Part 14 (2/2)
”Strike, Alexis!” came Hal's voice from the next compartment.
The giant obeyed. The iron bar rose and fell full upon the head of the first man, who dropped without a cry. Ten times in almost as many seconds the huge iron bar rose and fell again and not once did it fail to find its mark.
The German soldiers could see nothing; they heard sighs and groans; they stumbled over dead bodies, but as they did not realize the cause of all this, they still came forward. So far there had not been a sound to tell those behind what was transpiring in front.
But now an officer, bearing a torch, approached. On arriving at the entrance to the compartment where Alexis had exterminated all that had come, he drew back in terror; but his retreat was blocked by those pressing on from behind. The officer saw the heap of dead, but as yet he had not discerned the cause.
Suddenly a gigantic hand issued from nowhere and clutched him by the throat. A second later the captain fell close to the now extinguished torch, adding another body to the heap of dead. All this was effected as mysteriously as if by magic. Another officer, unable to account for the pile of dead, cried to the men behind him:
”Fire!”
A volley rang out, and for a moment the cavern was lighted as if by day.
But none was. .h.i.t. From behind him Alexis now heard the sound of Hal's voice.
”Come back quickly!” whispered the lad.
The giant obeyed instantly, and glided softly through the door to the third compartment. Hal took him by the arm and led him to the side of the room, where he showed him the object over which he had stumbled when in the compartment a few moments before. It was a barrel of powder.
”Alexis,” said Hal, ”you will take this barrel, the fuse of which I am going to light, and hurl it at our enemy. Can you do it?”
Alexis stooped over the barrel, weighing fully seventy pounds. He lifted it easily with one hand.
”Light it,” he said briefly.
”Throw it right in among them,” explained Hal.
”Light it,” repeated Alexis.
Hal did so, and the giant, picking up the barrel, advanced to the door of the compartment. Beyond he could hear the confused shouts of many men, as they in vain sought to explain the death of their companions.
Alexis blew on the fuse, that it might burn quicker.
And now, by the light of the sparkling fuse, the enemy made out his form. They saw the barrel he held in his hand; they understood what was going to happen.
A cry of terror arose. Some attempted to fly; officers cried out to Alexis that they would spare him if he would extinguish the fuse. Others commanded their men to fire; but the latter were too terrified to do so.
Now the arm of the giant swung round. There pa.s.sed through the air the train of fire, like a falling star. The barrel fell into the midst of the terrified German soldiers. Immediately Alexis dashed for the far end of the cavern, just outside which his friends now stood.
Then, from inside the second compartment came the terrible thunder of the explosion, blowing the cavern to pieces, hurling men to death by the force of its shock, falling stones crus.h.i.+ng out the life of many more.
Alexis dashed for the open air, where his friends stood awaiting him, a happy smile on his face at the success of his exploit. Three more paces and he would be free of the cavern--two more. And right at the exit, a heavy piece of rock, sent hurling in the air by the explosion, fell upon him--striking him upon the shoulder--bearing him to the ground--pinioning him beneath it.
And at the same instant the walls of the cavern began to give. Chester, realizing what was happening, sprang into the mouth of the cave, closely followed by Hal and Stephan. Now, under the ma.s.sive rock, Alexis stirred. In spite of the great weight upon him, he turned slowly under it, until it rested squarely upon his back. Then stretching his hands out before him, he rose to his knees balancing the rock upon his back.
Then he straightened up, and the rock tumbled from him with a terrible crash. He turned, and with his friends, dashed from the cave.
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