them to assist in the robbery. .... On the table I observed a heap of oblong spectacle cases, and also a shining piece of metal, which I know was a spare lever. . Chang-Lu wasted no time in opening the conversation, " You love Zara ?" Under the circumstances it. was an extraordinary Question and I paused for a moment or two before replying. " What if I do V I then retorted. "This is the- position," he said quickly. " The boys ara attracting every silver coin in the bank. They are probably covered with them, and the reflectors are clogged. I am In a similar position to that of a submarine commander who has lost his periscope. If we stay here . much longer the crowd will wake up .to the fact that' the moving ..picture stunt is a fake. That will speedily bring' the regular police to the scene. If Zara is arrested she will probably hang!" " The death penalty is inflicted for murder only," I reminded him. "Exactly." ' I stared at him aghast. " You mean — you mean that murder has already been committed ?" "-The watchman was silenced," he said in a pleasant matter-of-fact voice. " It— er — it was : necessary." A spasm of horror ran through me as this- Insane creator of monsters calmly talked of murder as if it were' an everyday occurrence. "And in what way am I expected to help Zara ?" " The back entrance to the bank is open. I want you to. walk through into the strong-room and place a pair of these on each automatic boy-." He paused to open one of the small black ca'sea. Resting inside, was an- ordinary pair of horn-rimmed spectacles. "Glass repels radilife,'' he explained. " How about Professor Noyoke ?
Doe's ho also receive a pair of these— these Harold Lloyd's; also ?'. "No. Number Six is , outside:' If. I send htm in, the' crowd will immediately; understand that, something is amisS." '"And I suppose Iliave no choice in-the. matter?" " Ybu will proceed of your own free Willi" be warned. "But— If anything .goes wrong, tho woman you love will— die ! " His . hand hovered over Number Nine Division on tho table. He released a lever, and I could feel the power leave my. body. He turned to fix a wire connexion on the wall. His back was towards me and i eagerly glanced over the table- in search of a weapon. My eyes rested on the spare lever. Swiftly I grabbed it, and exerting all my strength i smashed . the shining piece of steel down on his head. He crashed to the floor with a quick, sobbing groan. Feverishly I ' discarded . my top clothing ; the hateful silvo-cloth jersey followed ; and then I replaced my shirt and coat. I did not'wait to remove Chang-La's coat, but drew tbh jersey on over his outer clothing. I was forced to crawl under the table to do this, as he was stretched out
beneath it.'The'. operation completed, I lifted and placed him in the. chair. His head fell forward on t0 the table, scattering the spectacle cases' right, and left. Mechanically I picked one case up and pocketed it. Now for the table. I studied the different sections carefully. Each one, I knew, controlled an automatic killer. I was familiar with one lever, and in a moment the shining rod of steel in Number Nine section/ was down in its original position. / I thrilled with joy ; for I could plainly see the effects upon the insensible doctor. As the power sprea-d over the jersey, his body twitched ; the mighty Chang-Lu was caught — trapped— and by his own genius. , There were ten sections or divisions on the table, numbered from one to nine, and the tenth marked with the letter "R," which' I knew meant "Rat." .I- decided /to try Number Six — Professor Noyoke's number. The . extraordinary number of buttons, however, threatened to puzzle me, so i selected one marked "W." As I -turned the button on I also jammed. Number Six lever down — then gazed into the microvision-scope to await resultB. The silver coins disappeared, and the bank was again projected on the screen. The policeman appeared to be advancing towards me. Then I understood that "W" meant " Walk.'" The automatic creation was obeying, ana I was looking through its eyes, or rather its reflectors. Hastily . I turned a button . marked . " S." Sur.e enough' the policeman halted. In reality the automatic, killer had again . obeyed the button. I could see the look of despair on the face of Inspector Jones, for Number Six was within a foot of him. The crowd behind the policemen were becoming, restless, and I knew that if I wanted to save . Zara,. I .would have to act quickly. Once she was- in a " Bafe hiding-place, I reasoned, ! would he nKlo .in turn iliA vreM 4. - J.I..
