Author: Kenneth Robeson
Date: 2009-09-15 00:20:12+00:00
Publisher: Wally Wu

THE EXPLODING LAKE

A Doc Savage Adventure by Kenneth Robeson Originally published in Doc Savage Magazine September 1946

This months Doc Savage novel takes you to the mystery land of Patagonia, where nature plays curious tricks and the schemes of evil men conspire to make it a country of dread. Read it and see if it isn’t a real thriller.

2

DOC SAVAGE

Chapter I

Two great fields of inland ice fill all the central part of the cordillera from about 46° south lati-FROM the Negros River southward to tude to 51° south latitude. From these ice-Beagle Channel, distance measures some-fields great glaciers flow down to the lake re-where near a thousand miles, and the cross-gion on the eastern border of the cordillera and span measured from Carmen de Patagones to to the fjords of the western border. At the time Point de Corral is somewhat less, about six of writing this article these ice-fields have hundred miles. Transplanted on to the United never been crossed, although the southern-States, the dismal area would cover a triangle most field has recently been penetrated to roughly with its three corners at New York City, some distance by expeditions working in from Chicago and Key West, Florida.

Lake Argentino and Lake Viedma. . . .”

Of a part of this godforsaken region the Juan Russel, while he was no expedi-Encyclopedia Britannica has this to say: “From tion—he was one man, two mules—could per-Lake Buenos Aires southward, the Andes are haps have added to the description, and cer-known in detail only on their eastern border.

tainly his words would have made it less for-THE EXPLODING LAKE

3
bidding. Juan had a romantic heart, an inheri-Juan peered, half-blinded, at the match in his tance from his Spanish mother; he also had a hand. It was un-struck. It had not caused practical streak, drawn from his father, a man whatever had happened.

from Kansas who had been a particularly good

“What the hell!” Juan gasped.

mining engineer. From his Castilian mother, Then came the blast. Powerful, it shook Juan Russel drew a love of beauty and the the hill itself—then the sound, and the sound arts. His father had sent him to Rolla School of was enough to paralyze the eardrums for a few Mines, which was in Missouri, not too far from moments.

Kansas, so Juan was a good metallurgist.

“Earthquake!” thought Juan. He flung Juan Russel looked a little like a bum, it himself flat, a good thing to do when there was should be said here; but he had quite a wide an earthquake, he had heard.

name in his profession in South America.

Presently, he said stupidly, “No earth-Where Juan got his idea of humor was a quake!” and sat up and looked around.

question, but it was probably from American He saw, down below in the compara-comic strips. His humor was of an obvious tively level pampas, a gigantic billow of dark sort. He had, for instance, christened his pack smoke that was growing and mushrooming as mules Andy and Uncle Bim. Andy, who was it lifted into the sky. The proportions of the perverse and unpredictable, carried the tools thing were astounding.

and what equipment that could not be broken Uncle Bim, the mule, was regarding his easily. Uncle Bim was used for the provisions, owner with admiration. Apparently he thought the necessities. You could depend on Uncle one match had caused all this, and he was Bim as much as it was safe to depend on a impressed.

Patagonian mule. And Andy would follow Un-The mule stood with docility while Juan cle Bim.

got out his binoculars and took a look at the Uncle Bim—the mule was not all angel—
base of the smoke column.

suddenly balked. With feet planted and head As nearly as Juan could tell, there down, he stopped at the crest of a hill.

should have been a small lake at the base of

“Get going, you blank-blank so-and-so,”

the smoke plume, and it was not there.

Juan urged. He did not have much confidence Juan was a scientist, as all metallurgists in the profanity. He jabbed a thumb in Uncle are to an extent, and presently the fear began Bim’s ribs, and that didn’t get results either.

to touch him. He didn’t like what he saw. He Beneath them a couple of thousand feet, continued to watch the lake, or rather the stu-then outflung for miles, lay an irregular plateau, pefying absence of a lake. Unquestionably, its surface dotted with a series of small lakes.

where water had been, there was a blackened The view was imposing. Juan Russel paused depression, and the surrounding area was to gaze at it, for he liked this country—he liked bare of vegetation and trees which should the view down there, although it was far less have been there.

imposing than what he had seen recently. He The item that contributed as much to had been skirting the edges of an almost inac-crawling horror as anything was the absolute cessible and little-known glacier, and it was lack of human life in the vicinity. A volcanic lovely country. The practical side of him had eruption? Not at all. There was no crater, no made wondering note of huge waterfalls, with fuming, and after all it wasn’t volcanic territory.

their promise of unlimited power. He had found An explosion? Yes, an explosion, but of an indications of oil formations, not exactly oil—eerie sort.

but could be. And he had been interested in

“Atom bomb!” Juan thought. “Oh, hell! It ore outcroppings. This country, Juan thought, can’t be. There would be observers around.

will be a hell of a place, some day.

And it would have come from an airplane.” He He walked around in front of Uncle Bim rolled on his back and scanned the sky for a and prepared to strike a match. Uncle Bim was plane, and found none, although the binoculars impressed by fire. A lighted match in front of were good.

his mule-nose—it didn’t need to touch him—

He shivered. Presently he arose and would cure him of a balk.

started descending the slope, which was in Juan made the first pass at the match places cliff-like. Both Andy and Uncle Bim with his thumbnail. The results were more im-were unusually uncomplaining, as they moved pressive on Juan than the mule. First there toward the scene of whatever had happened.

was a blinding, an incredible, glare of light.

4

DOC SAVAGE

FOUR days later Juan Russel led his ets. He learned the man was Juan Russel—
mules into Piensa de Blanca, a small village and the name of Juan Russel, prospector, which was on the outskirts of nowhere, even in metallurgical research man, was known here.

Patagonia.

Talk went through the village, as it natu-

“El telefono?” said the first native he ac-rally would. The talk became garbled—the costed. “It is miles to nearest, many miles.

things Juan had mumbled drunkenly mixed Say, stranger, you are in a bad shape, no?”

themselves up ludicrously—but eventually it

“A telephone,” Juan mumbled. “I gotta reached the ears of a man who wore a blue get to a telephone.” He said this in English, shirt, and who was staying at the Casa then translated it into Spanish when he saw Negros, the Black House, a rooming-house the native’s open mouth. “Yo querer telefono!”

which was genteel in spite of its name.

“Friend, it is trip tough to nearest tele-

“Juan Russel, eh?” this man said. “What phone,” said the native. “What you need . . .

did you say he saw? . . . Spontaneous disinterest. Eh?”

gration. . . . The beginning of the end of the Juan Russel, it was obvious, needed universe, you say. . . . Crazy? Oh, sure he’s rest. But he needed something else much crazy. I wouldn’t know.” He beckoned Señora more, and that was peace of mind. The old Coliz, the proprietress. “Vino blanca,” he or-Juan, the guy who was a good romantic Span-dered. “By the way, I shall leave early, Señora.

iard and a hard-headed American business-Very early. I will pay you now, so I need not man, and a practical humorist, too, was gone.

awaken you when I leave.”

He was no more. He was terribly lost.

He went out presently and filled the tank

“Got to reach telephone,” Juan mum-of his car with gas.

bled, and set the gaunt mules in motion.

He left about two o’clock in the morning, He collapsed, though, at the end of the headed in the general direction of Buenos Ai-street, and they brought him back to the local res.

hotel. There was a bar in connection, and they took him in there to put some soup inside him.

But first they put in a shot of hard liquor.

JUAN RUSSEL, somewhat refreshed—

Juan did not intend to talk about what he although very tight of tongue—left in a rented had seen. But, as soon as the liquor was in automobile about eight o’clock the following him and working, there was a battle between morning. He left behind him in the village the his inherited instinctive taciturnity—from his impression that he was about the most terrified father—and his naturally garrulous mother’s man who had ever visited the place.

Latin temperament. He was stewing with what Around noon, Juan reached his first fair-he had seen anyway, and he could no more sized town. It had telephonic connection—of a have kept quiet than a fish could keep from poor sort—with another town, and then an-swimming.

other town, and eventually with Buenos Aires.

At first, it didn’t make much difference.

Juan placed a call. He got the next town, and The peons thought he was crazy. A nutty was informed he could not talk to Buenos Ai-prospector had wandered into town; the same res—or to New York, which was where he sort of thing that happens in little desert towns wanted to talk. Line down.

in Arizona and Nevada and all the way up to

“Listen,” Juan said desperately. “Listen, the Klondike.

Operator. If the lines are repaired, get me—I Furthermore, few of the peons in this iso-mean, get hold of Doc Savage, in New York lated village had any idea what he was talking City. Tell him it is Juan Russel calling him on a about. Juan was a scientist, and regardless of terrible, an infinitely terrible matter. Tell him to his looks—particularly, now, his condition—an be available for my call, which I will attempt to erudite and learned man. He was too incoher-place. I am heading on toward Buenos Aires, ent to use non-technical terminology, and so any place I can find a telephone line. Tell Doc most of the peons merely decided he was loco Savage that.” He was extremely earnest. “El and let it go at that.

Señor Doc Savage, Ciudad Nueva York. Esta-Presently they got some soup into Juan, dos Unidos. . . . Si, si.” He made the operator and he fell over in a stupor of exhaustion. They repeat it. “That is correct. Doc Savage is very put him to bed, and the hotel proprietor, natu-well known in New York. They will be able to rally wondering whether he was going to get find him by name alone.”

paid for food and meal, looked in Juan’s pock-THE EXPLODING LAKE

5

Juan Russel got going again in search of could find about the man, and his uncanny a telephone. He was, those who happened to abilities. He found out that Doc Savage—notice him agreed, about the most terrified sometimes called the Bronze Man by the man who had ever been through that village, newspapers—was an expert in a number of too.

fields, and that actually his specialty was sur-gery.

Juan also learned that Savage had a JUAN RUSSEL had met Doc Savage reputation as an adventurer, that he liked ex-once, several years ago, while attending a citement, and that he had a name as a sort of special meeting of metallurgists in New York modern Galahad who went around getting City. There had been a notice on the conven-people out of trouble which was either of a fan-tion bulletin board: tastic nature, or outside the abilities of the law enforcement agencies.

CLARK SAVAGE, JR., WILL SPEAK

Doc Savage, it developed, had five as-TUESDAY AT 2 PM ON “THE MOLECU-sistants, all experts in their fields; their fields LAR STRUCTURE OF SEVERAL LESSER
were electricity, chemistry, law, civil engineer-KNOWN METALS.”

ing and geology. These men were also adventurers at heart. This group, Juan found out, Juan had heard vaguely of Doc Savage had been given credit for wiping out some vi-before, but he had been surprised to find the cious criminal organizations and solving a lecture hall crowded to capacity, which was number of fantastic mysteries.

Doc Savage’s specialty, Juan had gath-unusual, because metallurgists were not much different from all convention attenders; most of ered, was the unusual. And he had always re-them spent their time getting tight and raising tained his admiration for the big bronze man.

what hell could be raised. Juan had been for-Juan, being an adventurer himself in a sense, tunate to squeeze his way into the hall.

felt that Doc Savage embodied some of the things he himself would have liked to be. In the back of his mind, probably, there had been a DOC SAVAGE was a conservatively secret wish to someday be associated with dressed man who did not appear particularly Doc Savage in a matter involving something large physically at first, although later, when weird and very, very important.

Juan got close to him, he realized the man was a giant. Savage had rather regular bronze fea-THAT evening, Juan reached the town tures; his coloring—the deep bronze—was rather striking, it was true. Physically, he struck he had called by telephone, and found the a contrast to the anemic-looking faces of the wires were still down. He visited the telephone audience, most of whom has spent the night in office, and he was a wild man. He impressed the nightclubs.

on everyone from the telephone company manager down that he must, absolutely must, The man spoke in a voice that seemed get hold of Doc Savage, and he repeated the low, well-modulated, but a voice that carried to every corner of the lecture hall. His text was a request that, should the break in the wires be revelation. Juan had thought he knew some-found and repaired, Doc Savage should be thing about metals. He began to feel like a contacted at once and urged to wait at the phone for his, Juan’s, call.

school kid.

“Tell him”—Juan gasped—”tell him that it Later, he met Doc Savage personally—
one of those things where you shake the is a matter so important that—that—well, speaker’s hand and tell him what a wow he words cannot describe the horror of it. It in-was.

volves—involves everything!”

“Oh, yes, Juan Russel, the Patagonian Here, too, they thought he must be a little touched. No man in a normal stage of mind metallurgist,” Doc Savage said. “You have could carry that much terror.

done good work down there pioneering in fluo-At the Cochina, an eating place, Juan rescence for prospecting, I understand.”

That was the extent of their acquaint-had a steak which he forced himself to eat.

ance, but Juan’s interest had been aroused in And presently, while he was still at the table, a Doc Savage. After that he read everything he man sat down opposite him. The stranger was fairly well dressed. He wore a blue shirt.

6

DOC SAVAGE

“Juan Russel?” he said.

“Maybe,” the man in the blue shirt said,

“I—yes.” Continued terror was making

“we had better not talk here. Rather public.”

Juan’s tongue a little thick. He had trouble with

“We—yes. Yes, not here. My hotel. We words.

will go—”

The man in the blue shirt was plain, al-

“Good enough.” The other arose.

most mouse-like; there was a tiny scar across Juan’s spirits did not rise as they moved his lower lip; his voice, like his eyes, was flat toward the hotel, but they at least became and emotionless.

somewhat settled. It was dark—the hour was

“I am Monk Mayfair,” the man said.

about ten—and they had to move slowly, since

“Monk—for God’s sake!” Juan gasped.

the pavement was none too good. Doc Sav-

“You—I—mother of mercy!” He suddenly age, Juan thought, was going to be reached.

seized the man’s hand. “Oh, what luck! Mother Things were going to be—well, maybe not all of all things—what wonderful luck!” He lapsed right. But there would now be a chance. Doc into Spanish in his excitement and babbled Savage, Juan believed, was possibly the only about how wonderful this was.

man living who stood a chance of coping with

“I am one of Doc Savage’s assistants,”

this thing.

the man said, and the tiny scar flickered faintly

“I think we’re being followed,” said the on his lip.

man in the blue shirt.

“You—I recognize the name—Monk

“Dios—!”

Mayfair!” Juan blurted. “That is why I am—oh,

“In here.”

this is wonderful!”

They were opposite a small alleyway.

The man who had called himself Monk The other man drew Juan into the blacker Mayfair nodded. The expression in his eyes murk of the alley. He said quietly, “we will wait did not change. He said, “I heard you are trying here and see—” and did not trouble to finish to telephone Doc Savage. They—at the tele-the sentence, because his knife had by that phone office—are a bunch of gossips.”

time gone into Juan’s back near the left shoul-

“Si, si!” Juan gasped. “Mio dios! Mag-der-blade and descending at an angle, nifico!”

reached his heart.

Juan Russel had never met Monk May-Blue-shirt used the knife half a dozen fair, but of course he had read of him. Monk more times to make sure Juan was dead. He was one of Doc Savage’s five aides, the one wiped the blade on Juan’s clothing casually, who was a chemist. Doc Savage’s men had a replaced the knife in its holster, and fished in reputation for working in various parts of the the darkness until he found Juan’s billfold and world—they were consultants of high skill—so took what folding money it contained. He saun-it did not seem strange that Monk Mayfair tered out of the alley, went to the place where should be in Patagonia.

he had his car parked and before starting the

“Maybe I can help you out,” the man in motor, counted Juan’s money. It came to a the blue shirt said.

little over a thousand pesos.

“Yes. Yes, you can.” Juan nodded ve-

“A fair bonus,” he remarked.

hemently. Relief was making him weak, almost He started the engine of his car and left incoherent. “I have much to tell you—a—a town. Five miles or so out of town, he paused thing that is terrible, incredible. A lake—it dis-long enough to get a portable radio transmitter appeared—a lake—I mean—”

out of the car trunk, warm up the tubes, and

“I heard about that,” the other said qui-whistle into the microphone several times.

etly.

Presently he got an answering whistle in the

“You heard!”

receiver.

“Rumor travels fast in this country.”

“Juan is dead,” he reported, and put the

“Rumor?”

transmitter back in the trunk and got going.

“You talked—you were a little drunk, I understand—in the town where you stayed last night. News about you has preceded you.”

“Oh!”

“You wanted to keep this secret?”

“

I—yes. That is—well—terror! The terror of it! I did not think—”

THE EXPLODING LAKE

7

Chapter II

THE Dias Escribe was not the leading Buenos Aires newspaper, but it was not under the government’s thumb as much as some of the others, and was a little sharper in going after news. Pedro Verde, the managing editor, a sour, skeptical little man, called his makeup editor to the desk and pointed at a story and demanded, “What is this piece of tripe? . . .

Don’t you know we don’t print fairy stories?”

He rapped the item with his fist and yelled, “A lake disappearing! For God’s sake!” The item was headed:

STRANGE NEW MYSTERY IN

PATAGONIA

A LAKE VANISHES

The text of the story related how two men had been flying their plane over Patagonia when they had heard and felt a tremendous blast, a blast that almost took their plane from the sky. Frightened, they had gone to their home airport, but had returned two days later, and had taken a picture of the scene.

The picture was reproduced, and showed a blackened area, and, nearby, a number of perfectly normal lakes.

“It is a good story—”

“It is so damned good that it is no account at all!” the managing editor yelled. “Listen, too many cockeyed stories about Patagonia have been floating around. They get on the wire services, get up north to the United States, and people up there think we are a bunch of screwballs, lovers of Nazis; and rela-tions get worse. That sort of thing has got to stop. We’ve got enough trouble as it is with the kind of guys we’ve got in government office down here, without helping the stink along.

That story is regular goofy sea-monster stuff.”

“Yes, but even a sea-monster story makes good reading now and then. In the United States’ papers, every once in a while, you see—”

“The hell with that.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Find these two aviators. I want to know

whether they are dependable.”

“Yes, sir.”

The next day, the makeup man had to

make an embarrassed report. The identity of

the two men had been determined. Carlos 8

DOC SAVAGE

Juarez and Rodrigo Unos. The reporter as-

“I suggest you get aboard, Señor,” he signed to the story had sought the men to get said. “Departure is shortly.”

more details, but they could not be found; they

“Thank you,” said the man who had a had apparently disappeared after giving the small scar on his lower lip. He was of medium picture and the story to a correspondent to height, clad—he did not wear a blue shirt send in.

now—in white linen and Panama. His mouse-

“It’s a phony,” said the managing editor like features were as expressionless as they bitterly. “Print no more of it.”

were when he had put the knife into Juan Rus-The Associated Press, though, had al-sel.

ready picked up the story and put it on their He had been reading the newspaper ac-wire-photo to New York. The A. P. man didn’t count of Juan Russel’s murder. He said—to particularly believe the cockeyed thing, but it himself—cheerfully, “Ah, so they expect an made a good story.

arrest in twenty-four hours.” He folded the newspaper, put it in his pocket. “They always do,” he remarked.

THE murder of Juan Russel got quite a

“Sir?” said the steward.

play all over Argentina. The man’s family

“Nothing,” said the man. “Nothing that background was reviewed at length, and his will come to pass.”

scientific achievements got an extended ac-He showed his ticket and passport to the counting. The police, it was stated, were posi-first officer, who said, “Paul Cort?”

tive the slayer would be in custody within

“Paul Cort. That’s right.”

twenty-four hours.

“Portuguese, I see.”

Presently reporters, on the trail of details

“Yes, Lisbon. The visa is in order, I about the man’s death, unearthed the fact that think.”

he had come out of the Patagonia wild-lands in

“Yes, visaed by the U. S. Consul. Okay.”

a condition that was best described as highly The first officer nodded. Paul Cort boarded the erratic. The man seemed to be suffering from big seaplane, found a seat, and noticed that hallucinations, and under the delusion that the the ship was already filled, except for one seat.

world—the universe, even—was menaced by Paul Cort became uneasy, thereafter.

something infernal and fantastic.

