“British rogues are evidently of low intelligence in the average. A bludgeon and a halter make up their history.”
“There’s more than that in a good many cases.”
“Ah, I forgot the handcuffs.”
“Well, here is the Ko-Katana,” said Winter shortly.
The barrister took the fateful weapon, not more deadly than a paper-knife in appearance, and scrutinised it closely.
“It has not been cleaned,” he said.
“No, it was left untouched after the doctor withdrew it from the poor young fellow’s breast.”
Brett produced a magnifying glass. Beneath the rust on the blade he thought he could distinguish some Japanese characters in the quaint pictorial script adapted by that singular people from the Chinese system of writing.
He brought the knife nearer to the window and carefully focussed it. Then he produced a note-book and made a pencil drawing of the following inscription:
