Boy's Cinema (1935-39)

22 Run to Earth THE crooks had gained a good lead when C'ra^h and Johnnie had pulled uj) by the mobile outfit, but it was not long before the powerful motor-cycles were close on their tail again. "Mike," Tony, the leader, shouted to his driver, "get oft' (he main highway. It'll slow 'em down." "A mile ahead there's the very place," Mike answered. "A sandy track with little grip. I can hug the banking and get through, and the cops when they keep to the main track'll be thrown." The trick worked because Johnnie, in the lead, charged recklessly after the grey sedan when it left the road. Naturally, he thought he could follow where the car went. His front wheels went deep into soft sand, he skidded sideways and was flung out of the saddle. Crash managed to keep his balance, and. as he swerved past, Johnnie raised himself on one elbow: "Go on!" he yelled. Crash Donovan was back on the main road and tearing after the sedan before Johnnie had got to his feet and picked up his machine. He straightened the handlebars and was glad to find no damage had been done to his engine. Ho followed the car trail out on to the highway. The grey sedan gained so much by this manoeuvre that when Crash reached the main road the car was out of sight. He could tell by the wheel marks the direction taken, and, after roaring along the road, at last came to a straight Stretch, and his heart leapt as he came again within sight of his quarry. He came to a bend, and suddenly Waked his machine to a stop, and turned back. A car had gone off the road and through a low hedge. So they were trying that trick again. He dodged about among pine-trees, and finally came back to the highway. He cursed himself because, if he had not been so smart and seen that smashed hedge, he might be close on them at this very moment. That was if the crooks had come back to the highway; if he had remained on the road they might have continued their cross- country ride to another main highway. It was flat and woody, and not an impossible feat. Feeling thoroughly enraged, Crash fairly roared his machine, and had gone five miles when he came to another long, straight stretch. No sign of the cursed car, so back went Crash, and had scarce gone a few hundred yards when he saw a track and wheel marks. Tearing a handkerchief in half, he put it in the centre of the track so that it looked like a pointing arrow— Johnnie would sec and understand. Though this track twisted and turned it was firm, and it seemed to Crash that it was well used. His light picked out car tracks that were recent. After a while he dimmed his lamps and pro- ceeded a trifle more slowly. Not a sound could he hear of the grey sedan, and it would ruin everything" if he drove straight into an ambush. The crooks had made a getaway, but he had a hunch that down this track he would come to some sort of hide-out. About four miles ahead of Crash the grey sedan was pulled up before a dilapidated old shack. "Come on, you men, get those out of there quick I" shouted Tony. "What's the hurry, boss?" cried one of the gang. "Wo lost 'em miles back." October ."1st. im BOY'S CINEMA " Maybe we lost 'em and maybe we didn't!" snarled Tony. "Come on— snap into it. Get some of the men from inside to help." The boxes were very heavy, and it took the combined efforts of two men to lift one of them. At last all the smuggled good- were out of the car. "Mike," rapped out Tony, "get the bus under cover as quick as you can." "Okay!" Mike started the engine and sped away towards some dense bushes. And Crash Donovan, wondering whether he was on the wrong trail, after all, heard the sound of the self- starter and the roaring of the engine. A moment later he sighted the house and saw the figure of a man scuttling through the bushes. Tony, from the house, had seen the lamp flickering among the trees, and was not surprised when Mike dashed in to say- that a cop had spotted him. "So you weren't so darned clever !" the leader snarled and whipped round. "Barricade the doors and cover the windows." They saw the policeman and opened fire. Crash made for a large tree sur- rounded by shrubs, flung himself from his machine and from behind the tree fired at the windows. A roar of a motor and out of the darkness came a headlight—it was Johnnie. The two police officers opened fire. "We ain't got much chance of getting those rats out," opined Crash. "Reckon there must be seven or eight of 'em from the flashes, so it would be suicide to rush the place, but now we've corralled 'em we don't want 'em to make a getaway. I saw a telephone pole about a mile back." Johnnie nodded. "I get the idea. Can you gei back to it and tap a wire. I'll hold them