THE LOST OASIS A Doc Savage Adventure by Kenneth Robeson

Originally published in Doc Savage magazine September 1933

From the bosom of the jungle comes a call for help. Weird creatures, ruthless enemies, seek to halt the avenging hand of Doc Savage and his companions. Thrill to this most amazing exploit of this band of scrappers!

By KENNETH ROBESON

Chapter I and the watchers bought numerous newspa- A MILLION-DOLLAR MYSTERY pers. Perfect strangers argued over the THE New York water front was in the headlines as though they had been lifelong grip of excitement. Expectant, curious crowds acquaintances. These discussions always milled in the district, and more were arriving. ended with both participants fixing intent Nearly every pier end—these offered stares upon the bay surface. the best views of the harbor—held a cluster The absence of a moon made the of staring individuals. There was much talk, early evening darkness rather murky. Many spectators secured binoculars and tele- 2 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE scopes from hawkers who offered these arti- stated uncertainly. “No one has been able to cles for rent. Newsboys were yelling them- find you!” selves hoarse. Peanuts, pretzels, hot dogs, “I returned to the city less than an hour and soft drinks were selling fast. But even the ago.” The mysterious man in the cab had a peddlers frequently took off long enough to remarkable voice. It was pleasant, yet it pos- scamper out on the piers and gaze at the sessed a quality of vibrant power which was bay. instantly impressive. Taxi aft er taxi crowded down to the The cop saluted again. “If I can tell you water front, horns blaring, and unloaded pas- anything about this strange business, I’ll be sengers. Often as not, the drivers deserted glad to do it!” their machines and hurried out on the “Do you possess any information the wharves to watch. newspapers have not published?” Many of the taxi riders were newspa- “No, sir. The darn newspaper report- per reporters and cameramen, the latter bur- ers know as much as we do, and they’ve dened with equipment for taking flashlight smeared it all on the front page. That’s why pictures. there’s such a crowd down here.” In the general hubbub, it was doubtful “I have read the papers,” said the per- if any one noticed one cab which behaved sonage in the taxi. differently than the others. For one thing, this The officer shifted uneasily, then finally machine did not head for the center of ex- mastered the determination to suggest, “The citement, but made for a spot where ware- police are naturally curious about this affair, houses cast deep shadows. so we’d be mighty glad to know anything you Once, in signaling a turn, the driver can tell us.” held out his hand. The hand was enormous. A pleasant laugh came from the man Indeed, it was such a huge hand that a mo- in the cab. “This is as much a mystery to me torist, an observant fellow, who chanced to as to anybody, officer.” be driving behind, blinked in amazement. The cop offered: “I thought perhaps The cab pulled to a quiet, furtive stop your five associates—” in the gloom. The driver—he of the enormous A traffic cop hurried up, calling: “Hey, hand—interrupted in a voice so deep it al- fella, who d’you think you are? This is no- most sounded as if a lion had started roaring. parking zone along here!” “We don’t know anything more than The amazingly big hand of the driver the newspapers!” he declared. “A radio mes- swung out of the window, the massive thumb sage came from the steamer Yankee Beauty, jerked expressively at the rear of the cab, in mid-ocean, seeking to get in touch with which was in darkness. Doc Savage. It was signed simply, ‘Imper- The cop was puzzled, but he obeyed iled!’ We radioed back that Doc was out of the invitation to inspect the taxi passenger. town, and that nobody could locate him. The He tugged the door open, and used his flash- next thing we knew, this ‘Imperiled’ person light. When he saw who occupied the cush- had gotten in touch with the newspapers and ions, his eyes flew wide. He stepped back offered the reward.” and executed a smart salute. The officer peered at the big-fisted “Begging your pardon, sir!” he ex- driver. “You are Renny—Colonel John Ren- claimed. “I didn’t know who it was! You can wick, the engineer, aren’t you? I should have park anywhere, of course!” recognized those fists.” “That’s right,” said Renny. Once more the policeman addressed THE mysterious personage in the a salute to the personage in the rear of the rear of the cab did not speak. cab. “Anything you wish me to do, Mr. Sav- Shifting his flashlight from one hand to age?” the other, the officer seemed to be striving to “Just don’t advertise the fact that I’m swallow an overpowering curiosity. But it got around here!” the best of him. “Very well, Mr. Savage!” “I thought—that is, the newspapers The cop drifted away. have been saying you were out of town,” he

THE LOST OASIS 3

Here is the tale of the dire plot which brings forth this amazing appeal. What tremendous stakes must exist to warrant so great a reward for the connection with Doc Savage, bronze man of marvels. Where is Doc Savage, that such an amount must be offered to reach him? And who is offering that sum?

THERE was some movement in the It was only a few seconds later that taxi. Then the remarkable passenger got out. Renny glanced around, some question on his From time to time, the headlights of distant tongue. But he did not ask it. He blinked. cars splashed faint luminance over the vicin- Doc Savage was gone—swallowed si- ity. These sporadic glows disclosed the figure lently by the evening darkness. There was no of Doc Savage. sound, no stir, to show what direction he had A great man of bronze! His appear- taken. After the one blink of slight surprise, ance was the more striking because, having Renny settled back to wait. He was accus- shucked off a robe, he stood clad only in a tomed to the uncanny silence with which Doc bathing suit! Savage moved. The muscular development of the Long association with Doc had made bronze man was such as to command atten- Renny—and also the other four men who tion anywhere. Sinews wrapped his form like comprised Doc’s group of five aides— great cables. Their size, the way they accustomed to the unusual things which the seemed to flow like liquid bronze, denoted a giant bronze man did. Feats which, if given strength little short of superhuman. Yet, be- publicity, would have been good for newspa- cause all the muscles in his giant figure were per headlines, were taken without undue developed to an equal degree, Doc’s form surprise by the five. possessed an unusual symmetry. There was A man of mystery, the newspapers none of the knotty, bull-necked look of the called Doc Savage. This was because it was professional strong man about him. next to impossible to interview Doc. To the Perhaps the most impressive thing reporters, he was one of those rarities—a about him were his eyes. They resembled man who really did not want to see himself pools of fine flake gold. And there was in splashed all over the front pages. them a quality of power and determination. Rumors about Doc’s feats were plenti- They seemed to radiate limitless energy. ful, however, and from these some of the Doc took from the cab a bag which most inventive scribes had turned out yarns was fitted with a waterproof fastener. which, although a bit careless of the facts in Renny, still seated in the cab and with spots, made interesting reading. They as- both big hands resting on the wheel, asked: cribed to Doc the ability to do almost any- “Want me to wait here?” thing. Since the bronze man was something “That’s right,” Doc told him. of a phantom, about whom few facts were 4 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE obtainable, the writers let their imaginations “W-u-x-tra! P-o-i-per!” they bawled. run riot. “Advertisement offers one million-dollars re- Few knew it, but the laugh was on the ward for information leading to location of reporters. This man of mystery, this strange Doc Savage!” giant of bronze, was a personage every bit Renny had a sober, puritanical face as remarkable as they depicted. The truth which habitually bore the expression of a would have surprised nobody more than the man who greatly disapproved of the world in reporters. general. But now a wide grin warped his fea- Doc Savage was, had the facts been tures. published, a man of wonders, as well as “A million reward!” he chuckled. “I probably being the supreme adventurer of all don’t wonder that the crowd came down here time. to get a look at the party who would offer a reward like that!” Renny was not exactly awed at the size of the sum—he was considerably more than a millionaire himself. However, the idea of a million-dollar reward was astounding. It was somewhat unbelievable. Privately, Renny thought there must be a joker some- where. His ears suddenly caught a new head- line—one which the newsboys were not yell- ing very much. “Ghost Zeppelin sighted in Maine!” was the cry. Thoughtfully, Renny’s big knuckles tapped the steering wheel. “A ghost airship!” he muttered. “That’s almost as fantastic as this million-dollar re- ward business! I wonder if the two can have any connection? Probably not! Anyway, somebody up in Maine must have seen a cigar-shaped cloud and let their imagination His vocation is engineering. get the best of ‘em!” Building dams and bridges is what This explanation of the spectral Zep- his training has fitted him for. But pelin seemed the most likely one. Indeed, his avocation is the smashing of several newspaper reporters standing on the solid-paneled doors—a task that is end of a pier were echoing exactly the same easily accomplished with his giant idea. gallon-sized fists. “Forget the Zeppelin!” one scribe He is also one of Doc Savages snapped at his companion. most important companions—his The second news hawk was only a right-hand man, if there ever was fledgling at the game, a cub newly out of one. Renny is a fighter, a doer, a journalism school. man who dares—and accom- “But the airship is a good story!” he plishes the things he sets out to do. objected. “Think of it! A mysterious Zeppelin! What could its mission be?” RENNY, seated in the cab, was not “Maybe it’s comin’ down from the north thinking of these facts. He was straining his pole to get a bunch of dumb cubs and take ears to understand the headlines the distant ‘em on a visit to Santa Claus!” gritted the newsboys were shouting. The words were older head. loud enough, but the newsies needed a few “But that Zeppelin—” lessons on how to speak distinctly. “Shut up!” roared the other. “When we Renny at length ascertained what they get back to the city room I’m gonna drown were shouting. you in a paste pot! Zeppelins! Zeppelins! Blazes with ‘em! Here’s the hottest story of THE LOST OASIS 5 the year, in case you don’t know it! And it “I don’t believe that, either!” said the seems you don’t!” cub. “Publicity stunt!” jeered the cub. The other glared. “D’you believe any- “Probably this Doc Savage offered the re- thing I tell you?” ward to himself, just to get his name in the “No,” grinned the cub. “They told me at paper!” the office that you were the biggest liar on The older reporter made a gesture of the paper.” tearing out his hair in rage. “Am I burned up! The veteran gnashed his teeth, but his Am I a cinder! Your head will never make mock rage gave way to laughter. anything but a paperweight!” The cub was not fazed. “It looks like a publicity stunt to me! The idea of anybody THE searchlight of a tub swept the bay offering a million dollars to get hold of any at this moment, and both reporters staring at man is ridiculous!” it, forgot their conversation. “Did you ever interview Doc Savage?” A short distance from shore, a small the other asked fiercely. steamer was visible. The vessel was primar- “No.” ily a freight carrier, but her superstructure “Did you ever hear of anybody who held passenger accommodations. She was had interviewed ‘im?” neatly painted. As the searchlight swept the “No.” craft, the lettering on the bows was momen- “Then shut up! Doc Savage hasn’t tarily readable: been interviewed because he don’t go for publicity. That shows this is not a stunt!” YANKEE BEAUTY

“That’s the tub!” ejaculated the older THE cub scratched his head. He was reporter. “We’ve got to get aboard and inter- obviously impressed. view the mysterious party who signed himself “Just what kind of a bird is this Doc ‘Imperiled!’ and offered the reward. Imagine Savage?” he asked curiously. what a story must be behind that! I’d give a “Didn’t you read my by -line story in the lot to scoop these other birds on the yarn!” bulldog edition?” snorted the other. “Why isn’t the steamer tying up at the “Yes. You told me to do that so I’d pier?” asked the cub. know how a good reporter writes, but I don’t “The company which owns her is small mind telling you I thought it was lousy. Was and has only one pier, which is occupied by what you put in the story all you know about another boat of the same line until midnight; Doc Savage?” then the boat sails. The Yankee Beauty will “Just about,” replied the older head, come alongside the dock when the midnight deciding to be patient instead. “Savage don’t boat leaves and makes room.” brag about himself; but people who have met The veteran reporter cast a wily glance him—people he’s helped—have told plenty. at other gentlemen of the press and their Some of it is hard to believe. photographers, who were near by. Then he “For one thing, they claim this bronze nudged the cub. “Let’s go!” guy is qualified as a specialist, not only in The cub exclaimed, “But what—” surgery and medicine, but in electricity, “Sh-h-h-h!” The journalist dean guided chemistry, geology, engineering—in about his satellite away from the other scribes, tak- everything else! A specialist, mind you! Not a ing care that their exodus attracted no atten- dabbler! They say none of the big shots in tion. When well out of earshot, he made ex- those lines are superior to Savage in learn- planations. ing. He can tell ‘em all things about their own “I’ve got an idea!” he whispered. “We’ll rackets.” rent a launch and go out to the Yankee “I don’t believe it!” confided the cub. Beauty. We’ll interview whoever offered that “Well, that’s your privilege. They say reward, or know the reason why!” furthermore that Samson was a piker along- “But the captain of the Yankee Beauty side this guy Savage when it comes to physi- sent a radio message saying he would not let cal strength. They say Savage can take a any reporters aboard! And when the ship re- horseshoe and tie it in knots.” porters tried to go aboard down the bay, 6 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE when the boat stopped at quarantine, they The next object to appear was the end were prevented.” of a flexible hose, equipped with a mouth- “I know all that. The steamer captain piece, and terminating in an artificial “lung”— was helping the person or persons, who of- the latter contained in the bag. There was fered the reward, to avoid publicity.” also a small metal clamp for holding the nos- “They’ll kick us off if we try to go trils closed. aboard,” declared the cub. Doc grasped the mouthpiece in his “Not me!” boasted the other. “I’ve never teeth, fitted the nose clamp, and adjusted the seen the place yet that I couldn’t get into!” oxygen-feeding and breath-purifying mecha- The two newspapermen moved off in nism in the bag. Then he closed the con- search of a small craft which they could rent. tainer, sealing it to make it waterproof. He They kept in the shadows, so as not to he slung it tightly to his back with straps pro- seen by other members of their profession. vided for that purpose. They were passing a darkened ware- Hardly a splash sounded as the giant house when the cub gave a violent start. bronze man entered the water. He swam far Leaning forward, he peered into the murk. beneath the surface, using an experienced, “Hey!” he ejaculated. “I just saw a na- easy stroke. He glanced often at the lumi- ked man!” nous, watertight compass, so as to keep go- “Where?” demanded the other. ing in the direction he desired. “Over there!” He pointed—but there Doc Savage was headed for the little seemed to be little more than a heavy gloom. steamer, Yankee Beauty, to investigate the He explained: “I didn’t get much of a look—” source of the fabulous reward. He was taking The older man snorted unbelievingly. this unusual means of reaching the ship be- “First it was ghost Zeppelins, and now cause he wanted to learn whether there was it’s ghost men!” he growled. “You didn’t see anything sinister about the fantastic offer. He anything! Come on! We’ve got to find a small desired to know what was back of it before boat!” he showed himself. The cub permitted himself to be led off. There might conceivably be men who He was not positive he had actually seen a would pay a million dollars to have Doc Sav- form. age killed. The young fellow had forgotten to men- In a way, it was part of Doc’s life work tion the most important detail—the unusual to make enemies. Many of those whom he bronze color of the man he had seen. Had he antagonized were powerful. Doc played no spoken of that, his more experienced com- favorites. Doc’s career, his purpose in life, panion would have known instantly that the was a strange one. He helped those who phantom figure was real—that it was Doc needed help, and punished those who de- Savage! served it. He traveled to the far corners of the earth in doing his work. Naturally, his career was one calcu- Chapter II lated to make bitter foes of all evildoers. So THE FLUTTERING DEATH Doc was taking no chances about this fantas- tic million-dollar reward business. WHEN the two reporters had moved It was nothing unusual for a bad man, on, Doc Savage appeared from a recess into fearing Doc’s vengeance, to come seeking to which he had stepped to avoid discovery. He murder the bronze man. This might be such approached the water, keeping to the shad- a plot. ows. His bathing suit was almost the color of No ripple appeared on the bay surface his bronze skin, and both blended well with to betray Doc’s presence, although search- the night. lights frequently sprayed the water. Halting where small waves sloshed He made great speed, a speed few gently against wharf piling, he opened the professional swimmers could have equaled. waterproof bag which he carried. Out of this Doc was a wizard in the water, just as came a luminous-dial compass fitted with a he was a wizard at many other things. His life wristband. He donned it. work was one which called for the abilities of a superman, and Doc had been trained from the cradle, that he might have the strength to THE LOST OASIS 7 arise to any occasion. Each day, he went Doc was soon dry enough that he did through an intensive exercise routine to de- not leave wet footprints on the deck. A great velop his great brain and body. Two hours of form which seemed to flow from shadow to intense practice! shadow, he glided forward. The waterproof There was no mystery about Doc’s bag reposed under an arm. powers. His terrific daily exercise accounted Doc was hardly out of sight when a for them. creeping figure appeared around the oppo- The necessity for a sanctum in which site corner of the deck house. A man! The to study, that he might periodically increase fellow carried a large revolver, cocked for a his vast fund of knowledge, had led Doc to quick shot. establish a mysterious retreat known as his He was tall, but with a body so wasted “Fortress of Solitude.” None but Doc knew that it was composed of little else than the whereabouts of this place, or what amaz- bones. His skin was unnaturally white, as if it ing scientific equipment it contained. No hu- were a sheet stretched over his bony frame. man could get in touch with Doc during the His eyes were feverish, staring, sunken far in periods when he retired to his retreat for his head. He was not an old man—yet his study. His strenuous mental labors brooked hair was entirely white! A man physically bro- no interruption. ken! Doc had returned tonight from his For- It was apparent he had discerned tress of Solitude. Just how thoroughly a mys- some movement on the deck, but did not tery his retreat was could be realized by the know what it meant. He crept slowly ahead. fact that not even an offer of a million-dollar A distant searchlight, its glow reflected reward had located him. Doc’s five men, by the white-deck house, lighted the deck those closest to him, could not find him. faintly. The skulking man discovered the damp spots where water had dripped from DECIDING he was near the Yankee Doc’s bathing suit. The sight set him shaking Beauty, Doc stroked to the surface. He had as with the ague. calculated well. The ship lay only a few yards Whirling, he fled down the deck. His distant. eyes roved incessantly, and he pointed his Doc sank once more, and when he gun at every patch of darkness. His move- came up, he was near the stern. ments showed the grip of a consuming terror. He removed the artificial “lung” and He made his way to a passenger placed it in the bag. Out of the container, he cabin. He rapped twice on the door, then took a coil of thin, stout silk line. To one end made a scratching noise with his finger nails. of this was affixed a grapple hook of light al- A signal! loy metals. “Who is there?” asked a shaking, Doc flipped the grapple upward. It scared voice from within the cabin. dropped over the rail and hooked securely. “Eet ees me—Jules!” gulped the first The silken cord, because of its small man. “Let me een, M’sieu’ Red! Sacre I have diameter, would have presented quite a prob- ze worst of news!” lem to an ordinary climber. But so toughened The cabin door opened, framing a were the big sinews in Doc’s hands, that he man who also held a revolver. This individual gripped the line and climbed it with what had a great, bristling thatch of fiery red hair. looked like comparative ease. Once he had been stocky, powerful; but now He surmounted the rail, making no he was hardly more than a gaunt frame of noise, and whipped behind a near-by cap- bones. stan, which was nearly as large as a barrel. They were strangely alike, these two Lurking there, he wrung water out of the men, with their wasted bodies and their skirts of his bathing suit. His bronze hair, haunted, ridden faces. It was as if they be- straight and lying tightly to his head, pos- longed to the same brotherhood of terror. sessed the remarkable quality of seeming Both were broken men. impervious to water—like the pelt of some “What is your bad news, Jules?” asked water-dwelling animal. Scant moisture clung the flame-haired one. to his fine-textured bronze skin. Jules shivered. His eyes rolled. 8 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

“Let us go to ze Lady Nelia,” he sug- “In the airship!” Red pointed out “The gested. “Eet ees better that we three be to- craft is easily capable of a non-stop ocean gether, oui.” flight!” This seemed agreeable to “Red.” He “They will seek to murder us, of and Jules moved down the passage a few course!” Lady Nelia said in a strained tone. yards, where they gave the knock-and- “Should we finally escape, it would mean the scratch signal upon a stateroom door. collapse of their whole hideous project!” The panel opened slightly, to disclose The young woman’s words had the ef- a gun muzzle. fect of shattering Jules’s remnant of nerve. “Oh—it’s you two!” said a musical fe- He emitted a tortured sob of a cry, covered male voice. “Come in.” his emaciated face with his hands and sank trembling into a chair. “C’est trop fort!” he moaned. “Eet ees THE young woman who admitted too bad! Eet ees more zan I can stand! I am them, presented a striking figure. Her fea- defeat!” tures were aristocratic, finely molded. She “Jules!” Lady Nelia exclaimed sharply. was as tall as either of the men, and an ath- “Brace up! You cannot lose your nerve after letic grace marked her movements. Her hair we have gone through so much and gotten and eyes were shades of brown; her lips this far!” were an inviting curve. Jules rocked his face in his hands, She was a queenly beauty—yet there whimpering, “Non, non! We ‘ave no chance was in her manner an air of restrained panic, to escape! Yuttal and Hadi-Mot will trap us. a pervading terror. They will turn upon us zat horrible death “What is wrong?” she questioned which they command! Zat death of ze dark- tensely. ness! Sacre! Eet will get us! Me, I cannot “Lady Nelia—M’sieu’ Red!” Jules stand ze t’ing no longer! I will end eet!” gasped. “Some one ees come on ze ship The broken, dread-stricken voice had secretly! I am on deck and I t’ink I see lifted hysterically toward the last. Mad des- somet’ing zat move! Me, I go for ze look. Sa- peration suddenly seized him. He whipped cre! I fin’ on ze deck wet prints of ze human up his gun and clamped the muzzle against foot!” his own temple! Lady Nelia’s slender hand tightened “Jules!” Red snapped out the yell as visibly on her gun. “It must have been Yuttal he leaped. He knocked the weapon aside. or Hadi-Mot! No one else would have reason The two men struggled a moment. Red finally to come aboard furtively!” got possession of the revolver. Red hefted his revolver grimly. “Yuttal Jules fell upon a berth and lay there and Hadi-Mot know we’re on the Yankee shaking, sobbing from weakness and shame. Beauty, I guess.” “Of course they do!” Lady Nelia agreed emphatically. “The Yankee Beauty LADY NELIA and Red exchanged was the only boat sailing from Africa around glances. There was no disgust in their the time we reached the coast in our flight. eyes—only pity for the man on the berth. A The fact that several times we heard the man who had undergone an experience so moan of engines overhead shows they were frightful that it had reduced him to a frail, trying to find the boat. The only thing that tremulous hull! saved us was the cloudy, foggy weather In their eyes was some of the dread which the Yankee Beauty met during the first and despair which racked Jules, even though days of the voyage. They could not locate the they tried hard to mask it. boat.” Lady Nelia moved to Jules’s side and “You’re right,” Red assented. “It was dropped a sympathetic arm across his trem- the infernal Zeppelin we heard. If it hadn’t bling shoulders. been for the fog, they’d have dropped bombs “You must not take a coward’s way and blown us to pieces.” out, Jules,” she told him gently. “You must “But ‘ow could Yuttal and Hadi-Mot ar- help us. We must fight this thing out to- rive at New York ahead of us?” Jules put in. gether.” THE LOST OASIS 9

“Non,” mumbled Jules. “Eet ees no “Be careful,” Red warned him. “I’ll stay use.” here and guard Lady Nelia.” Realizing sympathy was not going to Opening the door, Jules cast a nerv- bolster Jules’s nerve, Lady Nelia tried an- ous glance up and down the passage, then other method. She drew away from the stepped out. The door closed, and the lock frightened man. Scorn came upon her aristo- clicked as Red secured it. cratic features. “Very well!” she said bitingly. “If you wish to think only of yourself, do so. Red and THE radio cabin was a little box of a I will carry on. We’re going to save those structure on top the deck house. Jules hundreds of poor souls whom we left behind, climbed a companion and made his way if it is humanly possible!” through a forest of ventilators and skylights. Jules flinched under her words as if He kept his revolver in hand. they were lashing whips. “Those others— In the wireless room, Jules met disap- those others,” he mumbled. “Sacre! I have pointment. almos’ forget zem!” “Sorry, no message,” advised the sin- “So I thought!” Lady Nelia snapped gle operator on duty. witheringly. “You would leave them helpless, Disheartened, feet dragging, Jules de- doomed to a ghastly living death! In us rests scended a companion to the sun deck. The their only hope. And you haven’t the nerve to darkness there was intense. Lifeboats, cra- carry on for them, even if not for yourself.” dled along the rail, shut off whatever illumina- The scathing words obtained the effect tion that might have come from street lamps desired. Jules straightened his shoulders. He on the near-by shore. even managed a strained twist of a smile. A ghastly event occurred there in the “Non, non!” he said grimly. “Jules will sepia gloom. A listener might have heard see zis t’ing to ze end. He promise zat he will Jules take a few steps. Then came a strange not try again to take ‘is own life.” sound! A hideous sound! It was low, flutter- Lady Nelia smiled and slapped his ing. It might have come from some foul cloth, shoulder. “That’s the attitude, Jules! Things gently shaken, for there was a loathsome are not so hopeless! If we can manage to odor. keep away from Yuttal and Hadi-Mot, we Jules heard. He screeched—a ripping should eventually find Doc Savage. Then, if cry of terror which seared the membranes of what I have heard of Doc Savage is true, our his throat! His feet banged the deck as he troubles will be in competent hands.” ran wildly! His gun crashed again and again! Jules nodded. “Oui! Our offer of a mil- Frenzied shots! lion-dollars’ reward should find ze M’sieu’ The gruesome fluttering became Savage!” louder, more violent. It overtook Jules. A “The million reward offer found plenty thud! The sound was not loud. of other people,” Red interposed, forcing lev- Jules shrieked—shrieked again and ity into his voice. “From the crowd on shore again! It was as though he were crying out waiting to get a look at us, you’d think a cir- his very life stream. His screeching became a cus was coming to town. This Doc Savage spasmodic gurgling. The gurgling weakened, can’t very well help but hear we’re hunting weakened until at last nothing at all could be him.” heard. “Maybe zis M’sieu’ Savage ees not A dreadful silence followed. It per- want to aid us,” Jules muttered. “Maybe zat sisted for some seconds. ees why he not answer our pleas.” From far off in the darkness sounded a “I do not think so!” Lady Nelia said series of tiny, squeaky whistles. sharply. “Although I do not know Doc Sav- As if this were some sort of a signal, age, I have heard of him. Getting others out the hideous fluttering sound arose where of trouble and punishing those who need Jules had fallen. There was a wave of the punishing is his life’s work. He turns no one faint, nauseating odor. The fluttering receded down.” in the darkness until finally swallowed by dis- Jules brightened somewhat. “Bon! tance. Maybe ze radio operator ‘ave at las’ get a message from M’sieu’ Savage. Me, I go see.” 10 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