«« VU&.U, KUQ. V au UYCi LU . ILLtJ authorities. > I realised that it was dangerous to meddle further with the contraption in front of ine, for' I might turn a. button or level and start the police and killers on a ghastly expedition of slaughter, which would end God knew where. My thoughts, my subconscious thoughts, perhaps, then turned towards Zara. I decided to enter the hank and rescue the woman of my heart. Quickly I left the van and hurried down the lane until I reached the back entrance to the bank. There was a dim oblong outlining a jagged Hole that had one© been a door-. I surmised that this was the work of-the two killers who had acted- as body-guard to-. Chang-Lu.
» " ' - i I entered the hole in tha wall, and advanced along the track left by the ' killers. 'They had practically formed a tunnel through walls; .-offices, and corridors. .The illumination .increased in brightness; and as I. ..entered a large vault-like apartment, the glare of an overhanging electric globe almost blinded 'me. When my eyas became accustomed': to' the powerful light, I carefully surveyed rthe immediate surroundings, i At the- first glance I knew by tha significant spectacle often or twelye empty safes that this was one of the many strohg-rfioms of the bank. The doors had been -torn off, and were lying on the floor. ; I left the looted . strong-room, and continued on through into the one adjoining. I stepped into the , room. Suddenly I halted in astonishment. Eight oblong heaps of silver coin piled upon the floor of. the vaults met my eyes .... . and the. extraordinary thing was that each and every coin was standing on its edge ! Florins, shillings, sixpences, threepences— all were defying the laws of gravity » Curiously I advanced to within a few inches of the nearest heap. I endeavoured to remove one of the coins. It was a waste of energy the small circle of silver was 'held , in a solid — though invisible— grip.' , Th)e coldness of the coin brought- the solution of the puzzle to me, and I knew that under each pile of silver was- an automatic killer. . (To be continued, v A South Carolina lumber comnanv hlr- nSSu tOZLJ growing trees.' When the trees are cut and sawn thevnmviriQ brjgbt, -coloured «S. ® 7

The Automatic Killers
BY PHILLIP, JAMES O'DONNELL.
Suddenly i though oi ,;he goggles. Itbok ; thoin. from my 'pocket; 1 withdraw the spectacles from the case, then held thorn up to where I judged the killer's eye docket: to be. At
once' upon, coming Into contact with the glass the coins foil away. For the 'modient I had forgotten my original intention of rescuing Kara, but I now remembered .her, and hurriedly left tho silver room. Through still another vault I hastened and as 1 emerged in tho front office, I almost tripped over an obstruction. 1 looked down ...... there on the Uoor lay the body of an uniformed man 1 . . Protruding from bis chest was a pearl handle. . The watchman ! . The, watchman who -had paid with' his life that Chang-Lu's plans might proceed without hindrance. 1 bowed; my head in homage to him, for clearly he had died at his duty. I- tried to take the. weapon from between his stiffened Angers ; but the deadly poison with which the dagger bad been Impregnated had already converted, his arin and. hapd into .a .marble-like solidity. ,1 withdrew the dagger from the wound without any difficulty, and the. thought came to me that the hardening, process, must begin on the extreme portions of. a cbrpBo,..ahd work 'b'ackwards towards the wound.' " A Ital 1 A , Rat !" suddenly screamed a' woman's voice from outside. ... . InBtantly' it flashed' into my brain that somehow or other the astute Dr Chang-Lu had wriggled out of the silvo-oloth Jersey, I was still holding the pearl-baddled dagger in my. baud, and 1 thrust it into the side-pocket of my coat. Screams, shouts, and the occasional report of a revolver told me that Chang-Lu had turned the .anlmaL creation of his stupendously maniacal brain loose amongst the crowd- outside. I shuddered as I thought of the red-tipped fangs. Even the elements appeared, judging by the din which I could hear outside, to. be assisting, for a thunderstorm had broken over the city, adding to the noise and confusion. I sensed what had happened, ind I realised that I myself was .trapped) In the next moment, Professor No-yoke. or rather Number Six, appeared in the doorway, and my- surmise proved correct. The jingle of metal
cmspd .me to turn, quickly. Advancing with the familiar goose-step motion were the eight killers. The monster v/earlng glasses , was atthe extreme end of the line. "GIbbs rcppls. Radilife." I suddenly remembered Chang-Lu's words, and 1 understood instantly how he had broken the power, . I remembered the pile of glasses on the table, and reasoned that Chang-Lu was" practically a free man once he regained consciousness from the blow I 'had struck hira. Suddenly my arm was gripped from behindhand once again 1 felt the strangling silk-gut cord biting into ray throat I gasped for bieath. The cord of death tightened. The room and its contents began to whirl dizzily, about. me. The blood pulsed to my .head..,. My eyeballs seemed to be bursting. The cord tlghtehed— tightened. -. Choking and gasping, I dipped into the mists of oblivion.
