There was plenty of underbrush, but the ground was firm, and by treadingcautiously, they made progress without making much noise.
From a little knoll which they ascended they could look down on the otherside of the island and the light which Bob had seen from a distance wasplainly visible.
It was a torch of some kind and was apparently mounted on a rather tallpole, for the flame flickered in the light breeze which was sweeping infrom the open sea.
Moving even more cautiously than before, Bob and the sheriff started downfor the camp which they knew must be in the blackness beyond the light.
Chapter XXXIII OUT OF THE NIGHT *
It was a dismal adventure and it took real courage to move even anotherstep forward, but Bob was driven on by the thought that his uncle mightbe on the island and that success tonight would bring about his returnand smash the ring of smugglers he had been assigned to break up.
As they neared the light it was plain that the flare was mounted on apole about twenty feet tall and Bob stopped the sheriff.
"That looks like a beacon for a plane," he muttered.
"If it is, it fits in with your theory that they'll land the smuggledgems by plane," replied Sheriff McCurdy.
They went on, treading easily and giving the circle of light cast by theflare a wide birth.
Against the blackness of the waters of a broad bayou which flanked theother side of Lost Island loomed the outline of a ramshackle structureand though the windows appeared to be boarded up, faint rays of lightcrept through a number of cracks. Bob half stumbled on a stick and thenoise brought the quick baying of a hound.
"We're in for it now," said the sheriff, and Bob felt that trouble, andserious trouble, was just ahead.
A door in the house was thrown open and against the oblong of light couldbe seen the silhouette of a man. Then he stepped out into the night, tobe followed by a second man, stockier and heavier than the first.
"Stay down," whispered the sheriff. "Maybe they'll miss us. We don't wanttrouble now."
Before the men could leave the shelter of the house, the low drone of anincoming plane could be heard. Bob turned toward the east. A red andgreen light, marking the wing tips of a plane, were visible. The craftwas low and evidently coming in fast.
Even above the noise of the plane, they could hear a shouted command nearthe old house, and one of the men who had stepped outside turned on aflash light and raced toward the pier, some distance away. He wasfollowed, at a slower pace by the second man.
"That's Hamsa, I'm sure," said Bob.
"Let's get inside and see if anyone is there," said Sheriff McCurdy andthey moved around so that the house was between them and the pier.
Landing lights of the plane blinked on as it circled over them and oncethe powerful beams swept down on the clearing, but Bob and the Sheriff,anticipating that, had dropped to the ground behind an old log and weresafe, for the moment, from discovery.
"Must be either a seaplane or an amphibian," said Bob as the planeprepared to alight on the water.
"Get inside," urged the sheriff, who would feel better when he had someshelter.
The two men on the pier were concentrating their attention on the planeswinging over the lagoon and the hound which had sounded the alarm wasbeside them, so it was a comparatively simple matter for Bob to jumpacross the threshold.
Inside the door, where only an oil lamp cast faint illumination, hecrouched with his rifle in his hands, accustoming his eyes to the light.There was, apparently, no one in the room.
He spoke softly to the sheriff, who was waiting just outside.
"All clear; come on!"
With one bound the sheriff was inside and like Bob he had his rifle readyfor instant action.
Squinting between cracks in the wall, the sheriff watched the action inthe lagoon. The plane smacked the surface of the water sharply and cameto rest several hundred feet from the end of the old pier. The menwaiting there put out in a motorboat, making directly for the plane,which was bobbing around on the waves which it had stirred up in thequiet waters.
Chapter XXXIV IN THE SHANTY *
Sheriff McCurdy turned from the wall and watched Bob open the door to thesecond room. He saw the young federal agent drop to his knees and his gunclatter while a choked sob escaped from Bob's lips.
The sheriff crossed the room in several bounds and bent down over Bob,who was kneeling beside the bound and gagged figure of a man.
Without asking questions, the sheriff handed Bob a knife and the ropesand gag were slashed.
"Uncle Merritt, Uncle Merritt," cried Bob. "Speak to me." There wasdesperation in his voice.
Merritt Hughes opened his eyes and tried to smile. His lips and tonguewere swollen from the gag, but the expression in his eyes gave Bobcourage.
