The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-11-12

wet season as Cney 0OOQeQ down
the mountainsides. A wooden bridge
carried the tracks across this chan
mel. The three men quickly pushed
the car through the airfield spur
and mainline connecting tracks un-
til it was headed for the river again,
and pushed it back across the bridge
so it was clear for the run to Tenn
pujo.
AS Curt and McInnis were load
ing themselves gingerly with ex-
plosives-the dynamite and two cans
of powder-Collins spoke up.
1T won't take all three of us to
break in. I'll be planting this last
can to knock out that bridge behind
us. Have that much DONE"
Good"
Curt cut length of fuse for the
job, took the rest of the coil, and
with McInnis got under way for the
hidden hangers.
They reached the fence and Curt
led the way cautiously to the spot
where he'd broken through last
night. He played his flash along the
ground. Good. The leaves and de-
bris scattered over the soft fill of
the hole he'd used before was undis-
turbed. Their entrance had not been
discovered. Tonight it wasn't nee
essary to use such care. They had
the proper tools, so they simply cut
through the fence and bent back a
section to make a man-size hole. At
each snip of the cutters the taut
wire made loud "ping" which re-
sounded in the stiffness of the night.
That noise earliest" McInnis
warned.
mot to the other end of the field, |"
said Curt shortly.
"Yeh, but I don't like this, Curt.
Looks too easy. I can't believe they
don't keep some kind of watch.
You would, I would, they're not
dumber, are they? You could have
got through last night by sheer
luck"
81 know. It's been in my mind,
too. But there's nothing we can do
about it except keep alert
McInnis' words were prophecy. 1t
was as they were hauling at the
strip of corrugated sheathing-a
noisy job itself!-that they heard
the running feet. So there was a
patrol maintained! The two men
jumped away from the wall and fell
fiat in the dry grass. The feet
pounded around the end of the build
ing, flash played back and forth
and picked out the hole in the fence,
the sprung sheet.
''Was list das? Antworten siei"
The man ran to the fence, then to
the break in the hangar wall. The
sheet had not been ripped sufficiently
to admit a person, so the man
turned from the building and played
his light about the space between
it and the fence.
"Komnon sic hierher! Horen
sie?" He tried Spanish. "Que pasa?
Venga!"
The two Americans couldn't posi-
bly, avoid detection long. Curt made
a cautious move for his gun and the
rustic of the dry grass gave him
away. The guard shot wildly in that
direction and doused his flash.
Curt and McInnis rolled apart in
stantly, but neither used his gun in
the blackness for the flash would
give away his position. The guard,
too. after the first wild shot, held
his fire. But his movements showed
he was edging toward the fence.
"Alarm wire!" shouted Curt.
"Along the fence-top! He's trying to
reach i'll"
"Ah! Amerikana!"
The guard lunged for the fence,
but there came a shot from beyond
it, from the other side. Collins! A
quick stab from Collins f1ashlight
showed the German close to the
fence, his arm upstretched, the man
ready to spring. Another shot, and
the man went down.
FINISHED my job at the tracks"
Collins called anxiously, "and heard
this guy as neared the fence. Then
the shot Are you okay?"
eyes," cried Curt. There's a
hole in the fence, Collins. Get busy,
you guys. I'll see if the shots car
ried."
He raced around the end of the
building and to the front. He had a
clear view to the other end of the
field. A few night lights showed, as
they had last night. Under one of
these, the one outside the clubroom,
two figures stood like statues. Men
listening. Presently they seemed to
relax. They moved out of the light,
not fast as though alarmed, and
the clubroom lights snapped on. Curt
relaxed, too. The shots had been
behind the buildings here, the sounds
wouldn't have carried sharply to the
other end-he hoped. He returned
to the others.
Collins and McInnis had forced
entrance to the hangar. All three
had flashlights tonight, and Curt
found McInnis taking quick look
see for himself. Collins was at the
bomb room door, forcing the lock.
| Curt and McInnis joined him.
Inside the long partition they spent
a moment studying the layout. The
cylindrical castings were pointed at
the bulkhead, which was constructed
of thick planks. When assembled,
there'd be a space of about two feet
between the noses of the bombs
and the heavy wall.
"Okay, men, it'll work." Collins
said. "Get busy on your jobs, I'll
handle mine"
The room was wired with lights.
Since no beam could escape out
side, Collins snapped the switch and
Immediately got to work on study
of the first tail fuse at hand.
"Huh," he said dismally, they're
the arming vane type. Well, guess