here." "Sure!" Crash quickly agreed, and laid his hand on the other's shoulder. "Keep your head down, Johnnie boy. I won't be long." A leap into the saddle and ho had flashed away among the trees. Tony saw the machine and guessed one of the patrols had gone for help. Crash Donovan came to the telephone pole and shinned up it like a monkey. He had brought from the saddle-bag of his machine a small instrument, and the two wires he adjusted to the telephone w ires. "Hallo! Hallo! Emergency—State Patrol Headquarters!" he cried into the miniature telephone. At last he heard a voice saying that he was being put through; then came headquarters. "Donovan speaking." " Where are \ ou '.'" "Pine Ridge. Have located smugglers. Send help." "Right." "We 11 take care of 'em, but hurry!" was Crash's final message before dis- connecting. It was not long before a general call was being sent forth: "Calling all police units. Calling all cars. Criminals spotted on fine Ridge " Chief Tennyson turned out every available man. and. within five minutes of getting the news that Crash Donovan and Johnnie Allen were holding the smuggler- at bay in a cabin on Pine Ridge, a dozen car- loaded with police and two dozen of the cycle patrol weir roaring through the night in the cause of just toe. Crash Donovan roared back towards the shack, and was surprised not to hear any sound of Gring. Allen's ' Eve ry Tuesday machine was there, but there was no sign of Johnnie. Crash flashed a torch on the ground and recoiled at the sight of blood. A flash of light ahead made him peer through the bushes. The door of the shack had opened, and then his heart missed another beat, because lie could see the uniformed figure of Johnnie. Even at that dis- tance Crash was able to see that the young officer was wounded, either in the right shoulder or arm. Two crooks were driving Johnnie into the shack at the point of the gun. The shack door closed with a slam. A Human Target TONY, the leader of this band of smugglers, was no ordinary gang- ster. He had received a good education, but had envied those college graduates who had cars and money. It had started with a small gambling school in his room, and. finding how- easy one could make money this way, had looked round for other means of fleecing the foolish. He had been found out taking bets on races and expelled. The result was that Tony had turned to a life of robbery and crime. Though only twenty-five he was the leader of a gang, and it was his boast that, so far, he had eluded the long arm of the law. Bi1t Tony, as he crouched by one of the windows, knew the arm of the law- was very close. He had seen one of the patrol officers disappear, and knew that he had gone for help. Probably it would take an hour before a strong body of police could get here, and all Tony and his men could do would be to die or surrender. Tony gave a bitter grin—surrender to serve twenty years or more in a prison, where you would become a poor, broken wreck. Surely there was something that could be done ? If they got the car and tried to make a getaway the cursed policeman would be on their trail. But supposing they killed him ? That would mean the chair. Supposing they cap- tured him and made him a prisoner? Tony grinned, because now he thought he could see a possible way of escape. "Mike," he rapped out. "You and the boys keep up heavy fire at that tree, behind which the cop is skulking, 'cos I'm going out." "You ain't doing a run-out " Tony's gun covered the man. "One more crack like that and you'll taste a dose of lead." His eyes blazed. "I've risked my life for you scum more than once. I'm not yellow, if you rats are. We're cornered, and maybe I could sneak away, but I'm not a quitter." He laughed. "Don't think it's because of you spineless skunks that I'm .sticking. I'm thinking of all that junk that's worth thousands, and I'm not quitting that. If you want to get out of this jam, you do as I say, and the first that questions my orders " "I'm sorry, chief," whined Mike. "But if you're going out we ain't got a chance." "I'm going out to get that cop." sneered Tony. "Keep your fire on that tree to distract his attention. I'll get him on the flank, and be prepared to watch out for my return." He in his lean hands together. "I may have a prisoner." Quietly Tony stole out of one of the back doors. There was a bluff behind the shack. Tony knew that a few si or rocks rolled down the slope would smash the place to pieces, lie was sure the police would think of that. Very quietly he left the shack, an I on hands and knees crawled toward- the trees. It was a simple matter to i Cover without being seen by the pa man, but not so easy to get close enough