Chapter XIII

76

STRANGE FISH

“What do you mean?”

“Because,” Johnny said. “I had intended to tell Savage the whole truth, but I lost my nerve.”

The fat man started to fumble for something, a gun probably.

“I'm damned if I go through with a thing as dirty as this,” Johnny said.

And he hit the fat man with the branding iron. He used the iron like a tomahawk. Buried it in the fat man's skull.

DOC SAVAGE put his hand over the slit in the window shade. He got away, well to the right. Then he took his hand off the hole, moving it to the left very slowly to give the impression he had moved in that direction.

Nothing happened. He hadn't fooled the skulker.

He tried another trick.

He said hoarsely, in German, “Vorgesehen! Vorsicht! Achtung!”

The German words—a general warning to be careful—upset the skulker.

“Wer da?”

the man growled.

Doc got his location from that. He lunged, came in from the side, driving both fasts. He didn't hit a vital spot, but he upset the man.

The skulker seemed to have a small machine gun. Whatever the weapon was, it put out about ten bullets in one red−guttering, ear−splitting bawl.

Doc tramped on the gun, got it against the ground. Then he drove his knees down on the skulker's chest, and there was a dull snapping noise of ribs. Doc found his throat with his left hand, and hit the man's jaw as hard as he could, three times, with his fist.

With the gun in his hands, Doc got to his feet. He was shaking.

“Johnny!” Doc shouted. “The house! Help Monk and Ham guard Paris!”

Johnny Toms wailed, “What's happening?”

“Get to the house!” Doc shouted. “Be careful!”

He heard Johnny run out of the cabin, pound toward the ranch house.

Doc shoved up the window. Nothing happened. He tore the curtain out of the window. Still nothing happened.

So he went in through the window headfirst.