Part 13 (1/2)

I found the place THIRTY-NINE STEPS, I read, and again, THIRTY-NINE STEPS--I COUNTED THEM--HIGH TIDE 1017 PM

The Adone mad

'Don't you see it's a clue,' I shouted 'Scudder knehere these fellows laired--he knehere they were going to leave the country, though he kept the name to hih tide was at 1017'

'They ht,' so secret way, and they won't be hurried I know Ger to a plan

Where the devil can I get a book of Tide Tables?'

Whittaker brightened up 'It's a chance,' he said 'Let's go over to the Ad motor-cars--all but Sir Walter, ent off to Scotland Yard--to 'h e bare chambers where the charwomen were busy, till we reached a little room lined with books and maps A resident clerk was unearthed, who presently fetched from the library the Admiralty Tide Tables I sat at the desk and the others stood round, for soe of this expedition

It was no good There were hundreds of entries, and so far as I could see 1017the possibilities

I took ht Therethis riddle What did Scudder ht of dock steps, but if he had meant that I didn't think he would have mentioned the number It must be some place where there were several staircases, and onethirty-nine steps

Then I had a sudden thought, and hunted up all the steas

There was no boat which left for the Continent at 1017 ph tide so important? If it was a harbour it must be some little place where the tide ht boat But there was no regular stea at that hour, and so boat froular harbour So it must be some little harbour where the tide was important, or perhaps no harbour at all

But if it was a little port I couldn't see what the steps signified

There were no sets of staircases on any harbour that I had ever seen

It must be some place which a particular staircase identified, and where the tide was full at 1017 On the whole it seemed to me that the placeme

Then I went back to wider considerations Whereabouts would a man be likely to leave for Germany, a e? Not fro harbours And not from the Channel or the West Coast or Scotland, for, re from London I measured the distance on the map, and tried to put myself in the enemy's shoes I should try for Ostend or Antwerp or Rotterdam, and I should sail from somewhere on the East Coast between Cro, and I don't pretend it was ingenious or scientific I wasn't any kind of Sherlock Holmes But I have always fancied I had a kind of instinct about questions like this I don't know if I can explain myself, but I used to use my brains as far as they went, and after they cauesses pretty right

So I set out all my conclusions on a bit of Admiralty paper They ran like this:

FAIRLY CERTAIN

(1) Place where there are several sets of stairs; one thatthirty-nine steps

(2) Full tide at 1017 p shore only possible at full tide

(3) Steps not dock steps, and so place probably not harbour

(4) No regular night steamer at 1017 Means of transport -boat

Therestopped I made another list, which I headed 'Guessed', but I was just as sure of the one as the other

GUESSED