Show J rr F Jf 1 X Y A RED WHITE a D b r TilE THE STORY SO FAR More than foreign troops assembled assem assembled bled In Mexico by hy Van Hassek suddenly Invaded the United States Stales Vastly supe lupe superior nor In numbers and equipment to the American forces which opposed them Van an troops pushed relentlessly CHAPTER Continued Benning went to bed after watch watching ing for several hours and managed to sleep through part of ot the Ule day From his porthole Benning saw flying fish scurry out of the course of the ship In late afternoon which confirmed fast progress south With evening he caught the blink of ot dis dis- distant distant tant light myriads on the coast line He explored the possibility of ot escape in the night by whaleboat but con con- concluded concluded eluded he stood slender chance of ot success in such an exploit At dark he resumed his reconnaissance of ot the deck in n his effort to locate Bra Bra- Braot vot ot stateroom was empty at nine o'clock again at ten On his third trip down the boat deck Ben Ben- Benning Benning ning found that half halt a dozen men had assembled including Bravot and He stationed himself again in the shadows of ot a whaleboat and waited An hour passed without de de- development development de- de development then the group filed flIed out and went to the rail to strain their eyes into the starlit night j One of them set off a flare and ten minutes later a second flare Dennings Denning's ears caught the distant hum of an airplane The sound grew in volume until a plane zoomed overhead and circled to a stop The engines of the ship slowed down Four men lowered a boat Bravot shook hands with and climbed over the rail to disappear disappear pear down the ladder A few mins min min- minutes minutes utes later Benning caught the flash of oars in the starlight The plane burst into a roar of ot sound lifted into the night and streaked off into the void whence it had come Benning returned heavily to his cabin Bravot's departure by plane clearly meant that the ship would not pause at Tampico or Vera Cruz But at least Benning Bening consoled him him- himself himself self sell he could play playa a stiffer stiller game on deck with the French renegade out of the way Somehow in the tense days ahead he would find a solution to this hide hide- hideous hideous hideous ous problem he vowed If II nothing better a chance at the radio room I whence he could flash a warning code to the coast artillery forts and naval base guarding the Canal from Limon Bay During the next few days while the dynamite ship ate up the long longmiles miles mUes to Panama Benning carefully J- J J went over the vessel and watched his chances Land had vanished j escape by boat he had dismissed finally as out of the question Bennings Benning's interest centered on the radio room as his best chance The radio station lay in n a cubbyhole un un- under under der the bridge Several times he visited the room pretending interest in n its mechanism But the radio op op- operator orator era tor one Smidt was sullenly un un- uncommunicative uncommunicative 1 communicative and resentful of vis vis- hors You been around here enough mister Smidt complained at Ben Ben- Bennings ning's flings third appearance I got work to do so you please keep away After that incident Benning Bening gained an uncomfortable suspicion that he was being watched Twice he tested his trail by an abrupt face about on deck Both times a hatchet faced steward slouched past him with ex ex- exaggerated exaggerated preoccupation Only one chance remained if I he failed at the radio That was to reach the American officers who would woud come aboard to check cargo before the ship was permitted in inthe inthe inthe the locks But Benning Bening decided that he be must not wait on that th t last des des- desperate desperate extremity Benning kept up a careful esti esti- estimate estimate estimate mate of the th speed and progress progress progress' of the ship His calculations told him when the ship must be approaching Limon Bay plan he be guessed was to detonate the ship as it passed through Gatun Locks Bennings Benning's plan of direct action crystallized on what he Judged to tobe toI be the pst st afternoon at sea In his I cabin He fe a blocked out on a sheet from his notebook a blunt warning message Commanding General Panama I Halt Halt American freighter now ap ap- 4 preaching Limon Bay from New NewYork NewYork NewYork York with cargo of high explosives y General plot pot In effect to wreck Pan Pan- Panama Panama t ama Canal Instant action impera impera- tive Benning Benning Major G G 2 Until he saw go to the bridge Benning Bening loitered about the boat deck then then went direct to the radio room Mister didn't I tell you to keep out of ot here Smidt exploded as s Benning stepped Into the little room Benning Bening said quietly I want to You'll be use your radio Smidt good enough