Gripping their rifles by the barrels and swinging them like clubs, the lads charged the surprised kidnappers3, who pulled revolvers and began shooting almost immediately. But after the first few shots, attackers and attacked became involved in a scrimmage so close and so heated that firing was impossible. Bill, wielding4 his rifle like a singlestick, managed to ward1 off the clubbing revolvers of his assailants, but Osceola, dropping his gun, went at them like a wild man, using fists alone.
108
In the midst of the fracas5, a man sprang onto Bill’s back. By use of a jiu jitsu trick he catapulted his attacker over his head and on to the breakfast table which collapsed6, sending broken china and glass in every direction. Osceola staggered and fell to the floor under the blow from a revolver butt7, and Kolinski pressed the muzzle8 against the stunned9 Seminole’s temple. Like a streak10 of light, Bill jerked his automatic from its holster and the Pole went over backward with a bullet through his shoulder. Then Bill saw the woman, who still stood behind the debris11 of the breakfast table, pick up a plate and sail it through the air at him. He tried to duck, but was again held fast from behind. A burning pain seared his eyeballs and he, too, dropped insensible to the floor.
109
Bill awoke, gasping12 and sputtering13, his head and shoulders drenched14 in water. His head was splitting, and the darkness round about him was shot with a myriad15 of dancing lights.
“Give the Indian another bucketful,” wheezed17 a cracked voice from the gloom.
Bill heard Osceola’s characteristic grunt18 as the water splashed over him. His mind began to clear, and soon he realized that he was bound hand and foot and that his eyes were bandaged. Again he heard the unmistakable wheeze16 in the cracked voice, and this time the high-pitched tones were full of sarcasm19.
“And all this comes from entering where angels fear to tread!” A man’s voice, surely, thought Bill, but an old man—
110
The unseen speaker chuckled20 and went on with his monologue21. “Although we have not met before, my young friends, I have climbed these many stairs to bid you goodbye. It pains me to send you off in this abrupt22 fashion,” again he chuckled, “but I cannot take you with me—and you are probably familiar with the adage23 that dead men tell no tales. You will be glad to hear that the young lady, Miss Deborah Lightfoot, will not mind her passing on to Happy Hunting Grounds quite as much as you two will. She was given a hypodermic in the car on the way up here, and is, to all intents and purposes, asleep.”
“But—surely you don’t mean to kill an innocent girl!” raged Bill.
“Ha-ha!” tittered the old man. “So that gets you on the raw, eh? What says the bereaved24 husband-to-be?”
“Sachems of the Seminole Nation do not waste their words on buzzards.”
111
“Thank you, young man,” wheezed the voice. “It is interesting to learn at first hand that the American Indian is as stoical in undergoing mental torture as in burning at the stake! But to return to your girl-friend on the floor over there—Miss Lightfoot made two bad mistakes. She had the misfortune to get a good look at one of my associates when he was searching for a certain emblem25. And in the car, she ripped off my mask, and she saw me! Against my wishes, I must send her away with you, or else certain plans of mine would be jeopardized26.”
“Well, Osceola, old man,” said Bill, ignoring their tormentor27. “Sorry I got you into this, and sorrier still we both have to listen to this pitiful drivel. Unless he stops his cackle soon, I’ll be forced to take a nap in self-defense.”
“So long, Bill, old sport,” Osceola replied in his deep, grave voice. “Happy hunting—and sweet dreams!”
112
“Very pretty, very pretty indeed, young gentlemen. So sorry to bore you longer. You will be interested to know that my lookout28 on the hill tells me the police have just left Heartfield’s in their cars. They should reach here in about fifteen minutes. But you must not become too impatient. You see, I have a surprise for you and for them. In slightly over a quarter of an hour, this house and those in it will go shooting skywards—in other words, blow up. Good-bye again,—I must fly now, and I’m sure my news will help you keep your courage to the very end.”
Bill heard footsteps creaking on bare boards, then a door slammed. He turned at once to his friend.
“How are you tied?”
“Roped—wrists behind my back—and ankles. Blindfolded29, too.”
“Same here. Wriggle30 over and I’ll get my hands on the knots.”
“Coming—but rip off this bandage first, and I’ll do the same for you. Then I can use my teeth on your wrist bonds—it’ll be easier and quicker that way.”
Bill heard Osceola slither across the floor and the bandage was ripped from his head. He in turn pulled off the young Seminole’s bandage and while his friend’s sharp teeth were working on the knotted ropes that bound his wrists, Bill sat up and took in their surroundings.
