Tiger By The Tail

They were going to murder Johnny and dump him in the river!

Ken turned cold.

With Johnny at the bottom of the river, how could he hope to convince anyone he hadn't murdered Fay? He had to rescue Johnny get him back to land and hand him over to Adams. That was his only chance of ever proving his innocence.

But the thought of tackling Tux single-handed turned his mouth dry and made his heart beat violently. Ken didn't pretend to be a man of action. He knew, too, he wasn't in any physical shape for a hand-to-hand grapple with Tux. But there was no alternative. He had to rescue Johnny if he was to save himself.

As he tied his boat to the iron bracket by Johnny's port-hole, he wondered if it would be safe to attract Johnny's attention and warn him what he planned to do, but Tux was still somewhere on deck and he decided against the risk of being heard.

His first move was to get on board. If he could sneak up on Tux and hit him over the head, the rescue would be simple.

He reached up and caught hold of the bottom rail, then cautiously pulled himself up until his eyes were level with the deck.

In the shadowy darkness he caught sight of Tux on the far side, outlined against the skyline. He was busy trying to pry off the head of a big cask that stood against the far deck rail, his back turned to Ken.

His heart hammering, Ken lifted one leg, hooked his foot around the rail

support and pulled himself up. He shifted his grip, reached for the top rail and swung himself on deck.

He crouched down on hands and knees, his eyes fixed on Tux's broad back.

Tux was making enough noise while hammering a chisel into the head of the cask to cover the slight sounds Ken had made getting on deck.

Ken watched him. The thirty-foot gap that separated him from, Tux was too wide to risk a rush. Besides, he hadn't a weapon and he had no intentions of tackling Tux with his fists.

He decided his only chance against Tux was to combine forces with Johnny. The two of them should be able to handle Tux. He began to creep towards the companion ladder.

Tux got the head off the cask, straightened and turned suddenly.

Ken flattened out and lay still, his heart doing a somersault while he watched Tux walk along the deck and disappear behind the bridge house. He came into sight again before Ken could move, carrying a sack of cement on his shoulder. He emptied the cement into the barrel, then he went back for another sack.

Ken darted across the deck, reached the companion ladder and scrambled down it as Tux reappeared.

He found himself in a narrow, dimly lit passage. One of the four doors on either side of the passage had a key in the lock. He could hear Tux moving about above him, and guessed he hadn't much time. He turned the key, pushed open the door and entered the small cabin.

Johnny was lolling on the bunk. He stared at Ken blankly, then sat up.

"Who are you?" he said sharply.

Ken closed the door and leaned against it. He was in such a state of nerves he had difficulty in controlling his breathing.

"I happened to be near this boat and heard them planning to murder

you," he said, his voice shaking. "They're going to put you in a barrel and drop you in the river."

Johnny stiffened.

"Is this one of O'Brien's tricks?" he snarled. "You can't scare me, you fool! Get out I"

"We haven't a second to lose! Tux's getting the barrel ready now," Ken said. "The two of us can tackle him, but we've got to take him by surprise."

It suddenly dawned on Johnny that this tall, haggard, frightened man, facing him, wasn't trying to kid him. He remembered O'Brien's murderous expression when he had left the cabin. He remembered, too, how persistent O'Brien had been that he should write to Gilda. It would suit O'Brien to be rid of him for good.

He slid off the bunk, feeling cold sweat on his face.

"He's got a gun!" he said. "We haven't a chance against him."

"We've got to tackle him," Ken said sharply. "Come on. We can't handle him in here."

"Give me the key," Johnny said wildly. "I'll lock myself in. You go for the police."

"Don't be a fool! He'd break the door in and get to you. We've got to handle this ourselves!"

Ken's heart sank at the sight of Johnny's white, twitching face. He wasn't surprised when Johnny said, "Leave me out of it! I'm not going up there."

Any moment now Tux would be down. He had to find a weapon. A quick look around Johnny's cabin convinced him there was nothing he could use except a rather flimsy chair, so he stepped into the passage and opened the door opposite, groped for the light switch and turned it on.

The only likely weapon he could see was a half-empty bottle of whisky that stood on the table. He rammed in the cork and picked it up. As he moved back to the door, he heard Tux coming down the companion ladder. There was no time to reach Johnny's cabin. He snapped up the light switch, and, his heart hammering, he leaned against the wall by the door and waited.