CHAPTER XII
THE DEATH CLOUD
Off a lonely wharf in a deserted part of the coast some miles from thepromontory which afforded Del Mar his secret submarine harbor, a shipwas riding at anchor.
On the wharf a group of men, husky lascars, were straining their eyesat the mysterious craft.
"Here she comes," muttered one of the men, "at last."
From the ship a large yawl had put out. As she approached the wharf itcould be seen that she was loaded to the gunwales with cases and boxes.She drew up close to the wharf and the men fell to unloading her,lifting up the boxes as though they were weighted with feathers insteadof metal and explosives.
Down the shore, at the same time, behind a huge rock, crouched a roughlooking tramp. His interest in the yawl and its cargo was even keenerthan that of the lascars.
"Supplies," he muttered, moving back cautiously and up the bluff. "Iwonder where they are taking them?"
Marcus Del Mar had chosen an old and ruined hotel not far from theshore as his storehouse and arsenal. Already he was there, pacing upand down the rotted veranda which shook under his weight.
"Come, hurry up," he called impatiently as the first of the mencarrying a huge box on his back made his appearance up the hill.
One after another they trooped in and Del Mar led them to the hotel,unlocking the door.
Inside, the old hostelry was quite as ramshackle as outside. What hadonce been the dining-room now held nothing but a long, rickety tableand several chairs.
"Put them there," ordered Del Mar, directing the disposal of the cases."Then you can begin work. I shall be back soon."
He went out and as he did so, two men seized guns from a corner near-byand followed him. On the veranda he paused and turned to the men.
"If any one approaches the house--any one, you understand--make him aprisoner and send for me," he ordered. "If he resists, shoot."
"Yes, sir," they replied, moving over and stationing themselves one ateach angle of the narrow paths that ran before the old house.
Del Mar turned and plunged deliberately into the bushes, as if for across country walk, unobserved.
Meanwhile, by another path up the bluff, the tramp had made his wayparallel to the line taken by the men. He paused at the top of thebluff where some bushes overhung and parted them.
"Their headquarters," he remarked to himself, under his breath.
Elaine, Aunt Josephine and I were on the lawn that forenoon whena groom in resplendent livery came up to us.
"Miss Elaine Dodge?" he bowed.
Elaine took the note he offered and he departed with another bow.
"Oh, isn't that delightful," she cried with pleasure, handing the noteto me.
I read it: "The Wilkeshire Country Club will be honored if Miss Dodgeand her friends will join the paper chase this afternoon. L.H. Brown,Secretary."
"I suppose a preparation for the fox or drag hunting season?" I queried.
"Yes," she replied. "Will you go?"
"I don't ride very well," I answered, "but I'll go."
"Oh, and here's Mr. Del Mar," she added, turning. "You'll join us atthe Wilkeshire hunt in a paper chase this afternoon, surely, Mr. DelMar?"
"Charmed, I'm sure," he agreed gracefully.
For several minutes we chatted, planning, then he withdrew. "I shallmeet you on the way to the Club," he promised.
It was not long before Elaine was ready, and from the stable a groomled three of the best trained cross-country horses in the neighborhood,for old Taylor Dodge, Elaine's father, had been passionately fond ofhunting, as had been both Elaine and Aunt Josephine.
We met on the porch and a few minutes later mounted and cantered away.On the road Del Mar joined us and we galloped along to the Hunt Club,careful, however, to save the horses as much as possible for the dashover the fields.
. . . . . . .
For some time the uncouth tramp continued gazing fixedly out of thebushes at the deserted hotel.
Suddenly, he heard a noise and dropped flat on the ground, lookingkeenly about. Through the trees he could see one of Del Mar's menstationed on sentry duty. He was leaning against a tree, on the alert.
The tramp rose cautiously and moved off in another direction to that inwhich he had been making his way, endeavoring to flank the sentry.Further along, however, another of Del Mar's men was standing in thesame attentive manner near a path that led from the woods.
As the tramp approached, the sentry heard a crackle of the brush andstepped forward. Before the tramp knew it, he was covered by a riflefrom the sentry in an unexpected quarter.
Any one but the sentry, with half an eye, might have seen that the fearhe showed was cleverly feigned. He threw his hands above his head evenbefore he was ordered and in general was the most tractable captiveimaginable. The sentry blew a whistle, whereat the other sentry ran in.
"What shall we do with him," asked the captor.
"Master's orders to take any one to the rendezvous," responded theother firmly, "and lock him up."
