The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-08-29

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hopes to join us before it's all over.
Monica disappeared two days ago.
| She was going to the governors house
at Sandakan-and didn't turn up"
That's Mrs. Viney-Pennington
f1ancee," explained Dawson. This is
terrible Penn. You don't think Chat
Hung has had anything to do with
this?"
Pennington rose to his feet.
81 don't know what to think. It's
knocked me pretty hard"
What are you going to DOR
"Carry-on," said Pennington with
touch of bitterness.
Dawson, tiattened down against the
rock, barely a hundred PAGES from
the main objective, saw the seventh
round send a wall topping drunkenly
inward
Good mani he murmured exult.
antly, then CROPPED for his rifle. Four
more rounds followed in quicker sue
cession-and the D. o. rubbed his fat
hands together. Chai-Hung's lair
was crumbling from its very founda.
tons. One main wall of enormous
boulders stood alone behind a heap
of ruins and he guessed that this re-
naming rampant sheltered all that
was left of the bandits followers. To
all intents and purposes the day was
won.
And then, as he brought his gaze
back to the wall. he saw a figure
standing very erect on its summit;
man OF enormous proportions in a
white drill tunic and baggy silk
trousers. He did not need the assist
ance of binoculars to recognize Chat
Hung.
Within matter of seconds, a sec
ond form had Joined him, pushed
from below by unseen hands. In
flash there dawned upon him the
meaning of that maneuver of the
early hours. the band that had broken
through carrying something slung
from a pikul.
His senses reeled.
For Gods sake stop that damned
gum he caught himself screaming
aloud, writhing in the agony of his
impotence. He damned his fingers in
his ears and tried in vain to draw
MS eyes from the girl who. bound
hand and foot, just balancing on the
Jagged surface of rock, looked death
In the face unflinchingly.
He had always admired Monica
had even cherished hopes of her him.
self, until Pennington had stepped in.
The sight of her standing there by the
side OF Chai-Hung maddened him. He
tried to collect his thoughts and. as
ne did so the real significance of that
SOLITARY rampant was borne upon him.
Clay had told him after their first at
tack that behind the rude fortress was
sheer drop of eight hundred feet.
her presence there was a warning to
remington to cease fire.
He wriggled into the shelter of the
next boulder ahead, conscious only of
desire to do something. Twenty
yards from the wall, he realized that
the firing had stopped. AS he
watched his opportunity to scramble
under the wall itself. his eye caught
a second figure far to his right. a
short, swarthy scarecrow with a long
knife between his teeth.
Rabat-Pilai! The creature pas5ed
out OF sight and Dawson lay very still
while all around reigned a silence that
tugged at his nerve-strings. The sun
beat mercilessly down on him and he
shifted his battered topee back over
the nape of his neck, wondering all
the time what Chai-Hungs next move
would be.
Suddenly, from their own lines. a
single rifie-shot rang out The man
On the wall clapped hand to his side.
then swung his arm forward as If to
send his victim lettering backward.
Dawson cursed the fellow under his
breath. 1t was sheer madness to nick
on the bandit, for he stood so close to
the girl that the faintest touch must
assuredly carry her with him.
A rock dislodged from somewhere
slid into space, and two hands an.
peared on the wall. inches only from
where the girl stood Impelled from
behind, she slid forward with a little
| scream into the ruins. and Chai-H1ng
turned with a snarl upon-Chinese
Pennington. He had discarded his
sling, but Dawson could see that his
wounded arm panied him greatly.
He hit Chat Hung with all the force
he could muster, er-balanced with
the sheer force of impact-and the
two men disappeared together into the
abyss
AS If at a given signal, the attack
ing force rose and advanced at the
double; but Dawson, anxious only 70,
the safety of Monica and his best
friend, Numbered ahead of them into
the shattered stronghold He ~oun6
Hewitt's sister. bruised but unIniured
halfburied in a heap of debris.
Dear Mr. Dawson" she murrnureC
incoherently, I'm so glad you've
turned up. 1 was beginning to think
all my friends had deserted me" He
severed her bonds with his knife and
she caught his sleeve between ner
numbed fingers. Tell me, where's
Peter? Why isn't he here?'
|, Dawson choked.
1T was Pennington who saved
you" he stammered. He'll find
out for you in a minute"
He pushed a fresh clip into his pis-
tol and made her take it. A second
later he was staring blankly into
space.
There was a track--a foot wide
between the base of the wall and the
cliff edge. A couple of yards below
the path the face of Rabat- Pilai
grinned up at him This amazing
being was hanging on by his fingers