Chapter III tainer. This held a rather bilious-looking pow- THE HORROR TRAIL der. Doc sprinkled a thin film of the powder EXCITED shouts rang from various upon the deck, covering an area several feet parts of the Yankee Beauty. The human in all directions from the body. The instant screams had been heard below decks. n-I the powder came from the container, it deed, they must have carried to the crowds glowed brilliantly. It became like liquid fire! of curious individuals on shore. Feet clattered But after the stuff came to rest on the as men ran about searching for the source of deck, it ceased to glow—except in spots. the cries. The spots which still shone marked A flashlight beam, long and thin as a the ill-fated Jules’s footprints, as well as white cord, appeared near where Jules had Doc’s own! met misfortune. Roving, the light picked up Doc Savage had many weird chemical Jules’s form. mixtures at his command. Probably none The man lay on his back, limbs con- were more unique than this powder. It had torted in frightful fashion. His hand still the quality of glowing only when jarred. The gripped the revolver. His eyes protruded, his jarring caused the particles to break, expos- teeth were bared. His expression was that of ing new surfaces to the air, and these shone a death mask of ghastly terror. A single hor- momentarily because of a reaction between rible tear gaped in Jules’s throat. Through the compound and the air. this, it was evident much of his blood had Why the footprints glowed was simply been sucked. explained. Jules and Doc, stepping upon the For ten seconds—perhaps fifteen, an deck planks, had depressed the wood to a ominous silence enwrapped the deck. microscopic degree with their weight. The Then there came into being a weird wood fibers, still in the process of springing sound. It was totally unlike the eerie fluttering back into position, were jarring the unusual which had preceded Jules’s death. This note powder enough to cause it to expose new was inspiring. It was musical, yet possessed surfaces to the air, thus creating a phospho- no tune. rescent reaction. A strange, mellow, trilling note, it might In Doc’s hand was a ruler. He glanced have been the song of some exotic bird, or about, intending to measure the murderer’s the sound of wind filtering through a jungled footprints. forest. Most uncanny of all was the way the But there were no prints! sound seemed to come from no particular spot, but from everywhere, as if the very darkness were giving birth to it. DOC’S golden eyes roved unbeliev- A moment later, the flashlight beam ingly. But there was no question about it! The widened as some adjustment on the lens only footprints were his own and those of was turned. The deck planks, white from Jules. He measured the soles of Jules’s much scrubbing, reflected a glow which dis- shoes, to make sure. closed the man who held the flash—a statu- His flashlight roved up and down the esque giant of bronze. deck, then skyward. Above, and perhaps Doc Savage had heard the uproar, twenty feet sternward, there was a rigging and had lost no time in locating its source. cable. On this glistened a wet, crimson stain. The strange trilling was Doc’s sound, If the stain was blood, it seemed in- omen of his presence. It was part of Doc, that credible that any human murderer could have mellow sound—a small, unconscious thing operated from the cable. which he did in moments of utter concentra- Doc glided down the deck. Leaping, tion. Only when he was thinking furiously, or he grasped the hawser and mounted. The on the eve of some course of action, did the wet stain was human blood, beyond ques- trilling come. And rarely did Doc realize he tion! Clinging to the cable with one hand, Doc was making it. played his light along it. Doc’s small bag opened silently under The Yankee Beauty was an oil burner, his bronze fingers. He removed a small con- and the hawser bore a layer of sticky soot which had been deposited by the oil smoke. Had any one climbed the cable recently, the THE LOST OASIS 11 soot would have been rubbed off. But it was The fact that the backs of three or four not disturbed! books had not been ripped off told him the The stain on the line was inexplica- hunt had not been for anything in the nature ble—unless some gory, aërial thing had of a paper. Otherwise, the search would have brushed against it! extended to the book covers. Doc doused his light. Men were run- A bottle of colored shaving lotion had ning down the deck. Stewards. They carried been emptied so that the container might be storm lanterns. They passed below Doc, inspected. The quick-drying liquid was still never realizing he was clinging to the cable quite wet. The search had been conducted over their heads. only a few minutes ago! “Hey—look!” gulped one of the sailors, Doc decided to try for the prowler’s catching sight of the horribly contorted body. footprints. He got his chemical from the bag, It required only two or three minutes decided the nap of the corridor rug would be for a crowd to gather. the most effective spot for its use, and “What’s this stuff on deck?” demanded stepped outside. a man, indicating Doc’s strange powder. “It He noted casually that the lock on the shines whenever you disturb it.” door was a spring type. Whoever had ran- “What killed this man?” pondered an- sacked the stateroom had no doubt merely other. slammed the door in departing. “Pipe his throat! That’s what got ‘im!” The powder blazed resplendently as “Yeah! Looks like the work of a vam- Doc scattered it. Then, after it had settled, pire!” the luster slowly faded, except for patches “There ain’t no such thing.” where feet had recently depressed the rug “Who is he?” asked a fellow in the oily pile. garments of an engineer. Ruler in hand, Doc bent to measure “Name Is Jules Fourmalier,” replied a prints immediately before the door. steward. “He had cabin No. 12. A passen- Down the corridor some distance, a ger.” hand appeared from around a cross pas- Doc Savage had been awaiting infor- sage. It held an automatic. The gun leveled mation such as this. He ran, hand over hand, at Doc. It crashed noisily! up the cable. He made no perceptible sound. The waterproof bag was swinging upon his back. THE powder flash flushed redly on the Reaching a mast, he located a rigging corridor walls. The report thumped like thun- line which led to the opposite side of the ship. der, piling echoes into the corridors, the He descended swiftly. A very few minutes lounge and deep into the steamer’s vitals! later, he was before the door of Stateroom The bullet screamed down the passage and No.12. hit—nothing but wall paneling! The door was locked. Doc’s bag dis- Doc had vanished as though by gorged a tiny kit of locksmith’s tools. The magic. Literally disappeared from before the cabin door soon opened under his practiced bullet! As a matter of fact, Doc had whipped manipulation. He switched on the light. from sight into Jules’s cabin even before the The place was a wreck! The rug was shot was fired. torn up; the mattress on the berth was liter- The bushwhacker down the corridor ally shredded. The washstand had been had slipped off the safety on his automatic a taken apart. A life preserver had been ripped moment before shooting. This had made a open and the cork stuffing whittled to pieces. faint click, a sound Doc had heard. A single The search had missed nothing. glance had shown him his danger. His reac- Doc hardly moved from where he tion was instantaneous. stood just within the door. His gaze missed Another shot thundered, proving the nothing, however. gunman to be somewhat excited! Offhand, it might have seemed impos- In the stateroom, Doc was delving into sible to gain from the condition of the room his bag. He brought out an object about the the slightest inkling of what the searcher had size of a small condensed milk can, twisted a sought. But to Doc’s sharp eyes, several key on this, then hurled it down the passage things had a meaning. toward the marksman. 12 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

The object began spewing a dense tion. But the sailors still dilly-dallied about black smoke. This swiftly filled the corridor. investigating the shots. They were not in- More shots slammed. Doc counted clined to risk becoming targets. them. When the automatic had emptied a “Fire!” somebody howled suddenly. clip, he flung into the corridor. He sped the “All hands fall to! Fire! Fire!” opposite direction of the gunman. Once clear Doc evinced no alarm, knowing the of the pall from the smoke bomb, he found a cries meant the smoke bomb smudge had short passage and a door which gave out on been discovered. But not so the seamen deck. around Jules’s body. They charged, aft, filled Behind him, he heard a great hissing with visions of the ship’s burning, with the and splashing of water. Spray and an occa- consequent loss of their jobs. sional splatter of water even reached to Not a man remained to guard Jules’s where he stood. lifeless form. The bushwhacker had turned the fire Doc Savage hurried forward. Twice, hose down the passage to blot out his fiery he stepped behind lifeboats to escape the footprints, so they could not be measured! notice of running men. Reaching the mur- Doc stepped out on deck. There was dered man, he began a swift search of pock- nothing in his manner to show he had just ets, something there had been no time to do engaged in a grim joust with death. It was not earlier. The proximity of death did not bother his first peril. Nor was it likely to be his last. him—his training as a surgeon had inured Hazards were his heritage. him to such things. From forward, a chorus of excited yells The contents of the pockets were was sounding! The shots had interrupted the meager. There were a number of coins. palaver over the body of Jules. But not one of Dashing the flashlight on them, Doc saw they the sailors seemed willing to do more toward were silver piastres, coins of various de- investigating than bellow encouragement at nomination, together with some United his fellows. States money. He examined the Arabic char- Doc glided along the deck. He found acters on the piastres. the cross passage from which the shot had “Egypt!” he said softly, voicing the been fired and dashed his flashlight in, know- source of the coins. ing from long experience that he could duck An inside coat pocket held the most back before an accurate bullet could be surprising find of all. This was a small bundle driven at him. of magazine clippings, snapped around with The passage was empty. Doc tossed a rubber band. Doc examined the clippings his flash beam up and down the deck. No curiously. one was in sight. He sprinkled a quantity of Each item had to do with Zeppelin- his powder on deck. The fiery imprints which type airships. Evidently they had been appeared were somewhat shapeless. Never- snipped from shipboard copies of general theless, they told him the gunman had been science magazines, since they covered the hopping on one foot, around which he had newer developments in lighter-than-air craft. wrapped a padding—probably cloth. Doc played his light on the clippings, A few spots showed where the unmuf- many of which bore pictures. Some of these fled foot had been employed as a prop. But held penciled notations, usually reproduc- there was certainly nothing which offered tions of the new developments depicted, as if identifying measurements. the dead man had sought to familiarize him- Doc bent closer to the deck, golden self with them. eyes searching intently. A moment later, his Included in Doc’s almost universal bronze hand descended. It lift ed, with a yarn knowledge was a nice fund of information on of gray wool gripped between thumb and the history of airship construction. He riffled forefinger. The yarn had been caught under a through the sheaf of clippings, putting his deck splinter, and it showed the cloth, muf- learning to use. fling the man’s shoe, was coarse, gray. He made a discovery. The scientific attainments which had come in for the unfor- tunate Jules’s attention, as denoted by the DOC now evidenced a desire to go penciled sketches, had all been made within forward, glancing several times in that direc- the past dozen or so years. It was as if Jules THE LOST OASIS 13 had been unable to secure information on THERE came an interruption. Toward airship development for that period, and had the stern, a shrill feminine cry pealed out! It been catching up. was a voice saturated in horror! A door In one place, the lifting capacity of a slammed noisily. The scream continued, gas compartment was accurately calculated, coupled with noises of a struggle! showing Jules had been an expert on lighter- A blurred flash of speed, Doc shot than-air craft, even though a little out of date. forward, he rounded the deck house. His On a picture portraying an entire Zep- flashlight beam licked down the deck. pelin, Doc made the most interesting discov- The luminance disclosed a ghostly ery of all. Near the bows of the craft, as if sight—a vision calculated to bring a cold absent-mindedly penciled there, were the sweat! It was a scene which, had Doc not identification letters ZX 03. schooled himself through the years until he The dead man had placed the caption was proof against all emotion, the bronze there, it might safely be believed. The title of hair would have crawled on the nape of his a Zeppelin! It must have played a vital part in neck. the fellow’s past or he would hardly have A woman was writhing about on the penciled its designation upon the picture. deck before a closed door—evidently the Doc made a mental note to look up the door which had slammed. Her hands fought airship ZX 03. the air above her, striking mad blows! With Recalling the ransacked condition of each frenzied swing, the woman cried out in Jules’s stateroom, Doc continued his search. horror! Some one had wanted something Jules had. Yet, there was no visible assailant On the man’s legs, below the knees, near her! She was fighting thin air, as far as he found several knotty protuberances. Five could be seen. of them, to be exact. These proved to be ob- She seemed to realize this as Doc’s jects the size of small walnuts held in place flash lighted the spot brilliantly. Springing to by crisscrossed strips of adhesive tape. her feet, she stared straight into the blinding Doc removed and investigated them. eye of the flash. Each object was an uncut diamond of She was a remarkable beauty, brown the first water. The stones were undoubtedly of eye and hair, features thin and aristocratic. of enormous value. She was very tall. Doc appropriated the gems. They The fact that this was Lady Nelia, was might be useful in his investigation, and he something Doc had no way of knowing. Nor, could later deliver them to the heirs of the blinded by the light, could she see him. dead man. Or to whoever was the rightful Unable to distinguish Doc, Lady Nelia owner! whirled and fled. She reached a door which He thought deeply. Diamonds— gave into the lounge, wrenched it open and Egyptian money—a knowledge of air ships a sprang through. dozen years behind the times! The clews did Doc Savage slid forward in silent, swift not lead to any sort of a direct explanation. pursuit. He was not certain what had pro- From the stern, shouts drifted. The voked the woman’s spasmlike behavior upon sailors had evidently discovered the source the deck. She might have fled through the of the supposed fire. Officers were bellowing door from some unimaginable horror and questions and contradictory orders which slammed the panel upon it. So hideous, so only added to the confusion. frightsome must have been the attacking The murderer—be he human or some thing, that she had kept on fighting, not real- diabolic vampire thing—would have no trou- izing in her hysteria that she had escaped. ble moving about unobserved in the turmoil. But there was another angle more im- Stowing the diamonds in his bag, and portant. The unknown who had shot at Doc a slinging the container on his back, Doc few moments ago had muffled one shoe in a moved forward in the gloom. He was going to gray coat of coarse weave. confer with the captain of the Yankee Beauty, The fleeing woman was wearing a as well as the radio operator, to learn who coat of such description. had offered the million-dollar reward. Suddenly the door through which the woman had gone whipped open again. A man sprang out. He was gaunt as a skeleton. 14 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

Red hair was like a blaze on his head. He “Come from behind that boat!” he held a revolver. rasped, still hoping mere threats would get The young lady was at his back. results. “There!” she gasped, and pointed at No response. Red sprang around the Doc’s brilliant flashlight beam. prow of the lifeboat. His flashlight fanned a The red-headed man flipped up his glare; his revolver menaced. Them his jaw weapon, yelling, “Put up your hands, you!” fell. There was no one behind the boat. They had—these two who were seek- Very few seconds had elapsed since ing Doc Savage—mistaken the bronze man the moment of Red’s appearance on deck. for their enemy. He was a little stunned at the idea of his quarry escaping from behind the lifeboat in such short order. There had been no splash Chapter IV to denote a leap over the rail. TWINS OF EVIL Red leaned far out and cast his light downward. The black steel plates of the hull DOC SAVAGE did not feel the urge to were unbroken below and for many feet to- surrender himself, not knowing what the in- ward the bow and stern—unbroken except tentions of the young woman and the brick- for portholes. And Red well knew the port- haired man might be. holes were not large enough to admit a man. His flashlight beam seemed to col- “Where could he have gone?” Lady lapse in mid-air as he switched it off. A noise- Nelia gasped. less leap to the right put him in the shelter of “Search me,” Red muttered, striving to a lifeboat. quell the nervous twitching of his muscles. An angry grunt came from the man Low voices became audible. The with the carroty hair. He produced a flashlight sound of them seemed to drift along the hull of his own and spilled its brightness down the of the steamer. deck. Red cast his flashlight beam in the di- “He jumped behind the lifeboat, Red!” rection of the voice. The funnel of luminance snapped the young woman. disclosed a small launch alongside the land- “Get indoors, Lady Nelia!” Red di- ing stage amidships. rected her. “I’ll take care of this bird, whoever Two men in the launch were arguing he is. Did you get a look at him?” heatedly with a sailor of the Yankee Beauty “No. His light blinded me.” Lady Nelia crew. made no move to seek safety inside the deck house, as she had been commanded. “I do not know who he could be. But he was acting THE pair of wranglers in the small suspiciously.” boat were the two newspaper reporters—the Red growled: “We’ll darn soon find out veteran scribe and his cub understudy—who who he is!” had decided on this means of reaching the Raising his voice, he addressed the Yankee Beauty. They had heard the shots, lifeboat. “You—back of there! C’mon out! the screams and the other excitement, and C’mon, or I’ll uncork a few bullets!” were wildly anxious to get aboard. There was no reply from behind the The sailor who barred their way held a lifeboat where Doc had taken shelter. boat hook. He was promising to belabor the Red repeated his command and threat first man who set foot on the landing stage. to shoot. Getting no results, he advanced Red addressed Lady Nelia in a low gingerly. His flashlight beam did a spooky voice: “We’ve got to get off this boat. Sol Yut- dance, so shaky was the hand which held it. tal and Hadi-Mot are aboard. The death of The revolver muzzle wavered, Red’s finger poor Jules shows that.” twitching. “And the attack on me.” Lady Nelia In his tottering, terror-haunted condi- shuddered violently and covered her face tion, Red was a most unreliable foe. He with her hands, as if to shut out a rightfulf might at any moment begin shooting in an vision. “I got out on deck and got the door excess of nervous excitement. slammed before the thing reached me. The horror of it must have made me hysterical, THE LOST OASIS 15 because I imagined the thing was still after tric light at the top of the landing stage and it me, even after I had shut the door upon it!” showed the weapon to advantage. “It’s too dangerous to remain aboard,” “Get a move on!” growled Red. Red muttered. “We are almost helpless The scribes clambered from the against Yuttal and Hadi-Mot and their devilish launch. For once, they were both speechless. way of doing murder!” Trailing the seaman they retreated up the He pointed at the launch holding the landing stage, passing Lady Nelia. two newspaper reporters. “Let’s grab that Both journalists gave the young boat and get away from here.” woman admiring glances, in spite of the Lady Nelia nodded. “All right.” menacing gun Red held. She impressed The two moved away, Red glancing them both as about the most entrancing bit of over his shoulder as if still trying to fathom femininity they had seen in some time. how the mysterious figure with the flashlight “She’s a wow!” breathed the veteran could have vanished from behind the lifeboat. scribbler. “Keep a sharp lookout!” Red warned Lady Nelia and Red entered the uneasily. launch. They had the little craft to them- “Right-o,” agreed Lady Nelia. “And let selves, the newspapermen having done their us make no more noise than necessary.” own piloting. Sailors came galloping along the deck, When Red showed unfamiliarity with intent on investigating the feminine screams. the operation of the launch, Lady Nelia took Lady Nelia and Red hastily entered charge of the controls. The facility with which the lounge to escape notice. They made their she started the engine showed she pos- way to Lady Nelia’s cabin. sessed no little knowledge of machinery. Lady Nelia tugged the stateroom life Lifting his gun, Red smashed the elec- belt out of its rack. Her slender fingers ex- tric bulb at the head of the landing stage with plored and made sure that certain small, hard a single well-placed slug. Both reporters had objects were still embedded in the cork stopped on the upper platform to stare. They blocks, under the canvas covering. dived from view, thinking they were being “My share of the diamonds are in shot at. here,” she said grimly. “Have you yours, In the darkness, and over the noise of Red?” the launch engine starting, Lady Nelia and Red pointed at his own ankles. “I fas- Red failed to discover a bronze hand which tened mine to my shins with adhesive tape, appeared at the stern of the craft. The metal- the same way Jules did.” lic fingers of this hand made a silken line fast “Let’s go!” suggested Lady Nelia, don- to the base of the inevitable flagpole socket ning the life belt so that her hands would be on the stern. free. Like a thing disembodied, the hand re- The two descended the main stair- treated, paying out the line. There was no case, passed the doors of the dining room, audible splash—hardly a stir in the water. and gained the deck from which the upper The two in the boat had no inkling of the platform of the landing stage could be bronze presence near by. The silk line was of reached. a color which blended with the darkness. The sailor and the two reporters still It was this same silk line, the grapple argued loudly at the foot of the stage. affixed to the end, which had lowered Doc Red ran down the stairlike stage, hold- Savage to the water from behind the lifeboat. ing his revolver out of sight behind his back. Once he had entered the water noiselessly, Reaching the side of the sailor, he whipped Doc had but to flip the line, dislodging the the weapon into view. grapple. “Get back!” he rapped. “You two mugs Sinking below the surface, he had in the launch—come on up here with this stroked a few yards away from the hull. Thus sailor.” simply was his mysterious disappearance explained. The launch got into motion. Doc gave THE two reporters stared, popeyed, the line a turn in the strap harness which held into the revolver muzzle. There was an elec- the waterproof bag upon his back. The straps were stout enough to hold. 16 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

He was towed after the launch. Lying The machine negotiated a turn, then upon his back, arching his powerful body, he loafed down the gloomy thoroughfare. Sure created a surf-board effect. The speed of the enough, Red ran into the street. In the cab boat mounted, yet he felt little discomfort. headlights, he looked like a skeleton in cloth- Doc’s position in the water was such ing. that he could see the Yankee Beauty. A Renny, feigning the part of a hack winking light under the bows of the steamer driver, stopped and opened the door. caught his attention. A small boat! The light Lady Nelia and Red entered the ma- glowed again. It disclosed the figure of a man chine. Lady Nelia had removed her life belt clambering down the anchor chain! and was carrying it under an arm. Renny The fellow seemed to have a great drove them away. basket of an affair tied to his back. The thing The taxi had not progressed half a was so huge it was giving him great difficulty block when a boat slammed noisily into a in his descent. near-by pier. The light went out, and the strange Doc made for the sound. He had been sight was blotted from view. listening to this boat. It had come from the direction of the Yankee Beauty. He thought it was the mystery craft he had seen under the THE rattle of the launch exhaust, the anchor chain. gurgling roar of water past Doc’s trailing He saw two men spring from the form, made it impossible to hear the conver- launch. The pair ran forward. One carried an sation of Lady Nelia and Red. Whether or not enormous wicker basket, Doc saw as they they had glimpsed the mysterious little drama dashed through the milky glow of a street under the bows of the Yankee Beauty, Doc light. could not tell. The illumination also gave Doc a good The launch headed for shore, angling chance to see what they looked like. northward a bit so as to land at a point less One of them was by far the fattest infested by curious spectators. This also man Doc had ever seen. The fellow was happened to be where Doc had left big-fisted hardly more than five feet in height, and he Renny and the taxi. seemed almost that thick. He was a great, Some fifty yards from shore, Doc lardy ball, with flapping sacks of fat for arms jerked a slipknot in the silk cord. This left him and legs. floating free in the darkness. He dug his The fat man’s head narrowly missed hands beneath the surface in powerful and being a part of his round body. It was hardly silent strokes. more than a hump. His mouth was a gigantic No one saw Doc pull himself out of the curve; his nose was enormous; his eyes water, although not many feet distant, some were very large. half dozen men stood rubbering at the Yan- Ample features usually lend a pleasant kee Beauty. aspect to the human face. They did not do so Doc’s ability to move silently was al- to this fellow. His features were so evil as to most uncanny. be appalling. Renny gave a great start when Doc The other man was slender, flashily appeared alongside the cab. clad. He by no means missed being a hand- “Two people are just getting out of a some fellow. His brown skin and the cast of launch down the street,” Doc advised swiftly. his lineaments caused Doc to think of the “They’ll probably want a taxi. Pick them up. Egyptian coins he had found in the pockets Let me know what you learn about them and of Jules. where they go.” If the second man was not an Egyp- “Sure,” said Renny. tian, he was of some closely allied race. He “And watch out!” Doc continued. “I am wore a coarse-woven gray topcoat. This was not yet sure whether these two are friends or wrinkled. Here, Doc hazarded a guess, was enemies. Keep your eyes peeled. You may the man who had shot at him. be attacked or they may be attacked. In the It was this fellow who carried the great latter case, I want you to guard them.” wicker basket. It was rigged with sort of a “Sure,” said Renny, and meshed the harness—a strap over the forehead for eas- taxi gears. ier carrying. The wicker was finely woven. THE LOST OASIS 17

There was no chance of seeing what was DOC whirled and ran. He possessed inside. an iron nerve, but he also had good sense. The pair passed out of the lighted The simplest method of avoiding this myste- area. rious horror was to get somewhere else “Qawam, bil’ agal!” puffed the fat man. quickly. “Make haste! We must not let them escape The fluttering thing was overhauling us, oh Hadi-Mot!” him! Sprint as he would, he could not outdis- “Akhkh!” grunted Hadi-Mot. “I travel as tance it! The brick walls of the alley were fast as I can, Yuttall!” high, unbroken, except for heavily barred The two had spoken partially in a for- windows and ponderous doors, most of eign tongue, partially in English. Doc’s stud- which were probably padlocked. ies had embraced most known languages. The doors seemed the best bet. Doc He had no difficulty recognizing this one. veered for them. His bare feet landed on an Egyptian! expanse of pebbled metal, to the accompa- The few words had also given him the niment of a faint clank. A manhole. names of the two—Yuttal and Hadi-Mot. Doc braked to a stop, wrenched up the Doc set out after the pair. In Egyptian, iron lid, and eased into the space below. He he reflected, the name Hadi-Mot meant lowered the cover. The manhole was the en- something like quiet death. Probably it was a trance to one of the numerous tunnels carry- nickname. ing telephone wires, which run under New “Yallah!” Hadi-Mot cried out suddenly. York streets. “Tayyib! Good! They are in yonder taxi! I Over Doc’s head, a faint scraping caught a glimpse of Red’s hair as the ma- rasped at the manhole lid. Something gritted chine passed under the street light.” on the iron—it sounded like needles digging “Imshi, imshi!” rapped Yuttal. “Step on at the metal. The redolence of the thing, it! We have got to get hold of another cab!” whatever it was, penetrated the crack around Although Yuttal spoke the tongue flu- the manhole, reaching Doc’s nostrils. ently, it was apparent he was white rather With both big bronze hands, Doc kept than native. a grip on the underside of the lid. It would The two sprinted across the street, take tremendous strength to lift the cover trailing Renny’s cab. Doc followed them, glid- against his pull. ing silently in the darkness. A series of tiny, squeaky whistles He promptly encountered bad luck. A penetrated the noises atop the manhole. The car came along the street and splashed him scrapings and raspings stopped. There was brilliantly with light. The driver was evidently a soft fluttering. The odious creature of the something of a wag, for he blew his horn night was departing—answering the signal! upon sighting the incongruous figure of Doc Doc sat where he was and kept a grip running in a bathing suit on the manhole. He listened. His ears pos- Yuttal and Hadi-Mot looked around. sessed a sensitivity attained by few other “Wallah!” gulped Hadi-Mot. He and men, thanks to the part of his daily exercise Yuttal halted. routine which was calculated to develop the Doc also stopped. ear mechanism. The motorist rolled on past, leaving He had an apparatus which made the street rather dark. sound waves of frequencies, so high and Doc had observed a narrow alleyway low, the ordinary human ear could not detect to the left. He ran toward it, bare feet making them. As a result of years of practice, Doc his progress silent. The place was black and had perfected his ears until the sounds regis- smelled of stale fruit. He loitered there, wait- tered. He could detect noises beyond the ken ing to see what Yuttal and Hadi-Mot would of others. do. He found out in a most unpleasant fash- He heard no sound of further attack, ion. however. At length, he quitted his retreat and Out of the gloom before him came a searched the neighborhood. hideous fluttering sound. A soft, repellent Nothing did he find. Yuttal and Hadi- pulsation! It approached with a swiftness that Mot had left the vicinity, taking their fluttering was terrible. With it came a faint, obnoxious horror of the night with them. Perhaps they odor. had followed the taxi driven by Renny and 18 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE carrying Lady Nelia and Red. It was impossi- telling Monk they were the proper salutation ble to tell. for a French general. Monk had used the Doc hailed a cruising cab. The driver words innocently—and landed in the guard- of this machine was stricken speechless by house. the unique sight of a gigantic bronze man But within a week after Monk’s re- walking the city streets in a bathing suit. lease, Ham was hailed upon a charge of Doc gave him the address of one of stealing hams. Somebody had planted the the tallest skyscrapers in New York. The evidence. Never able to prove Monk had driver recognized this address. He made a framed him, Ham rankled to this day over the correct guess at who Doc might be. incident. “You’re Doc Savage!” he gulped. “Say, Doc could hear them quarreling as he mister, there wouldn’t be a chance of me col- stepped into the eighty-sixth floor corridor. lectin’ that million-bucks reward, would Ham’s snapping, caustic voice—Monk’s gen- there? The dough was supposed to be paid tle, mild tones! to the guy that found you!” It was deceptive, that voice of Monk’s. “It happens that I found you,” Doc It did not match his appearance. The bellow pointed out sardonically. “Anyway, you’re a of a bull ape would have been more fitting to few hours too late.” Monk’s looks. He was a great hairy gorilla of a man, with arms inches longer than his legs. He weighed near two hundred and sixty Chapter V pounds. His strength was terrific. TROUBLE BUSTER, INC. Monk might resemble the missing link, but there was a keen brain back of his bee- DOC SAVAGE’S headquarters, in tling brows. He was one of the greatest of New York, occupied the eighty-sixth floor of a living chemists. spike of brick and steel which towered nearly Ham was the physical opposite of a hundred stories above the street. Monk. He had sharp, intelligent features. He Doc, paying off his taxi, strode into the wore the latest and most fashionable clothing building. He was an incongruous spectacle in obtainable. He was never seen without a his bathing suit, but the hour was late and no straight, somber-looking cane. This was, in one chanced to be in the lobby but an eleva- reality, a sword cane with a blade of finest tor operator. The latter was too well trained to steel. make a remark. Ham looked his station in life. He was “Are my friends upstairs?” Doc asked. one of the wisest lawyers Harvard had ever “Yes, sir,” said the elevator attendant. matriculated. “Johnny and Long Tom came in some time “You keep on riding me, you hairy ac- ago. Monk and Ham just arrived, but there cident,” Ham was promising Monk, “and one has been no sign of Renny.” of these days I’m going to whittle you into the “Renny is out on a job,” Doc smiled. shape of a human being!” “Monk and Ham were hot at it when Monk’s snort of mirth shook all of his they came in,” chuckled the operator. “I gorillalike hulk. “Yeah? Ain’t that a nice way thought they were going to murder each to talk? What’ve I done?” other on the way up.” Doc himself wondered what latest act Doc showed no concern over this of Monk’s had got under Ham’s skin. He ominous news. It was a rare occasion when soon saw what it was. Monk was wearing an “Monk” and “Ham” were not on the verge of outfit of clothing, from hat to spats, which violence, according to appearances. Actually, exactly matched Ham’s garb. On Ham, the they were pals. They would have been lost somewhat flashy attire was sartorial perfec- without each other. tion. But the garb made the homely Monk This state of affairs dated back to the look like he was rigged up for a carnival Great War, to the incident which had earned spieling job. Ham his nickname. As a joke, Ham—then Ham was touchy about his garments. known only as Brigadier General Theodore This had burned him up. Marley Brooks—had taught Monk some Both men sprang to their feet when French words which were highly insulting, Doc entered.

