by Bill Craig
His hand moved like lightning and caught the snake just behind the jaws. He yanked it up and his other hand caught it below the first hand and twisted hard, snapping the vertebrae with an audible pop! The body coiled and loosened, coiled and loosened again before going limp. Fortune pulled it loose and dropped it to the jungle floor below. He then loosened his belt and climbed down from the tree.
He was rested now and ready to get Glory away from the Nazis and head back to rejoin their party. Once on the ground, the gun belt went back around his waist. Next time, he would stuff the knife in his waistband. One close encounter with a boa was enough!
Fortune wiped his brow and settled his hat back on his head. He pulled up his pack, took a moment to relieve his bladder, and then headed along the trail to where he was pretty sure that he would find the Nazi camp.
Chac had found an island big enough for them to make a camp on, and the Nurse, Mary Beth, was looking after Felix. However, Tommy could tell from her expression that things didn’t look good for the little Italian-American from New York. “Will he make it?” Tommy asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Mary Beth said. “The snake broke some of his ribs, and he may well have internal bleeding. I wish Dr. Erskine hadn’t disappeared.”
“You and me both, Sister,” Tommy sighed. He sat down next to his friend and comrade. He would stay the night through with his friend.
Mary Beth nodded and slipped outside, leaving the two men alone. Tommy looked down at Felix, whose face was twisted in pain, even in his sleep. “You should have been more careful.”
“You think I wasn’t trying?” Felix groaned softly. He was awake after all.
“I know you were, Pal.”
“Goddamn snakes. I never liked those slithery bastards. I just figured I’d get bit, not crushed by one,” Felix moaned.
“Shit, in this jungle, who the hell knows?” Tommy asked.
“Good point, Tommy. If I don’t make it, you’ll make sure that Maria gets my share of the money?”
“You’ll make it, Felix, but yeah, I’ll make sure,” Tommy consoled his friend.
“You’re a bad liar, Tommy. My insides got crushed. I won’t live to see the end of this.”
“Sure, you will, Felix. You’re too damn tough to die!”
“I wish that were true, Tommy.”
“It is, Felix.”
“No, no it isn’t,” Felix sighed. Then his eyes rolled up and he breathed his last. Tommy was openly weeping as he pushed his friend’s eyelids closed. Tommy wished at that moment that the Captain had never sought them out.
Glory tried to rest. Klausen worried her. There was something truly evil about the man. She feared him, because she realized that he would do whatever he felt necessary to get the information about the Temple of Kukulkan out of her. At least, he hadn’t bound her hands and feet. She had a certain amount of freedom to move about the Nazi camp, but not enough to make a good escape.
She had been smart enough to leave the map with Fortune. Though she hadn’t anticipated being kidnapped by Sam Morris. She was thankful he was one psychopath she no longer had to worried about. Klausen though, Klausen was another matter. He was not only crazy, he was a fanatic. She had been able to see it in his eyes.
Glory was starting to regret having agreed to head this expedition for her uncle. She hadn’t expected this kind of danger to dog her every step. She finished her meal and was escorted back to the tent that had been made available for her. There was a guard outside and there were regular patrols around the camp. She had to figure out a way to escape.
Inside the tent, a lantern had been lit to provide light. Someone, probably Schmidt, had even left a couple of recent books on archeology for her. Glory appreciated the courtesy. She picked up one of the books and sat down on her cot to read. Reading helped her think. She needed to approach her captivity like she would a dig. Maybe something would come to her.
Jake Fortune had made his way to the edge of the Nazi camp. They had fires burning to cook over and for light. There were approximately 30 soldiers in the camp. He leaned back on his heels. 30-1 odds weren’t exactly a percentage play. He knew which tent Glory was in since he had watched them escort her to it.
He was going to need a diversion to pull this off. A big one. Fortune tucked an unlit cigar into the corner of his mouth and chewed on the butt of it while he considered his options. The camp was in the vicinity of the Jaguar Tribe. That could be useful. Fortune faded back into the jungle. He had the makings of a plan.
It wasn’t long before he was back up a tree and waiting. The camp was starting to settle down for the night except for the sentries that were patrolling around the perimeter. Fortune smiled, knowing it wouldn’t be long now.
He spotted the stealthy movement below him as the warriors of the Jaguar Tribe slowly surrounded the camp. They had evidently learned from their previous attack on Fortune’s camp the night before. He shook his head. Had it only been 24 hours? It seemed like a lot longer.
He watched as they took down the sentries, making his own job easier. Soon brown shadows began flitting into the camp. Fortune lifted one of the bundled sticks of dynamite from his bag and hefted it. He dropped to the ground, and then tossed it into the fire. Within seconds, all hell broke loose in a thunderous roar as the three sticks exploded at once!
Fortune charged into the camp before the dust had even settled, firing his rifle to take out the natives as well as Nazis! He lifted his rifle and shot the guard outside her tent, then worked the lever again as he skidded in the dirt outside her tent. “Glory! Haul your butt out here so we can get going!”
“Jake?” she called.
“Who else? You figured on Captain America?”
