Sax Rohmer

“ Adderley's nondescript valet came in with some letters. He also brought in a rather large brown-paper parcel sealed and fastened with great care.
"Surely that is from Egypt!" muttered Adderley as the man went out.
Taking up the parcel, he seemed to become oblivious of my presence, and his face grew even more haggard as he studied the writing upon the wrapper. With unsteady fingers he untied it. I lingered, watching curiously. Presently, out from the wrappings he took a very beautiful casket of ebony and ivory, cunningly carved and standing upon four claw-like legs. ”

“ The neighborhood was practically deserted at that hour; but from the guard on duty before St. James's Palace we obtained our first evidence of Adderley's movements. He had raced by some five minutes before, frantically looking back over his shoulder, and behaving like a man flying for his life. No one else had seen him. No one else ever did see him alive. ”

“ That it contained the hand of the White Sheik—the hand which had been amputated by Dr, Matheson—I could not doubt. Its appearance in that dramatic fashion confirmed Matheson's idea that the Arab's injury had been received at the hands of Adderley. What did all this portend, unless that the White Sheik was dead? And if he were dead, why was Adderley more afraid of him dead than living?
I thought of the haunting shadow. I thought of the night at Gezireh. I thought of Dr, Matheson's words when he told us of his discovery of the sheik lying in the path that night beside the Nile. ”

“ I immediately became a focus of general curiosity.
"I met Adderley," I began, "here in this very hotel, one evening in the winter of 1917. He had been drinking rather heavily—a fact which he was quite unable to disguise. He was never by any means a real friend of mine. In fact, I doubt if he had a true friend in the world. However, I could see that he was lonely, and as I chanced to be at a loose end I accepted an invitation to go over to what he termed his 'little place' at Gezireh." ”

“ I am all alone—I have no one else to appeal to." There came a choking sound. "My God, Marriott, it is getting in! I can see the shadow on the blind!"
Convinced that Adderley's secret fears had driven him mad, I nevertheless felt called upon to comply with his urgent call, and without a moment's delay I hurried to St, James's Street. The liftman was not on duty, the lower hall was in darkness, but I raced up the stairs and found to my astonishment that Adderley's door was wide open.
"Adderley!" I cried. "Adderley!" ”

“ How I should have brought the conversation back to our Cairo days I know not, but a suitable opening was presently offered by Adderley himself.
"Do you ever see any of the old gang?" he inquired.
"I was in Cairo about six months ago," I replied, "and I met some of them again."
"What? Had they drifted back to Egypt after all?"
"Two or three of them were taking what Dr. Matheson described as a busman's holiday."
At mention of Dr. Matheson's name, Adderley visibly started.
"So you know Matheson!" he murmured. "I didn't know you had ever met him." ”

“ Nothing further came to light that night, but all readers of the daily press will remember that on the following day Adderley's body was taken out of the pond in St, James's Park. Death was due to drowning, but his throat was greatly discolored, as if it had been clutched in a fierce grip. ”

“ One queer stipulation he had made—that the severed hand should be given to him when he left the hospital; and this bargain I faithfully carried out."
"Most extraordinary!" I said. "Did you ever learn the identity of the old gentleman?"
"He was very reticent, but I made a number of inquiries, and finally learned—with absolute certainty, I think—that he was the Sheik Abdulla Something-or-Other, an Arab of some repute in the neighborhood, and rather a big man in the religious world. Indeed, he was a minor prophet of some sort, and was known locally as the White Sheik." ”

“ Sometimes, when he comes in late of a night, he absolutely gives me the cold shivers, he does!"
I lingered, the box under my arm, reluctant to obtain confidences from a servant, but at the same time keenly interested.
"Then there's a lady friend of his who is always coming here," the man continued. "She's haunted by shadows, too." He paused, watching me narrowly, "There's nothing better in this world than a clear conscience, sir!" ”

“ Adderley sank down again upon the settee.
"My God!" he whispered. "His hand! His hand! He has sent me his hand!"
He began laughing. I could see that the man was practically hysterical because of his mysterious fears.
"Stop that!" I said sharply. "Pull yourself together, Adderley! What the deuce is the matter with you?"
"Take it away!" he moaned. "Take it away, Marriott! Take the accursed thing away!"
"I admit it is an unpleasant gift to send to anybody," I said ”

“ As many people will know, the mystery of Adderley's death, in spite of the closest inquiries, has not been properly cleared up to this day. The identity of the lady who visited him at his chambers was never discovered. She completely disappeared.
The ebony and ivory casket lies on my table at this present moment, visible evidence of an invisible menace from which Adderley fled around the world.
Doubtless the full truth will never be known now. A significant discovery, however, was made some days after the recovery of Adderley's body. From the bottom of the pond in St. ”