Bones of the River - Edgar Wallace [87]
“Take the starboard gun, Bones,” said Sanders, and Bones crouched at the Hotchkiss, his finger on the brass trigger.
“I don’t know whether I’m dreaming,” said Hamilton, “but I certainly feel that Bones is going to owe us an apology after this!”
Sanders swung the Zaire to midstream, and, jamming over the telegraph to full speed, gave a signal to the Houssas in the bow. The tank dropped with a splash as the Zaire swung round and headed for the river, her stern wheel revolving furiously. They reached the weed-grown river mouth and slowed.
“That will do,” said Sanders, watch in hand, and stopped the engines.
“Bones!” whispered his superior. “You’ve fooled the Commissioner!”
At that moment there was a quivering thud of sound – a white geyser of water leapt up in the centre of the lake, and – that was all.
“Nothing!” said Hamilton.
The word was hardly out of his mouth when the waters of the lake began to rock and toss, and out of the depths arose that horrible spade-shaped head. Higher and higher the neck emerged.
“Bang!”
The Hotchkiss spat viciously, and somewhere near the fearful head a blue-black ball of smoke came into being. When it had gone there was no head – nothing but the boiling, bubbling waters and the flash of a great, dead-white surface like the belly of a fish.
“I wouldn’t write about this if I were you, Bones,” said Sanders later.
“Dear old sir,” confessed Bones, “my jolly old hand is too shaky to write – I’m stickin’ to the dinkey little monkeys with pants.”
Endnotes
[Note: Where supported by the reading device, access keys are 1-9, and then a,b etc. where needed (sometimes also requiring Ctrl, Alt, Cmd etc.)]
[1] Letter.
[2] Doughty.
[3] “Mystery” and “secret” are synonymous terms in the Lamongo tongue.
[4] There are patches of land on the river, in which the germs of lockjaw abound.
[5] Teeth = ivory tusks.
[6] = one hundred: that is, every hundred paces.
Series Information
Dates given are for year of first publication.
'Lieutenant Bones' Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
1. Bones 1915
2. The Keepers of the King's Peace 1917
3. Bones in London 1921
4. Bones of the River 1923
Refer also to the 'Sanders' Series
'Educated Evans' Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
1. Educated Evans 1924
2. More Educated Evans 1926
3. Good Evans Also: 'The Educated Man' 1921
'The Four Just Men' Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
1. The Four Just Men 1905
2. The Council of Justice 1908
3. The Just Men of Cordova 1917
4. The Law of the Four Just Men 1921
5. The Three Just Men 1926
6. Again, the Three Just Men Also: 'The Law of the Three Just Men' 1977
'Mr. J.G. Reeder' Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
1. Room 13 1924
2. The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder Also: 'The Murder Book of Mr. J.G. Reeder' 1925
3. Terror Keeper 1927
4. Red Aces 1929
5. Mr. J.G. Reeder Returns 1932
'Mr. Commissioner Sanders' Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
1. Sanders of the River 1911
2. The People of the River 1912
3. The River of Stars 1913
4. Bosambo of the River 1914
5. The Keepers of the King's Peace 1917
6. Sandi the Kingmaker 1922
5. Sanders Also: 'Mr. Commissioner Sanders' 1926
5. Again Sanders 1928
Synopses - All Titles
Published by House of Stratus
Admiral Carfew
Gregory Carfew is ‘an unparalleled master of descriptive’. Felix Carfew ‘writes a vile hand’. There is a new boy on the desk at The Megaphone and it is Felix who is handed the envelope. Finding himself on Ambassador Greishen’s special train, then on a steamer to Ostend, Felix recklessly exploits the opportunity. At 3.00 a.m. Gregory gets an urgent telegram. On the quay at Ostend Felix flees and Gregory steps forward to introduce himself…
Angel of Terror
Jack Glover of Rennet, Glover and Simpson