Torm's voice was hollow, and his hands were trembling as he
sank down in the chair by the table. "And I'm just afraid he might be able
to swing it—"
"That Man Is Dangerous —"
I
here
were a dozen men gathered
in the underground meeting room when Anson Torm and
the Colonel arrived there with the two boys. Many of the men were blackened
with the thick dust of the mining tunnels; apparently they had stopped work and
come up to the hall as soon as the alarm was sounded. Torm nodded to the group, and sat down at the desk, his face drawn and white. "Now, then. Exactly what happened?" He looked at
one of the men.
" Cortell's a magician," the man growled. "I can't
tell you what happened, Anson. I don't know. I was on duty with Klane , guarding him in his cabin. I was inside and Klane was outside. Nobody had been near him, and he'd been
at me all night with his abuse-he's got a nasty
tongue—and then, out of a clear blue sky, he had a gun on me. Forced me to
distract Klane's attention outside, and two others
piled on him—and then they were gone."
"He
didn't have a gun when you searched him before?"
"No, sir. He was clean as a whistle."
Torm's cold blue eyes flashed to another man.
"The arsenal," he said. "Did you check the arsenal?" "Just got back. It's been broken into." "How many guns gone?" "Less
than a dozen."
"Good. Get the rest of the guns, and
lock them in the safe down here, so there won't be any more stolen. If we can
keep weapons out of their hands—"
The arsenal guard was shaking his head.
"You'd better let me have a couple of men to go with me," he said
dubiously.
Torm frowned. "What's wrong?"
"There's a nasty crowd
at the arsenal. Rog Strang's with them. They aren't doing anything, but they're with Cortell all the way. They could put up a fight—"
Torm stripped a small, unpleasant-looking
automatic from his belt and tossed it to the guard. "Take Klane and Simpson with you, and get those guns down here."
Torm turned back to the group of men. "Now, then, for Cortell himself. There are plenty of people in this colony who will help him if they can. But Cortell and his boys can't get out of the colony without
our knowing it—we've got all the pressure locks under guard. So we can be
pretty sure they're in here, somewhere. Jack, you take your group and comb
everything topside—every cabin, every building. Don't miss anything—"
"Anson, the people won't take it."
The man was a huge, black-faced miner. "He's got support, and they'll
fight us down."
"Those that are with us will
help—recruit them as you go along. As for the others—" he glanced at the
miner. "That's why you have the gun. Cortell is
under arrest for attempted murder, and if they're hiding him, they're accomplices.
Now get going." The group of men shuffled out. Torm leaned back and motioned to the man who had just come down the stairs.
"What do you think, Ned?"
"I
don't know." Ned Miller's face was tired. "Johnny Taggart has been
contacting all his supporters—"
"Oh,
I know it—it's all over the colony. And they know their propaganda
methods." Torm shot Colonel Benedict a black
look. "The question is, what now? What's he going
to do?"
Ned
scowled. "If he can't get more guns, he's blocked for a while. But there's
no hope of finding him, if he doesn't want to be found. He won't be hiding
above ground—"
"I know that. But we've got to be sure,
and get the folks on his side worried about helping him. Jack and the gang will
take care of that."
The dirty little man rubbed his stubbled chin and nodded. "So he's down in the mines
somewhere, with guns enough to blockade himself in
even if we found him." He also glanced at Colonel Benedict, and suddenly
dropped his voice to a whisper.
Torm began shaking his head vigorously. "He
couldn't do that. Not yet—the stockpile just isn't big enough. That's what I
don't like about this—he couldn't be
ready at this point. Unless he's changed his plans, somehow. He just wouldn't dare try
sank down in the chair by the table. "And I'm just afraid he might be able
to swing it—"
"That Man Is Dangerous —"
I
here
were a dozen men gathered
in the underground meeting room when Anson Torm and
the Colonel arrived there with the two boys. Many of the men were blackened
with the thick dust of the mining tunnels; apparently they had stopped work and
come up to the hall as soon as the alarm was sounded. Torm nodded to the group, and sat down at the desk, his face drawn and white. "Now, then. Exactly what happened?" He looked at
one of the men.
" Cortell's a magician," the man growled. "I can't
tell you what happened, Anson. I don't know. I was on duty with Klane , guarding him in his cabin. I was inside and Klane was outside. Nobody had been near him, and he'd been
at me all night with his abuse-he's got a nasty
tongue—and then, out of a clear blue sky, he had a gun on me. Forced me to
distract Klane's attention outside, and two others
piled on him—and then they were gone."
"He
didn't have a gun when you searched him before?"
"No, sir. He was clean as a whistle."
Torm's cold blue eyes flashed to another man.
"The arsenal," he said. "Did you check the arsenal?" "Just got back. It's been broken into." "How many guns gone?" "Less
than a dozen."
"Good. Get the rest of the guns, and
lock them in the safe down here, so there won't be any more stolen. If we can
keep weapons out of their hands—"
The arsenal guard was shaking his head.
"You'd better let me have a couple of men to go with me," he said
dubiously.
Torm frowned. "What's wrong?"
"There's a nasty crowd
at the arsenal. Rog Strang's with them. They aren't doing anything, but they're with Cortell all the way. They could put up a fight—"
Torm stripped a small, unpleasant-looking
automatic from his belt and tossed it to the guard. "Take Klane and Simpson with you, and get those guns down here."
Torm turned back to the group of men. "Now, then, for Cortell himself. There are plenty of people in this colony who will help him if they can. But Cortell and his boys can't get out of the colony without
our knowing it—we've got all the pressure locks under guard. So we can be
pretty sure they're in here, somewhere. Jack, you take your group and comb
everything topside—every cabin, every building. Don't miss anything—"
"Anson, the people won't take it."
The man was a huge, black-faced miner. "He's got support, and they'll
fight us down."
"Those that are with us will
help—recruit them as you go along. As for the others—" he glanced at the
miner. "That's why you have the gun. Cortell is
under arrest for attempted murder, and if they're hiding him, they're accomplices.
Now get going." The group of men shuffled out. Torm leaned back and motioned to the man who had just come down the stairs.
"What do you think, Ned?"
"I
don't know." Ned Miller's face was tired. "Johnny Taggart has been
contacting all his supporters—"
"Oh,
I know it—it's all over the colony. And they know their propaganda
methods." Torm shot Colonel Benedict a black
look. "The question is, what now? What's he going
to do?"
Ned
scowled. "If he can't get more guns, he's blocked for a while. But there's
no hope of finding him, if he doesn't want to be found. He won't be hiding
above ground—"
"I know that. But we've got to be sure,
and get the folks on his side worried about helping him. Jack and the gang will
take care of that."
The dirty little man rubbed his stubbled chin and nodded. "So he's down in the mines
somewhere, with guns enough to blockade himself in
even if we found him." He also glanced at Colonel Benedict, and suddenly
dropped his voice to a whisper.
Torm began shaking his head vigorously. "He
couldn't do that. Not yet—the stockpile just isn't big enough. That's what I
don't like about this—he couldn't be
ready at this point. Unless he's changed his plans, somehow. He just wouldn't dare try
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