Chapter XIII
Doc: “How do you plan to go about this THE FAT FISH
New Order attempt the second time?”
Der Hase: “Use the money we have THERE was an unscheduled guard brought here, and wait until things are quiet change shortly after midnight.
again after the war, then start in and get The fat man, Das Seehund, made it, power pretty much as before.”
and he said, “I want men I can trust doing Doc: “You want to use Das Seehund’s this guarding.” He said this to the guards Der money, as well?”
Hase had posted at the door. There was Der Hase: “Ja. To put it bluntly, I do.”
nothing subtle about the fat man. But he got Doc: “Which might possibly be why you his guards substituted for those the other want us to wipe him out?”
partner had placed.
Der Hase: “Are all these questions Monk whispered, “It looks like the fat necessary?”
fish got the bait.”
Doc: “Interesting, anyway.”
Doc Savage was uneasy. It was a long Der Hase: “Are we going to get to-chance he had taken, not so long in risks as gether?”
in possibilities that it would succeed.
Doc: “Why don’t you take care of Das Der Hase and Das Seehund were men Seehund yourself?”
who were naturally suspicious of their part-Der Hase: “That might be inconvenient.
ners. They had seen too many murders for He has many friends. The men here like him, convenience in the rise of their fortunes in some of them. I would rather an outsider did Europe to be otherwise. On that fertile it.”
ground, Doc had planted seed. The change Doc: “You figure we could do it and es-of guards probably meant it was sprouting, cape?”
but he could not tell yet in which direction it Der Hase: “I would aid you.”
would grow.
Doc: “You want to know something?”
It grew the way he had hoped.
Der Hase: “What?”
Das Seehund opened the cell door an Doc: “This would be a more appetizing hour later. He had a needle-snouted auto-proposition if Das Seehund was making it.”
matic.
Doc made the Der Hase voice splutter
“We wish to talk,” he told Doc Savage, with rage, and growl, “You have not many having trouble with his accent.
hours to make up your mind!”
Doc stood very still. He had no definite Doc then stepped back, and in German, plan beyond splitting the two factions. But said, “Guard, I have finished talking. Unlock now he saw what might be one. It meant im-the door.”
mediate action.
To make it a little more realistic, he tried an imitation of the guard’s voice also, and said, “Yes, sir. ”
HELL BELOW
47
Doc held his lips motionless, or as mo-shoot Savage! Hold your fire!” He said that tionless as possible. He used Der Hase’s also in their native language.
artificial voice.
Monk and Too-Too Thomas and the
“I guess I will have to shoot him myself, others piled into the hall, shoving each other Herr Savage,” Doc said in the imitated voice.
in their haste. They got on to the guards, in a It was good voice simulation and good flying mêlée. Out of the mess came two rifle ventriloquism. Ventriloquism is not the art of shots, an agonized howl, much grunting and throwing the voice, as it pretends, but of scraping of feet and solid fist sounds.
speaking in a voice which sounds as if it
“Here!” Pat cried. “Don’t forget us!”
came from somewhere else, then indicating a Oberleutenant Schwartz responded spot from which the hearer will logically think gallantly. A valorous expression on his wal-that it came.
rus face, he took a run and a jump feetfirst The only logical spot this voice could against the cell door.
come from was the door behind Das See-The door was a steel plate which hund.
looked as if it was armor plate, solid enough He whirled.
to hold back a five-inch deckgun shell. But its Doc lunged forward, came on the fat looks were somewhat deceptive, because it man from behind, got hold of the thin-caved enough for the lock to tear out of its snouted pistol. The pistol began gobbling, fastening.
because the safety was off. Two guards The steel door burst open, much to the stood in the door at the moment, and they astonishment of everyone but Schwartz.
both fell down, both shot through the same Schwartz picked himself up, said, “I leg by the same bullet.
thought I recognized the metal of which the Pat, in the cell across the hall, cried out, doors are made. It came from one of our Ital-
“Don’t go off and leave me!”
ian factories. I think the factory formerly Which was optimistic, considering that made cheese, and forgot to change their the fight had hardly started.
formula. ”
Doc Savage, in his own voice and Pat said, “Good for them!” and came loudly, cried, “Run, Der Hase! Run! I will take out with Lena Carlson.
care of this fat one.”
Monk and Ham had a guard down on He said it in German, so that there the corridor floor, and were pushing at each would be no question of the fat man under-other, trying to decide who would have the standing.
privilege of knocking him senseless. The It was Doc’s idea that it wouldn’t hurt if matter was settled by another guard, who Das Seehund thought Der Hase had actually kicked Monk as hard as he could where the been in the hall, and had ducked back out of kicking was best, sending Monk galloping sight.
down the hall on hands and knees, involun-Doc Savage got the long-nosed pistol.
tarily. Ham administered the finishing touch, He rapped Das Seehund over the ear with it, then got up and went to work on the man and the fat man became limp and astonish-who had kicked Monk.
ingly heavy.