THE LOST OASIS 19

Monk is the chemist of Doc Savage’s little band of fighters. You couldn’t tell from looking at him, for he looks more like the missing link, as his companion, Ham, would put it, than anything else. But Monk is a chemist, and a good one. He is also a fighter— and if anything, a better fighter than a chemist. Moreover, he’s one of Doc’s companions—and that’s enough to stamp any man as the best in manhood!

deserved it. They might have been desig- DOC lost no time getting down to nated as the firm of Trouble Busters, Inc. business. “Where’s Johnny and Long Tom?” The four men waited for Doc Savage These two men answered that ques- to speak. tion by appearing from an inner room. That “It looks like we have a little job ahead room was a library, holding one of the most of us,” Doc told them grimly. “That’s why I complete assortments of scientific books in summoned you fellows to meet here as soon existence. as I got back and saw that fantastic million- Johnny—William Harper Littlejohn on dollar advertisement in the newspapers.” his business stationery—was a tall man who He got extra clothing from a locker and seemed half starved. His coat hung on his began donning it. bony shoulders as if on a hardwood cross The men gathered close. They had not nick. He was a geologist and archaeologist, seen Doc for many days—had no idea where formerly of the natural scienc e department of he had been, except that he had been away a famous university. There was little about studying in his mysterious retreat of solitude. the rocks and minerals composing the earth They were delighted that he was back. that Johnny did not know. Speaking swiftly, Doc told them what “Long Tom” seemed the weakling of had happened. the crowd. He was undersized and also had He drew the diamonds from his water- an unhealthy complexion. As Major Thomas proof bag and placed them upon a costly J. Roberts, he had a world-wide reputation as inlaid table with which the outer office was an electrical wizard. furnished. In their particular lines, the men were “Johnny,” he said, “here’s a job that almost unexcelled. you, as a geologist, will find right up your al- The four of them, along with the ab- ley. I want you to take these diamonds and sent Renny, made up Doc Savage’s group of examine them. Stones from various parts of five aides. Together, they comprised proba- the world possess different characteristics. bly the strangest company of men to be See if you can find where these came from.” found. They were together for one purpose— Johnny picked up the diamonds. He to go to the ends of the world looking for ex- removed his glasses. The left lens of these citement and adventure, striving to help spectacles was in reality a powerful magnify- those in need of help, punishing those who ing glass. Johnny’s left eye had been ren- 20 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE dered useless in the World War, and he wore tling testimony from reluctant witnesses in the magnifier there for convenience. courtroom cross-examinations. He inspected the gems briefly, then “I wonder if there is some connection said: “They’re from Africa.” between this ZX 03 Zeppelin and the mystery “I reached the same conclusion,” Doc craft the newspapers say was sighted over told him. “But what part of Africa?” Maine?” Ham pondered. “That will take some research,” said “That possibility occurred to me,” Doc Johnny. admitted. “When you make your phone calls, He entered Doc’s library, knowing he ask each person if they are acquainted with would find in the tomes there, all the data he the names of Lady Nelia, the red-headed needed. fellow, Yuttal, or Hadi-Mot. Also ask about Doc now addressed long Tom, the the dead man, Jules Fourmalier.” electrical wizard. “We must perfect a means Ham nodded thoughtfully, saying noth- of fighting that fluttering death of the dark- ing. ness, whatever it is. Suppose you rig up a “Jules showed a knowledge of airships projector of infra-rays which are invisible to from the figuring he did on the clippings,” Doc the naked eye. Then equip us with thin explained. “He may be known to the lighter- fluoroscopic spectacles sensitive to the rays.” than-aircraft profession.” “I get you.” Long Tom grinned. “You “You want me to try Europe, too?” want us fixed up so we can see in the dark, Ham questioned. without using an ordinary flashlight or search- “It might be advisable to do that the light.” first thing.” “Exactly!” Nodding, Ham busied himself at the Long Tom passed into the library, then telephone. The names of those to be called into a chemical and electrical laboratory be- were supplied by a business directory of the yond. This laboratory was fitted completely aircraft profession, which Doc brought from with modern devices, as well as many of the library. Doc’s own inventions, which were entirely The first call Ham made was to Eng- unique. land. While the radio-land-line connection “What about me?” Monk questioned, was being put through, he requested lines to anxious to use his chemical skill. certain American builders of Zeppelin-type “Suppose you concoct powerful, quick- ships. spreading gas for battling the infernal things,” Doc entered the library. He possessed Doc suggested. “Make a vapor which will a great file of newspaper clippings, kept up to produce instant unconsciousness, yet which date for him by a firm engaged in such work. will not prove fatal. And you can look over He glanced under the subhead of “English our collection of gas masks to make sure Royalty.” they’re serviceable.” He was hunting something on Lady Monk lumbered for the laboratory. Nelia. And he found it almost at once! Doc now spread upon the table the There was a picture of the tall, aristo- clippings from science magazines which he cratic young lady. She was in flying togs, and had found in ill-fated Jules’s pockets. He ad- stood beside a small monoplane. The head- dressed Ham. lines below the picture read: “See that designation ZX 03, penciled on one of the airship pictures,” he indicated. LADY NELIA SEALING “I want you to get on a battery of long- GIVEN UP AS LOST distance telephones and find out what air- ship, either present or past, bore that identifi- Hope of finding Lady Nelia Sealing, cation number.” young Englishwoman aviatrix who was lost while attempting a nonstop flight from London to Cape Town, Africa, has been abandoned. All HAM fingered through the clippings. searching has ceased. Ferreting information was something for What happened to Lady Nelia Sealing which his training as a lawyer eminently fitted seems destined, therefore, to become another of him. More than once, Ham had coaxed star- those mysteries of aviation. Whether her plane THE LOST OASIS 21 fell in the Mediterranean or in the trackless Doc did not trouble to get a taxi. He deserts of Africa, no one knows. took the center of the street, where the going was less hampered, and ran. There was more. It merely recited in- More than one pedestrian gaped in formation about Lady Nelia’s career. She surprise at sight of the flashing bronze form. was a brilliant young lady, as well as a a-f A policeman drew his gun and started mous beauty. She had been lost some four after Doc. He had recognized the bronze months ago. man and thought he might be of some help. Ham called while Doc was still read- He knew Doc held a high honorary commis- ing, saying, “Here’s Renny on the phone!” sion on the New York police force. Doc ran to the instrument. Renny was Doc came into view of the Hotel Rex. a caldron of news. Confusion was rampant in front of the hos- “Lady Nelia, Red, and the dead man, telry. One of the uniformed taxi starters lay Jules, are the ones who offered that fantastic prone on the sidewalk, crimson spilling slowly reward to get hold of you,” he explained. “I from a gash in his head. overheard them talking in the cab.” Frightened employees were dashing in “Where are you now?” Doc queried. and out of the lobby. “In the lobby of the Hotel Rex. Lady Doc did not need to ask questions. A Nelia and Red are registered here. Lady dozen excited yells told him what had hap- Nelia is on the sixteenth floor and Red on the pened. seventeenth.” “Two men ran out, dragging a Doc swiftly described Yuttal and Hadi- woman!” a man shouted. “They crowned the Mot taxi starter when he tried to interfere. He ain’t “Have you seen any sign of two birds hurt bad.” answering that description?” he asked. “Did’ya get a good look at ‘em?” de- “Why, sure.” Renny said innocently. manded some one. “They just registered for a room. They were “Sure. One was fat, the other slim and carrying a big wicker basket between ‘em. dark.” They wouldn’t let a bell hop touch it!” “Them’s the two that just registered for “Get hold of Lady Nelia and Red— a room,” vouchsafed a bell boy. “They had a quick!” Doc rapped. “Tell them Yuttal and strange-looking basket when they came in.” Hadi-Mot are in the hotel. Get them out of the “They had the basket when they went place—no, don’t try that. Have them lock out too. The thin guy was carryin’ it, while the their doors and windows and wait for me!” fat one handled the woman.” Doc dived into the lobby. Renny, it seemed, had gotten on the job a little too BANGING the receiver down, Doc hur- late. tled for the door. He was through it and into an elevator before the men he left behind could get organized. A GLANCE at the register cards Doc was gone when his four aides ran showed Doc the numbers of the rooms taken into the corridor. They were disgusted. Doc’s by Lady Nelia and Red. He glanced about slam-bang departure showed there was ac- and located the elevator starter—the fellow tion ahead! They hated the thought of miss- who was stationed at a signal board in the ing it. Excitement was the thing they enjoyed lobby to keep the cages running at regular most. It was the nectar which they drew from intervals. their association with Doc. “Just a little before the excitement But they had lost out this time; they did started, a big fellow with huge hands proba- not know where Doc was bound. bly dashed into one of the elevators,” Doc The Hotel Rex was a new hostelry. It explained. “Did you see what cage he en- contained more than two thousand rooms, tered?” which placed it among the larger hotels of the The elevator starter pointed. “That city. The location was only three blocks from one.” the skyscraper which harbored Doc’s office. Doc collared the operator of the indi- cated lift. “What floor did you let the big-fisted fellow off upon?” 22 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

“Sixteen.” A four-story building adjoined the ho- That meant Renny had gone to Lady tel. The roof of this lay directly below the Nelia first. Doc rode upward, alighting at the window. The flashing of a neon sign on the sixteenth. hotel jerked light over the roof at twenty- The door of Lady Nelia’s room gaped second intervals. open, lock torn out. Inside, the rug was wad- A form was spread-eagled on the roof! ded in a corner and coverings were off the Doc’s golden eyes acquired hot little bed. Bureau drawers lay on the floor. The lights as he studied the figure. For he could rapid search had even been extended to the make out the suit Renny had been wearing! cover on the telephone bell box, which was And Renny’s hat lay near by. ripped off. The form reposed about where a man Doc, thinking of the diamonds Jules would land, were he to be shoved from this had carried, guessed accurately that more window. such stones had been the object of this hunt. He sped to the stairs, mounted one flight and made for Red’s room. There, also, Chapter VI the door was ajar. GRIM QUEST On the floor, twisted grotesquely, lay Red’s gaunt body. The features were set in LEAVING the figure below, Doc’s gaze death. They held an expression of horror that traveled up and down the sheer brick walls. A was hair-raising. dozen stories to the rooftop where the A hole was torn in the man’s neck. sprawled object lay. Twice that many above. There was no question but that he had been Overhead, however, the walls stepped n-i a victim of the same weird, fluttering death- ward at ten-story intervals, pyramid fashion. dealer who had slain Jules. The abrupt expanse was rather scan- The man’s trousers legs were drawn tily ornamented. Above the window from above his knees. Certain marks showed which Doc leaned, a narrow ledge passed. It where several small objects, fastened there was hardly two inches wide. But a man, by with adhesive tape, had been plucked away. standing on tiptoes on the window sill, could Doc’s golden eyes roved. There was reach it and swing over to the next aperture. no sign of Renny. The window was locked on “Renny!” Doc called. the inside. The adjacent window opened. Renny’s Hurrying down to the lobby, Doc made head appeared. He gave Doc a wryly sheep- inquiries. Yuttal and Hadi-Mot had taken ish grin. Lady Nelia away in a taxi, but no one had “Reckon you think I’ve lost my nerve!” thought to get the taxi license number in the he rumbled. ‘“But I didn’t have a gun!” excitement. So small a chance there was of Doc shook his head slowly. “There’s following it, the machine might as well have an old saying that he who retreats wisely vanished in thin air. may live to fight other battles, or something Most disquieting of all, Doc discovered like that. I did some fast moving to get away Renny had not come back downstairs. No from the thing, myself. What happened?” one had seen him reappear in the lobby. The “I charged up here after calling you,” big-fisted fellow must be somewhere in the Renny explained. “The young woman wasn’t upper regions of the great hotel! in her room. I started up to find Red, but met Doc went up to give Lady Nelia’s room Yuttal and Hadi-Mot. I retreated into Lady a more thorough inspection, and to search Nelia’s room when they started fumbling with for Renny. On his first visit, one fact about their infernal basket. the ransacked chamber had come to Doc’s “The lights went out. They opened the attention. power switch on this floor, I guess. I could The bed pillows had been missing. hear them preparing to smash open the door. There was no blanket, either. And hotel beds So I made up a dummy with my clothes and were usually supplied with an extra blanket. threw it out of the window. Then I shinned As Doc surveyed the place, he ob- along the ledge to this place. It evidently served the window was unlocked and open worked, making them think I had tried to get widely. He glanced out of it. away and had fallen.” THE LOST OASIS 23

Renny left the window. A moment The item concerned the sighting of a later, he appeared in the hallway. He was phantom Zeppelin over a remote section of wrapped, toga fashion, in a sheet. Maine. “The main part of my clothes are on “It would seem that the airship fits into the dummy down below,” he explained. this puzzle,” he said grimly. Discovering the plundered condition of the room, he emitted a grunt of surprise. “They must have pulled this search after I DOC placed a telephone call to his gave ‘em the slip! Yeah—sure they did! I four friends in the skyscraper office, advising could hear ‘em scuffling around, but didn’t them where he was. He suggested they know what they were up to.” come over as soon as they had completed “Didn’t you get a look at the thing in their allotted tasks. the basket—the thing of death?” Johnny, the gaunt geologist, was first “Nope. I never waited. I figured that if I to arrive. He came in wiping his glasses, saw the thing, it might he too late.” Renny which had the magnifying lens on the left wiped perspiration off his forehead. “I tell side. you, Doc, that thing, whatever it is, must be “I learned something a bit mystifying frightful. Lady Nelia and Red were scared to about those diamonds,” he reported. “They death, riding up here in the taxi.” come from Africa, all right—but from no “I wish we could have had a talk with known field! The stones, for their size, are them,” Doc said thoughtfully. remarkably perfect.” Renny looked disgusted with himself. Johnny pawed to adjust his glasses on “I didn’t dream trouble would come so his bony nose. “Now, here is the mystifying quickly. Blast it, I wish I’d have had a gun!” part. Other gems, with characteristics akin to “If you were not armed, your retreat these, have been appearing on the world was a wise move,” Doc assured him. “Did markets, a few at a time, for the past years. you overhear Lady Nelia say anything other The stones naturally attracted attention. Per- than that they had inserted the reward adver- sons connected with the diamond trade tisement?” sought to learn where they came from. But “A little.” Renny wrinkled his brow. “It they had no tuck. Whoever has been selling didn’t make much sense. They spoke of the diamonds has taken great pains to cover other persons who had been left behind his tracks.” somewhere. They talked like these other Doc nodded. The completeness of poor devils must be existing in a ghastly sort Johnny’s information was not surprising. Re- of slavery. It seemed Lady Nelia, Red and cords are kept of large gems, just as the se- Jules had escaped from the same fate, and rial numbers of large bills are preserved. were anxious to help those they had left be- Doc’s wonderfully complete library held such hind.” data. Finishing, Renny rubbed his square Long Tom and Monk put in an ap- jaw and looked his soberest self. pearance. Long Tom was burdened with a “A very strange state of affairs,” Doc device which might have been a complex meditated aloud. magic lantern. This was a projector for light He lifted bed coverings and moved the rays below the visible spectrum. He also car- rug aside, foraging for anything of interest. ried six oversized goggle affairs. These could He came upon a late newspaper. A portion best be described as fluoroscopic glasses was missing from the front page. It lay near which converted the infra-rays into beams by, partly folded. visible to the human eye. Lady Nelia had apparently been in the There was a set of the goggles for act of removing the item when interrupted by Doc, and for each of his five aides. Yuttal and Hadi-Mot. “Are you a magician?” Renny grinned, “They bought the newspaper en route marveling at the swiftness with which Long up here,” Renny offered. Tom had materialized the apparatus. Doc examined the torn segment, ex- “I’ve had this stuff on hand for an pecting to see the story of the fabulous re- emergency,” Long Tom told him. “All I had to ward. Lady Nelia would naturally be inter- do was check it over to make sure it was in ested in that. But he got a surprise. working order.” 24 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

Monk hefted an egg-shaped blob of tance, and due to the gloom, even Doc’s metal, one of many which he carried in a sharp gaze could tell little except that he was canvas sack. a very fat man. “Each one of these holds enough gas Yuttal was of such pudgy build. to lay out a herd of elephants,” he said, a In the hotel corridor an elevator door fierceness in his mild voice. “Doc had these opened. Ham appeared, dapper and swing- metal eggs on hand. All I had to do was mix ing his sword cane briskly. He swung into the the yolk for them.” room. “You’re sure they won’t kill?” Doc “I dug up some hot stuff!” he an- asked sharply. nounced. “Positive!” declared Monk. Doc, without taking his eyes from the “That is well,” Doc replied. “We don’t distant cab in the parking lot, said, “Let’s want any killing—except when necessary in have it!” defense of human life.” “Ever hear of the airship Aëromunde?” Swinging over to the window, Doc Ham countered. stood looking down at the night traffic in the “Probably there are few living people street. His back was to his men. His towering who have not heard of it,” Doc replied. “That size, his enormous physical build, was very is the Zeppelin which vanished more than a evident in contrast to the proportions of the dozen years ago while on a flight over the window. Mediterranean. The body of the commander Doc’s low, mellow, trilling sound was found floating in the sea. But no trace of abruptly became audible to those in the hotel the ship itself was discovered. What hap- room. pened to the Aëromunde is one of the world’s great mysteries.” “The Aëromunde was the ZX 03, in THE men exchanged glances. They European military files!” Ham said dramati- had heard this weird, melodious, untuned cally. “And Jules Fourmalier was a member note many times. They knew the varied oc- of the crew of the lost airship! There was also casions upon which it sounded. Often it came a red-headed man in the crew—a fellow who when Doc was thinking. answers the description of the dead chap They decided he must be thinking upstairs.” now, seeking some means of aiding Lady Doc said nothing. He was watching. Nelia and of punishing Yuttal and Hadi-Mot. The fat man had walked out of the dis- Probably, also, searching for a salvation for tant parking lot and lost himself on the dark- those others, those mysterious enslaved be- ened streets. ings, the existence of whom Renny had Moving with decision, Doc turned out overheard. the lights. The men maintained silence. They “Come over here,” he directed Long had faith in this strange bronze man. They Tom and Renny. Then he indicated the cab knew the things of which he was capable— in the parking lot. “See that machine?” rather, knew he was equal to any occasion, “The hack?” said Long Tom; and for Doc’s bag of tricks seemed bottomless. Renny echoed, “Yeah!” They waited, believing Doc’s mellow, “We may want to trail it,” Doc told unearthly sound meant he was devising ways them meaningly. “You know what to do?” and means of rescue. “You bet,” Long Tom grinned. He hast- They were wrong. In the street, nearly ily quitted the room, Renny at his heels. They two blocks distant, Doc had noted a peculiar were in a great hurry. incident. A taxi had entered a parking lot and backed into position with an array of other cars. There were no other taxis in the lot, and LONG TOM had been gone perhaps the parking fee was fifty cents. This was un- five minutes when the night manager of the usual. Cab drivers do not usually pay such a hotel strode into the room. He nodded and sum to park, since regular stands are allotted rubbed his hands briskly when he caught them. sight of Doc. A few moments later a man left the “A party is asking for you on the tele- cab, getting out at the mark. From that dis- phone,” he explained, “This person said it THE LOST OASIS 25 was very important, and that you might be “I can guess,” Doc said grimly. “The in- found on this floor or the one above. This formation she could give me would mean phone was out of order, so—” your finish. Is that it?” But Doc was already in the corridor, “You don’t know the half of it,” Yuttal making for the desk of the floor clerk. The sneered. “But that’s enough, I want them room phone had been wrecked in the search. diamonds. You take ‘em and get on the next He used the instrument on the floor clerk’s train bound for Washington. Stand on the desk, and asked to be connected with the back platform, and when you see a light flash caller. three times—” For the first time, he discovered the “Never mind the details,” Doc inter- floor clerk, a slick-haired young man, uncon- rupted. “You’re wasting your breath.” scious behind his desk. He was breathing “You won’t return ‘em?” noisily, seemingly not greatly damaged. Yut- “No!” tal or Hadi-Mot must have given him a rap “You’d better think—” over the head during their raid. “No!” Doc repeated. “That is final.” “Is this Mr. Savage?”‘ questioned a A curse crackled in the receiver. Then low, snarling voice over the phone line. the wire went dead. Yuttal had hung up. It was Yuttal. Doc returned to the room where his “This is Savage,” Doc told him. three men waited. Night air drifted in damply “We will not waste time!” Yuttal through the open window. With it came a low growled. “I want the diamonds.” sound, a cross between a hiss and a whine. “You mean the five which Jules Four- This noise was so vague that only a sharp malier carried?” Doc asked quietly. ear could detect it. It seemed to come from “I mean the others—the ones Lady the sky overhead. Nelia Sealing had. I have come to the con- “That’s Renny,” grinned the dapper clusion that you have them. Lady Nelia must Ham. “He’s flyin’ low, too!” have gotten them into your hands in some fashion. I want them! As for the gems Jules Fourmalier had—pouf! You may keep those DOC did not lean from the window to as a reward for promptly returning the oth- peer into the night heavens. He knew what ers.” was up there. Doc’s voice was dryly expressionless. Manhattan is a narrow strip of land “I presume there is some good reason why I surrounded by water. A fast car can reach should do this?” the water front in a few moments from any “You bet there is! You won’t live long part of the isle. In a boathouse on the Hud- unless you do!” son River side of the island, Doc Savage Hot lights danced in Doc’s golden kept two amphibian planes. One was a mon- eyes. “I may flatter myself, but I believe ster high-speed tri-motored craft. The other you’re taking in a lot of territory, my friend.” was an autogyro, also of rather large size. “You heard me!” Both craft had silenced motors. Doc spoke hastily, his tone still easy: The autogyro was hovering overhead “What about Lady Nelia Sealing?” now. The hissing was the note of its muffled “You ain’t interested.” engine. Renny was at the controls. Yuttal, Doc decided from the man’s Doc and his men watched the taxi in fluent use of slang, was the product of some the distant parking lot. American city slum, even if he had spoken “Did Long Tom get to the machine?” Egyptian to Hadi-Mot. Doc asked. “I might,” Doc suggested, “swap the “I don’t know,” muttered gorillalike diamonds for Lady Nelia.” Monk. “If he did, he pulled a slick job. We “Nix.” never saw him.” “You had better give that proposition The men continued to scrutinize the some thought before you decline it, Yuttal!” cab. “Listen, you ain’t got anything you can Long Tom walked into the hotel room. swap for the dame. You’ll never have any- He was grinning broadly. thing valuable enough to swap for her! Do “I fixed it!” he declared. “I also got a you know why?” look at the inside of the taxi. It was empty. If 26 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

Yuttal drove there in the machine, he must On this roof lay the dummy composed have left Hadi-Mot and Lady Nelia some- of Renny’s outer clothing, and pillows, and where else.” blankets. An instant later, the fat man appeared Monk snorted softly. “Renny made a in the far-off parking lot. He made for the swell-lookin’ sheik in that sheet! I’ll bet he hack. It was undoubtedly Yuttal. stirred up a panic when he left the hotel.” Monk knotted his hairy hands. “If we “It’s lucky it wasn’t you!” Ham retorted were just down there, we could nab that guy!” bitingly. “Every guest would have been “That’s about your style,” Ham offered scared out of the hotel.” bitingly. “It would wipe out our chances of While Monk groped for a suitable in- finding Lady Nelia, but you never thought of sult in return, Doc eased out of the window. A that.” narrow ventilator shaft separated the two Monk bent a bilious eye upon the sar- buildings. He sprang across easily—he could torially perfect Ham. He screwed his homely jump many times that distance if necessity face into the most frightful of grimaces. From required. his lips came a perfect imitation of a pig He got Renny’s clothing. Then he squealing. slapped his bronze hands over the pillows. Ham’s neck reddened. His hands Finding nothing, he shook out the blankets. clenched on his sword cane. He looked as if A life belt, marked with the name of he could have slain Monk. the Yankee Beauty, dropped from the wool- Any reference that Monk made to pigs ens. Ten seconds later, Doc had located caused Ham to remember the ancient ham- hard objects inside the belt. stealing charge. It got his goat. He ripped off the canvas cover. A Monk knew this. How well he knew it! clicking wealth poured out in his hands. The He had practiced for many hours to perfect a gems were uncut, but all were flawless dia- repertoire of piggy gruntings and squealings monds. for just such occasions as this. He carried them back into the hotel Th e lights of the cab in the lot came room, examined them under the lights, then on. To the unaided eye, they presented noth- handed them—more than a double fistful—to ing unusual. Johnny. But Long Tom had attached to the rear “Brothers,” he said quietly, “I doubt if of the cab a small, lanternlike device which you have ever seen a finer group of stones. gave off infra-rays—rays which became very Cut and polished, I believe they would be a distinctive when seen through fluoroscopic perfectly matched collection. I’d be willing to eyepieces. bid a good round million for the lot.” Renny, lurking overhead in the auto- The gaunt geologist employed the gyro, possessed such an eyepiece. He magnifier in the left side of his glasses for an should have no difficulty trailing the cab, inspection. He knew diamonds, knew almost thanks to Long Tom’s device. The infra-light as much about them as Doc knew. was unlike anything else in the city! “I believe I’d raise your bid, Doc,” he The taxi pulled out of the lot. It was declared. soon lost to view from the hotel window. Doc listened to the hissing from the night-mantled sky. The sound receded. Chapter VII Renny was on the trail. PHANTOM PURSUIT As they moved toward an elevator, Doc told his four friends of Yuttal’s call, and DOC SAVAGE and his men now re- of the threat. paired to the skyscraper headquarters. They “We couldn’t give him the diamonds if lost no time doing so. In the laboratory, Doc we wanted to,” Monk snorted. “We haven’t clicked a short -wave radio transmitter and got ‘em!” receiver into operation. Twirling the dials, he To this Doc replied nothing. But he soon had Renny’s voice roaring from a loud- stopped the elevator on the fifth floor of the speaker. hotel. The floor clerk let him into a room, the Renny had an efficient two-way radio window of which gave upon the roof of the in the autogyro. adjacent building. THE LOST OASIS 27

“The taxi bearing Yuttal went uptown,” matics, they were fitted with curled maga- Renny reported. “It stopped in a side street zines and fired at tremendous speed. In op- for a while. It was too dark to tell what hap- eration, the weapons made a roar like the pened, but I think Yuttal must have picked up note of a gigantic bull fiddle. Hadi-Mot and Lady Nelia. The car is headed Renny’s voice suddenly boomed out of north now. It looks like they’re leaving town.” the loud-speaker. “Say! Yuttal and Hadi-Mot “Yuttal seems to be nobody’s fool,” just threw a body out of that taxi!” Doc replied, speaking into a microphone. “He A body! The words jangled like break- evidently called me in the faint hope of scar- ing ice. ing me into giving up the diamonds. The “There’s no doubt about it!” Renny death threat was a bluff. He’s not going to try roared. “I can see the form in the lights of an to carry it out.” automobile.” “Have you got the diamonds?” Renny A ghastly silence seized Doc and his boomed in surprise. men. Gone was their bantering air. They “They were in the blankets you used to were men inured to peril, to horror, to violent make the dummy.” death. Monk and Ham rarely surrendered “Holy cow!” Renny exploded. “Say, I their good natured quarrel. Doc himself sel- wish I had my clothes. I feel like an angel up dom showed the slightest emotion. here in my underwear, with this sheet flap- But they were cold and grim now. All ping around my shanks!” their thoughts were the same. Could that “Tell him he’d better enjoy the sensa- body be the lifeless form of Lady Nelia? tion while he can,” put in the sharp-tongued Doc’s powerful voice, frozen as his Ham. “It’s probably as near to being an angel men had seldom heard it, crashed out: “Drop as he’ll ever get.” down, Renny, and take a look.” The microphone was sensitive. Renny “Yes, sir,” came Renny’s dull rumble heard the crack. from the loud-speaker. “Sic Monk on that shyster lawyer,” he requested. Ham hastily subsided. DOC and his fellows now left the Doc addressed the four men in the eighty-sixth floor quarters. That in itself gave laboratory. “Get your usual outfits together. a hint of the grim efficiency with which they We’re going after this gang, and no telling operated. Momentous news impended. But what we’ll tie into before we’re through.” they went ahead at their self-appointed task. “And bring my clothes!” Renny chimed That task was the smashing of Yuttal in plaintively from somewhere in the sky, and Hadi-Mot, and whatever sinister organi- several miles distant. zation they stood for. This work would go on. Doc’s aides busied themselves. This If beautiful, stately Lady Nelia Sealing had was old stuff to them. They knew exactly been slain, it would but serve to harden their what they needed, and had the equipment determination, to speed a little the justice where they could lay hands on it. they intended to inflict. Doc locked the diamonds in a safe. In a garage, constructed to his specifi- Long Tom garnered wire, tubes and cations in the skyscraper basement, Doc coils from which, should the need arise, he kept his cars. The machines could be lifted could concoct a surprising variety of electrical speedily to the street. Few individuals not devices. connected with the great building knew of the Monk secured a case which contained garage or the unusual vehicles it held. a compact abbreviated chemical laboratory. It had cost a great sum, that garage. He also packed his assortment of gas The automobiles in it were expensive. But bombs. Doc Savage had vast wealth at his dis- Johnny, the geologist, and Ham, the posal—a fabulous trove of gold which lay, lawyer, since most of their equipment was in lost to the rest of the world, in a remote valley their heads, busied themselves packing a in Central America. A clan of Mayans, self- supply of ammunition and Doc’s special ma- exiled from the rest of civilization, kept Doc chine guns. supplied with funds, thereby paying a debt of These rapid-firers were marvels in gratitude they owed the strange bronze giant. themselves. Little larger than ordinary auto- 28 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