“Thank God!” Glory stepped out of the tent and Fortune caught her hand and took off running, half dragging her behind him.
“You can pray after we get the hell out of here,” he snapped. He dropped her hand to butt-stoke his rifle across a Nazi soldier’s face, knocking the man to the ground. One of the Jaguar tribal men jumped in front of him and Fortune fired the rifle, blowing the man backwards. He worked the lever and grabbed her hand again, dragging her out of the camp and into the jungle.
Mike Rogers patrolled around the island. He couldn’t sleep. Tommy had let him know about Felix. They would bury him on the island in the morning before they moved on. Felix had known what he had signed on for. They all did. There were no guarantees on a job like this. Jake hadn’t promised any. Jake wouldn’t be happy when he found out what had happened to Felix. More than likely, he would blame himself for not being there.
But there wasn’t anything that Jake could have done to keep it from happening. It was just Felix’s time to go. Mike shook his head. He still couldn’t escape the feeling that this swamp was a place of evil.
He couldn’t shake it. He had a bad feeling that there was something dark and dangerous lurking out there ahead of them. Tommy was getting some rest, but Cliff and Don were patrolling as well. Rogers wished he could shake the feeling, but it wasn’t going away . . .
“Do you have any idea where we are even going?” Glory gasped for breath, as they ran through the jungle.
“Of course, I do. We’re running away from the bad guys,” Fortune said over his shoulder.
“Away from the bad guys? Is that all you’ve got?”
“You got anything better?”
“Not really, no.”
“Then shut up and save your breath for running!”
After half an hour, Fortune slowed down to a jog. He could tell that Professor Newkirk was glad of it. “We’ve been running parallel to the trail we cut through the jungle to try and catch up with our people. I think we might finally be out of the Jaguar Tribe’s territory,” Fortune told her.
“You couldn’t have told me that earlier?”
“That would have spoiled the fun,” Fortune laughed at her.
“You really can be an ass, can’t you?” Glory asked.
“Wh
en I put my mind to it.”
Klausen had rallied his men and managed to fight off the native tribesmen. “The girl is gone,” Wolfgang Schmidt announced, keeping an eye on his boss.
“The natives?” Klausen asked.
“I don’t think they had dynamite. Apparently one of her people came after her,” Schmidt replied.
“Gott Himmel! There is no chance of catching them in the dark! We will go after them at first light,” Klausen snarled.
“Yes, Sir!” Schmidt saluted. He turned and walked away, thanking God that Klausen had agreed to wait until morning.
Fortune lead Glory down the trail. They could hear monkeys as well as the great cats roaring in the night. “Are we going to die?” Glory asked him.
“Not if I can help it,” Fortune told her.
“Are you good enough to prevent us from dying?”
“I hope so.”
“I was hoping for something more positive,” Glory told him.
“I can’t help that.”
“What is your plan?”
“We run for a few hours, then stop and rest and start running again at day break. I don’t think Klausen will come after us in the dark. The odds aren’t in his favor,” Fortune told her.
“I hope you’re right,” Glory told him.
Chapter Fourteen
Jake Fortune opened his eyes, listening carefully to the jungle sounds around him. He could see a faint hint of light. The sun was starting to rise. He got up and stepped off to use the restroom and then came back to wake Glory up. “Rise and shine, Professor. We’ve got a four-hour lead and I want to make that longer,” Fortune nudged her with his boot.
Glory sat straight up and screamed!
“Hey, knock it off! You want to get us killed?” Jake asked catching her by the arms and shaking her. Glory opened her eyes and looked at him.
“Bad dream,” she muttered standing.
“Well, do your business and then we need to get moving if we want to even get close to the rest of our party.”
“Are you always this rude?”
“Only when I need to be.”
“You seem to have a strong need for it!”
“What can I say, I’m good at it,” Fortune told her.
“You certainly are,” Glory rolled her eyes, stalking off into the underbrush. Three minutes later she was back and ready to hit the trail.
Together they started walking, knowing that somewhere behind them Klausen and his men would be starting the chase. Fortune’s mind was racing as he tried to figure out how he and his men might defeat the obviously superior force that was on their tail. For once, Glory was keeping quiet and concentrating on jogging along beside him.
Tommy Grover looked grim when he awakened Mike Rogers. “What is it, Tommy?” Mike asked, as he pulled on his boots.
“I’ve got a bad feeling, Mike. Somebody is out there watching us,” Tommy said.
“I had the same feeling last night, Tommy. I wish to hell that Jake would get back with Professor Newkirk. We are heading into something really bad. I can feel it in my bones!”
“How bad do you think it is going to get?”
“I wish I knew,” Mike said, honestly.
Klausen’s men were lined up for breakfast at the cook table. As much as he might dislike it, Klausen knew that he needed to let them eat before striking the camp and going after the archeologist. His men had discovered the corpses of many natives inside the camp perimeter the night before. He was fairly certain that whomever had rescued and taken Professor Newkirk had used them as a diversion. And it had worked. He had not been prepared for anything like what they had encountered the night before. That would not be the case going forward!
