Rick Brant 10 The Golden Skull Page 9

  Nast, do you?”

  Lazada smiled. “Ask him.”

  Rick turned to Nast. “Do you have an opinion, Mr. Nast?”

  Page 53

  Nast was a little pale, but his voice was steady enough. “I certainly do. I agree with you, Mr. Brant.”

  Rick grinned mirthlessly. “You do? I’m glad. Instead of killing you, I suggested to Scotty that we cripple you. Perhaps a few compound fractures of the arms and legs.”

  Rick could see that neither Lazada nor Nast were as composed as they seemed. The calm, unearthly discussion was too bizarre. Threats were something they understood, but not threats like this.

  Scotty spoke for the first time. He addressed Nast. “Because you’re a fellow American I thought the decent thing to do would be just to kill you outright.”

  Nast shuddered visibly. “You’re both joking, of course. But it isn’t a very funny joke, I assure you.”

  Rick smiled. “No, it isn’t very funny. But neither is Dr. Briotti’s disappearance. You’d better tell us where he is.”

  “What makes you think Mr. Nast knows?” Lazada asked.

  Rick considered. They had no proof. No one had seen Nast in the sedan that had taken Tony from the airport. The boys saw movement at the entrance to the dining room and realized that two Filipinos were watching them like hawks, and that the hands in their pockets certainly held pistols.

  Rick shifted tactics. “Do you have much faith in your bodyguards?”

  Lazada raised his eyebrows.“Faith?Of course. They are loyal to me. If anyone tries to get close to me without my permission, they step in and remove that person. Or, if anyone should try violence . . .”

  Rick smiled. “How good do you think they would be against a sniper with a rifle five hundred yards away?”

  “Obviously, they would be ineffective.”

  “Just the point I wanted to make,” Rick agreed. “You realize, of course, that there is no protection against assassination, except to take refuge in a fortress of some kind and stay there. That’s impossible for a public figure likeyourself .”

  “True. Your point, then, is what?”

  “That Dr. Briotti has friends with rifles. It would distress us to find that he had been harmed.”

  “It would distress me,” Lazada assured them. “I was very much impressed by Dr. Briotti’s knowledge and enthusiasm. I assume that you think I have some knowledge about his disappearance. I do not.”

  “Me either,” Nast added hastily.

  Lazada’s round face glistened with perspiration. “I will control my anger, Mr. Brant. I take your age into account. Allow me to remind you, however, that I am an official of the Philippine Government and that you are an alien. You are here on sufferance, and you have only such rights as you can persuade us to give you. Oh, I know there are agreements. But let us be realistic. Do not force me to lose my temper and do something for which I would be sorry.”

  Page 54

  “All right.”Rick rose. “I’m not as enthusiastic about this expedition as I used to be, but we’re going through with it, anyway, starting tomorrow. The sooner wefinish, the better for everybody.” He looked at Nast.“Except you. I can only promise you that your pal Lazada will never be able to give you the golden skull to smuggle intoChina .”

  The boys walked back to their own table and left Nast and Lazada staring after them. That would give them something to chew over, Rick thought.

  “I’m not sure that we were smart,” Scotty said when they were seated once more. “I’m sure Nast had something to do with Tony’s disappearance, but I can’t tell you why I’m sure. Was it wise to throw it up to them?”

  Rick shrugged.“Maybe not. But it’s done now.”

  The boys slept with locked windows and doors, but they slept soundly. Down the hall, Angel also regained strength and optimism while he slept, so that the three awoke the next morning with a determination to make some real progress. They had followed their plans and obtained a jeep the night before. But they would need blankets and warmer clothing, unless their supplies could be recovered.

  Over breakfast, Scotty estimated their chances. “Suppose we find out that the truck is somewhere in the Ifugao country. Would that guarantee our getting it back? No, it would not. So, we’d better write off the stuff in the truck as lost.”

  Fortunately, stores open early inBaguio , and the boys were able to buy the things they needed. Scotty also bought an extra five-gallon gasoline can for the jeep. Then Angel and Scotty loaded their few belongings into the vehicle, shook Rick’s hand, and headed for Bontoc.