Presently there was a commotion on the They played down the fantastic and in-ramp. A big man, an enormously big man, had fernal menace, because it seemed to be evi-just arrived. Perspiration was streaming down dence that the man was mentally unbalanced.

his red face. He got through the formalities In justice to the reporters on the story, with the First Officer.

there was really nothing told them that would

“Name?”

connect Juan Russel with the business of the

“Dartlic—Orlin Dartlic.”

vanished lake. Juan, drunk as he had been

“Dutch, eh?”

that night when he talked, had been either too

“Netherlands. The Hague,” the big man canny—or too terrified, which was more boomed. “To New York, is going.”

likely—to let out the connection with the lake.

He did not handle the English so well, Anyway, it did not get in print. But the story of and some of the passengers, overhearing, Juan’s death made all the newspapers, and chuckled. Paul Cort did no chuckling, but he was cabled to New York by the press associa-seemed considerably relieved about the one tions, where it got some play—another murder empty seat.

in that trouble-making country down there, Ar-A few moments later, the big man—
gentina.

enormously fat, he was—from the Netherlands There was obviously no political cast to lowered himself into the vacant seat, overflow-the crime, though.

ing somewhat, and holding a briefcase clutched tightly on the balloons of flesh that served him for a lap.

Chapter III

“I thought I be left yet,” he puffed. He had a loud voice, and a boisterously amiable THE steward of the Clipper for New York way of using it.

took a last deep breath of the fine Buenos Ai-The seaplane engines began rumbling res atmosphere, flipped his cigarette into the and vibrating, the ship taxied to the end of the grass, and went into the terminal.

take-off area. A launch finished making the THE EXPLODING LAKE

9
safety-run over the take-off area to make sure nodded somberly. His mouse-like features re-there were no floating menaces, and sent a flat mained largely unchanged. “I feel lucky that signal back to the seaplane. The pilot did his my country has escaped. Portugal, you know.”

cockpit check, fed fuel to the carburetors, and The big man bowed with difficulty, said the seaplane moved, presently began bounc-nothing.

ing, got on step, then lifted. It was airborne.

“Yes,” Cort continued. “We were lucky—

It was about this time that the fat Mr. Or-we of Portugal—in a way. Of course”—he gave lin Dartlic of the Netherlands saw the mouse-a slight lift of shoulders—”we did get to see a like Mr. Paul Cort, of Portugal, and the effect great many adventurers of the world. Lisbon on the fat man was something to see. He was full of them. Spies from every nation, as turned quite white. He said something, or a you can imagine, and rascals. Rascals galore.

number of things, in Dutch or some language Some very bad ones.” He shrugged again. “All similar. It was a little too inarticulate with terror of this, you understand, I hear from my people.

to be understandable.

Letters. From friends. You see, I am a busi-The big man dashed back to the door.

nessman, and I was out of it. I was in Argen-

“Off I want!” he gasped. “Off! Off! Quick.”

tina, and missed the worst of it. You, too, are a

“Hey, we’re in the air,” the steward said.

business man, I take it.”

“What’s the matter?”

The big man hesitated.

“I—uh—something I forget. Something

“Advisor of the government, I am,” he that very important is!” The big man was fran-said finally. He made it sound pompous. “I am tic. “This ship you land quick, no?”

advisor on Patagonian affairs.”

The steward was very sorry, but it was

“That sounds important.”

out of the question. No could do. Company

“It is.”

regulations, and other things, including incon-

“My name is Cort. Paul Cort. I am glad to venience to the other passengers. Very sorry.

meet you, Mr.—”

The steward was of the opinion that it

“Dartlic—Orlin Dartlic.”

was the fat man’s first flight—a plain case of They exchanged slight bows. They did air-scare. The steward talked smoothly, logi-not shake hands. The small man took a seat cally, and got the big man back in his seat, and leaned back, eyelids closed, and there then administered a sedative, a calming drug was nothing to show that he was in the least of mild qualities. The fat man took that. He was interested further.

glad to get it. He needed calming.

“I believe,” he said presently, “that I read Paul Cort continued to be quite expres-somewhere about you.” He aroused himself, sionless.

turned the pages of his newspaper. “Ah, here it is,” he said.

The headline said:

A COUPLE of hours later, the fat man paid a visit to the men’s room, and Paul Cort U. S. SCIENTIST TO BE
joined him there. The two men gave not the CONSULTED
slightest sign of knowing each other. The big man did swallow audibly, and his huge head turned until he was staring into the impassive DARTLIC TO MEET
face of the other.

CLARK SAVAGE, JR.

Paul Cort produced his newspaper with an offhand manner.

The story did not elaborate much on the

“Too bad about this fellow Russel, Juan headlines, merely stating that Orlin Dartlic, of-Russel,” Cort said. “Did you read about it?”

ficial advisor on Patagonian affairs, was taking

“I—Yes, I read.” The fat man swallowed the Clipper to New York for a technical consul-again, a sound like a trout gulping a bug off the tation with the New York scientist, Clark Sav-surface. I—a friend of yours, no?”

age, Jr.

“No, not exactly. I never met him. A

“That you, eh?” said Cort.

promising young man, I heard, though.”

“Is me,” the fat man said. He said this

“A very bad thing, murder.”

calmly enough, but in a moment he went into

“Yes,” said Paul Cort. “It was the vio-the bathroom and could be heard being sick.

lence of it. The world, we of the world, have too much of violence in these times.” Paul Cort 10

DOC SAVAGE

Cort’s mouse-like face was blank, and do with in the oil business, and was spoiling an presently he arose and left the men’s lounge, already flibber-jibbit daughter by letting her resuming his seat.

traipse around over the world, hunt lions in Africa, counts in London, ocelots in Brazil and wolves in New York. The drummer of bulldoz-SUSAN LANE boarded the plane at Rio ers made what he thought was some head-de Janeiro. Susan—you knew her two min-way.

utes, and began calling her Susie—made up the third of the oddly assorted trio of Cort, Dartlic and Susie Lane.

IN Trinidad, there was a stop of about

“Look at the blonde bombshell!” some-half an hour for refueling and maintenance body said.

check of the engines and plane, and the pas-

“Yeah. For crying out loud! What’s that sengers stretched their legs.

she’s got?”

Paul Cort sent a cablegram to someone The object of amazement was a cub named Gaines at the Plaza Central hotel in ocelot. Susie was, rather obviously, smuggling New York.

the animal aboard, and not making much of a It read:

pretense of keeping it under her coat.

“Nothing doing!” said the Second Officer MEET CLIPPER. I WILL POINT OUT MAN
firmly. “No animals.”

DISCUSSED IN TELEPHONE CONVER-

“What animal?” said Susie. “I don’t see SATION. HAVE PLENTY OF MEN TO DO
any animal.” The ocelot wasn’t as big as a tiger JOB.

under her coat, but it was as conspicuous as CORT
one.

The Brazilian officials claimed they didn’t The fat Netherlander, Orlin Dartlic, sent see any animal either. They had obviously a cablegram to Doc Savage, New York.

been paid by Susie not to see one, and they It said:

thought it was very funny. They assured the Second Officer there was no animal. There ARRIVING CLIPPER. IMPERATIVE MEET
was quite a row, which the Second Officer lost, and Susie tripped aboard with the cub.

YOU DISCUSS AMAZING MATTER IN

“I shot its mama, who was really a blood-PATAGONIA. IMPORTANCE CANNOT BE
thirsty cat,” she explained.

UNDERRATED.

The other passengers stirred uneasily.

Tension spread around the vicinity of the cub He signed it with a flourish with full name ocelot, which looked capable of doing about as and title: much damage as a wildcat in case it took a notion.

ORLIN DARTLIC, ADVISER TO THE AR-

“I’m a big game huntress,” Susie told her GENTINE GOVERNMENT ON PATAGO-seat-mate, a gentleman who peddled bulldoz-NIAN AFFAIRS.

ers for an Ohio concern. He was dubious. He highly favored Susie as a seat-mate, but the Susan Lane’s cablegram was to Wash-matter of the animal, which he took to be some ington, to an individual designated as BUCK-kind of a spotted wildcat, was another matter.

LEY, Suite 244, Clagle Hotel, Washington, D.

“Will the thing scratch?” he asked doubt-C.

fully.

It read:

“Yes,” said Susie brightly. “But it’s so sweet, don’t you think?”

MOUSE, RAT AND CAT SUSIE IS SO IN-

“Ummmmmm,” said the drummer. “Are NOCENT BIG DOINGS ALL RIGHT AND
you really a big game huntress? I mean—do HOW ARE YOU, YOU BUM.

you go into jungles and such?”

“

SUSIE.

Oh, definitely.”

In the course of the next couple of hours, The cablegram despatching in all three Susan Lane definitely established herself as a cases was done with care that none of the silly bit of fluff whose papa, Ben Holland Lane, had made more money than he knew what to THE EXPLODING LAKE

11
other three principles involved noticed that a self, knew his New York; he could drive, and, message was being sent.

once clear of the bridge, he left the parkway, There was one other incident in Trinidad.

took narrow streets, doubled, twisted. The The cub ocelot clawed the wolf ideas out of the roadster carrying Paul Cort hung behind them drummer. It happened in the lunchroom, and for a time. Then, expertly, the cabbie trapped the cub emitted a small, high-pitched sound, the other machine in changing lights and a bounded from the table, landed on the drum-snarl of traffic.

mer’s leg, and ruined his suit, his leg skin, and

“That did it,” he reported.

his amorous ideas about Susie.

The fat man sighed in relief. “Good.”

“Too bad,” said Susie. It really didn’t

“Ain’t none of them can stick on my tail seem to bother her.

when I take a notion,” the cab driver boasted.

The fat man gave him a street address.

“Take me there,” he said.

AT La Guardia Airport, fat Orlin Dartlic was one of the first through the customs ritual.

The bellhop started with the fat man’s bag to THE building, in the midtown section, the regular airlines bus, but Dartlic stopped was one of the most impressive in the city, him. “No, a taxi I want,” the fat man said.

and, at this hour of the day, somewhat Susan Lane was through next, and there crowded in the lobby area. The fat man was was an argument about the animal. It seemed careful. He looked everywhere before he got there were quarantine regulations about ani-out of the cab, looked everywhere in the lobby, mals, and the La Guardia customs men were and ambled to the directory listing occupants not as easily persuaded as the Brazilian ones of the skyscraper.

had been.

Doc Savage’s offices were listed on the

“Papa! Papa, darling!” Susie squealed eighty-sixth floor.

suddenly.

“Eighty-six,” the fat man told an elevator A large horny-fisted embarrassed look-operator.

ing man had approached. He wrapped Susie in

“Sorry, sir, no stop at eighty-six,” the ophis arms, got and gave some fatherly kisses erator advised him.

and hugging, then told the customs men, “We’ll

“But I—”

see about this! Where’s the telephone? I’ll call

“You wish to see Doc Savage?”

whoever has got to be called about this cat. If

“I— Yes.”

Susie wants that thing—God knows why she’d

“You will have to get a pass from the want it—she’s gonna have it.” He stalked off, seventh floor, Room 710,” the elevator atten-and presumably found a telephone.

dant advised.

Fat Orlin Dartlic got his cab. He had kept

“Well—on seven let me out, yes.” The fat an eye on Paul Cort, and he perspired pro-man was confused and upset. “Why—I do not fusely when he discovered there was a car understand this,” he complained.

waiting for Cort, a low roadster that looked

“Merely a formality to keep cranks away fast. Cort and the man at the wheel shook from the eighty-sixth floor,” he was told.

hands.

“Oh.”

The fat man’s features were a study of In the seventh-floor corridor, Dartlic terror. He reached in his pocket, brought out a looked around dubiously; for several moments bill, and pushed it toward his cab driver.

he stood eyeing the corridor, but it seemed

“I think we are going to be followed yet,”

deserted. Carefully, moving quietly despite his the fat man said. “You can prevent that, no?”

size, he edged along, looking for 710.

The driver thought so. He asked, “What’s There was, suddenly, a whispering of the idea, bub? I ain’t looking for no trouble.”

feet on the tile floor behind him. He whirled,

“A matter of another man’s wife, and a discovered three men almost upon him, men private detective following me,” lied the fat with knives. His shriek was a small mewing man. “I want to lose the fellow.” He calmly sound of terror, but there was no terror paraly-added another greenback to the first. “You will sis in the way he moved. Slow as he looked, assist, yes?”

and despite the suddenness of the attack, he The cab driver looked at the second bill fought with precision and skill. The briefcase and gasped. “Okay,” he said. The cab leaped he carried whirled, caught a man across the forward. The driver, who was a fat man him-face; the case was evidently heavy, for the

12

DOC SAVAGE

man went down. He promptly kicked a second man, and the three assailants took the other man in the stomach, which seemed an impos-direction, toward a stairway door.

sible feat for his short legs. In the meantime,

“Get in 710!” yelled the slender man. He he had found an abnormally loud voice and went in pursuit of the assailants. All four disap-was bellowing with hair-raising volume.

peared down the stairway.

“Help!” he bawled. “Help! Murderers!

Presently, from below somewhere, there Help! Come and help—”

were shots, about six of them, two together at Down the corridor—it was room 710—a first, then four somewhat spaced. After that, door flew open. A slender, dapper looking man there was silence in the building, as far as vio-came out, yelled, “Here! What’s going on?”

lence was concerned.

The fight broke up then. The fat man, still howling, broke free and ran toward the slender

THE EXPLODING LAKE

13
himself with both hands, and waited. He looked, in spite of the narrowness of his escape, somewhat restored by the excitement.

As if he had at last reached a goal, over considerable obstacles.

Presently, about five minutes later, the slender, dapper man who had broken up the fight returned to the office. He strode past Orlin Dartlic without saying anything, seized a telephone, and got the police. It developed, from what he was telling the police, that the three assailants had escaped, after taking some shots at him.

He was, it seemed, Brigadier General Theodore Marley Brooks, an associate of Doc Savage.

He was asked about the man who had been the object of the assault.

“I’ll try to find him for you,” he said, and looked thoughtfully over the telephone at Dartlic.

Orlin Dartlic bowed his fat head in ap-preciation. “A kindness, yes. Thank you,” he said when the other finished telephoning.

“You want the police to know about you?” “I—better it would be—first I should see Doc Savage, yes.”

“I’m Ham Brooks,” the slender man said.

“I work with Doc.”

“Yes, I gathered—”

“What happened?”

“I—they attacked me—my life I think they want.”

“That was the general idea I got, too,”

Ham said. “What’s behind it? Who are you?

Were you headed for this office?”

“Yes. To me the elevator man say come here. To the eighty-sixth floor he would not take me.”

Ham nodded. “We get a lot of cranks,”

he explained. “This place is a sort of reception center. Matter of fact, it’s a detective agency, a private outfit, which is kept on retainer to see that Doc isn’t bothered too much.”

“I am Orlin Dartlic,” wheezed the fat

man. “I come to see Doc Savage.”

The other nodded. “Okay. I suppose this Chapter IV
sort of thing puts you through automatically.”

SEVEN-TEN seemed to the fat man to be like any other office, although there was no ORLIN DARTLIC was impressed by Doc name on the door, only a number, and there Savage. He said he was, too. He said: “Im-was no one in the reception room. He sank, pressed, I am. All my expectations fulfilled.”

puffing, sweating, trembling until his globes of Ham Brooks explained, “Doc, this gen-fat seemed to twitch, in a chair. He fanned tleman appeared downstairs and three men 14

DOC SAVAGE
attempted, or appeared to be attempting—it The fat man mopped his forehead, set-darned well looked like the real thing—to do tled himself, cleared his throat, said, “I begin.”

something to him, probably murder him. The attack occurred in the seventh-floor corridor, and the fellows ran. I dashed out without a gun ORLIN DARTLIC spoke roundly, begin-on me, and they got away, after taking a few ning in a bombastic fashion, as if he was a shots at me. I notified the police of their politician getting ready to do a lot of talking descriptions.” He nodded at the fat man. “I did without saying anything he could be pinned not say Mr. Dartlic was here.”

down on.

“Dartlic, Patagonian advisor to the Ar-

“These are times such as the world, in gentine government,” Dartlic said.

the time of man, has not seen before, yet,” he Doc Savage was—the fat man was said. “Forces of the mind most strange, and standing close enough to realize this—a forces of terror worse yet, are abroad. There bronze man of remarkable size and muscular has been murder, mass murder, murder of development, and also an individual in whom people one by one. In such times like, a man size and sinew did not seem nearly as impres-who is thinking, he gets to feel maybe a climax sive as other qualities. The man’s eyes, an it comes, that the world faces extinction.” He unusual shade of flake gold, were striking. His held up both hands. “It is terrified, I am. You voice was striking; so was his manner, choice must forgive me. I around the bush, go.”

of words, and his way of approaching matters.

Ham Brooks had perched on the edge of Dartlic gazed about him. They stood in a an instrument table. Around the bush go was laboratory, surrounded by a profusion of scien-right, he reflected. He was tempted to suggest tific equipment, and Dartlic said, “Ah, the very that they in a straight line go, but restrained latest you have. The most new, the best.”

himself Ham had an air of dignity to uphold, a

“You are a scientist?” Doc Savage rather phony air which he felt went with his asked. He was measuring the fat man thought-position as one of the most important alumni fully.

the Harvard Law School had ever turned out,

“Scientist? Ah, no—yes, in the most an attorney with an international reputation.

modest of ways. A dabbler, a hobby, at my Doc Savage said nothing. He was nor-home sometimes.” He sighed, producing quite mally a man of not many words; it was not un-an upheaval in his voluminous body, and indi-usual for him, in a questioning session, to keep cated Ham Brooks. “I might be dead were it in the background and say almost nothing but not for Mr. Brooks, yet,” Dartlic said. “Those merely observe and listen, weigh and consider.

men, they try to kill me. Assuredly, yes.”

The fat man sighed again. He opened

“Know them?”

his briefcase, explored in it, grunting from the The fat man hesitated. “I—ah—know effort of bending his head to look inside. He them exactly, no.” He looked about, selected a withdrew an envelope.

chair and collapsed into it. “My story—you hear

“You photography know,” he said. “This it, no?”

negative . . .” He extended it.

“Yes.”

Doc Savage took the envelope, removed Dartlic sat hunched in the chair, big fists a photographic negative from it, held it to the tight about the briefcase. There was a consid-light, turned it to catch light reflections to see erable grease of perspiration on his forehead.

whether there had been retouching done to it.

“A moment,” he said. “I organize my words,

“Is not a fake, no?” Dartlic said.

yes. I am a man badly scared.”

“Apparently not.”

Ham Brooks sauntered over and, without

“Is not!”

being very obtrusive about it, flipped a switch Ham Brooks leaned forward, said, “Let that got a wire recording gadget in operation.

me point out something now, Dartlic. We are The device had quite a sensitive pickup, and naturally suspicious by nature, and we have would record whatever was said in the labora-formed a little habit of taking nothing for tory. Doc frequently used it to record the sec-granted. You don’t mind, do you?”

ond-to-second behavior of scientific experi-

“I—mind?”

ments which he made, in that way managing to

“I’ll give you an illustration of what I get, he insisted, clues that might have other-mean,” Ham said, indicating the negative. “I wise escaped him in solving a difficult piece of know, for example, that it is quite possible to research.

take a picture, make a print, retouch the print—

THE EXPLODING LAKE

15
an expert artist can put almost anything into the print—and then re-photograph the print, and have a negative which seems quite genuine. It is a genuine negative—but of a picture that is a phony, not of the real thing.” Ham held up a hand as the fat man opened his mouth.

