The Mysterious Ambassador (11 page)

News filtered into the
Deep Woods
that Bababu's army units were leaving the jungle, and the guests became insistent about leaving. All except Diana, who was in no hurry to go. The Phantom agreed; some could go, some could not. Luaga and his delegates must remain in the
Deep Woods
as they were men marked for death. They would be safe only here. Luaga agreed reluctantly that this was true. The two pilots must also remain, as they would be needed as witnesses against Bababu at some future time. This sounded impossible to all of them. Bababu held the country in an iron grip and even now held the congress captive. But the Phantom was firm. The pilots must stay. However, the team, who would leave, could inform the pilots' families about their safety.

The team packed their few things and made ready to leave the
Deep Woods.
The Phantom warned them that the way was dangerous; the jungle was still filled with roving bands of guerillas and deserters who had become Bandits. With that unhappy thought, they said their good-byes to Luaga, the pilots and the pygmies, and followed the Phantom on his white stallion. Diana turned for one last look at the Skull Cave and sighed, then plunged through the cold water of the waterfall, exiting from the safety of the
Deep Woods
to the dangers of the outside jungle.

Diana and the three doctors were on horseback, followed by three pack mules. The Phantom led the way on Hero, with the wolf, Devil, trotting at his side. Part of the way a file of pygmies accompanied them, but stopped when the waterfall became a distant whisper. The little people were happy only in their shadowy woods and became fearful when out of earshot of the falls. They turned back and the team continued, the doctors and Diana each carrying a rifle over the saddle. The Phantom explained that they had a four-day trek ahead, leading to the trading post of Trader Joe on the banks of the Mawitaan river where a motor launch was waiting to take them to the capital. But those four days could be long ones, filled with trouble.

There was no trouble, the first day and night. They camped in a clearing and took turns watching through the night, Diana insisting on taking her turn as before.

On the second day, as they rode on a narrow jungle path, Devil suddenly darted ahead and out of sight. The Phantom halted the column, and they waited, puzzled, watching him. After a few moments, Devil returned and stood on his hindlegs, his forepaws against the white stallion Hero's side. The Phantom petted him, then dismounted. He spoke softly now and a shiver of anxiety shook the group.

"There's something ahead. I'm not certain what." He told them all to dismount, to take themselves and their horses into the bushes and to conceal themselves. Also, to cock their rifles and be ready for anything.

"I'm going ahead. Wait here," he told them.

Apprehensive, since they were doctors, not warriors, they obeyed. Leaving Hero with Diana, the Phantom disappeared into the brush with Devil.

The "something ahead" was a small band of deserters, a half-dozen former soldiers of Bababu who had tired of the war and sought easier pickings among the unarmed jungle folk. Their sentry had spotted the medical team from a distance, rich foreigners, easy pickings. Though he hadn't been close enough to see them clearly, he thought there was a woman among them. A foreign woman. That made it even better. They had rifles and hand grenades and they quickly planned their strategy: kill the men, keep the woman and horses.

As they discussed their plans, the Phantom listened in a nearby tree. When he heard their decision, his muscles tensed. If they had been ordinary deserters, they were no longer that—they had become coldblooded killers. It was obvious from their quick agreement that they'd done similar things before. He watched as they prepared their weapons, and considered quickly. There might be other such bands in the vicinity. This one should be handled quickly, and as quietly as possible. That decided, he measured the distance, watched as the group went into a final huddle, then leaped.

As the team waited nervously in the bushes, they heard a gunshot. Then screaming and cursing and yelling. It was all going on only a few hundred yards away. There was no other sound. It was as if all the jungle were listening. More screaming, then loud thumps and sounds of branches cracking.

"He's fighting—he's in trouble," said Kirk, clutching his rifle and standing up. "He needs help."

"He said to wait here," said Diana tensely.

"But listen to that; it's a big fight!" said George Schwartz, also standing up with his rifle.

"He said wait," repeated Diana firmly. "Shhsh, get down."