Together they forced the tramp to march double quick toward the oldhotel. One sentry dropped back at the door and the other drove thetramp before him into the hotel, avoiding the big room on the sidewhere the men were at work and forcing him up-stairs to the attic whichhad once been the servant's quarters.
There was no window in the room and it was empty. The only light camein through a skylight in the roof.
The sentry thrust the tramp into this room and tried a door leading tothe next room. It was locked. At the point of his gun the sentryfrisked the tramp for weapons, but found none. As he did so the tramptrembled mightily. But no sooner had the sentry gone than the trampsmiled quietly to himself. He tried both doors. They were locked. Thenhe looked at the skylight and meditated.
Down below, although he did not know it, in the bare dining-room whichhad been arranged into a sort of chemical laboratory, Del Mar's menwere engaged in manufacturing gas bombs much like those used in the warin Europe. Before them was a formidable array of bottles and retorts.The containers for the bombs were large and very brittle globes of hardrubber. As the men made the gas and forced it under tremendous pressureinto tubes, they protected themselves by wearing goggles for the eyesand large masks of cloth and saturated cotton over their mouths andnoses.
Satisfied with the safety of his captive, the sentry made his waydown-stairs and out again to report to Del Mar.
At the bungalow, Del Mar's valet was setting the library in order whenhe heard a signal in the secret passage. He pressed the button on thedesk and opened the panel. From it the sentry entered.
"Where is Mr. Del Mar?" he asked hurriedly, looking around. "We've beenfollowed to the headquarters by a tramp whom I've captured, and I don'tknow what to do with him."
"He is not here," answered the valet. "He has gone to the Country Club."
"Confound it," returned the sentry, vexed at the enforced waste oftime. "Do you think you can reach him?"
"If I hurry, I may," nodded the valet.
"Then do so," directed the sentry.
He moved back into the panel and disappeared while the valet closed it.A moment later he, too, picked up his hat and hurried out.
At the Wilkeshire Club a large number of hunters had arrived for theimitation meet. Elaine, Aunt Josephine, Del Mar and myself rode up andwere greeted by them as the Master of Fox Hounds assembled us. Off abit, a splendid pack of hounds was held by the huntsman while theydebated whether to hold a paper chase or to try a drag hunt.
"You start your cross-country riding early," commented Del Mar.
"Yes," answered Elaine. "You see we can hardly wait until autumn andthe weather is so fine and cool, we feel that we ought to get into trimduring the summer. So we have paper chases and drag hunts as soon as wecan, mainly to please the younger set."
The chase was just about to start, when the valet came up. Del Marcaught his eye and excused himself to us. What he said, we coul
d nothear, but Del Mar frowned, nodded and dismissed him.
Just then the horn sounded and we went off, dashing across the roadinto a field in full chase after the hounds, taking the fences andsettling down to a good half hour's run over the most beautiful countryI have ever seen.
The hounds had struck the trail, which of course, as was finallydecided, was nothing but that laid by an anise-seed bag dragged overthe ground. It was none the less, in fact perhaps more interesting forthat.
The huntsman winded his horn and mirthful shouts of "Gone away!"sounded in imitation of a real hunt. The blast of the horn once heardis never forgotten, thrilling the blood and urging one on.
The M. F. H. seemed to be everywhere at once, restraining those whowere too eager and saving the hounds often from being ridden down bythose new to the hunt who pressed them.
Elaine was one of the foremost. Her hunter was one carefully trained,and she knew all the tricks of the game.
Somehow, I got separated, at first, from the rest and followed, untilfinally I caught up, and then kept behind one of the best riders.
Del Mar also got separated, but, as I afterward learned, by intention,for he deliberately rode out of the course at the first opportunity hehad and let Elaine and the rest of us pass without seeing him.
Elaine's blood was up, but somehow, in spite of herself, she wentastray, for the hounds had distanced the fleetest riders and she, in anattempt at a short cut over the country which she thought she knew sowell, went a mile or so out of the way.
She pulled up in a ravine and looked about. Intently she listened.There was no sign of the hunt. She was hot and tired and thirsty and,at a loss just to join the field again, she took this chance todismount and drink from a clear stream fed by mountain springs.
As she did so, floating over the peaceful woodland air came the faintstrains of the huntsman's horn, far, far off. She looked about,straining her eyes and ears to catch the direction of sound. Just thenher horse caught the winding of the horn. His ears went erect andwithout waiting he instantly galloped off, leaving her. Elaine calledand ran after him, but it was too late. She stopped and lookeddejectedly as he disappeared. Then she made her way up the side of theravine, slowly.