“Mind you, I’m just explaining some questions we may ask in advance. I don’t want you to get insulted.”

“Is genuine.”

“All right. You say it is genuine. Now what?”

Dartlic produced a photographic print from the briefcase.

“Is print from negative,” he said. “More about it you can tell from this, yes.”

The picture was a duplicate of that which had been produced in Dias Escribe, the Buenos Aires newspaper. It showed the lake that Juan Russel had seen, much as Juan had seen it, although there was no plume of smoke.

“Ham,” Doc said.

“Yes.”

“Will you bring the two clippings from the Globe from File 4, Section 2, subdivision 970?”

Doc Savage said nothing while Ham was out of the room. He did examine the print again, using a magnifying glass on it, and he carried the negative to an enlarger, put it in the slide, switched on the projection lamp and adjusted the focus to its sharpest point.

Ham came in with the clippings, one concerning the story of two aviators flying over Patagonia who had seen a vanished lake, and the other a clipping concerning the murder of Juan Russel, Patagonian metallurgist. At Doc’s nod, Ham showed them to Dartlic.

“Is same.” Dartlic nodded vehemently.

“Is picture from that negative.”

Doc said, “Look at the other clipping.”

The fat man lifted his eyes. “Juan Russel

. . . Why do you connect his death . . .”

“Is there a connection?”

The fat man bowed his head. “The truth I tell. . . . We do not know. . . . We fear—yes.”

DOC SAVAGE indicated the vastly enlarged picture which the negative was projecting on the white easel surface.

“You have reason to believe this is an actual photograph of the phenomena?”

“

“The newspaper story—two aviators, as Yes.”

“
it say. Two aviators, yes. Their names, Carlos Who took it?”

Juarez and Rodrigo Unos. They disappear.”

16

DOC SAVAGE

“Disappear?”

“First, more background,” the fat man

“Yes.”

said. “There is in Patagonia long coastlines,

“Foul play?”

with many bays and harbors, some explored

“We do not know,” Dartlic said gloomily.

and some not. In fact, little of Patagonia as a

“They are not to be found, is all. We look. We whole has been really explored so far. The ice not find.”

fields there have never been crossed. Power is Ham demanded, “Who do you mean by there. Metals there. And unlimited space to we?”

hide out. You see. No?”

“My department. I am Advisor of Pata-Ham asked drily, “Where do the men gonian Affairs. I have government department.

who are very bad come in?”

They look, the people who work for me.”

“Power,” said Dartlic. “You understand Ham frowned. “Do you think there is any-what I mean—power? Not the electric kind—thing mysterious about these two fliers who the kind that comes from men dominating took the picture?”

other men.”

The fat man considered this, rubbing his Ham frowned. “Oh, you figure politi-several chins. “Who is to know?” he said fi-cally?”

nally.

“Politically. Is right.” Dartlic nodded ve-Doc bent over the projected negative hemently.

again. He said, bluntly, “If you are building up

“Be a little more specific.”

to an atom bomb scare, you can turn off the Dartlic shrugged. “You do not need a steam. Whatever did this, it was not an atom picture drawn. There is trouble for long time bomb.”

between Argentina and United States. Ill feel-

“No atom bomb,” the fat man agreed. He ings. Many misunderstandings on both sides.

spread his hands and appealed to Doc. “You Lies told. Deliberate efforts to cause troubles.”

will not be humorous with me, no? The truth Ham was skeptical. He knew the Argen-tell.” His voice climbed a little, and there was tine political picture, and he thought most of it terror in it, fear in his eyes. “Could be worse, was justified. Perhaps not all. He wasn’t sure.

no? Could be more horrible?”

Nobody could be sure.

Doc switched off the enlarger.

“There are bad men in Argentina,” the fat

“It could be,” he said, and he was quite man said.

sober.

“I’m glad you admitted that,” Ham told him. “It saves us arguing the point.”

Dartlic looked gratified. “I am glad you THE fat man said he had some back-understand. These men came, we do not know ground he now wanted to give them. Patago-quite how, but perhaps by submarine, many of nia was a big country, he said, and it was al-them. We are not sure. There were many mys-most a third of all Argentina, much larger than terious submarine stories after the Nazis fell—the state of Texas.

they may have had basis in truth. Natives, too,

“A fabulous place, yes,” he said. “There came with rumors. We tried to find these men.

are ice fields. There are glaciers, and there are We could not.”

huge virgin forests. We have huge waterfalls

“Everybody knows,” Ham said, “that Ar-that could provide immense power, and moun-gentina is being accused of keeping the Nazi tains and pampas, gold in the rivers, oil under ideology alive. . . . Now, what is the connection the ground, many metals.”

with the vanished lake and Juan Russel?”

He sounded, Ham reflected, like a repre-

“We do not know—definitely.”

sentative of the Chamber of Commerce. Ham

“Eh?”

was wondering just what had sobered Doc

“We suspect—strongly.”

Savage; he could see that Doc was impressed

“Suspect what?”

and disturbed.

The fat man paused, seeming for the

“And men who are very bad,” Dartlic moment like a ham actor about to deliver a added.

punch-line in a bad melodrama. Ham, watch-

“Eh?” Ham frowned.

ing the grave expression on Doc Savage’s fea-

“I am now explaining why interested my tures, got the feeling that the bronze man con-government department is,” Dartlic explained.

sidered the thing very serious.

“Oh.”

“Hans Boehl—of him you know?” the fat man asked abruptly.

THE EXPLODING LAKE

17

THE name meant nothing to Ham not—as far as we definitely know—dangerous Brooks, but he saw Doc Savage’s eyes widen, as a scientist. As an organizer, and a purveyor saw a muscle flicker at the corner of the of Nazi ideology, he is vicious.”

bronze man’s mouth, which was about as

“But,” Ham said, “I don’t see the point in much astonishment as Doc would show, Ham connecting Boehl with this lake business.”

felt, if the end of the world was unexpectedly The fat man grunted painfully. He lev-announced.

elled an arm at the print. “If that lake—if that is Doc Savage said, “Hans Randolfe Boehl, what I suspect—and I am sure Mr. Savage Academy Deutchlander Oberscience, estab-suspects—it is a horrendous thing which Boehl lished about midway in the war in Munich?”

could use, possibly.”

“The same.” Dartlic nodded.

“I still don’t—”

“Look here, Dartlic,” Doc said sharply.

“My mission here,” Dartlic said dramati-

“Hans Boehl was in charge of Axis atomic recally, “is to ask Mr. Savage, to plead with Mr.

search. What are you doing, getting back on Savage, to come to Patagonia and make an the atomic bomb theme?” Doc tapped the pho-investigation and do—do whatever he thinks tographic print. “This is not the work of an should be done.”

atomic bomb.”

“You want Doc to come to Patagonia?”

“No atomic bomb, no,” Dartlic said. “The Ham said.

whole world fears atomic bomb, yes? This is

“Is correct.”

not that.” He eyed Doc Savage intently. “I think you know what it could be, no?”

“It could be a fake.” Doc turned the print THERE was silence in the room, and it grimly in his hands. “God help us—let us hope was broken presently by the ringing of the it is.”

telephone. Ham picked up the instrument,

“Of a fake, we cannot take a chance.”

said, “Yes . . . He’s rather busy. . . . Well, all

“No . . .”

right.” He extended the instrument toward Doc,

“Get back to Hans Boehl, I will,” the fat explaining, “Some guy. He says he wants to man said. “It is known some of the best scien-speak to you about Dartlic, here.”

tists in Germany got away before the Reich The fat man bolted upright. “About me!”

fell. That is no secret. One of the men who got Doc took the instrument. He said, away was Hans Boehl.”

“Speaking,” and listened for a while. His face

“If he wasn’t killed by the Russians.”

was quite expressionless, except for a slight

“They have not admitted so.”

downward warp of the mouth corners. He said,

“Or captured by them.”

“Thank you, my friend. I hope we have the sat-

“He is in Patagonia, we think,” said Dar-isfaction of a meeting.” He hung up.

tlic flatly.

Dartlic blurted, “About me? What is said?

Doc Savage—the bronze man’s vehe-Who was it?”

mence surprised Ham—said, “Dartlic, that is

“Let’s see if you recognize the voice,”

important information. Can you back it up?”

Doc said. “Play it back, Ham.”

The fat man spread his hands in the ges-Ham worked with the recorder that was ture that he seemed to use habitually. “Prove?

attached to the telephone, got the wire backed By producing Hans Boehl—no. By showing up, switched on to reproduce, and flicked the you men who claim to have seen him in Pata-switch.

gonia—yes. There were three men. Two are They listened to Paul Cort’s flat voice criminals in prison, and these men tried to buy assuring Doc Savage that if he went to Pata-relief from persecution by saying they could gonia, he would meet an abrupt end, and not a take us to Hans Boehl. They could not. When pleasant one, either. Cort was clipped, calm, Argentine agents went to get Boehl, he was expressionless.

not there. The third man—murdered. Quite Fat Orlin Dartlic had turned white. “I promptly after he talked, he was murdered.”

know that voice!” he yelled. “Is man on plane.

Ham looked at Doc, asked, “If this Hans Is man named Paul Cort.” The fat man buried Boehl is just a scientist—”

his face in his hands, wailed, “I should have

“The man is more than that,” Doc said made the plane turn back in Buenos Aires.”

quickly. “He is a genius at organization, and is

“Turn back?” Ham was suspicious.

generally credited with being one of the mas-Dartlic nodded. “This Paul Cort is man terminds behind the whole Nazi set-up. He is we suspect. Is Portuguese. Him we have in-18

DOC SAVAGE
vestigated, but we find nothing against him.

“Doc, Monk, Dartlic, you and I.”

Only rumors. He board the plane with me in

“Dartlic the fat, frightened guy you told Buenos Aires, and I am terrified and ask the me about over the telephone?”

pilot to turn back, but there is argument, and I Ham nodded. “And don’t underrate his do not press. I think I am but very nervous.

fright. He’s got it bad.”

Here in New York, today, I think he follow me. I The cab was in motion. It took a left turn am almost sure he try to follow me.”

up Fifth, caught a green light at the next cor-

“Paul Cort set those three guys on you ner, turned right and moved across town to-downstairs, the ones who tried to kill you?”

ward the less crowded speedway that would

“Perhaps. It is likely.”

lead them to the big bridge and eventually to Doc Savage went over and played the La Guardia field.

telephone recording back, listening intently,

“How come,” Renny asked, “Doc isn’t fly-turning the volume up until the voice bellowed ing down there in one of our ships?”

out of the speaker, studying the voice tones

“Bait.”

and quality characteristics. He switched off the

“Huh?”

gadget.

“This Dartlic claims he was trailed from Ham said, “That’s kind of corny—calling Argentina. And there isn’t much doubt about us up and threatening us.”

three guys trying to put knives into him. I saw Doc said nothing.

part of that myself.”

The fat man, puzzled, asked, “Corny—

“They might have been putting on an what is the word meaning?”

act,” Renny said suspiciously.

“A dumb old trick that has been pulled

“Act?”

before,” Ham explained. “Effective the first

“Possible, isn’t it?”

couple of dozen times it was used, but now Ham frowned. “You know something I worn out.”

don’t?”

The fat man’s shudder was gigantic. “It

“Nope.”

was effective on me, this corny,” he said. “I am Ham considered the point. “Anyway, the scared stiff.”

shooting they did at me wasn’t an act. The bullets were real and they did some good aiming.”

“Never teched you, eh?”

Chapter V

“It’s not funny.”

Renny examined Ham thoughtfully, said, COLONEL JOHN RENWICK waited,

“You look like a guy who found a snake in his suitcase at his feet, in front of the shabby hotel oatmeal.”

on Twenty-eighth Street where he lived. He Ham hesitated. “I guess I do at that. It’s was a big man who looked awkwardly uncom-the way Doc seems to be looking at this thing.

fortable because of the embarrassing size of He’s upset. I don’t know that I’ve seen him his fists, and a rather sour look which was his quite as disturbed before.”

perpetual expression. The bitter expression Renny whistled. “Holy cow. Upset, eh?

was deceptive with Renny, for it was apt to be He upsets about as easy as Gibraltar.”

its sourest when Renny’s spirits were fairly

“I know it.”

high.

“Give me the story,” Renny suggested.

Presently Ham Brooks pulled up in a He listened to Ham’s description of Orlin Dar-cab, and knocked open the door with a palm.

tlic’s violent arrival in the uptown building—

“Climb in. Sorry I was a little late,” Ham said.

Ham glorified that part somewhat, made it Renny got into the cab, examined Ham’s plain that he was somewhat of a hero—and well-dressed figure gloomily, and settled him-carried the recital through Dartlic’s account of self. Ham had a reputation for clothes, and he the vanished lake, the death of a metallurgist did his best to live up to it; just now he was named Juan Russel, the remote vastness of wearing what the well-dressed gentleman in Patagonia, the rumors of international rogues the tropics should wear. The air wasn’t exactly centering on the place, and particularly one tropical in New York. In fact, it was cold.

rogue named Hans Boehl. “So Doc decided to

“What about tickets?” Renny asked.

go down and see what was cooking,” Ham fin-

“That’s all arranged. Five on the Clipper ished.

to Buenos Aires.”

“Holy cow! You saved fat boy’s life, didn’t

“Five?”

you?” Renny said.

THE EXPLODING LAKE

19

“Go ahead, laugh.”

a dirty trick or an embarrassing practical gag

“I did. Silently.”

on the other.

“You’re acquiring some of Monk’s stink-

“Whoeeee!” Ham had discovered ing qualities,” Ham said.

Monk—more particularly, he had discovered

“Uh-huh. I’ve heard of Hans Boehl.”

the blonde. He hurried forward. “Well, well, if it

“You have!”

isn’t old love-bug himself!” he hailed Monk.

“He’s a bad boy.”

“A viper in our midst,” Monk said un-

“So I gathered.”

pleasantly. “Look, will you run along and ped-

“Now,” said Renny, “you can tell me dle it somewhere else?”

what about this vanished lake it was that stood Ham ignored this, beamed at the blonde, Doc’s hair on end.”

said, “Miss, I trust you don’t fully understand

“Doc hasn’t said.”

the mistake you have made. I feel it my duty—”

“The hell he hasn’t.”

“Beat it, shyster!” Monk urged frantically.

Ham nodded soberly. “You know how

“This is a private—this is a young lady who has Doc gets close-mouthed when he runs into a six-foot-three, three-hundred-pound brother something so fantastic and grisly he doesn’t who hates lawyers. You better scram before quite believe a normal world could produce he comes back—”

such a thing? Well, that’s the way this has af-

“Why,” said the blonde, “I haven’t any fected him. He acts as if it would scare the brother.”

pants off us if he spread the information. That

“That’s too bad.” Ham was sympathetic.

fat Dartlic acts the same way.”

“With this Monk Mayfair missing link around, any girl needs a big brother. By the way, my name is Brooks—Brigadier General Theodore MONK MAYFAIR, the chemist, was a Marley Brooks.”

short, wide and extremely homely man whose

“Susan Lane.” The blonde extended her nickname was aptly applied. He was rated as hand. “Susie, for short.”

one of the great industrial chemists of the day, Ham said, “I want to warn you, Susie, but there was nothing about his appearance to about this hairy oaf you’ve been talking to. He betray the fact, and his behavior hit a consis-has a wife and thirteen children, most of whom tent tone that was somewhat less than digni-are mentally deficient.”

fied.

“That’s a damned lie!” Monk yelled.

“Where’s Monk?” Ham asked, after they

“It makes a good beginning, anyway,”

had met Doc Savage and Orlin Dartlic at La Ham said.

Guardia, and introductions had been accom-Fat Orlin Dartlic got quite a wallop out of plished.

seeing Susie again; the wallop landing in his

“The last I saw of him, he had a blonde stomach. His jaw dropped, composure fell cornered,” Doc explained.

completely from his bulbous face for a mo-

“Running right in form, eh?” Ham said.

ment. He croaked, “That—woman—” And

“Will you excuse me a minute. I’d better find pointed.

the big dope and sort of protect him.”

Doc Savage gave Susan Lane an ap-Renny snorted when Ham was out of praisal. His immediate thought, unspoken, was earshot. “Protect Monk—that’s very good,” he that she wasn’t going to be a stabilizing influ-said. “What he meant was that he plans to ruin ence on Monk and Ham, who were somewhat Monk with the blonde as quickly as possible.”

unpredictable at all times.

Ham Brooks and Monk Mayfair were

“On the plane she was!” Dartlic blurted.

very close friends, and if the occasion de-

“What plane?”

manded—if it demanded very hard—either one

“The one I come from Buenos Aires on.”

of them would probably have risked his life for

“She came up from Buenos Aires with the other. However, they had not exchanged a you, eh?”

civil sentence, as far as anyone could testify,

“Yes—no. No! She got aboard at Rio.”

since their first meeting. They seemed to enjoy

“In Brazil?”

each other’s company enormously, and either

“Yes.”

one would spend infinite time and pains and

“Rio de Janeiro,” Doc suggested, “is effort—energy that would have earned good quite a distance from Buenos Aires. It could be money if more sensibly directed—to perpetrate a coincidence. It often happens, two people

20

DOC SAVAGE
riding the same plane to some destination, then taking the same plane back.”

The fat man shuddered violently. “With Hans Boehl in the picture, nothing is coincidence, maybe.”

DESPITE Orlin Dartlic’s discouraging at-titude at the start of the Buenos Aires flight, things took a pleasant course. Even, eventually, Dartlic himself seemed to be enjoying Susie’s company. Susie had a certain rattlebrained effervescence that was amusing and, after a time, one began to suspect it was something she was born with, just as she had been born with the blonde hair, and that, un-derneath, there was quite a bit of hard-headed sense.

“I’m going hunting again,” Susie explained. “The Andes, this time. I guess I’m really going exploring, though.”

“Exploring for what?” the fat man asked.

“Why, what do you explore for? Things, I guess. Maybe a lost race of giants. Don’t they have giants in Patagonia? I’ve heard they do.”

Dartlic chuckled. “About Patagonia, almost anything you hear, yes. . . . By the way, what became of the ocelot cub?”

“Daniel?”

“Uh—Daniel?”

“The ocelot. I named him Daniel. You know, like Daniel in the lion’s den, only he was a lion, if you want to call an ocelot a lion, which isn’t exactly correct, but anyway I didn’t think he would want to be called a lion, so I called him Daniel.”

“You disposed of the animal?”

“I sent him to Papa’s zoo in Tulsa. Papa has a zoo at our place in Tulsa, and I keep my animals there.”

Ham nudged Monk and whispered.

“There! See where you’re going to wind up.

She has a zoo.”

“That isn’t all she’s got,” Monk said cheerfully.

Doc

Savage
devoted
considerable
thought to Susie during the southward trip, without reaching much of a conclusion as to whether she was rattlebrained or had keen intelligence. He distrusted his opinions about women anyway.

THE EXPLODING LAKE

21
course, that of painful contemplating of the magnitude and horror that might develop. Such thinking, which would do nothing but bring on more fear—a paralyzing state of terror was quite possible—was useless. Thought was best diverted, and Susie was a good diverter.

He even, to the alarm of Monk and Ham, and the astonishment of Renny Renwick, went through the motions of playing up to Susie somewhat.

“Holy cow!” Renny muttered, observing this unheard-of phenomenon. He told Monk,

“What the hell! She’s not Doc’s type.”

“I wish you’d point that out to him,” Monk said. “That kinda competition I can’t take.”

“So I noticed,” Renny said drily. “Ham is kinda heading you off, too, isn’t he?”