He saw that they were in a small room, empty of furniture. There were two windows in each of the four walls of the room. A door cut off one corner, and near it, Deborah lay on the floor, deep in her drugged sleep.
“I’ll bet we’re in the cupola,” said Bill, his eyes on the girl. “If I’m right, it’s a four-story drop to the ground, and that door looks too strong for us to bash in before the explosion.”
Osceola grunted31, then spat32 copiously33. Bill found that his wrists were free, and swinging round, he began to work on the rope which bound his friend.
“Ugh,” uttered the Seminole in disgust, “my mouth is full of hemp34. I always did hate the taste of it.”
“Well, what I want to know is how we’re going to get out of here—and with Deborah?”
“I can’t tell you. Wait till we get our legs free. Maybe the outlook from the windows will give us an idea.”
“And maybe it won’t,” snorted Bill, working with feverish35 haste on the tight knots. “You know, I believe that old devil hoped we’d get loose.”
“How come?” Osceola, his hands free at last, was tearing at the rope around his ankles.
“Wants us to get free of these things—then find out there’s no way down short of jumping—hello!” He cocked his head, “somebody’s idling an airplane engine!”
“So that’s what the old buzzard meant when he said he’d have to fly! The bunch are making their getaway, eh?”
“Guess so. Well, I’m free—how about you?”
“Yep.”
Both lads sprang to their feet, feeling very stiff and dizzy, and hobbled to a window. They saw that the cupola raised its ugly head on the very center of the slate36 roof. The roof looked almost flat, but in reality sloped slightly down to rusty37 tin gutters38 at its eaves. A glance to the sides showed that the house boasted two yellow brick chimneys. Directly in front of the old mansion39, a large field spread out for a quarter of a mile toward the highway. On the field a large monoplane was taxying into the wind, preparatory to the take-off. “Fokker Universal,” muttered Bill.
“I wish we had her up here,” said the young Chief. “We’re wasting time, Bill. We can’t have more than five or six minutes left. Give me a hand with Deborah. We’ll get her out of this window and onto the roof.”
“And then what? There isn’t a tree near the house. If we had a rope—”
“I’ve got it! There must be rainpipes down from the gutters. We’ll go down by one of those.”
“You mean, the leader will go down with you! Those gutters are old and rusty and full of holes. The leaders are sure to be in as bad or worse shape. It would be suicide to try it, especially with one of us carrying Deborah’s weight.”
“Great grief, Bill! What can we do? Think of Deborah—blown to pieces—”
“Hey, hey—get a grip on yourself. Snap out of it and let me think.”
“Maybe the door isn’t locked, after all—” Osceola snatched at this desperate thought—
“Try it if you like. But I heard that old wretch40 or one of his men slam the bolt and so did you.”
Osceola ran to the door and tried the handle, but without success. Then he backed off and flung the full force of his weight against it. The sturdy oak hardly creaked.
“Don’t let the thought of Deb make you lose your nerve, man,” said Bill, still looking out of the window.
Osceola’s face grew grim. He walked back to Bill and grasped his hand. “Thanks, old pal41. And goodbye. I’m going to Deborah now. At least, we can die together!”
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1
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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pandemonium
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| n.喧嚣，大混乱 | |
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kidnappers
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| n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 ) | |
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wielding
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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fracas
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| n.打架；吵闹 | |
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collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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9
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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12
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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13
sputtering
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| n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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14
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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wheeze
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| n.喘息声，气喘声；v.喘息着说 | |
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wheezed
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| v.喘息，发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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sarcasm
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| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
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20
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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monologue
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| n.长篇大论，（戏剧等中的）独白 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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23
adage
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| n.格言，古训 | |
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24
bereaved
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| adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物） | |
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25
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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26
jeopardized
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| 危及，损害( jeopardize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tormentor
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| n. 使苦痛之人, 使苦恼之物, 侧幕 =tormenter | |
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28
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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29
blindfolded
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| v.（尤指用布）挡住（某人）的视线( blindfold的过去式 )；蒙住（某人）的眼睛；使不理解；蒙骗 | |
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30
wriggle
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| v./n.蠕动，扭动；蜿蜒 | |
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31
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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32
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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33
copiously
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| adv.丰富地，充裕地 | |
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34
hemp
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| n.大麻；纤维 | |
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35
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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36
slate
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| n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订 | |
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37
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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38
gutters
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| （路边）排水沟( gutter的名词复数 )； 阴沟； （屋顶的）天沟； 贫贱的境地 | |
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39
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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40
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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41
pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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