Ham got the fellow out on his feet just Monk gouged Too-Too Thomas in the as Monk came galloping back, bellowing.
ribs.
“You kicked me!” Monk howled, misun-
“Come on,” Monk said. “Show us how derstanding what had happened.
you fight Indians, pop.”
“Get away from me,” Ham said, “or I’ll kick you again.”
Big-fisted Renny had downed a third THERE proved to be five more guards guard with a blow from one of his enormous in the hall, which made seven in all, quite a fists.
number. They had been standing at attention, Too-Too Thomas, with the idea of try-however, as was the custom when one of the ing to live up to the reputation he had been leaders was around. It took them a little time giving himself with words, endeavored to to get organized, because nobody was giving take the two survivors for himself. Unfortu-orders.
nately, one of his choices knew a great deal Doc helped the confusion out a little by about jujitsu, and got a hold on Too-Too. The saying loudly, in Der Hase’s voice, “Do not result was that Too-Too Thomas ended up 48
DOC SAVAGE
on the floor against one wall, gasping and
“That old geezer,” Monk said, “is all for squeaking, with the foe on top of him, prepar-the Axis. If he gets the upper hand, we’ll be ing to remove an arm.
no better off than we were.”
Long Tom Roberts went over and res-Doc reminded, “He is not exactly cued Too-Too.
friendly toward Der Hase. We can use his
“So that’s the way you fought Indians,”
help.”
Long Tom said unkindly, after he had
“O. K.,” Monk said.
slugged the guard who knew judo.
At the far end of the hall, Schwartz Old Too-Too Thomas scrambled to his tackled a door with the same tactics he had feet, tripped and fell down again.
used on the prison of Pat and Lena Carlson.
“You hurt?” Long Tom asked.
A run and jump. That door also smashed in.
“I’m too mad to stand up,” Too-Too Doc said, “Come on. Bring the fat said malevolently.
man.”
Johnny Littlejohn had his incredibly Monk and Too-Too Thomas were first long thin arms and legs around the surviving to reach the prone, senseless form of Das guard. He squeezed. There was a cracking Seehund. They picked him up, grunted in sound, and the guard screamed and fell on amazement at the fat man’s weight. “Made of the floor, where he groveled and held to his bricks!” Monk gasped. “Here, somebody help leg.
with this tonnage.”
“I’ll be superamalgamated!” Johnny No one heard Monk, however. He and said, and kicked him on the temple.
Too-Too wrestled with the burden.
Pat and Lena Carlson were out of the Doc Savage found a room that wasn’t other cell. Everyone was in the hall. The a prison cell, and smashed open the window guards were all out. But from other parts of in the room. It led to a flagstone terrace, the big ranchhouse, there was anxious bel-pleasant in the moonlight.
lowing, the men yelling to other men to get
“Come on,” the bronze man said.
their guns.
He stepped out into the terrace, but got Doc grasped Too-Too Thomas, asked, back inside again in haste, as a machine gun “How many men, usually, on the submarines began filling the terrace with lead. The gun at night?”
apparently was on the roof, and the gunner
“One,” Too-Too said. “One, usually.
believed in burning powder.
There’ll probably be one on each.”
Doc said, “We will try to get aboard one submarine, and disable the other one.”
THEY tried the corridor, and the other Oberlcutenant Schwartz put back his side of the ranchhouse. They were glad they head. “Achtung!” he roared. “Wohin sind sie did, because they found the gold.
gegangen?”
Wealth was probably the thing they He was so excited he was mixed up.
least needed at the moment. But they were He had asked, in German, where they had human enough to get a boot out of it. There gone, which obviously wasn’t what he meant.
wasn’t a roomful of it, not quite. But then it However, it served.
was a big room.
He got an answer, an excited shout.
It was not all gold. There were jewels,
“Beeilen sie sich!” a voice replied ex-good jewels cut and uncut, and bars of plati-citedly.
num, and even two cases of the most expen-It was down the hall some distance, sive of European cameras. Tiny cameras, behind a door.
miniatures worth two or three hundred dollars
“My men!” Schwartz told Doc Savage apiece in packing cases. There were valu-excitedly. “They are imprisoned down there!”
able paintings also.
Without more words, he struck out at a Evidently some kind of an inventory lumbering run down the hall toward his men.
had been in progress, because everything Monk pounced on one of the pistols was spread around on tables, or open on the which the guards had dropped, and lifted it.
floor, and there were long ledger sheets and Doc got the gun pushed down.
adding machines on other tables.