Doc chose a large sedan of incon- down at the water front. They must have spicuous color. done that shortly after they encountered you, The men piled in, stowing their equip- Doc. Anyway, they told the taxi driver they ment and Renny’s clothes. were detectives, and had him follow my ma- As the machine was lifted to the street, chine to the Hotel Rex.” Doc switched on the powerful radio transmit- Renny interrupted himself briefly. ter and receiver with which the car was Probably he was scanning the highway be- equipped. In a moment, he was again in low through his fluoroscopic glasses in an touch with Renny. effort to locate the gleam of infra-rays on the “There’s a pasture alongside the rear of Yuttal’s fleeing cab. highway,” Renny reported. “I’m preparing to “The driver said he overhead none of land in that.” Yuttal and Hadi-Mot’s conversation,” Renny Shortly afterward, several jarring continued. “When they came dashing out of noises came from the speaker. Renny had the hotel dragging Lady Nelia, and kayoed evidently left the autogyro transmitter in op- the cab starter, the driver also tried to inter- eration, and it had broadcast the shock of fere. He got knocked cold for his pains. And landing. that was everything he knew.” Silence ensued. Hissing of the muffled plane engine poured from the radio. Doc’s car swerved silently into the DOC SAVAGE wheeled the sedan street. It spun northward. across a bridge over the Harlem River, the Doc rolled the windows shut to close northern water boundary of Manhattan Is- off outside sounds. On the front of the car, a land. big red light began to glow. Alongside this “Where are you now?” he asked gory eye, a siren started moaning softly. Renny. Scarlet light and whimpering siren insured a “Following the Hutchinson Rider clear way through traffic. The siren was not Parkway,” replied the voice from the auto- loud enough to interfere appreciably with the gyro. radio. “Have you got Yuttal’s taxi located?” “Holy cow!” Renny’s voice reached “I’ll say! That machine is sure making them suddenly. “Am I relieved!” time!” “Who was the person thrown out of the Doc now settled himself to the grim taxi?” Doc demanded. task of overhauling their quarry. As they en- “The taxi driver!” Renny explained tered the fringes of the city, streets turned from the distant autogyro. “Yuttal and Hadi- into wide boulevards, gently curved. They Mot evidently whacked him over the head were built for motoring speed, these thor- and took his hack. He wasn’t in the machine oughfares, with underpasses and overpasses when it was parked in the lot near the hotel, instead of crossroads. Fast driving was the so he must have been a prisoner with Lady rule, with slowpokes frowned upon. But it Nelia. They threw him out to get rid of him.” was doubtful if the turnpikes had seen a “Is he badly hurt?” faster pace than Doc was setting. Renny’s chuckle mingled with the The sedan was heavy, yet at such a louder hissing of the autogyro motors as he clip were they traveling that slight rises in the took off. “The guy was awake and cussing a pavement often flung them entirely into the blue streak when I left him. He just got hit on air. Asphalt-chinked joints in the concrete the head.” passed under the big tires in a stuttering pro- “Did you question him?” cession. Air whistled past the tightly-closed Doc’s limousine rolled past an electric windows. power plant at this point, with the result that Long Tom rode in front with Doc, nurs- Renny’s reply was lost in a cackling bedlam ing his packet of electrical equipment lest the of local interference. jarring should smash some of the delicate Doc waited until they were well be- apparatus. yond the plant then spoke into the micro- Johnny, so gangling and bony that he phone, asking Renny to repeat. seemed to rattle with each bump, sat in the “I questioned him,” Renny asserted. “It rear between Monk and Ham. seems Yuttal and Hadi-Mot engaged his cab THE LOST OASIS 29

From time to time, Ham favored Monk ess, into a colorful luminance which reacted with a scowl. He was still piqued at the garish on the eye in the fashion of a prosaic search- imitation of his own natty attire which Monk light. wore. But the autogyro was too high to per- Monk’s unlovely features bore a bliss- mit the infra-light to be effective. ful look. He was never happier than when “Blast it!” Long Tom grumbled. “This annoying Ham. lantern is not powerful enough. The first “Yuttal has turned into farming coun- chance I get, I’m going to equip all our planes try!” Renny reported suddenly from the far-off with strong infra-ray searchlights. But that autogyro. don’t help us now.” Speaking swiftly, he gave Doc the lo- “We will have no trouble keeping track cation of the side road which their quarry had of the cab, anyway,” Doc declared. taken. “Yeah, but it’d be swell if we could Doc eventually turned off upon this watch the machine as if it were running along thoroughfare. It proved to be incredibly rough in broad daylight,” Long Tom muttered. and crooked. The sedan bucked like a cow- Minutes dragged past. It was impossi- country bronc. Several times, it nearly left the ble to tell much about the country below, due road. to the smudging darkness. But the cab Slowing the machine, Doc turned into seemed to he traversing a very crooked road a clearing. over wooded hills. The course bore steadily “Can you come back and pick us up northward. without losing the taxi?” he asked Renny. Monk peered up gloomily at the cloud- “I believe so,” Renny replied. “That in- swathed heavens. “If the moon was just shin- fra-light shows plainly.” ing,” he wished. “But in that case, we’d have Doc and his aides unloaded from the to fly a lot higher to keep from being discov- sedan. ered.” A few minutes later, with a swishing as The autogyro overhauled the taxi. At of a strong wind, the autogyro spun down an altitude of some thousands of feet, it into the clearing, guided by flashlights waved whirled steadily forward. by Doc’s men. “Get well ahead of the machine,” Doc The machine was a cabin craft, easily told Renny. “We’ll drop a few fistfuls of capable of accommodating six passengers. Monk’s gas bombs in the path of the cab. The men inserted themselves in the wicker When the car runs into the vapor, those seats. Renny lost no time taking off again. aboard will be made unconscious. Pick a spot where the road is crooked—where the taxi will be traveling slowly. We don’t want EVERY one at once donned the any one hurt.” somewhat bulky fluoroscopic eyeglasses. Drawing ahead of its quarry, the plane These were near the size of shoe boxes, for began settling earthward. their functions were intricate. They were not “What are we gonna do with Yuttal very heavy, however. In addition to being and Hadi-Mot?” Monk pondered. “They’re padded to fit the face, they were held in posi- murderers.” tion by straps. “You know very well we have a place The earth was discernible as effec- for them,” Doc said dryly. tively as with the naked eye, the apparatus Monk’s question had been somewhat being sensitive also to normal light rays. But unnecessary. He knew quite well what would the gloominess of the night made it difficult to happen to Yuttal and Hadi-Mot, once they see much. were in Doc’s hands. But it still seemed a bit They soon located Yuttal’s taxi. An ee- incongruous to Monk that all wrongdoers, rie fleeting glow marked its position. A lumi- from master killer to petty crook, received the nance like no other! same treatment from Doc. Leaning from the autogyro window, Treatment it indeed was! Doc main- Long Tom focused his infra-ray projector on tained an elaborate institution in upstate New the terrain beneath. To the naked eye, these York—a strange place, unknown to the gen- rays were invisible. The fluoroscopelike spec- eral public. Here great brain surgeons, tacles converted them, by an intricate proc- trained by Doc’s skill, operated on such 30 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE criminals as Doc sent to them. The opera- a weird group, like warriors from another tions took from the crooks all knowledge of sphere, sprinting through the uncanny light their past. Then the fellows received inten- with their features rendered fantastic by the sive training in the ways of an upright citizen, apparatus. including a trade with which to make an hon- To the unaided eye, they were in in- est living. tense darkness. But Long Tom’s projector of No former criminal, once having un- infra-light illuminated their way clearly. dergone treatment, had ever returned to They laid a barrage of gas in the road. shady ways. From murderer to cheap racket- The vapor would hang there, since practically eer, they underwent the same metamorpho- no wind was blowing. The gas cloud could sis. easily be replenished. “We shall induce Yuttal and Hadi-Mot They listened. A bit uneasily, their to talk, of course, before we send them to our eyes sought Doc. They knew the keen quality institution,” Doc said. of his hearing. Monk nodded. “You mean to learn Presence of the gas made it inadvis- where the diamonds came from?” able to remove the masks to talk. So Monk “Something a good deal more impor- asked a question—using the deaf-and-dumb tant than that is troubling me,” Doc told him sign language. Each of Doc’s men could fin- gruffly. “Those mysterious slaves of whom ger out sentences with fair proficiency. Doc we heard!” himself was quite adept at it. They had more “Slaves!” Monk grunted. “Do you really than once found this knowledge of the sign think—” language a useful asset. “We’re going to probe very deeply in- “Do you hear the taxi?” Monk queried deed into that mystery,” Doc assured him. with his furry fingers. “No,” Doc spelled back. They waited. A subtle change came THE earth was now close enough for into Doc’s metallic eyes. The others shifted Long Tom’s portable infra-ray projector to be uneasily. The taxi should have reached them. effective. Accordingly, he leaned over the But they could not even hear it! side and adjusted the various switches and The machine was not coming. They knobs on the device. became sure of that. Then they received a The others studied what was dis- most unpleasant shock. closed. A strangely unreal panorama, it was. Back along the road, not more than “There’s an excellent spot!” Doc de- two miles distant, an airplane engine sud- clared. denly began to drone. Below them, there lay a stretch where Doc and his men knew what it meant. the road was more narrow and crooked than They spun and raced for their autogyro. before. It also wended up a steep grade. It Long before they reached if, however, was a route a car could not travel at exces- the far-off plane lifted noisily into the night sive speed. sky. It hooted away at great speed, losing its Best of all, a pasture a few hundred sound swiftly in the darkness. feet distant offered a landing place. Wrenching off his mask—they were Doc glanced back, searching for the now clear of the gas cloud they had spread taxi. There was no sign of the machine. The so uselessly upon the road—Monk groaned, compact infra-ray lantern, being secured to “We’ll never be able to follow that plane the rear of the vehicle, was naturally ob- through this black cat of a night! It sounded scured from view by the body. like a fast ship.” The autogyro landed. The men piled out, carrying Monk’s gas grenades and don- ning gas masks. Fortunately, these masks Chapter VIII consisted merely of mouthpieces and nose NIGHT SNARE clips and fitted under the boxlike fluoroscopic spectacles. MONK’S statement was the truth. Doc, huge and swift, his complexion Doc used strong binoculars on the retaining its bronze hue even in the infra- packed soot of the heavens. He detected no light, led the way toward the road. They were THE LOST OASIS 31 flame lipping from exhaust stacks. That dis- could not have been heard. If anything, Doc’s pelled their last hope of trailing the departing skill as a flyer exceeded some of his other plane. abilities. Taking the controls, Doc lifted the The loudest noise—it was only a dull autogyro into the air. He climbed rapidly to a thump—was made by Monk, who tripped considerable height, then shut off the motor inexplicably getting out of the gyro, and fell and glided forward. on his head. “Use your infra-light,” he advised Long “You little shyster!” Monk addressed Tom. “Let’s see if we can learn where they Ham fiercely. “You stuck that sword cane had that plane cached.” between my feet!” It had hardly been a cache, they soon “Listen,” Ham sneered, “when I get discovered. At the edge of a weed-grown ready to stick you, I’ll pick a spot right in the field stood two ramshackle hangars. Evi- middle of your gizzard!” dently this was some rural flying field built a “And I,” big-fisted Renny put in grimly, few years ago, when aviation was experienc- “am gonna pound both of you guys into the ing a boom. ground so deep they’ll need a shovel to dig The taxi was parked near one of the you up! Pipe down, will you!” frowzy sheds. Doc moved toward the ancient flying “Look!” Doc said sharply. “There are field. It was nearly a mile distant. He held no men down there—three or more of them! But apprehension that Monk and Ham’s encoun- they’re not our quarry!” ter had been heard. Ham had known there Grabbing binoculars, the others dis- was no danger of that before he tripped cerned what Doc’s somewhat uncanny vision Monk. had revealed. Two men stood before a hangar. At least one more was partially in the shadow of THEY moved forward in purposeful si- the structure—Long Tom’s infra-light cast a lence, lighting their way with Long Tom’s de- shadow very much as did ordinary light, ex- vice. Whenever they could, they ran. cept that it was a good deal blacker. Once Renny slid a chill whisper be- All three men were staring upward— tween his teeth. “I’m glad we have this light, straight at the spot where the autogyro hov- what I mean! If they turn their infernal flutter- ered. ing death loose on us, we can at least see “Holy cow!” Renny gulped his pet what it is!” ejaculation. “D’you suppose they can see this “The fellows at the flying field may infra-light?” know nothing of the grisly thing,” Johnny “No!” Long Tom snapped. It irked him suggested. “Yuttal and Hadi-Mot may merely to have any one cast doubt on his ingenious have chartered a plane from them.” devices. “I put filters on the thing which stop “But you don’t really think that is the all visible wave lengths of light!” truth,” Renny said pointedly. Doc cast a gaze upward at the heav- “No-o-o,” Johnny admitted. “An honest ens. The clouds were quite thick. It was bunch of flyers would hardly be on the job at hardly likely the autogyro had been glimpsed this time of night. That airport is certainly not against the sky. fixed up for night flying. Anyway, if they were He rocked the stick, trod the rudder— on the up-and-up, they wouldn’t stand by and sent the craft sliding away from the tumble- see Lady Nelia hauled away forcibly in a down landing field. The ship sank rapidly— plane.” the engine was still dead. They would have Johnny fell silent. An ugly thought had to land soon, or start the motor, which meant gripped him. Was it possible Lady Nelia Seal- they would probably be heard. The plane had ing had been slain and flung from the taxi yet to be built which did not make noise. somewhere en route? Such a hideous event They were in luck. A patch of level might have escaped their notice from the ground materialized below. It was a find, for autogyro. the rest of the terrain was matted with timber. Half a mile from the antiquated airport, Doc made a deadstick landing, which Doc signaled a halt. So that quiet might be was something for an airman to dream about. preserved, he addressed his companions in There was hardly a jar. A few rods distant, it sign language. 32 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

The men were staring upward . . . straight at the spot where the autogyro hovered.

“I am going to leave you fellows in the Possibly the others did not think much dark,” he explained with his digits. “I will take of the idea. It meant they might miss some our lantern and size up the situation.” action. But there was no argument. They were well aware that Doc could go with ease THE LOST OASIS 33 where the most careful of them would he dis- “BLAST the luck!” gritted one of the covered. flyers. “They may be closin’ in on us right Carrying the lantern, Doc continued now!” onward. He made speed considerably “They ain’t quite had time to get here!” greater than when they all had been to- retorted the messenger. “They’ll come slow gether. He evaded twigs which might crackle so as not to make any noise.” or leaves which might rustle. The dry bed of “How many of ‘em?” a gully led him part of the distance. “I dunno.” The runner wiped off perspi- He worked through a fringe of brush. ration. “It was too dark to tell. How they found The old airport lay before him. He turned the that clearing without showing a light beats infra-light boldly upon the hangars, knowing it me. They come like ghosts. There wasn’t could not be seen. It smacked of the super- nothing but the whistle of air past the wings. natural, this casting of a brilliant luminance And that wasn’t loud! And the way they upon men without their being aware of it. walked off! Just like they could see in the The three men still stood near the dark!” hangar. This building, Doc now ascertained, The fellow was closer to the truth than was empty. A somewhat decrepit brown he thought. But the others were skeptical. monoplane reposed in the other shed. “Don’t go talkin’ through your hat! One Doc moved forward, keeping neat of ‘em must know this neck of the woods, bushes where a chance appearance of from the way they found these clearin’s. I moonlight would not betray him. But he did was posted at the one up the road when they not assume needless chances of discovery. landed. The way they come down there was He stopped some yards from the men. spooky, too. But we located ‘em, didn’t we?” They were a vicious-looking trio, al- This was illuminating information. The though their faces were intelligent in a sharp, gang had taken thorough precautions. They foxlike way. They betrayed uneasiness, as if evidently had a lookout at each spot in the they were waiting for something to happen. neighborhood where a plane could be Much of the time, they stared steadily landed. No doubt they had the road watched, at the sky and seemed to be straining their too. They were guarding well against a sur- ears. prise. This behavior relieved Doc of some “Quit gassin’!” snapped a man who anxiety, showing as it did that their strangely seemed to be in charge. He addressed the intensive gazing upward, when he had first panting messenger. “There’s a bomb in the sighted them, did not mean they had discov- hangar—a radio bomb. You know how it ered the autogyro. works. It’s got a midget receiving set and a A fourth man suddenly appeared. He relay in it. When we send a certain signal came running up in the darkness. from the transmitter in our plane, the bomb The waiting three promptly drew guns, will explode. Take the thing and hide it in demanding, “Who is it?” Savage’s autogyro!” “It’s me!” puffed the newcomer, who “Sure, I can do that. But—” had apparently sprinted some distance. “Say, “Don’t waste time! Do it! Then come they’re here!” back here. If you can get back without gettin’ The words carried to Doc’s ears with a caught—fine! If you can’t, take to the timber!” fair degree of distinctness. “This may not work—” “Who’s here?” demanded one of the “It’ll work if you hide the bomb. We’ll others. take off in the mornin’ to join Yuttal, and Sav- “The Savage guy and his crowd, I age will follow us. All we gotta do is draw him guess,” wheezed the runner. “An autogyro thirty or forty miles away from here, so it landed in that clearing I was watching. A won’t look suspicious, and transmit the radio gang of men got out and started for this signal that’ll explode the bomb.” place!” “But what if that man grabs you to- Doc’s bronze features did not show night—” the disappointment he felt. His arrival had “He won’t! We’re gonna play innocent apparently not been as secretive as he around here. Not let Savage think we know wished. he’s within miles. He’ll come prowlin’ around here, and we’ll let loose a few remarks about 34 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE us takin’ off in the mornin’ to join Yuttal. Sav- “Yeah—do that! We want you along age will wait and follow us.” when we join Yuttal in the mornin’!” “This is a risky business!” The latter statement was made in loud “The dickens it is! Even if Savage tones. It was obvious the words were in- grabs us, we can spring a story about Yuttal tended for unseen listeners. and Hadi-Mot seizing a plane by force to take The men dropped their voices. the girl away. There ain’t nothin’ wrong with Doc moved closer. It did not matter that story.” greatly if they heard him. Employing a knowl- Doc Savage, standing near by and edge of lip reading, he added to what he viewing the men as though they stood in could hear, and managed to understand broad daylight, suddenly experienced vast most of the low talk. pleasure. So Lady Nelia Sealing was still “I don’t like this, I tell you,” a man alive! mumbled. “We’re givin’ ourselves away with “Get goin’!” snapped the leader. that talk. If Savage does grab us, we can’t tell “They’ll be showin’ up around here pretty ‘im Yuttal took our other plane by force—” soon, even if they do go slow on account of “Oh, dry up! If he gets us, we’ll think the dark.” up another pack of lies. We’re good at that!” The messenger got his bomb—a There followed a few sentences which package of fair size—and skulked away. Doc, strive as he would, did not catch. The other three settled back to wait, “What kind of a job d’you reckon this blissfully unaware that Doc had been en- Yuttal is givin’ us?” came audible words. abled, by the infra-light lantern, to reach the “It’ll beat diamond smugglin’!” snorted airport much sooner than they had thought another. “Whatever it is, I’ll bet it’s connected possible. with the diamond business, too! Yuttal knows the guy in Europe that we been runnin’ stones in for. That’s how he got in touch with THE trio nested their guns in accessi- us.” ble pockets. One went to the brown mono- Doc made mental note of this. It told plane and got a submachine gun. He placed him these fellows were recent recruits to Yut- this near at hand and covered it with a coat. tal’s evil cause, whatever it was. Their former “No need of takin’ chances,” he mut- following had been that of jewel smuggling. tered in a voice so low that Doc, acute That accounted for their using this out-of-the- though his hearing was, barely caught it. way airport “This is a far-fetched scheme, if you ask me. “We’ll find out what the job is when we I’ve heard of this Savage. He’s bad stuff. join Yuttal in the mornin’.” This was spoken in They say that if he wanted to, he could tear a the loud tone, intended to be overheard. man to pieces with his bare hands. I’ve heard Doc concluded not to disappoint them. the guy ain’t human, at all!” He purposefully stepped on a near-by dry His chief snorted. “I don’t believe them weed. It cracked loudly. fairy tales. What does get me, though, is how The three men showed extreme nerv- he traced Yuttal up here.” ousness. But they maintained their acting. The third man strode over to the taxi, “Yeah,” one of them quavered. “We’ll using a flashlight, and got an object off the fly to Yuttal’s hang-out with the crack of ground. dawn.” “If we could figure out what this thing Doc Savage, gliding silently away in is, I’ll bet we’d know how Savage trailed the apparent darkness, but actually in a brilliant taxi,” he declared. infra-light glow of his own making, reflected He was right. The mechanism he had that they no doubt really intended to join Yut- picked up was the infra-light lantern which tal and Hadi-Mot. Their talk hinted at this. Long Tom had secured to the rear of the cab. Doc hurried to rejoin his five aides. He One of the gang had found it. But their scien- had a plan. It was a very good plan. But it tific learning was not extensive enough to tell would require some fast work to put it in op- them what it was. eration. “Throw it down before it blows up on No human eye could have discerned you!” snorted one of the trio only half joking. his passing, for he moved in a blackness that THE LOST OASIS 35 was not black. And the silence of his going AT the ancient airport, four very re- was as though no living thing had stirred. lieved flyers greeted the sun. The fourth man had returned some time ago, with word that he had hidden the radio-equipped bomb in Chapter IX the autogyro. AIR MONSTER “Savage will never find that pineap- ple!” he leered, very brave now that daylight POSSIBLY an hour before dawn, was upon them. “I stuck it in the back of the strange things began happening in the night fuselage, but close enough to the cabin to sky near where Doc Savage had lost the trail blow ‘em all to blazes!” of Yuttal and Hadi-Mot and their prisoner— The four rolled their brown monoplane Lady Nelia Sealing. out of the old hangar. They glanced about The clouds, which had obscured moon nervously, then got in, after one had turned and stars for most of the night, were gradu- the propeller over until the engine started. ally dissolving. But a few banks of vapor still “D’you reckon Savage was really mantled the heavens. Far below one of around here last night?” one pondered, as these, only a few thousand feet above the they waited for the cylinders to warm. earth, a very small wad of gray suddenly ap- “Sure! Didn’t you hear that stick peared. crack?” This wad seemed to stretch like a gi- In due time, they took off. They gantic woolly worm crawling out of an invisi- pointed the noisy snout of their plane into the ble hole in the sky. It raced on for thousands north. of yards, then turned sharply and strung a “There’s the autogyro!” one shrieked gray column alongside the first. over the engine howl. A close observer might have noted a “Pretend you didn’t see it!” the man at fleeing dark speck at the head of the gray the controls was warned. worm, seeming to pull it along. They watched, breath bated. They This speck was a monster tri-motored saw six men enter the autogyro. One of plane, the engines silenced as perfectly as these six seemed to be suffering from an in- modern knowledge allowed. It was laying a jury, since two of his fellows all but carried smoke screen. him into the plane. Back and forth, it swept. Back and The autogyro eventually took off. It forth! The smoke spread slowly, merging into climbed swiftly, as if those aboard were anx- a vast cloud. Since nature was dispersing her ious to conceal themselves in the big, gray clouds, the aviator was making one of his cloud overhead. The craft chewed its way own. into the cloud. He even flew off to the sides and loos- For a goodly number of minutes, it ened a few puffs of gray smoke so the larger lurked there. Those in the brown monoplane, cloud would not be suspiciously lonesome. which had been speeding away all this time, A red flush suffused the sky. The sun became a bit worried. was arriving. All four heaved a sigh of relief when The plane banked abruptly and van- the autogyro appeared—following them. ished into the cloud of its own making. There They let the windmill plane trail along was a breeze at that altitude. But the aviator for perhaps twenty five miles, all the while knew just how fast it was blowing. He had dropping back slowly until their brown ship released a number of test smoke puffs and, was leading by no more than two miles. by watching their movement, obtained the “Now!” yelled one fiercely. information he desired. Another man bent over the radio The big cloud was moving along at transmitter and laboriously made a certain such a pace that it would be almost above combination of dashes and dots. the ramshackle airport when the sun ap- They watched the autogyro—as long peared. as it was there to watch. For, as the combi- Once inside his own cloud, the aviator nation was finished, a hideous jinni of smoke remained hidden. and flame seemed to pop out of nowhere and gobble up the gyro. An instant later, the 36 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE smoke jinni spat out the smoldering bones of To more than Yuttal! To Lady Nelia the craft. These fell earthward. Sealing! And to those beings who were exist- There was no audible explosion—the ing in mysterious slavery. engine of the old brown monoplane had a The pursuit extended into hours. Doc deafening howl. But the four schemers could kept far back. Only twice could he discern the see the bomb had done good work. They brown monoplane with his unaided eye. The flew on. others did not see it at all, except through “This oughta put us in solid with Yut- their binoculars. tal!” one hazarded, screaming to make him- They passed over Connecticut, going self heard. slightly to the west of the State capital. Mas- sachusetts dropped behind. The sun beat warmly on the wings of the great speed THE brown monoplane receded to a plane. The cabin, literally a huge vacuum fly speck in the distance. Even the speck bottle, was noiseless and comfortable. The vanished. However, a good pair of binoculars men took turns flying and watching, those off could make it visible. duty catching up on their sleep. Good binoculars were trained upon it, In a remote corner of the cabin, Doc too. Not one pair, but six. Those who stared took his exercises. They were remarkable, were aboard the giant tri-motored plane those exercises. They ran two full hours, and which had finally come out of the cloud of its Doc had been taking them from his cradle own spawning. days. They accounted for his terrific strength, Ham was flying the air monster. At the keenness of his senses. Doc’s suggestion, Ham had sped to New He made his muscles tug and strain York for the plane, which was Doc’s private against each other; he juggled complex craft. Ham, in addition to being a brilliant law- mathematical problems in his head to yer, could fly with the best and weave a sharpen his concentration. He had an appa- mean smoke screen. ratus which made sound waves of remote He had taken Doc and the others off frequencies; he had an assortment of scores the autogyro, which had then been allowed to of different odors which he identifi ed swiftly. fly away, controlled by an ordinary robot pilot, A page or two of Braille printing—the writing in the wake of the brown monoplane. As for of the blind—developed his touch. the illusion of six men boarding the gyro in He had many other things in his rou- the clearing—the sixth man had been a tine. Two hours of terrific work! scarecrow of sticks and various garments. It made the other five men perspire to The bomb had finished him. watch him. After seeing Doc’s grueling daily Ham was proud of his cloud. He work -out, it was no mystery why he had be- looked back at it. “Pretty neat, eh?” come one of the most remarkable of living Monk surveyed the mass of vapor men. critically. “Yeah, it’s swell! It’s just the kind of a cloud you’d make. It’s got the shape of a—” Monk broke off to squawl as if he were THE southeast corner of New Hamp- a tomcat accidentally stepped on in the dark. shire unrolled like a green carpet beneath the He had intended to say the cloud had the plane. Then came Maine. Mile after mile of it. shape of a pig, which was not far from the The pursuit seemed to have no end. truth. But Ham had given him a crack with Doc’s men swapped looks. Monk the cane. voiced their thoughts. “If you weren’t flyin’ this tin bird, I’d “The ghost Zeppelin! It was sighted up sure throw you out!” Monk growled. here!” Doc suggested mildly: “A little more “Does any one want to bet that Zeppe- steam, please. Those fellows are far enough lin is any more of a ghost than I am?” Johnny ahead that we can start after them.” invited hopefully. Levity—it was merely a way of cele- “You always want a sure thing!” Monk brating the tricking of their enemies— snorted. vanished. The trail became grim. They hoped Deep in the Maine woods country, the that the brown monoplane would lead them chase ended. The finish was, as they rather to Yuttal. more than expected—the Zeppelin! THE LOST OASIS 37

Doc was first to sight the craft, to catch “I think I’ll run on ahead of you birds,” the glint of sun on the great, cigar-shaped Doc decided. “When you get on the scene, envelope with its coating of aluminum paint don’t go too near the ship. Hang around due to minimize the absorption of heat. south of the valley. There may be guards It lay in a cup of a hollow among the posted. I’d better say, there are sure to be hills, in the center of a natural clearing of guards posted. They think we’re dead now, considerable extent. The bow was moored to and we don’t want to destroy the illusion. a large tree; the stern was drag-anchored to Stay to the south and I’ll find you.” a weight, probably of logs, which permitted Doc swung on ahead, traveling easily, the airship to swing with the breeze. although he bore the heaviest pack of the Doc, who was flying the plane at the group by a good many pounds. moment, banked slowly around, careful not If it occurred to his men that south of to cant the ship enough in the heavens that it the valley took in considerable territory for a would reflect a betraying sun flash. meeting place, they did not remark on it. He could see the brown monoplane They were cognizant of Doc’s somewhat as- spinning slowly down into the clearing where tonishing fund of wilderness lore. He would the sky monster lay. have little difficulty locating them. “Imagine that!” Ham exploded. “Where Mounting toward a ridge, the way lay did that thing come from? What’s it doing through evergreen trees and small brush. here?” Doc settled into a distance-cutting run. Miles “It might have come from a long way lay ahead, but he gave no thought to fatigue. off,” Doc told him. “Those things can make Not for nothing had he schooled his muscles tremendous flights without refueling.” from childhood. Ham scratched his head. “Do you After crossing several ridges and in- think it is the vanished Aëromunde?” tervening valleys, he came to a region of “We are not near enough to be certain, swampy ground—not mire, but damp earth of course. There is neither name nor identifi- covered with big, thickly packed trees. The cation numerals on the craft, you’ll notice. ground was a mat of brambles and thorny But her construction—she is a bit out of date, vines. as shown by her streamlining—is that of the Doc stopped under a drooping branch, Aëromunde. We’ll have to get closer before sank to his haunches, then leaped and we can be sure.” caught the branch. A flip put him atop it. He “Going to fly over?” ran along the swaying limb as if performing “No. We’ll land and go forward on foot. on a tight rope. A plunge through space to It’ll mean a tough afternoon of walking. But it clutch another bough on the next tree—he is our best bet.” made a good deal more speed than on the “If the airship just don’t pull out while brush-cankered ground. we’re tramping through that wilderness!” It was no job for average muscles, that Ham groaned, peering alternately at the briar swinging along the aërial lanes. Nor for an patches below, then at his own immaculate uncertain eye or hand. Often he was a score garments. of feet above the earth, sometimes more. Doc picked a handy lake—the great He covered half a mile before lowering speed ship was capable of a landing on land to the ground where the timber was open, or water—and dropped upon the surface. with many glades where he could sprint. Doc The beach was rocky, so they anchored the was traversing in an hour the distance which craft securely, some distance offshore, and his men would expend two hours or more in paddled to land in a collapsible rubber boat. conquering. Fashioning back packs out of their And Doc’s friends were far from being supplies—chemicals, electrical equipment, inexperienced woodsmen. Their physical trim weapons—they trooped into the timber. was of the best. They simply fell a good deal short of Doc’s abilities. Anxiety to solve this whole puzzling THE going was tough—very tough. It business was behind Doc’s hurry. He wanted began to look as if the trek to the valley to get Lady Nelia Sealing out of danger. He where the air mammoth lay, would be an all- wanted to find and destroy that hideous thing afternoon affair. of fluttering death, whatever it was. 38 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

