The Fate Joss by Maxwell Grant & Walter Gibson

Author:Maxwell Grant & Walter Gibson [Grant, Maxwell & Gibson, Walter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Espionage, Fiction, Thrillers
ISBN: 9781932806922
Amazon: 193280692X
Publisher: Street & Smith
Published: 1935-07-15T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XIII. BROUGHT FROM BONDAGE

"HOW long have we been here, Harry?"

"A couple of hours, I guess. I could tell you better, Cliff, if I could get a look at my watch."

"Same here, Harry. I wound mine just before we started."

"So did I. I noticed it was nine o'clock when -"

"Psst! Easy, Harry! There maybe snoopers! The less we say, the better. About certain matters."

"A good point, Cliff. Let's forget the past and stick to talk of the future."

"The future looks black, Harry."

Both men chuckled. Despite their plight, they found Cliff's prediction a humorous one. For the two prisoners were surrounded by an inky darkness that betokened windowless walls and a thick door.

Gags had been removed; but both captives were still bound. The thongs had loosened slightly; but offered no more slack. Any effort to tug at the bonds brought cutting resistance to wrists and ankles.

Lying on straw mats upon the floor of the pitch-black room, Cliff and Harry found comfort only in shifting their positions from side to side. While they talked, they lay on their backs; but that position soon became uncomfortable, as it placed too much pressure on their bound wrists.

"I've been figuring something, Cliff," remarked Harry, rolling on one side to speak directly to his companion. "That one fellow must have been Satsu, the Korean who slipped the police. If he -"

"Stick to the future, Harry," interrupted Cliff. "I've been thinking about the truck. I'll bet it's on the way without us."

"You think the head man of these bandits took it along?"

"Why not? His strong-arm boys were in the truck, weren't they? It's easy enough to guess that they wised up to where we were going."

"You're right, Cliff. That letter was lying in the office of the Howland Garage. Right on the desk -"

"Psst! Harry—listen -"

Footsteps were barely audible, apparently they came from beyond a door. Both men became silent; they heard a key click in a lock. A puff of air followed; but no illumination. Next, the door closed. Slight footsteps, whisperings, told that two persons had entered the inky-black room.

Tense moments; then the clicking sound of the chain on a hanging lamp. An instant later, a single bulb brought startling light that made both prisoners blink. Hazily, Harry and Cliff saw that the room was square-walled and windowless. Then they focussed their attention on those who had entered.

ONE was Noy Dow. He was recognizable, for he had been in the office when Cliff and Harry were carried through. The other was a young woman, and the light revealed her as an amazing beauty. Though clad in American clothes, the girl had all the semblance of an Oriental. Her charm was dazzling, for this was none other than Loy Ming, the niece of the mandarin, Shan Kwan.

Noy Dow was speaking to Loy Ming. His words were in Chinese; the prisoners saw the girl nod, then heard her speak in calm reply. Noy Dow became sober; his words were troubled. The girl laid a tiny hand upon the secretary's arm and spoke in pleading tones.

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