CHAPTER XIV. MY FIUST KILLING. "T LOVE him ! If you kill. him I will throw myself over the cliff !" The words seemed to come to my earB from a great distance — words uttered passldnately,- fervently. I opened my eyes. I seemed to be staring through a haze (it a great stretch of open sea. Faint )>ut distinct the sound of breaking snrf reached my ears. Consciousness slowly cleared, the mists from my brain, and I saw that I was lying on a couch at' the end 'of a large verandah. I noticed a 'door at each end, The voice that had recalled me from the shapes and shadows'of unconsciousness was now silent .1 rose from the couch, walked to the balcony, and leaned over it. Four or five hundred feet below was a small, beach, and I Jmow.that the building had beeh constructed on the
edgq sof; aV the locality ..as i;the cliffs at the£b'aek' of: Watson's Bay. I' had often, noticed this self-same. structure -from?' the beach, andjwondered who occupied it Not far away was '' The Gap," Mecca of Bulcldes for more years than Sydney could remember. On a more careful .inspection, I saw a platform on the' face of the cliff two hundred feet below. ." Wonderful view, don't you think?" I turned, a little Btartled, at the question. Dr Chang-Lu was- standing on the InBlde of a steel-grilled -door, directly opposite the couch ; bis bead was bandaged, :but he appeared to be .In good' humour. " Not a bad -. view," . <J- admitted, , " How Jong .have I been here ?" He produced his watch, glanced at it,.and put it back in his vest pocket. "It is exactly 6 o'clock. We arrived with the money at 12.30 this morning." "So," I said, "you succeeded in robbing the bank ?" "The haul totalled £250,000," he replied coolly. I. gasped. "What was all the excitement amongst the crowd ?" 1 asked them. Chang-Lu ' smiled., When I realised that you" would in all probability warn the spectators that an actual robbery was taking place, I decided to cause, a little .. excitement,", he answered. " So I turned friend rat loose." I shivered at the thought of little children lying stiff and cold on the pavement—victims of this fiend In human shape, "And the policemen?" I asked. "What happened to them?" "They arrived here two hours ago." "The power, of course, brought them here," he went on. "I suppose you are aware of how I escaped?" "Yes," I admitted. "I dropped to it Immediately. . What do you intend to do with- me now?"
"Personally," he said .slowly, "1 should like to kill you. You. tried to kill me, you know . . . However, 1 hive no personal dislike towardsyou. 'on the contrary,' I admire 'you for-being a man of courage and audacity. But big Issues are at stake— and you are the only obstacle in my path. On previous occasions I mentioned the word 'Freezine'." He paused, produced from his pocket a' slab of what appeared to be marble and passed It through the bars to me. "Ten miles from. this spot," he -went on, "there is an artificial screen. That object which you have in your hand is a small pairt of the ocean—" "What?" I cried in unbelieving astonishment. "Yes -it is a small piece of this' vast, ocean which you, see before you. That amazes ' you, , my friend?. Of course it does. It w;ould amazi anybody, It has been- treated with a preparation, an invention of my ' own, oalled 'Freezine.'. That piece of . . . sea, shall we call it? . . . well, that Is Bolld, permanent" I recalled to my , mind the newspaper article which had featured the marine phenomenon, and I gazed at the small slab of white substance in awe-stricken silence, " a silence in which not a .little admiration for the ' (
genlfis;-; of '/thli cold-blooded brutal miirderiwas mixed . . . . EYerything" came to mo in a spllt-. second.'- The- sea treated with "Freeze ine"— "fog created to camouflage the activities of an Invading . army . . . A base ten' miles -from Australia V- !" The whole thing was stupendous; "'Freezine' Is my greatest Invention," continued Chang-Lu. "Out on the open sea there :1b a training ground created solely by 'Freezine.' It - is five miles square, and the hardening process descends to forty feet below the surface. No vessel can get with a mile of it because the sea is congealed. If -you were to place that slab in a basin of; water the liquid would become as thick as molasses. ThuB, by means of my wonderful invention- JAPAN IS LITERALLY -SITTING ON AUSTRALIA'S DOORSTEP!". I stared at him In amazement. I then placed the slab ofiFreezlned ocean, on the.; floor at my feet. "Are there actually Japanese troopB out there on the sea?" I asked.' "Up to the present time there are one hundred thousand men In training with moire! arriving every day!" was the astounding answer. "If, as you say, the ocean is like molasses, how do the troops disembark?" I shot at him. "They arrive in Ornlthopters! " I gazed at him blankly. "If you were to peruse a dictionary you would find that an Ornithopter is a mechanical bird; . a flying machine propelled by an up-and-down movement of the wings." ' "And .how do you, propose to land an army on these cliffs?" "For five" years now my countrymen have been quietly tunnelling a passageway from the beach below to this building) Of course air has to be pumpe.d down for ventilation purposes. As % matter of fact there is an underground factory wnere I have manufactured, and stored, my Silvo-cloth."
