CHAPTER XIV

THE BOMB

"Stop!" cried Nat Ridley in a ringing voice as he leaped forward and stood in the circle of light cast by an electric bulb suspended from the ceiling.

"Stop!" he cried again, and the Negress who had raised the lash let it fall as she turned in astonishment to look at the intruder. "Hit her again," hissed Nat in a low voice, "and I'll tie you up, you black wench, and cut you into ribbons with that same whip!" It was no time for polite talk, the sleuth reasoned.

"Oh, save me! Save me!" pleaded the girl, and she started to crawl toward Nat, for she had slumped over at the first blow.

"I'll save you all right!" returned Nat grimly, as he took out his automatic. "What is it all about, anyhow?"

"Oh, I don't know! I was kidnapped a few days ago and brought here to this terrible place! Some Mexicans visited me several times and wanted me to sign some papers. When I wouldn't they said they would make me. And this is the beginning of that, I suppose," the girl sobbed.

"What sort of papers did they want you to sign?" asked Nat, wondering if he was going to be involved in another mystery. The double dagger and the oil wells were enough for one man at a time, he thought.

"They were papers--" began the girl, when the Negress who had backed away at Nat's entrance seemed to recover her courage. She lurched forward and snarled:

"Keep yo' mouth shet, white girl, ef yo' wants to see daylight ag'in. Don't talk!"

"Don't mind her," advised Nat. "I am here to help you if I can."

His interference seemed to anger the Negress, for she took a step nearer her captive, again raising the lash as she exclaimed:

"White man, ef yo' knows whut's good fo' yo', beat it!"

Before the lash could fall Nat Ridley leaped at the hideous black creature and tore it from her grasp. He brought it down with stinging force across her shoulders, causing her to scream with pain and rage.

The next moment Nat had put his hand over her mouth, for he did not want her to give the alarm. With the other hand he caught up a rag he saw on the floor and in a trice had gagged the Negress.

"Oh, to think I am no longer in her power!" murmured the girl, who rose to her feet and sat down in one of the chairs. "Can you help me get out of here?"

"I'm going out myself," declared Nat, "and I'll take you with me. So that's your game, is it?" he exclaimed as, having gagged the black woman he leaped aside in time to escape a kick from one of her big feet clad in a heavy shoe. "Well, I know a trick worth two of yours."

A skillful motion of his foot and he had tripped the wench. She fell heavily and before she could roll over Nat had tied her hands and feet, with the long lash of the black snake whip. Then he rolled her into a corner and proceeded to take stock of the dungeon and the girl captive he had saved.

"How strong you are!" murmured the girl, clasping her hands. "I never thought I would be saved. You came in the nick of time."

"You have to--in this business!" returned Nat grimly. "Now then, if you can tell me something about yourself and why you were brought here," he went on, "I may be better able to help you. We can't stay here too long. I expect some of that crowd will be down before long, looking for me," and he pointed upward. The noise of the crowd in the Cordova Club was still audible, though, as yet, none of those from above seemed to have come down into the basement.

"My name is Cora Ardell," said the girl, who had recovered some of her composure. "I live in New York, but for the past six months I have been acting as a stenographer and typist for my cousin in Rolamotaza."

"In Mexico?" asked Nat, as he recognized the name of the town, and also recalled having seen the name Ardell in some of the Lemberg reports.

"Yes."

"What line of business is your cousin in?" asked Nat.

"He was in the oil business--he owned oil wells," replied Miss Ardell. "But he doesn't any more."

"Did he sell out?"

"He was killed," was the simple answer.

"Was your cousin's name Carl Lemberg?"

"Why, yes!" exclaimed the girl in surprise. "How did you know!"

"No matter--please answer my questions," said Nat.

"He is my cousin, surely," Miss Ardell answered. "But I didn't mean him when I said he was killed. I was speaking of his brother Henry. They are both my cousins, of course. But Carl wasn't killed."

