XXVIII
PULLING DEATH'S WHISKERS
Red Pennington made a desperate spurt to catch up. His feet and handswere still numb; his head ached fiercely; his stomach was seasick forthe first time in years. But that crack about the Marines was too muchto swallow.
"You got it wrong, lady!" he puffed, stumbling at Suzette's heels. "Youmean run like _we_ were chasin' the _Marines_, don't you? No gob everyet ran away from a leatherneck..."
"Pipe down and save your breath, sailor!" warned Don. "Suzette's leadingthis patrol, and it's not over yet by a long shot!"
As he spoke the fleet-footed French girl darted into another branchtunnel. This one doubled back after a few feet, then branched again, andcontinued at right angles. In the next few minutes the young officersrealized they were deep in an underground maze. Here anyone but a guidewith an exceptional memory would lose the way.
And now another danger made itself apparent. From time to time distantshouts and the clatter of a machine gun echoed through the rockylabyrinth. In quick whispers tossed over her shoulders Suzette urgedgreater speed. The noticeable dimming of Don's flashlight gave addedwarning.
Despite aching muscles and tortured lungs, Red forced himself to aswifter pace. As a result, he tripped and fell. Before Don could helphim, he was running again, ignoring a pair of gashed knees. Sheerfighting courage kept him up, defying the weight of a body built morefor comfort than for speed.
All at once Suzette slowed and stopped, throwing back a warning arm.
"Put out your torch, _Monsieur_ Winslow!" she hissed. "Around the nextcorner is a machine gun in a 'pill-box.' It stands between us andfreedom. Either we mus' silence it or be trap here where we stand!"
"I see," muttered Don. "But you must have made some plan for doing that,Suzette. What's our best play?"
In the pitch darkness the girl grasped a sleeve of each of the two men.Not until their three heads were literally together, did she reply.
"I can think of jus' one way to do," she said tensely. "Somewhere alongthe next passage is a photo-electric trigger, worked by infra-red light.If we try to pass it, the overhead lights flash on, the machine gunnerbegin to shoot, and we die with fifty bullet holes in our backs! Sothis, _Messieurs_, is my plan. When the lights flash on, I will empty mysmall pistol through the machine gunner's loophole. That will keep himbusy until you pass beyond the next turn. Before he dare to look again,I follow you, and--"
"Nothing doing, Suzette!" Don cut in abruptly. "That way you'd besacrificing your life for us and you know it. I've got another idea.We'll silence that machine gun before the lights flash up in thepassageway. All I ask is for you to show me that 'pillbox' loophole _inthe dark_!"
Well trained by the French Secret Service, Suzette knew the voice ofauthority. Without hesitation she took Don's hand.
"Come then, _Monsieur_!" she whispered. "And your friend--he mus' keepclose behind us, but make no sound."
For the next thirty feet they proceeded at a snail's pace, careful notto make the slightest sound. At last, however, Suzette halted, to gropefor a few seconds at an unseen wall.
Don guessed what she was doing. When the tug came on his wrist, he lethis own hand be guided until it touched the edges of a square opening.
The loophole! And protruding from it, Don could feel the ugly steelsnout of a submachine gun. The other end, he knew, was held by a readykiller, whose grip need only tighten on the trigger to spray forth astream of lead and fire!
"I've heard of pulling Death's whiskers," the young officer thought witha slight shiver, "but this is the nearest I've come to doing it yet!"
His next movements were coolly calculated. Fixing the loophole'sposition in mind, he took a fresh grip on the unlighted pocket torch. Atthe same time he drew the snub-nosed .38 caliber automatic from hisshoulder holster. Lastly, to steady his aim, he drew a single deepbreath.
The rest happened too fast for words to describe.
The flash of Don's torch, the blast of his pistol, a muffled explosioninside the concrete wall--all followed in the same split instant. Thescream of human pain that issued through the loophole seemed to beminutes later, though actually it was hardly a second.
