The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-04-06
sERIAL sToRY
sENTENCEDi CHAPTER X
BY CECIL cARNES


 CHAPTER X
 No side-winder ever struck faster han Allan Steele. He pivoted in his Ewn length on the ground and came I4o his fet in the same swift move ment. His forward leap and an up- Wnrd thrust of his powerful left arm knocked aside the barrel oi fhe menacing rifle. It exploded harmlessly. He swung haymaker f with his right which would have Born the East Indians head from Ihis shoulders if 1t had found the marR.
 Probably ths fellow was unpre- pared for any resistance at all, let alone a counter-atteck so dynamic Perhaps his orders were not to shoot unless necessary, He gave ground almost automatically, and gave it barely in time to escape the looping fist which buzzed by his nose. Ke shouted something in Japanese, tten went spinning into Q patch of cactus as Allan'S left reached his jaw in an upper cut full of authority.
 If the Japanese words were a command to close in, his six vel low henchmen had not waited for it. They rushed forward at AL lan's first movement One of them tripped over the Eurasian's lTifle, another was knocked sprawl ling by the Eurasian himself in lNlri,k n tI,ipJ fNldnd ,,,N with a Igrunt and went to earth as All lan's knee drove his stomach against his spine and plastered il there.
 But still there were three of the Formidable Orientals left. They bored in, grim, silent, purposeful 1.-TWO leaped for Allan's arms Caught them and clung like leach les. The last man dove headlong Ito grasp his knees in a football tackle, but a well-aimed kick ir the face diverted his aim. HC sprawled, his arms still gropins blindly for their objective.
 But now the Eurasian was on hiy fleet again, but standing prudentll to one side. His hideous face even more repulsive from hate he snapped orders in words tha crackled. AS if prodded by imagi' nary elephant gods, the tempo rarily disabled Japs sprang cree and tore in again like men pos sessed of flends; they descended Upon Allan with the impact of si! Living battering-rams.
 I He fought them tooth and nail also with elbows and knees anc fists and feet. The knot of Strug' .gling men swayed this way ant lthat, spinning around in a series Eof crazy circles. No sound camt from the straining bodies eXcep Allan's gasping breath and an oc- casiOnal grunt, with Japanese accent, as one of his desperate lunges connected with some vita spot in an enemy's anatomy.
 His aim was to break loose tol l1ust the one instant he needed tc sget out his automatic. He could mot do 1t. He was fighting l2- harmed human octopus and every time he broke the clinging grir of Q single tenacle, two others re- placed 1t.
 By sheer weight and brute force inc rushed tlfe sextet through the tciump of pines and to the edge ol the steep declivity. A moment the twisting group teetered on the brink; another saw them over Il .and pinwheeling down the sharr /incline in a choking cloud of dus eAnd rubble. Allan fared best oI them all; in the center of the re- volving mass, his protective cover ing of eenmy bodies shielded hi' own from thorn and cactus.
 In the end, 1t was the Penin' sula itself that beat him. At thC tot of the hill something akin tC a display of fireworks dazzled hi brain; but before he could really appreciate the rockets, shooting stars and Roman candles, a cur tain of blackness fell on the show W Quite simply, his head had hi a rock with a force that nearly split them both
 He was stunned only momentarily but that was enough for the pacl of wolves who had pulled him down He opened his eyes to find himsel helpless, his arms lashed behind him at wrist and elbow. Two Jap' anese, breathing heavily, were sit ting like leaden weights on each o. his legs. The Eurasian stood above him, staring down vindictively.
 "So you've come back to life, he commented, and drove booted toe deep into Allans side. Be. 1ieve me, it will be pleasure tc watch you go out of it again -- presentlyl"
 He added something to his men The four who were holding Allar to the ground got up, raising hin with them. He caught his balance uncertainty, still dizzy from th' crack on his head, but he was ablt to control his limbs when his cap tors marched him around the bast of the hill and down to the shore They passed several squads O workmen, all Japanese, who mere " stared at the party incuriousl! and went on about their business
 There seemed to be wholt fleet of small launches in the com