Boy's Cinema (1933)

22 "I've got to go with you!" she panted. "I couldn't bear to stay behind!" "You'd better, Barbara," Monty answered firmly. " We may finish up by having trouble with some of Shillov's men, for if I know the man he's prob- ably sent out a rescue-party for Krotsky by now. Listen, I think Coutlass has had something to do with this, but don't worry—we'll bring your father back." The column marched rapidly from the village, and Barbara watched the men till the bush had swallowed them. But, in spite of Monty's assurances, 6he was not content to remain idle while her father was in danger, and, suddenly espying a native youth near by, she beckoned to him and offered him a string of beads she was wearing round her neck. He held out his hand smilingly, eager for the gift, and Barbara began to ex- plain that the beads would be his if he consented to go with her into the bush. .She had managed to pick up a word or two of the native dialect, and, though it was some time before she was able to make the negro understand, he finally took her meaning, and agreed to the proposal with a nod of his woolly head. Barbara pushed the beads into his fist, and the native youth at once broke into a trot, the girl running alongside him as he took the route that Monty's column had followed. The Ambuscade, AS they blundered on through the jungle, Krotsky and Coutlass heard the shouts of the pursuers behind them, and, ere much more ground had been covered, the Greek called a halt and made as if to let the unconscious figure of Morgan slide from his back. " By the twelcve apostles," he said breathlessly, "I, Georges Coutlass, was not cut out for a pack-mule. I am part- ing company with this burden of mine." "We're not leaving him," Krotsky retorted. "He's too useful to Shillov. Here, I'll carry him for a spell." He prepared to relieve Coutlass, but at that moment the Greek espied a mob of men coming towards them from an unexpected quarter. "Thunder of heaven," he jerked, ''they've headed us off!" He was wrong, however. Breasting their way through a mass of thickets, tiie newcomers emerged into full view, and proved to be a formidable company of blacks, armed with rifles and led by a white man—none other than Birkoff. Krotsky gave an exclamation of relief, and a moment later he and Birkoff were face to face. "You're just in time, comrade," he said. "Coutlass hero helped me to escape, and we brought Morgan along with us. But Montgomery and his crew are hot on our trail." Birkoff tapped the butt of his rifle. "Good," he commented. "We'll am- bush your pursuers and see if wo can take back more than one prisoner to Shillov. Quick, into the thickets!" The thickets grew close to the bank of a stagnant crocodile-swamp, and it was as the Shillov gang were plunging into the undergrowth that Monty and Fred, well in advance of the rest of their party, turned a bend in the jungle track and caught sight of the enemy. They stopped abruptly, and then, with- out a word, Monty dragged FreV! back before Shillov's men could see them. And as the remainder of the column came up at the double, he signed to them to keep quiet. " Peering through a mass of jungle January 14th, 1U33. BOY'S CINEMA foliage, Monty marked the figures of, the rival band taking shelter in the thickets, and, after watching them for a few seconds, he turned to Kazimoto. "You were right in what you said a few minutes ago," he whispered. "Krotsky and Coutlass took this path that leads to Shillov's settlement, and they've just run into a strong party of Shillov's men. It looks as if they in- tend to ambush us, but we'll spring a surprise on them instead." "How, Monty?" put in Fred. "I want Kazimoto to take half of our party and work round to the other side of those thickets," Monty rejoined. "We'll give him time to get into posi- tion, and then we'll rush." The plan was put into operation, and Kazimoto and about twenty men executed a detour. Meanwhile, Monty and the rest of the column waited in silence, and four or five minutes had elapsed when the young white man sud- denly sprang to his feet. "Come on!" he shouted, and dashed into the open. Fred was close at his heels, and be- hind him came a handful of bearers armed with rifles and a score of Lazuma's warriors. A volley flashed from the thicket, and hot lead whistled amongst Monty's fol- lowers. Three of Lazuma's tribesmen fell, but the others hurled their assegais into the undergrowth with deadly effect, and, dropping to their knees, Monty, Fred and the bearers answered the fire of Shillov's band. At that same instant there was an outburst of shooting on the other side of the thickets, and Monty knew that Kazimoto and his detachment were going into action. He promptly gave the command to advance