"I am sorry to inform you that he was--a few days ago," said Nat gently.

"What, Carl killed too?" burst out Cora Ardell. "Oh, how terrible! How did it happen?"

"By the double dagger," whispered Nat, so the negress would not hear.

"The double--" began the girl.

"Hush!" cautioned the sleuth. "She may be listening. Yes, Carl Lemberg was murdered in New York by the double-dagger gang. They killed Henry, didn't they, and also August Lemberg?"

"They were both murdered. That is all I know," said the girl. "They had bought some oil wells in Mexico and, as I was out of a position in New York, they offered me a good one here. So I came on. Then everything seemed to happen at once. For several days I noticed that my cousin and his uncle were worried about certain letters they received. But the business went on and was paying well. They gave me some shares in the oil wells in addition to my salary.

"Then, suddenly, one day, Henry Lemberg was killed. He was found stabbed to death in a lonely place. The police said Mexican bandits had done it. I didn't know what to do. I was getting afraid. Then August was killed in much the same way."

"Did the Mexican police do anything?" asked Nat.

"They came and asked a lot of questions and went through a lot of motions," the girl replied, "but it didn't amount to anything. Then some of the young men clerks, who had also come from New York with me to work for my cousin, sent word to Carl in New York and he had a detective come down to try to catch the murderers. Well, the detective came, and----"

"His name was Dan Steele, wasn't it?" asked Nat softly.

"Yes. How did you know?" and Cora Ardell looked at her questioner with widely opened eyes.

"It is my business to know," remarked Nat. "And poor Steele was also murdered; wasn't he?"

"Yes! Oh, yes!" There was a tearful catch in her voice. "Oh, who are you, anyhow?" she asked, gazing searchingly at Nat. "How do you know all these things? Who are you and how did you come just in time to rescue me from that horrible Negress?"

"In answer to the first questions," Nat replied, still speaking almost in a whisper, "I will say that I happen to know about the killing of Dan Steele because he was my friend, and, just before his own murder, your cousin Carl engaged me to ferret out the men who had killed his uncle and his brother."

"Then you are a--" began the girl.

But Nat, motioning to the bound wench, made a sign of caution. But he saw that Cora had guessed his profession.

"Now tell me," went on Nat, "and I must know in order to decide in what way to act, how did you happen to come here?"

"I was kidnapped and brought here."

"By whom, how, and when?"

"I don't know by whom," the girl answered. "But it was about a week ago and this is how it happened."

"Tell me all the circumstances that occur to you," urged Nat. "A point that seems small to you may loom large to me. Omit nothing."

"There isn't really very much to tell," Cora said. "After Henry Lemberg was killed--murdered I suppose I should say--there was much confusion in the office. This was doubled when a few days later his uncle was stabbed to death. The whole office force was thrown into a state of terror, for we thought a race war had broken out.

"We didn't know how to attend to business, and there was much to be done, for the oil wells turned out to be more valuable than was at first supposed. You know my cousins had some wells of their own and also bought others in which certain Mexicans had interests. These last wells were not thought to be worth much, but after the Mexicans' interests had been purchased by my cousins and the Mexicans had left, these wells proved worth more than all the others put together."

"So I heard," remarked Nat.

"Well," resumed the girl, "you can imagine what a state the business was in after the two murders. Then Mr. Steele came down to help us straighten things out. But in a short time he was killed. Then terror seemed to take possession of all the young men clerks who had been brought from New York to help with the office business, and they packed up and went back to the United States."

"What did you do?" asked Nat.

"Why, I stayed on and did what I could to save my cousin's business!" exclaimed Cora, with spirit. "I wasn't afraid until--until----"

"Well, until what?" asked Nat, as she hesitated.

"Until one day I received a card on which was scrawled a warning to leave the country," said the girl in a whisper. "I was told that I would have a week, after that----"

"Well, after that?" encouraged Nat.

"There was no direct threat," said Cora. "In place of words was the picture of a double dagger."