"We'd better get him out of here," said Bob. "They'll be back and wewon't be ready for them."
Before they could turn, a harsh laugh echoed through the room and theheavy voice of Joe Hamsa lashed at them.
"You're not going any place, boys, except where I want you to and you'llnever return from there."
Bob started to move, but a quick command from Hamsa stopped him.
"Don't move kid. I've got a machine gun on you and my finger is nervous.Turn around slowly and don't either one of you try any gunplay."
They started to turn slowly when Bob was amazed by a quick gesture of hisuncle's. Hidden in the heavy shadow of the little room which adjoined thelarger one, he reached up and like a flash seized the revolver which wasin the shoulder holster. There wasn't even the rustle of Bob's coat asthe gun was whisked away and Bob continued to turn slowly toward Hamsa.
The man who had claimed to be a diamond salesman was standing in thedoorway, a machine gun in his hands. Behind him was a man with a scar,whom Bob recognized from the descriptions obtained in Jacksonville musthave been the abductor of his uncle. To the rear of these two was aslender chap, little older than Bob and with a thin face. He was in aflyer's outfit and in his hands carried a soft leather case.
"Get their guns, Rap," barked Hamsa, and the man with the scar cameforward, his hands patting the sheriff for weapons. The gun was takenfrom the shoulder holster and the rifle was tossed across the room.
The man known as Rap then turned to Bob and his hands found the emptyholster.
"Gun's gone," said Rap flatly and without expression.
"Where?" demanded Hamsa.
"Lost in the brush," fibbed Bob.
The answer seemed to satisfy them and Rap took the rifle from Bob'shands.
"Take this gun and keep those fellows covered while Curt and I check overthe stuff he brought in," ordered Hamsa, handing his weapon to Rap whilethe fellow, whom he had called Curt, strode into the room and placed hisblack leather case on the rough table.
Bob gasped as the velvet lined case was opened and scores of gleamingdiamonds were revealed. A king's fortune was spread on the table in frontof them and Hamsa, an ugly light in his eyes, looked at his captives.
"So you federal men thought you were smart enough for Joe Hamsa?" hechortled. "Well, this is your last assignment. You've seen me and you'veseen how we bring in the stuff. This is my last job. I'll make a coolmillion on it. Think it over."
He turned back to the pile of gems and ran them through his stubbyfingers, gloating at the wealth that was on the table.
"What are we going to do now?" asked Curt.
"Sink your plane and the gray boat. We'll use the black one for a getawayand we'll burn this place before we leave."
"How about the federal men?" The flyer gestured toward Bob and theothers.
"Maybe we'll sink them, too," said Hamsa and there was deadly mirth inhis words.
The man known as Rap started to laugh, but a sharp explosion back of Bobturned the laugh into a sob and Rap, gasping for breath, sank t
o thefloor.
Chapter XXXV REVERSING THE TABLES *
Hamsa whirled toward the officers, a gun in his right hand. Before hecould use it, there was another explosion and Hamsa reeled back againstthe wall, his right arm hanging limp and useless, the gun which it hadheld falling to the floor.
"Don't move!" The command was low and husky, but there was authority inthe words and Bob, out of the corner of one eye, saw his uncle step outof the small room to the rear. From this position of advantage he haddisabled Rap, the machine gunner, and wounded Hamsa. Curt, the flyer, hadhis hands in the air.
"Pick up their guns, Bob," commanded his uncle and Bob picked up themachine gun and the revolver Hamsa had dropped.
"Search them!"
This time the sheriff stepped forward and with hands long experienced inthat kind of work, searched even the hats of the others. A gun was takenfrom the flyer and a stubby but deadly pistol from Rap. These were placedon the table beside the glittering pile of diamonds.
"Got any handcuffs, sheriff?" asked Bob's uncle after the young federalagent introduced his ally.
Two small, compact pairs were produced from the capacious pockets of thepeace officer. One pair was snapped on Hamsa and the other on Curt andRap.
While Bob and his uncle went about the task of giving first aid to Rapand Hamsa, the sheriff went down to the old wharf to inspect the boats.
