I came to myself being hustled along between two men.

They had me under each arm, supporting my weight,

and there was a gag in my mouth. It was pitch dark, but

I gathered that we were not outside, but passing through the hotel. All round I could hear people shouting and

demanding in every known language what had happened

to the lights. My captors swung me down some

stairs. We passed along a basement passage, then

through a door and out into the open again through a

glass door at the back of the hotel. In another moment

we had gained the shelter of the pine trees.

I had caught a glimpse of another figure in a similar

plight to myself, and realised that Poirot, too, was a victim of this bold coup.

By sheer audacity. Number Four had won the day. He

had employed, I gathered, an instant anaesthetic, prob 205

206 Agatha Christie

ably ethyl chloride--breaking a small bulb of it under

our noses. Then, in the confusion of the darkness, his

accomplices, who had probably been guests sitting at

the next table, had thrust gags in our mouths and hurried us away, taking us through The hotel to baffle pursuit.

I cannot describe the hour that followed. We were

hurried through the woods at a break-neck pace, going

uphill the whole time. At last we emerged in the open,

on the mountain-side, and I saw just in front of us an

extraordinary conglomeration of fantastic rocks and

boulders.

This must be the Felsenlabyrynth of which Harvey

had spoken. Soon we were winding in and out of its

recesses. The place was like a maze devised by some evil genie.

Suddenly we stopped. An enormous rock barred our

path. One of the men stooped and seemed to push on

something when, without a sound, the huge mass of

rock turned on itself and disclosed a small tunnel-like

opening leading into the mountainside.

Into this we were hurried. For some time the tunnel

was narrow, but presently it widened, and before very

long we came out into a wide rocky chamber lighted by

electricity. There the gags were removed. At a sign from Number Four, who stood facing us with mocking

triumph in his face, we were searched and every article

was removed from our pockets, including Poirot's little

automatic pistol.

A pang smote me as it was tossed down on the table.

We were defeated--hopelessly defeated and outnumbered.

It was the end.

"Welcome to the headquarters of the Big Four, M.

Hercule Poirot," said Number Four in a mocking tone.

"To meet you again is an unexpected pleasure. But was

THE BIG POUR 207

it worth while returning from the grave only for this?" Poirot did not reply. I dared not look at him.

"Come this way," continued Number Four. "Your arrival will be somewhat of a surprise to my colleagues."

He indicated a narrow doorway in the wall. We

passed through and found ourselves in another chamber.