Assignment, Amazon queen by Aarons Edward S. (Edward Sidney) 1916-1975

Author:Aarons, Edward S. (Edward Sidney), 1916-1975
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Greenwich, Conn. : Fawcett Publications
Published: 1974-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

More rifles opened up. Wood splinters whistled through the air. More glass crashed. Durell ducked^om the narrow door and ran around the pilot house to where he could see the dock. Men had come out of its black shadows, all armed, and ran down the pier. The steamboat hit the first pilings with a shudder that knocked Durell from his feet. He was up again, crouching, in a moment. Willie Wells slid down the ladder to the hurricane deck, his feet not touching the treads, and a bullet slammed into a post near him as he ducked out of sight.

The boat crashed helplessly against the dock, splintering planks in a shower of broken, flying timbers. More than a dozen armed men came running to board the vessel while others appeared from the shacks and sheds along the beach. The Duos Irmaos shuddered to a stop.

Someone, perhaps Manoel, pulled the ship's whistle and its piercing blast overwhelmed the quick rattle of automatic rifle fire. Durell did not fire in return. There were really two groups of attackers, he saw. One group of men were Western-dressed Europeans. Russians, he guessed. The other group, coming toward the bow, were Chinese, wearing slacks and dark shirts and sneakers. Each side had appointed flankers to keep a wary eye on the other. Durell yelled up to Manoel to blow the whistle again. At the same time, Willie Wells returned with several sticks of dynamite. Two of the crewmen stuck their heads out and were shot at. The Chinese came over the bow, onto the deck. Four of them. The Russians leaped aboard amidships.

"Vladim Vodaniev!" Durell called.

The tallest Russian paused, his head jerking up to look at Dureirs level gun. "Ah. You must be the Cajun. We are taking your ship."

"And your friends from Peking?"

"We are allies—for the moment."

"You don't have a ship to take," Durell said. "In two minutes it will be blown sky-high."

"You bluff, Cajun."

"Try me. You're welcome to stay aboard. Inocenza! O'Hara!"

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