“That Ham,” Monk said ominously, “had better have his sulfa kit handy, because I’m gonna work him over. I wonder how he thinks up all those lies he is telling her about me.” He went back to his seat shaking his head.

THE Clipper was slowed by head winds; it was night of the third day out of New York before the lights of Buenos Aires came into view far ahead, like sprinkled jewels, powder-fine, on a carpet of black velvet.

Doc Savage called Renny back into the men’s lounge. Orlin Dartlic was already there, but he took little part in the conference except to jerk his head repeatedly in agreement.

“Renny, you’re going to work directly with me,” Doc explained. “Your engineering work has given you the kind of a scientific background that will be handy if this thing turns out to be what I—and Mr. Dartlic—believe it could be.”

Doc, Renny and Dartlic would go to a hotel, the Casa Helado, on Unos de Martes Avenue, number eighty-nine.

“That will be our headquarters for the time—probably no more than a day—that it takes us to get organized for a trip to look at this vanished lake,” Doc explained.

Renny nodded. “What about Monk and Ham?”

“They have the hotel address,” Doc said.

Doc did draw from Susie’s presence a

“They are going to follow the girl.”

certain amount of mental relief—he didn’t like

“That’s not much of a change for them,”

to do too much thinking about the grisly possi-Renny said. “Follow the girl, eh? So you don’t bilities that could lie in the future of this matter trust her little exploring story?”

they were launched upon. Thinking could,

“Just not taking chances, is all. Mr. Dar-since they now had very little to work on, and tlic feels nothing should be regarded as a coin-were not yet on the scene, only take one 22

DOC SAVAGE
cidence when Hans Boehl is, or remotely might the town after they got located in a nice hotel, be, in the picture.”

and wouldn’t it be great if they and Miss Susan Renny nodded gloomily.

Lane put up at the same hotel.

“Hans Boehl,” he agreed, “takes the co-

“Oh, but Susan is staying at my estate,”

incidence out of anything.”

said the somewhat foppish Mr. Perling. “However,” he conceded, “I will be glad to have my car drop you at a hotel, since you are Miss Chapter VI Lane’s friends.”

MONK and Ham, having accepted the job of keeping tab on Susan Lane without any MR. PERLING had an impressive limou-strenuous objections, proceeded to latch on to sine complete with uniformed chauffeur. The the young lady, to dog her footsteps. While a chauffeur put everyone’s luggage in the back, very obvious method, this was quite logical, held the door open for them, and they got go-because it was probably a normal thing to see ing.

young men panting around Susie. Susie herIt developed that the limousine was first self seemed to accept it as a matter of course, going to take Mr. Perling and Susie to the Per-but, shortly after alighting from the plane—ling estate, then continue on to a hotel with while they were still in the customs rigama-Monk and Ham, a procedure they were not role—another young man entered the scene.

against, since they were curious about Perling.

“Susan!” exclaimed this young man with He was, they found during the ride, evidently dignity. “Susan, this is wonderful!”

quite wealthy, owning considerable property of

“Bernard Perling!” screamed Susie.

a commercial nature, and a good bit of real Monk muttered, “Who’s this guy?”

estate—city buildings and ranches.

They were not long revising two or three If the estate was any indication of Per-first impressions about Perling. First, he was ling’s financial standing, he was as rich as older than he had at first seemed—between Croesus. The estate made Monk and Ham thirty-five and forty, probably. He was a rather stare in breathless astonishment; the sweep of small man, hardly taller than Susan Lane, of landscaped drives, the castle-like grandeur of dark complexion with a wisp of a black mous-the buildings, was more like a big California tache.

resort hotel than a home.

“Right out of a movie,” Ham muttered.

Monk and Ham were discouraged when Susie and Bernard Perling were squeal-the car continued onward, Perling and Susie ing and shaking hands and exchanging hugs, having been left at the estate.

Susie doing most of the squealing and Perling,

“You see that place?” Monk muttered.

in a dignified fashion, taking care of the hug-

“It would take a tour to see it,” Ham said.

ging.

“Big.”

Susie performed introductions.

“Bad taste. Worse than Hollywood.”

“Perlie,” she told Monk and Ham, “is an

“Yeah,” Monk grumbled. “That guy is li-old pal. I cabled him I was coming down here able to be stiff competition. You see the way and going exploring. Perlie, like a nice boy, is he rolls his eyes at her?”

going to help me get started.”

Their driver, an erect dignified Argentin-

“Friends of yours,” Mr. Perling asked, ian, had been driving with stiff-necked compo-looking vaguely at Monk and Ham.

sure, but now he snapped his head forward,

“Oh, lovely boys,” Susie explained.

yelled out of the window. “Dios!” he bawled. “El

“They’re down here on a—on a—” She looked automovil—”

blankly at Monk and Ham, said, “I don’t believe He didn’t complete whatever comments I know why you are down here, do I?”

he had to make, because the other car, which

“Vacation trip,” Monk explained blandly.

had pulled up alongside and was crowding

“They work for Doc Savage,” Susie told them off the road, suddenly whipped in ahead.

Perling. “Mr. Savage is a very important man in A tree seemed to leap at them; the crash that New York. He’s a kind of detective, isn’t he?”

followed was violent, and the front of the car Monk said that if he had ever heard Doc changed its shape considerably.

Savage called a detective before, he couldn’t Monk yelled, “By God! Who are those recall it, and that he didn’t think the term quite guys . . . ?”

fit. He said that he and Ham would like to see THE EXPLODING LAKE

23

Out of the other machine men were pil-consciousness organized to do something ing, more men than it appeared possible to jam constructive. There was, on the back of his into the car. They converged on the wrecked head, a lump like a misplaced egg, and it had limousine from both sides. Monk and Ham brothers elsewhere; even his teeth hurt as if barely had time to get the door open—it was they were being drilled upon.

somewhat jammed by the crash—and out into He was tied, he found. But not tied very the road before the fighting started. There securely, for the knots were easy to untangle, were no guns. The lack of firearms encour-and he tried to get to his feet. The floor rocked aged Ham to say, “It looks like this is a shel-and rolled—it actually did; this was no phe-lacking somebody has fixed up for us.”

nomena perpetrated by his head. He stood up Monk said, “Okay, let’s see what we can with difficulty, hanging on to anything he could do about it.”

reach, which seemed to be exclusively iron The street—road, really, for the spot was plates making up a wall or bulkhead. Standing isolated—filled with tumult. The limousine made him quite ill, and his head flew off some-driver, nose flattened and leaking crimson, got where and was gone for quite a while before, out, looked at the battle, and decided to leave with angry effort, he seemed to take it back there. He took half a dozen steps, there was a and restore it to his shoulders.

shot, and he went down. One of the attackers

“Boat,” he decided.

had calmly stepped out of the battle, aimed When he was able to hear sounds, he and fired; the man went to the fallen chauffeur, decided the boat was driven by a diesel en-shot him again, this time in the temple. The gine. . . . Let’s see, what had happened? The killer then came back to the fight, said, in last thing he could recall was hearing some-Spanish, “Give to them a thorough beating. It body say something about softening them up.

will soften them up.”

Them? Oh, yes, Ham—

Occasionally Monk or Ham would par-

“Ham!” he yelled.

tially emerge from the mêlée in a sort of vol-He felt around over the floor for Ham, but canic upheaval; now and then a yelling figure it was a rusty steel cubicle he was in, and Ham would fly out of the huddle at a tangent. Mostly was not there. If there was a porthole, he there were blow sounds, curses, scufflings, couldn’t find it, and the same went for ventila-grunts, the sounds that men make when badly tion. He decided there wasn’t any ventilation; hurt. It subsided, finally, with Monk and Ham the place didn’t smell as if there was. It beaten into insensibility.

smelled, he concluded, as if raw hides had The man who had shot the chauffeur been hauled in it frequently.

gave an order, and a commendation.

Monk had absolutely no intention of go-

“Load them in the car and let’s go,” he ing to sleep at this point, which was what he said. “You did a good job on them.”

did. His body simply gave up; it had taken a hard beating. He slid down on the floor and slept, if it could be called that.

MONK revived in complete darkness and his first impression, a horrified one, was that he was blind. That idea frightened him into try-THE door had opened. Very briefly, let-ing to sit up, and he gasped in agony; he felt ting in a bone-colored chink of light; then the as if he’d been put through a meat grinder, and door had closed, but someone had been that somebody was leading an elephant back tossed, or had stepped, inside.

and forth over what remained.

Monk listened. He was awake, could He realized, presently, that his body was hear, see; he didn’t feel much better than he actually rolling back and forth, and hitting metal had earlier, but he wanted to fight somebody, braces on either side. Occasionally, for variety, which was a sign of improvement. Feet were his feet would hit the floor a solid bump, then slipping slowly and cautiously over the metal he’d tumble again, and the elephant would plates, and seemed to be approaching him.

take another trip over him. The elephant, he His face split in a painful grimace—his captors finally made out, was just plain pain, nothing must have decided to do away with him; the else.

killer was coming toward him, in the belief that

“Ham!” he croaked.

Monk was helpless.

He got silence. Horrified, he settled His leg muscles gathered, his ears down to the grim business of getting enough strained to catch the whispering shuffle of feet, 24

DOC SAVAGE
and he leaped; he launched his short, solid

“Down south, you dope. It gets colder body, desperately; his long arms whipped out.

down here as you go south.”

He misjudged somewhat, but made contact

“Oh.”

with the foe, and came down on the steel

“We’re following the coastline, as nearly plates of the floor with a thud, tangled with as I can tell,” Ham said.

someone. He got a fist in the midriff. A hand

“Know our hosts?”

took his throat; he gasped for breath, kicked,

“They’re all strangers to me,” Ham said.

and did some damage, because he got a gasp of pain and a “Damn you!”

“Ugh—uh—ugh!” Monk croaked past the IT must have been nearly an hour later fingers around his throat.

when they heard the first of what was to be a The other released him.

series of agonized shrieks. The sounds came

“I’ll be damned!” said Ham’s voice.

from close at hand. Instinctively, both Monk

“Ham!”

and Ham came to their feet; they had heard

“Monk!”

men in pain before, but hardly anything that Monk said, “I thought it was somebody contained more suffering than these cries.

gonna cut my throat?”

Ham whispered that it sounded right next

“In the dark?” Ham sneered. “If they had door. “Let’s see if we can find some sort of an sent a man in here to kill you, he would have opening in the wall—those sounds seem a little had a light. What were you trying to do, beat clear to be coming through a bulkhead.”

me up just for the pleasure of it?”

They began going over the bulkhead, Monk said this wasn’t so. “If you felt as and presently Ham grunted softly. “An open-lousy as I do, you’d know better.”

ing,” he whispered. “It’s got a few planks over it

“You were damned active there for a from the other side.” Ham continued working minute.”

with the opening, using his fingers, shoving

“I don’t think I got any arms and legs and asking, once, “Got a belt buckle?”

left,” Monk complained. “Where have you Presently he opened up a narrow slit of been?”

light. They jammed their eyes to the opening.

“I have been their personal guest on The adjoining compartment seemed deck,” Ham explained.

somewhat larger than their own, and it was

“Having it soft, eh?”

lighted. Spread-eagled against a bulkhead was

“Not exactly. I think they broke my nose.

a small man, almost nude, leaking blood from Maybe not, but it feels like it.”

the nostrils, and from several minor wounds,

“Huh?”

evidently whip-made.

“They want to know what we’re doing in Ham breathed, “Good God!” The man Argentina.”

was suspended by his thumbs.

“And you told them that?”

Two men stood before the hanging man.

“The truth—we’re on a vacation.”

They were saying nothing, but both had

“A hell of a vacation!” Monk growled. He whips—hideous whips made of two-foot realized that Ham must suspect there was a lengths of wire hawser, with the ends unlaid.

microphone hidden somewhere, or some other From time to time, one or the other would use eavesdropping device. So he added a buildup his whip, striking vulnerable spots.

to Ham’s statement, untrue, that they were on The complete silence of the two whip-a vacation. He said, “Ain’t this a fine note! We wielders was hair-raising. Ham’s features become to a place to really take a vacation, and came—he could tell from the way they felt—a bunch of guys think we’re up to something.

chalky in the darkness. He could hear rage Now I ask you, don’t that beat all hell! What straining at Monk’s breathing, hear Monk’s ef-are we on? A boat?”

forts to keep it controlled.

Ham said it was a boat. “About seventy

“I guess,” one of the whip-wielders said feet long, some kind of a coastwise cargo suddenly, “that will do.”

boat.”

“Take him down?” asked the other.

“Where are we?”

“Let him hang, unless”—the man

“How do I know? It’s getting kinda cold stepped close to the hanging man, jabbed the outside, though.”

jagged end of the wire hawser into his midriff—

“Cold? Up north, eh?”

”the great man here wishes to change his mind.”

THE EXPLODING LAKE

25

The dangling man said nothing. His wait. They did examine the mans battered fea-mouth gaped, his eyes were slitted, and the tures, and concluded there were no bones crimson from his nostrils had traveled in irregu-broken and that, as a whole, he was not near lar yarns the length of his body, almost to the death, granting that his heart was in satisfactoes of his right foot.

tory condition.

“Want to coöperate?” the whip-wielder They spent some of the time inspecting demanded.

their steel prison. The door, they found, was The victim maintained his silence.

fastened on the outside. It was of steel. The

“We’ll let him digest that, and come back porthole—there was only one—was not large later with another serving of it,” the man said.

enough to admit either Monk or Ham to the He jerked his head, and both whip-handlers outside.

left the compartment.

“Land,” Monk said, peering through the Monk and Ham withdrew from the crack.

porthole.

Monk said, “I think I know who that fellow The coast was rocky, quite forbidding, a is.”

desolate area of cliffs and sharply climbing

“So do I,” Ham agreed.

hills, of surf beating itself to foam on reefs.

“He answers the description of the fellow

“I didn’t know there was country like that that fat man, Orlin Dartlic, said trailed him to close to Buenos Aires,” Monk remarked.

New York on the Clipper. Ain’t that who he

“What makes you think it has to be close looks like to you?”

to Buenos Aires?”

“Yes. Mouse-like face, scar on the lip—

“Eh?”

you can see the scar—and a kind of a dead-

“How long do you think we’ve been on pan look about him.”

this hooker?”

“Paul Cort,” Monk said. “Wasn’t that his

“Why, five or six hours, maybe,” Monk name?”

ventured.

“Paul Cort was the name the fat man

“Four days.”

gave him,” Ham agreed.

“What?” Monk gasped. “Four—boy, I must have been laid out. Four days—listen, I wasn’t unconscious that long.”

Chapter VII

“They gave us something to knock us out, some kind of pills.”

THEY worked with the planks which

“Oh. Four days! Whew! We could be covered the opening. “It would be too much to anywhere!” Monk shook his head, gasped, felt expect to be able to get through here,” Ham of the knot on his scalp. “Four days. We been said. “But there’s a chance—say! Say! I be-on this boat all that time, you know that?”

lieve we’re going to get them loose.”

“I don’t know.”

The opening—it was actually a full-length but narrow door—was blocked the full length by hardwood planking, fitting into the THE man grinned at them, entirely with-opening so that it presented, on the side where out humor, a grimace that twisted his battered Monk and Ham were imprisoned, a fairly features, and the tiny scar, half-hidden by smooth surface that accounted, Monk decided, caked blood, flickered on his lower lip.

for his not locating it earlier.

“I am Paul Cort,” he said. “I hope—in The boat continued to travel rapidly over some way—I can return this favor.”

a choppy sea. The motion was violent, and the Monk grunted. The idea of the fellow be-ventilation not good; they heard, very infre-ing able to return a favor seemed a bit far-quently, sounds from the deck, but they were fetched.

the meaningless sort of noises that were nor-Ham sank beside the man. “How do you mal to a boat.

feel?”

They got through the bulkhead finally.

Paul Cort grimaced again. “About, I

“I’ll hold him up,” Monk said. “You get his imagine, as I look.”

thumbs loose.”

“You don’t look so hot.”

The victim groaned faintly, but gave no The man lifted his head slightly, glanced other sign of life, and Ham decided, “He’s around; he said, “Lean close,” and when Ham fainted.” They got him down, spread him out did so, whispered, “Microphone? They can on the floor—then there was nothing to do but overhear?”

26

DOC SAVAGE

Ham shook his head. “We don’t know.

“You’re a secret agent?”

We looked for a mike, but didn’t find any. But

“Yes. For the Argentine government.”

let’s not be too sure. They’ve got new mikes—

“Oh.”

you can attach them to a wall, and they’ll pick Paul Cort continued, “The trail of Hans up what is said on the other side.”

Boehl led to Patagonia. There it stopped.

“Ahhhhhh.” Cort closed his eyes. “I shall Patagonia is a big place, and I had little to tell you what I can without telling anything they work on until that lake vanished. Then I did.”

do not already know.”

Monk grunted. “Lake vanished?” he said.

“That might be a good idea, Cort.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere. I want to Paul Cort eyed them sharply. “You know know—”

my name? How is that?”

“No!”

Ham glanced at Monk; they exchanged

“Eh?”

nods of agreement that it would be okay to

“Not here,” said Cort. “Not anything explain about the name. Ham said, “A man about the lake—not here.”

named Orlin Dartlic came to Doc Savage in New York—”

“That I know. I trailed him. So! He told PRESENTLY Cort said, “Here is why I you my name. Of course.”

went to New York. I knew Doc Savage’s help

“You trailed him, eh?”

was going to be asked, so I trailed along—if

“Yes,” Cort said. “I lost him after he left Orlin Dartlic got the job done, fine and okay. If the airport, though. I heard later there was an he did not, I was going to try my hand at enlist-attack on him at Doc Savage’s place. The ating Doc Savage’s interest.” He paused, his tack was not my doing.”

voice took on a grinding note of emphasis, and

“But you heard about it?”

he said, “I am sure Savage can find where

“From sources, yes.” Cort scowled, Boehl is hiding, and completely thwart the hor-shrugged his shoulders painfully. “Let us not ror which can, through Boehl, grow out of this be kittenish. I was told by”—he lifted his eyes thing.”

toward the deck—”these scuts on this boat.

Monk thought of the telephoned warning They are part of the gang.”

Doc had received, in Cort’s voice, not to come

“What gang?”

to the Argentine, and particularly Patagonia.

Cort hesitated, then spoke deliberately.

He began, “About that telephone—”

“You’re going to have to take my word for a lot

“The phoned threat in New York?” Paul of this, and there will be questions you will Cort twisted his lips thinly, distorting the scar. “I want to ask. Don’t ask them. I won’t answer.

made it, yes. I told you I was anxious to have And the questions themselves might be valu-Savage to come to Patagonia. I figured a able to our friends and hosts, who probably threat was an excellent argument in favor of have a microphone planted and are listening.”

his entering the case. Did I figure rightly?”

Monk and Ham nodded. In their current Monk shrugged. “I guess so. But Dartlic frame of mind, any information was better than had already sold a bill of goods.”

none.

“Yes?” Cort frowned. “I hardly gave the

“The European war, as you probably fat man credit for so much brains.”

know by now, became the focus of activity of

“Dartlic, you mean?”

just about all the big-time crooks in business,”

“A fat coward and a fool.”

Cort explained. “One of the top crooks, and a

“Works for the Argentine government, scientist on top of that, was a man named doesn’t he?”

Boehl—Hans Boehl. Probably the greatest au-Paul Cort nodded. “He is a Netherlands thority on infernal organizations in the world.

secret agent on the trail of Hans Boehl.”