"But where fs Zara?" "Zara, to tell you the bonest truth, has gone to procure 'something for us to eat. But she should be back at any .moment,"- he . replied; : I placed my right hand In my outside coat pocket. Actually :i was searching for a cigarette. My fingers 'closed over Something hard and cold. It was - the dagger which I had taken from the body of the hapless watchman. Chang-Lu, with all his cunning, had neglected to search mc !' Not by the faintest flicker of an eyelid did' I betray the fact that I was in the possession of a deadly weapon . . . "Have you a cigarette?" I asked He handed me one rrom his case, I placed the cigarette between my lips and pushed my mouth through the six.
| inches . of '. space separating the ) bars. , He lit 'a match and.; held it t'o the cigarette. In a split second I ' had the dagger between the liars hidden under his cupped hands. I withdrew my mouth slightly. He bent closer )tp.. complete the lighting operation; aid his chin- almost touched the bars; 1 Suddenly, swiftly, I lunged upwards "with all my strength. The' needlelike blade penetrated the throat beneath the chin. A. svrlft) jerk sideways, and the deed waS done.? He crashed to the floor, thick, red blood . oozing from a gaping tear; in his throat; . ) Sick, I turned; away. My first killing I . But I was .not free yet.' However, overcoming my horror at what I had done, I knelt down and - stretching my 'hand through the bars "searched the late Dr Chang-Lu's pockets. (To be continued.)
The Automatic Killers
BY. PHILIP. JAMES O'DONNELL.
MY groping fingers found the key ;£6r! tvhlch rwas looking. --vlt- was the | work of a ;inomWt to, fit it; into the. > lock on the steel grid door. I twisted, the key, and the bolt' slid back. The , I <inr>inr'« hodv was hard-pressed
- against tile door, and I knew, the ' poison in the tip'of the' deadly dagger was. working quickly. .With all my ) strength I exerted myself against . . the door," In another second? I was. ' out; I then decldod to place the . J body on the verandah. It was no easy, task.'' '' For ' the deadly poison had half solidified the corpse,. But Levent-ually managed to drag It over the centre of 'the. verandah. A plain was rapidly forming in. .my brain,. but. I.was, determined to first save Zara from the law -an-J then from herself.. I tried the handle of the door on the verandah. It was not docked — much to my surprise. The room was furnished with a large double-: bed; "dressing table and wardrobe. "My sleeping, ..quarters, 'VI presumed," The other door was also unlocked.. At ' a glance I could see that It contained ' the air-pumping, process to which
the 'doctor had referred. I left, the verandah, and advanced along a nar-, row passage, at the -end of which was ; a-' door. Quickly I covered the distance; turned the handle, and.Btepped' through. Faint and sick Vlth horror ' df 'tho scene whiph the open door disclosed, I leaned against the wall for support. ' Hanging by- their nocks from the , celling- were rows of blue-clad bodies. - - i-I .-shuddered ; for 1 knew that at the 1 .end of bach of thoso ropes swinging from the rafters was the body of a policeman. / , Their hats wro. neatly stacked in ' the corner of tho , porcelain . room. Undoubtedly' this was an operating theatre, and the hanging bodies were-' all ready to bo converted into ' automatic killers. There were three doors at tlie end of the room. Pulling my Bel f together I -staggerel across -the floor. The cold blast of air emerging as I opened the first door ' told me that the automatic creations of the now-defunct doctor were stored therein. I was correct, They -were all there. and eight pairs of glassy eyes stared at me from the semi-darkness. I shut the door, and opened the one adjoining. In tho centre of tho room was a square hole almost surrounded
with canvas hags, , which 1 kriewScon; talned noteB: tb the value of a quartor of a ' million pounds. I could see a flight of concrete' Bte'ps disappearing Into the -bowels of the earth, proving to me that a subterranean stairway--actually existed. The remaining- door wan ' the ' entrance to an electric elevator. 1 .retraced my footsteps towards the hanging holies, for I had noticed, a ' trestle-Bupported marble slab nearby. Any. pity that I might have felt - for Chang-Lu was Instantly dispelled as I looked at this horrifying ovldence of his ghastllness, and, Indeed, '! gloried in the know-tUnl T am.i f nlnno Tintl fiPATi TA>
