Read Online The Avenger 30 - Black Chariots by Kenneth Robeson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kenneth Robeson
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Hamblin are being held under the Oasis. I suggest—”
“Please, drop that,” ordered Dirks.
“This? Come now, Dirks, I was merely amusing the young ladies with a little parlor magic,” said Cole, grinning at the approaching man. “You know, old man, pretending this is a radio. I was talking about how we were locked up under the Manzana Oasis in a—”
“Enough, that’s enough.” Angrily, Dirks swung out his pistol to knock the buckle and belt from Cole’s hand.
As the man lunged, Cole stepped to the right, thrusting his leg between Dirks’s. “Watch your step, old fellow.”
“You—”
Dirks fell.
Nellie leaped.
“Atta girl, pixie!”
The little blonde had hold of Dirks’s gun hand and was twisting the weapon from his grip. She came up with it in her own hand. “Stay right down there, buster.”
Cole dropped down next to the fallen man, “Hands behind you, Dirks. Come on, come on, let’s not tarry.”
“You can’t get out from here,” warned the prone man. “We have many men, they will cut you down.”
“All I need is your thumbs,” said Cole, ignoring the threat. He undid one of Dirks’s shoestrings and used it to tie his two thumbs tightly together. “Now, we’ll utilize the other shoestring to tie your ankles. This is an old woodsman’s trick I learned from a Dan Beard handbook my maiden aunt in Grosse Pointe once gave me.”
“Let’s get going, Cole,” suggested Nellie.
Cole hopped to his feet. “Ready when you are. We have only to gather Miss Hamblin into the fold and . . . oh.”
Jennifer was standing in the doorway. Immediately behind her, with one hand around her throat and a gun pointed at her temple, was Danker.
“You’re very resourceful, Mr. Wilson.”
“As I was telling your sidekick there, I used to be a Boy Scout.”
“Your activities have caused me to change my plans,” said Danker. “Since there is a possibility your message reached its intended recipient, you must all be moved from here at once.”
“Could I have a room with a southern exposure next time?” asked Cole.
“You will enjoy your new quarters, Mr. Wilson,” promised Danker. “As well, I am more than certain, as the means by which you are conveyed there.”
CHAPTER XVII
. . . Message Received
The Avenger had caught up with the running MacMurdie and held him back with a restraining hand. “Not so fast, Mac.”
“Smitty’s nae doubt hurt, mon!”
“If he is, there might be another trap for us.”
“Damn,” complained a voice up ahead in the darkness. “I got cactus needles all over my hind end.”
“Smitty!” said Mac.
They saw him now. “Gee, I hope I didn’t give you guys too much of a scare,” said the giant as they approached him.
“Hoot, I expected to find ye resembling a great large jigsaw puzzle.”
“I thought I spotted a trip wire across the pass while I was sneaking up on the joint,” explained Smitty. “So I tossed a hunk of cactus at the wire. Darned if my surmise wasn’t right. Some fireworks, huh?”
“Aye, most impressive. And ye’re nae hurt?”
“Concussion from the blowup tossed me a little farther than I expected,” said Smitty, looking back over his shoulder. “Knocked me backside foremost into one of them prickly trees.”
The Avenger had been watching the silent castle. “No one has emerged to see what his booby trap did,” he said.
“I think, Dick,” said the giant, “they all skipped.”
“Probably so, but they quite probably left other traps behind. We’ll proceed with caution.”
The three men, alert and watchful, moved along the remainder of the flagstone path.
When they were quite near the stone stairway that led to the rear entry door, Benson halted once more. “I think there’s another small surprise waiting at the top of those stairs.”
Squinting, Mac said, “Aye, mot be another wire.”
“We can use the Smitty method of defusing,” suggested the giant as he reached up and, gingerly, broke off the arm
“Please, drop that,” ordered Dirks.
“This? Come now, Dirks, I was merely amusing the young ladies with a little parlor magic,” said Cole, grinning at the approaching man. “You know, old man, pretending this is a radio. I was talking about how we were locked up under the Manzana Oasis in a—”
“Enough, that’s enough.” Angrily, Dirks swung out his pistol to knock the buckle and belt from Cole’s hand.
As the man lunged, Cole stepped to the right, thrusting his leg between Dirks’s. “Watch your step, old fellow.”
“You—”
Dirks fell.
Nellie leaped.
“Atta girl, pixie!”
The little blonde had hold of Dirks’s gun hand and was twisting the weapon from his grip. She came up with it in her own hand. “Stay right down there, buster.”
Cole dropped down next to the fallen man, “Hands behind you, Dirks. Come on, come on, let’s not tarry.”
“You can’t get out from here,” warned the prone man. “We have many men, they will cut you down.”
“All I need is your thumbs,” said Cole, ignoring the threat. He undid one of Dirks’s shoestrings and used it to tie his two thumbs tightly together. “Now, we’ll utilize the other shoestring to tie your ankles. This is an old woodsman’s trick I learned from a Dan Beard handbook my maiden aunt in Grosse Pointe once gave me.”
“Let’s get going, Cole,” suggested Nellie.
Cole hopped to his feet. “Ready when you are. We have only to gather Miss Hamblin into the fold and . . . oh.”
Jennifer was standing in the doorway. Immediately behind her, with one hand around her throat and a gun pointed at her temple, was Danker.
“You’re very resourceful, Mr. Wilson.”
“As I was telling your sidekick there, I used to be a Boy Scout.”
“Your activities have caused me to change my plans,” said Danker. “Since there is a possibility your message reached its intended recipient, you must all be moved from here at once.”
“Could I have a room with a southern exposure next time?” asked Cole.
“You will enjoy your new quarters, Mr. Wilson,” promised Danker. “As well, I am more than certain, as the means by which you are conveyed there.”
CHAPTER XVII
. . . Message Received
The Avenger had caught up with the running MacMurdie and held him back with a restraining hand. “Not so fast, Mac.”
“Smitty’s nae doubt hurt, mon!”
“If he is, there might be another trap for us.”
“Damn,” complained a voice up ahead in the darkness. “I got cactus needles all over my hind end.”
“Smitty!” said Mac.
They saw him now. “Gee, I hope I didn’t give you guys too much of a scare,” said the giant as they approached him.
“Hoot, I expected to find ye resembling a great large jigsaw puzzle.”
“I thought I spotted a trip wire across the pass while I was sneaking up on the joint,” explained Smitty. “So I tossed a hunk of cactus at the wire. Darned if my surmise wasn’t right. Some fireworks, huh?”
“Aye, most impressive. And ye’re nae hurt?”
“Concussion from the blowup tossed me a little farther than I expected,” said Smitty, looking back over his shoulder. “Knocked me backside foremost into one of them prickly trees.”
The Avenger had been watching the silent castle. “No one has emerged to see what his booby trap did,” he said.
“I think, Dick,” said the giant, “they all skipped.”
“Probably so, but they quite probably left other traps behind. We’ll proceed with caution.”
The three men, alert and watchful, moved along the remainder of the flagstone path.
When they were quite near the stone stairway that led to the rear entry door, Benson halted once more. “I think there’s another small surprise waiting at the top of those stairs.”
Squinting, Mac said, “Aye, mot be another wire.”
“We can use the Smitty method of defusing,” suggested the giant as he reached up and, gingerly, broke off the arm
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