A Novel Chase.

of them had cards with them , the' stranger made a : memo of the name and nnmber of the Lodge on a bank-note . I took down the name and number , ' and place ' of-meeting of the Lodge in America to which the visitor belonged , so that iii case I should require information from him I could easil y find him .

I need hardly say that I was somewhat elated with the success which seemed to he opening out in furthering my endeavours , and pleading fatigue I retired-from the meeting early . Before going to bed , however , I arranged for Michael ' s attendance

early the next morning , and after breakfast 1 commissioned him to secure a good turn out for a drive into Spain ; knowing that in going there I should pass the barracks near the North Gate , also the encampment near the neutral ground where the shooting squads were quartered .

•' ¦ On arriving at the former I met one of the officers to whom I was introduced the previous evening , and by him I was conducted through the various rooms and parade grounds . Then at the encampment I was fortunate enough to meet with a non-commissioned officer who also took me on a tour of inspection , but in both instances I failed to recognise any one resembling the photos . : ¦ ¦

Going back again via Catalan Bay , I managed during the drive to elicit , in ordinary conversation with Michael , the fact that several parties of Englishmen and Americans had recently been on the Rock , and that most of them had gone wild boar hunting in Morocco , though , notwithstanding the very full particulars given by the loquacious guide , I could not identify any one as the young gentleman of whom I was in search .

1 was almost beginning to fear that I was after all on a wild goose chase , when we pulled up at the Windmill barracks . Here I presented to the young Highlander my letter of introduction . After reading it ho exclaimed " By jove , that ' s queer ; I could almost swear I saw Raleigh on the ' Gibeltarik' steaming across to Tangiers when I was on a P . & 0 . steamer seeing off some friends to India . "

Coupling this with the information 1 had already gained , my hopes revived , and as soon as I could get away . I called upon the owners of thc steamer to whom 1 was well known . I found that about , the time the young Highlander referred to as having seen young Raleigh , a party of six had gone over to Tangiers on their boat , but as the tickets had all been taken b y one gentleman , his name only appeared in the books .

However the clue seemed too good to abandon , so the next morning , with Michael as guide , I crossed over the Straits to Tangiers ., feel ing sure that should young Raleigh have gone inland

A Novel Chase.

on a shooting expedition , I ' should hear something of him from Ansaldo , the genial host of the Hotel Continental , who generally provides shooting parties with guides and all other necessaries . After the good dinner usually provided at this well-known hostelry , I joined mine host ' in the luxuriously furnished smoking ' room , and over our cigars and cafe I ascertained that the party of six included a young Englishman calling himself Weston .

Meanwhile Michael had managed to find ont from the guide who accompanied the party , that there had boon a considerable amount of card playing , and that Weston lost heavily . Thinking that if Weston was really Ralei gh , ho must now have run through his gold and be making * use of the Hank notes , I set about endeavouring to strengthen my clue by gaining possession of

one or move of the notes the numbers of which I had in my possession . So , under the plea of wanting some smaller money , I exchanged a £ 20 note with the landlord , and amongst the change was a £ "> note which , on comparing with my list , I found to be one of those drawn from the bank in London by young Raleigh , and was part of the hotel bill paid by Weston to Ansaldo .

I learnt also from Ansaldo that five of the party returned to Gibraltar , and Weston remained at his hotel for a few days after the others had left . He sometimes conversed with Ansaldo on financial matters , and told him that he intended going to Monte Carlo to endeavour to make a pile , or if he failed in that , to commit some rash act , eventuall y he sailed or . a French steamer for Al giers en route for Marseilles .

I wrote to Mr . Warren that evening to acquaint him of the success 1 had so far met with , and informed him that I should proceed at once to the Riviera . I sent this letter to Gibraltar tho next morning by Michael as I did not further require his services . I was just in time to get on board one of the steamers running to France via Malaga , and in three days landed in Marseilles .

At the Hotel de Louvre on ascending in the elevator I was rather astonished to hear my name mentioned by a waiter who was going up with us , and who it turned out had been employed for some time in a city hotel where I frequently dined . Through him I got some valuable information from Cook ' s agents who look after visitors on their arrival b y rail ancl steamer , and I felt convinced that I -was still on the right track .

Early the next morning I started for Nice , andthe first man I saw upon the platform happened to bo a Manchester merchant , with whom our Loudon house had business transactions .

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