again, and charged into the undergrowth at the head of his men. "By the Seven Seas!" roared the voice of Georges Coutlass. "We are surrounded!" In the twinkling of an eye all was confusion. Assailed before and behind, Shillov's partisans were thrown into the wildest disorder, and, though they were equal in numbers to their antagonists, their morale was shattered by the un- expectedness of the dual onset. Lazuma's warriors ran amok, stab- bing with spear, striking with club. The bearers blazed with their rifles at close range, shooting right and left. Monty, emptying his revolver, heaved it at one of Shillov's bushmen allies, then found himself at grips with Krotsky. Locked in a desperate struggle, the two men blundered through the thickets, tumbled into the swamp close by and wallowed in the stagnant waters. From a shelving strand of mud forty yards away several scaly forms slid into the slime and began to glide towards the combatants—hungry crocodiles with their deadly jaws agape for prey. Both men straightened up, but Monty bajiged his fist to his foe's jaw and hammered him down. Krotsky was on his feet again in an instant, however, and with a lucky blow he sent the youngster flying into the middle of the swamp. Monty struck his head on a half- submerged log, and the blow knocked him dizzy. He lay sagging in the shallows, and Krotsky scrambled to dry land, then looked back and saw the school of hideous reptiles moving towards his half-stunned antagonist. With a leet Krotsky staggered from the scene. There was a great deal of \rment among the thickets—men run- ning in all directions—and it did not take him long to realise that Birkotf's Every ruesday party had been routed in detail. He himself slunk off stealthily, bent on eluding death or capture. Meanwhile, Monty was striving to col- lect his wits, and, as he mustered up enough strength to stand, he saw the crocodiles moving towards him, their ugly snouts cutting through the water. Alive to his ghastly peril, he made for the bank. He was up to his thighs in the swamp, and underwater weeds ham- pered his feet, tripping him half a dozen times. The crocodiles gained on him, and he put on a desperate spurt. The bank at last, and, as he reached safety, there was a clash of teeth at his heels. Had terra-firma been a yard farther off, he would have been dragged to his doom by the loathsome brutes which had pursued him. There was no sign of Krotsky, but, hearing voices in the thickets, he plunged through the undergrowth and came full-tilt into Barbara and the native youth who had consented to act as her guide. "Oh, Monty, I had to follow!" the girl panted. "What's happened? Where is my father?" "I don't know," he answered, "but I think he should be safe. Look, there's Fred and some of our party over there." He pointed through the thickets, and, when they joined Fred, they saw that he was kneeling with Kazimoto over Morgan's prone form. "Missy Barbara's father ver' sick now," Kazimoto said as they reached the spot. " Better take him back to village quick." Monty nodded, and then, while Morgan was being lifted by two of the bearers, Fred spoke. "We wiped out about half of that party from Shillov's settlement," he announced, glancing around at the huddled figures of the dead. "The rest of 'em beat it as fast as they could." "Any prisoners?" Monty demanded. Fred shook his head. "Lazuma's warriors saw to that," he rejoined grimly. "It doesn't seem to occur to them to give any quarter. By the way, Coutlass got away with another white man. What happened to Krotsky?" "Gone!" Monty answered. "We fell into the swamp. I just missed being an appetiser for a pack of crocodiles. But let's get Barbara's father back to the village. The longer he's out in this foul atmosphere of swamps, the worse he's likely to be." A start was made, and, before they had gone far, they were overtaken by some (4 Lazuma's warriors, returning from a futile pursuit of the Shillov survivors. ' In triumph these headed the march back to the native village. Belle Waldron's Plan. MAKING his way through the hush, Krotsky presently detected move- ments somewhere on his right, and a little while later he espied the figures of Birkoff and Coutlass, both of them as dishevelled as Shillov's hench- man himself. They were accompanied by the rem nants of the native detachment which Birkoff had commanded, and hailed Krotsky joyfully as they saw him— Birkoff because he feared the i quences of returning without him, Cout- lass because he banked on the man put- ting in a good word for him to Shillov. "Thunder, we are all lucky to be alive," the Greek declared. "Had I not fought like ten men. I fear none of us would have escaped.;! "You fought?" snarled Birkoff. "You were one of the first to run!"