The Golden Skull: A Rick Brant Science-Adventure Story

by Harold L. Goodwin

  CHAPTER X

  Ambush

  The hotel had received no word of Tony Briotti. Rick and Scotty hadn'treally expected any word. They were certain that he had been kidnaped byNast. Even the reason for the kidnaping was no longer important. Whatwas important was to rescue Tony.

  Angel Manotok left before the boys were ready for dinner. He hoped topick up some information at various places he knew around town. Perhapsgossip which might be useful. Perhaps someone had seen something unusualwhich could have a bearing on the young archaeologist's disappearance.Angel promised to report back later. He would spend the night in Tony'sroom.

  Rick and Scotty decided to have dinner, and then talk with some of thelocal Americans about the best place to buy a jeep. If possible, theywanted to pick one up after dinner, get it ready to travel, and have itstanding by the next morning early.

  They did not talk much at dinner. They were more worried about Tony thaneither of them would admit, and Rick was feeling a little ill at easebecause they hadn't notified the police. He had talked it over withAngel, but the Filipino guide had said, "We'll have to notify themsooner or later, but it will do no good."

  "Perhaps we should notify the American ambassador at Manila," Rick saidaloud.

  "We should have notified him long before this," Scotty agreed. "But wealways try to do everything ourselves. I guess we'll never learn."

  Angel Manotok appeared in the dining room, eyes searching for the boys.Rick saw him and waved. Angel came over and slid into a seat. Apparentlyhe had seen a doctor, because the bandage around his head was a new one.

  "Friend of yours coming this way," he said. "Probably will have dinnerhere. Lazada."

  Scotty's lips tightened. "I'll be glad to see him," he assured Angel. "Iwant to ask him about his pal Nast."

  Rick's eyes opened wide. "No need," he said. "Look at the door."

  There, just entering were Lazada and Nast, arm in arm!

  The boys waited until they were seated, then walked over to join them.

  "Good evening," Rick said. "I hope you gentlemen are well."

  Lazada and Nast smiled. The Assistant Secretary nodded. "Both quitewell, thank you. And how are you?"

  "Oh, I'm fine," Rick said. "But my friend is giving me a littletrouble." He pulled a chair out from Lazada's table and sat down. Scottyfollowed suit. Rick was close to Lazada, while Scotty's chair was nearerto Nast.

  "Your friend is giving you trouble?" Lazada asked. "Which friend?"

  "This one," Rick said, motioning to Scotty. "He wants to kill Mr. Nast.I don't think we should kill Mr. Nast, do you?"

  Lazada smiled. "Ask him."

  Rick turned to Nast. "Do you have an opinion, Mr. Nast?"

  Nast was a little pale, but his voice was steady enough. "I certainlydo. I agree with you, Mr. Brant."

  Rick grinned mirthlessly. "You do? I'm glad. Instead of killing you, Isuggested to Scotty that we cripple you. Perhaps a few compoundfractures of the arms and legs."

  Rick could see that neither Lazada nor Nast were as composed as theyseemed. The calm, unearthly discussion was too bizarre. Threats weresomething they understood, but not threats like this.

  Scotty spoke for the first time. He addressed Nast. "Because you're afellow American I thought the decent thing to do would be just to killyou outright."

  Nast shuddered visibly. "You're both joking, of course. But it isn't avery funny joke, I assure you."

  Rick smiled. "No, it isn't very funny. But neither is Dr. Briotti'sdisappearance. You'd better tell us where he is."

  "What makes you think Mr. Nast knows?" Lazada asked.

  Rick considered. They had no proof. No one had seen Nast in the sedanthat had taken Tony from the airport. The boys saw movement at theentrance to the dining room and realized that two Filipinos werewatching them like hawks, and that the hands in their pockets certainlyheld pistols.

  Rick shifted tactics. "Do you have much faith in your bodyguards?"

  Lazada raised his eyebrows. "Faith? Of course. They are loyal to me. Ifanyone tries to get close to me without my permission, they step in andremove that person. Or, if anyone should try violence...."

  Rick smiled. "How good do you think they would be against a sniper witha rifle five hundred yards away?"

  "Obviously, they would be ineffective."

  "Just the point I wanted to make," Rick agreed. "You realize, of course,that there is no protection against assassination, except to take refugein a fortress of some kind and stay there. That's impossible for apublic figure like yourself."

