Miller invited me to join
in the sport, and to that end presented me with one of the hectograph
copies on which to exercise my wits, together with a photograph of the
document."
"And shall you?" I asked.
"Not I," he replied, laughing. "In the first place, I have not been
formally consulted, and consequently am a passive, though interested,
spectator. In the second place, I have a theory of my own which I shall
test if the occasion arises. But if you would like to take part in the
competition, I am authorized to show you the photograph and the
translation. I will pass them on to you, and I wish you joy of them."
He handed me the photograph and a sheet of paper that he had just taken
from his pocket-book, and watched me with grim amusement as I read out
the first few lines.
[Illustration: THE CIPHER.]
"Woe, city, lies, robbery, prey, noise, whip, rattling, wheel, horse,
chariot, day, darkness, gloominess, clouds, darkness, morning, mountain,
people, strong, fire, them, flame."
"It doesn't look very promising at first sight," I remarked. "What is
the Professor's theory?"
"His theory--provisionally, of course--is that the words form the
message, and the groups of letters represent mere filled-up spaces
between the words.
Pages:
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218