and he stood aghast. Henderson was lying dead, had been stabbed in half a dozen places, and the bedclothes were soaking with his blood.
For some minutes Sir Leonard remained immovable, his teeth clenched, his eyes expressing the agony of his thoughts. He had not the slightest doubt that Henderson had been murdered in mistake for him. Somehow the assassins had forced an entry without rousing the poor fellow and, probably seeing the dim form on the bed, had stabbed without risking a light. It was a ghastly crime, and proved, in no uncertain fashion, that their intentions were desperate indeed. Then enlightenment came to him, and he felt sure that the men with whom he and Achmet had fought were the murderers returning after having completed their foul work.
Quickly Wallace changed into his own clothes, and removed the stain from his face and arm. Then, dashing down to the office, he despatched one of the surprised watchmen for the manager, and telephoned the Sirdar. It took him some time to get through, but at last he had the satisfaction of hearing the Governor-General’s voice, and told him what had happened including his suspicion of the identity of the assassins. He was listened to in silence, then:
‘You must get away from Egypt at once,’ came the urgent command. ‘I’ll give orders for an aeroplane to be at your disposal at dawn, and send an escort to see you safely to the flying ground. Tell the manager a representative of mine will interview him shortly, that I’ll take full charge of the body, and inquiries concerning the murder. We shall have to hush up a good deal onaccount of Henderson’s business in Cairo, but you can trust me to see justice done. The most important thing at the moment is for you to get away.’
Sir Leonard saw the force of his argument and, though reluctant to leave Cairo without avenging in some measure the death of his assistant, his first duty was to his government. The manager arrived as he replaced the receiver, and was terribly shocked when informed of the tragedy. He accompanied Wallace to the room and stood by, his face as white as a sheet, while the Chief of the Secret Service examined the lock of the door. It had obviously been forced and by an expert, who had probably made little or no noise.
No doubt the assassins had bribed a locksmith to accompany them, or already had a man of that trade in their pay. Two officers of the Sirdar’s household and a high official of the Egyptian police arrived before long, and took charge of affairs. Sir Leonard made a statement which was taken down, left instructions for Achmet to return to Port Said; then hurriedly packed his bags. Before leaving the room he took a last sad look at the face of the man who had given his life for him.
A closed car with a small escort of armed soldiers awaited him below. He at once drove to the aerodrome, and arrived there without incident. Dawn had broken when the aeroplane rose into the sky and headed for Alexandria. A Royal Air Force flying-boat took him from there to Brindisi and two days later, he was in London once again.
The British Government was immediately put in possession of the whole facts, while the red book contained enough evidence to force the Egyptian Government to take severe and immediate steps against the extremists, with the result that there was peace in Egypt for some time. Unfortunately the return to parliament ofZaghlul Pasha and the Nationalist extremists a year later caused fresh disturbances culminating in the murder of the Sirdar, Sir Lee Stack, in 1925. But the mass of information in the possession of the British Government which had been obtained by Sir Leonard Wallace and men he sent out after his return, enabled the British to take firm action. The murderers were tried and executed, the Egyptian demand of sovereignty over the Sudan was definitely refused, and a separate Sudanese Defence Force organised, while all Egyptian officials and troops were expelled from that
For some minutes Sir Leonard remained immovable, his teeth clenched, his eyes expressing the agony of his thoughts. He had not the slightest doubt that Henderson had been murdered in mistake for him. Somehow the assassins had forced an entry without rousing the poor fellow and, probably seeing the dim form on the bed, had stabbed without risking a light. It was a ghastly crime, and proved, in no uncertain fashion, that their intentions were desperate indeed. Then enlightenment came to him, and he felt sure that the men with whom he and Achmet had fought were the murderers returning after having completed their foul work.
Quickly Wallace changed into his own clothes, and removed the stain from his face and arm. Then, dashing down to the office, he despatched one of the surprised watchmen for the manager, and telephoned the Sirdar. It took him some time to get through, but at last he had the satisfaction of hearing the Governor-General’s voice, and told him what had happened including his suspicion of the identity of the assassins. He was listened to in silence, then:
‘You must get away from Egypt at once,’ came the urgent command. ‘I’ll give orders for an aeroplane to be at your disposal at dawn, and send an escort to see you safely to the flying ground. Tell the manager a representative of mine will interview him shortly, that I’ll take full charge of the body, and inquiries concerning the murder. We shall have to hush up a good deal onaccount of Henderson’s business in Cairo, but you can trust me to see justice done. The most important thing at the moment is for you to get away.’
Sir Leonard saw the force of his argument and, though reluctant to leave Cairo without avenging in some measure the death of his assistant, his first duty was to his government. The manager arrived as he replaced the receiver, and was terribly shocked when informed of the tragedy. He accompanied Wallace to the room and stood by, his face as white as a sheet, while the Chief of the Secret Service examined the lock of the door. It had obviously been forced and by an expert, who had probably made little or no noise.
No doubt the assassins had bribed a locksmith to accompany them, or already had a man of that trade in their pay. Two officers of the Sirdar’s household and a high official of the Egyptian police arrived before long, and took charge of affairs. Sir Leonard made a statement which was taken down, left instructions for Achmet to return to Port Said; then hurriedly packed his bags. Before leaving the room he took a last sad look at the face of the man who had given his life for him.
A closed car with a small escort of armed soldiers awaited him below. He at once drove to the aerodrome, and arrived there without incident. Dawn had broken when the aeroplane rose into the sky and headed for Alexandria. A Royal Air Force flying-boat took him from there to Brindisi and two days later, he was in London once again.
The British Government was immediately put in possession of the whole facts, while the red book contained enough evidence to force the Egyptian Government to take severe and immediate steps against the extremists, with the result that there was peace in Egypt for some time. Unfortunately the return to parliament ofZaghlul Pasha and the Nationalist extremists a year later caused fresh disturbances culminating in the murder of the Sirdar, Sir Lee Stack, in 1925. But the mass of information in the possession of the British Government which had been obtained by Sir Leonard Wallace and men he sent out after his return, enabled the British to take firm action. The murderers were tried and executed, the Egyptian demand of sovereignty over the Sudan was definitely refused, and a separate Sudanese Defence Force organised, while all Egyptian officials and troops were expelled from that
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