  They had agreed that it might be convenient to have the Sky Wagon at Bontoc, too, so Rick would fly up later, planning to arrive at about the same time. Now, he sat down in the hotel lobby and penned a note to the American ambassador, describing the events of yesterday and telling of their future plans. He gave the note to the desk clerk, with instructions that it was not to be sent for three days.

  Rick figured that at the end of that time he would either reclaim the note, or that all of them would be in need of help, and the American ambassador would get the letter and use it as a reason for sending a strong note to the Philippine Government, or maybe call out the Marines, the Navy, and the Air Force.

  Rick was a little vague on just what would happen.

  The note written, he tried to read for a while. Scotty and Angel were not well started, and it would be pointless for him to go on to Bontoc alone. He wondered where Chahda was, and what he was doing.

  The Hindu boy had his own way of operating, and it was one Rick and Scotty could not hope to copy.

  Chahda had the gift of mimicry. He could fade into a new background as though he belonged to it.

  Rick hoped that Chahda, somehow, was keeping a protective eye on Tony.

  He couldn’t read. He tried napping, but that was no good, either. At last, unable to remain idle a moment longer, he took a taxi to the airport, topped off the Sky Wagon’s tanks with gas, checked the plane thoroughly, got a weather rep9rt and took off.

  He climbed to fifteen thousand feet and scanned the terrain for landmarks. He spottedMount Panay to the west, verifying its name on the map. Then he picked up theBontoc Road and searched for the highest point, where it emerged from the valleys and swung across a peak over seven thousand feet above sea Page 55

  level.

  If he had estimated Scotty’s travel time correctly, the jeep should just now be emerging into the brilliant sunlight of the peaks. He wished for binoculars, but they had failed to bring any, one of those oversights that happen on any expedition.

  There was a little traffic on the road. A car of some kind was at the peak, probably stopped to allow the occupants to see the magnificent view. Then he saw that the car was being driven off the road into a grove of trees just beyond the peak. That was odd.

  He identified the jeep. In a moment or two it would be at the peak. He would go down and wave. Then he would go back to the airport, have lunch, and fly on to Bontoc. That way, he would get there only slightly ahead of Scotty and Angel.

  He lost altitude. Below, men were getting out of the car which had driven into the scant cover of a scrub-pine grove. Rick watched as they walked to the peak. Sunlight reflected from metal. Probably lunch boxes, he thought. The men were going to have their picnic lunch while looking over the wonderful mountains of northernLuzon . Good idea. Probably that was why they had parked the car off the road.

  Then he saw that they were not stopping at the peak, but were taking positions along the road a short distance beyond it. Again, sunlight glinted from metal as one of them sat down in a copse just off the road.

  Sweat suddenly poured on Rick’s forehead. He wasn’t watching simple picnickers! He was watching an ambush being set up-and it could only be for one vehicle, because there was only one in sight along the miles of twisting highway.

  Scotty and Angel!

  Rick spun the Sky Wagon up on a wing and let it slide. He held the slide for long moments whil
e the altimeter ticked off the lost altitude. Not until it registered eight thousand feet did he level off, only a thousand feet above the mountaintops. For a moment he couldn’t see Scotty and Angel, then he saw them climbing toward the peak at a good speed. In about twenty seconds they would reach it.

  He gauged the amount of clearance he had. It wasn’t much. Then he put the stick forward and dove for the road. He leveled off so low that his prop wash kicked up dust. The jeep seemed to rush at him and he had a glimpse of Scotty’s surprised face, then he was roaring up in a climb that flattened him against the seat. He leveled off and looked for the jeep. It was still moving ahead.

  Rick groaned. Scotty thought he was just playing! He should have written a note and dropped it, but now there was no time. The jeep would be in the ambush before he could let his friends know why he had buzzed them.

  He was helpless. There wasn’t anything in the Sky Wagon that he could throw at the enemy. But he could at least try to make them keep their heads down. He roared in for the attack, aiming at the places where the attackers waited.

  The ambushers had the advantage. All they had to do was sit still. Rick could not hurt them without cracking up the plane and actually landing on them. Still, it was terrifying to have the plane roar past scarcely two feet above one’s head, and Rick knew the attackers would be worried about the possibility of an accident.