JU Jo do Just what I tell you to do Smidt scowled at nt Bennings Benning's lev lev- leveled leveled cled pistol and yielded with a sullen nod of ot his head Benning strapped the fellows fellow's hands behind his back and forced ed him to stretch out face tace downward on the floor Sitting down calmly Benning started putting his message into Panama He bad f out the words C e G. G Pana Pana- when ma Halt when a voice chal chal- challenged longed from the door So my ship has a new radio radioman man was framed In the door INSTALLMENT SIXTEEN SL TEEN forward The U. U S. S S army was not pre prepared pre pre- prepared pared for this sudden attack and could couleS only retreat in the face lace of overwhelming force While an American spy In Mexico City Denning Dennin had Iud gained the confidence of two enemy officers Fincke and Bra Dr Bravo rot vot vo t Weeks Later he be unexpectedly met c x his voice a raucous sneer Murder burned in his round green eyes as he covered Benning Bening with a long bar Luger pistoL Behind were his mate steward and a mem memo member member ber of the crew With an oath he Smidt's hands and kicked the operator to his feet teet Smidt took Bennings Benning's pistol and mes meso message message sage and passed them to Ei El gasped as he read the message A spy aboard In a surge of savage fury seized Benning Bening by the collar and Jerked him out on deck With a sud sud- sudden sudden sudden den swing of his ham of a fist ho bo dropped his prisoner and crashed down upon him with his two hundred pounds of beef and brawn Got here just here just in time time time-didn't didn't I II bellowed Not for tor nothing nothing did lid did I have you watched beefy fists pummeled emphasis to his words flailing Ben Ben- Benning's Bennings Bennings Bennings Benning's ning's face and head Chuck him overboard to the sharks he roared Benning Bening was driven to the rail He gripped the rail with his hands and held tenaciously against the fa fatal fa fa- fatal tal plunge into the Atlantic One of his assailants clutched his legs an an- anSo anSo a So my m ship has a new radio man other ground with heavy heels at athis athIs athis his fingers Below Benning Bening could see sec the water foaming down the hull of the ship His feet were clear of the deck his left hand lacerated into helplessness A knife flashed in the air over his right hand to slash it free of the rail bellowed an order before the knife could reach the flesh and bone of ot Bennings Benning's fingers Stop Slop it Hold H ld everything keep everythIng keep him aboard Ja I got a new idea The others turned to with questioning glares The knife hung in the air over Bennings Benning's hand Ja in n the water it is over too quick leered So I think we give him a nice stateroom stateroom- where he can think boom until until boom sprang forward seized Bennings Benning's collar and hustled him down a narrow flight of steps from the boat deck He searched Ben Ben- Benning's Bennings Bennings Bennings Benning's ning's pockets and shouted an or or- der A winch sang a hatch crept open over the hold At command one man seized Bennings Benning's legs the theother theother theother other two helped cram their prisoner head foremost through the opening Benning plummeted through black space struck on head and shoulders and lay stunned con con- consciousness consciousness holding by a thin thread Slowly his mind cleared He stretched his racked pain pain racked body out outon outon outon on the hard cargo and tested shoW shoW- shoulder der blades by moving them There was no fracture Lying flat on his back he strained his eyes upward through the blackness The hatch had been closed He lie muttered to himself This time Benning youve you've tangled yourself your your- self in a fine snarL Looks like cur cur- curtains curtains doesn't it Benning felt drowsiness creeping over him a drowsiness that had the power of a strong opiate He woke with a start to find the engines shut shutdown shutdown I down now The ship was not movi i ing He lie concluded the ship must have stopped at Cristobal Here lIere a Q quarantine officer would come aboard advise him of the nature of his cargo but this merely for the computation of weights and water displacement re re- required required re- re required for passage through the locks Unless Urness suspicions were aroused the ship would steam on Into the Canal In a short time the engines churned Benning Bening took this as veri vent The ship was leaving Cris tobal After a time the engines slowed down stopped Bennings Benning's pulse ham ham- Fincke In Washington and ane continued to pose as his friend fanning accompanied accompanied nied him on a boat loaded with dyna dyna- dynamite dynamite mite bound boune for the Panama Canal On Onboard Onboard board DM by aroused the suspicions of the skipper Now continue with the story X- X in his ears He lie guessed that I the dynamite