The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-12-16
CHAPTER K

CHAPTER TX
 .~The little fools trying to go up- river with ammunition for her father" Gregory shrieked. Its Jean Streborl"
 ~What are you doing here, then? Why aren't you down there trying io stop her?"
 T thought I'd warn ." Mundy swung from his knees. Greggory saw the blow coming and Tucked. He caught Mundy low kn the stomach and then lower, below the belt. Dizzily, Mundy ,straightened him with left upper cut. His right fist cracked against the others jaw. Gregory fell like a sack. It happened in less than ten seconds.
 '~Thatu at least keep you from rousing the whole river with that yelling!"
 The others were beside him now. Come on," Mundy grunted be- tween gritted teeth. We've got to stop her. She'll be killed"
 Two Chinese were noiselessly loading boxes of cartridges, machine gun strips and dynamite on the dark hulk of the motorboat.
 Royce Gregory, holding hand- kerchief against his mouth so that he could breathe without filling his lungs to full of the dust that swirled in the wind, stopped one of the Chinese as the latter emerged from shack with a case of ex- plosives clutched tightly against his chest.
 "Is that all the stuff?" Gregory asked in an undertone.
 Missy say not take all"
 "Take them all," Gregory nut tered. Take them all"
 Can do, Boss" the Chinese agreed.
 Gregory, head down hurried to where Jean Strebor stood in the boathouse The further end of the dark building was open to the river.
 There's no sign of an alarm?" she whispered hoarsely to Gregory as he approached.
 "Everything is coming off fine" His words echoed hollowly. "It couldn't be better"
 You've checked the gas. There's plenty?"
 "Everything is set" he assured her.
 Take It All
 The two Chinese returned again with boxes. They set them care fully with the others in the stern. They started to lash them fast. Gregory stepped close to the man he had spoken to before.
 'Is that all there is?" he asked in 8 low voice.
 "All, Boss"
 : Gregory turned, an expression of satisfaction lowering about his lips. The wind whistled within the damp building. Dust got in his eyes and nostrils. He checked the impulse to sneeze. Jean Strebor was stepping into the cockpit. He caught her elbow and steadied her. Then he jumped in beside her. The boat rocked slightly.
 "I wonder if can make it?" she said, as if talking to herself.
 '"Youll make it." Gregory told her firmly. "Mundy's just plain coward. He knows Fang has no boats on the riv.r. Fang,s no pi- rate"
 He knew instantly he shouldn't have said that about Fang not being pirate. That was what her father had been. Only now Michael Strebor had been commissioned by the Chinese government to wipe out the renegade Marshal Fang. an army leader turned bandit and revolutionist.
 Gregory added quickly, to cover up: T wouldn't be surprised if Mundy plans on holding you here for ransom. Fang, for instance, would pay plenty. Mundy probably figures that no one would ever know or care about you, not if your fathers wiped out" He snapped his fingers. Say, almost forgot something"
 He quickly scrambled onto the rough board floor of the boathouse. Where are you going?"
 I've got to attend to something" he called back softly. He had to restrain the nervous impulse to laugh. "I'll be right back"
 But we can't wait ="
 Gregory Deserts Her
 Gregory disappeared quickly into the darkness. For a moment she could see the silhouette of his bulky shoulders against the light from the windows of the house where Mundy, Steeger and O'Toole were eating. Then Gregory stepped out of line with the house.
 She and the two Chinese huddled there in the dark. Moments passed. The river lapped and sucked at the piles of the boathouse. She turned