Hans Boehl was one of the gang who got out

“Netherlands? Dutch?”

of Europe, and, without giving details, I can Cort nodded. “There is not a country in say that I am assigned to finding Boehl, learn-Europe but that would put a noose around ing what he is up to if I can’t find him, and see-Boehl’s neck, and pay dearly for the privilege.”

ing that he is—shall we say, placed in good

“Portugal, too?”

hands. Preferably the hands of the devil.”

Paul Cort smiled wryly. “You have heard Ham said, “One of the details you’re I use a Portuguese passport, I see. Think noth-omitting, I take it, is just who you are?”

ing of it. It is a phony.”

“Not necessarily.”

THE EXPLODING LAKE

27

Ham listened for a while for some sign of Cort nodded. “And would like to be the return of the men who had been beating more—would like to marry her.”

Cort. He asked, “What do they want out of

“Then Perling and Susie are working to-you?”

gether for Boehl?”

“The whereabouts of Boehl.”

“No.”

“Oh—hey, wait a minute! Aren’t they

“Eh?”

Boehl’s gang?”

“Perling is as harmless as he seems. He

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. There are other is merely a rich sap, and sometimes a heel.”

secret agents after Boehl—Russian, English,

“Oh.”

American.” He peered intently at Monk, asked, Monk shook his head. He was de-

“I presume you knew that.”

pressed by his own gullibility, and by their posi-

“We didn’t know anything,” Monk said.

tion, which didn’t appeal to him. He wandered Ham asked, “How’d you get here?”

over to the porthole and stood peering out.

“Unfortunately,” admitted Paul Cort, “I There was, rather close at hand, a line of was somewhat of a dope and made a couple cliffs and reefs on which waves broke. He real-of unforgivable traps. In short, two bogus po-ized, surprised, that the shore was quite close lice officers arrested me and I believed them and that, astonishingly, the cliffs were not as for just a minute too long. The two officers, high as he had thought, and the reefs not as who are of course not officers, were the fellows vicious; the waves, in proportion, were not as who were in here a while ago, beating me.”

violent as he had supposed. They were short

“They were wise to you, eh?” Monk said.

and chopping, which gave the boat its violent

“My mistake,” Cort said bitterly, “was one motion, but there was not the long rolling quite a few men have made—I misjudged a swells usually encountered at sea.

blonde.”

Spray had leaked in around the edge of Monk stiffened. “Eh?”

the porthole slightly and, suddenly suspicious,

“Susan Lane,” Cort said.

Monk touched a finger to the dampness, Ham jumped. “For God’s sake. Is brought the finger to his lips, and tasted.

Susie—”

“The hell!”

“The rattlebrained Susie,” Paul Cort said,

“What’s the matter?” Ham demanded.

“is Hans Boehl’s tool.”

“Not salty!” Monk said. “You know something? We’re not on the ocean. We’re on a lake.”

MONK was chagrined. He glanced at Paul Cort looked startled.

Ham, and got some satisfaction out of the law-

“That’s important,” he said hoarsely.

yer’s stunned look. “Suckers,” Monk said

“Very important.”

sourly.

“Listen, you fell first—”

“I said suckers—plural—didn’t I?” Monk Chapter VIII
asked bitterly.

They were silent, their thoughts involved SUSAN LANE could sob very effectively.

with the perfidy of the female sex, and particu-She put a pitiful wounded-bird manner into it larly with their own susceptibility. They were, that was disturbing, and it quite effectively as Monk saw it, a couple of colossal saps, and blocked Doc Savage’s questions, his more probably deserved whatever was going to pointed ones, and even interfered with his rea-happen to them, which he suspected was go-soning. This was the third time she had burst ing to be plenty. He looked at Paul Cort’s into tears when he had talked to her, and it physical condition, took another stock of his was getting his goat. She wailed, “To think that own bruises, and shuddered.

I was the fault for something awful happening Ham was scowling.

to that nice Monk and that nice Ham!” It didn’t

“You know a man named Perling?” he sound silly the way she did it. It was heart-asked Cort.

rending, or at least heart-disturbing.

“Bernard Perling?”

Bernard Perling patted her shoulder af-

“Yes.”

fectionately. “Now, now, it couldn’t have been

“I know of him. Who doesn’t? More your fault, my dear,” he said. “Besides, Mr.

money than—let us say—sense.”

Savage, I am sure, will eventually find his

“He’s a friend of Susie’s.”

friends.”

28

DOC SAVAGE

“What makes you sure?” asked fat Orlin the multitude of Buenos Aires lights spread out Dartlic.

below him. Four days, he reflected bitterly, and

“Mr. Savage’s reputation,” said Perling there had been no headway made. Four days promptly. “He is quite famous as a man who and not the slightest trace of Monk or Ham.

deals with trouble, you know.”

There was a slight sound beside him, and he Doc Savage carried his disgust and his saw that Orlin Dartlic had joined him.

concern out in a patio, stood frowning down at

“What do you think?” Doc asked.

THE EXPLODING LAKE

29

“Poof! Words. How is one to know about ance; they went down together behind a stone words,” the fat man said gloomily.

patio bench.

“They could have led Monk and Ham Dartlic gasped, “What the—”

into a trap.”

“Easy,” Doc said. “Over there. A man.

Dartlic shrugged. “Who is to make us Skulking.”

sure of it? The chauffeur? No. Perling’s chauffeur is dead, killed by the road.”

“Perling seems harmless.”

THE fat man peered intently, could dis-

“A hand-grenade looks harmless, no?

tinguish nothing, and said so. “Nobody I see,”

Almost like a baseball, yes? Blooie! It is to he muttered. He sounded frightened.

handle with care.”

“The fellow ducked behind a bush,” Doc

“Four days!” Doc said violently. “Four said. “I got only a glimpse of him. Stay down.”

days, and we get nowhere, do nothing.” He Dartlic muttered, “Perhaps a guard that looked at the fat man, added, “And part of that silly ass Perling, he is hire. For Susie, he is is your fault.”

concerned. She is upset about this.”

“But I—”

“Stay down,” Doc said.

“Never mind,” Doc said, more quietly.

Moving softly, the bronze man crawled

“I’m sure you have been doing what you could, toward the figure he had seen, making as the best way you could.” He resumed watch-much use of shadows as possible. He heard, ing, without particularly seeing, the spectacular presently, a sound that was slight, the scuff of vista that was Buenos Aires by night.

leather on a rock. Doc took a chance, went I am, he thought, on edge, and that isn’t forward in a silent run, and had a mishap; he good. The delay was getting under his skin, stepped on a rock that clattered.

that, and the complete absence of any infor-Instantly the skulker was off; the fellow mation about Monk or Ham. Dartlic had, in all swung in his track, head down, and melted into fairness, done all he could. The man’s depart-darkness at the end of the patio. There fol-ment, the Department of Patagonian Affairs, lowed, for about fifty yards, a headlong race, had coöperated fully—and even the Argentine but a poorly matched one, for Doc gained rap-government heads themselves, while some-idly. He came up behind the man, swung his what suspicious in view of the sour note rela-fist in a short arc and struck the other below tions were hitting with the United States, had and ahead of the ear. The man went down.

been helpful, or at least had put no hindrances Doc crouched and listened for a while.

in Doc’s way. That was more of a concession He heard no sounds to indicate the man had a than he had expected.

companion, and, reassured, he threw the vic-No trace had been found of the two avia-tim over his shoulder and trudged back to the tors who had taken the picture of the lake; they patio, then into the house, where there was had simply disappeared, whether by foul play more light.

or not, no one knew. The same went for the

“Dartlic,” he called.

murderer of Juan Russel; he had not been The fat man came.

found.

Doc indicated the unconscious skulker.

Juan Russel . . . There was, Doc re-

“Ever seen him before?”

flected, no direct evidence in his hands to con-Dartlic shook his head. “Was he . . . ?”

nect the death of Russel with the lake busi-

“Prowling, yes.” Doc searched the fellow, ness. Was he, he wondered, overlooking an but found no weapons. He said, “Unarmed.

angle there? Not overlooking it, exactly—he That’s not what I expected. Will you get Susie had Renny Renwick working on the Russel and Perling?”

matter—but giving it less attention than it de-Susan Lane and Bernard Perling, when served? Renny, who spoke Spanish fairly well, the fat man brought them, professed never to had left that morning by plane for the Patago-have seen the prowler before.

nian village where Juan Russel had been mur-The man was short, as dark as a peon, dered. That, Doc reflected, was one thing Orlin but without the roughness of a lower class Ar-Dartlic didn’t know—not that he didn’t trust gentinian. His clothing, Doc noted, was fairly Dartlic. He was, so far, neutral about Dartlic.

expensive; even in unconsciousness, the His disposition was simply to trust no one.

man’s face had a certain strength, although his Doc threw his weight against Dartlic mouth was rather small, his lips thin.

suddenly. The fat man staggered, lost his bal-

“He’ll wake up presently,” Doc said.

30

DOC SAVAGE

THE man regained consciousness war-tiently as the fellow said, “I was Juan Russel’s ily, Doc suspecting that the man kept his eyes friend, and I do not know why he was killed, closed after he was awake, a possible feat, and I did not know until I read in newspaper of although a rather difficult one. At any rate, the it, and then I go to where Juan Russel die, and man’s voice was quite clear when he spoke.

I find out nothing.”

Dartlic yelled at him, “The idea of prowl-

“Oh, you’ve been investigating Juan ing around here, what was it?”

Russel’s murder?”

The man looked at Doc. “Señor Sav-

“Si.”

age?” he asked in fair English.

“Why?”

“Yes.”

“He is my friend, my blood relative, my

“I am glad. It is you I was wish to speak benefactor,” the man said. He had a way of with.”

running his words together and mixing them Doc Savage showed what could have with a little Spanish when he came to a mean-passed for mild surprise, although actually he ing the words for which eluded him in English.

was startled and wary. “You were prowling

“I find nothing in murder scene,” he continued.

around here because you wanted to talk to

“I backtrack Juan, and I begin to find out some me?”

things. Don’t ask me what is the meaning; I

“Si.”

can’t tell you because I know from nothing, but

“Why not just walk right in?”

this I know: it is terrible. It is real. It is deadly.

“Yes! Why?” Dartlic yelled.

Who is, what is, I do not know, nor where is I For a moment, the prowler’s dark eyes do know sure.”

showed fear of the fat man. “Because, my

“Wait a minute,” Doc said. “Let’s try that friend Juan Russel was murdered. I do not last sentence again, only in Spanish this time.

wish to be murdered myself.” His voice harsh-The English you are getting upside down.”

ened. “Is not that a reason good enough? Not In Spanish, the man said, “I know where wishing to be killed.”

Juan Russel found the thing that he was mur-

“What do you know about Juan Russel?”

dered for finding.”

“He is my friend.”

Doc was intent now. “What is it?”

Orlin Dartlic’s big fists clenched, and he

“That I do not know.”

leaned over the man menacingly, bawled,

“But you know where?”

“What do you know about the vanishing lake,

“Si.”

fellow?”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

The man sneered. He didn’t like Dartlic.

“Let me explain,” Pedro Diego said.

“Your soft fists do not scare me, Señor,” he

“Juan Russel used two pack burros, named said. “I speak because I wish—and because of Andy and Uncle Bim, and he thought a great Juan, who is send my son, Belos, to mining deal of them. He was very attached to them, college when I am not afford to do so. Juan and often said that if anything ever happened Russel,” he added proudly, “is seventh cousin to him, he would like me to have them because to me. Is of my blood, and very dear friend!”

I would take the best of care of them. You un-

“Take it easy,” Doc told Dartlic. “Let’s derstand, Señor, that I wanted also something hear what he has to say.”

to remember Juan by. And I knew he would

“I am Pedro Diego,” the skulker said.

like for me to see that his burros were well

“All right, Pedro, Doc said patiently.

taken care of. So—his burros were not with

“Let’s have what you’ve got to say.”

him when he was murdered. He was murdered Pedro Diego hesitated, compressed his in a village, to which he had come by automo-lips, said, “In—what you say it—private.”

bile.”

“You mean you want to talk to us alone?”

“I see.”

“Not us. You.” The man’s arm levelled at

“I backtracked Juan Russel, Señor Sav-Dartlic. “Not him.”

age. And I found out that Juan Russel, before The fat man said he would be damned.

he was killed, was a man in the greatest of He said it in Netherlands Dutch, in English, terror, a man maddened by fear. Of what and in Spanish, and seemed quite upset.

would Juan be so afraid? I do not know. Not of anything of danger to himself, of that I am sure. Juan Russel was a fearless man. But he DOC SAVAGE took the man into an-was in infinite terror before he died. I talk to other room, closed the door, and listened paTHE EXPLODING LAKE

31
people who saw him, who heard him, and his

“Genuine,” Doc said.

condition of terror was pitiable.”

“A clue we got, yes,” Orlin Dartlic said

“How far did you backtrail Juan?”

happily. “That fellow Pedro Diego, I am not

“Until I found the two burros, Andy and liking not a little bit. I think I lock him in jail-Uncle Bim.”

house, yes.”

“No farther.”

“That might be a good idea,” Doc said.

“No.”

The fat man looked surprised.

“Then how,” Doc demanded, “do you Doc went into the other room, where know where Juan Russel encountered—

Pedro Diego was waiting and explained about whatever he encountered?”

jail. Doc made it sound quite reasonable, even

“Very simple. Juan Russel always kept a a wise move. He said, “We have every reason map of his travels in little-known Patagonian to believe there are tremendous things in-territory. He kept it day by day—absolutely, volved, great dangers, and that your life may every night, and often during the day, he would be menaced because of this aid you have draw in the notebook and make notes there.”

given us. For your protection, I would suggest

“You mean you found this map on the that you submit to arrest as a witness. In jail, burros?”

you will be safe.”

“Yes. Not map, really—a diary, Señor. A Pedro was not too happy about that. “If scientific record.”

you recommend—“

“Of what Russel saw?”

“I recommend highly,” Doc said.

“No.”

“What, then?”

Pedro Diego gripped Doc’s arm dramati-RENNY telephoned at twelve twenty-cally. “The record, Señor, she end suddenly.

seven. He said, “Doc, I’m down here on the All of a sudden, no more entries. . . . Is that not fringe of creation. If you ever saw a wild coun-meaningful?”

try, this is it, and I’m not really into it yet. This

“You think that the record led up until is the village where Juan Russel was mur-about the time Juan Russel saw whatever he dered.”

saw—and after that he was too upset to keep it

“Learn anything?”

up to date?”

“Enough to be interesting,” Renny ex-

“Si. Is that not reasonable?”

plained. “Juan Russel was scared stiff when he

“Very reasonable. Where is this record?”

came into this town. He tried to telephone you The man said, “It is at the Casa Helado.

in New York—”

The hotel.”

“Telephone me?” Doc interrupted. “We

“That is where I am staying,” Doc said, received no telephone calls from him. Are you surprised.

sure—”

“Si, Señor. That I know. I go there seek-

“I’m getting to that. The wires were cut.

ing you, and they tell me you are here. That They were cut in a dozen places that day—
you are in Buenos Aires—I learn that from the which means somebody knew what Juan Rus-newspapers.”

sel was up to, and got ahead of him and put the telephone lines on the fritz. They did that, it would appear, so Russel could not get in touch BY midnight, Doc Savage had managed with you until they had time to kill him. Russel to obtain, from the files of a mining concern, was very upset about not being able to reach the Minerales Internacionale, several reports in you. He raised hell with the telephone people the handwriting of Juan Russel. Russel had here, and then, after he was killed, and the done considerable work for the company in the lines were repaired, they got scared and kept it past, and, through Orlin Dartlic, access to their quiet.”

files was readily gained.

“Got scared?”

Doc finished his examination of the

“A guy came around and threatened handwriting of reports and the notebook Pedro them, as a matter of fact.”

Diego had given him. The latter—obviously

“Anyone we know?”

both reports and notebook were in the same

“The one who threatened them? Uh-huh.

handwriting—was copious with scientific detail, Answers the description of Paul Cort.”

and the sketches, while abbreviated, were ex-

“Paul Cort tried to keep us from finding pertly made and, probably, accurate.

out Juan Russel was trying to reach us, eh?”

32

DOC SAVAGE

“Looks as if.”

one; the lake about three miles from the vil-

“You stick right there,” Doc said. “I’m lage, seemed large enough to serve for a land-coming down.”

ing area. Doc made a circle, mentally measuring the clear area, noting wind direction from the breaking of the small waves on the lake. A Chapter IX
fair breeze, evidently; his navigation checks had indicated about forty miles of wind aloft, THE darkness lasted for a long time.

but there was probably less, not more than They were, in effect, flying into a country that twenty, on the surface. He dragged the lake to was in its way like the Arctic, a land in which make sure there were no floating obstructions, days and nights became distorted in length.

then brought the ship in and set it down.

This season—winter in New York, summer Dartlic pointed excitedly. “Somebody is!”

here in Patagonia—was the season of longest

“Renwick,” Doc agreed.

days, but that did not keep the night from seeming long. Doc did not like the country below; there were no landing fields, almost, that “HOLY COW, no news of Monk or Ham were established airports, and not much of the yet,” Renny said bitterly. “I wish I knew what country, he suspected, offered emergency happened to those two. It’s beginning to get fields. The sun came up finally, and seemed to me down.”

mount rapidly to about the position it would Doc nodded soberly. He surmised that probably hold most of the day—a phenomena Renny’s spirits were also down because he which was not a fact, but due to the presence had unearthed no more information of value.

of mountains to the south which, as they flew He said, “You haven’t learned more?”

toward them, sank quickly, giving the illusion of Renny shook his head. “Not a thing.

a swift-rising sun.

Somebody fixed the telephone wires so Juan

“Is big country, don’t I tell you?” Dartlic Russel couldn’t call out. The same somebody said.

tried to throw a scare into the telephone peo-Doc made no comment. The fat man ple, and succeeded partially.”

was right, though. The territory over which they Fat Orlin Dartlic scowled. “Is Paul Cort, were flying was as impressive as any he had no?”

seen. There were, at intervals, miles of pam-

“Is Paul Cort’s description, anyway,”

pas with here and there herds of cattle or Renny said. “Small guy, mouse-like, scar on sheep—the latter becoming more scarce. They his lip.”

flew over forest lands of vast sweep, and later, Doc Savage said, “Some information fell as they continued south, there were lakes and, in our laps last night.” He told Renny about far to the right, the bluish evidence of ice fields Pedro Diego, friend of Juan Russel, and the and mountains lost in the haze of distance. A scientific notebook which Juan Russel had of rugged, desolate country, a country where riv-his wanderings.

ers roared through gorges, tumbled over gi-Renny frowned. “Yeah? You know, I gantic waterfalls.

been asking questions in this town all day, and

“Is vast,” said Dartlic happily.

I got descriptions of everybody, the police in-

“I think we’re about there,” Doc said. He cluded—there were some special police down decreased throttle settings, adjusted the tabs from the province capitol, and two from Bue-for a glide angle, and fell to watching the earth.

nos Aires itself—who have been asking ques-Below was a road, the sole sign of civilization, tions about Juan Russel. This is a village, you and, as he got lower, he could distinguish a know. Strangers are scarce. It was easy to find telephone line, probably the one that had been out who had been interested in Juan Russel.”

cut, as Renny explained, when Juan Russel

“You make a point, no?” Dartlic de-endeavored to place his call.

manded.

The village came into view presently,

“Yeah, I make a point. Nobody named appearing rather unexpectedly as a cluster of Pedro Diego has been through here on the rooftops not far ahead.

Russel case.”

Dartlic pointed. “Is lake. Can use.”

“Whoosh!” said Dartlic.