icugo uiav ouu uvuwf uuu » sponsible for ridding.. the! world of so. inhuman a monster ; a, man who was likely to . be the greatest possible m»nace to the entire world that had eyer existed.' , .. I walked to the operating slab. Everything appeared to be in readiness for tho. ghastly operation on the police officers. 1 shuddered at sight of the glinting -aw, and Instantly, thought of poor Asher and the Professor., Standing on a white table at the side of the slab were three cut-glass bottles. They were similar in size to any ordinary pound jam jar. Two of the oottles contained liquid ; but the third was quite empty. I glanced at a' label on r this bottle. Printed in Roman figurations were the words: " HUMAN BLOOD," The labels on the other bottles were marked, with Chinese characters. ; The liquid in one was. of a jet-black colour and the other was purple. As I looked at the. latter I recalled to mind the scene in the Microvisionscope when Zara had emptied . the purple mixture into the skull' of a corpse.. I thrilled at my discovery. I had found, I knew, two of the ingredients of the magic Radlllfe ! 4 I decided then to pour the liquids over the cliff. I returned to the verandah. Under each arm I held a bottle, I placed them on the floor near
the slab of Fr'eezlned sea. Kneeling on the floor, T withdrew -the stopper from, the. bottle containing the black mixture,, and placed it on the' sla.b.' To my amazemient the Blab- quickly disap-peared and the'Pl water which was left; told me that. I Jheld the fate of : 'many thousand human Beings In the hollow of my hand. I replaced the stopper In the bottle and, rose to my feet. , 'Before ine' stood Zara! " YOU killed him ?" she asked In a. calm voice. . . I nodded my .head. I' could not HMaalr mV. Ilfiflrt. AVAR filled "With
opctkiv I J . pity — and love — for this unfortunate victim of the devices of Chaing-Lu ; the girl" who had assisted him in. his devilish work in tho true belief thht.lt was all for the cause of Science. Suddenly - a- splintering and crash-' ing came from the Interior . of the building.? I leaped towards Zara; and placed my. arm protectthgly around her waist./! looked' at the-, bottles on the floor in; amazement ; fcfc they were sliding towards Zara ! In the next Instant, they were adhering t-o her body. . Now the crashing sound was drawing closer, and I saw that Chang-Lu's body/ was becoming agitated. ' , "I cannot move from this spot" said Zara quietly. "For the blood in my body is the companion ingredient of those In these bottles. There is sufficient Radlllfe liere to Inoculate the whole world !" "Good God . . look !" I cried. . Tine back of the verana-.h was bending | In another moment the wall collapsed and we were staring in horror at the line of eight monsters, goose-stepping towards us. Eagerly they ob/yed the magnetic impulse created by the proximity of Zara to the ingredients contained in the glass bottles. In the next instant we were surrounded, and the verandah groaned under the
weight. I'sensed that this was the end. -My lips met Zara's in a farewell caress. Then, the -floor dropped from under our feet. The excessive weight of- the eight monsters had snapped the supporting -beams of the structure.:; -Clasped tightly in each other's arms, we were hurled Into space
CHAPTER XIV.— THE MECHAN-V ' ICAL BIRD. J ONCE read the account of a man . who had dropped out of an airliner with a parchute. strapped to his body. He had declared that. the sen-
sation: far from being a sensation too terrible /to1 'be Imagined, was quite pleasant. I, however, had no time to analyse my . feelings as - Zara and I whirled down.:?;' . down . . . down. A rush of atr, a sudden jerk — — I clasped Zara closer to me and closed my. eyes tightly. Would the end never come? I wonderpd. Everything seemed so strangely silent so deathly still, that I wondered 'after all if this itself were death. Then it dawned on me that we were not whirling through an infinity of space, but were standing on something solid! I opened my eyes, expecting -to gaze upon a strange new world. But all I saw. were the heavenly depths of two gloriously beautiful blue eyes Iookihg deeply Into. mine. "I thought you were dead," she said."" \ '"So did I,". I replied, and added: "Well if this is death, it's hot so bad after all.". I withdrew my arms from about . her waist, and looked above me,- A few beams and cross-pieces were all that remained of the balcony .room.; Then I knew that we were standing on .the platform which I had noticed from the balcony above. Incredible as " it must sound we had fallen '.easily two hundred feet— and yet had landed, on the platform without injury of any kind! I looked inquiringly at ; Zara. I felt