The men obeyed, and she stared anxiously ahead. But there was nothing to see and nothing to hear except the confused sounds of the conflict.

When the Phantom landed on the deserters, they couldn't have been more surprised if a thunderbolt had hit them from the cloudless blue sky. Three went down under the heavy body; three stumbled to the ground. The masked man was on his feet before any of them, his fists striking as he leaped up. His fist crunched on jawbone like a sledgehammer. One man stumbled to the side and raised his rifle. The Phantom's hand moved in a blur, so fast was his draw as he shot the rifle from the man's hand. A split second later, the gun- butt cracked another head, as a knife cut into his leg. He stopped the knifer with another lightning blow to the jaw that knocked him head over heels, then dove at two others who were racing for their stacked rifles. The action had been so fast the men had barely had time to have a good look at their attacker. Now one saw him clearly, saw the mask, the skull on the belt. His eyes popped, and he screamed as he lashed out with his long knife.

Back in the bushes, the team crouched, waiting, listening. Another round of screaming, cursing, cracking and thumping, then silence. They strained their ears. Nothing. Then began a jungle chorus of birds, monkeys, other unidentified animals, and insects, as though commenting on and discussing the event.

"What happened?" said Chris Able.

"Shhsh," said Diana, tense and anxious. What had happened? Was everybody ahead—dead?

Suddenly, Devil came out of the bushes, and a moment later the Phantom followed. As they started out of the bushes with a happy greeting, he signaled for quiet by placing his finger to his lips. He walked easily to them, then sat on a log and they saw that he was bleeding from wounds in his shoulder and thigh. The doctors hurriedly applied antiseptics and small bandages on the knife wounds, as he explained quietly. There had been an ambush ahead, deserters. They were now "inactive," the word he used, but quiet was necessary, he said, because other bands might be nearby and may have heard the fight. All remained quiet while the Phantom and Devil tested the wind for any suspicious sounds. There were none. After the bandaging was complete, they moved on slowly with their horses and mules to the scene of the battle ahead.

What a sight greeted them! Six muscular men in raggedy uniforms sprawled over the ground, over bushes, one hanging over a tree bough. Rifles and handguns littered the ground, along with open knapsacks with hand grenades spilling out. They stared in amazement at this, then at their masked guide. Had he done all this to six armed men? Were they dead? No, all were breathing, but unconscious. Some exhibited fractures, as though struck with iron bars (by the Phantom's fists) and all
¹
bore a strange mark on various parts of their jaws. The skull mark. Some sort of regimental insignia, or perhaps a tribal mark? The Phantom offered no explanation, though Alec Kirk had noticed the heavy skull ring on his right hand. The masked man explained that the two gunshots they'd heard were from his gun. This puzzled the doctors. There were no gunshot wounds on the unconscious men. No, the Phantom told them, he'd shot none of them; he'd shot two- rifles out of their hands.

"You could have shot them instead," said Alec Kirk.

"Only if there's no other way," said the Phantom. "I do not kill, and there is always a chance of that with a bullet."

Alec Kirk shook his head, baffled.

"These vicious killers, ready to blow us up with hand grenades and take our horse and Diana—so you told us—yet you won't shoot them?" he said, echoing the thoughts of the other men.

"Vicious killers, yes. Also, frightened, desperate men, exiled from home and family, m a strange, dangerous place. They must be punished, of course," he replied.

As he spoke, he was kneeling by the fallen men, tying them securely with heavy vines.

"Punished, but not by me," he added. "The city and the jungle are full of killing. It is my desire to end this, to bring peace. You as doctors understand why."

"What can you do—one man? This whole country's torn by civil war," said George Schwartz.

"That's a good question, George," said the Phantom. (I didn't know he knew my name, thought George in surprise.) "But we must do what we can."

He finished tying the deserters.

"There is an Oogaan village near here. I must ride there to get jailers for these men. You will stay here with your rifles ready, on guard, until I come back."