ship had come to the locks and was being made fast to the electric mules that would tow her By now and his hench hench- henchmen henchmen henchmen men must have abandoned the ship after setting detonators in motion for the explosion he reasoned Inno Inno- Innocent Innocent Innocent cent hands were seeing the vessel through a n hundred seamen whose lives would roar into nothingness with his own Into the black hole there came the soft oft yellow glow of a ball of light Benning Bening shook his head dazedly against what must be a phantom of his tortured imagination The ball swung crazily toward him gaining in brightness and a hushed voice came to his ears from overhead Say mist mist aint you pretty hungry hun hun- hungry hungry gry about now Bennings Benning's voice leaped from his throat as his mind oriented itself to this intervention Quick Grimes Get a rope rop down here and pull me out of this hole The ball of ot light ceased its rota rota- rotation rotation tion grew stationary on a thin cord cordin cordIn cordin in front of Bennings Benning's eyes Grimes mulled through priceless seconds and countered But the might get sore when he comes back and kick me off the ship Isn't coming back Benning Bening shouted Quick get a rope for me or its it's only a matter of mins min min- minutes minutes utes until well we'll be blown to pieces Grimes did not answer but jerked the lantern back up out of the hold Bennings Benning's fingers bit into the palms of his hands through an eternity of waiting until the lantern reappeared hitched this time to the end of a stout inch Benning Bening detached the lantern when it reached him passed the end of the rope under his armpits and tied a hurried knot He put the force of his lungs into an order to heave With legs braced across the open hatch Grimes put the strength of his powerful arms into the job and brought Benning Bening to the deck Ben Ben- Benning Benning ning staggered to his feet and start start- started started started ed for the rail I I Come on Grimes he ordered We got to get off this ship Under the soft light of a new moon as he ran to the rail of ot the ship Benning saw the thick con con- concrete concrete concrete crete walls walIs of the locks Beyond were the rows of squad tents of an emergency guard detachment Ahead the electric locomotives tugged at heavy cables Benning Bening drove the force of his lungs along the deck in warning to the crew and climbed down the lad lad- ladder ladder der closely followed by Grimes At coming abreast of the top of the walls walIs he leaped propelling himself outward with his legs and landed on chest and stomach For several moments he lay stunned then stag stag- staggered staggered staggered to his feet and ran toward the tents Sentries barked a challenge a figure in pajamas burst out of a tent to level a vibrant voice Im the commanding officer officer- what's all this yelling about Benning panted Im Major Ben Ben- Benning Benning ning of G G 2 The cargo of this ship is dynamite dynamite It it will detonate at any minute Get everyone clear here herel The commander swung on his heels with cool promptness and be be- began began began gan shouting orders All out On the run Leave everything behind Get moving to Mindi on Mindi-on on the wagon wagon- road road never never mind formation There was intensity rather than excitement in the officers officer's voice Benning saw that the crew was bursting from the doomed ship Some in their panic leaped into the water of ot the narrow locks others made the long leap to the top of the locks He ran after the officer Grimes trailing A puffing sprint brought them to the railroad grade that led Into Mindi Mind Another long longrun longrun longrun run and the officer halted in a deep cup in the Sierra He commanded his soldiers to scatter Into the foothills Two miles mUes lay behind Halt Hall an nn hour had passed Benning Bening judged The captain introduced himself Marlin He began asking questions suddenly suspicious that he might have been tricked away from his post of duty Benning quickly es es- established established es- es established his identity But how do you know the ships ship's cargo Is Is- Is Marlin cut off oft his query as his cheeks caught the peculiar stir of air as from a gust of wind Ben ning's nigg's hands drove to cup his ears He felt himself pitched forward on his face The earth e heaved violent violent- violently ly his head rang with the pain of the volcanic might of the explosion that filled the world All existence had been reduced to roaring crash crash- crashIng crashing Ing maddening bedlam A clap of thunder shattered his thoughts It crashed out of distant hills and jungles far down the Isthmus Isthmus mus from Gatun Lake Benning halted There came a second crash a third a fourth The detonations detTa lions followed one another successively within the limits of ot a few fw minute TO iTO DE CONTINUED |