Doc Savage: The Ice Genius (The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage Book 12) by Kenneth Robeson, Lester Dent, Will Murray Page B
Tags: action and adventure
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off about now.”
Fuming in his seat, Ham Brooks looked like a man who had bet his farm on a nag who didn’t place. He was without words.
Monk grinned. “I’m sure glad I brought Habeas along.”
“So am I,” said Ham waspishly.
They all looked at him with incredulous eyes.
“It will give me something to do, slicing that runty hog into thin strips of bacon,” snapped the dapper lawyer, reassembling his dark cane.
That got Monk riled up again, and he launched into a continuous assault on Ham’s character, or lack thereof.
In an effort to change the subject, Long Tom returned to his seat and favored Monzingo Baldwin with a pale, suspicious eye.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, but how is it that you got left behind in that cave that time?”
Monzingo Baldwin shrugged negligently. “I don’t know,” he said petulantly. “It just happened.”
Renny put in, “I’ve been wondering about that myself.”
“Yeah,” said Long Tom. “Seems to me that you had something up your sleeve.”
Monzingo Baldwin rolled up his sleeves to show that there was nothing in them other than his tiny well-formed arms.
“What does that prove?” demanded Long Tom peevishly.
Baldwin shrugged. “I don’t know. But it was all I could think to do.”
There was a brief silence as this comment was absorbed and digested.
Monzingo Baldwin filled the silence by saying, “I know you fellows didn’t want me along, but I wish you would treat me better. I am just trying to be helpful.”
No one said anything to that. Their memories of the midget’s old life as Cadwiller Olden were too vivid. Too, while Doc Savage’s men did not as a rule hold any personal grudge against any graduate from their criminal-curing College, Olden had not undergone the entire course of training, nor had his memory been expunged in the customary manner. He was not, therefore, cured of his evil. The possibility that the malevolent little man might recover his old personality haunted their thoughts.
“Sure wish I knew what you fellas had against me,” Baldwin added.
No one commented on that either. The silence grew very uncomfortable in the plane cabin.
To cover for that, Monk said suddenly, “While it’s still dark. I think I’ll run the ship over the spot where we dropped Doc and Johnny. Maybe by now something is poppin’ .”
Monk sent the big plane barreling further south, while Renny drew on the special goggles that would reveal the eerie glow of Johnny’s ultra-violet camp lantern.
BEFORE too long, they were flying high over the camp.
Everyone kept their eyes glued to a window and, while they were preoccupied, Monzingo Baldwin slipped to the rear of the aircraft cabin and rummaged around as quietly as he could. In a locker, he found a miniature parachute pack that had been constructed with Habeas the pig in mind.
Sending guilty glances forward at intervals, the minute man struggled to fit his small body into the harness. Since that contraption was designed for a pig, not a human being no matter how small, it was hardly a perfect fit.
So the midget removed his belt, and used it to help secure the complicated web harness in place.
When he was satisfied, Baldwin slipped cautiously ahead, until he located the cabin door.
Baldwin had to stand on tip toe in order to reach the latch, but when he did, he threw his entire weight of less than a hundred pounds against the door.
Came a windy rush of cold air. The cabin was suddenly alive with swirling paper and everyone all but jumped out of their seats.
“What just happened back there?” Monk called out.
Long Tom bolted out of his seat, yelling, “That infernal midget jumped!”
“Jumped!” yelled Ham Brooks. “He wasn’t wearing a parachute!”
Struggling to get the door safely closed, Long Tom managed to latch it with a little help from Monk, who tilted the plane so that gravity exerted its proper pull on the door.
That threw everybody into confusion and about in their seats. But
Fuming in his seat, Ham Brooks looked like a man who had bet his farm on a nag who didn’t place. He was without words.
Monk grinned. “I’m sure glad I brought Habeas along.”
“So am I,” said Ham waspishly.
They all looked at him with incredulous eyes.
“It will give me something to do, slicing that runty hog into thin strips of bacon,” snapped the dapper lawyer, reassembling his dark cane.
That got Monk riled up again, and he launched into a continuous assault on Ham’s character, or lack thereof.
In an effort to change the subject, Long Tom returned to his seat and favored Monzingo Baldwin with a pale, suspicious eye.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, but how is it that you got left behind in that cave that time?”
Monzingo Baldwin shrugged negligently. “I don’t know,” he said petulantly. “It just happened.”
Renny put in, “I’ve been wondering about that myself.”
“Yeah,” said Long Tom. “Seems to me that you had something up your sleeve.”
Monzingo Baldwin rolled up his sleeves to show that there was nothing in them other than his tiny well-formed arms.
“What does that prove?” demanded Long Tom peevishly.
Baldwin shrugged. “I don’t know. But it was all I could think to do.”
There was a brief silence as this comment was absorbed and digested.
Monzingo Baldwin filled the silence by saying, “I know you fellows didn’t want me along, but I wish you would treat me better. I am just trying to be helpful.”
No one said anything to that. Their memories of the midget’s old life as Cadwiller Olden were too vivid. Too, while Doc Savage’s men did not as a rule hold any personal grudge against any graduate from their criminal-curing College, Olden had not undergone the entire course of training, nor had his memory been expunged in the customary manner. He was not, therefore, cured of his evil. The possibility that the malevolent little man might recover his old personality haunted their thoughts.
“Sure wish I knew what you fellas had against me,” Baldwin added.
No one commented on that either. The silence grew very uncomfortable in the plane cabin.
To cover for that, Monk said suddenly, “While it’s still dark. I think I’ll run the ship over the spot where we dropped Doc and Johnny. Maybe by now something is poppin’ .”
Monk sent the big plane barreling further south, while Renny drew on the special goggles that would reveal the eerie glow of Johnny’s ultra-violet camp lantern.
BEFORE too long, they were flying high over the camp.
Everyone kept their eyes glued to a window and, while they were preoccupied, Monzingo Baldwin slipped to the rear of the aircraft cabin and rummaged around as quietly as he could. In a locker, he found a miniature parachute pack that had been constructed with Habeas the pig in mind.
Sending guilty glances forward at intervals, the minute man struggled to fit his small body into the harness. Since that contraption was designed for a pig, not a human being no matter how small, it was hardly a perfect fit.
So the midget removed his belt, and used it to help secure the complicated web harness in place.
When he was satisfied, Baldwin slipped cautiously ahead, until he located the cabin door.
Baldwin had to stand on tip toe in order to reach the latch, but when he did, he threw his entire weight of less than a hundred pounds against the door.
Came a windy rush of cold air. The cabin was suddenly alive with swirling paper and everyone all but jumped out of their seats.
“What just happened back there?” Monk called out.
Long Tom bolted out of his seat, yelling, “That infernal midget jumped!”
“Jumped!” yelled Ham Brooks. “He wasn’t wearing a parachute!”
Struggling to get the door safely closed, Long Tom managed to latch it with a little help from Monk, who tilted the plane so that gravity exerted its proper pull on the door.
That threw everybody into confusion and about in their seats. But
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