certain that there must be some explanation .of. this, gravity-defying performance . ... . 'and she read my thoughts, for she pointed a, long, beautifully ' tapering .finger io! the cliff-face' five yards away/ > "In that cliff, . In a direct line with this - platform, is . an underground, storeroom; It Is packed to the roof-with Silvo-cloth. It is simply a case of attraction.'' "Attraction?" I cried. "Yes," she proceeded. "If you had a powerful magnet, and were to drop a needle in front of it, the steel would not pass the magnetic- influence, The silvo-cloth attracted the radilife, which is you and I, thereby saving, our lives." "Then If that's the case,'' I said,
"why weren't . the killers -'attracted too?"."- , "Their excessive weight prevented that,'' Zara explained. Then I noticed .that the two bottles of liquid were still adhering to her body. . A sudden thought entered my dazed mind. '. . -"Zara!? If we were to destroy one of the bottles would , that1 break/ the , power?" : ' She nodded. Obtaining a substantial '; chunk of rock from the cliff-face> ' I quickly smashed the bottle containing the red mixture! As the contents : streamed out and disappeared over the. 'edge. 'of the platform the bottle containing the dark fluid slid down from-Zara'a body and landed on the platform! .-It did not break. I picked the bottle up care- -fully, then turned to examine our im-mediate surroundings. - V I noticed an almostr-lnvislble door, set in the cliff-face." Taking; Zara by the arm, and holding : the,, bottle firmly, I walked, to the. door. ! 'tried it. To my delight, it opened easily, T AM HAA-'A IAAM
cLIIQ X ndo out lotu iu , pgc, . or '<lUUg passage disappearing to a pin-point, and illuminated. However/when I gazed up at the ceiling, expecting to find an electric light bulb, ! .: could see no evidence of where .-the,' light came from. I turned to Zara. -"''Where does this passage lead to?'-' v, "I don't know," she answered. "I've never been here before." . (To be copcluded;) " ; ,, '

The Automatic Killers
'Y/ Vcv. BY, PH1LI1V JAMES O'DONNELL. , J .
' Strangely enough, the air was quite . fresh as we advanced. But its source .waa: as great a mystery aB the origin of the illumination. I could see no ventilation .pipes. ? The passage was almost -wide " enough! for-, us . to walk
abreast, and seemed to be about seven ' feet' in height Suddenly I froze In my tracks. ; I laid' a restraining hand' on . Zara's sleeve. " Look! " . Standing- gazing at us were a man and a" girl. They were too great a distance from us for, mo. to; distinguish their faces; and' as wo 'gazed, so they tgase'd at- us In' return, unmoving-. I raised my. hand to brush the cold' beads of perspiration litem my . forehead."" ' " .'. The man at the . other end also raised his hand ! -.< Then :I laughed as it. dawned upon , me that we .were merely gazing into a - large mirror— at .our own reflections! In a few moments we were standing in V front- of the mirror-. In - -fact.there' were -four'-. large - mirrors - fixed. Into the passageway, and It .-..was from these tliat the illumination came. ' Turning and: twlsting- with a mirror at each corner; wb, were becoming weary when suddenly wo . stumbled. . .At our feet was a flight .'of steps -with a door at the bottom. , Wo: quickly .negotiated; the steps, ' 'ah'd opened the door, , We found ourselves much to otir ! astonishment standing in an enormous cave . or rather, . it was a- cave- which at first glance gave one the strong impression of being a theatre. . I noticed i several : exltB' frdm 'tills chamber. - Over : on one side :watf. a . moving-picture screeti--ter.at least that is what it. < appeared to 'f;-; and .I alBo saw a . marble , . swimming pool with the ' /familiar, control table of the wily Chang-Lu standing in >a . corner.. . A ,' rl6h . carpet covered the. .floor of this weird-looking chamber, and-. It -was 11-Juminated ; . but I could -not, and - hover did, "indeed, find out exactly how the illumination Was created, 'I turned to Zara. , , " Do y.o.u know this place ?" I asked. 1 . , She confessed ; that she 'had often been here In tlio past, Mind the thought came to mo that probably here, too, --.she had been compelled td desist Dr Chang-Lu in others- of his gruesome experiments. Carefully I placed the. .. bottle of black mixlur-i on a table.' Zara sat beside tjyi tablq. 1 -advanced to the J ' swimming pool, and was about to lean
