The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-12-18
CopyrIght Ledger syndicate

milled berserkly, jabbering and
sqtlealing In terrified falSetto voices.
Bandits were swarming on to the
fence at the far northern end Of the
property. One Of them spreadeagled
himself for balance high on the
strands and took a pot shot at Bill
O'Toole. O'Toole seemed to lose his
equilibrium, reeled and pitched face
first.
1t happened as rapidly as a news
reel shot is flashed on to the screen.
THE machine gun :"
Gregory put it on the blink. I
just found out"
We've got to run for it?"
run where?" He was reloading
his pistol.
She say Gee Ma pattering toward
them. Evidently Gee Ma had kept
his promise Of few minutes before
that he would not go far away.
"A car Is hid by road near here.
Gee Ma will show U.s." The bandits
were having difficulty il getting
past the heavily constructed barb
wire fence, electricity or no cleo
tricity. From previous experiences
at this mine, moreover, they had an
uholy terror Of rushing too head
long into the camp. Machine guns
had too readily a habit of waiting
until they were almost on it and
then rafting forth with winged de-
struction. Hurry, Will we have
time"
TYou 60. I'm staying"
He turned toward the fighting.
Jean Strebor looked for an instant
at Gee Mas large-boned shoulders.
She muttered something rapidly in
Chinese. Gee Ma caught Mundy
suddenly from behind In strangle-
hold.
"The pistol" she gasped to
Mundy. "Quick!"
He was struggling against the
hold. His face was turning pur-
plish red. His fingers released the
revolver as one of her hands closed
over it. She knew he thought she
was going to shoot the Chinese
Instead, she gripped the butt of the
gun in the palm of her hand. She
knew the fiat Of a gun would stun
man without injury to the bone.
Her father had showed her how
She struck him once, then again,
harder.
Hurry" she told Gee Ma, who
stood there inscrutably, the sagging
body in his large arms. We've got
to get him to that car in time!"
Break For Freedom
The automobile was of European
manufacture. Its narrow wheelbase
enabled it to get through places on
the improvised road that an ordi-
nary machine could not have pass
ed.
The road, in the lowering sun,
was a ragged yellow ribbon. It lay
in an impression formed by the
travel of centuries. Where it cut
through high mounds of driftlike
earth that were the results of thou
sands of .'ears of dust storms, there
were the marks of crude imple-
ments that had widened it so as to
make possible Marshal Fang's whim
for transportation other than by
chunky North China ponies or by
straw-roofed filters on poles fas-
tened between the wooden saddles
of two mules in single file.as q
Gee Ma drove with both hands
clutching the perking wheel. Jean
Strebor sat In the front seat beside
him. Mundy who had been tied
hand and foot with rope already in
the machine, bounced on the back
seat and yainly tried to free HIM
self.
He had headache, and he was
cold. He growled at Jean Strebor
when she glanced around at him.
How about untying me?"
mot until you're ready to give
me your parole" she said. I'VE had
enough trouble getting you out of
that mess without having you pull
some crazy stunt like trying to re-
capture TIE place by yourself. or
bet up Gee Ma, or do something
equally mad. You don't have to
look at me like that. Those were
just the things you were threaten
ing when you regained conscious
ness"
Il suppose you could get deliber-
ately whacked on the head and
come out Of 1t with temper of an
angel" he growled sarcastically.
Anyway, was In a daZe. I'm o. K.
now. That stuff's out.
Then why not give me your pa
role?" she asked sweetly.
I'll be =" A skid resulted in
his almost being thrown to the
floor. He gritted his teeth. "All