Notes: Businessmen Felix Gane and John Leval require a ruthless associate to help them take advantage of slave labour in the Congo rubber industry. George Marsden Plummer, who overhears their plans while burgling Gane's house, introduces himself and is duly judged to be the man for the job. He arrives in the Congo accompanied by three roughnecks โ Sam Mitt, Pete Carron and Nick Jute โ and immediately wrests control of the rubber plantation from its kind-hearted manager, Will Mann. Realising that he's at the mercy of criminals, Mann escapes into the jungle but is recaptured, wounded and imprisoned. Managing to pass a letter to his faithful servant, Jim, he sends the man away to travel to England for help. Weeks later, Jim's journey ends at Baker Street and Sexton Blake takes up the case. He voyages to Africa with Tinker, Pedro, William Spearing and Jim. When they arrive at the camp, Plummer is unrecognisable โ ravaged by fever and in disguise. He, however, recognises his old enemy and plots to leave him abandoned in the jungle. Blake searches alone for Mann and finds him but falls victim to Plummer's scheme and becomes lost. Fortunately, Tinker and Spearing have Pedro's nose at their disposal and are able to rescue the detective. While they do so, Plummer's fever grows worse and his three cohorts take advantage of this to make off with his supply of rubber. When Blake and his friends return, they find Plummer (who they now recognise) deep in the throes of his illness and abandoned by his henchmen. They take him prisoner and board a ship back to England. When they eventually sail into a fog-bound Thames, a somewhat revived Plummer leaps overboard and escapes. Blake is able to arrest Felix Gane and John Leval for their crimes, but his greatest enemy has evaded him once again.
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