Doctor Tagala was lying on the bed, just as The Phantom had left him. As the light went on, he gave a hoarse gasp of amazement and tried desperately to rise.
"Didn't expect to see me so soon again--eh, doctor?" The Phantom removed his coat and proceeded to clean and bandage his wound as well as he could. "You tricked me very neatly, I'll admit, but the ruse didn't quite succeed. Even if it had, don't you realize that you would have been left here to starve to death?"
The doctor continued to stare at The Phantom, who rather enjoyed his stupefaction. He glanced at the bed from time to time while he took several articles from a cupboard and dressed his wound. When he had finished, Tagala began to strain uneasily at the cords fettering his hands and feet.
"Useless exertion, doctor," advised The Phantom. He walked to the bed and regarded the physician with a frown. Then he quickly took the syringe from the table and placed a knee on Tagala's chest. Tagala squirmed and heaved, but to no avail. With his left hand The Phantom took one of the scientist's arms and pressed it firmly downward.
"Steady now, doctor. This is only a dose of your own medicine, you know. You seemed quite proud of it when you told me how you discovered it." The Phantom took the syringe in his right hand, between thumb and third finger, and pricked the doctor's flesh with the needlelike point. "I'm a rank amateur at this, but I'll try to manage. I believe the proper way is to inject the stuff into a vein, but that's a ticklish job, and I won't attempt it. This method is a little slower, but just as effective."
The scientist, at last perceiving The Phantom's aim, struggled frantically to free himself, but the ropes and the pressure against his chest rendered him helpless. Slowly and firmly The Phantom pressed against the piston with his index finger, gradually discharging the contents of the syringe into the physician's tissue. Tagala soon ceased struggling, and the look of mute agony in his face told that he had an acute realization of his extremity.
Finally The Phantom tossed the empty syringe aside and removed his knee from the doctor's chest. Then he picked up the empty bottle and held it so Tagala could read the label.