The Mystery of Tunnel 51 (Wallace of the Secret Service Series)

by Alexander Wilson

  Watkins woke up, and Batty forgot to rub his leg. The two of them listened intently but heard nothing, and another few minutes went by. Then there was a faint noise, as though somebody was pushing back a curtain.

  ‘Stand by!’ came Wallace’s tense whisper.

  There was no further sound, but Wallace, lying in bed with all his senses on the alert, had an uncanny sensation that something had entered the room and was gradually, noiselessly, approaching his bed. Minutes went by: minutes that seemed to be fraught with peril, and presently even the iron nerve of the great chief of the Secret Service began to fret a little with the apprehension of the unknown. He almost felt that some satanic force was at work, and that he was dealing with a power that was inhuman and cruel beyond conception. He longed to bring this terrible suspense to an end, but still he waited. And then something touched the bed – very gently, but something that was undoubtedly solid, and without hesitation he acted.

  Sliding out of bed he at the same time called to Batty to switch on the lights, and immediately all was confusion. They caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a gigantic form, and in a moment Watkins had sprung from his chair, and grappled with it. Batty went to his assistance, and a terrible fight ensued. Hither and thither the combatants swayed, and Watkins was thrown against the bed with a force that testified to the intruder’s strength, but Batty hung on, and the two policemen sprang across the room and tackled the man in rugby fashion, the four of them coming to the floor with a crash that shook the furniture. Watkins joined in again, and they gradually began to get the fellow under control. He was a man of enormous strength, and fought like a veritable demon, biting, kicking and scratching in his efforts to win free.

  Watkins and his companions had almost mastered him, when suddenly two other men entered the room with levelled revolvers. One of them fired, and a policeman rolled over with a groan. The revolver made no sound, and Wallace noticed that both weapons had silencer attachments.

  ‘So, Dorin, we meet again!’ said Leonard, addressing the taller of the two newcomers.

  ‘We do, Sir Leonard,’ replied the Russian, ‘and not for the last time either.’

  ‘Oh, I’m glad to hear that. But don’t you think you had better surrender quietly – you won’t get away.’

  ‘That is where I differ.’ He turned to the four men on the floor. ‘Release that man!’ he said to Watkins and Batty.

  ‘Stay where you are!’ commanded Wallace.

  ‘If they do, Sir Leonard,’ replied the other, ‘we shall shoot your friends, and you as well. You must admit that we have the upper hand. When we saw your preparations for bed, it appeared to us that it might be a trap, therefore we made arrangements accordingly. So the tables are turned, you see.’

  ‘And do you expect to get away from here safely?’

  ‘Certainly! We have made our plans for that also. Come on,’ he added, changing his tone, ‘we have no time to waste, so release my friend!’

  ‘All right, Watkins,’ said Leonard. ‘Let him go!’

  The Commissioner and Batty reluctantly released the big man, and shaking off the remaining policemen, he rose to his feet, and joined his companions.

  ‘Curse you!’ he said, glaring at Wallace. ‘I’ll get you yet.’

  ‘Not so, Levinsky,’ replied Wallace. ‘But I’ll get you.’

  ‘And now, Sir Leonard, we’ll have those plans,’ put in Dorin.

  Wallace shook his head.

  ‘You won’t,’ he said.

  ‘Then I shall shoot you like a dog!’

  ‘Very well, shoot away!’

  There was a tense pause, while Batty looked from his master to Dorin, and back in an agony of apprehension.

  Then the latter spoke again.

  ‘You seem to value your life cheaply,’ he said. ‘I shall count to three! If you do not hand them over, I will fire on the word three.’

  Wallace bowed mockingly, and Dorin pointed his revolver straight at his heart.

  ‘Keep the others covered,’ he said to his companions, ‘and if they move, shoot them! Now – one – two—’

  Then Batty with a sob threw himself in front of Leonard.

  ‘Give ’im wot he wants, sir,’ he pleaded.

  ‘You’ll get shot, if you’re not careful, Batty,’ said the other.

  ‘He very nearly did,’ said Levinsky. ‘But he has sense! It will be to your advantage, Sir Leonard Wallace, to do as he suggests.’

