VENUS CALLING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21533, 3 July 1933, Page 15

VENUS CALLING

By FRANK H. BODLE Author of "The 7e Kooti Trail

AN ODYSSEY OF SPACE

CHAPTER XV.—(Continued) Lister bad no misgivings. He was convinced that Ingerfeldt had gone. He made a half-hearted concession to prudence when ho left one man on guard at the cave entrance and then set out with the others on the wood-gathering expedition. Their mission was one of slow and tedious labour, and since there were trees of the sort they needed quite near they ran little or no risk.

Dockling moved warily, but his confidence increased as they moved steadily forward and saw no trace of the enemy. He hadn't expected to find any, but the grey calm of the canyon soothed what little anxiety he had felt. Still he advanced cautiously against the caveside cliff, across the stream from their march of the day before.

They passed, across the water, the first circle of fungi they had seen and the route of their descent from the first landing place. They swung round a bend and found that the walls drew together, till, perhaps a couple of miles above' ffbeir original entry place, the ravine pinched out in a cul-de-sac. The stream, all white water, came tumbling down in a series of sharp jumps from unknown heights, but even if it had been practicable to scale the cliff —and it didn't seeni so —no useful purpose would have been served by taking the risk.

" Back tracks," Dockling decided, cheerfully. " They're not in otic backyard, that's a cinch. We'll cross the stream an' go down the other side. Jest so we look the whole show over."

They came back almost lightheartedly to the mushroom circle. There, for the first time ilhat morning Dockling's assurance was really disturbed. " Why," he muttered, glumly, " I clean forgot this. If those swine had half an eye in their faces, they'd surely have spotted this and suspicioned we were found." Ho bent down to examine the ashes more carefully. The two mechanics, silent and as disturbed as thoir leader, squatted on their haunches I besido him. «

Dacia and Esther were not interested. They had seen the fire before and obviously Ingerfield had not.

" We'll get along," Dacia said, lightly as she moved off. She and Esther were tired and hungry and they wanted very much to get back to the cave. Although there was no glare of sunlight, there was 110 wind iti the canyon. After much walking one felt oppressed by the heat, and longed for the restful coolness of their cavern.

" All right," Dockling grumbled without looking up. " Catch you up in a minute."' He moved around the firo circle to examine a mound of ashes that had caught his sharp eyes. Someone had been playing with them. It wasn't the wind and he didn't think it had been any of his own people. Someone else had been there. "Hey!" he shouted, studying the heap, " you'd better not go too —" He stopped abruptly and straightened up. One of the girls hfifl screamed. Deciding swung around and grabbing at his automatic, dashed for the girls. Two men, Sim and Blaney, had seized them and, when Dockling settled into his stride were hurrying with them for the grove of trees.

Dockling swore savagely. Ho had been caught napping, had slipped up badly, but he was a quick thinker and sized up the position in a flash. " Don't fire," he called over his shoulder, to his companions pounding along behind. " Too risky. Hit the wrong ones."

The trees were very near. He realised that he' could not reach the men in time and the ship must be hidden in there. Without hesitation he dropped to his knees taking the risk he had denied the others. Swiftly he aimed at the longer of the twinkling pair of legs.

Dockling had been trained in a rough school and as ho might have said himself was fair to useful with any kind of gun in any kind of circumstances. But the target was very difficult.«Dacia still struggled violently and obsessed by an anxiety not to hit her, his first shot was low and a shade wide. Dockling gritted his teeth and took steadier aim. With a howl of pain Sim plunged forward 011 the very fringe of the sanctuary. Tho second shot had hit him exactly where it had been meant — squarely in the ankle.

" Got him," Dockling shouted and dashed forward, full cry. Bin 1 icy halted. Esther took advantage of his preoccupation to bite his hand, hard. He cuffed her roughly, but concentrated attention on his fallen comrade. " Come 011, Simmy," ho adjured, breathlessly. " K. 0." Sim groaned. "They got

me." Dacia dazed, lay still where she had fallen. In a panic, Blaney flung Ksther from him and swung his companion up. He heaved him, heedless of the hurt, over his shoulder and stumbled forward. Sim was the one, the only one, who understood the ship's controls. Whatever else happened, he could not bo loft behind. The pair staggered drunkenly among the trees for the ladder of the ship. Ingorfield, at the rail, bent oyer and clutched at Sim. He vanked him viciously aboard and dashed with him for the companionway. Blaney could look after himself: the others couldn't shoot among the trees enyway. He took no } )e ed of Sim's groans, but Hung him, almost violently into tho pilot room. " Lift her, damn you. Lift her, you bungling fool," ho snarled. "If we'd got the girls as hostesses, the game was in our hands. But of course you had to snarl it up. Lift her, d'ye hear me, Outside. Blaney clawed frantically at the ladder. Ho tumbled over the rad and pitched forward on his face, as two shots rang out. Dockling, with the mechanics at his heels sprang clear of the trees and dashed for the ship. I hey were intent to get aboard the boat and fight for its possession. The hull swayed a moment unsteadily, /lashed upwards. Just as, with a final desperate burst, Dockling flung himseU at the ladder. He touched the smooth hull as it drove up, but his clawing fingers found no grip. 'With a yelp of disappointment ho checked sharply. Ho scowled. It was poisonous luck to miss by inches, like that. Ho swallowed his chagrin, dourly, and swung about. " Get back to tho cirls." he ordered, huskily. They'd missed badly—but so had Ingerfeldt. And unless his guess missed badly, Sim and Blaney were out of tho game for some time. It had been a near tiling, but those dirty swine would have to look up the Red Cross, smart, and stay in hospital for finite a while. Dockling was whistling thoughtfully when he reached the girls, once more on their feet. Lister was going to have, anyhow, a month before Ingerfeldt would be fit to take the field again.