Doc thought they could. Their plane—it

“You sure?” Doc asked Renny.

belonged to Dartlic’s Department of Patago-

“What’s Pedro Diego look like?” Renny nian Affairs—was an amphibian, a fairly new asked, and then, having heard Pedro’s de-THE EXPLODING LAKE

33
scription, he shook his head vehemently. “No

“Look, take a deep breath and relax,”

such guy. He wasn’t through here—like he Renny suggested. “Somebody should have said he was.”

told you about Doc. He goes along apparently Dartlic chuckled. “Ah! It’s good we put getting the worst end of the deal and com-Pedro Diego the jailhouse in, no!”

pletely confused, it would appear, and all of a Renny completed his examination of the sudden you discover he hasn’t been going Russel notebook, turned back to some of the down—he has been going up. In other words, surveys, and compared them with charts. He don’t be too surprised to find out he already did some head scratching. “I think we can find knows what is what and who done it.”

that vanished lake from the air,” he said. “That

“I’m a son of my gun,” the fat man said.

is, granting it’s what Juan Russel saw.”

Doc nodded. “We’ll take a crack at it right away.”

THE refueling was about completed Dartlic started. “Today?”

when Doc Savage said, “There seems to be a

“Yes.”

plane coming.” Renny’s head shot up, his ears

“But gasoline. The fuel gauge I am notic-strained, and presently he nodded. The fat ing is not a third left.”

man, Dartlic, said, “Safe I play!” and struck out Doc Savage turned to Renny, asked, running. Renny and Doc watched him, and the “Was the shipment of aviation gasoline here?”

fat man took shelter among boulders and un-Renny nodded. “Uh-huh. I had half a derbrush.

dozen guys and two mule carts haul it out

“He’s a queer duck,” Renny said. “The here.”

way he slaughters the English language—”

“Gasoline!” Dartlic yelled. “Where you Doc said, “He may not have a bad idea.

get—shipment you say? How am I confused?

We had better take shelter ourselves until we What do you do don’t you—I mean, gasoline make sure about this plane.”

come from where?”

The
plane,
a
large
cabin
job—

“Doc had it sent down here.”

amphibian—came out of the north swiftly,

“Where from?”

dropped over the village, made a circle, con-

“Buenos Aires.”

tinued to the lake, circled that, then went into

“When?”

an approach. Presently it was skimming the

“Shipped four days ago, right after we surface, spray flying. It turned in to the shore got to Buenos Aires.”

not far from where Doc’s plane was beached, The fat man flippered his hands excit-and the pilot eased up on the sand cautiously edly. “I am surprise like damned,” he yelled.

with the hull keel. Then the pilot opened the

“You know somethings I don’t know, no?”

nose hatch, and stood up for a look around.

Doc said drily, “Let’s load the gas.

“Perling!” Renny gasped.

Bernard Perling looked all about, then yelled, “Mr. Savage!”

THE fat man was puzzled about the Doc said, “Keep down, and let’s see gasoline shipment, and during the loading—what he is up to.”

they had to pack the five-gallon tins about a Perling repeated his shout, then swore hundred yards across soft marshy ground—he mildly in Spanish. He disappeared back inside collared Renny and demanded explanations.

the plane, then, and presently there was an

“How come this?”

uproar, the effect being somewhat as if Perling

“The gasoline?” Renny shrugged. “Oh, was trying to drag a scratching, spitting wildcat Doc figured we would use this as a base in out of the ship. But it was Susan Lane, blonde, hunting for the vanished lake, I guess.”

angry, saying plenty and using her long finger-

“But how he know—the lake—is in this nails whenever she could.

direction he don’t know and how could he?”

“Holy cow!” Renny rumbled.

Renny was somewhat amused by the fat Doc said, “We might as well look into man’s method of mixing up the English lan-this.”

guage when he was excited.

When Susan Lane caught sight of the

“Doc figured Juan Russel in it from the three men, she screeched, “Take this gorilla off beginning, I guess,” he said.

me! Take him off!”

“The hell he does! Why am I not told, no?”

34

DOC SAVAGE

Perling grinned at them, his small mous-tache slanting upward on each lip like a pair of surprised eyebrows.

“Susie dear,” he said, “isn’t the little angel I thought she was.”

Susie stopped fighting. She eyed Doc Savage uneasily, tried to straighten her dress and untangle her hair. “This idiot doesn’t know what he is doing,” she said, indicating Perling.

“He’s a fool.”

Perling looked pleased. He bowed slightly, said, “My dear, the reputation of idiot has been a cross to bear. I think, from now on, though, that I shall carry it more lightly.”

“What happened?” Doc asked.

“The lovely Susie,” Perling said, “was keeping track of where you went. She had some fellow—he got away—who was bringing her reports on you.”

“Is that true?” Doc asked Susie.

“I don’t care what you’re thinking,” she snapped. “And I don’t think I’m going to dignify his accusations”—she tried to kick Perling’s shin here, unexpectedly, but failed—”with an answer.”

Fat Orlin Dartlic cleared his throat loudly.

“The tutz she follow me to New York and back again, maybe,” he said.

Susie gave him a dark look. “I wouldn’t follow you from here”—she made a sixteenth-inch space with thumb and forefinger—”to there.”

Bernard Perling was straightening his coat, and feeling dubiously of several scratches on his face. “Oh, by the way, I wish to extend hospitality,” he said.

“Hospitality?”

“I have, south and west of here, a hunting estate,” Perling said. “A small place of mine that I’ve used occasionally when I wanted soli-tude. There is a small landing field, and a hangar. You are welcome to use it.”

“How far?” Doc asked.

“About two hundred miles,” Perling said.

“You will accept, yes?”

DOC SAVAGE drew Renny and Dartlic aside and announced that he thought it would be a good idea to accept Perling’s invitation.

Renny said, “If you vote for that, it’s okay with me.”

THE EXPLODING LAKE

35

“I think we can find the lake, and stop at Perling’s place before dark,” Doc said. “The plane will hold Perling and the girl.”

Dartlic said, “Perling’s place is not from that lake so damned far, maybe?”

“Suspiciously close,” Doc said.

“Maybe we get in trouble that place. Is possible?”

“Is possible, all right.”

“I no like.”

“Put it this way, why don’t we?” Doc suggested. “We take Perling and the girl along, and have a look at the vanished lake, then a look at Perling’s hunting lodge, as he calls it, and if it seems all right, we’ll land and investigate.” “Is agreeable,” Dartlic said.

Chapter X

THE lake lay on a tableland at the foot of a considerable escarpment of cliffs and low mountains, the valleys of which were laced with glaciers. There was actually a series of lakes, connected by small streams, forming necklaces that led to a much larger lake a few miles to the left. This larger lake lay at the foot of the mountains, and was obviously a pictur-esque, as well as a remarkably remote spot.

Doc said to Dartlic, “You can fly, can you not?”

The fat man nodded.

“Take over,” Doc said. “Renny and I will want a close look at that place.”

“Can you detect radio-activity from this height?” the fat man asked anxiously. “We would not want—we do not know . . .” He swallowed in fright.

“It would depend on how strong it was,”

Doc said.

Perling and Susan Lane were riding in the two rear seats in the cabin, the girl with her wrists tied to the seat arms. She told Doc bitterly, “So now we’re going to see the master work, eh?”

Doc seemed slightly amused. “That would be a change, wouldn’t it?”

But fat Dartlic was less agreeable, ex-

“Eh? Change?”

plaining, “You will overlook me a good scare,

“Almost everyone has been working on no? This Perling and this Susie, it is very funny me, so far, don’t you think?” he asked.

they follow us, yes? I am not a man who likes She blinked at him. She was surprised.

to put on his boots with snakes in them al-

“Maybe you’re not as over-rated as I was ready. I vote for look at that lake.”

beginning to think,” she said.

“No?”

36

DOC SAVAGE

“As long as you know they’ve been play-Renny spotted the perforations in the ing you for a sucker, I guess that might take outer wing panel which had aroused the fat you out of the sucker bracket,” she said.

man, and agreed, “Bullets is, all right. Some-Doc carried some of the instruments he body hidden in the brush down there was tak-had brought—nothing extraordinary; the ining shots at us.”

struments were ones he had borrowed in Bue-Doc Savage searched the ground below nos Aires, from a radiological research labora-as the plane swung in a wide circle, but he tory—back to the seat immediately back of the could distinguish no trace of the marksman.

pilot-copilot seat.

Renny said, “But how’d they get there?

He told Renny, “Susie is a character.”

There’s no trail, except right around the lake,

“She’s something,” Renny agreed.

and leading over to the next lake. There was

“My stock is going up with her.”

kind of a road there.”

“I hope that’s a help,” Renny said. “You

“Boats,” Doc said.

want me to use that radio-activity detector? I

“Huh?”

think I know how to handle the gimmick.”

“From the other lake, you’ll notice, a

“There’s nothing unusually complicated fairly deep stream seems to connect with an-about it,” Doc said. “It’s one they use to locate other lake, and then the larger body of water.”

lost radium around hospitals. You put on the

“Oh.”

headset, and adjust the selector dial until you

“They could transport whatever they get a click—about two every second—then needed by boat from the larger lake, and turn the volume knob up until it is satisfactory.”

would have to pack it less than a quarter of a

“How much of an increase in frequency mile across land to get to the lake—if you of clicks should I get excited about?”

would call it a lake—that vanished.”

“Anything out of the way. There’s bound Renny rubbed his jaw with a big hand.

to be some variation and some interference,

“This is kind of a corny set-up, isn’t it?”

but report anything unusual.”

“You get any action out of the radio-

“Okay.”

activity detector?”

“Not a peep.”

“What does that mean to you?”

AT Doc’s instructions, Dartlic brought the

“It blows any atom ideas sky-high.”

plane across the lake area in level flight at

“I’m glad of that.”

steadily descending altitudes, beginning at

“Yeah, me too.”

three thousand feet, dropping five hundred the next two trips, then, below a thousand feet, descending two hundred feet lower each time.

RENNY was silent a while. Doc went Doc took some photographs on each trip forward, told Dartlic to see if he could locate down to the five hundred foot level, and after Bernard Perling’s lodge, and sent Perling for-that, took no more until they were very low, ward to guide the fat man in the hunt.

about fifty feet.

When Doc came back, Renny said, “The There was evidence of a violently burned photograph—the negative too—was faked up, area around the lake, the charred trunks of a little, wasn’t it? The negative showed signs of scrawny trees, and blackened roots.

radio-activity, stuff that would affect a photo-The lake area itself was about two thirds graphic film if it was strong enough.”

full of water again.

“So that has been on your mind, eh?”

There was a small dam, obviously hand-Renny nodded. “Yeah, I figured what made and not yet completed, across the they wanted us to figure, I guess. That lake, stream at the lower end, forming the lake.

from the negative, sure looked like it had gone

“Holy cow!” Renny said. “That lake is up because somebody—or nature itself—had shallow—not over a foot deep, it doesn’t look started atomic disintegration of water. It scared like. . . . And that damn—I think they’re still me plenty. If somebody was doing it—and all working on it!”

this talk about Hans Boehl didn’t ease my Doc started to speak, but excited howl-mind—it was bad. If, through some freak proc-ing from fat Dartlic interrupted them.

ess of nature, the lake had disintegrated, that

“Bullets is!” Dartlic bawled. “In wing is wasn’t good either. The whole danged world holes! Bullets, no!” He banked the plane fran-would go up in a minute, if something like that tically.

happened—the oceans, everything. I even got THE EXPLODING LAKE

37
to thinking of how much water there is in the was some kind of a habitation, a fairly large log human body, eighty percent or whatever it is—lodge near the up-thrust of a cliff, and, in front I was going to look that up, but got scared of the lodge, a cleared area of a landing strip.

out—and it was something! Boy! Holy cow!”

Bernard Perling explained, “There it is.

“The lake business was probably The air currents are sometimes tricky, but I staged,” Doc said.

think you can land. If you feel it is safe. That—

“Uh-huh. What’d they use, you figure?”

that lake is only about thirty miles away.”

“High-test gasoline, conceivably. That Doc asked, “How long since you have lake is very shallow. It looked to me like the been down here?”

bottom had been smoothed off and levelled

“Here? Months. Yes, about seven ahead of time. Probably three or four inches of months since I have visited the place.”

gasoline, maybe less—probably less, too, con-

“You keep men here?”

sidering the difficulty of getting it in here—was

“Men? One man. A caretaker.”

used. A spark at the right time, and up it went.

“We’ll land,” Doc said.

From a distance, it would be remarkably effec-Perling nodded uneasily. “I would not—I tive. Literally a great explosion. The stuff would wish to state—in view of the mysterious things evaporate, the whole vicinity would be satu-that are happening in this vicinity, that I do not rated with explosive vapor, and it would be, in guarantee safety.”

effect, a great explosion.”

“Land,” Doc said.

“The right time was when Juan Russel The bronze man went back and took the happened to pass?”

seat beside Renny, lowered his voice, said

“Yes.”

grimly, “I told Dartlic we’re going to land. I’ll

“But how did they know he was going to take over the controls myself. But before we pass?”

land—I think you should have a vote in this.”

“Juan Russel was a prospector, and the

“Vote on what?”

line of hills yonder is a logical route for him to

“Landing here. I think we’re deliberately follow. Juan had, no doubt, mentioned where doing what has been planned for us to do.

he was going to prospect, the general route he That means a trap. In brief, the situation is this: would follow. And if Russel had not come we can play safe and maybe never solve this along, someone else would have, no doubt.

thing and never find Monk and Ham. Or we They were merely fortunate enough to use can walk into their trap and depend on fighting Russel.”

our way out.”

“Or unfortunate,” Renny said.

Renny’s long face was startled. “You

“Yes,” Doc agreed. “I think that they make it sound damned rough.”

would not have needed to murder any other

“It is.”

man but Russel.”

“You figure Monk and Ham are alive?”

“Because Russel knew you?”

Doc nodded. “And near here. I think—

Doc nodded. “Russel was killed because and this is a deduction, like most of what I he started trying to get in touch with me.”

have been saying recently—I think that Monk

“A hell of a coincidence, Russel knowing and Ham were seized to be used as a club you.”

over us—to make us do something.”

“He may have been chosen for that rea-

“That’s old-fashioned melodrama.”

son.”

Doc agreed that it was. “It’s also a sys-Renny said, “I guess you figure this the tem the Nazis used quite a lot, and, remember, way I do—the whole thing a bait to get you Hans Boehl had a big finger in the Nazi meth-down here.”

ods.”

“Yes—a bait to get us down here,” Doc

“The touch of Hans Boehl, eh?”

said.

“How do you vote?”

“I don’t see we’ve got much choice,”

Renny said gloomily. “I vote we land, do what DARTLIC yelled, “The lodge is!” He was we can.”

pointing. Doc went forward, and looked down at the rugged, desolate country beneath. To the right, a river roared through a huge gorge, DOC handled the landing. There was, it tumbled over a waterfall, made its way pres-developed, ample strip, but the wind currents ently to the lake. Ahead and a bit to the left gave them a hustling around on the last leg of 38

DOC SAVAGE
the approach, and the landing was somewhat all an unfriendly look. “I was shanghaied down rough. They all breathed easier when they here, and I don’t like that, either. I think you are were down, and taxiing toward a large log a pack of idiots for landing here, and if you had building, rather elaborately made, which Per-any respect for a lady, you’d get the blazes ling indicated was the hangar.

away from here now.”

Immediately, a man appeared. He was Perling said mildly, “Rico has seen no tall, a bearded youth in rough khaki.

one about for weeks.”

“Rico!” Bernard Perling said. He was re-

“Rico!” she said violently. “Why should lieved. “Rico is my caretaker.” He leaned out of anybody believe Rico?”

the plane door to yell, “Rico, have any strang-Perling shook his head. “These Ameri-ers been about here recently?”

can women,” he said wonderingly. “I will never The tall youth wet his lips. It appeared understand them.”

that he was more accustomed to silence than

“Susie isn’t quite typical,” Renny said.

to conversation.

“No one in weeks,” he said in Spanish.

“Ah, that’s better,” Perling sighed.

RICO got together an excellent dinner of The lodge was around a small bend in a two kinds of game, wild honey, wine, good cof-canyon just off the mesa, and Perling led the fee. Dartlic ate enormously, although he pro-way. “At least, we will have a comfortable night fessed to be worried about the whole thing and here,” he declared.

mystified, he added, because they were still The place was surprisingly well furnished grasping at mirages. He was full of conversa-considering its remoteness, and, as Renny tion, all of it mixed up thoroughly in the English found when he immediately explored, had language, which Rico didn’t seem to under-twelve rooms, although it had not seemed stand.

quite that large from the air. There were elec-They were all tired, or professed to be, tric lights, a radio receiver in each of three and retired early. Susie was locked in a bedrooms, and in the study was a cheerful fire-room which, because it had a window that place, bookcases, and rather expensive rugs, could be nailed shut, they figured was a fairly for a lodge, were on the floor. “Rico is a good substantial prison.

caretaker,” Perling said proudly.

Alone in their bedroom, Renny asked They returned to the plane, and with Doc, “You still figure we’re in the trap?”

Rico’s help, got the ship rolled into the hangar.

“Yes.”

Renny asked, “What about the girl?”

“When will they spring it?”

“She is very angry,” Perling said. “I do

“I have no idea.”

not think she is going to talk.”

Renny shivered. “I hope it’s tonight. This

“Maybe she doesn’t know anything,”

sliding around and not really getting my teeth Dartlic suggested.

into anything is going to tie me in a knot before

“Could be.”

long.”

“I think she does, yes,” the fat man said.

Back in the lodge, Renny tried his hand with Susie. He was remembering that the last Chapter XI
time Monk and Ham had been seen, they were trailing Susie, and he wasn’t very cordial. He THERE were two shots first. Just two re-said, “If you’ve got an explanation, you’d better ports, obviously inside the lodge, followed by make it. And it better be good.”

silence for a moment. Then Orlin Dartlic yelled.

Susie glared at Renny defiantly. She had His voice rose in a great bawling outcry.

a robe wrapped around her and was standing

“This is it,” Doc told Renny. “Take it close to the fireplace. The air had turned easy.”

colder, for evening was approaching, and the Renny swore, low and bitterly.

high mountains around the lake, the proximity The sound of running feet came from the of the glaciers, the latitude they were in, all rear of the lodge. Rico burst into the room; contributed to an icy night climate.

blood was streaming from his mouth; a gun

“I know what you’re thinking,” Susie crashed behind him, and Rico went down sol-snapped. “So just go ahead thinking it. I don’t idly. He was dead.

know what happened to Monk and Ham, and I Renny’s “For God’s sake!” was hoarse.

didn’t lead them into any trap.” She gave them He added, “I can’t stand by and take—“ He THE EXPLODING LAKE

39
didn’t finish, but seized the revolver Rico had thought he—he was—” She didn’t seem able been carrying, jumped to the door, fired twice, to finish.

and snapped the hammer down three times on empty cartridges. The gun was empty, and he yelled, “The guy got away, goddamit!”

THE men who came into the room were Doc said, rather bitterly, “It’s a good roughly dressed, four in number, and they thing. In case you don’t know it, they might be wore gas masks. They entered cautiously, first perfectly willing to kill you.”

turning on the lights. They had rifles. They There was another volley of running feet, were fairly young, and moved with the prac-and Dartlic’s voice howling, “Is us! Is us! No ticed caution and sureness of men who were shoot!” He piled into the room, with Perling and accustomed to violence. One of them, evi-Susan Lane on his heels. “Is attacked!” he bel-dently a straw boss, went over and knocked lowed.

the rest of the glass out of the window.