He wanted—and this last was steadily time and paced nervously. Doc perceived growing in his thoughts—to probe the mys- she was chained to a girder. The chain was tery of the slaves. What was this horrible ex- light, and fastened about her neck—slave istence to which they were enthralled? Who fashion! were they? Where were they? Yuttal and Hadi-Mot appeared. They Lady Nelia was one being in trouble. rambled about, giving orders, always to- Those others were many. That was why their gether. It was apparent, however, that Yuttal predicament was growing in import. possessed the greater authority. There was no sign of the sinister wicker basket. WELL along in the afternoon, Doc came to the cup of a valley in which the diri- gible lay. A FEW hours later, Yuttal and Hadi- Encircling the depression, and at a Mot consulted with a strapping, sepia- distance of perhaps a mile, guards were sta- skinned native near the clearing edge. When tioned. They were not many rods apart. This the native departed, the pair lingered, con- meant a considerable force of men were pre- versing. sent. Neither were aware of a man, a great Doc studied the guards with no little in- bronze man like a tawny animal, who was terest. They were natives—of Africa, he con- harbored by near-by shrubs. cluded—for the most part. Great, strapping “Oh, that woman!” Hadi-Mot com- fellows! Nearly all bore scars. Fighting men! plained in Egyptian. “Akhkh! I think it best And cruel men, judging from their features. that we use a singa upon her pretty throat, They were armed with the latest opening it from ear to ear!” automatic rifles, and handled the weapons as “La!” snapped Yuttal. “Bi-ziadah! No! if they knew very well how to use them. That is enough! I do not want to hear any There was a regular sentry system, more about it! We take her back, alive and with a roundsman visiting each man at short unharmed! Fahemt? Do you understand?” intervals. Hadi-Mot shrugged. “She has already “Opaf! Dur!” the watchmen challenged caused trouble. She may do so again. Wal- each sound. “Imshi! Yallah!” lah! Why do you want such a woman?” The words were Egyptian for the mili- “You’ll see!” Yuttal leered. “When we tary commands of halt, and move forward. get her back, and she realizes there is no These fellows apparently knew no English. hope of escape, her spirit will break.” Doc crept past them. With an aborigi- Hadi-Mot shook with laughter. nal stealth, he glided forward. Rarely was he “Na’am? Yes? We shall see!” visible amid the brush. And seldom did a leaf “And you keep the men from harming flutter because of his passing. her!” Yurtal scowled. “Her spirit will break, all His progress was almost magical in its right. It took a big crack when she found out quiet. Doc had devoted study to this business that Savage bird was dead.” of stalking; he had observed the great preda- The two moved off, Hadi-Mot saying: tory creatures of the jungle, masters of the “We shall depart with night.” hunt. Soon afterward, a great, tawny figure He was soon ensconced in a cluster of moved from the concealing bushes. Noise- evergreen seedlings, looking out upon the less as a shadow, the bronze form quitted glade where the airship was moored. the vicinity. The craft was the Aëromunde, the Doc was no little relieved. Lady Nelia vanishing of which had become one of the Sealing seemed to be safe for the time being, aërial mysteries of all time. The name and due to a rather grotesque idea of chivalry on identification numbers had been daubed over Yuttal’s part. with aluminum paint, but from close range, Once clear of the sentries, Doc put on they could be discerned still. speed. He had formulated a plan—a daring ZX 03! The Aëromunde! plan! One that risked infinite peril. But he had Lady Nelia Sealing could be seen in five men to whom just that sort of thing was the control cabin. She was seated, evidently, the spice of existence. They would give it a at a chart table. But she arose from time to try. THE LOST OASIS 39

Chapter X ment. And that, my brothers, includes gas PERIL’S STOWAWAYS masks.” Johnny pulled at his jaw with a bony DOC SAVAGE encountered his five hand. Of the five, Johnny was the freshest. friends some three miles from the valley. An- His qualities of endurance were astounding. gling back and forth, he first found their trail, He never tired. Ham claimed this was be- then came upon the group, perspiring and cause there was nothing on Johnny’s bones tired, creeping through a thicket of conifers. to get tired—Johnny being only a few de- “Whew!” Renny grinned, sagging on a grees more plump than a skeleton. log. “What a hike! I’ll bet Daniel Boone never “Military equipment!” he ejaculated. went through a wilderness the equal of this!” “Does that mean they’re the soldiers of some “That,” Ham assured him, “explains nation?” why this country is unsettled. Why, I’ve heard “No,” Doc replied. “They’re not that, that deer in these woods live out their whole I’m sure. They look like the scrapings of Afri- lives in the same clearing in which they are can gutters. Some are Europeans. Yuttal is born. The brush is so thick they can’t get an American. He’s the only Yank, I believe. out.” But I have the whole gang catalogued as “I ain’t in no mood for that stuff you call criminals.” humor!” Monk grumbled. Then, to Doc: “I “And we’re going to stow away on the hope you ain’t gonna tell us we gotta turn airships!” around and go back?” Doc nodded soberly. “Exactly! We’re “You will probably wish you had done going to look into the mystery of those that before we’re through with this mess,” slaves!” Doc replied. “But we’re not. We’re going to The group moved into a cluster of stow away on that dirigible.” shrubs, that they might be less susceptible to “What?” discovery. They could do little until after the “From what I was able to learn, the sun went down. In the meantime, plans must craft has finished its mission here,” Doc ex- be made. plained. “That means it must have come for the sole purpose of intercepting Lady Nelia and the two men with her.” THE sun sank, a majestic, exagger- Doc repeated the conversation he had ated scarlet salad on the green garnish of the heard—so remarkable was his memory that wooded horizon. A fan of engilded light made he could give the exact words. a beacon of the west for a time, gradually “Lady Nelia is safe enough for the time retreating. A few clouds hung like crimson being,” he went on. “Much safer than she puddles in the sky. Dusk came slinking in like would be with us, if Yuttal and Hadi-Mot were a black fog. The sky was cloudy. still at liberty.” About the time night reached the great Renny picked briar thorns out of his aluminum cigar of a dirigible, Doc and his big fists. “We have gas! By taking this gang men also arrived. They closed in warily, by surprise, we could make a swell stab at keeping together. overcoming them.” Doc had drawn from a fund of knowl- “Sure we could!” Monk echoed. edge concerning airships and their character- They had no conception of the proper istics. He knew that the cool air of night odds for a fight, these two. They would, and would cause a contraction of lifting gas in the more than once had, cast themselves against envelopes, with a consequent loss of buoy- an overwhelming force. Miraculously enough, ancy. If he and his men could but get aboard they usually got out without being greatly now, their added weight would be attributed damaged. by Yuttal to shrinkage of the lifting gas. At But Doc thumbed down the sugges- this hour, the craft naturally became heavier. tion. Yuttal would not—if things went right— “There is hardly a breeze today,” he suspect he had acquired stowaways. pointed out. “We could not lay a gas cloud A cable, swinging down from the tail of and let the wind carry it over. Moreover, the ship, was fastened to a drag of logs. these fellows bear complete military equip- 40 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

A swarthy fellow kept watch over this Monk mounted the line, swinging with drag for the sake of safety. He carried a a simian ease by his long arms. stubby automatic rifle. The red eye of the guard’s cigarette This watchman, Doc had noted during flew in an arc and burst in a shower of jew- the afternoon, frequently retreated a few rods eled sparks. Footsteps sounded. The man to smoke. The fact that he backed away a was coming back to his post! safe distance before lighting his tobacco Grasping the hawser, Doc left the showed the dirigible was charged with explo- ground. He stopped thirty or so feet up. It sive hydrogen lifting gas. would not do to crowd Monk. That might Shortly after dark, the man moved off mean noise. once more. Preparations for departure were Doc heard the guard arrive below, under way. He wanted a last smoke. heard the thud of the man’s gun butt on the Doc Savage glided to the cable. It was drag logs. The cable vibrated slightly. It was, of wire, and offered, to his sinewed strength, due to the added weight in the rear of the simple climbing. He ran up it with his hands, dirigible, slightly slack. making no noise. Suddenly a gasp swished below! A The gloom—darkness had come surprised grunt! The guard had chanced to quickly in the cup of a valley—concealed his rest a hand on the cable—had discovered presence. the jarring. The cable terminated, as he had ex- “Min henak?” he rasped. “Who is pected, in a small windlass room. From this, there?” a precarious catwalk led forward toward the motor gondolas and control car. Another catwalk, even narrower, trailed back toward OVER Doc’s head a faint growl of dis- the rudder and elevator structure. gust sounded. That would be Monk, no little The place was dark, although wired irked to think they had so nearly gotten with electric lights. Doc did his exploring by aboard without being discovered. the sense of touch. “Ma taharraksh!” grated the guard be- Sliding back down the cable, he joined low. “Do not move!” his five men. Doc spoke to the man in his native “Shin up!” he breathed. He did not tell tongue. The facility with which the words them to be quiet—they knew the necessity were handled was high tribute to the reten- for that. tive quality of Doc’s trained brain. Renny went first. Upon his back was a “Oskut!” he growled in a hoarse, low sizable pack. This held fire arms, a few pills tone. “Shut up! Thou fool! I am but adjusting of concentrated ration, and a collapsible flask the cable!” filled with water from a brook in the “Ya, Samih ni!” muttered the watch- neighborhood. man, evidently mistaking Doc for a hard- Johnny was the second to ascend. He boiled officer. “Oh, excuse me. I thought per- also bore a pack, as did the others. haps it might be an enemy.” Doc circled a few yards from the Doc now climbed. The man below group, watching alertly. Forward toward the would probably never realize he had been control cabin, electric lanterns were blazing. tricked. Men were loading food aboard, and adding But things were not to come off so gas to the ballonets. A great pile of five- nicely. From above came a low whistle. Doc gallon gasoline tins attested to fuel already in stared upward. the tanks. The windlass room was now lighted. These supplies had, Doc decided, The hatch was a reddish panel. Over the been brought in by plane during the last few hatch rim, a hairy paw appeared. Monk’s days. They had certainly not been trans- hand! It gestured, beckoning upward. ported through the wilderness. But Monk’s fingers twisted rapidly, as- Long Tom and Ham clambered up the suming different positions. The deaf-mute cable. language! He was spelling out words: A red, glowing spot, perhaps a hun- “We’re caught!” dred yards distant, marked the cigarette of Doc hardly paused in his climbing, so the guard. quickly did he reach a decision. Some one THE LOST OASIS 41 must have come along the catwalks and After the anaesthetic had mingled with trapped his friends! the air for a minute, it became ineffective. The guess was correct. The instant The men eyed the two swarthy sleep- Doc’s bronze head topped the hatch, he ers. found himself facing the muzzle of two auto- Doc bent over them, a small hypoder- matic rifles. Fierce, cruel, dark faces glared mic needle in his hand. He applied the tip to over the gun sights. the forearm of each slumbering fellow. “Idkhol, hush!” hissed one of the pair. This needle held a drug which would “Come in!” keep the men in a strange stupefied state Doc complied with the command. until they were administered an antidote. It Nothing had altered about his bronze fea- paralyzed certain portions of their brains, tures. Things might have been going making it impossible for them to speak or smoothly, for all the expression he showed. think for themselves. They would be able to “They crept along the catwalk from ei- eat, to walk about—but only when told to do ther direction,” Renny said in a low, tense so. voice. “We heard them, but a fight would “El khabar eyh?” called the guard at have spread an alarm. We figured—” the foot of the cable. He sounded suspicious. “Oskut!” came the grated order “Shut No doubt he had noted that Doc, climbing up!” into the lighted windlass cubicle, did not re- Doc’s golden eyes roved over his semble one of the gang. “What is the mat- men. His glance dropped meaningly to his ter?” own chest. Then he drew air into his lungs “We’re in a pickle!” Monk muttered. and held it. The others followed his example. “That guy is gonna give an alarm in a minute. In a moment, they were all holding their Even if he don’t, these two birds are gonna breath. be missed!” The swarthy pair with the rifles found The electric bulb, illuminating the this behavior puzzling. They blinked and windlass compartment, was inclosed in a scowled and slapped their weapons mean- stout wire protector. ingly. Inserting a pair of fingers between the “‘Oa!” one hissed. “Take care!” mesh of the guard, Doc unscrewed the bulb. Then he drew air into his own lungs, There was no time to hunt for the current apparently for the purpose of voicing an switch. alarm. His lips parted. The beginning of the Darkness gushed into the small cubi- shout convulsed his throat. cle. Out of Doc’s pockets came more of the He and his companion sagged forward glass globes containing the unusual anaes- silently upon their faces! The manner in thetic gas. He pegged four of them down- which this happened was uncanny. One ward, aiming at the voice of the uneasy sen- moment they were alert, deadly. The next, try. The man himself was, of course, invisible they were asleep on their feet! in the murk. “El khabar—” The sentry’s call ended suddenly. Silence followed. DOC and his men did not relax. They “That got him!” grunted Monk. “Now— were still holding their breath. Twenty sec- what’ll we do with the three of ‘em?” onds they retained it! Forty! Long Tom’s pale Not answering, Doc bent over the two face began to get mottled and purple with the guards. They wore stout cartridge belts. He effort. fastened them together with these belts, tying Long Tom knew better than to inhale, their ankles in a secure bunch. Then, slinging however, for the air was impregnated with a them head-downward over his giant, corded powerful anaesthetic vapor. The stuff had shoulder, he eased through the hatch. He been in a pocket of Doc’s coat, contained in slid down the cable to the ground. glass globes. With a casual pressure, unno- Up toward the control cabin, the ex- ticed by the two captors, Doc had broken the citement of preparing to depart had caused globes. the encounter to go unnoticed. But it would A minute elapsed. Doc released his hardly escape discovery for long. breath. The others promptly did likewise. Doc restored the belts, with which he had tied the two men, to their proper posi- 42 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE tions. He found the sentry slumped on his Inside these ring-girders were ladderlike cat- face, snoring softly. With the hypo needle, walks. Doc gave the fellow a treatment of the pecu- Coming to one of the rings, Doc led liar brain-paralyzing drug. Then he arranged his procession to the right. Their route curved the three in a close group. upward. Soon they were climbing vertically. The woods walled in the glade at a They reached a celluloid-windowed observa- distance of some rods. Doc ran for the near- tion port. est brush. He knew what he wanted. They By pressing close to the port, Doc were plentiful at this season of the year. Ber- could see what was happening back at the ries! tail anchor. He found a patch, broke off several The three stupefied men had been well-laden twigs, and carried them back. He found. Over their forms, an excited conversa- smeared some of the purple-tinted juice on tion was in progress. A dozen or so electric the fingers of the senseless men. He stained lanterns cast ample radiance. their lips in the same fashion. “What in blazes has happened to Into numerous of the berries which these guys?” yelled Yuttal, speaking English. remained, Doc probed the point of his hypo “Ma arafsh!” wailed slender Hadi-Mot. needle, depositing a small quantity of the “I do not know! What are those stains upon drug. their hands and lips?” A shout pealed from the control cabin. “They’ve been eating berries!” Yuttal “Cast off the stern mooring cable!” snorted. “But berries like that are not poison!” Doc hastily clambered up to the wind- It began to seem that Doc’s deception lass room. The next few minutes would see was not going to prove effective. the success or failure of his trick. Only through the stupidity and greed of one of the gang, did it eventually succeed. This fellow had seized upon the berries when THE stowaways did not linger in the he first arrived, and had downed several, windlass compartment, not wishing to invite never a thought entering his thick head that discovery. They moved forward, treading the they might be unpalatable. No doubt he had narrow grid of a catwalk which gave under- eaten other berries just like them during his foot like banjo strings. stay in this remote valley. On either side flared alloy metal gird- A bilious look now overspread his ers—beams perforated and hollowed out to unlovely features. He emitted a howl of fright. attain the greatest possible lightness. Taut The drug, taken through the digestive tract, brace wires sang softly whenever they were worked somewhat slowly. He staggered jarred. The fabric envelope was stretched about wildly, and becoming listless, fell over the whole. It was thin, that covering. A prone. misstep meant they would plunge through. “Wallah!” shouted Hadi-Mot. “It was The fall to the ground, even though the craft the berries which poisoned them!” was moored, was great enough to cause Yuttal scratched his fat knob of a death or serious injury. head. “Yeah, I reckon. But danged if I ever Above the catwalk, pressing down knew them kind of berries to be poison be- upon it, were the netting bags which retained fore!” the gas ballonets of goldbeater skin and linen. They went slowly, for the catwalk DOC and his men continued their sloped downward steeply, following the flare climb upward, knowing their presence was of the plump craft. And the way was undetected. cramped, especially for Doc, Renny and A gentle chuckle purred in Monk’s bar- Monk, who were men of greater than ordi- rel of a chest. nary size. “They’ll take them guys aboard and The framework of the dirigible was doctor em, of course,” he said softly. “I bet constructed of several so-called ring-girder they find they’ve got the strangest case of assemblies, joined together by other longitu- poisonin’ on their hands that they ever met dinal beams, and the whole braced by wire. up with.” THE LOST OASIS 43

The others, thinking how the drug table top of blue-black, scratched here and acted—it literally made living dummies out of there with thin creamy chalk. its victims—stifled laughter. They were in a It was the sea, with the moonlight mood for mirth. Their plans were working out upon wind-blown spindrift. A dark and som- perfectly. ber sea, sullen and threatful, it impressed the Only Doc was unmoved. He rarely stowaways. laughed, unless for the purpose of putting The airship droned on. The six men some one at ease, or in playing a part— slept, but with one always on watch. which did not necessarily mean he was per- petually gloomy. He merely did not show de- light, just as he rarely betrayed horror, dis- Chapter XI gust or other emotion. FIGHT IN THE SKY Too, he was thinking of other things— of the weird death of the darkness! Of the TROUBLE was ahead. Doc and his young woman prisoner aboard! Of their un- men sensed its coming. It could not be more known destination! And of the enslaved than an hour or two distant. There was noth- souls, the existence of whom had led him to ing they could do but wait. They did that, attempt this perilous business of stowing grimly. away! Two days had gone. A third was well Reaching the ridge catwalk, the men under way. The dirigible had met favorable sought a suitable spot for concealment. air currents for most of the route across the “We’ll stay near the stern,” Doc de- Atlantic. No storms. Engines had been ran at cided. “In a pinch, we may find it necessary an economical speed, yet progress had been to seize the controls. They can be operated excellent, due to tail winds. by hand from a compartment near the rud- It sailed the sky lanes like a modern ders, I believe.” ship, did this craft which had been lost to the They took up their positions in an in- ken of mankind for many years. The spection tunnel which, being remote from Aëromunde had been the queen of her day; catwalks and motor gondolas, was not likely she was still far from outdated. to be used. They had entered Africa somewhere Water ballast, spilling with a roar beyond the Canaries, flying fairly high to somewhere below, denoted the air giant was avoid attention. They were now far in the in- being lightened for the take-off. Soon the tail terior. For hours, desert had been swinging lifted, swinging lazily. below. The heat and the glaring sun made With a heave that was plainly percep- the earth like a platter of molten copper. tible, the dirigible left the earth. The motors The Aëromunde had lost much of her started—five of them. Noise of the unmuffled buoyancy—the flight had been a very long exhaust joined in a moaning symphony of one. Much water ballast had been expended. power. Practically all of it was gone from the tail wa- Speed gave the huge ship additional ter sacks. But the ship was still tail-heavy. lift, plane-fashion. It sloped up into the night. Yuttal, Hadi-Mot and their crew of vil- A thousand feet! Another! lains were becoming suspicious. Several The stowaways could sense the tight- times, men had ventured aft to search for the ening of the gas bags as pressure of the sur- trouble. They seemed to think there was a rounding air lessened. leak in one of the aft gas ballonets. Doc pricked a hole in the outer enve- Ham, who had been up scouting the lope and took a star bearing through a rift in ridge catwalk, clambered down to report. He the clouds. still carried his sword cane. “Southwest,” he announced. “Several men are making another in- “Does anybody want to bet we’re not spection,” he advised. “They are going over headed for Africa?” questioned Johnny, who every ballonet thoroughly as they can. There never offered to wager unless he had a sure is not a chance of them missing us.” thing. Renny knobbed his big hands into fists Hours later, the dirigible left the clouds and inspected them. “Well, it was too good to behind and swam in a platinum haze of moonlight. Below lay what looked like a great 44 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE last. And I can stand a fight. In fact, I’d be More swarthy figures leaped out of glad to see one.” girder tunnels and catwalks as the trouble- “Yeah,” Monk grunted. “About three shooting party answered the alarm cry. But days we’ve been in here. I never put in three the gas accounted for them in swift succes- longer ones, what I mean! I could do with sion. some water, too!” Monk popped into view—a milky light The last of their water had trickled penetrated the doped cloth skin of the great down their throats some hours ago. They still gas bag lighting the catwalks faintly. He sig- had concentrated rations, although these naled deaf-mute talk with his hairy fingers. were not what could be called delicious eat- “The jamboree has started!” ing. They tasted like wood. The other four men trailed Monk. They Long Tom juggled one of the marvel- all wore gas masks. ously compact little machine guns, then Doc produced a flat case from his placed it aside, a thoughtful expression on coat, opened it and distributed the contents. his somewhat unhealthy -looking features. These were metal thimbles which fitted tightly “We dare not do any shooting in these on the finger tips. And each held a needle so catwalks and inspection tunnels!” he de- sharp that it could penetrate a man’s skin clared. “They’re loaded with leaking hydro- without causing noticeable pain. gen gas. A spark would blow the works!” The needles were hollow; through Doc put in dryly, “Don’t get worried. I them Doc’s remarkable brain-paralyzing drug think we can hold them off. The narrowness was forced. of these catwalks will prevent them rushing Doc’s men donned them, and their us. And they won’t dare use firearms, any mere touch became capable of producing more than we will.” instant unconsciousness. Taking several of Monk’s gas bombs, Ham bared his sword cane, flourished Doc worked up to the ridge catwalk. He it and the fine steel twanged like a guitar donned a mask—his five friends had started string. Since the gas made use of firearms putting on theirs as he left. unfeasible, Ham’s sword was the best One of the ring tunnels gaped ahead. weapon in the group. Down the one to the right, he saw a man Doc placed an ear against a girder, working. He unkeyed one of the grenades gesturing the others to do the same. The vi- and tossed it near the fellow. bration of the five motors was a throbbing The man whirled at the mushy smack moan. But over that came erratic thuds and of the grenade—they opened mechanically, patterings. Feet! Men climbing to the attack! by a spring effect, and made no flame and Two husky brown knifemen came little sound. A knife and a pistol decorated his mincing down the catwalk from the direction belt. He ignored the gun, showing he realized of the bows. They gripped singas with razor- the fatal consequence of a shot, and clawed sharp blades half as long as their arms. Both his knife from its sheath. The blade was long wore gas masks. and curved. He sprang for Doc. Fierce grins wreathed their toast- As he came down after the first leap, colored features as Doc advanced to meet the fellow’s legs became limber as strings. them—bronze hands empty. They knew how He sank, weaving from side to side, and to use those singas, did these two. Many a tumbled backward a few yards down the desert Arab and bush country trader had steeply curving ring tunnel, to become been spitted on the blades. wedged in brace wires. It worked swiftly, that They were so confident that they el- gas. bowed each other on the narrow catwalk to From forward on the ridge catwalk, an be first to slide steel into the bronze man. excited yell pealed. “Wallah! Ta’ala hena! They never did find out exactly what Come here! Quickly! The bronze devil has happened next. One got Doc’s neck within come back from the dead!” easy reach; he stabbed viciously, aiming for the jugular. He missed, his arm passing over Doc’s shoulder. DOC flung a grenade at the shouting man. Almost instantly, the fellow caved down. THE LOST OASIS 45

Bars of steel seemed to trap the fel- Surprise caused him to inhale the vapor. He low’s arm and wrist. The arm disjointed. The collapsed, falling atop his gassed companion. singa flipped up and stuck in the dirigible Doc removed boots and belts from his skin. But the man did not suffer long—Doc victims. He tied the boots into a tight bundle wrenched off his mask. with the belts. The second knifeman never even The ring tunnels and a few vertical struck the first blow. A flashing movement, shafts extending from keel to ridge spewed and he found himself without his gas mask. attackers. They closed in slowly, watching each step, for the cramped ridge catwalk had 46 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE never been intended as a battleground. Too, Yuttal suddenly found himself to be few of them had gas masks. They were wary. plainly exposed—which was what Doc had Behind Doc, Ham’s sword cane sud- calculated upon. Yuttal was too fat to dodge denly engaged a knife, to the tune of a high- quickly. pitched clicking and rasping. Chink ! The steel glanced off Yuttal’s A scream! The knife wielder plunged shoulder—Doc had intended to maim rather in flight, wrist tendon slashed. than kill—and passed completely through the Some one threw a knife at Doc. He envelope fabric. Yuttal wore, under his twisted aside, but instead of letting the blade blouse, some sort of a jacket of chain mail. go by, caught it in the bundle he had made of Like an overgrown desert rat, Yuttal the shoes. He did not want the steel to pass popped from view. him and perhaps find lodging in one of his Behind Doc, Ham’s sword cane was five friends. singing and clicking again. Another blade came like an arrow. He Monk emitted a great roaring and bel- caught it in the same fashion. lowing, the sounds he always made when in “Wallah!” shrieked the swart men, and a fight! His fists smacked! Men howled and began squawling their personal opinions of groaned! The taut metal of the catwalk jarred Doc, his five aides, and their assorted ances- to the stamp of fighting feet. tors. They used many expressive camel- The attack from the rear suddenly driver words, expletives which would have ceased. Doc’s men were victorious. made a Yankee mule skinner blush. But they The gang in front of Doc got up nerve were in no hurry to charge. There was no gas enough to charge. where they stood. He flung a gas grenade. The men who did not have masks, promptly fled. Those with masks wavered. IN the background, far way along the Doc flung two knives. Both blades dimly illuminated catwalk, Doc caught sight of lodged in leg muscles. fat Yuttal. The man evidently thought he was That settled it for the time being. The out of danger. cinnamon-skinned crew retreated, dragging “Hugum!” he brayed angrily at his re- the pair who had steel in their legs. luctant followers. “Charge! Charge!” Two more razor-sharp singas came hissing along the cramped, girder-and-wire- THEY encountered Yuttal, perspiring walled corridor. and somewhat pale, in a vertical shaft. This Doc caught them in his bundle of shaft was a yard in width and extended per- boots—so close together that the sound of pendicularly from the ridge to the keel, termi- steel biting leather was a blended thud. nating in a hatch which admitted to the con- “By the life of my father!” howled one trol cabin. who had flung his blade. “The man is in truth “Wallah!” gritted Yuttal, addressing a ghost! No son of a woman could move so them in their native tongue. “You are rabbits!” swiftly! He is a ruh! A spirit!” “La!” was the muttered reply. “Not! By “Hugum!” shrieked Yuttal. “Charge! your father’s beard, we are wise men who Are you offspring of scared dogs, that you know well when to retreat!” are afraid of a little magic?” Fuming, Yuttal descended to the con- Doc had been waiting for the gas to trol cabin. He traversed the ladder with an reach the gang, but now he decided it was agility that was somewhat surprising, consid- not going to penetrate that far. There was a ering his figure was nearly as round as a ball. fairly strong draft along the catwalk tunnel, His men followed. The only casualty of due to the forward motion of the airship. This the fray then occurred. One fellow lost his had evidently swept the vapor back. balance and fell upon the gas ballonets. Un- His great right arm turned into a fortunately, he was holding his knife in one bronze blur as he flung one of the long- hand and it cut through the netting retaining bladed singas. the bag, as well as through the linen fabric The brown men saw it coming. They and goldbeater skin of the ballonet. He fell in ducked as though pulled by a single string. the bag and the hydrogen gas suffocated him before he could be hauled out. THE LOST OASIS 47

