The King of Diamonds: A Tale of Mystery and AdventureTracy, Louis
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The King of Diamonds: A Tale of Mystery and Adventure
Tracy, Louis
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction
Unable to help himself in the least degree, and swallowing salt water
rapidly now, he rolled away inertly as the net rose under the energetic
efforts of his rescuers. There was grave danger that he should drop back
into the depths, and then he must sink like a stone.
Wearing their heavy sea boots, none of the fishermen, though each was an
expert swimmer, dared to jump into the water. But the oarsman, being a
person of resource, and reasoning rapidly that not the most enthusiastic
salmon bailiff in England would pursue him in such manner, grabbed a
boathook and caught Philip with it beneath the arm.
He only used the slight force needful to support him until another could
grasp him.
Then they lifted the half-drowned man on board, turned him on his face
to permit the water to flow out of his lungs, and, instantly reversing
him, began to raise his elbows and press them against his sides
alternately.
Soon he breathed again, but he remained unconscious, and a restored
circulation caused blood to flow freely from the back of his head.
Of course the men were voicing their surprise throughout this
unparalleled experience.
"Whea is he?"
"Where did he coom frae?"
"Nobbut a loony wad hae jumped off yon crag."
"He's neaked as when he was born."
At last one of them noticed his broken scalp. He pointed out the wound
to his companions.
"That was never dean by fallin' i' t' watter," he said.
They agreed. The thing was mysteriously serious. Philip's youth, his
stature, his delicate skin, the texture of his hands, the cleanliness of
his teeth and nails, were quick tokens to the fisherman that something
quite beyond the common run of seaside accidents had taken place. The
oarsman, a man of much intelligence, hit on an explanation.
"He was swarmin' doon t' cliff after t' birds," he cried. "Mebbe
fotygraffin' 'em. I've heerd o' sike doin's."
"Man alive," cried one of his mates, "he wouldn't strip te t' skin for
that job."
This was unanswerable. Not one gave a thought to the invisible Grange
House.
They held a hasty consultation. One man doffed his jersey for Philip's
benefit, and then they hastily covered him with oilskin coat and
overalls.
It was now nearly dark, so they ran out a marking buoy for their net,
shipped oars, and pulled lustily to their remote fishing hamlet, three
miles away from the outlet of the river which flowed through Scarsdale.
Arrived there, they carried Philip to the house of one who was the proud
owner of a "spare" bed.
And now a fresh difficulty arose. A doctor, and eke a policeman, should
be summoned. A messenger was dispatched at once for the nearest medical
man--who lived a mile and a half away, but the policeman, who dwelt in
the village, was a bird of another color.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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