The Pit Prop Syndicate Part 13

"We agreed these folk were wide-awake and suspicious of us. Very well.

Directly our visit to them is over, we change our plans and leave Bordeaux. Will it not strike them that our interest in the trip was only on their account?"

"I don't see it. We gave a good reason for leaving."

"Quite; that's what I'm coming to. We told them you were recalled to your office. But what about that man Morton, that was to spy on us before? What's to prevent them asking him if you really have returned?"

Hilliard sat up sharply.

"By Jove!" he cried. "I never thought of that."

"And there's another thing," Merriman went on. "We turn up at Hull, find the syndicate's depot and hang about, the fellow in charge there sees us. Well, that's all right if he hasn't had a letter from France describing us and enclosing a copy of that group that Captain Beamish took at the chateau."

Hilliard whistled.

"Lord! It's not going to be so simple as it looks, is it?"

"It isn't. And what's more, we can't afford to make any mistakes. It's too dangerous."

Hilliard got up and began to pace the room.

"I don't care," he declared savagely. "I'm going through with it now no matter what happens."

"Oh, so am I, for the matter of that. All I say is we shall have to show a bit more intelligence this time."

For an hour more they discussed the matter, and at last decided on a plan. On the following morning Hilliard was to go to his office, see his chief and ask for an extension of leave, then hang about and interview as many of his colleagues as possible, telling them he had been recalled, but was not now required. His chief was not very approachable, and Hilliard felt sure the subject would not be broached to him. In the evening they would go down to Hull.

This program they would have carried out, but for an unforeseen event.

While Hilliard was visiting his office Merriman took the opportunity to call at his, and there learned that Edwards, his partner, had been taken ill the morning before. It appeared there was nothing seriously wrong, and Edwards expected to be back at work in three or four days, but until his return Merriman was required, and he had reluctantly to telephone the news to Hilliard. But no part of their combined holiday was lost.

Hilliard by a stroke of unexpected good fortune was able to spend the same time at work, and postpone the remainder of his leave until Merriman was free. Thus it came to pa.s.s that it was not until six days later than they had intended that the two friends packed their bags for Hull.

They left King's Cross by the 5.40 p.m. train, reaching their destination a little before eleven. There they took rooms at the George, a quiet hotel in Baker Street, close to the Paragon Station.

CHAPTER 7. THE FERRIBY DEPOT

The two friends, eager and excited by their adventure, were early astir next morning, and after breakfast Hilliard went out and bought the best map of the city and district he could find.

"Why, Ferriby's not in the town at all," he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments. "It's up the river--must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there's a station. We'd better go out there and prospect."

Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

After clearing the suburbs the line came down close to the river, and the two friends kept a good look-out for the depot. About four and a half miles out they stopped at a station called Ha.s.sle, then a couple of miles farther their perseverance was rewarded and they saw a small pier and shed, the latter bearing in large letters on its roof the name of the syndicate. Another mile and a half brought them to Ferriby, where they alighted.

"Now what about walking back to Ha.s.sle," Hilliard suggested, "and seeing what we can see?"

They followed the station approach road inland until they reached the main thoroughfare, along which they turned eastwards in the direction of Hull. In a few minutes they came in sight of the depot, half a mile off across the fields. A lane led towards it, and this they followed until it reached the railway.

from Ferriby to Main Road * Fields * * * * *

* *_*| * * [_]Ackroyd & Holt's * cottage[] | * Lane * | | Railway * * * * * * * * * * * * * | | to Hull

from Ferriby [ ]Syndicate's Depot ()signal box

~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~to the sea~~~

River Humber

There it turned in the direction of Hull and ran parallel to the line for a short distance, doubling back, as they learned afterwards, until it reached the main road half-way to Ha.s.sle. The railway tracks were on a low bank, and the men could just see across them to the syndicate's headquarters.

The view was not very good, but so far as they could make out, the depot was a replica of that in the Landes clearing. A timber wharf jutted out into the stream, apparently of the same size and construction as that on the River Lesque. Behind it was the same kind of galvanized iron shed, but this one, besides having windows in the gables, seemed the smaller of the two. Its back was only about a hundred feet from the railway, and the s.p.a.ce between was taken up by a yard surrounded by a high galvanized iron fence, above which appeared the tops of many stacks of pit-props.

Into the yard ran a siding from the railway. From a door in the fence a path led across the line to a wicket in the hedge of the lane, beside which stood a "Beware of the Trains" notice. There was no sign of activity about the place, and the gates through which the siding entered the enclosure were shut.

Hilliard stopped and stood looking over.

"How the mischief are we to get near that place without being seen?"

he questioned. "It's like a German pill-box. There's no cover anywhere about."

It was true. The country immediately surrounding the depot was singularly bare. It was flat except for the low bank, four or five feet high, on which lay the railway tracks. There were clumps of trees farther inland, but none along the sh.o.r.e, and the nearest building, a large block like a factory with beside it a cottage, was at least three hundred yards away in the Hull direction.

"Seems an element of design in that, eh, Hilliard?" Merriman remarked as they turned to continue their walk. "Considering the populous country we're in, you could hardly find a more isolated place."

Hilliard nodded as they turned away.

"I've just been thinking that. They could carry on any tricks they liked there and no one would be a bit the wiser."

They moved on towards the factory-like building. It was on the inland side of the railway, and the lane swung away from the line and pa.s.sed what was evidently its frontage. A siding ran into its rear, and there were connections across the main lines and a signal cabin in the distance. A few yards on the nearer side stood the cottage, which they now saw was empty and dilapidated.

"I say, Hilliard, look there!" cried Merriman suddenly.

They had pa.s.sed along the lane until the facade of the building had come into view and they were able to read its signboard: "Ackroyd & Bolt, Licensed Rectifiers."

"I thought it looked like a distillery," continued Merriman in considerable excitement. "By Jove! Hilliard, that's a find and no mistake! Pretty suggestive, that, isn't it?"

Hilliard was not so enthusiastic.

"I'm not so sure," he said slowly. "You mean that it supports my brandy smuggling theory? Just how?"

"Well, what do you think yourself? We suspect brandy smuggling, and here we find at the import end of the concern the nearest building in an isolated region is a distillery--a rectifying house, mind you! Isn't that a matter of design too? How better could they dispose of their stuff than by dumping it on to rectifiers?"