While the cry still echoed, a blinding flood of light showed threecrouched figures racing for the tunnel's end. So cramped was the passagethat bullets from the "pillbox" could have cut them down like toysoldiers, but not even one shot rang out. The next instant all three haddisappeared around a rocky projection of the wall.
Don Winslow's dimming flashlight now showed a rough-boarded staircase,leading upward. At Suzette's heels, the two officers mounted, threesteps at a time. At the top they crossed a narrow hall, burst through ahalf-concealed door, and came out into the open air.
Here, in what seemed to be a dark alley, Red Pennington grabbed at Don'sshoulder.
"Avast, Skipper!" he panted! "Lemme get a breath or two beforewe--ugh--go on!"
"_Non! Non!_ Not yet, _Messieurs_!" the Frenchwoman's voice lashed back."Soon we will stop, but it is not safe yet. _Allons!_"
As if to confirm her words, high-pitched, Oriental voices broke out inthe building behind them. Red waited for no more, but lunged ahead,sobbing for breath.
The route they followed for the next five minutes was as mixed up as themaze of underground tunnels they had left. Back and forth through darkalleyways and darker buildings they dodged. Suzette had evidentlystudied the route by daylight, and kept a map of it in her mind for justsuch an emergency.
At the last door, which seemed to be that of a basement apartment, sheused a key.
"This place is safe if we do not show the light, _Messieurs_," shepanted. "Many weeks ago I have rent and furnish it under another name.Beyond is a door opening to another street where you can get a taxi. Andnow, while Suzette gets her breath, tell me what you did to that machinegun, Commander. I die of curiousness!"
"I took a chance and tried to plug his gun muzzle with my own bullet,"Don answered. "Just by luck I did it first try. Of course, when themachine gunner pulled the trigger, his weapon blew up! That's all therewas to it!"
"Except a chilled steel nerve and cracking good marksmanship!" gruntedRed Pennington. "If you'd missed that first shot the guy inside wouldhave blown your head off."
"_Mais, oui!_" chimed in Suzette. "We owe our lives to the so braveCommander! But now I mus' speak of other things. Tell me, MonsieurWinslow, how many men you can bring for a raid tonight on the underworldof Scorpia? We mus' strike now, while so many agents are here forCho-San's big conference!"
"You're right, Suzette!" exclaimed Don. "Tonight's the time, and I'veasked our local office to hold fifty fighting men within call in case Ineeded them. Michael Splendor has just arrived and is probably runningthem up now. I could lead them back here within an hour, probably..."
"But that is perfect, Commander!" cried the little Frenchwoman. "Go now,and bring your men to the shop of Cho-San. I will have the door unlock,so you need make no noise. From the shop I will conduct you to thesecret gallery w'ich overlook the Scorpion's great Assembly Room. Theagents will soon be gather there to hear Cho-San's instructions for anew world war plot. Your men will then take them by surprise and makethe--w'at you call--_clean-up_ in one big swoop!"
"We'll do that or die trying, Suzette!" Don exclaimed heartily. "Nowlead the way to the other door, and we'll be off. If you get a chance tospeak to Lotus, tell her we'll be back to take her away from Cho-San'storture rooms and slimy passages."
Suzette did not reply. Taking Don's hand she led the two young officersswiftly through the apartment and an adjoining basement. As they cameout onto a darkened areaway, Don Winslow thought he heard the littlemaid sob.
"_Voila!_" she said in a choked voice. "You can see the street beyondthat alley to the right. And hurry, _Messieurs_, if you hope to see thelittle Lotus alive. I have fear that Cho-San has punish her already forher part in helping you escape!"
Don's groan came through grit
ted teeth.
"Heaven grant you're wrong about that!" he said hoarsely. "If that childhas given her life for us, we'll never rest till we wipe the last memoryof Scorpia from the earth! Come, Red! Every second counts against usnow!"
Don Winslow of the Navy Page 28