over - and- peer Into, its mysterious depths; when suddenly with' a' chill of horror I started back. The water, which, was as clear as. glass, was teeming- with deep-sea monsters 1 Sharks,, octopuses, ' sword-fish, and many other weird- species, of the . sea's most deadly, monsters— the pool was literally packed with tthem ! Automatic fish ! The control, table at .the Bide' of the pool- '.told - me enough. Then I. remembered the octopus that had killed Dr Crlppen, and the. thought came to me that at that time Chang-Lu was experimenting and that this, grisly and repulsive collection of monsters in this pool was, the result. . ... . I walked to the . control tablp. Tlfere were/scores of levers upon it, and as I gazed at them I was puzzled —and not a little apprehensive as to which I should experlraepf with. I jammed one down at random; Luck was with -ine, for. it was the lever controlling the pool of fish. In the next Instant, the sides of the pool became alive" with tentacles, great, slimy, grasping tentacles; which- made me sick to watch..; Quickly I pulled the lever back to Its original position, and walking across the cavern floor, stood before the screen. There was a table In front of It,' similar to the control-table near the pool. As before 1 pulled a lever down. The screen— as I had half-suspected — was a largo" mlcrovislonscope, ' and as I stood- Btarln j at it, fascinated and Incredulous,. I, watched a blurred group of figures slowly take shape upon the screen, like, a picture emerging from a, cloud of 'fog, .1 What I saw on that square of screen astounded me— left me amazed and unbelieving at the brilliant genius of Chang-Lu. Thousands of soldiers appeared soldiers muttering in a strange language, marching, turning," . wheeling in accordance with the shouted commands of their, superior officers. | 1 knew then that Chang-Lu had spoken the truth. I turned from the
Microvlsiohscope, 'and retraced my step's to Zara; I sat opposite her. ' " Darling,!'. I began, "have you ever been out where the troops are training 1""Oh "Oh yes," she replied, smiling a little, " quite, often." - J " How did you get there ?" i why— in the Ornithopter. The doctor taught me how to drive It." " Is there one here .?" There are two here," she replied. " They are in the chamber behind' tbat door," pointing" to one of the many doors which punctuated "the ; - 41.. AAoavfi
Well IB U1 bill) , ''Do- you think you- could take me on a visit to the 'training grounds ?" I. -asked.-— "Lwaited" In suspense for her answer. %£. ' .1,..-. .... . .-;»Wi:Ye5she:;rei)lied, ;ij,Slio'-rds"e from! the, fable,.. Still clinging to the precious ; bottle, I followed -close on her heels.1 She .walked across the room, and, in an lnstaht I was gazing in astonishment 'at a huge sea; gull-or, it appeared to be a seagull. My heart bat a little fa'ster— for I> knew that this seagull-like apparatus was the Ornithopter. Chang-Lu's mechanical bird,
CHAPTER. XVI. THE MYSTERY .CHAMBER. fTTHE chamber in which we now stood was unfurnished. It was indeed, merely a' hare caye. 1 examined the Ornithopter with great interest and curiosity. It seemed for all the world like nothing more or less than a giant Beagull. It had no propellers, it was painted blue and white. Zara Btepped to a door, and entered. I followed— and again I was forced to a numbed admiration of the