When he returned, the bandaging was done, for neither wound was serious.
"We can start any time you want to," he informed the federal men.
"Take these fellows down. We'll be along shortly," replied MerrittHughes, and when Hamsa and his allies had been led away by the sheriff,he sat down on one side of the table and motioned for Bob to take a seatopposite him.
"Let's hear your side of the story, Bob," said his uncle as he sat down,massaging the red marks which the tightly tied ropes had made on hishands.
Chapter XXXVI UNTANGLING THE WEB *
It was a strange setting, the rays from the kerosene lamp on the tablethrowing a soft glow over the diamonds which were still heaped on theblack velvet.
Bob was anxious to tell his own story, but first he wanted to know abouthis uncle.
"Sure you're all right?" he asked.
"Oh, my arms and legs are still a little numb and I can't talk any toowell, but I'm coming around fast now."
Bob launched into a detailed explanation of all of the events which hadtaken place since the disappearance of his uncle in Jacksonville.
"Luckiest thing that ever happened to me was when I ran into thesheriff," he said.
"No doubt about it," agreed his uncle. Then he went on, "The men wecaptured tonight are the brains of the gang. From what Hamsa said afterhe got here this afternoon I gathered that two more members of the gangwere picked up by you and Condon Adams last night."
"That's right," said Bob. "But I can't figure out how Hamsa got down hereso soon and I thought he'd never get out of the river he fell into on theway down from Washington."
"Hamsa is a tough customer," said Merritt Hughes. "He has a tremendousphysique and was able to swim to shore. Then he chartered a private planeand came south."
"They've been running in the diamonds by plane all the time," said Bob.
"Curt has been their pilot. He's got a fast amphibian and last night hemade contact with Hamsa near Atalissa and informed him that a largeconsignment would be delivered tonight. They were careful to make onlythe contacts with the smuggled gems here to keep suspicions away fromthis island."
"Where did Curt get the gems?" Bob wanted to know.
"They were brought over from Europe aboard tramp steamers. Curt wouldcontact the ships well off the coast and then fly the smuggled stuff inat night. They were careful about the type of gems they brought in. Whythese diamonds on the table could be sold almost any place withoutsuspicion. In fact, Hamsa actually went around the country peddling themto customers who had no idea that they were smuggled property."
Bob, leaning back in his chair, looked at his uncle.
"You must have been brought directly here," he said.
"Just as fast as the fellow they call Rap could get me here. Hamsa hadbeen in Washington. Somehow he got wind that Department of Justice menwere being put on his trail and he learned that Adams and I had been sentsouth. It was up to Rap to get us out of the way. Then Hamsa came downand it was just luck that he met you and Tully on the train. What lookedlike a bad situation for us turned out all right."
Bob chuckled.
"Won't Tully be sore when he learns that the whole case has been clearedup without him getting even as far as Jacksonville."
"I wouldn't worry about Tully, Bob. This is another feather in your cap.Just keep plugging away and you'll get toward the top in the Departmentmighty fast."
Merritt Hughes bent down and gathered up the smuggled gems, wrapping themin the velvet and replacing them in the leather case.
"We might as well destroy this place so that it will no longer be usedfor such purposes," he said, and as he stepped out of the door behind Bobhe aimed a shot at the kerosene lamp. A sheet of flame spread through theinterior of the shanty and the dry wood crackled lustily as the fire ateinto it.
The glow of the burning shanty illuminated the clearing and they foundtheir way easily to the old wharf where Sheriff McCurdy and his prisonerswere waiting for them. Further out the amphibian was drifting at itsanchor.
"We'll have to leave that for another trip," smiled Merritt Hughes."Sheriff, let's start for town. I'm hungry and sleepy."
With their three captives in the bow, Bob and his uncle just behind themand the sheriff at the wheel at the rear, they started out of the bayou,another successful chapter written in the bureau of investigation's waron crime.
THE END
Transcriber's Notes *
--Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.
--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.
--In the text versions only, delimited italicized text by _underscores_.
Agent Nine and the Jewel Mystery: A Story of Thrilling Exploits of the G Men Page 12