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" We'll got right back." lie said cheerily. "These birds "—ho pointed to the ship, riding steadily, three hundred yards or so up —" prob ly see the others." They've guessed our address by now anvway. They're oil for base hospital." he waved a mock farewell as the hum of the engines drifted down. " Got to get o-l' to lick your scratches, h'ain't yer, Roger. Ne'mind. Next time you come we'll surely get yer. That was the final occasion of that eventful (lav wherein Docking's seriously underrated the intelligence ot his opponent. Ingerfeldt s hostage phm had miscarried without doubt. His fighting strength had been reduced to that of one general and no army lit to bear arm; but lie wasn't beaten. In the moment of seeming defeat he had decided to bring up reinforcements.

CHAPTER XVI

MORE WANDKJUNCJS OF ULYSSES

On towards morning, Ulysses woke gradually. He bad the faculty, usually, of being wide awake on the instant, but in this particular instance, that gift was in abeyance. His eyes opened and for a space lie stared into the gloom, dumbly questioning his own existence and, in particular, where actually lie was. Slowly tlio full tide of consciousness flowed across the nerve cells of his brain. He remembered and at the same moment was aware of quiet breathing quite closo to him. He felt around cautiously. There was nothing in the nature of bed-clothes, but quite clearly the girl who had abducted him, was on the same bed. Ulysses listened, every nerve on edge. He was no prude, but the situation seemed to him —well, over the fence. She was rleeping soundly, snoring just a bit too. Ho felt on the side opposito from the breathing. That was the wall and the woman must bo outside him then.

Ulysses set his teeth. Inch by inch, a-tingle and perfectly still when he heard the woman stirring, he slid down till his legs dangled over the end of the bed, then touched the earth floor.

His heart, so it seemed, beat thunderously. He heard the woman mutter something unintelligible, but it sounded menacing. Almost be decided to spring up and dash for the door, but, keeping rigidly still, he fought down the shriekings of sheer panic. He heard the woman sigh deeply and turn. . . She had settled to sleep again. Little by little bo heaved upright, stood on his feet and realised that the coat which held his gun was not on him. Must be somewhere on the floor. In the course of an active newspaper career Ulysses had been in one or two nasty situations, but that blindfold search of the hut floor was a nerveracking experience ho is not likely to forget in a long time. He blundered once against the stone seat, and his heart stood still while he listened.

" God be praised for sound sleepers," he murmured devoutly, and continued bis search. After what seemed an eternity, he found the coat and shirt, then groped around the walls for the door. In the dark the latch gave him eoine trouble, but in the end bo was outside with the door tightly closed behind him.

Ulysses breathed deeply, gratefully. Ho was nowhere near out of the woods, but it seemed' like it to bo free, in the open air, out of the clutches of that masterful woman. Faint greyish light streaked one rim of the sky. Dawn was coming, how soon he could not judge, but before it did ho must bo as far away as possible.

Everywhere was still. Ominously still, he thought. And warm. If it had been on earth ho would have known a thunderstorm was brewing. Even on these uplands there was no faint breath of wind and the dim silence was oppressive. Ulysses walked on, cautiously. That was another hut. And another. All quiet and not a sold stirring. Like a place of the dead it seemed. He caine to the clear central space where he had landed. Gosh! If one of those plodja things were handy he'd take the risk of riding it somewhere, anywhere, so long as he got away from that darned wotnftn.

lii fact, Ulysses reflected grimly, he simply had to have one of those fourwinged birds. If ho trusted to his legs, they'd find him with the light as sure as Cod made littlo apples. . . There were" none on the landing ground. Where 'the devil would they keep the creatures stabled? A spasm of coughing from the nearest hut moved him to . flight over the l brow of the hill. He'd have to hoof it after all and hide somewhere till a chance for a getaway showed up. And, by gosh, there would be no more cave-woman antics in his young life. He'd do as they did —forget they were women. They carried on like men, or worse, and it was up to him to treat them like men. Like particularly bad men at that. With a hearty fist —the gun if necessity compelled. He personally would provide all the cave stuff the scenario called for.

A rustling in the trees changed the current of his thoughts. .It couldn't bo the wind, because there was none. Tho light had grown stronger, or 110 moro used to gloom. Against the dull sky ho shw a long neck, the knob of an os-trich-like head. That was one of them —a plodja, pulling off the leaves jerkily and chewing them. Well, he'd have to get t:o it somehow and trust to the luck of the Andersons that it had its tail bridle on. From what ho remembered the leather cords were fastened through holes in the tail bulge—sewn, weren't they? Golly, the strings were there, fastened to a strap at tho tail base. (To be continued daily 1