  Page 56

  One man had weak nerves. On Rick’s second pass he stood up and ran, heading for the comforting shelter of the trees. Scotty saw him. The jeep braked to a halt.

  Instantly the ambushers opened fire. Scotty and Angel jumped from the exposed jeep and took to the ditch. Rick dove at the riflemen again and saw them shoot at him.

  He gained a little altitude and circled, estimating the situation. There were four attackers, counting the one who had run for the car. That left three effective ones. Scotty and Angel were unarmed, a grave mistake. They should have purchased weapons. However, since he had been able to warn them, the attack had failed. They were in good cover, and as long as he was overhead, ready to dive on the attackers if they should try for a better position, the two were all right.

  Rick thought he saw a way out. At least there was no harm in trying. He took the pad of paper he kept in the door pocket and printed a message to the attackers.

  YOU HAVE LOST. NO MATTER WHICH WAY YOU GO, I CAN FOLLOW. I CAN HAVE

  THE POLICE TRAP YOU AT BONTOC ORBAGUIO . I CAN CARRY POLICE TO BONTOC

  FASTER THAN YOUCAN DRIVE THERE. BUT IF YOU LEAVE YOUR RIFLES IN THE

  ROAD, GO TO YOUR CAR, AND HEAD FORBAGUIO , I WILL DO NOTHING.

  He searched for a weight and found his emergency fishing kit, a war surplus item which he carried in case he might someday find himself at a good fishing spot without tackle. From the kit he extracted a heavy sinker. A piece of fishing line completed the rig. He lashed the sinker to the folded paper. Now to toss it out so it would land among the attackers. He swung low over the road, gauging his distance. When he saw the peak rushing at him he released the weighted paper, climbed swiftly, and saw one of the attackers run to get it.

  Apparently it made sense to the three men. They talked among themselves for a moment, then carried their rifles to the middle of the road and went to the car. Scotty and Angel realized that something was going on, but prudently remained under cover. Not until the ambushers’ car roared past on the way toBaguio did they emerge and wave at Rick. He waggled his wings, then turned and made a beeline for the city. He wanted guns and ammunition, and there was no time like the present to buy them!

  CHAPTER XI

  Warriors Three

  Rick got guns, but it took time. There were no sporting goods stores inBaguio . In fact, there were no stores that carried rifles. A few carried pistols, mostly Italian and English makes. But Rick knew that a pistol is better for morale than for actual use. Few people can hit anything with a pistol, and fewer still can hit a moving target.

  He supposed that Scotty and Angel had picked up the rifles of the ambushers, but since he didn’t know the calibers, he couldn’t get ammunition for them. What he finally procured were a shotgun, 12-gauge with an ample supply of shells, and a United States Army carbine, with about ten clips. These were Page 57

  private purchases from a store owner who was willing to sell his personal arsenal.

  It was late when Rick got started for Bontoc. He watched for Scotty and Angel on the road but failed to catch up with them. They had reached Bontoc before him, as he found when he circled to land. They cleared the road and stood by while he brought the Sky Wagon down.

  Angel had already hired two Igorots to guard the plane. They were tough-looking customers who wore hard-rock miner’s helmets, a sign that they had mined gold inBaguio .

  The Sky Wagon was pulled off the road into a field and the Igorots sat down next to it, short spears handy to their reach. The plane would be all right. Rick got into the jeep with Scotty and Angel, and the first thing he saw was their collection of armaments. They had four rifles, two of them old Army Springfield rifles, and two carbines.

  “We are now well armed,” he said. “Where’s the enemy?”

  “After that ambush,” Scotty replied, starting the motor, “I’m no longer sure. We certainly didn’t expect that.”

  “I think we brought it on ourselves,” Rick said. “Last night we gave Lazada and Nast a hard time. I’ll bet Lazada sent out that expedition just for laughs.” A thought struck him. “By the way, where are the two Igorot boys you hired yesterday? How come they aren’t guarding the plane?”

  “We thought we’d take them with us, as extra hands,” Scotty explained. “They live at the southern edge of town. We’re going there now. We’ve already talked with Pilipil. He’s getting a third boy for us to hire.”

