CHAPTER XXXIV--WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CHIEF
The head of the police department, knowing that a crowd surrounded theblock now, and that news had gone abroad that the Black Star and someof his men had been cornered, and that certain newspaper reporterswere standing by and waiting to see whether the police would be madeagain to look like fools, grew frantic. Also, his determination tocapture the Black Star increased. He had his men drive every one outof the bank building and guard the offices and corridors, and, leavingfour men to guard the bottom of the shaft, with two others, he got inthe box and started to ascend.
The Black Star, from his post above, heard the chief issue theseorders, and knew the box was on its upward journey.
"Couldn't be better," he told his men. "Only four at the bottom of theshaft now. You know we have to go, of course? Hurry through thecorridor to the narrow flight of stairs in the rear, and climb!"
"But----" one of his men began.
"Silence, fool. The box is almost opposite us!"
The chief and his two men were ascending slowly, examining every inchof the walls with their torches. They stopped for a moment justoutside the panel, but evidently saw nothing to make them suspicious,for the box continued its ascent.
It went on until it was at the top, and there the chief held aconsultation with his men, and examined the lodge hall's walls, makingcertain by questioning the men on guard that it would have beenimpossible for the Black Star and his men to have passed through theroom without being seen.
Then the disgusted and sorely angry chief got into the box with histwo officers again and started to descend, more puzzled than before.
The Black Star heard the descent begin, and growled orders to histhree followers. He touched the wall and slipped the panel back threeinches, and thus he waited, one hand ready to close the apertureinstantly, the other holding a vapor gun. Below him one of his menstretched out on the floor and made ready to grip the cable when themaster criminal gave the word.
The box continued to descend. The chief was speaking of the futilityof examining the walls again. He was going to double the guard aroundthe block, he declared, and wait for daylight, and go through thebuildings inch by inch until he found the Black Star. The mastercriminal's men, all but the three with him, had been accounted for,and now were in cells at police headquarters, he was saying.
The Black Star hissed a warning to the man on the floor. The box camedirectly opposite the aperture in the wall. The man on the floorgripped the cable and stopped it, and as he did so the Black Star'svapor gun worked. Three times he pressed the trigger, filling the boxwith stupefying gas. The chief was the first to topple forward; theother two were unconscious almost instantly.
The Black Star and his men staggered backward, holding the littlesponges to their nostrils. The air cleared, and then the master crookopened the panel to its greatest extent, and hauled the chief ofpolice and his two men inside the little room.
"Lively now," the Black Star commanded. "Only four men at the bottom,remember, and there are three of us. I'll hurl a vapor bomb as soon aswe get to the bottom, and you be ready with your guns. I'll take oneof those suit cases. Number Ten, you take the other. And you, NumberSix, make sure of at least two of the men at the bottom, if you can."
They got into the box and started it downward, leaving the chief andhis two men in the halfway room. They mumbled a conversation so thatthe men below would hear it and think nothing was wrong.
Foot by foot they drew nearer the bottom of the shaft. Finally the boxjarred and stopped.
A bomb crashed at the feet of the four men standing less than half adozen paces away; the cloud of vapor surged at them as the Black Starand his three men sprang out. Vapor guns flashed--and the fourcriminals rushed through the narrow corridor toward the rear stairs.
They had not hoped to get away without an uproar being raised, andthey did not. Two of the four guards shrieked as they fell, and otherpolicemen came running from the front of the bank. They arrived intime to see their comrades falling and to see four dusky shapesrunning down the corridor. Their revolvers spoke, and the Black Starand his men once more found themselves in the midst of a leaden hail.As they got to the bottom of the stairs one of the men stumbled andfell, coughing because of the wound he had received.
The Black Star and the other two had no time to stop. It was an axiomof the master criminal's organization that every man should care forhimself in such an emergency. "Get away with the loot!" was the motto.A man arrested would be bailed out or aided to escape from prison bythe organization, if possible--but the others of the organization werewaiting to share the loot and could not be denied for the sake of asingle man.
So the three ran on, springing up the stairs two at a time, reachingthe second floor and going on to the third. Behind them came thedetermined pursuit. Outside in the streets other officers heard thecommotion, and prepared for a dash on the part of the crooks. TheBlack Star hurled another vapor bomb, and checked the pursuit for amoment, but not for long.
They were on the fourth floor now, and they could tell by the soundsthat officers were rushing up the broad stairs in front. The BlackStar was glad that the elevators were not running. Had they been, hecould have made a swifter get-away, but also the pursuit would havebeen closer.
Now they were panting because of their exertion, but did not slackentheir pace. The fifth floor was reached, and half a dozen policemendashed down a hallway at them. Once more there came a fusillade ofbullets--and another of the Black Star's men fell. There remained onlyhimself and one other now--but they kept hold of the two suit casesfilled with loot.
The top floor was above them, and they reached it only by hurling twomore vapor bombs. They rushed along a hallway toward the front of thebuilding now. They came to where a curving iron stairway led to theroof, and up this they rushed, exposed to the shots of the police asthey came into view.
The Black Star threw his last bomb. The man behind him staggered andfell, but was upon his feet again instantly. He gasped that he had notbeen wounded, had only tripped on the edge of a step. They reached thelittle door at the top, threw it open, and dashed out on the roof. Thedoor was slammed behind them, bolted, and barred. The bars constitutedanother of the Black Star's preparations against emergencies--his menhad affixed them the last thing that evening.
On the other side the police crashed against the little door, firedinto it, and then realized that it was a metal, fireproof door, andproof against their bullets. It was another case where axes would benecessary.
It took several minutes to send word down and get axes from below, andthen the assault on the door began. They took turns working at it, forthis was no easy task. Finally the hinges gave a trifle, and theyredoubled their blows, while others behind them got ready to givebattle. The word spread below rapidly--the Black Star and one of hismen were on the roof, trapped. They would be prisoners or dead soonnow. If the police could not get at them through the door, then thefire department would be called, ladders would be raised, and theywould be reached that way.
The door gave again; some of the police cheered. With revolvers heldready, they waited for the blow that would hurl the door to the roofand let them through.
The door crashed--and a roaring filled their ears. A gust of wind sweptback against them. Something dark showed against the sky. They heard amocking laugh.
"His aeroplane, curse him!" a sergeant cried in anger. "There hegoes!"
Again they heard the laugh. They fired in the air, knowing as they didthat their target already was beyond reach. The beating of theaeroplane's engine grew fainter.
The sergeant stepped to the flagpole at the corner of the roof andtook from it a bit of paper that had been fastened there. He read it,then put it in his pocket to give his chief. And this is what he read:
Farewell, gentlemen. You gave me a run for my money to-night, battered up some good men of mine, and took others prisoner, but I have triumphed in the end.
Perhaps you wonder how the a
eroplane happened to be here on the roof, where it could not possibly have landed, though it can take off from here. Why, it was carried up from the lodge hall in sections to-night after the building watchmen had been disposed of and my men took charge, and expert mechanics worked hard to assemble it. I had not expected to use it, but found it necessary. It was another emergency for which I was prepared. Always prepare for emergencies and never make mistakes, and you may be successful, like me.
By the way, I am getting away with quite a fortune, and with the place filled with police. Tell that to the papers, and give my respects to Roger Verbeck and Muggs.
*****
"Got away--got away with th' goods," the sergeant muttered. "Oh,heavens! What will th' public say to this? They'll clean out thedepartment from the chief to th' office boy!"