The White Invaders Part 9

We worked swiftly and got the apparatus on somehow. The wires, broken and awry, would not be noticed in the darkness.

"Ready, Don?"

"Yes. I--I guess so."

"I've got this light cylinder, but we don't know how to work it."

"Carry it openly in your hand. It adds to the disguise." There was a note of triumph in Don's voice. "It's dark out there--only the green glow. We'll pa.s.s for them, Bob, at a little distance anyway. Come on."

We started out of the room. "You can hide your revolver in the belt--there seems to be a pouch."

"Yes."

We pa.s.sed noiselessly to the veranda. Over our bare feet we were wearing a sort of woven buskin which fastened with wires to the ankle disks.

"Keep together," Don whispered. "Take it slowly, but walk openly--no hesitation."

My heart was pounding, seemingly in my throat, half-smothering me.

"Around the back corner of the house," I whispered. "Then into the banana grove. Straighten."

"Yes. But not right among them. A little off to one side, pa.s.sing by as though we were on some errand."

"If they spot us?"

"Open fire. Cut and run for it. All we can do, Bob."

Side by side we walked slowly along the edge of the house. At the back corner, the small banana grove opened before us. Twenty feet away, under the spreading green leaves of the trees a dozen or so men were working over apparatus. And in their center a group of captive girls sat huddled on the ground. Men were pa.s.sing back and forth. At the edge of the trees, by the naked field, men seemed preparing to serve a meal. There was a bustle of activity everywhere; a babble of strange, subdued voices.

We were well under the trees now. Don, choosing our route, was leading us to pa.s.s within ten or fifteen feet of where the girls were sitting. It was dark here in the grove; the litter of rotted leaves on the soft ground scrunched and swished under our tread.

There was light over by the girls. I stared at their huddled forms; their white, terrified faces. Girls of Bermuda, all of them young, all exceptionally pretty. I thought I recognized Eunice Arton. But still it seemed that Jane was not here.... And I saw men seated watchfully near them--men with cylinder weapons in their hands.

Don occasionally would stoop, poking at the ground as though looking for something. He was heading us in a wide curve through the grove so that we were skirting the seated figures. We had already been seen, of course, but as yet no one heeded us. But every moment we expected the alarm to come. My revolver was in the pouch of my belt where I could quickly jerk it out. I brandished the useless light cylinder ostentatiously.

"Don!" I gripped him. We stopped under a banana tree, half hidden in its drooping leaves. "Don--more of them coming!"

Out in the empty field, apparitions of men were materializing. Then we heard a tread near us, and stiffened. I thought that we were discovered. A man pa.s.sed close to us, heading in toward the girls.

He saw us; he raised a hand palm outward with a gesture of greeting and we answered it.

For another two or three minutes we stood there, peering, searching for some sign of Jane.... Men were distributing food to the girls now.

And then we saw Jane! She was seated alone with her back against a banana tree, a little apart from the others. And near her was a seated man's figure, guarding her.

"Don! There she is! We can get near her! Keep on the way we were going. We must go in a wide curve to come up behind her."

We started forward again. We were both wildly excited; Jane was at the edge of the lighted area. We could come up behind her; shoot her guard; seize her and dash off.... I saw that the mesh of wires, disks and a helmet were on Jane....

Don suddenly stumbled over something on the ground. A man who had been lying there, asleep perhaps, rose up. We went sidewise, and pa.s.sed him.

But his voice followed us. Unintelligible, angry words.

"Keep on!" I murmured. "Don't turn!"

It was a tense moment. The loud words brought attention to us. Then there came what seemed a question from someone over by the girls. We could not answer it. Then two or three other men shouted at us.

Don stopped, undecided.

"No!" I whispered. "Go ahead! Faster Don! It's darker ahead."

We started again. It seemed that all the camp was looking our way.

Voices were shouting. Someone called a jibe and there was a burst of laughter. And from behind us came a man's voice, vaguely familiar, with a sharp imperative command.

Should we run? Could we escape now, or would a darting green beam strike us? And we were losing our chance for Jane.

Desperation was on me. "Faster, Don!"

The voice behind us grew more imperative. Then from nearby, two men came running at us. An uproar was beginning. We were discovered!

Don's revolver was out. It seemed suddenly that men were all around us. From behind a tree-trunk squarely ahead a figure appeared with leveled cylinder. The ground leaves were swishing behind us with swiftly advancing footsteps.

"Easy, Bob!"

Don found his wits. If he had not at that moment we would doubtless have been annihilated in another few seconds. "Bob, we're caught--don't shoot!"

I had flung away the cylinder and drawn my revolver; but Don shoved down my extended hand and held up his own hand.

"We're caught!" He shouted aloud. "Don't kill us! Don't kill us!"

It seemed that everywhere we looked was a leveled cylinder. I half turned at the running footsteps behind us. A man's voice called in English.

"Throw down your weapons! Down!"

Don cast his revolver away, and mine followed. I was aware that Jane had recognized Don's voice, and that she was on her feet staring in our direction with horrified eyes.

The man from behind pounced upon us. It was the giant, Tako.

"Well, my friends of the restaurant! The American who knows New York City so well! And the Bermudian! This is very much to my liking. You thought your jail would imprison me, did you not?"

He stood regarding us with his sardonic smile, while our captors surrounded us, searching our belts for other weapons. And he added, "I was garbed like you when we last met. Now you are garbed like me.

How is that?"