E-text prepared Steven desJardins and Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders WITH LINKS OF STEEL Or, The Peril of the Unknown New Magnet Library No. 1164 by NICHOLAS CARTER Author of the celebrated stories of Nick Carter's adventures, which are published exclusively in the NEW MAGNET LIBRARY, conceded to be among the best detective tales ever written. Street & Smith Corporation Publishers 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York 1904 [Illustration: Cover of With Links of Steel] CHAPTER I A CRAFTY ROBBERY. CHAPTER II CONCERNING SEÑORA CERVERA. CHAPTER III THE KILGORE DIAMOND GANG. CHAPTER IV GETTING DOWN TO WORK. CHAPTER V BEHIND THE SCENES. CHAPTER VI A SHOT IN THE DARK. CHAPTER VII A STRATEGIC MOVE. CHAPTER VIII FOUND DEAD. CHAPTER IX NICK STRIKES A STARTLING CLEW. CHAPTER X ON THE TRAIL. CHAPTER XI THE CRIME AND THE MEANS. CHAPTER XII CLOSING IN. CHAPTER XIII CRAFTY CERVERA. CHAPTER XIV IN A WARM CORNER. CHAPTER XV THE DIAMOND PLANT. CHAPTER XVI THE CUNNING OF JEAN PYLOTTE. CHAPTER XVII THE GAME UNCOVERED. CHAPTER XVIII AT CROSS-PURPOSES. CHAPTER XIX HANDS SHOWED DOWN. CHAPTER XX THE BOOT ON THE OTHER LEG. CHAPTER XXI AN ONLY RESOURCE. CHAPTER XXII THE LAST TRICK. WITH LINKS OF STEEL CHAPTER I. A CRAFTY ROBBERY. "Mr. Venner, sir?" "Mr. Venner--yes, certainly. You will find him in his private office--that way, sir. The door to the right. Venner is in his private office, Joseph, is he not?" "I don't think so, Mr. Garside, unless he has just returned. I saw him go out some time ago." "Is that so? Wait a moment, young man." The young man halted, and then turned back to face Mr. Garside, with an inquiring look in his frank, brown eyes. "Not here, sir, do I understand?" he asked, politely. Mr. Garside shook his head. He was a tall, slender man of forty, and was the junior partner of the firm of Rufus Venner & Co., a large retail jewelry house in New York City, with a handsome store on Fifth Avenue, not far from Madison Square. It was in their store that this introductory scene occurred, and proved to be the initiatory step of one of the shrewdest and most cleverly executed robberies on record. It was about eleven o'clock one April morning. The sun was shining brightly outside, and at the curbing in front of the store were several handsome private carriages, with stiff-backed, motionless coachmen, in bottle-green livery, perched on their boxes, all of which plainly indicated the very desirable patronage accorded the firm mentioned. In the store the glare of sun was subdued by partly drawn yellow curtains, which lent a soft, amber light to the deep interior, and enhanced the dazzling beauty of the merchandise there displayed. The store was a rather narrow one, but quite deep, with a long-counter on each side, back of which were numerous clerks, some engaged in waiting upon the several customers then present.