Yuttal sent a volley of profanity, much bronze man had been when she was blinded of it English, up the shaft when he heard of by a flashlight on the Yankee Beauty in New the big leak in the ballonet. The fate of the York harbor. Moreover, on that occasion, she man did not seem to bother him as much as had mistaken him for an enemy. the hole in the bag. They were already shy “I have heard enough of him to know on buoyancy—thanks partly to the added what he can do!” she retorted. “He once did a weight of strapping Doc Savage and his five great favor for an acquaintance of mine in men. England, and the man who was helped, told Slender, handsome Hadi-Mot was in me, should I ever be in terrible trouble, to get the control cabin, where he had been han- hold of Savage. At the time, little did I think dling the big dirigible. that the advice would ever come in handy!” “I gather that you were unsuccessful,” “But it did,” Hadi-Mot said absently. he chided Yuttal. “It did,” the young woman said point- Yuttal glowered, then scowled at Lady edly. “And I have succeeded in getting him to Nelia Sealing. work against you and your infernal plans. The pretty young woman, bright- You’ve noticed he’s around, haven’t you?” cheeked and extremely attractive, sat at the The last was nothing if not a nasty dig. chart table. The only incongruous note was Hadi-Mot and Yuttal glared at her. the light chain which ran from her slender Suddenly a pleased leer overspread neck to an alloy girder. Yuttal’s oversize, hideous features. He She looked happy, and she was. Her scratched his tremendous nose, pulled at his delight was not because of her own lot, how- huge, thick lip. ever, but came from the recently acquired “I’ve got it!” he gloated. “We’ll use our knowledge that Doc Savage was far from little pet in the wicker basket. It ain’t so light being as dead as Yuttal and Hadi-Mot had in them catwalks but that the thing will go to claimed. work!” “You lied to me!” she told them, almost The words caused Lady Nelia to be- triumphantly. “You told me Savage had been come very pale. She sank back in the chair killed by a bomb in his plane, but you knew beside the chart table, the chain about her all the time he was alive!” neck clanking on the table as she did so. She Yuttal’s scowl became darker. “No- blinked in dull horror. Then, unexpectedly, body was more surprised than me to learn she flung back her head. A piercing scream the guy was still kickin’!” he disclaimed. tore from her throat. The four aviators who had set the “Savage—Watch out for—” bomb trap for Doc in far-away New York Yuttal’s puffy hand over her mouth State now put in a sheepish appearance. choked off the cry. She struggled desper- They took a bitter tongue flaying from Yuttal ately, but the fat man held her and managed and Hadi-Mot. to insert an effective gag between her even “We thought we got him!” was all they white teeth. This eliminated her last chance could mutter in defense. of shrieking a warning, in hopes her voice “Bass!” Hadi-Mot finally interrupted the would carry to Doc Savage and his friends in wordy exchange. “That’s enough! While we the distant stern of the gigantic gas bag. talk, we get very near our destination. We must think of a way to dispose of this bronze man. Wallah! He has caused us much trou- ORDERS were now issued and re- ble!” layed to the farthest reaches of the dirigible. “And he will cause you more!” Lady Obeying the commands, men came weaving Nelia cut in sharply. “He will smash this along the delicate catwalks. whole devilish business you are conducting! Most of them went to a long compart- He will free those poor slaves!” ment in the keel, which was fitted with bunks “You have great confidence in this and served them as quarters. Entering, they Savage!” sneered Hadi-Mot, speaking fair closed the doors, which were of light veneer English. “Yet you have never seen him.” wood. They took great pains to see that the Lady Nelia nipped her upper lip with panels were securely fastened. white teeth. It was true she had not yet seen Doc Savage. Her one encounter with the 48 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

Other men clambered into the motor “Funny!” Ham sneered. “This gang gondolas and shut the hatches, securing don’t need any jokes to make ‘em laugh! All them tightly. we have to do is take a look at that homely It was as if they were barring them- face of yours and start chuckling!” selves from some horror which was to be Monk only grinned amiably. If Ham loosened on the air monster. Some deadly could not think of a better comeback than terror of which, knowing well what it was, that, he must be slipping. they were in great fear! “It’s strange!” Long Tom echoed the Yuttal, Hadi-Mot, the four villainous general feeling of uneasiness. “Every one of American aviators and three other men re- our enemies seems to have disappeared!” mained in the control room. They drew their “Did you fellows hear the start of a guns and inspected them thoroughly. This woman’s scream a moment ago?” Doc Sav- showed that, so frightsome was the thing age asked unexpectedly. about to be released, they were willing to risk The others looked at him in surprise. firing shots which might ignite the inflamma- They had heard nothing; only Doc’s hearing ble hydrogen, if only they could defend them- had been keen enough to catch the distant selves against it. They drew their knives. shriek. The scream with which Lady Nelia Lady Nelia sat, white as paper, trem- had tried to warn them of the horror about to bling from head to foot and fighting the gag. be unleashed! There was little possibility of her getting it out Doc stood erect on the catwalk. Lean- of her teeth, for Yuttal had also tied her ing slightly to one side, he drove a big, metal- hands behind her. lic fist against the skin fabric of the dirigible. Yuttal now went to a storeroom. He re- The doped cloth burst with a loud report be- turned with the bulky wicker basket. fore the terrific blow. Tearing, Doc opened He pressed the lid of the basket to the the hole to a greater size. perpendicular inspection shaft which led Without a word, he swung outside. straight upward to the ridge. Then he turned A terrific blast of air hit him. The titan an uneasy face to Hadi-Mot. of fabric and alloy upon which he stood was “You get over here,” he said thickly. traveling at a fast clip. The air was very “The thing will come back to your call. You’re warm. Heat beat up from the aluminum- the only one who can control it!” treated back of the Aëromunde. The African “Very well,” agreed Hadi-Mot. sun was reflected in a blinding glare. Taking his position, he jammed the Off to either side, heat -scored desert basket to the shaft mouth. A single jerk would flung away to the horizon. It was an ominous free the lid, letting the thing in the wicker con- waste of shifting sand dunes, as trackless as tainer go free to make its way up the shaft. all eternity. “Hurry up!” Yuttal mumbled. He was Ahead, low mountains reared. They plainly scared of the caged horror. were chopped masses, as if a titanic meat cleaver had hewn and beaten at the expanse of stone. Bald and hideous; repellent to the Chapter XII eye. Not even a bush. THE LOST 0ASIS Doc’s golden eyes were thoughtful as he surveyed the rugged fastness of rock. He DOC SAVAGE and his friends were had a good idea as to the dirigible’s position. having it so easy they felt a bit suspicious. And maps did not show these mountains. “Something is up,” Johnny muttered. “I That was understandable, however. feel it in my bones!” This portion of Africa was uninhabited—a “You couldn’t very well feel it any- desert which offered no livelihood, even to where else!” said the sharp-tongued Ham, the hardy Arabs. A few aviators flying across eyeing Johnny’s thin frame. Africa were probably the only civilized men Monk scowled at Ham, then at the who had ever seen much of it. others. “I wonder if we could get along with- The dirigible was heading straight for out this shyster?” he pondered. “If I thought the low, bare mountains. so, I’d pitch him out. I sure get tired of him Doc moved toward the bows, bending trying to be funny!” against the tearing rush of wind. Footing was THE LOST OASIS 49 treacherous. A misstep meant he might eas- tunate brown man had fallen into a ballonet ily skid off the top of the airship into space. and suffocated. A powder flash would ignite He was wasting no time. His scrutiny the vapor. of the earth below had been brief, and now Doc’s bronze hand dived into his cloth- he was running easily. ing and came out with several of his anaes- The unnatural lack of life, the ominous thetic-containing glass globes. These, al- tension which had seized upon the craft, had though they produced an effect similar to conveyed warning. Some plot was unfolding. Monk’s gas, were not as potent. Moreover, Too, Doc had heard the portion of a cry Lady the anaesthetic became ineffective after ap- Nelia had uttered! proximately a minute, whereas Monk’s gas The Aëromunde had originally been retained its power until dispersed by a constructed as a ship of war. Stationed along breeze. the ridge were four machine gun emplace- Doc had a supply of Monk’s grenades. ments. Yet, for reasons of his own, he used the Doc, reaching the first of these, noted glass balls. He pegged them into the shaft, the rapid-firers were still in place, swathed in causing them to break on the girders and canvas weather jackets. brace wires. Access to this machine-gun nest was The revolting creature in the shaft through one of the perpendicular keel-to- lifted with convulsive floppings. It entered the ridge shafts—the one which terminated in the cloud of anaesthetic vapor. Onward, it came! control cabin. The gas seemed to have no effect! Doc lifted the hatch. His gaze sank But no! The gloomy mass wavered! It through the vertical flue. hung poised! It contorted in grisly fashion! At the shaft mouth, plainly visible, he Then it plummeted back down the shaft! saw the wicker basket. The lid was jammed Doc Savage, peering into the gloomy tightly to the opening. A brown, supple hand well of metal and fabric, found it impossible fumbled at the lid and, as Doc watched, the to ascertain the exact nature of the creature. lid was yanked back. The thing crashed back into the open A hideous black shape lifted upward in cage, still being held against the shaft. the shaft. The shock knocked the man who held the cage to his knees. Terrified yells drifted upward! The men THE deadly, fluttering creature thought their monster had turned upon them. mounted with amazing speed. It was like a They did not know Doc had overcome it. The trembling, luridly black cloth pulled on a wicker basket with its grisly contents was string. The thing shut off what illumination dragged away from beneath the shaft. came from the bottom of the shaft. The re- Deliberately, Doc dropped more glass sulting murk concealed the exact nature of spheres down the vertical passage. These, the horror. for the most part, fell entirely to the bottom Doc Savage carried no guns; he sub- and burst, their contents flooding the control scribed to the theory that the man who car- room. ries a firearm will come to put too much de- The shouting abruptly subsided. pendence upon it and will, as a conse- Doc waited a full minute, ears tuned to quence, be virtually helpless when without penetrate the drone of the engines. The mo- the gun. tors were not nearly as loud as usual; they No doubt cartridges were in the ammo had apparently been throttled down. A min- drums cased beside the machine guns in the ute gone! The gas had dissolved. ridge emplacement. But it would take time to Traveling so rapidly that he might have rip off the rapid-firer covers, detach them and been sliding on a cable, Doc descended. He turn the muzzles down the shaft. soon stood in the control cabin. Time! There were only splits of sec- Lady Nelia Sealing slumped at the onds. chart table, sleeping from the effects of the Not even Doc could get the machine gaseous anaesthetic. gun into action. Anyway, copious quantities Men—Yuttal, Hadi-Mot, the four avia- of hydrogen gas were pouring from the shaft tors—sprawled in various positions. maw, coming from the rent where the unfor- 50 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

The wicker basket could not be seen. He was curious to fathom whatever the se- But the control-car door was unlatched. cret the spot held. Doc stepped to a window and glanced It was characteristic of the big bronze downward. man, this permitting himself and his aides to Below and to the rear, a tiny splotch be carried into the rookery of his enemies. could be discerned upon the hot desert sand. Reckless, overconfident, his move might Doc seized binoculars which dangled from a have seemed to the uninitiated. It was none hook over the array of controls at the front of of these. He was merely unafraid, and pre- the compartment. He focused the lenses pared for any jeopardy. upon the spot. The wicker cage! The men had flung the thing overboard in their fright, wishing to DOC’S five friends welcomed his re- be rid of their hideous creature. The basket turn with astounded glances at the limp form and its contents, a pulpy mass, had been of Lady Nelia. They rattled questions, to buried in the sand by the fall. It was impossi- which Doc gave terse, descriptive replies. ble to tell what the horror had been. While Doc administered restoratives to hasten Lady Nelia’s return to consciousness, the others clambered out on the ridge of the THE Aëromunde moaned through the sky giant to get first glimpses of the strange, hot sunlight like a vehicle of the living dead. bleak country ahead. No one stirred. There was no sound over the They beheld an awesome sight. The cadence of the motors, except for an occa- Aëromunde was over the low, rugged moun- sional noisy snore. tains. The array of rocky peaks lay in the The crew were still barricaded in their shape of a ring, miles across. quarters, either unaware the wicker basket In the center of the stony ring lay an had been hurled overboard or fearing the oasis. A lost oasis! For certainly no hint of its creature of fluttering death had not been in presence would have reached a traveler on the container. the desert. Doc’s gaze ranged the controls, cen- A vast platter of green! The utter tering particularly upon the gauges showing denseness of the vegetation caused the men the amount of fuel remaining, the quantity of to turn binoculars upon it. They saw such a ballast still unexpended, and the status of the jungle as they had seldom beheld. gas supply. Tropical trees were matted in such Fuel was almost gone; little ballast re- profusion that they seemed to grow one out posed aboard; the ballonets were slack, the of the other. Lianas and aërial creepers tied one above virtually empty. These things told the whole into an impenetrable mat. Orchids Doc that the dirigible could remain in the air and other rare and brilliantly colored blooms but two hours or so longer. could be seen. He had hoped he and his friends might Luxuriant though the jungle was, and seize the craft and sail it to civilization. No contrasting as it did with the blazing desert, chance of that! They would never get out of the oasis, nevertheless, possessed a sinister the desert! and unwholesome air. It was like something The chain securing Lady Nelia was green and hideous lying there in an infinity of padlocked securely at her neck and a girder. furnace-hot, wind-tortured sand. Doc worked over the padlock with one of the Black, living specks sailed in the air young woman’s hair pins. He got it open. above the strange oasis. Carrying her slender form easily, he Johnny, after studying the dark birds mounted the shaft. with his binoculars, said: “Pharaoh’s hens!” He left Yuttal, Hadi-Mot, and the oth- “Huh?” gulped Monk. ers behind—unharmed. He had an excellent “Vultures!” Johnny then elaborated. reason for doing this. The men would revive “They call this species Pharaoh’s hens.” in time to direct the landing of the airship. The others shivered. Scavengers! The goal of the flight—the lair of these Birds of death! They hung over the repellent men—must be near, and Doc wished the green of the oasis as if it were a carrion leviathan of the air to reach its destination. thing. THE LOST OASIS 51

“Say, the buzzards behave strangely,” Men appeared on the ground, dozens Ham ejaculated after a time. “Watch ‘em! of them. They were assembling in a compact They circle and circle, but they don’t go near group in the center of the cut. the jungle. It almost looks as if the birds were A landing crew to handle the afraid of the vegetation.” Aëromunde! “The thing that impresses me,” Renny It was Renny who called attention to muttered, “is that there are no other birds. one of the most disquieting discoveries of all. Only vultures!” A rectangular stockade! It was con- “Hey—the birds are not afraid to go structed of tall posts, set so closely together down!” Monk ejaculated, “There goes one that nowhere was there space for a man to black cuss now! See ‘im!” squeeze through. At one point was a stout The men watched. They witnessed a gate. The tops of the posts were sharpened weird, horrible occurrence. to ugly points. The black scavenger bird settled Within the stockade were human fig- swiftly into the vegetation. Apparently, it ures—dejected, wasted beings! Many were grasped some tidbit of food. little more than living hulls. The vulture sought to lift into the air They were chained, neck to neck, in again. It’s hideous black wings flailed madly. groups of ten. But it did not get off! The plant, the sickly- The forlorn sight was blotted from view hued shrub upon which it had landed, as the dirigible swept over. The craft turned seemed to have grasped the bird. slowly and began nosing down into the rent. Slowly, the shrub closed its tentacle- A slight breeze sweeping steadily between like shoots. It enveloped the vulture! the precipitous walls simplified the landing, “Holy cow!” Renny croaked. eliminating the menace of a cross wind. Of the five men, Johnny seemed the It was while the giant aluminum cigar least surprised. He possessed a knowledge was over the north end of the crack that of strange earthly plants second only to Doc’s men made an additional find—a deep Doc’s learning. pit, not unlike a monster well. “Carnivorous plants!” he ejaculated. Treacherous paths led down into the “They grow in boggy regions, and trap in- void. Chained figures shuffled along these sects and small animals which come in con- paths. And, when the Aëromunde was in a tact with them! That’s the way they get food.” favorable position, they could observe many “That vulture wasn’t so small!” Monk more shackled beings slaving in the bottom. muttered. Around the mouth of the digging, blu- “No-o-o!” Johnny admitted. “The car- ish piles of waste were heaped. The stuff nivorous qualities must be developed to a seemed to be clay—blue clay, with a faintly more than ordinary degree!” greenish tinge. Ham now pointed with his sword cane. “This clears up the mystery of the “There seems to be our destination!” slaves!” Ham declared grimly. “The slaves are poor devils being forced to work these diggings.” THE spot Ham indicated was a patch “Yeah—being made to mine dia- of rocky ground, higher than the surrounding monds!” Monk muttered, forgetting himself so jungle. This stony prominence was split with much as to agree with Ham. “The blue a deep crack. ground means diamonds, of course! This The airship was swinging over the must be the source of the stones Lady Nelia rent. Steep, overhanging, the rocky walls carried!” were three or four hundred feet in height. The latter statement reminded them of “Hey!” Monk yelled. “D’you see what I something. do?” “Lady Nelia!” Renny grunted, “We’d “A sort of natural dirigible hangar!” one better see if Doc has got her conscious yet.” of the others grunted. “And we’d better get us some plans, The overhang of the cliff on one side too!” Monk asserted. “We’re getting into a of the deep rut in the rock formed a ready- mighty tight spot!” made shed. In this, stout fore-and-aft moor- The men clambered back inside the ing masts of timber had been erected. airship body. 52 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

Lady Nelia Sealing was conscious. The other four spread out along the She gave them a faint, but entirely brave ridge catwalk, taking up widely separated smile. posts. In their hands, they held stout pocket- knives. “You had better stick close to me,” Chapter XIII Doc told Lady Nelia. SLAVES OF TERROR The young woman nodded quietly, not taking her eyes off Doc. She had, as a matter DOC SAVAGE, in spite of their deadly of fact, been watching Doc almost steadily, peril—they were only six men against scores averting her gaze only when she thought the of heavily armed opponents—went through a bronze giant might notice. formal routine of introductions. She seemed fascinated by Doc’s The fact that they took the situation so strapping physique, his quietly gentle manner casually obviously strengthened Lady Nelia’s in the face of danger, and—not by any already fine courage. She acknowledged the means the least point—his undeniably good presentations, saying to Renny: “It is unfortu- looks. nate we did not know we were allies when I Men seldom noted that Doc’s features rode from the New York water front to the were extremely handsome, being drawn Hotel Rex in the taxi you were driving.” more by his nearly superhuman muscular Renny’s usually solemn face wreathed build and his mental attainments. But women in the widest of grins. He liked this young noticed—and could not help but be fasci- woman. She possessed a nerve that was nated. surprising for one of the feminine sex. Long Tom straightened from his task. “We’ll have to postpone Lady Nelia’s “I’ve got it!” story a bit,” Doc said. He had assembled a powerful induc- He clambered out on top of the dirigi- tion coil. The input terminals of this he had ble to reconnoiter. The airship was barely connected to the electric light circuit which moving. Landing was a ticklish business, for extended to a searchlight mounted in one of care had to be taken that the gigantic craft the machine-gun emplacements. One of the did not rub against the rocky cliffs and tear output wires, he grounded to the metal frame her sides out. of the dirigible. Somebody took a shot at Doc with a ri- To the other output terminal, Long fle. Tom connected a long, heavily-insulated Yuttal or Hadi-Mot—both were cer- wire, to the free end of which was a metal tainly conscious by now—must have dropped weight—he had dismounted one of the ma- a note, divulging the situation to those below. chine guns and was using a part of it for the The bullet missed Doc by a few feet, weight. tearing a small hole in the Aëromunde. It had been fired from a spot near the stockade which held the chained slaves. THE men waited. Of the six, Doc and The big bronze man dropped back in- Johnny understood the language of their side the hull before a second slug could be enemies. Renny had once handled an engi- discharged. He had seen enough. neering job on the Nile, and possessed a “Here is our plan of action!” he de- smattering of the tongue. clared, calling his aides together. They were alert for a certain com- He spoke rapidly, each clipped sen- mand from below. The dirigible was now very tence conveying an abundance of meaning. near the ground—the landing lines should When he finished, no questions were asked, soon be seized by the handling crew. so clearly had he outlined their immediate At last, the shouted words came: work. “Shidd! Shidd! Ishtaghal ya walad!” Long Tom leaped to his bundle of “Pull! Pull! Work, oh boy!” electrical apparatus, opened it and began to The wire cable landing lines had been assemble the device which Doc had re- grasped. The grounds men were being or- quested. dered to haul the air monster down. “All right!” Doc told Long Tom. THE LOST OASIS 53

The electrical wizard dropped the Doc was last to go down. Doubting weighted end of his wire to the earth. Current that Lady Nelia could navigate the line with- from his induction coil would now make a out injury to her slender hands, Doc had her circuit through the wire, the earth, the dirigi- cling across his shoulder. ble frame, the metal landing lines and the Reaching the ground, he found his bodies of the men handling the lines. men industriously pegging gas bombs at the The airship frame was bonded, a pro- crew of the airship. Nobody dared begin tection against static and lightning, so there shooting, because of the leaking hydrogen. was no great chance of a spark igniting the “Let’s get away from here!” Doc’s hydrogen. Long Tom had calculated the powerful voice rapped. strength of his current, too, so as to lessen the chances of a spark which might prove disastrous. THEY retreated, taking a direction He threw a switch. A whine came from such that the keeling hulk of the Aëromunde the induction coil interruptor. Invisible current would shelter them from the landing crew spurted into the circuit—not a killing current, who had not yet caught up with the wind- but one which would deliver a robust shock. borne ship. These latter men were out of the A salvo of yells arose from the men hydrogen gas area, and could shoot without holding the landing lines! Taken by surprise, danger of causing a fire. they wrenched their convulsing hands from “We’d better lay a few eggs as we go!” the metal cables. Doc declared. The Aëromunde, free of restraint, was Suiting action to the statement, he swept slowly and ponderously down the lobbed one of Monk’s gas grenades far be- chasm. hind them. Long Tom shut off his coil. “Set the time fuses for three or four The shouts had been the signal for minutes!” he warned. Doc’s other helpers. They went to work with The grenades were fitted with a tiny their knives on the gas ballonets. Slashing clockwork fuse, whereby detonation could be madly, they opened great rips in the linen delayed for as much as several minutes. and goldbeater-skin cells. They wore gas Their pursuers would be over the bombs, or masks, that the escaping hydrogen might not ahead of them, before they released. Thus suffocate them. the breeze would not sweep the vapor harm- The dirigible began to sink, her buoy- lessly away. ancy dissipating through the rents. In the The ground crew rounded the extremi- control cabin, ballast levers were wrenched ties of the giant airship. Some encountered furiously. But there was not enough ballast the first gas barrage which Doc’s men had aboard to lighten the airship sufficiently. lain down, and collapsed. Others ran on, and Down—the ship settled. She touched clear of the hydrogen, turned loose with the sandy floor with a loud scraping noise. automatic rifles. She keeled! Bullets ripped lines through the sand, Doc’s bronze arm kept Lady Nelia made shiny smears on the cliffs or snapped from being flung into a tangle of girders and past the running group with piping, sudden brace wires. whistles. She rewarded him with a ravishing Doc steered the retreat to the right. He smile for the service. did not offer to return the fire, nor did his The Aëromunde finally scraped to a men. They were fighting men; they knew stop and lay as if mortally wounded. The air- when the odds were too great. ship was not greatly damaged—the rips in Large boulders, masses of stone top- the gas ballonets could be quickly repaired. pled from the cliffs above down through the And no doubt there was a large supply of ages, offered them shelter. They worked hydrogen on hand in this weird, lost oasis. ahead, and left the crack. Doc Savage’s silken line, with the “Do not try the jungle!” Lady Nelia grapple on the end, came into use. Rapidly, warned. “Escape by that route is impossible!” his friends slid down it, over the bulging “We’re not trying to escape,” chuckled flanks of the dirigible, to the ground. They the homely Monk. “The idea is to get set carried the packs which held their equipment. some place where we can fight off an attack!” 54 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

They swung around and mounted the were in a London drawing-room. The quali- rocky hill which the crack bisected. The going ties which had made her one of England’s was easy, their pace correspondingly rapid. outstanding aviatrixes were evident. They crossed a comparatively smooth stretch “Yuttal and Hadi-Mot have been part- and came to a cluster of wind-carved rocks. ners for many years,” she said. “Some fifteen These stood clear of the surroundings, com- years ago, they were engaged in the ivory prising a natural fort of sorts. and slave trade in this part of Africa. The “We’ll camp here a while,” Doc said slave trade was outlawed, of course, and dryly. “Long Tom, let’s have a coil of fine in- both men got into trouble with the law. There sulated wire.” was a price on their heads—charges against Long Tom extracted the wire from his them which would have meant long prison pack. terms.” Moving as swiftly as possible, Doc She paused to glance up at a proces- strung the wire around the rock pile at a dis- sion of shiny freckles which had appeared tance of perhaps three hundred feet, carrying magically on a spire of rock—splattered bul- the two ends into their shelter. lets from an automatic. Pursuit seemed to have come to a “I am giving you their history as I sudden stop—the work, doubtless, of the learned it while a prisoner,” she explained. timed gas grenades they had strewn along “The fact that Yuttal and Hadi-Mot were out- their back trail. laws drove them to remote districts. In their To the ends of the wire, at Doc’s direc- evil moving about, trafficking in ivory and tion, Long Tom attached a device of vacuum slaves, they came upon this oasis. tubes working on the principle of the early- “The jungle surrounding this spot is day radio sets which squealed when a hand impenetrable, due to the presence of carnivo- was brought close to them. Only in this case, rous plants of huge size as well as poisonous should any one come near the wire, a squeal thorn trees and creepers. Nothing lives in the would sound from a small loud-speaker. growth. “ She glanced upward and shud- “May come in handy after dark,” Doc dered. “Nothing—except the vultures—and explained. “It’ll tell us if any one tries to sneak many venomous snakes, upon the carcasses in close enough to throw a bomb.” of which the vultures feed. Two or three glances went skyward. “While exploring the edge of the oasis, The sun was nearing the horizon, although Yuttal and his partner saw the vultures fly out still blinding in its superheated glory. of the place bearing shiny objects in their They worked in silence, piling small beaks. These shiny things proved to be dia- stones in breastworks which would stop bul- monds. The birds—crowlike—were evidently lets. It was very hot—so hot they did not per- attracted by the glitter.” spire a great deal. Or perhaps the lack of At this point, a shrill squeal came from perspiration was due to the fact that they had the wire warning device. One or more of the been without water nearly the whole day. Nor besiegers were creeping in! was any water to be had at this spot. Doc borrowed Renny’s compact little Ten minutes saw a fair defense. machine gun and began a careful watch. He A few bullets drifted past slowly, or soon located a leg projecting from behind a spanged on the rocks. The belated pursuit rock. had arrived. The gun roared—firing so swiftly that it Doc’s men did not return lead. The set the air throbbing as if a Gargantuan bull sharpshooters did not try a charge, showing fiddle had come to life! they had become wary. Shrieking, the skulker dragged himself “We might as well have your story back! His leg was mangled. now,” Doc told Lady Nelia. The piping wail ceased to come from the alarm, showing the man had advanced alone. THAT Lady Nelia Sealing was a young lady with a nerve as unusual as her beauty, was becoming more and more evident. She LADY NELIA continued, seeking to ensconced herself in the lee of a boulder and speak as though nothing had happened, but began speaking as calmly as though she not quite managing to do so. THE LOST OASIS 55

