Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

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22 He had soon completed an inspection of ths Sea Wolf, ascertaining that there was no one else aboard her and nothing of interest apart from the strip of wood which bore the inscription relating to the Carfax, and, rejoining Snapper, he relieved the Press photographer of the Colt and addressed himself to the captives. "You fellows are going with me," he told Slarsen and his satellites. "Come on, get up on the dock." The rascally quartet obeyed him, and Terry and Snapper followed them aloft to the landing-stage via the stairway that sloped from the water's edge, at the head of which stairway Jean had now appeared. And, packed into Jean's car, with Terry holding them in subjection by means of Slarsen's revolver, the skipper of the Sea Wolf and his three employees were presently en route for police headquarters. There the revenue officer turned them over to the Law and charged them, and in due course Jean drove him back to the Portland Coast Guard station with Snapper. Then, leaving his fiancee and the cameraman outside, Terry entered the quarters of his chief. Commander Boyle. Ensconced with the commander in the latter's ofHce, he gave a detailed report of all that had transpired aboard the Sea Wolf, and then referred to certain con- clusions he had drawn from the incidents arising out of his visit to that craft. "It seems pretty obvious to me, sir," he declared, '• that Slarsen has been engaging in salvage operations connected with the Carfax, and though he and his men wouldn't answer any questions at police headquarters I've a hunch they've been working for Boroff. Now in the hold of the Carfax there's a pocket of air that would supply a strong swimmer with sufiBcient oxygen to allow him to handle the cargo without the aid of diving equip- ment, and I'm all in favour of investi- gating that cargo. In view of what we know of Boroff and his activities, I feel that there's something down there that means a lot to him." Boyle nodded. "I think you're right," he said. "We'll have the Carfax examined. I'll send for a diver " "But it won't be necessary to send for a diver, sir," Terry interrupted. "I'm thoroughly familiar with the interior of the Carfax, and if you've no objection I'd like to do the diving myself." Boyle seemed to debate that suggestion for a few seconds, and finally he again nodded, signifying assent. "Very well, Kent," he agreed. "You make the inspection. But I don't want vou to place any trust in that air-pocket. Use self-contained diving gear." Shortly afterwards Terry Kent left the Coast Guard station with a detail of his comrades, one of whom was carrying a special diving-helmet, and, the party em- barking in a Government cutter, it was not long before that vessel was proceeding northward in the direction of Cape Doon, off which point the Carfax had foundered. The departure of the cutter was wit- nessed by Jean Norman and Snapper McGee. They had wanted to accompany Terry when they had learned his intention, but for once he had refused to yield to their appeals, and, left on the landing- stage, they watched the Government patrol boat until it was lost to sight in a rnist that was gathering over the sea. THE HOLD OF THE "CARFAX " OUT by Cape Doon and in close proximity to the reef which the Carfax had fouled, a big cabin-launch occupied by four men was lying at anchor on the bosom of the Atlantic, which in that locality was heavily mantled by fog. One of those men was attired only in a pair of swimming-trunks and was none ocher than the hulking Thorg, that mute giant who was a slave to Boroff's will. The other three were also hirelings of the munitions king, one of them being the ruffian known as Degado. The four of them were there for the October 2Sth, 1930. BOY'S CINEMA purpose of salvaging the arnatite which was in the hold of the Carfax, and which was packed in containers that had been labelled "kerosene." and, thanks to the aquatic capabilities and the imm.ense stamina of Thorg, a considerable number of those containers had already been transferred from the sunken steamer to the cabin-launch in the course of the last few hours. Indeed, the launch was laden almost to capacity, and, surveying the boxes that had been brought aboard, Degado spoke gruffly to Thorg. who, fresh from a trip below and dripping wet, was seated on the gunwale of the motor-boat and taking a respite from his labour's. " We haven't got room for much more of the stuff," Degado said. "But I guess the Sea Wolf will be showing up pretty soon, and she'll have plenty of " He was interrupted just then by one of the other two gangsters who were on board the launch. "Listen" the fellow enjoined, laying a hand on Degado's arm, "I think I hear some sorta craft comin' now." Boroff's four minions tilted their heads to one side in an attentive fashion, and sure enough they detected the throb of a marine engine. Partially muffled by the haze that blanketed the sea, it was a sound that reached them from a point away to the south, and it heralded the approach of a vessel that was still apparently a fair distance from them. "Yeah," declared the man who had cut in on Degado, "it's a ship all right, an' she's headed this way. She must be the Sea Wolf." Degado nodded, glancing as he did so at a wrist-watch he was wearing. "Sure," he assented, "she must be the Sea Wolf. Slarsen always was punctual. In fact, this time he's a little previous " And then he stopped short, for at that instant the note of a foghorn droned through the mist—a foghorn which had