The Missing Link appropriated a spangled skirt and trailed it after him down the street.  The shouting crowd followed at a respectful distance.  In a small eating-house the Link encountered two men eating fried steak and onions.  They beheld him with indescribable emotion, glared for a moment and fled.  A girl coming in with a tureen of stew dropped the lot on the floor, threw her apron over her head, and fainted amongst the broken crockery and scattered viands.

For a moment the strange inebriate stood swaying over the prostrate girl, making a grave, drunken effort to grasp the situation, then the Italian proprietress came into the room humming a cheerful strain, and carrying a burden of fried sausages.  She beheld the horror, uttered a piercing scream, and dashed up the narrow stairs.  Nickie went up the stairs after her, anxious to explain.  The horrified people pressing at the front door and the windows saw him pass out of sight.  There was now a large, excited crowd in the street.  All sorts of rumours were afloat.  Already it was stated that the mighty gorilla had killed three men and eaten half a horse.  Two policemen were busy beating back the crowd, and collecting evidence from excited onlookers who had seen nothing.

At this stage, Professor Thunder dashed through the assemblage.  The Professor was in an agitated frame of mind.

“What is it?” he cried.  “Has anyone seen a Missin’ Link—­a dark brown Missin’ Link?”

Ten persons explained at once.

“He’s in there now,” cried a bewildered cabman, pointing to the eating-house.  “He’s ate er girl, an’ he’s out after the missus with a club.”

“’T went up them stairs,” cried a trembling woman.

Yells from the crowd in the road brought the people surging into the middle of the street.  Mahdi had opened a front window, and stepped out on to the roof of the verandah.  He was dancing clumsily on the corrugated iron, and gesticulating, with his long, shaggy hands.  Nickie was declaring with the warmth of absolute conviction that he was a king, but the yelling of the crowd rendered his speech inaudible.

“I’m a king!” cried the Missing Link.  “Behold in me your rightful sovereign.  Bow down t’ ye ri’ful sovereign, ye base born!” He threw five fried sausages into the crowd.

The crowd continued yelling, and Nickie broke into a vain-glorious song, and capered like an idiot brandishing a Vienna loaf.

Professor Thunder beat on his forehead like the baffled villain in the play.  “Ten thousand furies!” he howled, and dashed for the stairs.

While the Missing Link was still capering, Professor Thunder appeared at the window.  He climbed through.  The crowd loudly applauded his courage.  He descended upon Mahdi, he seized him.  The crowd cheered vociferously.  Professor Thunder kicked the Missing Link.  He dragged him back to the window, and kicked him through.  The crowd nearly went frantic in its appreciation of such heroism.