  ‘I seem to have no choice,’ said Wallace. ‘Undo this bandage, Batty.’

  The sailor commenced to do as he was directed, when suddenly with incredible swiftness Leonard drew a revolver from where he had noticed it in the inside pocket of Batty’s coat, and fired. In spite of the bandages on his hand it was a remarkably good shot, and Dorin dropped his revolver, and clasped his other hand to his wrist with a cry of pain. At the same moment Leonard dropped on the floor behind the bed and pulled Batty with him. However, Levinsky grasped the sudden disadvantage that had come to his friends and himself, and instead of firing at his opponents he smashed the two electric bulbs with rapid shots, plunged the room into darkness, and shouted to his companions to get outside.

  ‘After them!’ roared Leonard, and Batty and Watkins needed no second bidding, following the three through the window.

  Struggling into a dressing gown and slippers somehow or other, Leonard got outside just in time to meet Watkins running back.

  ‘They had a car in waiting,’ gasped the latter, and ran on to get his own car out of the garage. This was soon done, and Batty and Wallace climbed in. The policeman was told to stay behind and attend to his wounded companion. Then they were off in full chase of the other car.

  They sighted it tearing along ahead of them, for it was a beautiful moonlit night and everything could be plainly seen for some distance around.

  ‘Where are they making for?’ asked Leonard.

  ‘Goodness knows!’ replied the Commissioner, who was seated crouched over the wheel.

  ‘This road leads to the Oyster Rocks and if they keep on in this direction they’ll end by dropping into the sea.’

  ‘Perhaps they’ll double round somewhere.’

  ‘They can’t! We’re bound to get them!’

  ‘I hope so!’

  They lost sight of the car ahead for a minute, but swinging round a curve they saw it again making its way along a headland jutting out into the sea.

  ‘They must be mad,’ cried the Major, ‘they’ll be over in a minute.’

  Almost as he finished speaking the car disappeared from view, and a minute later they drew up within a few feet of the edge of a cliff, which dropped straight down to the water twenty feet below. The three of them walked quickly to the place where the car had gone over and looked down. There was no sign of either machine or men.

  ‘Well, that’s the end of Levinsky and Dorin,’ muttered Watkins in an awe-struck tone. ‘They hadn’t a chance going over in a car. Fancy their committing suicide like that!’

  ‘Can we get down?’ asked Wallace.

  ‘Batty and I can, but you can’t, Sir Leonard. There is very little foothold, and nowhere to stand down below. As you see the water comes right up to the rock.’

  ‘Is it deep?’

  ‘Fairly.’

  ‘Deep enough for a car to sink out of sight?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, will you and Batty climb down and have a look round. Perhaps you may find some trace of them.’

  Watkins and the sailor immediately did as he requested. The Commissioner found the undertaking somewhat hazardous, but Batty made light of it and was soon down to the level of the water. The moonlight enabled them to see for some distance, but at first there appeared to be no sign of the missing car or its occupants. Eventually, however, they saw one of the cushioned seats floating a little way away, and one or two other objects that obviously had come from the machine. After waiting for some time in the hope that one of the bodies might rise to the surface, they climbe
d back to Wallace who was seated patiently awaiting them at the top. They reported what they had seen.

  ‘We’ll have to search for the bodies in the daylight,’ added Watkins, ‘that is, if there is anything left to search for. There are plenty of sharks round here.’

  They returned to the car and got in. Wallace appeared very much preoccupied, and did not speak until they had reached the place where they had lost sight of the other car for a short while; then he bade Watkins stop, and getting out, he strolled about, apparently in a very aimless manner. The Commissioner and Batty watched him curiously, but said nothing. Presently he disappeared in the midst of a clump of stunted trees and after a few seconds emerged on the other side going away from them. Then he vanished altogether for fully five minutes, and Batty began to grow anxious. He sighed with relief when Wallace suddenly reappeared walking quickly towards them, his dressing gown giving him the appearance of a monk. When he once more reached the car:

  ‘Those fellows are devils of ingenuity,’ he said.

