Evening star., 1938-02-12
CHAPTER XII.

-
moments. then fed across the
- room to the rough stepladder.
Lane was painfully trying to drag him.
self up, and she lent him the aid OF
her lissom strength A furry of re-
volver shots ratified upstairs
Lane groaned and clenched his lips
Hurry, kid"
Denise was pan!c-stricken. Every
second meant that the headhunters
were climbing closer and closer. Soon
those glittering blades would come
whistling through the air-she closed
her eyes and violently showed Lane up
the rungs of the ladder.
She wanted to be near Christopher
II she WAS going to die Desperately
she tugeed with Lane, so that brown
hands wouldn't seize and tear her down
before she reached the top of the lad
der.
A hand did reach her, but it was
from above. She looked up. 1t was
Christopher. Here" he said, pressing
an automatic pistol into her hands.
You might need this"
The room was strange sight. The
one opening in the wall. long, mar
row slit that ran halfway along one
SIDE. machine gun on tripod poked
Its ugly length through the slit. Sitting
on the spade tail of the weapon, Hyder
tore at the breech with bleeding fin
gers. Denise didn't know about such
things but she could tell from the des-
peratlon in his expression that the
gun was jammed.
Standing alongside of the feverishlv
working Indian, MacCauley was firing
a revolver through the opening. Everv
lew moments he grunted with salts
faction as one of his bullets found a
mark
Lane joined him at the embrasure
adding the weight of his marksman-
ship to the defense. Christopher bent
down over the gun and spoke to the
struggling Hyder in some odd paragon
that the others couldn't understand,
HIS question invoked a short replv in
the same tongue. He said something
else, patted the gunner on the shoul-
der. and went toward the head of the
ladder
MacCauley half turned. "Quitting?"
he snarled.
Christopher shrugged Its bad
JAM he said quietly "Hvder must
nave at least three more minutes be-
fore he can clear the works" Chris
topher looked at Denise with a mixture
OF regret and gladness. Hes going to
get them"
'HoW?' MacCauley snapped. Every
second was precious Lane kent
metnodlcally pumping away through
the slit
l made two mistakes. Christ onher
replied rapidly, stepping onto the
ladder. Il neglected to consider that
the gun might jam, and I didn't make
that slit in the wall large enough to
toss hand grenades through I'm 60
Ing downstairs and heave a few"
he reached into a box beside the
opening in the floor and seized several
round objects and started to stuff them
into his shirt.
Denlse started violently. If he went
ooWn thoSe steps, he'd be the first-if
tne 1lmoreans reached the house
MacCauley glanced at her with
look that she had never before seen
on his face. A look of tenderness
iooh OF contrlteness, the look of sin
ner who desperately longs to make
amends. Drop en- he commanded
leNelng his gun at Christopher. This
is my show,
christopher coolly looked at the
muzzle OF the gun and leisurely started
descending. stuffng hand grenades into
his open shirt front.
douglas MacCauley looked once more
at DENSE, cursed and threw his gun
10 the floor Damn it.' he cried. when
Cnrlstopher's head had dsa ppeared
Il won't let him.
The next moment he charged across
the room. Scooped up few grenades.
ana scuttled down the ladder after
christopher. Scarcely had he gone
When Denise OWNED his purpose
ohe rushed to the embrasure. which
permitted wide view of the whole
sou'hern exposure of Christopher's hill
Even AS she looked. MacCaulev's figure
suddenly flashed into view beneath
her.
All right. YOU heathens!" he shout
ed. Here I ami
With that he tossed bomb throuob
.'le ar, III exploded AS he fell, spear
proefudlng grimly from his neck. an
o'her from his middle. Then ouiverinp
nueerlv AS he convulsed and Law still
Ine foremost headhunters bounded
forward with hoWls of chilling elee
Long knives flashed.
Denise closed her eyes and leaned
against wall for support
ABOVE her. Hyder sucked in ouick
gasp OF satisfaction, slapped down the
oreech OF the cleared machine o,n
closed the handles. and souintinr
through the sights. seered the mass of
,.sults that huddled over MacCaulev
.' s.ii,"" "o' DenlSe watched the long
sl'lloee oe!t snake through the smok-
ing nav OF the gun. sending a leaden
'iah that Tell like rain among the ri.
nnorans, WIG ~
men dull explosion after explosion
tnuooed in the heavy air as Chris
.opner recovered from the stunn;no
prov on the head that MacCaulev had
oealt MN before rushing through tho
doorway to his death, threw hand orao
haoes among the savages
Ihe grenades and the gun hammerod
on. Then there was silence W..
released the hot triggers. and heoon ~
r teioao the weapon. Christopher came
back upstairs '"'''e
iheyre gone" he said. as he bent
over Denise. Il don't think they'u he
back" II VIC
Lane looked at him gravely, and
sonoeriy nodded his head. we can
mold them off until Roche comes in
the Celebes," he said.
Inc breeze from the northwest filled
the sails OF the Celebes as Capt. Roche
cleared Timora Island with two mas
sengers and 'gentleman's man." The
TWO passengers stood by the wheel
looking back at the receding shoreline