Dr. Cross and her party (excepting Mei Mei) retire to the coach, where they discover Lady Wordsworth has evidently disappeared. After hunting fruitlessly for clues, the Major has the rather unorthodox notion of interrogating the coachman, who is able to direct him towards the darkened boardwalk. Within a very few minutes of the Major's departure the report of a shot is heard from that general direction.
Dr. Cross at once remembers her battlefield training; ignoring her own injuries and commending Miss Edwards to the care of the Orientals, she seizes her doctor's bag and fairly sprints towards the disturbance to render assistance.
Confronting the villainous and common Mr. Lamm in his underground lair, Lt. Forrester and Mr. Dementiev immediately seize the initiative. Mr. Dementiev uses his command of the elements to blast Mr. Lamm with a sudden gust of wind, sending debris flying and wounding the villain in the process. At the same instant, Lt. Forrester rushes forwards, saber drawn, to engage the gentleman in melee - he is taken up short, however, as Mr. Lamm produces a pistol and trains it upon the officer.
It is at this juncture that the Spaniard enters the room and launches an attack upon the person of Mr. Dementiev; the respected gentleman is momentarily dazed by the application of a blackjack to his head. Upon seeing the Spaniard Lady Wordsworth abandons all pretense of stealth and rushes into the room, where she immediately commands the attention of Mr. Lamm. Lt. Forrester takes advantage of this shift in attention to disarm Mr. Lamm; unfortunately this causes the gun to discharge and strike the alligator.
The beast, enraged by the violation of its person, attempts to clamber up the boardwalk and attack the closest being. Its jaws close upon the leg of the dazed Mr Dementiev and it pulls him into the river water below. Shocked into action, Mr. Dementiev uses his mastery of the arts to whisk himself to safety, using the wind to pluck himself from the water and out of the reach of the snapping jaws.
Major Burns and Dr. Cross enter, having been drawn to the underpier by the gunfire. Dr. Cross proceeds immediately to defend Lady Wordsworth from the depredations of the Spaniard by snatching up a pane of glass and hefting it at his head. The major, assessing the situation, draws his pistol and fires it at Mr. Lamm. As the villain clutches at his wound in shock, Lt. Forrester seizes him and tosses him to the enraged animal below. The animal, long tormented and half starved by Gaedren Lamm for many years, brings a final end to the architect of so much despair.
Dr. Cross then administers medical aid to Mr. Dementiev, while the Major captures and subdues the fleeing Spaniard so that he may be brought to justice.
A final search of the area for missing persons brings a startling discovery....
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