  "True. Your point, then, is what?"

  "That Dr. Briotti has friends with rifles. It would distress us to findthat he had been harmed."

  "It would distress me," Lazada assured them. "I was very much impressedby Dr. Briotti's knowledge and enthusiasm. I assume that you think Ihave some knowledge about his disappearance. I do not."

  "Me either," Nast added hastily.

  Lazada's round face glistened with perspiration. "I will control myanger, Mr. Brant. I take your age into account. Allow me to remind you,however, that I am an official of the Philippine Government and that youare an alien. You are here on sufferance, and you have only such rightsas you can persuade us to give you. Oh, I know there are agreements. Butlet us be realistic. Do not force me to lose my temper and do somethingfor which I would be sorry."

  "All right." Rick rose. "I'm not as enthusiastic about this expeditionas I used to be, but we're going through with it, anyway, startingtomorrow. The sooner we finish, the better for everybody." He looked atNast. "Except you. I can only promise you that your pal Lazada willnever be able to give you the golden skull to smuggle into China."

  The boys walked back to their own table and left Nast and Lazada staringafter them. That would give them something to chew over, Rick thought.

  "I'm not sure that we were smart," Scotty said when they were seatedonce more. "I'm sure Nast had something to do with Tony's disappearance,but I can't tell you why I'm sure. Was it wise to throw it up to them?"

  Rick shrugged. "Maybe not. But it's done now."

  The boys slept with locked windows and doors, but they slept soundly.Down the hall, Angel also regained strength and optimism while he slept,so that the three awoke the next morning with a determination to makesome real progress. They had followed their plans and obtained a jeepthe night before. But they would need blankets and warmer clothing,unless their supplies could be recovered.

  Over breakfast, Scotty estimated their chances. "Suppose we find outthat the truck is somewhere in the Ifugao country. Would that guaranteeour getting it back? No, it would not. So, we'd better write off thestuff in the truck as lost."

  Fortunately, stores open early in Baguio, and the boys were able to buythe things they needed. Scotty also bought an extra five-gallon gasolinecan for the jeep. Then Angel and Scotty loaded their few belongings intothe vehicle, shook Rick's hand, and headed for Bontoc.

  They had agreed that it might be convenient to have the Sky Wagon atBontoc, too, so Rick would fly up later, planning to arrive at about thesame time. Now, he sat down in the hotel lobby and penned a note to theAmerican ambassador, describing the events of yesterday and telling oftheir future plans. He gave the note to the desk clerk, withinstructions that it was not to be sent for three days.

  Rick figured that at the end of that time he would either reclaim thenote, or that all of them would be in need of help, and the Americanambassador would get the letter and use it as a reason for sending astrong note to the Philippine Government, or maybe call out the Marines,the Navy, and the Air Force. Rick was a little vague on just what wouldhappen.

  The note written, he tried to read for a while. Scotty and Angel werenot well started, and it would be pointless for him to go on to Bontocalone. He wondered where Chahda was, and what he was doing. The Hinduboy had his own way of operating, and it was one Rick and Scotty couldnot hope to copy. Chahda had the gift of mimicry. He could fade into anew background as though he belonged to it.


  Rick hoped that Chahda, somehow, was keeping a protective eye on Tony.

  He couldn't read. He tried napping, but that was no good, either. Atlast, unable to remain idle a moment longer, he took a taxi to theairport, topped off the Sky Wagon's tanks with gas, checked the planethoroughly, got a weather report and took off.

  He climbed to fifteen thousand feet and scanned the terrain forlandmarks. He spotted Mount Panay to the west, verifying its name on themap. Then he picked up the Bontoc Road and searched for the highestpoint, where it emerged from the valleys and swung across a peak overseven thousand feet above sea level.

  If he had estimated Scotty's travel time correctly, the jeep should justnow be emerging into the brilliant sunlight of the peaks. He wished forbinoculars, but they had failed to bring any, one of those oversightsthat happen on any expedition.

  There was a little traffic on the road. A car of some kind was at thepeak, probably stopped to allow the occupants to see the magnificentview. Then he saw that the car was being driven off the road into agrove of trees just beyond the peak. That was odd.

  He identified the jeep. In a moment or two it would be at the peak. Hewould go down and wave. Then he would go back to the airport, havelunch, and fly on to Bontoc. That way, he would get there only slightlyahead of Scotty and Angel.