"I thought so!" exclaimed Nat. "The sign of the Tola gang. I take it you didn't desert?" he asked.

"No. I telegraphed Carl in New York, asking what to do. I wanted to save the business if I could, for I had an interest in it, and I knew the families of the murdered men might be in want. The oil wells are very valuable."

"I believe so," agreed Nat.

"But before I could get word back from Carl," resumed Cora, "one night I was called to the door of my boarding place with a Mexican family. I was told someone wanted to see me. I thought it was a business message. But as soon as I went out of the house I was seized in the dark, a blanket was thrown over my head, I was put in an auto, and the next I knew I was brought here. Since then I have been kept a prisoner, and several times Mexicans whom I did not know have come here with papers they wanted me to sign."

"Which you didn't do?" asked Nat.

"No; and I never will! They put the Negress over me as a guard, and yesterday they gave me what they said was the last warning. It was to the effect that unless I signed the papers I would be lashed with the whip until I did. Just before you came one of the Mexicans was down here, and, when I refused, he told the woman to get the whip. I--I guess you saw the rest," and Cora finished with a little sob.

"I saw the rest!" declared Nat, with a grim look in his eyes. "And I'm going to have a hand in the rest. Now if you are able to come----"

He interrupted himself to listen. The noise upstairs seemed to have quieted down, but there were audible footsteps coming along the stone-paved floor of the cellar. Nat arose and drew his gun.

"What is it?" asked Cora in a whisper.

"I don't know," was his answer. "But it is best to be ready for them. Get behind me."

The girl moved into a position of safety just as a big husky Negro followed by two Mexicans entered the dungeon. They appeared surprised at what they saw--the wench bound in a corner and a calm white man guarding the girl prisoner.

"Who is yo'?" leered the colored man.

"What business is that of yours?" countered Nat Ridley.

"I'll soon show yo' what business I has, white man!" shouted the Negro. "Come on, boys!" he called to his Mexican companions.

Nat Ridley hastily made a plan. Reaching back, he took hold of Cora's hand and whispered from the corner of his mouth:

"Be ready to follow me! We're going out of here!"

The Negro man seemed to anticipate that something was coming, for he lurched forward, farther into the dungeon, and cried:

"Get around him, boys! Knife him ef he tries any rough stuff, but doan hurt de lady." Evidently the Mexicans understood English, for they nodded and separated, intending to take Nat one on each flank, while the Negro made a frontal attack.

But suddenly the detective and Cora, who kept close to him, made a leap to pass between the Negro and the Mexican on the left of the detective. At the same moment Nat pretended to look behind, and over the heads of the trio, as if seeing a rescue party and he cried loudly:

"You're just in time, Jake! Take 'em from the back and shoot to kill!"

The ruse worked perfectly, for the Negro and the Mexicans turned, expecting to see a rescue party. At that moment Nat made a rush, pulling Cora after him, and, safely reaching the door of the dungeon, passed between the Negro and one of his helpers.

Turning like a flash, Nat sent a bullet through the dangling electric light. He then pulled shut the door of the dungeon.

"That will give us a few seconds start," he said to Cora. "Come on!"

"Do you know your way out?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered. "There is a secret stair."

He hurried back to the private room where there was to have been a quiet supper for two. The various corridors of the underground part of the club were still lighted.

Nat and his companion entered the room. Further preparations for the meal had been made, for there was food on the table, but no sign of the aged servant.

"Now to escape!" cried Nat.

He pressed the stone that operated the door to the secret stair, and watched it slowly opening. But as the opening widened several loud shouts and screams of fear came from above.

The next moment there was a heavy explosion, as of a bomb, and a shower of bricks, stones and mortar fell upon Nat and the girl. There were a succession of grinding, crashing sounds, and then came darkness in which Nat and his companion seemed buried under an avalanche of dirt and stones.

Nat Ridley felt a stinging blow on his head, and then he knew no more.