Renny said, “Get down, you big lum-

“Search them,” he said. “Then keep mox!” Doc Savage gripped Susan Lane, piled them here until the gas clears and they can her unceremoniously behind a sofa where at see.”

least she wouldn’t be a visible target. “Lights Later, the prisoners were bound; a man out,” he told Renny. He asked, “Dartlic, how who knew how to do it lashed their arms firmly many of them are there?”

behind them. Renny’s muscles tensed during

“I do not know, yes,” the fat man said.

the process—sometimes you could get a little Susan Lane screamed shrilly. She had slack that way, and slip the bonds later—but a just comprehended, apparently, that Rico was pistol butt smashed down on his head, effec-dead on the floor.

tively discouraging his foresight.

Perling said, “Please, Susie, you must From the sounds, it was evident that the hang on to yourself.” He went over to her and raiding party was removing evidence of its ac-tried to comfort her; presently he was howling tivity. Rico’s body was dragged from the room; himself. She had bitten one of his fingers al-they could hear a man demanding if anyone most off, he yelled, which was somewhat of an had seen a piece of rope around, and some-exaggeration.

thing that would serve as a weight while Rico’s Presently glass crashed out of the win-body was consigned to the lake. Dartlic swore dow, and something hard bounced across the hoarsely; he had been mumbling and, occa-floor, let go with a mush explosion.

sionally, spitting a swear-word or two, almost Doc said, “Tear gas. This finishes it up.

continually.

We haven’t a chance. Don’t do anything to get Finally, when the gas was out of their killed.”

eyes—not immediately; the interval must have Susie said bitterly, “The great Doc Sav-been all of thirty minutes—they were ordered age—a streak up his back a yard wide.”

to their feet and outside.

For no good reason he could lay a finger They passed Bernard Perling’s body.

on, the remark enraged Doc Savage. He said

“Is he—” Susie stopped. “Is he—”

nothing—he was trying to think of an answer, Perling lay on his back, mouth widely at the same time realizing that it was an un-open, a thin red smear having extruded itself usual time to want to get into an argument—from a bluish spot on his forehead and partially when Bernard Perling yelled, “Damned if I am filled one eye, then spilled along the side of his going to give up!”

face.

Perling, making sick enraged noises, A man gave the girl a shove. He said, thrust blindly for the door, pushed out into an-

“He’s dead and with nothing to worry about.

other room. He made it, judging from the Which is more than you can say for yourself.”

sound, out of the lodge, and a strange voice said, “Perling! We don’t need him.”

A rifle cracked, just once; the sound was HOURS later, they were still moving, and followed by a faint moan.

Renny was bewildered; but greater than his

“He is dead,” another voice said.

bewilderment was his uneasiness, his appre-

“Shoot him again to be sure.”

hension lest they might have made a mistake Susan Lane moaned after the second in giving up. They were well-guarded, and out-shot. “I—I misjudged him,” she wailed. “I numbered. Their hands ached from the tight-ness of the ropes; lines were also fastened 40

DOC SAVAGE
about their waists now, holding them together.

suddenly tossed into his nostrils, causing him Susie, who was directly behind Renny, would to go into paroxysms of sneezing, in the fall occasionally, and the tightening of the rope course of which he was led down more would jar him.

steps—about twenty risers down—and then They were not, it was clear, following a along a passage that was fairly narrow, for he trail, but they were skirting the lake; it was a could feel the stone sides with his shoulders.

continual up and down, a stumbling up hills, a Stone was underfoot now.

skidding and sliding down the other side. It had A voice came. It was loud, incredibly been, while it was still dark, rough business, loud. It smashed against their eardrums.

but not as bad now that it was daylight. Once

“Untie Savage’s hands, you fools!” the Renny tried to talk; he was ordered to shut up; voice bellowed. “If you have damaged his disobeyed—and was gagged. The gag inter-hands, damn you!”

fered with his breathing and was tremendously A loudspeaker, Renny thought. Some uncomfortable. He managed, a bit later, to re-kind of public address system—that was the taliate; he chose a particularly bad spot to source of the voice.

have his feet fly out from under him, and slide

“Consign them,” the loudspeaker thun-over the edge of a low cliff, striking apparently dered, “to the prepared places.”

by accident one of the guards as he did so.

They heard Dartlic complain, “What the The rope saved Renny, but the guard went on hell is this, yes? It is crazy like something a kid over; they could hear the fellow squawking never thought of.” For this, judging from the with pain down below. Two men climbed down sounds, he was hit, or kicked, in the stomach.

to him, and brought him up again. The man’s Presently they were led farther, this time arm was broken. Renny felt considerable satis-through what was evidently a door, and, Renny faction.

judged from the banging of doors, the sliding of

“Blindfold them,” the captor in charge or-bars, they were being separated and locked in dered suddenly.

cells of some sort. He was shoved forward The blindfolds were ready at hand, it de-himself, and felt a knife sawing at the ropes veloped, thick dark cloth which was tied on that held his arms; as soon as one rope over layers of adhesive tape which was plas-parted, the knife was taken away.

tered over their eyes.

“You can do the rest of it yourself,” a

“What is the idea of this?” Doc de-voice said. And a door slammed, a very heavy manded. “In this kind of going, we can hardly door, judging from the noise.

see—”

Renny, without delay, began working at

“Shut up!”

the ropes on his arms. He knew, shortly, that

“Is good, yes!” gasped Dartlic. “Is sign someone else was in the place with him, and they not going to kill us.”

he said, “Who is it?”

Doc heard a blow—he was already Doc Savage’s voice said, “I’ll get those blindfolded—and, in a few minutes, painful ropes off you. Take it easy, Renny.”

gasping by Dartlic.

A moment later, the ropes were re-They walked, then, interminably; they fell moved. Renny, endeavoring to lift his arms, time without number, they were pushed and gasped in agony.

shoved. Renny had cause, blindfolded as he

“Whew! Holy cow!” he blurted. “They was, to regret his trick on the guard; the thing damned near ruined my arms. The circulation preyed on his mind; he expected to be shoved is gone out of them.”

over a cliff himself any minute, until finally it

“It will come back. I’ll take the tape off became a nightmare. They began to hear the your eyes. It’s going to hurt.”

dull rumble of a waterfall, and this came It did hurt, and Renny’s eyes watered nearer, but slowly, and then it faded some-until he could see nothing for a while. . . . His what; but had not been left entirely behind first impression of their surrounding was not when they reached their destination.

good. “A cave,” he muttered.

The cavern, not particularly large and with nothing outstanding about it except that it WOODEN steps came underfoot, then was a cave, was apparently of natural forma-planking; the first steps had been only three in tion, the work of some underground stream a number. They walked, Renny judged, about long time ago. Caves like it, Renny reflected, twenty feet on a wooden floor, and pepper was could be found in almost any part of the world.

THE EXPLODING LAKE

41

Their prison arrangement was still more

“Eh?”

ordinary. It consisted of fences about eight feet

“Sucked us in, that’s what he did,” Monk high, made of heavy rough-sawn planking—
said angrily. “The guy was a phony. He said timbers actually—dividing a section of the cave that he was an Argentinian agent. He was no into twelve-foot squares; at least their pen was more an Argentinian agent than I am. He was approximately twelve feet in each dimension.

working for Hans Boehl.”

There was no roof, other than the cave roof,

“Hans Boehl is behind this?”

which was some thirty feet overhead at this

“Sure.”

point.

“Have you seen him?”

A voice called loudly, “Doc!”

“Nah. I gather they expect him here to-

“Monk!” Renny yelled. “Where the blazes day.”

are you?”

Doc asked, “What was the idea of their taking such elaborate pains to foist Cort on to you as a friend?”

MONK MAYFAIR’S voice angrily in-

“They wanted to pump us about how formed them that he was penned up. “I can’t much you knew.”

tell where you are with relation to where I am,

“Oh.”

on account of the blasted echoes in here,” he

“They didn’t have any luck,” Monk said.

said. “I’m to the right, though, I think. You see

“Not that it seems important now.”

that gray-colored patch on the ceiling? I’m just

“No, it doesn’t seem too important now.”

about under that.”

“You know what this is all about?” Monk Renny, searching for the lighter patch on demanded.

the ceiling, shouted, “Where is Ham? Is he . . .

“Do you?”

?”

“They got a job they’re gonna try to Ham himself answered that. “I’m in the make you do,” Monk said. “Some kind of a sci-same fix with the rest of you.”

entific job.”

Monk yelled, “Watch out for the top of these pens. There’s a wire runs around the top of them, and it’s charged with electricity. You Chapter XII don’t get a good ground hanging to the wall, but it’s enough to knock the pants off you any-DOC SAVAGE was taken out of the pen way. You couldn’t climb out of here if you late in the afternoon. He was sleeping, and wanted to.”

someone kicked him in the ribs; it was a man Doc asked, “What happened to you with a rifle, and the fellow backed away warily, two?”

said, in Spanish, “You come with me, alone.”

Monk and Ham tried to talk at once, but Renny, alarmed, looked at Doc. The only Monk finally gave the story; his rather thin and light, which came from a single naked electric squawking voice seemed to have less trouble bulb strung high overhead, was not very effec-with the acoustics of the cave. He told about tive in the cell, but it did accentuate the lines of the waylaying of Bernard Perling’s car in Bue-anxiety on Renny’s long face.

nos Aires, their beating, their awakening—four

“I imagine this is just a preliminary days later, they had been told—on a boat trav-propositioning,” Doc said. “Take it easy.”

eling on the lake. “We thought we were at He was removed from the pen, the door sea,” Monk explained. “Only we weren’t. They was fastened again. He discovered that two get to this place—from what I hear it’s the most other guards had gotten Susan Lane out of isolated part of the lake region—by boat from a another pen. She appeared bewildered, terri-landing field about twenty miles away where fied.

they’re in the habit of bringing their stuff in by

“Obey orders, Susie,” Doc said quietly.

plane.”

“But they—”

Ham said, “Tell him about Paul Cort.”

“We’ll play along with them.”

Monk gave a realistic description of their

“Oh, no—”

finding Paul Cort on the boat with them, being

“For the time being.”

beaten, of their getting through the bulkhead to They were escorted to the right, then Cort, and their conversation with him.

around a corner, and Doc decided they were

“You know what that guy done?” Monk not going toward the cave entrance, but demanded.

deeper into the thing. They came, presently, to 42

DOC SAVAGE
a narrow area which was planked up solidly nally, he surmised, for the atom-bomb re-except for a door, through which they were search in the Reich. There were, he saw, wa-escorted.

ter shields to stop wildly thrown neutrons, indi-Now the loudspeaker voice hailed them cating that no better system of control had thunderously.

been worked out. There was an innovation, a

“Guards?” it said.

movable arrangement so that the thing could

“Yes, they are inside,” one of the escorts be pushed forward or backward, firing either at said.

an extremely large target, or a very small one.

“Hold them there a moment,” the voice

“What do you think of it, Herr Savage?”

said. The loudspeaker outfit was obviously of Boehl’s voice bawled out of the speakers.

the conventional intercommunicator type, the

“Mediocre,” Doc said bluntly.

speakers serving as pickup microphones as The other snorted. “An insult,” he said.

well as speakers. “Mr. Savage,” the voice said.

“That is a very good cyclotron, and you know

“Yes?”

it. But we will not go into a discussion about

“Good. I am Hans Boehl. I prefer not to Nazi shortcomings. You are, I understand, a let you get a look at me for obvious reasons.

direct man. Is that right?”

Therefore I am taking this method of address-

“Get to the point,” Doc suggested.

ing you.”

“Fine. The point is this: the nature of an

“I see.”

element is determined by the number of pro-

“You know,” the voice demanded, “who tons in the nucleus. Bombarding by neutrons, Miss Susan Lane is?”

through use of a cyclotron, has proved that the

“Yes,” Doc said.

number of protons in an element can be

“If your information is that she is an op-changed. In other words, you can change mo-erative for the State Department of the United lecular structure through addition or subtrac-States of America, that data is correct,” Hans tion of protons. This happens under cyclotron Boehl’s voice said. “You needn’t admit it. I toss bombardment.”

in the information for what it is worth.”

Doc said drily, “Almost any reader of the Doc made no comment.

newspapers in the United States could come

“You have,” the voice said, “been up with that kind of information.”

brought here, at considerable expense and Hans Boehl agreed. “Perhaps true. I do more elaborate scheming than perhaps was not know. But in my experiments with atomic necessary, to do some specialized work.”

explosion, I find as you have found, no doubt,

“You think I’ll do it?” Doc asked.

that the chief problem is the slowing down of

“I don’t think you are a fool.”

the speed of neutron bombardment, so that Doc said nothing.

atomic disintegration would be accomplished,

“You will now be taken into the labora-rather than having the neutrons speed harm-tory,” the voice said. “You will touch nothing, or lessly past. Is that not so?”

the guards will shoot Miss Lane. They will not

“If you expect any elementary instruction shoot you unless it is necessary, but they will out of me,” Doc said, “my frame of mind will at once shoot Miss Lane. You understand have to be somewhat different from what it that?”

now is. What are you driving at?”

“I hear you.”

The other said unpleasantly, “I am no child at this business.”

“Matter of opinion.”

THE laboratory—it lay beyond another

“Would you like to know what you’re go-locked door, and was brilliantly lighted—was ing to do? You’re going to complete my ex-equipped with German apparatus almost en-periments aimed at changing a baser metal tirely, Doc saw. It was, for its purpose, excel-into gold.”

lent equipment. He saw power generators and

“Gold? Make gold out of what?”

converters, saw bins of ore and metals that

“Lead.”

were used in experimentation; mounted promi-

“It can’t be done,” Doc said.

nently, lead-shielded, was a compact and fairly

“It can!” The man became excited. “Do powerful cyclotron.

not tell me black is white! I have seen it done—

He gave the cyclotron particular atten-once, in Munich, it was done, but by accident.

tion—it was, he knew, one of the products of It happened in the course of experiments, and Nazi scientific skill and had been built origi-the man who did it could not repeat.” The man

THE EXPLODING LAKE

43

cursed roundly in German, added, “You do RENNY had come to the conclusion that this, you understand, or your friends will be the outlook was tough, and Monk and Ham killed. And do not tell me you will not under agreed with him. They listened to Doc’s expla-such compulsion, because I have seen it nation about the gold—what talking they did worked on men fully as well-equipped with had to be shouted across the partitions—ideals as yourself. Guards, take them back.

without too much surprise. Ham Brooks went You will have time to think about it.”

philosophical to the extent of remarking,

“That’s about the sort of thing one would ex-44

DOC SAVAGE
pect an escaped Nazi to devote his attention The loudspeaker, its volume considera-to. Turning cheaper metals to gold has been bly reduced, addressed him. It was Boehl’s the dream of avarice down through the centu-voice, and the man said, “Nice work, Dartlic.”

ries. The point is, can it be done?”

“Is nice nothing,” the fat man com-Doc said, “Boehl claims it can—claims it plained. “Is a hell of a complicated mess, yes.”

happened once during the course of the Nazi

“You’re doing all right.”

atomic research.”

“I should hope so, maybe.”

“He lying?”

Boehl’s voice on the loudspeaker

“He might be.”

sounded friendly, and continued the compli-Renny added the practical thought that, ments. “You are to be highly commended.

“On the other hand, some Nazi scientist might Your whole part in the operation, the trip to have slipped a piece of gold into the contrap-New York, the summoning of Doc Savage, tion to make them think he was a very valuable your pretended aid in Buenos Aires, all was guy who had discovered something special.”

very well carried out. I have good reports on

“Anyway,” Doc said, “it is in my lap.”

you.”

“Are you going to do it?”

“Is a job,” the fat man said. “Anyway, I

“You mean, going to try,” Doc said. “I try.”

don’t know.”

“There is just one thing.”

Fat Dartlic wailed, “If not you dry we The fat man showed some alarm. “Al-maybe die too quick, no? You think of that?”

ways a fly in the soup,” he grumbled.

“How much time have you to think it

“Why did Savage come here?”

over?” Ham called.

“Eh? After all that planning and conniv-

“He neglected to say.”

ing you ask—”

Dartlic demanded, “If this you do, how

“Doc Savage is not a fool,” Hans Boehl’s long it take?”

voice said. “The man has a frightening reputa-

“Months, weeks, years—no telling,” Doc tion for coming up with the unexpected at the said.

least expected times.”

“Is no good,” the fat man complained. “I

“Is smart, yes,” said Dartlic. “But not a have not a liking—” He went silent, because genius, no. A man who works very hard at two guards had entered that section of the thinking and mind work, yes. But a dangerous cave, and one of them said, in German, “The man—it could be.”

fat man is wanted.”

“I wish you would learn to speak the Dartlic at once emitted a howl, “Me?

English language,” the other said. “Or stick to What am I want to do nothing for?” He shouted German.”

some more, still in English, still mixed up, while

“Ach, nobody like the German language they were opening his pen door, hauling him right now.”

out and taking him away. His protestations re-Boehl swore bitterly. “Get back to the ceded, could no longer be heard.

point—why did Doc Savage come here?” he

“What you suppose they want with him?”

said.

Renny asked. “That guy, for my memory, is

“He was enticed here.”

about as useless as they come.”

“You really think so?”

“If not, I was a sucker made of,” Dartlic said. “What are you worried about?”

Chapter XIII

The voice from the loudspeaker said, “I want you to try to find out whether Doc Savage ORLIN DARTLIC muttered to one of the came in here because he has a plan of action.

guards, “Are we out of hearing, no?” When the He doesn’t seem as worried as I expected.”

guard grunted, “Ja,” Dartlic stopped his howl-

“He is plenty worried, you ask me,” said ing. He went willingly with the escort, and ar-Dartlic.

rived eventually in the part of the cave adja-

“Well, see what you can get out of him.”

cent to the laboratory where Doc had been

“You begin to scare me, yes,” the fat taken; he did not enter the laboratory, how-man said uneasily. “What you think could hap-ever, but was stopped in the intermediate pen to us?”

room.

“Savage could have something up his sleeve—”

“He was searched, wasn’t he?”

THE EXPLODING LAKE

45

“Don’t overdo that silly ass manner,”

page from the cave roof. He made no com-Boehl’s voice growled out of the intercommu-ment on the rubber sheeting, however. Pres-nicator. “It may be that arrangements have ently he heard Renny’s voice, demanding, been made with Argentine troops to follow “What did they want with you?”

down here and clean us out, or even with U. S.

“The voice of head himself, I meet,” Dar-agents, the FBI or—”

tlic explained.

“Is fat chance of U. S. kissing with Ar-

“Boehl?”

gentine government,” said Dartlic.

“Yep.”

“See if Doc Savage let himself be caught

“You meet him in person?”

in this trap,” the other said sharply.

“By voice. He talks through loudspeaker,

“Will do.”

yes. Does not want us to see his face, I

“And see if you can find out, if he did, guess.”

what scheme he has up his sleeve.”

“That’s the way he handled Doc, too,”

“Sure.”

Renny said. “What did he try to get out of

“That’s all.”

you?”

Orlin Dartlic said hastily, “Wait a min-

“Wanted to know what we figured on do-ute—is he out of lead going to be about to ing,” the fat man explained.

make gold?”

“You told him?”

“He will before we’re done with him.”

“I tell him go jump in corner of cave,”

“He says,” Dartlic explained, “that it can Dartlic said. “I don’t think he like that. I wonder not be done.”

if I make a mistake? He say something about The voice became angry. “It was done in what value am I to anybody around here, that I Munich.”

probably eat more than I am worth. His talk I

“Savage had an idea about that. He said don’t like not much.”

someone might have pretended to find how to

“I wouldn’t like it either,” Renny said.

make the gold to give himself a little more im-Renny was depressed. He asked Doc portance.”

