Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

18 BOY'S CINEMA The revenue officer pounced on Black and seized him hold, Terry reached the Adamic's deck in the instant that a response was given on the freighter's siren. •' A little while later, following a repeated exchange of these signals, a sleek grey vessel hove into view on the Adamic's port bow, and as that vessel approached cautiously through the mist that en- shrouded the sea Terry identified her as a Coast Guard cutter. She came alongside, and an officer in her wheelhouse raised his voice in an interrogative hail, inquiring if the tramp steamer were in any difficulties and inti- mating that he and his crew had heard an explosion. Terry took it upon himself to reply, briefly outlining all th^t had occurred, and before long the officer in charge of the cutter was aboard the Adamic with two or three of his subordinates. That cutter was not attached to the Portland station, but the officer in com- mand of her proved to be a man with whom Terry had some slight acquaint- ance; and after introducing him to Captain Simpson, who had reappeared on deck, Terry provided him with a more detailed account of the drama that had taken place on the Adamic. Within the space of ten minutes Belden had been removed from the tramp steamer's after-hold and carried on board the cutter, to which craft Terry descended in company with her commanding officer and the coastguardsmen who had followed the latter on to the Adamic's deck. Meanwhile an S O S had been sent to the nearest shore-station. It was a message indicating the position and plight of the cargo boat, and requesting that arrangements should be made for taking her in tow; and the Adamic was lying at anchor, with her captain and crew mustered near the bridge and com- placently awaiting assistance, when the Oiii'iii-f i:!M, i:i.';;t. revenue cutter moved off through the night. Any search for the trawler manned by Boroff's agents would have been fruitless under the existing weather conditions, and the officer in charge of the Govern- ment vessel did not attempt such a quest. Nevertheless, he did not direct his course landward, but at Terry's express wish wirelessed the station to which the cutter was attached and obtained permission to convey the young lieutenant and his injured prisoner north to Portland. Early the following morning that cutter fetched up with the Portland Coast Guard station, and the dawn's light was breaking over a sea that was still blanketed by fog when Terry Kent climbed on to the .ietty there with a couple of coastguardsmen who were carrying Belden in a stretcher that had been rigged up. The Portland station had been advised by radio of all that had transpired, and an ambulance from the Central Infirmary had been sent for and was Availing on the landing-stage. Two white-coated attend- ants were beside the vehicle, and, observ- ing them as he stepped on to the .ietty, Terry also noticed that a girl was in conversation with them—a girl whom he immediately recognised. She was Jean Norman, and Terry approached her with a whimsical smile playing round his firm-lipped mouth. ■ So you're here, too, huh?" he remarked. "Well. I'm not surprised. That cute little nose of yours seems to have a trick of scenting out news." "If you mean to infer that I'm gifted with a sixth sense, I plead not guilty." Jean retorted cheerfully. "You forget there are such things as ticker-tapes, and the one at the ' Chronicle's' city desk recoi'ded that' Lieutenant Kent of the U.S. Coast Guard was headed this way with a prisoner suspected of being in the pay of the notorious Boroff.' " Every Tuesday Terry indicated Belden, who was now being handed over to the care of the two infirmary employees. "There's the prisoner, Jean," he said. his voice taking on a solemn intonation. " He's one of Boroff's men all right. Been badly hurt. I'm afraid, l5Ut if he pulls round we may be able to make him talk." "Where did you pick him up, Terry?" Jean asked. "What's the story?" The stalwart revenue officer took her by the arm. "Come on in the ambulance and ride with us to the hospital," he said. "On the way I'll tell you all you want to know." DEATH BY THE KNIFE ABOUT ten o'clock in the morning of the day on which Belden was trans- ported to the Central Infirmary at Port- land, Boroff held a consultation with three of his associates in the former kelp plant where he had established his headquarters. . It was a consultation which took place in the spacious room that had been fitted out as a laboratory, and the three men present there with Boroff were Rackerby, his assistant chemist—Degado, who had figured in the interception of the Adamic —and Krohn, emissary of the Morovanian Government. The four occupants of the laboratory were gathered near a large consignment of cardboai'd cartons. Each of those cartons was marked with an inscription which indicated that it contained electric light bulbs, and Boroff was resting a hand on one of the receptacles. "We have here our first shipment of gas-bombs." he was saying, "and now that the zanzoid from the Adamic is safely in our possession, we can proceed with the manufacture of a further consignment. For remember, we are still quietly salvag- ing the cargo of arnatite that went down with the Carfax—and so long as we have zanzoid and arnatite we hold the two main ingredients of the disintegration gas." Krohn spoke. ."It was a clever idea on vour part, Boroff," he commended, "to make those miniature Bombs in the form of electric light bulbs. Even if the boxes were opened for inspection bv those meddling U.S. coastguardsmen, the contents would look innocent enough." Boroff fixed his dark eyes upon him. "The U.S. Coast Guard Mill never see these boxes," he announced. "Though I am fairly confident that the bulbs would arouse no suspicions, I am not disposed to'take any chances—particularly as the Coast Guard are so actively vigilant in these parts. No, Krohn, niy plan is to send tnis consignment of gas-bombs by rail to St. John in Canada, whence thev will be shipped to Morovania. It is my opinion that the authorities are so busy watching American seaports that a rail- road station is bound to escape attention." "It would be awkward if any of the bulbs were broken in transit." Rackerby interposed. "There's enough gas in one of them to disintegrate an entire freight train." Boroff laughed shortly. "Don't worry, Rackerby," he said. "The bulbs have been carefuilv packed under my supervision, and there is no fear of any of them ' breaking—either on the journey by rail or on the sea voyage from Canada. Moreover, the boxes will only be handled by agents of mine, who will understand that they must not be handled roughly. I might add that all arrange- ments for the transit of the bombs have been made. A motor-truck will take them to Pier-Port Station a quarter of a mile from here, and they will be placed aboard a freight train that is stopping there early this afternoon." He paused, then addressed himself to his assistant chemist again. "Incidentally, Rackerby," he drawled, "you expressed some concern this morning when you read in the papers that my contacts in Honolulu were to be arraigned before a court of law and questioned regai'ding their activities. I can tell you now that thcj' received my warning cable