1940-01-04 — Page 9

Potted-Best-Seller Serial: Fifth Day THE HOPKINS MANUSCRIPT

By R. C. SHERRIFF Who Wrote "Journey's End"

The moon struck the earth, sweeping away all air from its surface. Edgar Hopkins, one of the few survivors, faced death again.

the of

to

As the air had left the outside world the pressure of the atmosphere in this room had burst the window and was whistling away into night. I was suffering agonies physical pain: my head seemed swell like a balloon and my limbs felt horribly big and bloated. I stag- gered to the door: I heard the air whistling through the keyhole from the outside hall and as I turned the handle the door flew open. almost stunning me.

The air rushed from the hall to- wards the shattered window and I was able to take one great, God-sent breath of it that gave me the strength to struggle onwards to the door, of my library.

As the door opened inwards I had to throw my whole weight against it before it would give against the pres- sure of air within. I fell into the room and the door crashed to behind me as I lay panting for breath upon the floor. But there was air in here, The win- and I quickly recovered. dows of the library were latticed in lead, with thick diamond-shaped panes that had withstood the strain.

I felt better for it. I walked through the hall and into the drawing-room. I went to the broken window, threw it' open and looked out.

*

The night was very dark: I found my torch upon the floor and flashed it on to the plain beyond the win- dow.

It was not a plain; it was water, a vast expanse of inky, sluggish water moving slowly by the window within a few feet of the walls.

I was sure now that I was mad. Floods I could imagine-floods that might even penetrate this inland valley but before me was an ocean: moving placidly 500 feet above the

level of the sea.

I

"Robin took an uncertain stop towards me. He seamed doubt. ful if i was real. Then: 'My uncle's dead,' he said.

I stood there without thought: stood with dull eyes and deadened brain until a huge black shape came the huge backwash from the Atlantic slowly within my vision and quench- Ocean struck the southern coast of ed the faint greyness of the night. | Britain the Udal waves swept up the

an Immense ship, valleys. It looked like

harbour. sleepily nosing its way to. For a moment its vast bulk seemed within touching distance and I thought that portholes passed me. The water was closer now: It was lapping against the very walls of the house;

The greatest ships in the world had what I had taken to be the ripples of been like bottle corks in the face of wind across a field of clover now those mighty waves. The King Lear, showed themselves to be long, rhyth-wrenched from her moorings, had mic waves, advancing steadily-each wave adding a little to the rising surface of the ocean.

I do not remember going back to my library-I have only a Mazy re- collection of sitting for a long while in my armchair, drumming the arm- rests with my fingers and saying out loud again and again: "Mad!-quite madi-raving mad!-solitary raving madman in an empty world!"

When I awoke there was a little

But I could hear the precious, life-light coming through the open door. giving atmosphere whistling under

I went to the cupboard. A syphon

ridden up this Hampshire valley un- til the lip of the downs had ended her nightmare voyage. The wave had receded as rapidly as it had come, leaving it wrecked behind it.

I was about to go and get my bino- culars to search the surrounding coun-

I saw try when

something which brought a shout of joy to my lips. I yelled like a madman and waved my

hat.

Standing upon the opposite hillside was a solitary figure. It did not move

the door-like water through the sluice was there. I pressed the nozzle toit did not answer my shout-but it

gates of a mill.

was

I dragged up the hearthrug and wedged it along the crack; it easier to keep air within the room than to keep it out, for the pressure drew the rug tightly against the leak and the hissing stopped.

I was thinking calmly and logically again: for greater safety I closed the

shutters over the windows to lessen the pressure against the glass. I ex- amined the chimney and was glad of my foresight in blocking it with a wet towel. The room seemed air- tight now. How long I could live in it I did not know-I scarcely cared.

my parched lips and felt the cool, sweet water hiss into

my burning throat.

I went to the window and threw the shutters open. Dawn was com- ing over the stricken hillside: the sweetest "dawn that I have ever seen.

The valley was still deep in dark- ness, but that ghostly ocean had gone as weirdly as it came.

I ran across the hall and flung the door wide to the glorious sunlight: I ran into the drawing-room, flung myself upon the couch and lay there laughing and sobbing.

I was alive!-the sun was rising!- the world was saved!

I quickly discovered that the weird ocean outside my window on the pre- vious night had been no ghostly ap- parition of a fevered brain. My gar- den was in a ghastly mess-thick with slimy mud and seaweed.

Then I think that I must have fainted. I returned to consciousness with a ghastly headache that seemed I walked over the hillcrest and to be forcing my eyes from their looked down upon the piece of land sockets: my tongue was swollen-I that had always been my pride and could not swallow. I faced a slow, joy. agonising death.

Sprawled in my meadow, almost I staggered to the door and deter- covering the whole five acres of it, mined to open it. In any case it lay a huge black shape. I went down would be better to die at once than the hillside in mute bewilderment and to bear the slow agony of suffocation | as I drew nearer I saw to my amaze- in this room.

ment that it was an enormous ship.

was alive, and human.

I slithered down the muddy hillside and raced across the valley, and as I drew near I saw that it was Robin Parker.

me:

He took an uncertain step towards I think that he recognised me, although he seemed doubtful whether anguished mind. He was terribly pale, I were a real person or a vision of his blood stained his cheek-bones almost to the jaw.

"My uncle's dead," he said.

For a moment he looked me in the eyes then turned and walked towards the dug-out.