  He lost altitude. Below, men were getting out of the car which haddriven into the scant cover of a scrub-pine grove. Rick watched as theywalked to the peak. Sunlight reflected from metal. Probably lunch boxes,he thought. The men were going to have their picnic lunch while lookingover the wonderful mountains of northern Luzon. Good idea. Probably thatwas why they had parked the car off the road.

  Then he saw that they were not stopping at the peak, but were takingpositions along the road a short distance beyond it. Again, sunlightglinted from metal as one of them sat down in a copse just off the road.

  Sweat suddenly poured on Rick's forehead. He wasn't watching simplepicnickers! He was watching an ambush being set up--and it could only befor one vehicle, because there was only one in sight along the miles oftwisting highway.

  Scotty and Angel!

  Rick spun the Sky Wagon up on a wing and let it slide. He held the slidefor long moments while the altimeter ticked off the lost altitude. Notuntil it registered eight thousand feet did he level off, only athousand feet above the mountaintops. For a moment he couldn't seeScotty and Angel, then he saw them climbing toward the peak at a goodspeed. In about twenty seconds they would reach it.

  He gauged the amount of clearance he had. It wasn't much. Then he putthe stick forward and dove for the road. He leveled off so low that hisprop wash kicked up dust. The jeep seemed to rush at him and he had aglimpse of Scotty's surprised face, then he was roaring up in a climbthat flattened him against the seat. He leveled off and looked for thejeep. It was still moving ahead.

  Rick groaned. Scotty thought he was just playing! He should have writtena note and dropped it, but now there was no time. The jeep would be inthe ambush before he could let his friends know why he had buzzed them.

  He was helpless. There wasn't anything in the Sky Wagon that he couldthrow at the enemy. But he could at least try to make them keep theirheads down. He roared in for the attack, aiming at the places where theattackers waited.

  The ambushers had the advantage. All they had to do was sit still. Rickcould not hurt them without cracking up the plane and actually landingon them. Still, it was terrifying to have the plane roar past scarcelytwo feet above one's head, and Rick knew the attackers would be worriedabout the possibility of an accident.

  One man had weak nerves. On Rick's second pass he stood up and ran,heading for the comforting shelter of the trees. Scotty saw him. Thejeep braked to a halt.

  Instantly the ambushers opened fire. Scotty and Angel jumped from theexposed jeep and took to the ditch. Rick dove at the riflemen again andsaw them shoot at him.

  He gained a little altitude and circled, estimating the situation. Therewere four attackers, counting the one who had run for the car. That leftthree effective ones. Scotty and Angel were unarmed, a grave mistake.They should have purchased weapons. However, since he had been able towarn them, the attack had failed. They were in good cover, and as longas he was overhead, ready to dive on the attackers if they should tryfor a better position, the two were all right.

  Rick thought he saw a way out. At least there was no harm in trying. Hetook the pad of paper he kept in the door pocket and printed a messageto the attackers.

  YOU HAVE LOST. NO MATTER WHICH WAY YOU GO, I CAN FOLLOW. I CAN HAVE THE POLICE TRAP YOU AT BONTOC OR BAGUIO. I CAN CARRY POLICE TO BONTOC FASTER THAN YOU CAN DRIVE THERE. BUT IF YOU LEAVE YOUR RIFLES IN THE ROAD, GO TO YOUR CAR, AND HEAD FOR BAGUIO, I WILL DO NOTHING.

  He searched for a weight and found his emergency fishing kit, a warsurplus item which he carried in case he might someday find himself at agood fishing spot without tackle. From the kit he extracted a heavysinker. A piece of fishing line completed the rig. He lashed the sinkerto the folded paper. Now to toss it out so it would land among theattackers. He swung low over the road, gauging his distance. When he sawthe peak rushing at him he released the weighted paper, climbed swiftly,and saw one of the attackers run to get it.

  Apparently it made sense to the three men. They talked among themselvesfor a moment, then carried their rifles to the middle of the road andwent to the car. Scotty and Angel realized that something was going on,but prudently remained under cover. Not until the ambushers' car roaredpast on the way to Baguio did they emerge and wave at Rick. He waggledhis wings, then turned and made a beeline for the city. He wanted gunsand ammunition, and there was no time like the present to buy them!