obviously been operated aboard the boat whose motor had become audible—and as the wail of that foghorn played on his ear-drums Degado seemed to stiffen. "You hear that?" he blurted, darting an anxious glance at Thorg and the other two men. His companions regarded him dully. Then the rogue who had previously inter- rupted him spoke again. "I heard a siren," he muttered. "But what of it, Degado? What's bitin' you?" "It wasn't the Sea Wolf's siren," Degado answered tersely. "I know her siren, and that was the siren of some other ship!" His words had an immediate effect on the other three men. They looked at one another apprehensively, and then at Degado. "We'd better weigh anchor and get out of here while the going's good," the latter jerked. "We're taking no chances, for there's no telling what kind of craft that boat might be. Say, how about slipping round to the lee side of the reef? We'll be hidden from sight there, and nobody in a tub that had a bigger draught than this launch would try to steer a course among the rocks that lie between the reef and the mainland." His associates signifying their approval of the suggestion, a small kedge anchor that had moored the launch to the sea- bed was quickly raised. Then, posting himself at the controls, Degado started up the engine and guided the motor-boat northward at half throttle until he had reached the extremity of the ridge of rock on which the Carfax had foundered. He now circled round to the west, or landward side of the reef, and as he fetched up behind the shelter of it he shut off the engine and instructed his con- federates to drop the anchor again. The kedge was thrown overboard, enter- ing the water with a light splash and plunging tc the bottom of the sea. Meanwhile the throb of the motor that the crooks had first heard a little while before had been growing more and more distinct, and ere long the four men in the Every Tuesday launch divined that the unknown craft was close at hand. Then all at once that motor was cut out, and from the other side of the reef there came to the ears of Boroff's satellites a confused munniu- of voices. Degado eyed his cronies frowninglv, and then, beckoning to them to follow him, he climbed out of the launch on to the reef and began to sneak cautiously up the slope of the ridge of rock. As for Thorg and the other two men, they scrambled after him, and the four of them gaining the crest of the reef, thev peered over it intently. They immediately obtained a clear view of the vessel whose approach had scared them from the scene of their operations, and as they set eyes on it they felt thev had good reason to congratulate them- selves on having made themselves scarce, for they identified that craft as a Coast Guard cutter. A group of bluejackets were assembled on its foredeck. These had their backs to the reef, and, gathered near the starboard bow, were standing around some equip- ment which had been placed there and which the quartet from the launcti speedily recognised as diving-gear. It was as Degado and his comrades were staring at the party of coastguards- men on the foredeck that a powerfully built young fellow emerged from a cabin under the wheelhouse of the cutter. He was dressed in a swimming costume, and was none other than Terrv Kent, and. perceiving him the moment he appeared, the crooks on the reef watched him join the sailors who were collected at the patrol boat's starboard bow. One of the bluejackets now picked up a diving-helmet to which a life-lins was attached, and this was carefully fitted over Terry's head and adjusted so that it was rendered completely water-tight. It was a helmet of a special type, and the only article Terry had to don for the purpose he had in mind. It enabled him to dispense with the usual rubber suit and heavily weighted boots, so that it was therefor» possible for him to use his legs and arms without the slightest restriction. Encased from the neck upwards in that helmet, he presently descended a short ladder that had been hung over the side of the Government vessel, and within a minute or two of having put in an appearance on the deck, he had vanished below the surface of the deep. Neither he nor the men under his command knew that four pairs of sinister eyes had watched the whole procedure that had been enacted on the cutter's fore- deck. And now, even as Terry sank out of sight, Degado turned to Thorg and addressed the latter in a hushed but none the less incisive voice. " That cutter's dead over the spot where the Carfax foimdered." he whispered through c'enched teeth, ."and it's plain that guy Kent has gone down to give her the once-over. He must have suspicioned there's something phoney about the Carfax's cargo." He had thrust a hand into his hip- pocket and produced a large clasp-knife while he had been talking, and grimly opening the blade of that knife, he pressed the wicked-looking implement into the giant's grasp. "It's up to you to stop Kent from* bringing up any of the freight that's aboard the Carfax, Thorg." he added curtly. "Take this and get hin^." Boroff's mute and gigantic servitor in- clined his bullet head in a comprehensive nod, and. clutching the knife, raised it to his thick-lipped inouth and gripped the handle of it between his teeth. Then he directed his gaze towards the Coast Guard cutter again. The bluejackets on the foredeck of the Government vessel still had their backs to the reef, and with the exception of two men. one of whom was paying out the life-line attached to Terry's helmet, while the other operated a pump that was supplying air to the lieutenant, all of the