genius of Chang-Lu; for I found myself now standing fn a room fitted with a. contrivance not unlike a wireless receiving set. . There were also a table and a bed ; and the far end there seemed to be a small kitchen. Measuring the capacity of this machine, with my eyes, T could see that it could easily accommodate two hundred men, and the terrific thought hit my brain that with a thousand of similar machines, Japan, In the twinkling of an eye, could send over an army to its operating base, against which the forces of Australia would be powerless 1 I turned for . the time . being away from these, unpleasant; thoughts, and continued , my examination of the cabin. The pilot's ' cabin consisted of a steering wh.e<»i and a wireless cabinet similar to that 'which I had seen in the other cabin. Of- machinery, . however, there was none. The propelling force of this' wonderful apparatus was to me a profound mystery.Zara Zara indicated a seat beside her. I seated myself and began- to wonder how we were going tod get out of the. cavern in which we were.- 1 could Bee 'no .exit. Zara, however, did not <ip-. pear to be worrying over that matter. She touched a button and I gazed in amazement through the wind--screen as a huge door opened, and.-I found myself staring at 'a great expanse of sea. " Before we start, tell me how this machine works ?" 1 asked the beautiful girl at my Bide.." What runs it?" She pointed to the sea. " It is con trolled by the wireless operator out there.'.' "What a studendous discovery!" I gasped. " A propellerless, wireless-controlled plane 1" Zara's fingers was on another button, pressing it gently ; and. noiselessly the machine left the ground, and in another moment we were outside. We soared, an,j It onlj-, seemed a minute before I could see a high wall of clouds rushing swiftly to meet us. Now .we
were flying over the clouds ; gently then the machine came to- rest. ;.,Zara- alighted; anifcj followed her;" .Concealing the -bottle carefully under; my! -coat; I gazed-' 'around me. - I . saw? that ;the "artificial" fog -was actually around the training ground. The place was alive with . troops. Thousands and thou;"" sands, of them marched or walked' about. BulldingB were scattered, here and there; and I noticed an airship hangar. Then I saw >a group of Japanese officers approaching us. To my. astonishment, they then all knelt down and reverently kissed Zara's feet!
They must' think she is a goddess— the thought flashed into my startled ' mind. . "How do you do, Mr Saunders?" I turned — -surprised.- ; "We've been expecting you,/' went on the voice,: a pleasAnt voice; which spoke perfect English. ; ; "Oh— expecting me?':. Ijaslied one of the. officers. . ' , .?.-!;. .;
Uil /CO, Ut. tUUlDCi - WW WULI.I1CU you kill the doctor. We h'aVe a!, Micro-visionscope out here, you/know." My spirits dropped to! zero'. Did they know that I- had concealed upon ' me a bottle . with . one , hii.ndr e,"d' ; thousand death potions n ;t? Evidently not; for I.was-now led to -a -building and told to wait. " Zara accompanied the- officers in another direction. 1 placed the bottle under, a settee. The room in which I stood was evidently used as an office, for I noticed a- typewriter on the table. On a' "shelf nearby was a large clear cut-glass . bottle. I have always been an expert .with a typewriter. I gazed outside". There was nobody nearby . . . . Quickly, I grasped paper, placed.. it in the machine, and" began. My fingers flew over the machine's keys. Somehow I Bensed that this was tie end, I must record my experiences; those strange, terrifying, astonishing -'experiences which had befallen' ipe since that morning, not so long agqr-yet seemingly , a veritable age-7-when Professor Noyoke had called upon me at my office in Pitt Street; , 'experiences which now seemed, to me almost those of a dream, . vague; horrible, thrilling ... -. . Well, the tale is almost told.. I realise that I will be a close prisoner. If 1 want to save my country I must destroy myself, the woman I love as I have never loved a woriian in my life before, and one hundf otlthousand souls. -I have opened the bottle. ": I -have poured the contents In the extreme corner of the room. 1 pause -ini my typing for a moment, and, "looking up from the machine, - perceive .that a steel cabinet is sinking as the Freez-ine returns to its 'naturn:! state. Good! Even though! I must die, and the woman I love' die "with me, I will save my. country, , audits pleople, from a ghastly .-.fate; !. Far better that I should glye(-up:my pirny life so' that the lives of /six million people — men, women, chirdyen-?? should be spared! 1 I must place this manuscript in t»i bottle on the shelf-;; ,1 . seal it. Some day it may be found. Good-bye! ' ' ,.:'!1. . '.finis; : M

Item sets

Vintage Science Fiction from Australian Newspapers 1901-1939 (Australian)