“Let him go,” Doc said.
Ham stared at some of the uncrated paintings, said grimly, “I thought they claimed they didn’t steal anything from the Louvre!”
HELL BELOW
49
Finding all the wealth in that room did a friendly basis, but the echoes from the them no good, except to give them pleasure sides of the cove fooled them.
in seeing so much wealth in one spot.
Doc Savage, with Renny and the oth-There were no windows.
ers, was descending the long flight of zig-They went back. Now there was more zagging steps cut in the cove side. The going shooting in the ranchhouse.
was slow for the steps were steep.
Monk and Too-Too Thomas labored Monk and Ham, burdened with Das along with the fat man. “Find a way outa Seehund, had dropped far behind. So far here!” Monk gasped. “We’re gettin’ tired car-back that they did not dare shout for aid.
ryin’ this tub!”
“Blazes, what do they stuff these fel-Doc found a door. There was a roof lows with?” Monk asked finally.
over it. He went outside, saw there were Too-Too Thomas dropped the end he bushes, beckoned the others.
was carrying, the lighter end. “I’m puffed out,”
They got into the shade of the bushes, he said. “Can’t carry this carcass another the moon shade that was intensely dark, and step.”
began moving cautiously.
“He is a very important prize,” Monk But the machine gunner on the roof said. “The American government would like heard them, and cut loose freely with his to get him and ask him some questions about weapon. He had mistaken their location, or his playmates at home. ”
was indefinite, because he began riddling
“You carry him, then,” said Too-Too one bush after another.
Thomas. “I don’t figure you could ‘a’ been Monk watched carefully, fired the pistol carryin’ your share anyway.”
he had picked up, shooting only once. The
“Blast it, pop, I’ve been carrying him machine gun went silent.
and you, too, ” Monk said with conviction.
Ham said angrily, “You know Doc’s rule There was a volley of shots. The ech-against shooting, particularly shooting to kill.”
oes whooped and gobbled. It was evident
“Oh, I just barked him, like you bark a that Oberleutenant Schwartz had gotten his squirrel,” Monk said. “Probably just tapped crew into action.
his scalp gently.”
Monk and Too-Too Thomas sat down It was dark on the roof, too dark for and puffed for breath.
Monk to have seen anything but the muzzle
“We could sit on him and use him for a flare of the machine gun which had been sled,” Monk suggested, “and slide down on shooting at them.
him.”
“Here, help us carry the fat boy,” Monk
“Skin him up some,” said Too-Too. “But urged.
it ain’t a bad idea.”
Ham ignored him.
At this point, their fat burden came to life. They had been having too much trouble carrying him to realize that Das Seehund had IT appeared now that the way to safety revived. But he had, then had remained down at the submarine lying to the wharf was doggo until he got his wits organized.
moderately clear. There was some shouting The fat man, lashing out with both legs, from down at the cove, but there were only managed to kick Monk and Too-Too Thomas two voices, and both were demanding to simultaneously, upsetting them and tumbling know what had happened, and what they them down the steps. It was quite dark, the should do.
steps were steep, and they did some uncom-Renny Renwick, who spoke good fortable bouncing before they got stopped.
German, bellowed, “Just wait until we get They scrambled back. But the fat man there, boys!” to them. Then he muttered, was gone. He was going up the steps with “Brother, just wait!”
the agility of a freshly awakened mountain The pair at the cove seemed to think a goat.
friend had addressed them. They asked if the Monk and Too-Too Thomas were too submarine should be made ready for flight.
tired to catch him.
“Ja, bitte,” Renny rumbled at them.
“If you had carried your share, ” Too-They should have known that such a Too said, “we wouldn’t’ve had to lay him voice belonged to no one they’d ever met on down.”
50
DOC SAVAGE
Down at the cove edge, on the subma-Doc made sure everyone was under rines, there was a sudden uproar. Automatic cover, then said, “They will be coming down rifles and machine guns put down a barrage the path from above, or up from the bottom.
which had the volume of a battle.
Whichever group passes us first, drop in with
“Two guys ain’t doing all that shooting,”
them. The path is dark enough so that they Monk said uneasily. “The crews must be will not recognize us. That will give most of aboard the submarines.”
us a chance to reach the top or the bottom,
“Podner, we’re in kind of a pickle,” said then make a break.”
Too-Too Thomas. “If they’re on the subma-No one said anything.
rines, they’ve got the foot of the path blocked.
From the top of the path, around the A fly couldn’t go up or down this cliff except ranchhouse, there was steady shooting. A on the path. And seems I recollect we left great deal of it. Some of it was hollow thump-some unfriendly fellows up above.”
ing inside the house, but more and more of it was getting outdoors.
From the sub, fifty or sixty bullets.