"The curtains were tightly drawn in the car, and as the interior
lights had been extinguished, we sat in total darkness. I could not,
of course, tell in what direction we were going, although the car had
been pointed south when we left my door. We appeared to be travelling
at a terrific rate of speed and swung around a confusing number of
curves.
"I tried at first to remember the turns, and their direction, but
there were so many that I very soon lost count. I think they took me
in a round-about way purposely, to confuse me. I have no idea how
long we drove, but it must have been well over two hours. At last we
struck a long up-grade, and one of my companions announced that we
were almost there.
"They bound my eyes with a dark silk handkerchief, and a moment later
the car swerved and turned abruptly in, evidently at a gateway, for we
curved about up a graveled driveway--I could hear it crunching beneath
the wheels--and came to a grinding stop before the door. They helped
me out of the car, up some shallow stone steps and across the
threshold.
"I was led down a thickly carpeted hall and up a single long flight of
stairs, to a door just at its head. We entered; the door closed softly
behind us; and the bandage was whipped from my eyes. There was only a
low night-light burning in the room, but I made out the outlines of
the furniture. There was a great bed over in the corner, with a
motionless figure lying upon it.
"'There's your patient, Doc; go ahead,' my burly friend said, and
accordingly I approached the bed, asking at the same time for more
light. The young man was unconscious, and in answer to a question of
mine the attendant who had sat at the head of the bed as we entered
informed me that he had been in a complete state of coma since he had
been brought there, several days before.
"I remembered the description in your letter of the subject for whom
you were searching, and I fancied, in spite of the bandages which
swathed his head, that I recognized him in the young man before me.
The lights flashed on full in answer to my request, and on a sudden
decision I drew the watch camera from my pocket, took the patient's
wrist between my thumb and finger as if to ascertain his pulse, and
snapped his picture. The result was a fortunate chance, for I did not
dare focus deliberately, with the eyes of the attendant and the three
men who had accompanied me, all directed at my movements.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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