“For a year or two, Yuttal and Hadi- some insane idea that I’ll marry him willingly Mot haunted the outskirts of the oasis, shoot- in the course of time.” ing vultures every time they saw one which She gave a grim little laugh. “Instead, I looked like it might be carrying one of the enlisted the aid of Red and Jules Fourmalier. gems. They gathered a fair fortune in stones. We got to the supply of linen and goldbeater “But they were greedy. They wanted to skin kept to repair the airship, and made a get at the lode from which the stones came. balloon, filling it with hydrogen—a large They got a plane and flew over the oasis, quantity of which is also kept here. We got discovering the deposit of blue ground which away—the wind carried us clear of the oa- held the stones. They knew it was fabulously sis.” rich. They could see gems glittering on top of Bullets were screaming among the the ground. rocks with increasing frequency. “There was no landing for a plane. Doc interrupted the story while they There is now, of course, because they have did a little fighting back, shooting always at cleaned out the rubble in the crack. But the arms or legs. They were all accomplished bottom of the gash was originally too rough marksmen. They soon discouraged the at- for a landing field. tack. “The upshot of it was that they took “We three managed to cross the de- the money from the diamonds they had al- sert,” Lady Nelia resumed. “But Yuttal and ready found, and hired a gang of thugs. Hadi-Mot followed us.” These men got aboard the Aëromunde and “You had some of their diamonds?” seized the ship. They tied weights to the offi- Doc queried. cers and threw them into the Mediterranean. “Not theirs! Those gems were stones You will recall that the body of the com- Red and Jules and I had mined ourselves, mander was found years ago. It must have and smuggled into hiding. The reason we broken away from the weight.” were followed was to kill us—to silence us! The sun seemed to be sinking much “We got to the coast and took the first faster as it neared the evening horizon, a steamer, which happened to be the Yankee peculiarity of tropical regions. Beauty, bound for New York. Our pursuers “The crew of the Aëromunde were en- learned we were on the boat. They tried to slaved and made to work the diamond mine,” overtake us in the airship, but fortunately the Lady Nelia went on, with a slight shudder. weather was too foggy for them to find the “Other men have been seized and brought boat.” here. Yuttal has an organized ring in Cairo Darkness came—very suddenly, it which keeps him supplied with victims. You seemed to the men enrapt in the strange tale see, the death rate among the slaves is high. the young woman was telling. This is a horrible climate for a laborer. “The whole thing has been kept se- cret, because Yuttal and Hadi-Mot are “WE knew Yuttal and Hadi-Mot would wanted criminals! They have a gigantic plant stop at nothing to end our lives!” Lady Nelia here, when you consider its secretive nature. said in the murk. “We decided against ap- Supplies are brought over the uninhabited pealing to the law for help. Even had our desert and into the oasis in the airship. The story been believed, the authorities could not original crew of the dirigible have been kept have protected us from devils as clever as alive and forced to maintain the ship in re- Yuttal and Hadi-Mot. Too, justice might never pair, as well as teach Yuttal’s men how it is have reached the pair. This part of Africa is operated.” so remote it is almost like another world.” “Where do you come in?” Doc inter- “You decided to get hold of me?” Doc posed. said quietly. “I was making a London-to-Cape-town “Yes. I had heard of you. We radi- flight, and my plane developed engine trou- oed—and you know the rest. You were not to ble,” the pretty aviatrix explained. “I landed be found. We each contributed part of our here. They took me prisoner. diamonds to my pool to offer that tremendous “They didn’t harm me.” She shuddered reward. You see, the diamonds meant little to violently. “Ugh! That was because Yuttal has us. If we didn’t find you, we would be killed, and money from the sale of the gems would 56 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE be of no use. If we did find you—there are Near by, Monk and Ham howled si- plenty more diamonds in this oasis.” multaneously: “Watch out! They’ve turned Her voice lifted, became emphatic. their infernal night killers loose on us!” “Diamonds! Yuttal and Hadi-Mot have untold wealth in the stones! Bushels of them, al- most! They have been selling them, a few at Chapter XIV a time, down through the years. But only a SIEGE few in each sale—so as not to glut the dia- mond market and bring prices down.” THERE was no time to don gas masks “Holy cow!” Renny muttered, over- so that the grenades could be employed. come by the magnitude of the thing in which Doc whipped to Long Tom’s pack of they were involved. “When I first heard of that electrical apparatus. He drew out the infra- million-dollar reward, I thought it was about light lantern and the sack which held the the most fabulous thing I had ever heard of. fluoroscopic glasses. One of his bronze Now it turns out that that was just a starter!” hands was switching on the lantern as the “Well, I hope it don’t get too big for us other clamped the spectacles in place. to handle,” Monk grinned. “Get these goggles on!” he rapped. Squriming about, Monk projected his The invisible light gushed out not a gorillalike head and shoulders above the moment too soon. It disclosed one of the bulwark. It was dark; he had no fear of being flying creatures not more than a dozen feet selected as a target. above. The weird aspect of the light added to Standing furtively erect, Ham swiped the frightful appearance of the thing. his sword cane above Monk’s head, causing Doc’s compact machine gun moaned the blade to make a bullet whistle of a sound. deafeningly. Every third bullet was a tracer— Monk ducked wildly, then discovered he had put in a tracer-charged drum before the hoax and emitted a roar! darkness. The slugs ran upward so swiftly Ham promptly scuttled away, with they resembled a thin red string. Monk prowling in pursuit. Shooting from the hip, Doc cut the fly- Lady Nelia managed a strained laugh. ing horror almost in halves with the scarlet “They do not seem greatly worried.” thread of bullets. “They haven’t got sense enough to Another came swooping. He got that worry!” Renny chuckled. one also. This was punishing the truth some- Then his men got the strange goggles what, since Ham and Monk were leading on and went into action. The moaning of the lights in the fields of law and chemistry, re- rapid-firers made a sort of colossal music. spectively. But more of the hideous things came. Johnny was tying his glasses on with a Hundreds! Fighting them off began to seem a string around the back of his bony head, a hopeless task. precaution against losing them in a fight in With one hand, Doc clipped his gas the darkness. mask in place. Then, realizing there was no “Things are a little too quiet!” he grum- spare mask for Lady Nelia, he removed it bled. “I wonder if Long Tom’s whistler could and prepared to offer it to the young woman. be out of whack—” He halted when he observed Monk The words froze on his lips. A faint, and Ham, scowling with mock fierceness at grisly shuffling sound had reached their ears. each other, matching a coin to see who It came out of the sky—came from a dozen should surrender his mask—at the same time different directions! From every side! doing some excellent shooting. Lady Nelia screamed hysterically. Ham lost, dooming himself to an hour Against the stars—the moon was not or so of enforced slumber. yet up—weird, hideous creatures appeared. Doc replaced his own mask. He had They seemed like bundles of dirty cloth fold- work to do in the course of the fight—work ing and unfolding in the air. They swooped which he did not wish interfered with. for the rock pile which sheltered Doc and his When every one but Ham was friends. masked, they began tossing gas grenades. Monk, adding insult to injury, purposely THE LOST OASIS 57 dropped one metal egg directly in front of “The poisonous bats are kept to be Ham. Picking it up, Ham managed to fetch turned loose when any of the poor slaves Monk a nasty crack before he keeled over. manage to escape,” Lady Nelia said in a The attacking creatures began to col- somewhat unsteady tone. “If the infernal jun- lapse, dropping with mushy thuds to the rock. gle does not stop them, the bats will.” For the next few minutes, it fairly rained the She shivered, and sought Doc in the things. darkness. Ostensibly, this move was to ob- Then quiet came. tain the encouragement offered by the near- Monk, picking up one of the deadly ness of the big bronze man. Actually, Lady flyers, inspected it curiously. His snort of sur- Nelia could not get Doc’s handsome features prise blew the mouthpiece of his mask from out of her thoughts. between his feet. A strangely vacant look She made, however, a slight mistake. upon his homely features, he lay down She encountered the sour-featured Renny slackly, almost beside Ham. and seated herself very close to him, which Renny kicked the creature Monk had made Renny feel very warm and comfort- been inspecting, then made deaf-mute talk able. He did wonder, though, why the attrac- on his fingers. tive young woman departed shortly after he “Vampire bats!” He began dispatching spoke to her. the things with his gun. The night dragged on. No one slept. They could hear occasional distant shouts. Commands! Their enemies were not idle, but FIFTEEN minutes later, when the there was nothing to do but wait. breeze had carried the gas cloud away, Lady Nelia Sealing imparted some additional in- formation. THE waiting came to an end some two “Ugh!” she shuddered. “They’re just hours later, when a low wail from the wire ordinary vampire bats, except that they are alarm broke the tense spell. poisonous, and very large. Hadi-Mot takes “I wonder what they’ll pull now,” Long care of them. He has trained the things to Tom muttered. He turned on his infra-light come when he makes a tiny squeaking and swept the beam about. noise. He always makes that sound for a The eerie luminance came to rest time before he feeds them.” upon a strange-looking contraption. This Doc had been inspecting the hideous consisted of a crude, but very solid cart, upon snouts of the things. Now he straightened. which were lashed several large steel cylin- “I thought perhaps the fangs were arti- ders of the type used to contain hydrogen. ficially poisoned,” he said. “But that is not the Men, sheltered by a plate of steel, case. They seem to be venomous by nature. were laboriously shoving this forward. So Did you ever hear where they came from?” heavy was the device that they seemed to be “From some savage native tribe far in using light girders, no doubt from the airship the interior of Africa, I think,” the young spare parts supply, as levers. woman replied. “The tribal witch doctors had Renny boomed: “What is that th—” developed the things, spending generations He found out the next instant. He ob- at the task. They used them to murder sav- served wires being jerked. These opened ages upon whom they had cast a spell. At valves on the tapering snouts of the hydro- least, that is what Hadi-Mot boasted. He and gen cylinders. With a roar, gas rushed out. Yuttal lived with that tribe when they were From behind the bulletproof shield, a blazing trading.” brand sailed forward to ignite the vapor. “That probably explains it,” Doc de- Flame spurted a space of many yards. cided. “The things are bloodthirsty by nature, It flung a wave of heat which reached Doc and when famished, will go for any living and his friends with a near-cooking tempera- form. The venomous quality might be devel- ture. oped through a process of feeding or breed- The men behind the steel plate urged ing.” their cart forward more rapidly. Artificial restoratives revived Monk and Johnny yelled: “They’ll roast us out!” Ham, giving Ham a chance for the last laugh. Doc’s men opened with their machine Monk listened to it in grumpy silence. guns. The scarlet tracer threads converged 58 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE on the metal plate, showering sparks, making “The batteries in this light won’t hold the whole shield red with phosphorus. out for another night,” Long Tom offered un- Stopping the fiery carriage with bullets easily. “The thing draws a lot of juice, and the was impossible, they speedily saw. batteries are very small.” The thing came ahead remorselessly! “Turn it off for a few minutes,” Doc The brown men pushing it howled gleefully in suggested. “No need of using it steadily.” their native tongue. Long Tom complied. Some five min- From all sides, automatic rifles spat utes afterward, he switched the device on cackling volleys. Torrents of slugs drove Doc again. and his aides to prone positions among the A stifled shriek came from Lady Nelia. boulders. “Oh! Mr. Savage is gone!” Heat rolled in stifling waves. Their skin It took the men some time to soothe began to redden. Perspiration oozed. the young woman’s anxiety by explaining that Lying flat, Doc Savage fumbled in his Doc had this disconcerting habit of vanishing pack. He brought out grenades. These did silently when he wished to depart on some not contain gas. They were blue-black, effi- mission of his own. cient looking. “I guess he does it that way so he Chancing the leaden storm, he hurled won’t have to listen to us argue reasons why one. we should go with him,” Monk said cheerfully. Crack! The report was sharp, sharper “Don’t you worry, miss. Doc could climb in even than a pistol report. And it rendered the devil’s vest pocket, and the old boy with them deaf for some seconds, it was so loud! the horns and tail would never know it!” A blinding white flash accompanied the deto- But Lady Nelia could not repress her nation. uneasiness. The burning hydrogen was extin- Her frame of mind would have been guished. even less settled had she been able to ob- The general relief was so great that for serve Doc at the moment. He was standing several moments no one spoke. hardly more than a double-arm length from “What was that stuff?” Monk muttered four of his enemies. at last. “Wallah!” one of the quartet muttered. “Did you ever hear of snuffing out an “With the coming of the day, we shall find oil-well fire with explosive?” Doc questioned. means of getting rid of those sons of cam- “Sure. They blow out gas-well fires els.” that way, too.” “Na’am!” agreed another. “Yes! But by “There was a very powerful explosive the life of my father, it pleases me that we in that bomb,” Doc told him. “It was strong shall see no more fighting tonight!” enough to put out the flame.” Doc moved on, a bronze wraith lost in They now turned their infra-light on the the murk of the African night. It was well to remains of the fire carriage. The thing was a know his companions would not be attacked wreck. in his absence. They were just in time to witness the He descended to the entrance of the disappearance of the last of the gang who gash which slashed through the rocky hill, had been pushing the unusual vehicle. Not and entered. His going was slow, careful, one had been killed, although three could and he paused often to listen, his ears hear- hardly crawl! They had been knocked back- ing all noises. ward many feet by the steel bullet shield, The darkness was more intense within which had broken the force of the blast. the defile. But he had retained a mental pic- ture of the place, including distances within it. He made for the slave stockade. THE rest of the night gave promise of As he came nearer, he was guided by being moderately quiet, for the crackling of piteous sounds—low groans and strange, automatic rifles soon ceased. unreal nightmare cries of the men confined Long Tom kept his peculiar light going within the inclosure. steadily, since the encircling wire had been A match flared as a watchman lighted broken and battered by the explosion, ren- a cigarette, and the fitful gleam disclosed a dering the alarm inoperative. peculiar spectacle. The sentry was incased in THE LOST OASIS 59 a cage made of light, stout rattan. The wicker ing the sand over carefully, that the cache affair had no bottom. The fellow carried it might not be discovered. Then he retreated. about him, looking not unlike an oversize, He got away without being observed, toast-colored canary in a cage. and made for the great shape of the disabled Doc needed only the one glimpse to Aëromunde. Although the gigantic cigar of tell him what the cage was—a defense fabric and metal was canted over on its side, against the venomous bats. the motor gondolas were accessible. They Why the guards should be wearing the had escaped damage. cages continuously became apparent a few In fact, the whole airship was not seri- minutes later. Drawing closer to the stockade ously mutilated. It could be repaired in a of the slaves, Doc’s sensitive nostrils de- short time and sent into the sky. tected a faint, nauseating odor. The stench of Doc clambered into the motor gondo- the bats! las, his command of stealth enabling him to A faint shuffling ahead! escape the notice of two watchmen posted Doc waited. But the bat did not come near by. In one gondola, he located a nearer. For some time, Doc listened. He wrench. Using this, he removed essential heard other faint fluttering sounds—sounds parts from each motor. which told him the hideous vampires were The purloined mechanism he buried in picketed around the stockade like so many the sand, marking the spots by nearby boul- watch dogs! ders so that he might find them again. The dirigible, he was now confident, could not be used to drop bombs upon their defense. AN electric lantern blazed brilliantly on The parts he had removed were arti- the other side of the stockade, casting a faint cles which seldom wore out or broke. It was grill of light through the upright, sharp-pointed highly improbable that spares were kept on posts of the inclosure. The figures of the hand in the oasis. slaves could be distinguished—some asleep, Doc was entirely human, so he men- some too tortured for slumber, and nearly all tally congratulated himself upon his good of them occupying the grotesque positions of work. And like many a self-satisfied individual men in a state of physical exhaustion. who has encountered an unexpected set- The sentry with the light was making a back, trouble pounced upon Doc when he felt round to see that all the picketed vampires the most like pluming himself. were in position. One of the watchmen flung a casual Doc had entertained the idea of gas- beam from an electric lantern. The glitter im- sing the creatures. Now he dismissed the pinged upon Doc’s form. thought. Such an act was certain to be dis- “Wallah!” shrieked the sentinel. “Look! covered. Instead, he reconnoitered a bit. It is the devil himself!” Near the cliff, he soon found a long, thatched shed. Within this were scores of spare cages of the type used by the sentries. Chapter XV Doc appropriated one. Once inside it, he THE LIVING SHIELD walked through the line of picketed bats. Two of the things fluttered against the SHOTS rang out! But Doc Savage had wicker cage, making considerable noise. But covered many yards, and was traveling like a it was evident the vampires often struggled desert wind. The bullets snicked harmlessly against the small chains holding them to through the night. pegs driven in the ground, because the flurry Doc veered slightly to one side and attracted no unwelcome attention. seized the cage which gave protection from Doc found an aperture between the the vampires. Chances were excellent that stockade posts through which he could thrust he might need it. a great bronze arm. He made no sound, and A light spotted him. Lead pattered like none of the slaves seemed aware of his vicious hailstones. presence. Dodging into a rocky hollow, he lost In the sand inside the stockade, Doc the light, then went on, the somewhat un- scooped a hole. He drew a rather bulky wieldy cage held above his head. packet from a pocket and buried it, smooth- 60 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

“Hazir ol!” The shouts spread with warned. Using his knife, Doc sliced through telegraphic speed. “Alert!” such of the tentacles as projected through At scattered points, electric lanterns the cage bars, doing so with quick slashes. spat glaring white funnels. Then, at three Uncanny as the behavior of the grisly shrubs widely separated spots, brown men propped might be, they closed only upon such objects hydrogen cylinders up so they pointed at the as touched them. night sky, opened petcocks and ignited the Furthermore, they did not seem to escaping gas. have the ability to distinguish between animal The terrain became entirely too bright and plant tissue—between Doc and his cage, for safety. Doc’s figure was sighted. He be- for instance, and other herbage of their own came the focus of volley after volley from the species. At times the plants were shoved in automatic rifles. contact and attacked each other with a slow His means of return to his friends was ferocity, cannibal fashion. securely cut off. There came a low hiss. Through the Shooting with uncanny accuracy, Doc thin bars of the cage projected a blunt, doused a few electric lanterns. But that did green-dappled serpent head. A venomous not help much. The flaming gas gave the snake, the color of which blended closely greater illumination. with the surrounding hideous jungle! Doc found himself driven to retreat to- Doc used his knife before the reptile ward the encircling jungle. It speedily be- could wriggle in far enough to reach him. A came evident that his only escape was into single quick stroke severed the repellent the deadly vegetation. head. Once this was apparent, Doc wasted After that, Doc kept a sharper watch, no time in useless debate. Dropping the rat- the incandescent eye of his flashlight blazing tan cage over his form, he entered the unwinkingly. unlovely growth. The contraption had been built for a man of much smaller stature. Doc was forced to crouch as he walked. THE light furnished a faint glow visible For some yards, the lights on the to Yuttal’s men. They drove bullets at the rocky hill brightened his way. And for some spot. Most of the slugs were stopped by the yards, nothing untoward happened. He might jungle, but a few glanced unpleasantly close. have been penetrating an ordinary tropical It had already been noted by Doc that maze of plants. Then the horror of the place passage through the strange jungle was an began to make itself apparent. impossibility, even for his vast strength, There came a slight tug at one side of unless many hours were spent with a long- the cage. Doc used a small flashlight which bladed machete, hacking down the carnivo- he drew from a pocket—and came as near rous plants and the entangling creepers. He shuddering as he ever did. had, however, no wish to get out of the oasis. The tentacles of a huge carnivorous Th e shooting at his light suggested a plant had grasped the wickerwork of the plan. Working carefully, he plucked numer- cage. Bilious and unwholesome in hue, the ous slender, harmless vines and wove them prehensile shoots closed slowly. They might into the mesh of his cage. Soon he had the have been embodied with a sluggish life! lower half of his refuge closed tight enough to Doc wrenched free. The plant arms keep out snakes. were far from being strong. Indeed, most He planted his flashlight, still glowing, small animals could have struggled clear. in the spongy earth, so that the beam played The growths reacted rather slowly, judged by upon the jungle in a fashion to attract Yuttal’s human standards, making them dangerous marksmen. only to the unwary. Slowly, Doc pushed along at right an- As Doc progressed, however, the very gles to his former course. Behind him, the numbers of the carnivorous verdure became flash drew flurries of automatic rifle slugs. a menace. Clutches upon the cage came in Progress was slow, laborious, danger- increasing succession, until at last there was ous. To avoid noise, he had to slash through almost a continuous drag. such of the tentacles as seized his cage. He Doc kept his flash on. Some of these struck matches often, cupping the tiny flames plants were poisonous, Lady Nelia had THE LOST OASIS 61 carefully so that they might not be discov- “Keep your head down,” Monk ered. warned. Once something grated underfoot. Johnny scuttled off, flattening as close Stooping and using a shielded match, he saw to the terrain as he could, lizard fashion. He he had come upon a yellowed human skele- experienced little difficulty. No bullets stung ton. The bones were still enmeshed in a the boulders near him, although at one point mass of the carnivorous plants. he thought certainly he had exposed himself This, Doc realized, must be the rem- by accident. nant of some unfortunate slave who had On the far side of their rock-pile for- sought to escape through the jungle. tress, he found a rain-carved groove down It took him the balance of the night to which he could crawl without great danger. get out of the fearsome vegetation. He left He proceeded to do so. the jungle at a point some distance from In a circular pit in the groove bottom, where his enemies still sniped at the flash- he found water! light. The glow of the light had faded a great The pool was clear, somewhat too deal, due probably to the battery nearing ex- clear! There was none of the usual moss on haustion. the bottom. Had Johnny looked closely, he Carrying the useful cage, Doc rejoined would have observed that there were no en- his friends. He had little difficulty working circling rings stained on the pool sides to through the ring of besiegers. show that the level of the liquid had receded The embattled group greeted him with through the past weeks. exclamations of relief. All of these things might well have in- ‘“The young lady, here, just about had dicated that the water had been poured into us persuaded that we should launch a hunt the rock pit the previous night. for you,” Monk chuckled. Johnny, however, was too dry to be “I thought you might be trapped— suspicious. He was suffering more from thirst they’ve been shooting all night!” Lady Nelia than the others, despite his remarkable quali- explained, trying to keep her voice from ties of endurance. It was a peculiarity of showing just how relieved she was. Johnny’s gaunt physique that he needed Doc imparted the information that the more drinking water than the average man. bullets had been aimed, for most of the night, The bottom of this little gully was at his flashlight. where one might logically expect water. So “They evidently think I’m sitting out Johnny drank. He only downed several swal- there waiting for daylight,” he finished. lows, however, knowing better than to overdo “What did you accomplish before they it. discovered you?” Renny wanted to know. Scooping up a quantity of the liquid in “I’ll be badly disappointed if they can his hat, Johnny retraced his steps. use their airship to bomb us,” Doc advised, He slipped two or three times as he and elaborated about the hiding of essential neared the others. motor parts. “Must be the heat!” he muttered. He felt a little dizzy. The dizziness became more pro- DAWN came shortly, and with it— nounced. Then came a dull sensation in his heat. The lack of water had been no more stomach. than unpleasant during the night. Now it as- He suddenly understood what had sumed the proportions of torture. happened. A wild look on his features, he Johnny, looking somewhat more bony plunged recklessly forward. He staggered. A than usual, studied their rocky surroundings. deadly paralysis seemed to be seizing him. His glasses were still in place, tied around He collapsed, entirely, a moment after he the back of his head with the string. came in sight of his friends. “This stone is of a very imporous na- “Poison!” he gulped. “I’ve been poi- ture,” he said thoughtfully. “I notice it is soned!” pocked in spots with potholes. There’s just a No medico in an emergency hospital chance we may find some rain water near. I ever worked with greater speed than Doc did think I’ll look around.” in the next few minutes. His small medicine case held all the restoratives necessary. 62 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

The others stood around anxiously. Doc could read the signs. The young lady “What about it, Doc?” Monk muttered. was in the way of falling for him. “Is he too far gone?” Doc had had this sort of thing happen Doc worked in silence, making no re- before. It embarrassed him no little. There ply. Bottles tinkled together as he concocted was no provision for lovemaking in his necessary potions. scheme of things. The ladies, however, never saw his viewpoint. As a result, they risked broken hearts by letting themselves become AN hour later, Johnny awakened. He enamored to the big bronze man. All of sought to sit up, could not quite manage it, which, Doc sought to avoid. and wrapped both hands over his middle, Noon came with its vertical, blazing grimacing painfully. sun rays. They crowded under what shade “You’ll be all right,” Doc assured him, they could find and suffered. and offered a collapsible flask filled with a “This,” Monk said emphatically, “is be- clear liquid. “Here, drink this!” yond a question the hottest spot on earth! I’m Johnny cocked an eye at the flask as roasted as a turkey!” contents. “What is that stuff?” To which Ham sneered: “No—you’re “Water,” Doc told him. not! You can still gobble.” Johnny groaned. “I don’t want any More bullets were impinging upon the more water!” boulders. Whereas the shooting through the “This won’t hurt you.” morning had been erratic, there was a ma- “Where’d you get it?” chine quality about the firing now. “From the same pool you drank out Doc Savage detected this fact at once. of!” “The sniping is a bit too organized,” he Johnny’s big jaw fell. “Say—you declared. “It has all the earmarks of being wouldn’t be trying to finish me off, would part of a plan!” you?” He moved about carefully, returning a Monk snorted mirthfully at Johnny’s few shots when he could place the bullets surprise, then explained: “Doc analyzed the without killing. None of the brown men had water and found out what kind of poison was died at his hand thus far, although there was in the stuff. Then he added chemicals which ample justification for slaying them. Nor neutralized the poison, making the water would Doc kill—although his enemies had a drinkable.” way of meeting fate in death traps of their “You mean,” Johnny gulped, “that Yut- own concocting. tal’s gang planted that poisoned water, hop- “They’re trying to get our nerves on ing to do us in—and Doc made it harmless?” edge,” he decided aloud. “But I am unable to “That’s the idea,” Monk grinned. “It learn the reason.” turned out that they kindly furnished us with a The answer came like an echo to his supply of water.” words. “And are their faces red.” Ham From half a dozen different points, laughed. compact groups of men appeared. They ad- As the hour dragged on, there was vanced, moving with a slow, shuffling tread— sporadic shooting. The firing seemed but an a tread of men going to their death. Some of attempt to convince the besieged they were them shrieked wildly and sought to break far from being clear of their difficulties. None away from the groups! But chains held them of the bullets inflicted damage or even more back. than mild uneasiness. These men were the slaves. They Lady Nelia, after a bit of casual ma- were being used by Yuttal and his gang as neuvering, engaged Doc in conversation. As living shields. a matter of fact, Doc had maneuvered a little “Holy cow!” Renny groaned. “Now himself in an unsuccessful effort to avoid just they’ve got us! Our gas is no good! Yuttal’s that. thugs are masked!” Lady Nelia was an extremely attractive young woman—Doc had seen few of the feminine sex more entrancing. She was edu- DOC and the others held their fire. cated, polished and finely mannered. But They could not, of course, shoot down these THE LOST OASIS 63 defenseless, shackled men—although most Chapter XVI of the slaves seemed to think that might hap- SLAVERY pen. It was a study in human emotions to watch them advancing. Some had steeled THE rocky hill seethed with jubilation themselves to a sort of exaggerated uncon- as the prisoners were led downward and into cern. Others trembled until they could hardly the sheer-walled gash. More than one villain- walk. Many strode mechanically, like men ous fellow fingered his singa edge hopefully already dead. A few had collapsed and were and cast questioning glances at Yuttal and being dragged. Hadi-Mot. It was no time, though, for delving into “La!” growled Yuttal. “No! We have yet psychology and human behavior. to find the missing machinery. You— Doc’s powerful voice crashed through Savage—will take us to it at once!” the rattle of automatic rifles! So mighty was “I’m not quite that simple,” Doc as- his tone, such sharp command did it carry, sured him in English. “Turning us loose was that the shooting halted. part of the bargain.” “Auz eyh?” a yell pealed. “What do “Nothing was said about turning you you want?” loose!” Yuttal snapped. Doc replied in the native jargon, wish- “That’s right—there wasn’t. Well, we’ll ing all the attackers to hear. add that clause to the articles of contract.” “As you have learned by now, your “Nix,” grated Yuttal, also reverting to airship is useless because of missing parts!” slangy English. he informed them. “I alone know the where- “Suit yourself!” abouts of those parts. And if one of my group Doc’s unconcern got under Yuttal’s is slain, you’ll never learn the hiding place!” plump hide. He squirmed, growling profanely “Wallah!” barked a man—it was Hadi- in assorted Egyptian and English. Mot himself. “We can find the motor parts!” “All right,” he said finally, a wily look in “I do not think you can,” Doc replied. his unpleasantly big eyes. “I give you my “And without them, you fellows are doomed. word. Show us the machinery, then we will You cannot escape from this place. Your release you.” supply of food will be exhausted eventually.” Monk snorted loudly. “His word! Did This was stretching possibilities a bit— you hear that, Doc?” the gang might easily inflate the airship and “He was joking, of course,” Doc told free-balloon it into the desert, from which a Monk in mock seriousness. “He knows that trek to civilization could be made. we are aware his word is not worth anything!” There was a good deal of talk among Yuttal’s big-featured face purpled with their enemies. Finally, an angry shout gave rage. He could not stand the hard-boiled the result. calmness with which these men were taking “Surrender and tell us where the motor their predicament. parts are, and your lives will be spared!” Even Lady Nelia seemed not too “We’ll surrender!” Doc called back, greatly concerned. This last irked Yuttal most without hesitation. of all. He had hoped to see the pretty young “Hey—Doc—they won’t keep their part woman reduced to such a state of dull hope- of the bargain!” Monk wailed. lessness that she would accept his ad- “Of course not,” Doc told him. “But vances. they’ll keep us alive until they find out where “What do you think I’m going to do?” the engine parts are cached. And believe you he snarled. “Let you go and expect you to me, brothers, it’ll be a long old day before mail me a letter telling where the motor parts they get the information!” are?” Howling delightedly, the brown men “We’ll figure out some way in the ran forward to disarm and seize Doc and his course of time,” Doc told him. friends. “And I,” Yuttal sneered, “am gonna give you a few reasons for workin’ fast!” Just what Yuttal intended to do to make their servitude most unpleasant was soon evident.