On she climbed until, to her surprise, she came to the ruins of an oldhotel. She remembered, as a child, when it had been famous as a healthresort, but it was all changed now--a wreck. She looked at it a moment,then, as she had nothing better to do, approached it.
She advanced toward a window of the dining-room and looked in.
. . . . . . .
Del Mar waited only until the last straggler had passed. Then he dashedoff as fast as his horse would carry him straight toward the desertedhotel which served him as headquarters for the supplies he wasaccumulating. As he rode up, one of his sentries appeared, as if fromnowhere, and, seeing who it was, saluted.
"Here, take care of this horse," ordered Del Mar, dismounting andturning the animal over to the man, who led him to the rear of thebuilding as Del Mar entered the front door, after giving a secretsignal.
There were his men in goggles and masks at the work, which his knockhad interrupted.
"Give me a mask before I enter the room," he ordered of the man who hadanswered his signal.
The man handed the mask and goggles to him, as well as a coat, which heput on quickly. Then he entered the room and looked at the rapidprogress of the work.
"Where's the prisoner?" asked Del Mar a moment later, satisfied at theprogress of his men.
"In the attic room," one of his lieutenants indicated.
"I'd like to take a look at him," added Del Mar, just about to turn andleave the room.
As he did so, he happened to glance at one of the windows. There,peering through the broken shutters, was a face--a girl's face--Elaine!
"Just what I wanted guarded against," he cried angrily, pointing at thewindow. "Now--get her!"
The men had sprung up at his alarm. They could all see her and with oneaccord dashed for the door. Elaine sprang back and they ran as they sawthat she was warned. In genuine fear now she too ran from the window.But it was too late.
For just then the sentry who had taken Del Mar's horse came from behindthe building cutting off her retreat. He seized her just as the othermen ran out. Elaine stared. She could make nothing of them. Even DelMar, in his goggles and breathing mask was unrecognizable.
"Take her inside," he ordered disguising his voice. Then to the sentryhe added, "Get on guard again and don't let any one through."
Elaine was hustled into the big deserted hallway of the hotel, just asthe tramp had been.
"You may go back to work," Del Mar signed to the other men, who wenton, leaving one short but athletic looking fellow with Del Mar andElaine.
"Lock her up, Shorty," ordered Del Mar, "and bring the other prisonerto me down here."
None too gently the man forced Elaine up-stairs ahead of him.
. . . . . . .
In the attic, the tramp, pacing up and down, heard footsteps approachon the stairs and enter the next room.
Quickly he ran to the doorway and peered through the keyhole. There hecould see Elaine and the small man enter. He locked the door to thehall, then quickly took a step toward the door into the tramp's room.
There was just time enough for the tramp to see his approach. He ranswiftly and softly over to the further corner and dropped down as ifsound asleep. The key turned in the lock and the small man entered,careful to lock the door to Elaine's room. He moved over to where thetramp was feigning sleep.
"Get up," he growled, kicking him.
The tramp sat up, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "Come now, bereasonable," demanded the man. "Follow me."
He started toward the door into the hall. He never reached it. Scarcelywas his hand on the knob when the tramp seized him and dragged him tothe floor. One hand on the man's throat and his knees on his chest, thetramp tore off the breathing mask and goggles. Already he had the mantrussed up and gagged.
Quickly the tramp undressed the man and left him in his underclothes,still struggling to get loose, as he took Shorty's clothes, includingthe strange head-gear, and unlocked the door into the next room withthe key he also took from him.
Elaine was pacing anxiously up and down the little room into which shehad been thrown, greatly frightened.
Suddenly the door through which her captor had left opened hurriedlyagain. A most disreputable looking tramp entered and locked the dooragain. Elaine started back in fear.
He motioned to her to be quiet. "You'll never get out alive," hewhispered, speaking rapidly and thickly, as though to disguise hisvoice. "Here--take these clothes. Do just as I say. Put them on. Put onthe mask and goggles. Cover up your hair. It is your only chance."
He laid the clothes down and went out into the hallway. Outside helistened carefully at the head of the stairs and looked about expectingmomentarily to be discovered.
Elaine understood only that suddenly a friend in need had appeared. Shechanged her clothes quickly, finding fortunately that they fitted herpretty well. By pulling the hat over her hair and the goggles over hereyes and tying on the breathing mask, she made a very presentable man.
Cautiously she pushed open the door into the hallway. There was thetramp. "What shall I do?" she asked.
