Read Online Get Smart 7 - Max Smart - The Spy Who Went Out to the Cold by William Johnston - Free Book Online Page A

be gagged. Now, come on, 99.”
    Silently, they moved forward through the darkness. A few moments later they reached the entrance to von BOOM’s tent. Quietly, Max opened the flap. He crept into the tent, with 99 right behind him.
    “Can you see him, Max?”
    “Shhhh!”
    Max moved on alone. A few seconds later, there was a sudden sound of scuffling, and a muffled outcry.
    “Max—are you all right?”
    “Not so loud, 99!”
    “Sorry, Max. But are you all right? Do you have him?”
    “Yes, 99—plus.”
    “Plus what, Max?”
    “Plus my left foot.”
    “Max . . . could you explain that?”
    “First, 99, I gagged him, then I threw a blanket over him and gathered the blanket at the top to make a kind of sack out of it. But . . . Well, after all, 99, I am working in the dark.”
    “You have your foot in the bag?”
    “If you want the whole story—my foot and my ankle.”
    “Can’t you just take your foot out, Max?”
    “To do that, 99, I’ll have to open the sack. And if I open the sack, he might escape. Frankly, 99, he isn’t too happy about this. He’s— Ouch! He’s twisting my ankle.”
    “Wait, Max, I’ll try to help you. If I can just—”
    There was a loud crash. Then silence again.
    “Thank you, 99,” Max said. “That worked very well.”
    “All I did, Max, was bump into something.”
    “I know. But it helped. What ever you bumped into must have been fairly solid. It hit von BOOM. He’s unconscious—and I have my foot back.”
    “Max! Is he hurt?”
    “He’s fine. He has a good pulse and he’s breathing deeply and evenly. Now, for Heaven’s sake, let’s get out of here!”
    Between them, Max and 99 lifted the sack. They left the tent, then the camp, and headed out into the desert.
    “This is a snap,” Max said enthusiastically. “The weather is cool, the baggage is light, the moon is out, your daddy’s rich, and your mammy’s good-lookin’.”
    “What, Max?”
    “Sorry, 99—I got a little carried away.”
    “But what about in the morning, Max, when the sun comes out, and the moon goes in? The weather will be hot, and the baggage will seem heavy.”
    “What about daddy and mammy?”
    “Max!”
    “We’ll just have to rely on gumption and fortitude, 99. It will be tough, I know. But if we grit our teeth, keep our chins up high, and grin, nothing can stop us.”
    “We have no water, Max.”
    “We couldn’t drink it, anyway.”
    “Why not, Max?”
    “99, have you ever tried to drink while gritting your teeth, keeping your chin up, and grinning? It’s impossible.”
    Through the rest of the night, they pushed on. By sunrise, they had left the camp far behind, out of sight. Gradually, the sun became hotter. Their pace slowed. Soon, they were scarcely able to drag themselves forward.
    “Max . . .” 99 gasped “. . . couldn’t we put our burden down?”
    “We can’t leave von BOOM here, 99. Not after carrying him all this distance.”
    “Max . . . I meant . . . can’t he walk? Why do we have to carry him?”
    “Oh. As a matter of fact, I was just going to suggest that.”
    They lowered the sack to the sand, then Max opened it. From the blanket, Abdul Bim-Bam-Bom peered up at them.
    “Talk about your mirages, 99,” Max said. “I’ll bet you can’t guess who the Professor looks like to me this morning.”
    “Max! It isn’t von BOOM!” 99 wailed.
    “I was afraid of that,” Max said glumly. He addressed Abdul Bim-Bam-Bom. “All right, fella, I think you owe us an explanation,” he said crossly. “What’s the idea of trying to pass yourself off as Professor von BOOM. You’ll never get away with it, you know. You don’t know a thing about rocket fuels.”
    “Grgmpphblt!” Abdul replied.
    “I think you better un-gag him, Max,” 99 said.
    Max removed the gag.
    “I’m an innocent bystander,” Abdul protested. “I was sound asleep when suddenly somebody gagged me and rolled me up in a blanket. I fought like a wildcat. I had him by the foot. But then I