Soon the airship Zeppelin would arrive and they would use it to track the other group and to raid the city, capturing the Eyes of Kukulkan. Once they had them, he would make sure that they were returned promptly to Germany and to Der Führer!
Jake Fortune swallowed a couple of salt tablets and took a drink from his canteen. He made sure that Glory did the same. There was a hell of a lot going on. He was worried about her. Part of him had fallen for her, but he was not about to let her know about it. Because he had a feeling that if she did, she would never let him hear the end of it!
Glory Newkirk took the salt tablets. She knew that she was really a liability at this point. Fortune could find the The Lost City without her. For some reason, he had chosen not to do that. There was nothing she could do about that. Although, she could continue to guide him to the city despite any objections that he might have. Still, she was now certain that he wouldn’t abandon her in the jungle for the Nazis or the natives. That at least was something. She stood, indicating her willingness to proceed. Fortune stood, as well, and they started walking again.
The morning sun had brought stifling humidity with it. A low ground fog was rising around them, something that Glory didn’t like as she remembered Walter Bosley’s talk about venomous snakes. Still the leather of her boots was thick. She just hoped it was thick enough that the fangs of a fer-de-lance couldn’t penetrate them.
Fortune had kept quiet while they walked, and that was making her nervous. She was sure that if she spoke, he would shush her, and she wondered if she had done something to make him angry. She found herself hoping that she had not. Despite herself, she had discovered that she liked the rough-edged soldier of fortune and adventurer. Not that she would tell him. His head might swell up so much that it would break his neck and tumble off.
She looked at her wristwatch. They had been walking for almost four hours. How much farther was it to where they had left the camp? Had the others gone forward? Were they getting close to discovering the city and the temple without her? If they were, it would sadden her. This expedition was something she had spent years dreaming about. To be the first scientist, the first archeologist to set eyes on the Temple of Kukulkan. No, probably now she wouldn’t. But her expedition would. She could hold onto that. It gave her hope. She glanced behind them. Her eyes went wide. “Jake!” she said.
“What?” Fortune glanced at her. Then he stopped and turned around. They were being followed by a large jaguar. It had to measure just over eight feet from nose to the tip of its tail, at least. The cat stopped to eye them, its tail twitching from side to side.
“Do something!” Glory implored him.
“Like what?” Fortune asked.
“Well, you are the one with the guns!”
“It’s made no move to attack us. I can’t shoot an animal that beautiful without a reason,” Fortune told her.
“You don’t seem to have any problem shooting people!”
“People are different. They make choices. Animals, they just follow their instincts.”
“So, unless it attacks us, you are willing to take a chance that it might kill us?”
“It sounds a little crazy when you put it like that but . . .yeah. I think it might just be curious. We smell different from the locals, at least to the cat.”
“Jake that is the craziest thing I have ever heard!”
“What, that we don’t smell like locals, which it considers a threat?”
“Yes!”
Suddenly, the jaguar tensed. Its lips drew back in a snarl and a low growl rumbled from its chest.
“Jake!”
“Stay calm, Glory.”
“Calm? You want me to stay calm when we are about to be attacked by a bloody big cat?” Glory asked.
“I don’t think that it is us that is upsetting it. But your fear is also exciting it. Take a deep breath and let it out slow. Calm yourself, Kid,” Fortune told her. Suddenly the jaguar bounded off to the left entering the jungle. Seconds later a scream sounded, cut off by snarls and growls. “Now might be a good time to leave.”
“Agreed,” Glory said and the two of them started to run.
Half an hour later, they reached the trucks. Jake knew that the Nazis would be coming fast behind them. He looked around at where the camp had been.
Mike would have left them some sort of transportation. He looked at Glory.
“Check along the water’s edge. Mike wouldn’t leave here without a way for us to follow them,” Fortune told her. Glory nodded and headed off, making sure to look where she stepped. It was here that she found the canoe.
“Jake, I found it!” Glory called. Fortune hurried back in her direction.
“Then, let’s get out of here,” Fortune told her as she took a seat. He pushed the dugout away from shore and jumped inside. Glory handled him a paddle and they both began stroking, heading deeper into the swamp.
“How long do you think it will take us to catch up?” Glory asked.
“I don’t know, but we will find them,” Fortune told her.
Fortune had been right. Mike Rogers had marked certain trees growing out in the swamp as the expedition had passed them. It was a mark that Fortune would easily recognize, but anyone else would not. “According to your map, are we going in the right direction?” Fortune asked, over his shoulder.
“Yes, we are,” Glory told him.
“Good. That means the rest of the expedition is, too.”
“How do you know that?”
“I have my ways,” he grinned over his shoulder at her.
“Right,” Glory rolled her eyes.
“I do, really. Hey, I’ve gotten you this far haven’t I?”
“As much as it pains me to admit it, and trust me, it does cause me pain, yes, you have. Thank you for coming back for me.”
“You’re welcome. I’m supposed to keep you as safe as possible. Leaving you in the hands of Nazis wasn’t in my job description.”
“No, it surely wasn’t. But I still wish to thank you for it.”
“You already did.”