  ‘Why?’ asked Watkins. ‘Don’t you think they are drowned?’

  ‘No, and I never thought they were. Obviously as soon as they got round that curve they strapped the wheel, so as to keep the car heading for the rocks then as soon as we were lost to view, they opened the throttle, jumped out and hid among those trees, after which they made their way towards that side of the promontory. Over there is a steepish pathway descending towards some rocks. I couldn’t manage the whole way, but I am perfectly convinced that there is a hiding place below, very likely near the mouth of that underground river.’

  Watkins whistled.

  ‘By Jove! he said. ‘That’s an idea! Perhaps they’ll make their way back to the cave, and they’ll be taken there.’

  ‘No, they’ll hide somewhere else. Levinsky and Dorin are not the sort of flies to walk into the parlour of the spider. Who is the third fellow? Did you recognise him?’

  ‘No, I’ve never seen him before.’

  ‘Well, will you go back and fetch a few of your men to keep watch here. Batty and I will guard the place until you return.’

  The Commissioner nodded and drove back towards Karachi, leaving Wallace and Batty together. The two made their way to the place that the former had recently discovered and sat down to wait.

  ‘Wot about me goin’ down an’ ’aving a look round, sir?’ asked Batty.

  ‘Not now. It is quite likely that they are nearby, and you might end your days suddenly. Up here we can see both ways, and cannot be surprised.’

  ‘Then you think there are more than three o’ them, sir?’

  ‘It is quite likely. At any rate we’ll search the place thoroughly in the morning, and try to rout them out.’

  ‘You took a mighty risk goin’ down there by yerself, sir,’ said Batty reprovingly.

  ‘I didn’t go far, Batty.’

  ‘But yer would ’ave done, if yer could.’

  ‘No; I realised that I might be walking into danger.’

  Watkins came back after twenty minutes with four policemen and an English sergeant. The latter was fully instructed by Wallace, and also told to send a couple of men to search for the car as soon as it was daylight. Then the three returned to the Commissioner’s bungalow and went to bed.

  When he awoke, Wallace felt the effects of the excitement and his exertions of the previous day, and found himself with a high temperature, and very little ability to move. In spite of this, however, he was early on the scene of the previous night’s – or rather early morning’s – adventure. With the help of Batty and the sergeant of police, he got down to the bottom of the path and discovered, as he had half expected, a tunnel-like opening from which the water was running out almost fiercely.

  ‘I should say that this is obviously the mouth of the underground river,’ he said to Watkins. ‘Now the question is: did they have a boat hidden down here, and thus get away altogether, or are they in the tunnel? You notice there is a narrow ledge in there. It looks a bit precarious, but that wouldn’t stop our friends, and as it wouldn’t stop them, it won’t stop us. Have you brought that flash lamp of yours, Watkins?’

  ‘Yes, but I don’t think you had better make the attempt, Sir Leonard. I don’t think you are too fit this morning – I’ve noticed you stagger once or twice, and your face is flushed.’

  ‘I’m all right, don’t worry! Take the torch, Batty, and lead the way! You’re the most sure-footed for a job like this.’

  Watkins handed the electric lamp to the sailor, the latter stepped on to the ledge, and made his way into the tunnel, followed by Leonard and the Commissioner, who anxiously kept his hand on the former’s arm. The sergeant brought up the rear with another lamp, which he had borrowed from one of the policemen.

  ‘Keep your revolvers ready,’ said Leonard. ‘You may need them before very long.’

  The ledge was exceedingly slippery and once, if it had not been for the steadying influence of Watkins’ arm, Leonard would have fallen into the water. In places they walked along almost at the same level as the rushing, bubbling stream; at others they were high above it, but there appeared to be no cave, or gap in the wall of rock, large enough to afford a suitable hiding place, and after they had traversed some distance Leonard called a halt.

  ‘Go ahead by yourself, Batty,’ he said loudly, in order to be heard above the sound of rushing waters. ‘If you come upon anything that looks suspicious, come back and report, but be careful, and hold your revolver ready for use.’

  ‘Aye, aye, sir!’ replied the sailor, and went on.

