And the Galaxy Ghosts by Victor Appleton

Author:Victor Appleton [Appleton, Victor]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2012-05-26T05:12:46+00:00

CHAPTER XI

THE INDIAN'S SECRET

GRADUALLY consciousness returned. Tom climbed woozily to his feet.

"Boy, that machine carries a punch!" He muttered. "Lucky I didn't get a full dose of electronic juice!"

As Tom turned to look at the Melt Master, wondering it he had succeeded in putting it out of commission, a growl from the corridor startled him. Tom began to run. When he reached the large chamber, lights from wall lanterns revealed the snowman coming through the entrance toward him!

Tom retreated from the immensely tall and powerfully built figure. "He's an Indian and at least seven feet tall," Tom estimated.

The man wore a shaggy costume of white fur with mittens and hood, and white boots. But the face was uncovered. The skin was a deep copper color and the man's wild black eyes glared at Tom like glowing embers.

The giant advanced with another growl, raising a crude stone hammer in one hand. Tom retreated step by step across the cave with the giant stalking him relentlessly. As Tom's back touched the wall, he could retreat no farther. He was cornered! Tom set himself in a wrestler's stance.

The snowman took a roundhouse swing with his primitive weapon. Tom ducked under it, twisted past his assailant, and darted into the tunnel leading to the outside.

Halfway to his goal, he nearly piled into several Brungarians entering through the crack in the rock wall. The huge Indian came pounding down on him from behind.

"I'm trapped!" Tom murmured.

Desperately he turned to the left, where an opening into a side tunnel caught his eyes. He raced into the passage and barreled ahead at top speed.

He could hear his pursuers. The Brungarians shouted furiously. The snowman emitted roars that echoed through the rocky corridor.

Tom ran faster. His breath came in short gasps. Just when he felt he would collapse and be pounced on by the wild Indian, Tom reached a shallow cave with a wide mouth overlooking the mountain valley.

Two men were in the cave. Since they had binoculars draped around their necks, Tom figured they must be Brungarian lookouts. They scrambled to their feet.

Tom rushed past them, leaped off the ledge outside the cave, and landed in a snowbank below. Jumping onto the slope, he ran off.

The Brungarians shouted in fury. Looking back, Tom saw the huge snowman poised awkwardly on the ledge. Apparently the giant Indian, hampered by his suit, felt he was not agile enough to make the jump to the snowbank.

As he teetered on the rim, the Brungarian in the lead rushed forward and pushed him violently off the ledge 1 The snowman hurtled through the air.

He missed his footing on the snowbank, fell over, and careened down the slope. He gave a shriek of fear as his bulky body skidded toward a steep ledge and tumbled off. The two Brungarian lookouts leaped into the snowbank and went after him as fast as they could in the deep drifts.

"Now's my chance to escape," Tom said to himself.

He hastened on until he heard a harsh voice in Spanish uttering dismal cries of terror and pain.

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