With intense thankfulness I saw the figure of a girl come from the house,

and walk down the hill to meet us.

Pat smiled and took my hand. "I'm so glad you are safe," she said "Has Robin told you? It's good of you to come"

The sun was sinking as we crossed the valley towards the dug-out doors. We passed the two closed dug-out doors without a glance and made straight for the one that stood ajar.

"Got a match?" said Robin,

I drew a box from my pocket and We watched Robin took it from me. him anxiously as he began to grope down into the darkness.

I drew the hearthrug from the bot- Its great hull lay facing me-tower- tom of the door. I knelt and held ing above me-its three immense fun-boy's body silhouetted against the

my hand against the crack. There was a slight movement, whether of air going out or coming in 'I could not tell.

nels stuck out upon the other side. their tops resting upon the gentle slope that rose towards the downs. -

The sun was glinting upon the great

I summoned my courage, took hold bronze screws as I stood staring up at of the handle, and pulled. The door them like a rhan in a trance. I walk- opened with ease there was air uponed to the bows and, by twisting my earth again?

head, was able to read the name upon, It was bitterly cold, with a sickly, the vessel's side. It was the King sulphurous taste but it was air and Lear. breatheable. I stood there for

The phenomenon is not difficult to moment, taking deep, thankful explain. Sdraughts of It made me cough, of a great s

Twretched and was alightly al but ward to¬Böuth:

#

mea

We stood together beside the door, talking in hushed voices as if people slept nearby.

"Somebody opened the door," said Robin. "somebody from inside. If they could open it, they could come out. Where are they all? It can't be that-that we're the last people left alive."

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A little flame spat out: we saw the light and heard his exclamation of surprise.

"It's full of water." he said. "They The OFFICE APPLIANCE Co must all be

IMITED

.

He hesitated, over the words. groped down and stood beside him. Lavel with the sixth step lay an inky surface of water.

As we returned to the doorway, picked up something from the

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*Page 10

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THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 4, 1940.

RATIONING PLANS FOR BRITAIN

BEGIN ON MONDAY

London, To-day. DETAILS OF THE RATIONING of bacon ånd ham, which is to come into force on January 8, were issued by the Ministry of Food yesterday.

The uncooked bacon and ham ration will be four ounces, and cooked bacon and ham three and a half ounces a week maximum.

Retail prices will range from 1/2d. to ‍2/1d. accord-

ing to cuts.

The Ministry of Food states it is

proposed, as an experiment, to allow FRENCH

catering establishments to serve bacon and ham without surrender of cou- pons, provided they are consumed on the premises.

Supplies of butter and sugar to catering establishment will be calculated on the basis of one. sixth of an ounce of butter and one-seventh of an ounce of sugar per meal served.

This includes afternoon Lea, for which no butter was allowed during the last war.

The arrangements apply to all places of refreshment open to the public, including clubs and canteens.-Reu-

ter.

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CH-LOOK-DADDY- IT'S SNOWING HERE IN CHICAGO-

YES-DEAR-

JAM READING-

LOOK OUT THE WINDOW- MR. JIGGS- IT'S SNOWING-

INTIMATION

TO LEAGUE

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")

Paris, To-day. The French Foreign Office has des- patched a Note addressed to M. Joseph Avenol, Secretary-General of the League of Nations, in reply to the League request in connection with help for Finland.

The French communication asserts France's determination to extend the fullest possible assistance to Finland in co-operation with other members of the League,”

Havas.

VATICAN FIRE ENQUIRY

(8PECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")

Rome, To-day.

COUNCIL COMPOSED OF REPRE- SENTATIVES OF THE BRITISH EM- PLOYERS CONFEDERATION AND THE T.U.C. GENERAL COUNCIL, WHICH WAS SET UP TO ADVISE THE GOVERNMENT-ON MATTERS IN WHICH EMPLOYERS AND

The preliminary Investigation into WORKERS HAVE COMMON INTER- the causes of the fire which damaged EST, WAS HELD YESTERDAY AT THE MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND NATIONAL SERVICE WITH THE MINISTER IN THE CHAIR.

Also present were representatives of the Treasury, the Board of Trade, the Mines Department and the Min- istry of Food.

General discussion was resumed on the statement made to the Council by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in December on the financing of the war and further discussion will take place at the Council's next meeting on January 31.

During the discussion, the T.U.C. | representatives emphasised their ob- jections to the control of wages, otherwise than by the voluntary negotiating machinery now in exist- ence. T British Wireless.

DID YOU KNOW IT'S SNOWING? CAN YOU SEE

IT FROM THERE?

YES

LOVE-

showed the Apostolio Chancellory that a short circuit could not have set off the blaze,

due was Apparently the fire negligence, and perhaps, arson.

Several men are suspected.-Router.

LEADING JAPANESE WAR CHIEFS IN CANTON ?

to

Chungking, To-day. Lieut. General T. Nishio, and Lieut.- General S. Itagaki, respectively Com- mander-in-Chief and Chief of Staff of the Japanese forces in China, are re- ported to have arrived in Canton direct operations in north Kwangtung. They are said to be staying at the Ja- panese Headquarters at Tungshan.- Central News.

to

By George McManus

YOUR LUNCH-

SIR- DID YOU-

IF YOU TELL ME THAT IT IS SNOWING I'LL THROW YOU OUT. THE WINDOW-

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