"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 166 - Crime Rides The Sea" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

Shadow turn and make for a destination deeper in the hold. His guns were
talking when the agents overtook him. Shooting through an opening in a
bulkhead, The Shadow had dropped a pair of guards who were there to block him.
Other crooks were in sight, scattering for distant outlets. Thinking that
The Shadow's gunshots were the cause, the agents sprang forward to begin
pursuit. Whirling about, The Shadow threw his arms wide; driving with full
force, he flung his own men to the floor and took a rolling dive beyond them.
All three were flat when a sheet of roaring flame scorched through the
hold, accompanied by a mighty concussion that shook the rivets from the plates
of the old freighter. In that hollow confine, the blast was tremendous, half
deafening The Shadow and his agents.
They could feel the withering power of the flames, as fierce as a burst
from a volcano's crater. Fortunately, the singeing effect was instantaneous;
otherwise, they could not have survived the hellish ordeal.
A few moments later, the explosion had become a quiver of persistent
echoes accompanied by utter blackness.


THE effect upon the Ozark was stupendous. The old freighter took a heave
that seemed to carry it from the foam of the Atlantic, then settled with a
mammoth splash that clattered the freighter's split sides. There was a gush
like the tune of many cataracts, as water poured through the vessel's ruined
hull.
Too late to prevent the blast below, The Shadow had other work above.
Spurring Harry and Cliff to their feet, he guided them through the darkness,
straight to the hatchway. They reached the deck stumbling, for the sinking
Ozark had heeled to a steep angle.
There was confusion all about. Sniping gunmen were harassing men who
carried flashlights, trying to prevent them from getting to the lifeboats. If
those crooks had their way, all but themselves would perish when the freighter
went down. It was The Shadow who provided the antidote to that poison.
Dispatching his agents to aid the loyal crew, he dropped to the deck and
introduced sniping tactics of his own. Instead of flashlights, he used the
spurts of guns as targets. There were plops along the deck, as sharpshooting
mobsters went flat. Some of them tried to find The Shadow, but had no luck. He
shifted elusively, after every shot.
Snipers gave up their effort. Aft of the bridge, Harry and Cliff used
flashlights to aid in gathering passengers and crew. Lifeboats were off their
davits, reaching the water on the low side of the ship. Battle, for the
moment,
was forgotten. Though the Ozark could float but a few minutes longer, rescue
of
all aboard seemed sure, except for forgotten crooks who had come out second
best in battling The Shadow.
The last boat offered an unexpected obstacle. It was sticking in its
davits, while a few excited passengers tried to hurry the seamen who were
working with it. There was a creak farther forward; someone shouted that a
boat
had been lowered near the bow. Eager men started forward, Harry and Cliff
among