"Don't talk," he whispered close to her ear. "Go out--and if you meetany one, just salute and walk past."
"Yes--yes, I understand," she nodded back, "and--thank you."
He gave her no time to say more, even if it had been safe, but turnedand locked the door of her room.
Trying to keep the old stairway from creaking and betraying her, shewent down. She managed to reach the lower hallway without seeinganybody or being discovered. Quietly she went to the door and out. Shehad not gone far when she met an armed man, the sentry, who had beenconcealed in the shrubbery.
"Who goes there?" he challenged.
&
nbsp; Elaine did not betray herself by speaking, but merely saluted andpassed on as fast as she could without exciting further suspicion.Nonplused, the man turned and watched her curiously as she moved awaydown the path.
"Where's HE going?" the sentry muttered, still staring.
Elaine in her eagerness was not looking as carefully where she wasgoing as she was thinking about getting away in safety. Suddenly anoverhanging branch of a tree caught her hat and before she knew itpulled it off her head. There was no concealing her golden hair now.
"Stop!" shouted the sentry.
Elaine did not pause, but dived into the bushes on the side of thepath, just as the man fired and ran forward, still shouting for her tohalt. She ran as fast as she could, pulling off the goggles and maskand looking back now and then in terror at her pursuer who was rapidlygaining on her.
Before she could catch herself she missed her footing and slipped overthe edge of a gorge. Down she went, with a rush. It was unfortunate,dangerous, but, after all, it was the only thing that saved her, atleast for the time. Half falling, half sliding, scratching herself andtearing her clothes, she descended.
The sentry checked himself just in time at the top of the gorge andleaned as far over the edge as he dared. He raised his gun again andfired. But Elaine's course was so hidden by the trees and so zigzagthat he missed again. A moment he hesitated, then started and climbeddown after her as fast as he could.
At the bottom of the hill she picked herself up and dashed again intothe woods, the sentry still after her and gaining again.
At the same time, we who were still in the chase had circled about thecountry until we were very near where we started. Following the dogsover a rail fence, I drew up suddenly, hearing a scream.
There was Elaine, on foot, running as if her life depended on it. Ineeded no second glance. Behind her was a man with a rifle, almostovertaking her.
As luck would have it, the momentum of my horse carried me right atthem. Careful to avoid Elaine, I rode square at the man, striking athim viciously with my riding crop before he knew what had struck him.
The fellow dropped, stunned. I leaped from my horse and ran to her,just as the rest of the hunt came up.
Eagerly questioning us, they gathered about.
Having waited until he was sure that Elaine had got away safely, theold tramp slowly and carefully followed down the stairs of the ruinedhotel.
As he went down, he heard a shot from the woods. Could it be one of thesentries? He looked about keenly, hesitating just what to do.
In an instant, down below, he heard the scurry of footsteps from theimprovised laboratory and shouts. He turned and stealthily ranup-stairs, just as the door opened.
The tramp had not been the only one who had been alarmed by the shot ofthe sentry.
Del Mar was talking again to the men when it rang out. "What's that?"he exclaimed. "Another intruder?"
The men stared at him blankly, while Del Mar dashed for the door,followed by them all. In the hall he issued his orders quickly.
"Here, you fellows," he called dividing the men, "get outside and seewhat is doing. You other men follow me. I want you to see ifeverything's all right up above."
Meanwhile the tramp had gained the upper hallway and dashed past theroom which he occupied. Outside, in the hall, Del Mar and his menrushed up to the door of the room in which Elaine had been thrown. Itwas locked and they broke in. She was gone!
On into the next room they dashed, bearing down this door also. Therewas Shorty, trussed up in his underclothes. They hastened to releasehim.
"Where are they--where's the tramp?" demanded Del Mar angrily.
"I think I heard some one on the roof," replied Shorty weakly. He wasright. The tramp had managed to get through a scuttle on the roof. Thenhe climbed down to the edge and began to let himself hand over handdown the lightning rod.
Reaching the ground safely, he scurried about to the back of thebuilding. There, tied, was the horse which Del Mar had ridden to thehunt. He untied it, mounted and dashed off down the path through thewoods, taking the shortest cut in the direction of Fort Dale.
Dusty and flecked with foam, the tramp and his mount, a strangecombination, were instantly challenged by the sentry at the Fort.
"I must see Lieutenant Woodward immediately," urged the tramp.
A heated argument followed until finally a corporal of the guards wascalled and led off the tramp toward the headquarters.