Savage to describe the voice over the loud-

“If the Munich scientist did so,” the other speaker system, and Doc did so, imitating the snapped, “it was a very poor idea. . . . The voice himself with fair accuracy, instead of try-man was placed in a concentration camp, ing to describe it with words.

where he died, for not being able to repeat his

“Probably disguised,” Renny said. “You feat.”

know something? I been thinking, and I got a

“Well, I just told you that for what it is suspicion.”

worth.”

“Yes?”

“Is isn’t worth anything.”

“A suspicion that Paul Cort is this Hans

“All right. By the way, if I am going to Boehl we hear about,” Renny said. “What do have to stay in that pen a while, I would like to you think of that?”

have a good raincoat or preferably a rubber blanket.”

“What do you want with a rubber blan-IT was later, probably late in the after-ket?”

noon—time was a little difficult to keep track of,

“The roof leaks. There is a drippage over since their watches had been taken—when my pen.”

Doc Savage started an agitation to have the

“Guard, get him a rubber blanket,” the ceiling light dimmed, or extinguished. His re-voice said.

quest, made first to a guard, was laughed at.

There was only the one light centered in the cave, probably a 300-watt bulb, judging from Chapter XIV
its size.

“If we just had something to throw at it,”

FAT ORLIN DARTLIC was returned to Doc said.

his pen, which was the one adjacent to that A moment later, a rock came sailing over occupied by Renny and Doc Savage, and the the pen wall. It was followed presently by a rubber blanket was given him. It was a heavy second stone; both the rocks were about the waterproof affair, and, while the guard was still size of baseballs.

at the pen door, Dartlic glanced with satisfac-

“Holy cow!” Renny gasped.

tion at the wet spot on the floor made by drip-

“Sh-h-h-h,” Doc admonished.

46

DOC SAVAGE

“But what—”

ing that he had a bellyache, and the guards

“Easy does it,” Doc said. He moved over opened the door and took him away.

to the pen partition, found the nearest thing to Doc whispered, “Give him a few minutes, a crack that he could locate, asking, “Any rea-Renny. He can do us a lot of good.”

son for delay?”

“You going to try the break now?”

“None at all,” Dartlic whispered back. “In

“Yes.” Doc was contemplating the one fact, he’s beginning to get suspicious. It has light in the ceiling. “You think you could hit that occurred to him that he caught you awfully with one of those rocks?”

easy.”

Renny didn’t think he could. “As scared

“Want to wait until you’re out?”

as I am,” he confessed, “I’d be lucky to hit the

“Good idea. I’ll find an excuse to be ground with my hat, if I had a hat.”

taken out in a few minutes.”

Doc said, “We might as well start it.”

Renny Renwick said several things un-

“You mean—whoeee!” Renny passed a der his breath, collared Doc and demanded, hand over his head as if to ascertain whether “What goes on? What the hell?”

his hair was standing on end, asked, “Without

“The fat man,” Doc said, “is our ace in any more preparation than this—what about the hole.”

Monk and Ham? Will they—how we going to—

“Eh?”

”

“He’s working for Boehl—Boehl thinks.”

Doc said, “The rubber blanket will get us

“He—I don’t get it!”

over the electrified wires. Maybe we can then

“He’s working for the Argentine govern-open the doors to their pens. As for notifying ment—the Argentine government thinks.”

them—I don’t imagine, once this thing starts,

“Then who the—”

anybody will need notifying.” He indicated the From the other side of the partition, the rubber blanket. “Fold it, and get close to the fat man’s side, a bundle suddenly came flying wall, so you can throw it over the wire in the over. Doc caught it silently. It was the rubber dark.”

blanket, and some stuff inside it. He spread it Renny did so. He wondered if Doc could on the floor, unfolded the blanket and—Renny hit the light bulb with a rock, one out of two gasped—there were half a dozen small gas tries. The possibilities, in his opinion, were thin, grenades, two explosive grenades, enclosed in and he found his hands shaking. He got the the blanket. What startled Renny was the fact rubber pad folded, wondering if it was synthetic that the grenades were a type which Doc Sav-and whether it would protect them from the age had developed, and, Renny knew, must charged wire, and whether the wire was have originally been supplied by Doc himself.

barbed, which might complicate matters. . . .

“Who the hell’s Dartlic?” Renny gasped.

The light went out. The first rock had got-

“Actually, an agent for the Netherlands ten to it. There was a second’s silence; then a government,” Doc said. “He has been in Ar-huge bell began clamoring somewhere. The gentina several years—what they call a darkness was intense; startled shouts came sleeper. An agent planted far ahead of time.”

from two guards; at either end of the large cav-

“But—”

ern room, they seemed to be located.

Doc indicated the grenades. “He brought Doc said, “Over. Try to open the other this in for me. Working for Boehl, he knew he pens.”

wouldn’t be searched.”

Renny leaped, hooked his hands over

“For Boehl, eh?”

wire and rubber blanket, swung himself up, Doc nodded. “Yes—but he has never went over the top, and dropped down on the seen Boehl. You see, he has been approached other side. He could hear the sound of running by Boehl’s agents, and they have paid him feet. There had been no shots as yet.

through the agents, but he has never seen Doc landed beside him. “Get the pens Boehl. It is Boehl he is after.”

open. That’s up to you,” Doc said. “Here, wait.

Renny grunted. “At least, I can see why Take these.” He gave Renny three gas gre-you were willing to get caught.”

nades, added, “Give Monk and Ham one each—they’re the regular anaesthetic gas we use. Just hold your breath long enough, and PRESENTLY fat Orlin Dartlic did some they take effect on the other guy, then become yelling on the other side of the stockage, howl-harmless. But hold your breath at least a min-THE EXPLODING LAKE

47
ute. Remember that. Or the stuff will get you,

“She might have a chance to escape, too.”

too. . . . Susie, if you should get outside and The first shot came; a tongue of flame we don’t, get United States agents in here.

that sprang briefly; a blast of noise that was Don’t trust the Argentine authorities too far.”

amazing in the confines of the cave. Doc They were, Doc realized, killing too moved toward the flashes, aware from the much time. He reached down and slugged the sounds that there was movement in other parts guard again, making sure the fellow would re-of the cave; guards pushing forward, no doubt, main out for a while.

as yet unaware why the alarm had sounded.

Deeper in the cave somewhere, there Doc tried to think of a voice to imitate, was a series of shots. The fat man, Doc thought of Paul Cort’s, decided against it be-thought. He might need help badly. He pushed cause he had only heard it once, on the wire-ahead, finding the going difficult because of transcription in New York. He decided to use the darkness; stumbling ahead, he was ripped Orlin Dartlic’s voice, as nearly as he could by a number of thoughts, none of them pleas-manage.

ant. He had no idea how many men they were

“Is going on, what?” he demanded.

up against; a dozen at the very least. Orlin

“What the hell?” the guard said in Ger-Dartlic had thought there were about a dozen man. “I thought you—”

of them, but there could be more; Dartlic’s in-Doc hit him from the side, coming in with formation had been scant. Even if, by a stretch hands out.

of luck, they got out of the cave, there was still The man had a gun, a rifle, and it blasted the desolate country to contend with; the near-deafeningly when surprise reflex tightened the est civilization was undoubtedly days distant man’s hand on the trigger. Doc bent the on foot; a chase through that kind of country, weapon upward, swung his right fist for the with themselves as the pursued, was nothing fellow’s midriff, missed completely the first time to look forward to.

in the blackness, connected with the second He came, abruptly, against a door, and blow, and doubled the man over. He hit the fumbled for a lock, a fastener of some kind—man twice more, both blows well placed.

presently to realize with horror that there was He used Dartlic’s squawking voice again, none. The door was secured from the other loudly.

side; if there was a fastener on this side, it was

“Is all right, guards!” he yelled. “No secreted too well for him to find in a hurry.

shoot! No shoot! Is part of plan.”

He yelled—partly to preserve the life of He hoped that would not confuse Renny; anyone who might be on the other side, Dartlic he could hear the big-fisted engineer moving; if he was there, and also to inform Monk and presently there was whispering, and Monk’s Ham and Renny what the uproar would be—in hoarse voice said, “By golly, you don’t say!”

a loud voice: “We’re going to blast the door Monk sounded pleased.

down.” He then retreated a few yards, let go A shot came from the other end of the with one of the explosive grenades, and flat-room. It was followed, almost instantly, by a tened out, hoping he was behind something, scuffle, blow noises, and a grunt that was dis-and hoping the grenade wouldn’t hit something tinctly Monk’s. A body fell heavily. Not Monk, in the darkness and bounce back too near him.

obviously, for Monk complained, “Oh my God, I The force of the explosion was fabulous; think I broke a thumb. He dodged and I hit the he had the impression that he was actually wall.”

shoved several feet across the cave floor, al-Ham asked, “You get him?”

though that must have been partly illusion. Fol-

“Yeah, but there’s still one at the other lowing the blast, there was light; the partition end—”

was down, and there was a lighted passage

“This one is out of commission temporar-beyond it.

ily,” Doc said. “You fellows go toward the outside. Just circulate among them, and do what you can do.”

HE could hear the loudspeaker bellowing Susan Lane demanded shrilly, “You’re now, Hans Boehl’s voice, a little less con-not going to leave me locked up in here, are sciously disguised than before, howling, “What you?”

is it? What has happened?” The man was re-

“Let her out, Renny,” Doc said.

peating the demands in German, Spanish and

“Okay. I just thought she might get hurt.”

48

DOC SAVAGE

English, and each language, even in excite-your breath somewhat longer than that, it usu-ment, was spoken fluently.

ally doesn’t affect you.”

“Dartlic!” Doc shouted.

“Oh.” The fat man sounded sheepish.

“Is help!” the fat man howled somewhere Doc listened. He said, “I don’t believe ahead. He added, “Is help, please! The army is there is anyone else back here. Surely the raid the place. A hundred men!”

noise would have brought them out by now.”

The last alarmed Doc immeasurably; He swung about. “Let’s join Renny and the then he realized the fat man was confusing others, and see what we can do about fighting Boehl, wherever the fellow was, with the stuff our way out of here.”

about an army. It was, under the urgency of The fat man gave Paul Cort a last violent the situation, fast thinking on the fat man’s kick before he followed Doc.

part.

Dartlic was fighting Paul Cort. The fat man must have killed two guards; there were THE cavern was by no means enor-two dead men underfoot, at least, and Dartlic mous, because, once they had passed back had his hands full with Cort. Cort was whipping through the large chamber where the prison him. They were down suddenly, Cort broke pens were, they came within fifty feet to a clear, got his feet under him, came up. His thin smaller area, closed off by a door which now lips were grim, the scar stood out as a pale line stood open, where there was light from several on his lip. He got a gun out—Doc fired; the electric bulbs.

report of the rifle hurt his head, deafened him.

Monk Mayfair was wandering around the Cort released his revolver, walked backward room, a large rock in one hand, and, as he wildly a few feet. Doc had tried for a shoulder came to an unconscious man, he rapped the shot, not particularly because he wanted to rock against the victim’s head. He said, “None spare the man’s life, but a blasted shoulder of these guys had better have thin skulls.”

was the quickest means of forcing the gun out

“How many here?” Doc demanded.

of Cort’s hand.

“Nine,” Renny said. “They were push-Cort regained his balance, and instantly overs for the gas. They were all gathered out-made for the dropped gun with his left hand.

side the door, laying for us.” He picked up a But Dartlic was up now, and he struck Cort submachine gun. “Holy cow, look at the tommy down. He kicked Cort, after the man fell, re-guns. They all had them.”

peatedly, kicking him in body, neck, head,

“Nine,” Doc said. “Two in the room making guttural sounds of rage as he did so.

where they had us penned, the two Dartlic got, Doc said, “Save some of that for the rest and Paul Cort—that makes fourteen. Let’s see of them,” and went on.

if we can get out.”

For a few moments, no one was in sight; Backed now by Monk and the others there were no shots; the cave whispered and armed with submachine guns, he followed a grumbled with the sound of men moving cau-wider passage, came to a spot where the cave tiously, or violently; the loudspeaker had gone apparently had been walled up solidly with dead. The silence, except for frantic prepara-stone, and an overhead opening made. This tion, was a dramatic buildup for the break-was reached by steps. He ascended, turned loose which came suddenly.

right in a narrow passage, went up more steps, It was, this time, shots and yells from the and came to a door. It was open.

direction Monk and the others had taken. Doc He glanced meaningly at Dartlic; the fat heard Renny bawl out, “Breaking eggs! Break-man understood, and called loudly through the ing eggs!”

door, “Is all right. Was a break, yes.”

“What is he—is crazy! Eggs! Eggs! Is There was no answer.

nuts,” Dartlic gasped. “What is he—”

They stepped through the door into an Doc was looking for one of the loud-elaborately furnished room. There was a fire-speakers; he found it on the wall, leaped, place to the left, a long rustic table, wide win-caught it, and tore it loose, snapping the wires.

dows, beyond them an afternoon view of lake Hoping that would keep his voice from being and mountains and glaciers—all quite familiar.

picked up by Boehl, he told the fat man,

“Hell!” Monk said explosively. “This is

“Renny is using gas. It’s an anaesthetic that Bernard Perling’s cabin!”

only lasts about forty seconds—if you can hold THE EXPLODING LAKE

49

Chapter XV

Dartlic nodded agreeably. “Is best you listen close, for the English I slaughter,” he THEY found Bernard Perling in a rear said.

room. They heard his wailing first, terrified The fat man had managed to become a pleas for help, demands to know what had paid operative of Boehl, he explained, but he happened. Perling was tied after a fashion and had never been able to meet Boehl. All his there was adhesive tape hanging to one of his dealing had been through lesser agents, and cheeks. A gag, he explained, which he had he had learned that Paul Cort was one of been able to remove; he had loosened most of Boehl’s close lieutenants—if not Boehl himself.

his bindings also, he pointed out.

He had suspected Cort was Boehl, frequently,

“We thought you were dead,” Renny told but had not dared move, not being sure.

him. “We saw you outside this morning, and The business of making gold out of other you sure looked dead.”

metals had been a surprise to him, but he

“I was knocked unconscious when I could see now that it was logical—Hans Boehl, stepped out of the cabin, or ran out,” Perling fugitive from the Reich, would need funds to explained. “I—I don’t know what—what they operate, do whatever he planned to do in the did then. I—why did they—didn’t they kill me?”

future. So what would be better than to make Doc said, “Dartlic, you and Monk and gold out of lead—and, since Boehl was unable Ham stay in here with Miss Lane. Renny and I to do the job himself, trick Doc Savage into will look around for Boehl.”

coming to the Patagonian hinterlands where

“I think—Boehl—a thin man ran through Doc could be seized and made to do the job.

here—escaped,” Perling said jerkily.

“Rest you already know,” Dartlic said.

“Wait in here,” Doc said.

“The phony business about lake, timed for Doc Savage and Renny worked through poor Juan Russel to see, and the summoning the lodge cautiously, found no one, and—after of Doc Savage to investigate. Vanished lake Doc had made a close examination of the bed-was best bait, because the whole world is up-rooms, coming out of one of them carrying a set about the atomic bomb business. Doc bundle of clothing—returned to the large cen-Savage would come down here quick if he tral room where the others waited.

thought wrong kind of man had found out how Doc deposited his bundle of clothing on to make atomic bomb. Is right, yes?”

a table.

“Is all right, except Boehl got away,”

“Everyone straight on this?” he asked.

Renny said gloomily. “How the devil are we Monk and Ham weren’t. They said so.

going to find him in this wilderness?”

Ham pointed at Dartlic and demanded, “Who is Doc indicated the clothing he had tossed he, anyway? I had him pegged through most of on the table. “That suit might help.”

this as the ramrod of the thing.”

“Eh?”

The fat man looked insulted. “Boehl?

“Take a look.” Doc spread the garments Me? Is worst insult I ever give!”

out, and they proved to be a man’s suit, the

“Dartlic,” Doc told Monk and Ham, “is a one Bernard Perling had been wearing when Netherlands intelligence agent, assigned, like the phony shooting was staged.

many other agents, to the job of finding Hans

“It is my suit,” Perling said. “Why do Boehl. Dartlic was planted in Argentina before you—how is it important?”

the European war began, and it was evident

“It just seems funny,” said Doc, “that you that Argentina wasn’t going to coöperate with would be allowed to change clothes when you the Allies, and might actually give assistance were a prisoner.”

to the Axis, which turned out to be partly the Perling began losing color. “I—I insisted case. As soon as hints began to crop up that that they allow me—”

Hans Boehl was in Argentina, Dartlic got the

“For God’s sake!” Ham said softly. He job of finding him. Dartlic, in the meantime, had was staring at Bernard Perling with horror.

managed to rise to a fairly responsible job with Doc swung to Dartlic. “Dartlic,” he said, the Argentine government—consultant on “what did Paul Cort tell you in order to have Patagonian affairs, with his own department.”

you spare his life?”

“Is right,” the fat man agreed. He looked The fat man blinked. “Why, no—” He pleased with himself.

swallowed, blinked again, took the hint, and Doc said, “You might review the thing for said, “You want I should say so now?”

them, Dartlic.”

“Yes. Tell Perling.”

50

DOC SAVAGE

The fat man made it dramatic—he lev-danger, for him; his mind had never seemed eled an arm at Perling, and threw his shoul-more clear, more facile.

ders forward as much as they would travel in There was, seven miles to the south, a their covering of fat.

plane in a hangar, and a man there, a man

“You—Bernard

Perling—are

Hans
who was merely a pilot, a hireling. Once Boehl Boehl!” he bellowed.

reached the plane, escape would be simple, Perling—or Boehl—then moved a little and he would go somewhere, probably another faster than any of them expected. Evidently he part of Patagonia—they wouldn’t expect that, had had escape in the back of his mind, and the fools—and begin again. Already he had had laid plans, because his actions—the back-snatches of plans for the future. He hardly ward leap, the swift overturning of a chair, the heard the two shots behind him. Everything jerking around of a sofa to block pursuit seemed crystal clear. He felt free; free and momentarily, was done with lightning speed.

agile, strong, superior to all things; he was Renny alone stood a chance of heading Hans Boehl, and he had been a great man in him off. Renny, lunging, might have reached Nazi Germany; as great as Hitler, and he could the man, pinned him against the door, or by a remember, so clearly now, that he had been flying tackle, possibly have brought him down.

superior to Hitler. He was running lightly, very Dartlic tripped Renny.

lightly; he had no weight at all; he was on the sand of the lake beach now, and it was hard dark sand. He could feel the sand; it was be-HANS BOEHL ran, once he was through tween his teeth, hard and gritting, with no taste the lodge door, with head-back, arm-pumping at all, no taste at all.

effort. He was, he knew, in excellent physical

“Is dead as anything,” Orlin Dartlic said condition; good body trim had always been a presently. “Is run fifty yards after I shoot him fetish with him, even in his youth, before the through brain. What do you know about that, time of the Nazis, who had put physical train-no?”

ing on a god-like plane. He was not even particularly scared; danger, the taking of desperate chances, had been a part of his life for a THE END
long time, and he had developed a hardness toward it. There was a perverted ecstasy in Next month you’ll meet a bearded gardener—with clean fingernails!

In fact, you’ll meet a bevy of beards. The strange hirsute men were interested in model houses—but why did they steal one and then tear it apart? And what did they have to do with a very surprising girl who talked like a truck-driver? This needed clearing up . . . so along came Doc in search of a missing scientist . . . which got him all mixed up in DEATH IN LITTLE HOUSES, the full-length DOC SAVAGE novel for October.

Be sure to get the October issue as soon as it goes on sale—which will be August 23.

Table of Contents

- Chapter I
- Chapter II
- Chapter III
- Chapter V
- Chapter VII
- Chapter X
- Chapter XIII
- Chapter XV