  “Hey, take it easy,” Rick complained. “Explain as you go. What did Pilipil say, and why the third boy?”

  “Our truck has gone over the mountain into Ifugao country. It was the lumber truck, as we might have known. Nangolat wasdriving, and Tony and a third man were with them. That was yesterday. We didn’t tell Pilipil and his friend to follow the truck, so they didn’t. But a third Igorot boy did follow, and he returned to Bontoc this morning. He’s with Pilipil now. We’ll go pick them up and head for Banaue. And we’ll get Tony.”

  Rick was still a little confused, but he guessed Scotty knew what he was talking about. “Who is the Igorot who trailed our truck?”

  “Don’t know. He was sleeping at Pilipil’s when we got here.”

  Ahead, Pilipil was standing in front of a board shack, waving. It was evidently his home. The jeep pulled up and Rick, Scotty, and Angel got out. Pilipil shook hands all around. “You come in,” he said. “We talk.

  Make plan.”

  He led the way into the shack. Within, two other young Igorots were seated cross-legged on the floor.

  One of them was Pilipil’s friend, Balaban, who had been with him on the day they first landed.

  The third Igorot-as might have been expected- was Chahda.

  Scotty pointed to the Hindu boy, who was watching them with an impassive stare, as though he had never seen them before.

  Page 58

  “Pilipil, how do you know this boygood ? Can be trusted?”

  Pilipil shrugged and showed betel-stained teeth in a smile. “Not know.Maybe no good. But say heknow you.”

  Scotty looked stern.“You. What have you to say for yourself?”

  “Plenty,” Chahda said. “Amplenty tired of pulling Spindrift chestnuts out of fire. You know how cold it gets inthese mountain ? Last night I freeze. I almost attack whole Ifugao village barehanded, just to get blankets from supplies on truck. Tonight you take off clothes, put on breechcloth, and stand out in cold. I stay in nice warm hotel, inBaguio . Worrold Alm-in-acksay this tropical country. Hah!Like North Pole is tropical.”

  Rick and Scotty grinned sympathetically. “If you weren’t so in love with being mysterious and adventurous,” Rick p
ointed out, “you could sleep in comfortable beds in warm rooms.But no. You have to be Chahda the Vanishing Hindu. And a good thing, too, otherwise Scotty and I would be floundering most of the time, not knowing where to turn next. Is Tony okay?”

  Chahda rose. He looked astonishingly like Pilipil and Balaban. From haircut to bare feet he was an Igorot. Only his brown eyes, proportionally bigger than those of the real Igorots, were different.

  “Tony is okay.Or was last night. My pal Dog Meat is keeping eye on him. You see Nast?”

  “InBaguio, last night.”Scotty told Chahda of their visit with Nast and Lazada.

  Chahda nodded.“Nast and Nangolat in cahoots. Nast picks up Tony at airport, takes him to hut nearTrinidadValley . I see all this. At hut is Nangolat, with truck of lumber. Nast turns Tony over to Nangolat, so I drop Nast and follow Tony. Me and Dog Meat, we have fine time. You fly overhead, too, but see nothing. Not even me. You getting blind, I think. Lose famous Brant eyesight.”

  “We saw the lumber truck,” Rick admitted. “But where were you?”

  “Little way behind in jeep.”

  Rick remembered that they had seen a couple of jeeps on the road but had paid no attention. He could see now what had probably happened. Nangolat, after stealing the earth scanner, had taken the truck to the hut atTrinidadValley and camouflaged it with lumber. Tony had gone to the airport, but had not found Nangolat- he had found Nast.But why? Rick put the question aloud.

  “Mix up in schedule,” Chahda said. “Nast and Nangolat were to meet at airport and wait for all of you.

  Catch whole lot at once when you go to airport in the morning. But Nangolat has luck, and he gets earth scanner. He takes truck toTrinidad , so you won’t find it and get scanner back. Nast comes to airport in morning, and finds no Nangolat, but he finds Tony. So he takes Tony and goes toTrinidadValley to hut which he knows about, and there is Nangolat.”

  “How do you know all this?” Scotty demanded.

  Chahda grinned.“From Nast. He reports to Lazada by telephone. I listen.Easy. Who would think poor Igorot boy know anything?”