It was only a few minutes before Woodward was convinced of the identityof the tramp with his friend, Professor Arnold. At the head of a squadof cavalry, Woodward and the tramp dashed off.
Already on the qui vive, Elaine heard the sound of hoof-beats longbefore the rest of us crowded around her. For the moment we all stoodready to repel an attack from any quarter.
But it was not meant for us. It was Woodward at the head of a score orso of cavalrymen. With him rode a tramp on a horse which was strangelyfamiliar to me.
"Oh," cried Elaine, "there's the man who saved me!"
As they passed, the tramp paused a moment and looked at us sharply.Although he carefully avoided Elaine's eyes, I fancied that only whenhe saw that she was safe was he satisfied to gallop off and rejoin thecavalry.
. . . . . . .
Around the old hotel, in every direction, Del Mar's men were searchingfor the tramp and Elaine, while in the hotel another search was inprogress.
"Have you discovered anything?" asked Del Mar, entering.
"No, sir," they reported.
"Confound it!" swore Del Mar, going up-stairs again.
Here also were men searching. "Find anything?" he asked briefly.
"No luck," returned one.
Del Mar went on up to the top floor and out through the open scuttle tothe roof. "That's how he got away, all right," he muttered to himself,then looking up he exclaimed under his breath, as his eye caughtsomething far off, "The deuce--what's that?"
Leaning down to the scuttle, he called, "Jenkins--myfield-glasses--quick!"
One of his men handed them to him and he adjusted them, gazing offintently. There he could see what looked like a squad of cavalrygalloping along headed by an officer and a rough looking individual.
"Come--we must get ready for an attack!" he shouted diving down thescuttle again.
In the laboratory dining-room, his men, recalled, hastily took hisorders. Each of them seized one of the huge black rubber newlycompleted gas bombs and ran out, making for a grove near-by.
Quickly as Del Mar had acted, it was not done so fast but that thetroop of cavalry as they pulled up on the top of a hill and followedthe directing finger of the tramp could see men running to the cover ofthe grove.
"Forward!" shouted Woodward.
As if all were one machine, the men and horses shot ahead, until theycame to the grove about the old hotel. There they dismounted and spreadout in a semi-circular order, advancing on the grove. As they did so,shots rang out from behind the trees. Del Mar's men, from the shelterwere firing at them. But it seemed hopeless for the fugitives.
"Ready!" ordered Del Mar as the cavalrymen advanced, relentless.
Each of his men picked up one of the big black gas bombs and held ithigh up over his head.
"Come on!" urged Woodward.
His men broke into a charge on the grove.
"Throw them!" ordered Del Mar.
As far as he could hurl it, each of the men sent one of the blackglobes hurtling through the air. They fell almost simultaneously, along line of them, each breaking into a thousand bits. Instantly dense,greenish-yellow fumes seemed to pour forth, enveloping everything. Thewind which Del Mar had carefully noted when he chose the position inthe grove, was blowing from his men toward the only position from whichan attack could be made successfully.
Against Woodward's men as they charged, it seemed as if a tremendous,slow-moving wall of vapor were advancing from the trees. It was only amoment before it completely wrapped them in
its stifling, choking,suffocating embrace. Some fell, overcome. Others tried to run,clutching frantically at their throats and rubbing their eyes.
"Get back--quick--till it rolls over," choked Woodward.
Those who were able to do so, picked up their stupefied comrades andretreated, as best they could, stumbling blindly back from the fearfuldeath cloud of chlorine.
Meantime, under cover of this weird defence, Del Mar and his men, theirown faces covered and unrecognizable in their breathing masks andgoggles, dashed to one side, with a shout and disappeared walking andrunning behind and even through the safety of their impregnable gasbarrier.
More slowly we of the hunt had followed Woodward's cavalry until, somedistance off, we stood, witnessing and wondering at the attack. To ourutter amazement we saw them carrying off their wounded and stupefiedmen. We hurried forward and gathered about, offering whateverassistance we could to resuscitate them.
As Elaine and I helped, we saw the unkempt figure of the tramp borne inand laid down. He was not completely overcome, having had presence ofmind to tie a handkerchief over his nose and mouth.
Elaine hurried toward him with an exclamation of sympathy. Justrecovering full consciousness, he heard her.
With the greatest difficulty, he seemed to summon some reserve forcenot yet used. He struggled to his feet and staggered off, as though hewould escape us.
"What a strange old codger," mused Elaine, looking from me at theretreating figure. "He saved my life--yet he won't even let me thankhim--or help him!"