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Lady Nelia Sealing was taken to a “You are going to do a little useful small thatched hut and secured ignomini- work!” he leered at Doc. ously to a post by a chain around her pretty The big bronze man replied nothing, neck. She was not, however, subjected to meekly allowing himself to be nudged out of any worse abuse than this, except a copious the hut by the muzzle of an automatic rifle. number of threats. En route to the diamond pit, his eyes Doc and the others were herded into a roved alertly, adding to his fund of knowledge large shack and forced to denude them- about the place. The outlook was none too selves of clothing. The garments were pleasant. Every one of their captors was burned in a bonfire. heavily armed. Moreover, none of the fellows Doc’s finger nails were pared very were ever far distant from one of the rattan close, as were those of his men. This was to cages used as a defense against the vampire make sure no weird chemical was concealed bats. there. Their teeth were examined. “You have some of the bats left?” Doc From the rear of Doc’s jaws, an extra asked curiously. pair of molars were removed. These teeth “Plenty of ‘em!” Yuttal laughed harshly. were hollow shells containing two chemicals Doc had hoped the flock of the bats he which, when mixed, produced a powerful ex- and his men had disposed of the night before plosive. had comprised the entire supply. One of the brown devils, in investigat- The venomous vampires, he learned ing these contents, chanced to mingle the upon reaching the gem mine, were kept in a ingredients. As a result, there was a blast in cave dug into the side of the diamond- which he almost lost his life, and did lose a bearing blue ground. The cave was deep, hand. and its entrance so small that it had previ- It looked for a moment or so as though ously escaped his notice. Doc and his friends would be dispatched Inside were cages, the doors electri- forthwith, so great was the rage of Yuttal’s cally operated from a distance by pressing men over the mishap to their fellow. buttons on an elaborate alarm system. Pres- Yuttal’s profane use of their mother sure on the buttons, which were situated at tongue prevailed, however, and there were strategic points, also rang bells. These sig- no casualties. nals warned the guards to seek shelter in their rattan baskets. The whole device might have seemed WATER and rank soap were pro- a bit comical, had it not possessed such duced, together with swabs made of rags tied deadly possibilities. on the ends of poles. Doc and his men re- Any concerted uprising on the part of ceived a washing. The captors were taking the unfortunate slaves would be disastrous, no chances of anything being concealed for the unarmed, chained men were helpless upon their bodies which might aid in an es- to fight off the darting, bloodthirsty attacks of cape. the poisonous bats. A bearded fellow manipulating a swab Doc and his men were handed picks gave Monk an unnecessarily hard whack, and shovels and put to work in the murder- which nearly precipitated a riot. ous heat of the afternoon sun. Their task was Doc himself interfered. that of loading blue ground into buckets and “You’d better not push ‘em too far,” he hauling it to the top of the pit where other warned. “They might get excited enough to slaves added it to the vast quantity already think they can get along without us.” lying there. It had been exposed to the sun “A wise decision, indeed!” sneered the for some weeks, until it was disintegrated. To sleek Hadi-Mot, who had overheard. hasten this disintegration, slaves were forced Fragments of none-too-clean cloth to sprinkle frequently the diamond-bearing were thrown Doc and his companions to earth with water, there being little rain in this serve them as garments. These comprised arid region. little more than breechcloths. Other of the wasted, chained workers Yuttal now ordered that they be taken were sieving the weathered or “rotted” blue to the diamond mine. ground, then running it into revolving washing pans. The “concentrates” from these pans THE LOST OASIS 65 were then passed over pulsators with stroke. Their use called forth screams and greased plates. The greas e on the plates did moans—piteous, blood-freezing cries. the final trapping of the brilliants. Twice in the course of the first hour, Altogether, it was a rather up-to-date slaves were beaten into unconsciousness for plant. no greater offense than being unable to keep working. “I vote a strike!” Ham said grimly. DOC and his friends found themselves Picking up handfuls of hard clods, Doc the object of every conceivable indignity. and his men rambled calmly, chains clinking, They were cursed fluently. When they asked to the shade. They sat down, heedless of for water, the liquid was brought—and wrathful bellows from the guards. When the poured on the ground in front of their eyes. latter came near with their whips, they were A blacksmith came with iron collars met by a barrage of clods. and chains. Great pains were taken to make Yuttal and Hadi-Mot arrived and added the collars fit too tightly. their curses to the general benediction Doc “You’ll soon sweat off enough to make and his gang were receiving. A few shots ‘em loose!” Yuttal leered. were fired for the sake of intimidation. But They were ordered back to the labor, Doc’s crew could not be intimidated. and the abuse continued. They were forced Nor did they do another lick of work. to confine themselves to the sunny, hot side of the pit. The heat was sickening; the sun like a gas flame. “WE can’t keep this up indefinitely, of Doc’s bronze skin was showing little course,” Doc said as night approached and burn, but the others were turning red. signs of knocking off for the day became evi- Doc and his gang did not take things dent. with entire meekness, however. They did as Monk, for some time, had been indus- little work as was humanly possible. Their triously pegging rocks at the mouth of the deportment was an education in laziness. cave which held the venomous bats. For lack More than once, when no one was ob- of anything else to do, he was trying to wreck serving, a guard would suddenly drop, the electrical system whereby the hideous knocked senseless by an accurately heaved creatures were released. clod of the blue ground. Their boyish enthu- In this he was not successful. Guards, siasm for this form of exercise became so braving a fusillade of clods, rushed in with troublesome that the guards finally retreated whips flying. For the next few minutes, a fine a safe distance. This caused a let-up in the free-for-all fight held sway. indignities. Doc’s outfit, handicapped by being They had been ordered not to speak chained together, was driven to the opposite to the other slaves. They disobeyed this or- side of the pit, out of throwing distance of the der in fervent fashion. bat cave. Few of the chained unfortunates dared Shortly after this, darkness stopped answer their questions. work in the mine pit. “They beat and starve us!” one trem- Reaching the top, the mutineers en- bling wreck of a man whimpered. “But, worst gaged in fresh rowdyism. The day’s take of of all, they do not give us water unless we diamonds was in trays near the pulsators. obey.” Making a lumbering rush, Doc and his gang “Then we’re probably in for a long seized the gems, and after looking them drought,” Monk muttered. over, threw some of them at guards and the In two or three chained groups men rest back into the pit, where they would have were entirely unconscious, prostrated by the to be mined again. terrific heat. Sometimes they were taken from For this outrage they were all but shot. the toiling human linkage, but more often, Only sweating efforts on the part of Yuttal they were left to be dragged about. and Hadi-Mot saved them. Whips were plentiful and in free use. “Sons of donkeys!” Hadi-Mot berated The lashes were ghastly things of knotted his men. “These prisoners are our only hope wires, bringing crimson with their every of finding the missing engine parts!” 66 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

At the points of fixed bayonets, Doc’s As a final gesture before the night be- gang was urged toward the stockade. gan in earnest, a sentry brought Doc and his They saw hunting for the absent ma- friends a large, clean jar filled with sparkling, chinery had been in progress. Here and delicious-looking water. there, the sandy ground had been dug up. The water was saltier than any ocean They had not, Doc noted, excavated any- brine. Absolutely undrinkable! where near the right spot. Work was also going forward on the Aëromunde. A rigging crew had done con- Chapter XVII siderable toward repairing the ripped gas THE BREAK ballonets. The stockade floor was decorated with THE night was extremely dark, due to numbers of short posts, equipped with rings. the height of the frowning walls of the crack To one of these, the human chain comprising and the absence of a moon. Doc and his men was linked. Doc was given Two hours after dusk Doc’s outfit honor position next the post, without suffi- thrust hands into their ragged breechclouts cient slack to sit or lie down. and each produced two or three diamonds. “You’ll hang yourself if you try to sleep Not for nothing had they rushed the gem there!” Renny muttered uneasily. trays at the pulsators. Their act had not been “I haven’t the slightest intention of rowdyism, but had been deliberately planned, sleeping,” Doc assured him. so as to get their hands on these stones. They were not given water. As a cruel They had selected brilliants with sharp gesture at food, several packages of very edges. They set to work on the chain links. salty soda crackers were tossed at their feet. The task was not difficult. Few substances They knew better than to eat these thirst- are better cutters than diamonds. increasers. Doc Savage was the first to free him- “These birds are old heads at the tor- self. He stood erect. He had cut through the ture business,” Monk declared sourly. link which hooked the connecting chain to his Other slaves in the stockade, those iron collar. The collar was still about his neck, who still had enough life left to show interest so tight it was half buried in his hard bronze in anything, cast sympathetic glances at flesh. Doc’s outfit. “You birds know what you are to do?” “Do you ever try to make a break?” he breathed. Don asked one of them. “I’ll tell a man,” Monk chuckled, dry- “Many times,” the man said listlessly. ness of tongue making his whisper sandy. “It is no use. If you get free, there is the jun- Each move they were making was part gle—and the bats!” of an elaborate plan they had formulated dur- “Lady Nelia and the two men with her ing the afternoon of striking in the diamond got away.” mine. “Yes. And Lady Nelia is back—and the “We’ve got to move fast!” Doc warned. other two dead!” the speaker mumbled. “Some of these guards may come in at any “Anyway, they had an advantage. Lady Nelia time to take a look at us!” had the run of the place, and she was able to After the admonition, he glided away get the stuff to make a balloon. That won’t in the murk, stepping over sleeping slaves, happen again. They’re keeping her chained.” after first carefully feeling out where they lay. Doc said nothing more. It would be a Doc was making for the side of the waste of breath. These men were hopeless, stockade where he had, on his nocturnal resigned to their fate—for which they could foray of the night before, buried the package. not be blamed. This frightful servitude was He had the location accurately in mind. enough to break the spirit of the strongest. An electric lantern blazed outside the “How many of the original crew of the stockade as a watchman made his rounds, Aëromunde are alive?” Ham asked a inspecting the tethers of the blood-hungry neighboring vassal. vampires. “Six or seven,” was the mumbled re- Abruptly, the man came and popped ply. “I don’t know for sure. We—we lose track his light through the compound piles. No of identities here.” THE LOST OASIS 67 doubt, he wanted to gloat a little over the trance, Doc began awakening them. It was bronze giant who had caused so much trou- no mean task to do this and at the same time ble. maintain silence. But he finally accomplished Doc thought the jig was up. it. But the alertness of his five men saved “Did any of you fellows dig up a pack- the night. They had the foresight to be stand- age near the wall last night?” he asked them. ing in a compact group about the mooring The end man on the chain had the big post, thus masking the fact that Doc was not news. “I did. I thought it was somebody trying among them. to slip us something. I couldn’t see who was The sentry finished his circuit. burying it!” Doc continued to advance. It was no “Where did you put the bundle?” mean foresight on his own part that he had “I buried it again—right beside the post thought to bury the package inside the stock- we were anchored to,” the man replied. “I ade. He had done so on the bare chance that looked in it, but there wasn’t anything but need for it might arise. And it certainly had! some bottles of stuff.” The packet contained articles which “I hope you didn’t break the bottles, or he believed would enable them to make their empty them?” escape. Certainly, they stood scant chance “Oh—no!” of getting away without the bundle contents. Five minutes later, Doc Savage had Doc found the burial spot. His tendon- his packet. wrapped bronze hands dug in. The ground was soft, showing he was at the right place. He scraped more swiftly. His fingers encoun- THE sharp-pointed poles of the stock- tered hard earth. The bottom of the hole! ade were designed to offer an insurmount- The package was gone! able obstacle to any man of ordinary agility. But Doc was far from falling in that category. A crouch, a silent spring upward, and DURING a period of perhaps a minute, he had grasped the top, calculating neatly Doc Savage crouched there in the hot Afri- enough to avoid the needled tip. An acrobatic can night, thinking as he had seldom thought swing put him over, still without noise. before. He dropped and cushioned his landing The very fact that the hole had been with great leg muscles, the power of which filled in by whoever had taken the packet, had been lessened hardly at all by the hard- caused him to reach his decision. The finder ships encountered during recent hours. was none of Yuttal’s men. Those fellows Creeping forward, his keen nostrils would not have bothered to refill the hole. soon advised him of the location of a fetid- It must have been one of the slaves! smelling vampire. Now came a ticklish job. Probably one which had seen the burial. He had ordinary chloroform in one of the bot- Doc glided swiftly to the nearest hu- tles. With this, it was necessary to stupefy man chain. He awakened one of the linked the bat long enough to get past it, yet not men, managing to prevent the chap from cause the thing to pass out entirely, as that emitting a noise. would attract notice from the next guard who “Were you fellows staked to this post made a round of inspection. last night?” he breathed. Doc solved the problem by dousing “No,” was the reply. “We don’t have chloroform on a rag torn from his breech- any regular stations.” cloth. He did the tearing with care. The in- “Do you know what group was here stant the cloth was soaked, he tossed it at last night?” the vampire. The man—puzzled—considered. There was a snapping sound as the “Why—I think it was the gang who are near- creature grabbed at the fabric, under the im- est the gate tonight.” pression that it was something alive. “Thanks!” Doc whispered. “And you Doc waited a few moments, then took might as well stay awake. You’re going to a chance and glided forward. He found the see some excitement before long.” hideous bat too stupefied to attack. Making his precarious way to the ten Recovering the cloth for future use, captives chained closest to the stockade en- Doc went ahead. He headed for the long, 68 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE thatched shed which held the supply of DOC SAVAGE urged the young wicker cages. Once there, he entered and woman back, directing: “Arrange the chain worked rapidly. as if you were still fastened!” With a swab already contained in one He did not wait to see if the command of the bottles which had been in the buried would be complied with—he knew it would package, Doc daubed chemical on each of be, for Lady Nelia was certainly not going to the cages. become hysterical under this minor stress. He worked swiftly, but the number of Doc glided around the corner of the the rattan baskets made the job tedious. hut and lurked there. When he had finished, he worked to- The sentry approached, swinging his ward the more pretentious hut where Yuttal electric lantern and making a low humming and Hadi-Mot had their quarters. Outside the sound under his breath. He was entirely un- door, Doc found two rattan cages. He painted suspicious. He cast his light into the hut. a bit of his chemical on each. “Ya inta!” he called loudly. “Oh, you!” He operated with greater speed now, His purpose seemed to be to destroy prowling about in the gloom, working upon whatever chance Lady Nelia might have had each basket he located. He even succeeded of slumbering. He was still grinning cruelly in getting to the cages which the stockade over his little joke when a mighty hand of guards kept close at hand. Finally, he made metal clasped his throat. Air, which he tried for Lady Nelia’s prison. to expel in a shriek of terror, only pumped up The young woman was awake when and down in his lungs. Doc entered. Her chain rattled. Not being The fellow sought to fire his rifle. able to see him, she gave a gasp of fright. Doc delivered a snapping blow with “Sh-h-h!” he warned. She had been the edge of one bronze hand. The thud as it working on her chain padlock. landed was not loud, but the victim collapsed “Oh!” she had recognized him. “I’ve instantly. Doc had struck for the temple nerve been trying to pick this lock with a hairpin, as center. you did. But I can’t make a go of it.” Doc now did a somewhat inexplicable “There’s a trick to it,” Doc said softly, thing. He placed the unconscious sentry on making no effort to keep admiration of her the floor and covered him carefully with a courage out of his voice. sleeping mat which had been provided for He took the hairpin and opened this Lady Nelia. padlock as easily as he had the one in the “Why take all that trouble?” the young dirigible, at the time of the first rescue. woman whispered. “You’re lucky,” he whispered. “They “I’d rather not see an unconscious did not padlock the chains to our necks— man die with no chance to aid himself,” Doc they riveted them! We used diamonds to cut replied. the links.” The bronze giant did not elaborate his She managed a low, somewhat shaky explanation. Grasping one of Lady Nelia’s sound of attempted mirth. “You fellows must hands—something the young woman did not have cut up terribly this afternoon. I heard mind at all—he led her toward the stockade. Yuttal and Hadi-Mot talking. They’re afraid A few score of feet from the inclosure, you will spread your mutinous attitude to the just outside the area paced by the sentries other slaves.” and guarded by the vampires, Doc left his “We’ll spread more than that, if we pretty companion. But first, he found her ear have decent luck!” Doc assured her grimly. in the murky night. “Come on!” “Stay right here!” he warned. “I’ll be They stepped to the door together— back soon. And be ready for action!” and halted. A watchman came tramping around A light was bobbing toward them. One the compound, dangling a light beam over of their enemies approaching! the bats. “A guard comes here every half hour Even as the man passed, Doc was or so to see that I am safe,” Lady Nelia soaking his fragment of rag with chloroform. breathed. “That must be him!” He tossed the cloth—a vampire snapped at it. The bats possessed eyes more adapted to the darkness and could see the fabric. Doc THE LOST OASIS 69 let this bat go into a permanent sleep from A bearded fellow dropped under the the anaesthetic effects. mallet of Doc’s big fist without ever knowing Whipping forward, Doc plucked softly what had occurred. at the gate fastenings. These consisted of a An automatic rifle chattered. Another! heavy sliding bar and a peg to hold it in A man squawled as Renny’s big place. Doc extracted the peg. hands found his neck. “Anybody there?” he asked softly. Ham’s sword cane spitted one of the “Me!” came Renny’s harsh whisper. riflemen through the shoulder, dropping the “We’re all set in here! Got the chains holding man in a writhing pile of agony. every single group of slaves cut through at With a ghostlike clanking of many the anchor posts. It was a dickens of a job, chains, the slave groups retreated through though. But everybody is ready for the the darkness toward the Aëromunde. break!” Over toward the sleeping quarters, “Here we go, then,” Doc told him. “Tell men were piling out of bunks to seize their them to run straight out from the gate. The arms. vampire immediately in front is out of com- Light brightened the doorway of Yuttal mission.” and Hadi-Mot’s hut. Then both leaders bounded outside, waving flashlights. Bayoneted rifle thrust out, a sentry THE gate could not be opened without charged Doc. noise—Doc had noticed this when they were Nimbly, Doc evaded the ugly blade. put in the compound at sundown. So he Lunging in, he seized the man and flung him made no effort at silence. Slamming back the against another, who was clipping fresh am- bar, he wrenched the great portal open. munition into his rapid-firer. Both went over in Crude hinges squeaked loudly! a kicking, swearing pile. “Eysh huwa!” bellowed a sentry. “What Doc pounced upon them, fists driving is this?” expertly. Out of the gaping gate plunged Renny A watchman, who had been stationed and the others. Behind them surged the around at the rear of the stockade, arrived on slaves, still chained in groups of ten. the scene. Glimpsing Doc, he flung up his Doc and his men scattered, each rifle. The muzzle of the weapon, glinting nas- charging a shouting sentry. tily in the gleam of the man’s electric lantern, “Make for the airship!” Doc barked at was beaded upon Doc’s back. Lady Nelia. Lady Nelia Sealing then paid whatever The slaves had also been instructed to debt of gratitude she might have owed Doc. race to the Aëromunde. They did so, not un- She had not retreated to the Aëromunde—for derstanding what good that would do, since once disobeying Doc’s orders. She had the dirigible was not yet airworthy. But the gathered up a pair of rocks and waited, hop- leadership of this giant bronze man and his ing she might be of some aid. hard-boiled, devil-may-care companions of- She flung one of her rocks—and fered the only real chance of escape which missed. Her second heave, however, was a had come their way. They were glad to take bull’s-eye. Hitting the watchman in the center orders. of his whiskered features, the stone bowled “Eysh huwa?” howled the guards. him over! “What is this? What is happening here?” The fellow’s rifle cracked, and so nar- About the gate, all was chain-clinking row was the margin of escape that the slug confusion. Some of the linked men were blew cold air on Doc’s features! sobbing in their excitement. Not a few forms, “You’re sure handy to have around,” slaves ill almost to death, were being carried. Doc chuckled, reaching the young woman’s The guards approached, using their side and carrying her along toward the dirigi- electric lanterns. ble. Doc and his men had been foresighted Over his shoulder, Doc roared: “C’mon, enough to circle a bit, coming upon the senti- gang!” nels from the sides.

70 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE

Chapter XVIII “That means Yuttal and the rest are SUICIDE getting into the rattan cages for protection against the vampires!” Ham yelled, hoping THE brief, furious fight waged by Doc the ominous information would spur on the and his crew had given the slow-moving, already frenzied slave chain. chained strings of slaves time to reach the At last they got the final man inside. Aëromunde. With an eagerness that bor- They bounded through the door themselves. dered on frenzy, they were clambering into Doc slammed the panel and latched it. the control cabin, thence on into the cubicles Fumbling, he located a switch and occupied by officers and crew when the le- clicked it. The lights came on. viathan of the skies was cruising. A bullet snapped through the metal- Rifle slugs clanked viciously upon the and-veneer control room wall below the win- metalwork of the airship. But the electric lan- dows! terns furnished poor illumination for shooting. Doc promptly turned the lights out. None of the bullets were accurately placed. “Account for everybody!” he rapped. The whole thing had happened a bit “Make sure all hatches are battened. Crowd too quickly for Yuttal and his followers to as many as you can into the crew quarters comprehend what was going on. They were and fasten them in! You’ll have to do the job confused. in the dark!” Yuttal’s men were of a strain addicted His five men plunged to follow the to much yelling when in combat. This added suggestions, making much noise. to the uproar. Moreover, it prevented any Doc turned to peer through the cabin general organization, because orders could windows. Lady Nelia Sealing materialized at not be heard above the din. his side—the first he knew of her presence Doc gained the Aëromunde, swung being the touch of her hand upon his arm. Lady Nelia inside, and bent his strength to “I still do not know what will get us out aiding some of the weaker strings of slaves. of this,” she said, excitement and recent ex- “Hurry!” he warned them. “We have ertion making her words spasmodic. “You very little time!” seem to be working to a definite plan. What “Sacre!” whined a man, apparently a is it?” native of France. “What good zis do? We Doc was rather slow replying. Then, ‘ave no gun wit’ which to fight zem! Zey grasping Lady Nelia’s elbow, he guided her weel—” through the darkness to a door which gave Doc gave him a boost which sent him entrance to the officers’ quarters. flying into the control car. “The plan is about to see its climax,” Only one string of ten captives now he told her shortly. “That climax will not be remained outside. As Doc’s outfit lent their pleasant. You won’t want to see it.” aid to the men, a loud jangling of bells sud- He left her with that, and returned to denly sounded! the control-car windows. From fully twenty assorted points in the night, the bells clamored out. None of them were especially loud, but the effect of MANY electric lantern beams danced all ringing in unison was uncanny. about in the hands of Yuttal, Hadi-Mot and “The alarm bells attached to the elec- their confederates. Frequently, their lights trical circuit that releases the vampires!” Ham rested upon each other, permitting Doc to shouted; then, to the chained individuals obtain a fair idea of what was going on. whom he was helping: “Get a move on! I Yuttal and the rest were not acting like know you guys are about dead, but get a men confidently awaiting the elimination of move on!” their enemies. They were struggling madly Doc and the rest did their best to re- with their cagelike contraptions of rattan. double the efforts of getting every one inside The cages were coming to pieces at the airship. their touch! The bell ringing had stopped every bit Shouts of fright arose! Wild questions of the shooting—stopped it as though the were shrieked, showing they had no idea jangling clamor was the voice of magic. what was wrong with the cages! Soon, though, terror, swiftly coming into their THE LOST OASIS 71 voices, indicated they realized the fate that fashion, while seeking the lives of Doc ahead. Savage and those he had chosen to aid. The bronze, regular features of Doc Here in the dirigible was safety, pro- Savage for once were showing expression. viding no hatches chanced to be open. Doc They were grim, a bit sorrowful, as if he re- made the rounds, turning on lights, ascertain- gretted this thing he had found it necessary ing that the hatches were secure. to cause to happen. For Doc had taken the only course which offered security to the unfortunate indi- WITH the coming of dawn, it was viduals he was aiding. merely a matter of patience and a keen eye He had daubed an acid upon the lash- to pick off the vampires, using rifles and ma- ings which held the rattan cages together. chine guns from the Aëromunde armament. The powerful chemical had rendered the Before noon, the task was done. lashings so weak that they were breaking as A scant handful of brown, bearded the cages were put into use. men had found shelter from the vampire at- A stray electric beam came to rest tack. They came out of hiding, trembling and upon Yuttal and Hadi-Mot themselves. fearful and even anxious to surrender. Standing close together, they were striving Repair work on the dirigible at once frantically to get their cages to stick together. got under way. There was not much to do. They were like evil little devils whose toys But Doc Savage directed that the task pro- had broken. ceed slowly, that the enslaved men, freed of Time after time, they grasped toppling their shackles, might have time to regain their staves of the baskets and shoved them back strength. in place. Their actions seemed ludicrous, More than one trip to civilization would more than a bit horrible, for death was very be necessary in order to transport every one, close upon them. it was found. Out of the night that death came! A The diamonds were gathered together black, fluttering object appeared in the light. and cased. They represented a fabulous Then several others. The deadly vampires! sum. The creatures swarmed upon their “What’re we gonna do with these masters! things?” Monk pondered, hefting a collection Yuttal and Hadi-Mot sought to run, just of walnut-sized sparklers. as other men around them were striving to “Divide them,” Doc said, giving voice flee to safety. But their flight was hopeless. to a decision he had reached. “Lady Nelia will The huts were too far distant. get a share. The rest will go into our working Both Yuttal and Hadi-Mot went down fund—to be expended in construction of a together, stricken by the venomous fangs of few hospitals and so on.” the vampires. Lady Nelia stared at Doc wonderingly, The bats, lusting for blood, covered surprised that he showed no particular ela- their prone bodies like a black living blanket. tion over the wealth at hand. She did not Then, as if to mercifully blot out the know that this treasure, great as it was, frightsome vision, the electric lantern was hardly compared to the gold trove which was kicked over or flung aside and buried its glare Doc Savage’s mysterious source of funds. in the sand. Four days had passed since the death Doc clicked on the switch which of Yuttal, Hadi-Mot, and their men, and the brightened the lights in the Aëromunde con- interment of the bodies. trol cabin. There would be no more bullets In that period, a truth had dawned flying this way now. The men out there were upon the attractive young Englishwoman. doomed, except perhaps for a few who might She saw that Doc was not for her. He was no bury themselves in the sand, or reach the woman’s man. She had accepted the situa- huts, or otherwise escape. tion, and masked her inner feelings with de- Victims of their own odious murder termination. trap were Yuttal and Hadi-Mot, and the rest. “We will, of course, have to sell these They probably did not know it but they were stones over a period of years,” Johnny not the first of their kind to depart the world in pointed out. “Dumping such a quantity of the 72 DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE finest gems all at once would knock the bot- tom out of the market.” LONG TOM was no prognosticator of “I will not accept a share,” Lady Nelia coming events. For upon the delta of that said abruptly. “Perhaps I have not mentioned same lazy River Nile, he was soon to land in it, but I am independently wealthy. I do not one of the most perilous adventures of his need money.” eventful life. Doc showed no amazement—he had Doc Savage was to be drawn into the a fine enough opinion of Lady Nelia Sealing affair, with the others. And through the terri- to expect just this. ble weeks that followed, they were destined “In that case,” he said, with one of his to fight one of the most fantastic organiza- rare smiles, “we will use your share to create tions in existence—a clique of men—strange, a fund in England—for any sort of hospital degenerate beings—who were human ghouls construction or charity you may wish.” in the graveyard of the Atlantic. “Thank you,” smiled the young To a weird, little known region they woman. would be carried, passengers on a derelict On the morning of the fifth day, the liner! An eerie domain where lost ships of all Aëromunde took off on her first trip to civiliza- centuries had collected! Where Spanish tion. The departure was without mishap; the treasure galleon and modern warship rubbed ship handled perfectly, with Doc and his five hulls! Where strange, half-human creatures aides at the more important controls. prowled and looted! “Want me to set the course for Cairo?” The Sargasso Sea! Men without souls! asked Renny, who was navigating. A beautiful girl who held sway—an Amazon “That’s right,” Doc agreed. queen of the sea—over a clan of her sex. All Long Tom, a hand under his eyes to these spelled plenty of trouble in the next shade them from the glare off the desert venture of this giant bronze man and his five sands, peered into the shimmering heat haze remarkable friends. ahead. “Cairo—on the banks of the lazy River Nile!” he chuckled. “That sounds peaceful THE END enough.”

THE LOST OASIS 73

Keep Your Eyes Open! Watch Out for

THE SARGASO OGRE

Of all the dire fates that wait for ship and man on sea, none is more dreadful than being caught in the grip of that strong, mysterious net of the waters—the Sargasso Sea. Brought there by unfathomable currents, great ships and small, good men and bad, all are massed into one conglomeration of evil and danger. From out of the center of this spot comes the Sargasso Ogre, to prey upon all unwary ships. Modern science and equipment, combined with the mind of a fiend, make helpless all who would struggle against the orders of this evil leader. Into such a net Doc Savage and his companions are drawn, and with them a shipload of people, and a vault filled with tre- mendous wealth. Don't miss this thrilling, exciting story. It has all of the glam- our of the sea, the mystery of nature's inexplicable wonders, and the marvels of Doc Savage's ability. Have your news dealer reserve your copy for you. It’s in the next issue—a complete book-length novel, together with the choice short stories that make this magazine the best buy you can get for the money.

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