Part 15 (2/2)

He indicated the hotel door with his sword cane. ”I made a pa.s.s at the brute. Then retreat looked good, so I jumped from the handiest window.”

”They came after Griswold Rock!” declared Long Tom. Doc and his men scattered, and devoted themselves to attending to the injured.

The giants had seized four Trapper Lake men in the course of their raid. Using only their leviathan hands, they had crushed every vestige of life from these victims. The bones of the unfortunates had been broken, limbs wrenched from their bodies, their skulls crushed. ”I saw one of the men get killed!” wailed a Trapper Lake citizen. ”A giant just picked him up, took his head in both hands, and mashed it like you and me would bust an egg.”

HAVING STAYED awake the rest of the night, Trapper Lake looked around in the morning and saw something like fifty newspaper men. While there were no long distance telephone lines out of town, telegraph wires paralleled the Timberland Line railroad, and wires had conveyed news to the outside world of the visit of the giants.

The press took fire. Almost half the pa.s.sengers on the next train were newspaper reporters, and the other half newspaper cameramen.

More correspondents came by plane. A blimp flew up from Detroit, carrying the reporters and cameramen of a tabloid newspaper.

It dawned on newspapers in every large city in the United States that here was the explanation of the strange ”Beware the Monsters!” advertis.e.m.e.nts which they had been publis.h.i.+ng.

A tri-motored speed plane came in with the sound cameras of a news-reel concern. Two enterprising journalists brought their own radio stations and operators.

Before noon, Trapper Lake stood on the front pages of every newspaper in the country m two-inch black type, or larger. Pictures were telephoned. Maps were drawn with X marking the spot where Trapper Lake stood.

Some enterprising city editors, unable to get pictures, had their artists draw giants. Exaggerated stories were flying around, so the artists drew their giants tossing houses around.

The giants grew in size with every repet.i.tion of the tale. Trapper Lake had its share of tall story tellers, and these fellows outdid themselves. The giants became bigger and bigger.

Word got out that Doc Savage was on the scene. A wild rush to interview the bronze man ensued. A New York newspaper wired its reporter, promising him a year's vacation in Europe, all expenses paid, if he could get a first-person story from Doc.

The reporter hunted like a wild man, but failed to earn the year in Europe.

Doc Savage, being possessed of a hearty disapproval of seeing his name in public print, had withdrawn to the seclusion of a clearing some miles from town. Here he and his men discussed and consulted with each other.

They had done some sleuthing before the newspaper locust swarm had arrived.

”I checked on the finger prints of the giant's hand which Renny dug up,” Long Tom said.

He mopped perspiration off his pale brow. ”You remember that bird, Nubby Bronson, who was taken from the Trapper Lake jail?”

”Sure,” Monk grunted.

”The finger prints of that big hand and Nubby Bronson's prints were the same in design.”

”Well, I'm a son-of-a-gun!” cried bony Johnny. ”They grabbed Nubby Bronson out of jail and made him into a giant!”

Ham, his sword cane tucked under an arm, came up. He had been working with the portable radio. ”I've broadcast a description of those giants, as you directed,” he told Doc. ”They answer the description of the criminals whom Caldwell got out of jails all over the country.”

”We know now why Caldwell was collecting them,” said Monk. ”He was gathering them for Pere Teston to make into giants.”

With that, Monk scratched the winglike ears of his pig, Habeas Corpus.

The dapper Ham scowled at the pleasantly ugly chemist and his equally homely pet.

”The pattern must have been mislaid the day you two were made!” he snorted.

Monk sighed, as if he had stood about as many jibes as he could bear.

The pig, Habeas Corpus, was looking intently at Ham, as if he resented the dapper lawyer's words. The pig opened his mouth.

The thing which happened then always drove Ham into a screaming rage. The pig seemed to speak distinct words: ”I'm gettin' dang tired of the stuff this funny-faced lawyer calls humor.”

Ham purpled very indignantly. He gripped his sword cane.

”Dramatics!” sneered the voice from the pig. ”Ain't he a funny-lookin' snipe in them rags?”

Ham was particularly touchy on the subject of his clothing. He still wore the garb which had been ruined in the bramble thicket, although it was far from his liking. He slashed suddenly with his sword cane.

Monk dodged wildly to get clear.

Monk had learned ventriloquism solely for the purpose of having Habeas Corpus express scathing opinions of Ham. The business of the talking pig, although ridiculous to watch, invariably filled Ham with rage.

The conversation reverted to the giants.

”But for what purpose did Pere Teston make the big fellows?” Renny pondered.

THE WORLD got the answer to that question that afternoon. To the mayors of four great cities, the mail brought letters. The cities were Detroit, Cleveland, New York, arid Chicago. The letters bore Trapper Lake postmarks.

They had been mailed during the visit of the giants! The four mayors had read the newspapers, so they knew what had happened in Trapper Lake. They could not fail to know it -- the news was in scareheads all over the front pages..

The four mayors opened the letters with curiosity. All four got the shock of their lives.

The Detroit mayor received his missive first. It read: YOUR HONOR:.

Have you read the ”monster” advertis.e.m.e.nts in the newspapers recently? Those were part of my campaign. Possibly you have read of the episode at Trapper Lake last night. If not, I advise you to doso.

My giants visited Trapper Lake for a reason other than the seizure of Griswold Rock, although the latter was necessary. I wanted the world --particularly Detroit, Cleveland, New York, Chicago -- to realize the power of my giants.

You will consult with leading bankers of your city, advising them to a.s.semble five million dollars. The sum is to be in small, unmarked bills.

To-morrow you will receive a letter of instruction about getting the money into my hands. That letter has been posted.

If my terms are not complied with, my giants will visit your city. They will not be in a pleasant mood.

They will kill people, and wreak incalculable damage. One giant will be designated to hunt you out personally.

You may think machine guns and gas will be effective against my giants. Do not be fooled. They wear bullet-proof armor, and they have special gas masks.

I trust you will not make the mistake of thinking this is a crank's letter.

PERE TESTON.

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