"005 (B019) - Pirate of the Pacific (1933-07) - Lester Dent" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

The radio music came to an end. The station announcer introduced the next feature - a regular fifteen-minute news broadcast.



The man scowled and slouched more lazily in the plane cockpit. He was not enthusiastic about this particular news broadcaster. The fellow handled the news in too dignified and con ervative a fashion. He didn't set things afire.



"Good evening." said the radio commentator. "To-night, somewhere out on long Island Sound, the under-the-polar-ice submarine, Helldiver, is coming. The craft was sighted by an airplane pilot shortly before darkness. She was headed toward New York.



"Arrival of the Helldiver in New York will bring to a close one of the most weird and mystifying adventures of modern days. The submarine left the United States many weeks ago, and vanished into the arctic regions. Approximately forty persons started the trip. Yet the craft is returning to-night with but six living men aboard, the others having perished in the polar wastes."



The man listened with more attention. This was quite a change from the news broadcaster's usual routine of foreign and political stuff.



Another fact made the news interesting and surprising to the listener. This was the first he had heard of the submarine Helldiver, on an expedition into the arctic regions. About forty had started out. and six were coming back!



Here was something worth listening to! Strange the papers had not carried a lot of ballyhoo about the start of the expedition! Explorers were usually anxious to get their pictures on the front pages.



The next words from the radio clarified this mystery.



"From the beginning. this polar submarine expedition has been a strangely secret affair," continued the commentator. "Not a newspaper carried a word of the sailing. Indeed, the world might still know nothing of the amazing feat, had several radio operators not tipped newspaper reporters that messages were being sent and received which disclosed the submarine was in the vicinity of the north pole. This information was something of a shock to the newspapermen. It meant they were losing out on one of the big news stories of the year. They had not even known the expedition was under way.



"During the last few days, there has been a great rush among newspapers striving to be first to carry a story of the expedition. They seem to be up against a blank wall. The men aboard the underseas boat sent word by radio that they wanted no publicity and that no story of the trip would be given out.



"Only two facts have been learned. The first is that but six men out of approximately forty are returning. The second bit of information was that the expedition is commanded by one of the most mysterious and remarkable men living in this day.



"That man is Doc Savage!"