  ‘I must confess to a certain ridiculous feeling of weakness,’ said Leonard to Watkins, ‘so I am going to sit down and wait till Batty comes back.’

  The part of the ledge on which they were then standing was some feet above the water, and although it was very damp Leonard sat down with his feet dangling over the edge. The rays of the sergeant’s lamp made ghostly shadows on the surrounding rock, and the whole scene looked weird and unreal. Crawling, loathsome-looking things clung to the wall, and as the light reached them scuttled affrightedly into the darkness to which they belonged. The Chief of the Secret Service smiled grimly to himself as he thought how his present surroundings seemed so appropriate a hiding place for such men as Levinsky and Dorin – reptiles that should be trodden on and destroyed, like any other noxious creature of the dark.

  There was too much noise to permit conversation to be carried on with much success, and after one or two attempts both the Commissioner and Leonard lapsed into silence, and became deeply absorbed in their own thoughts. Batty was away a long time, and when half an hour had passed they began to grow anxious. The sergeant suggested that he should follow and see what had become of the sailor. Leonard was about to agree to this when they saw a tiny light in the distance, the reflection of which appeared to be dancing about like a will-o’-the-wisp, and they knew that Batty was returning. He arrived presently.

  ‘Well, Batty,’ said Wallace, ‘any luck?’

  ‘Not wot you might say was useful like, sir. I went a ’ell of a distance – beggin’ yer pardon, sir; I mean a long way, sir – when suddenly I couldn’t go no farther.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because this ’ere ledge ended, sir, an’ there was nothin’ but wall with no place to put me feet nowhere. I switched the light dead a’ead an’ about four feet across was another bit o’ ledge, so I ’itched up me slacks, sir, an jumped over, an’ wot dyer think, sir? It was that there ledge outside the cave, wot we found yesterday.’

  ‘Good Lord! What did you do?’

  ‘Looked in an’ said “’ow do” to the Injun coppers wot was there, sir. An’ you should ’ave seed their faces – they just got the surprise o’ their lives, but when they sort of come to their senses, they all started layin’ ’longside an’ arrestin’ me. It took me a long time to explain who I was, but one feller understood English, an’ ’e decided to come with me an’ see for ’imself if I was me, so ter speak, sir.’

 
‘Where is he, then?’

  ‘Well, beggin’ yer pardon, sir, but ’e couldn’t jump acrost the gap, an’ fell overboard. I left ’is mates ’aulin’ of ’im out.’

  His hearers laughed.

  ‘I’m afraid men like that wouldn’t have held Levinsky and Dorin,’ said Wallace to the Commissioner, ‘when Batty could walk into the middle of them and out again with such ease.’

  ‘They’re a lot of fools,’ said Watkins irritably.

  ‘Was there no hiding place at all on the way, Batty?’

  ‘None whatsoever, sir. Not even an ’ole big enough to ’isle a baby’s bottle, sir.’

  ‘H’m! Well, let us get out of this place!’

  They made their way to the entrance and thence up the side of the cliff. Wallace gave orders for a watch to be kept for the Russians until further notice, and then they crossed to the place where the car had fallen into the sea. It was low tide, and the shattered body of the machine could be plainly seen. It had turned a complete somersault apparently, and was resting on a rock with the front raised almost at the perpendicular. The steering wheel was visible and, as Leonard had guessed, it was tied in position. There was no further information to be gained there, and presently they returned to the Commissioner’s bungalow.

  ‘We seem to have come to an impasse,’ said Watkins.

  ‘What are you going to do now, Sir Leonard?’

  ‘I’m going to rest for a few hours – I feel a decided susceptibility to make a complete fool of myself by fainting, and I think a little quiet will allay such womanish tendencies.’

  At once Watkins was all alarm and wanted to send for the doctor there and then, but Leonard would not hear of it and presently went to bed. He fell into a troubled sleep, but it did him good, and when he awoke at two o’clock he felt much better.

  He sat on the veranda with Watkins after tiffin, and discussed matters.

  ‘It is rank bad luck losing Levinsky and Dorin again,’ he said. ‘I begin to feel that I am fated never to catch them, but I’m not going to give up until they are back in Russia.’