"May I come with you?" asked Diana. ,

"You may," said the Phantom, smiling as he mounted his white stallion.

Diana happily mounted her little brown mare and they rode off, with Devil, the wolf, racing after them.

"With those wounds he should be in a hospital bed for a week," said Chris Able.

"Didn't seem to bother him," said George Schwartz. "Can you imagine one man doing what he did?" They looked at the bound deserters, still in their deep sleep. He bent over one of them. "This skull mark—I tried several solutions on it—doesn't come off. It's like a tattoo."

"Know something—I think he made that mark with that ring he wears."

"You mean he brands them?" asked Chris, wide- eyed.

"Not at all. It goes with the fist. Note the coincidence of the mark and the fractures," said George.

"I didn't know any bare fist could hit that hard without breaking," said Chris.

Alec Kirk looked at the fallen men, at the skull marks, at the jungle.

"I don't know anything any more," he said. "Especially about the one called the Phantom."

"If it wasn't for Diana, I wouldn't take him for real," said Chris.

"If I ever saw a girl in love, she's it," said George.

"Lucky dog," said Alec.

"Think he's in love with her?" said Chris.

"Who wouldn't be?"

"But him?" persisted Chris.

George laughed. "To these people be may be the Mighty Magoo, but to her, he's the boyfriend."

"To me, he's also the Mighty Magoo, whatever that is," said Alec.

"Me too," said George. He looked at his watch, then at the sleeping men. "These beauties have been out for over an hour. I believe I could perform an appendectomy without disturbing them. If we ever run out of anaesthetic, our masked friend is better than ether."

"Wonder if there are any side-effects?" said Chris solemnly.

"A slight headache, I should think," said Alec, picking up the game.

"Also, an allergic reaction to masks," said George. "They'd be no good at a masquerade."

"Imagine, if one of them has to have surgery," laughed Alec. "All those medical masks in the operating room."

They watched with professional interest as their charges regained consciousness. This came with a start, a growl, testing the tight vines, a surprised stare at the armed doctors, then a retreat into a sullen pout.

A few hours later, they heard sounds in the jungle and raised their rifles anxiously. To their relief, Diana and the Phantom came into view, followed by a column of natives in loincloths who were carrying spears. At the head of the column was a handsome muscular young man.

"My friend, Prince Obiju of the Oogaan," said the Phantom, introducing him. "This year's champion of the jungle Olympics."

The young man nodded modestly.

"Jungle Olympics?" asked George, puzzled, but the Phantom did not explain.

The warriors marched to the bound men and spoke harshly to them. The prisoners got to their feet and were led away by the column. Obiju smiled at the team,

shook hands with the Phantom, and trotted off after the

others.

"The Oogaan will take care of them," said the Phantom.

"Kill them?" asked Alec.

"They've been looking for this band. They've caused a lot of trouble. They've stolen and killed. The Oogaan council will try and sentence them. Life imprisonment at hard labor, I imagine," he said.

"With parole after five years?" asked George.

"In the jungle, life imprisonment means for life—until death. They may not last five years. The hard labor is very hard," said the Phantom softly, with pity in his voice.

George flushed, embarrassed by his own brashness.

"Let's move on," said the Phantom.

The next part of the three days' journey to Trader Joe's took a week. They spent one anxious day and night hidden in a cave near a company of Bababu's army. The soldiers were bivouacked in the pass through which the team had to pass to reach the river. So they waited, rifles at the ready every time a soldier came near them. Fortunately there was no confrontation, and the company finally moved on. The Oogaan had told them about several other bands of deserters in the neighborhood, and the Phantom led the team off the route to avoid meeting them. There was no way to avoid one small band of three bandits. Once more the team waited while the Phantom went ahead. That encounter only lasted thirty seconds. The bandits were eating at their campfire when the Phantom landed on them. Three sledgehammer blows ended the meal. The bandits were left for the Oogaan to pick up, and the team moved on.