The Lost Warship Read online

  CHAPTER VI

  The City of the Ogrum

  Hidden on the shore, Craig and his men watched the looting of the Idaho.The planes of the Ogrum were still wheeling overhead. Dozens hadalighted on the water around the doomed ship and the Ogrum were climbingaboard. Craig saw how the ship had been taken. Gas! Trails of thin whitemist still floated around the vessel. The diving planes had sprayed somekind of gas on the ship. It was obviously some kind of vapor differentfrom any known in the far-off Twentieth Century but equally obviously itwas devilishly effective. Guru verified the fact that gas had been used.

  "White cloud makes sleep, Guru says," Michaelson supplied.

  Before the sleep had come, the guns of the Idaho had taken a toll of theattackers, as wrecked planes on the water testified. Craig saw the pilotof one of the planes, obviously wounded, signal to the other Ogrum tohelp him. His flier was sinking and he was unable to swim. His comradescompletely ignored his cries for help. The plane sank and the Ogrumpilot, after vainly attempting to swim, went under too. There wereplanes near that could have rescued him and certainly some of the Ogrumsaw him, but they made no attempt to help.

  "Devils!" Craig said huskily. "They're devils. They don't even take careof their own wounded comrades."

  "If they treat their own men that way, what will they do to theircaptives?" Michaelson questioned.

  Craig could only stare at him in horror.

  "Ask him," he jerked a finger toward Guru, "if the gas _kills_ thepeople who inhale it."

  The scientist put the question. Guru, squatting on his haunches,answered slowly.

  "He says they are only asleep, that after awhile they will wake up,"Michaelson said.

  "God!" Craig groaned. "I was afraid of that. Ask him what the Ogrum willdo with their captives?"

  Again the scientist questioned the dawn man.

  "He says the Ogrum will take them to their city and feed them to thewhite beast that is always hungry."

  Craig said nothing. He turned and looked at the Idaho. The skin wasdrawn tight across his face and knots were bulging at the corners of hisjaws. He could see the Ogrum dancing on the decks. They looked somethinglike humans except that their bodies were distorted, out of proportion.One was tall and very skinny. Another was short and fat. A third had onelong arm and one short arm. Another had a long body and two very shortlegs. Just looking at them, he hated them.

  "Damn you," he whispered. "Damn you--"

  Something touched his arm. He turned and saw that Guru had risen to hisfeet. The dawn man, a look of sympathy on his face, was awkwardly tryingto pat him on the shoulder.

  "Guru is trying to tell you that he is sorry," Michaelson said.

  "Thanks," Craig said chokingly. "We--we're not licked yet."

  In his heart, he knew that he was whistling to keep up his own couragewhen he said they weren't licked. If the Ogrum could conquer the Idaho,what could a handful of sailors do against them? True, there wereseveral exploring parties ashore, but all of them did not total fiftymen.

  What chance had fifty men against the might of the Ogrum? Fifty menarmed with sub-machine guns when there had been more than a thousand menon the Idaho, armed with anti-aircraft cannons!

  * * * * *

  From the shore, Craig and his companions watched the Ogrum loot theship. Oddly, they were not interested in any of the fittings of themighty vessel. The loot that interested them was--men! They brought inlarge, cargo carrying planes, powered by the same weirdly silent motors,moored them in the water beside the ship, then one by one carried thesleep-stricken members of the crew to the side and dumped them into thecargo planes. Craig thought he saw them drop Margy Sharp into one of theplanes. He sat silently cursing, fists clenched. Several times the Ogrummissing connections in loading the cargo planes, with the result thatthe unconscious human fell into the sea. The Ogrum made no attempt torescue the fallen men but let them float away in the current flowingfrom the river. Triangular fins tore through the water toward thesehelpless floaters.

  "What the Ogrum miss, the sharks get!" Craig said fiercely. Blood wasflowing down his chin from his bitten lips. The sailors with him werewhite-faced and grimly silent. Michaelson, after watching the scene fora few minutes, turned abruptly and walked a few feet along the shore.They could hear him being sick.

  One by one the loaded cargo planes took off, carrying their loads ofhelpless human freight. The fighter planes buzzed after them. The Idahowas left deserted. Either the Ogrum had not known there were men ashoreor were not at present interested in them.

  The sun was low in the west before Craig dared to venture back to theIdaho. The other exploring parties, who had been watching from hiddenspots along the shore, joined him. Silently the little boats movedtoward the bulk of the deserted battle wagon.

  * * * * *

  The gas had long since disappeared from the ship. By sun-down, Craigknew the whole story.

  About two hundred men, caught in the lower parts of the ship by theattack and protected from the full effects of the gas by doors, werereviving. Most of them were too deathly sick to be of any immediate use.Mrs. Miller and her baby had been found hidden in the hospital bay, safebut sick.

  Captain Higgins had not been found.

  Margy Sharp had not been found.

  One man had been dragged, trembling, from the lowest hold where he hadtaken refuge--Voronoff.

  On the main deck, Craig held a conference with Michaelson and Guru. Theanswers to the questions he asked left him with a grim look on his face.He called the sailors together.

  "I have been talking to Guru," he said. "Guru tells me that the city ofthe Ogrum is not far from here. He says we can reach it tonight, if wego by land, and if we use the big logs that float--by which he means ourpower boats--we can reach it by midnight."

  He paused and looked expectantly at the sailors. A little stir ranthrough them. They instantly grasped what he was driving at.

  "Moreover," he continued, "Guru tells me that the city is usuallyunguarded, that the Ogrum do not bother to post sentries."

  Craig watched the men closely. There was hard, bitter resentment ontheir faces. They had seen their comrades carted away like so manysticks of wood to some unguessed fate. All they wanted was a chance torescue their friends, or failing in that, to avenge them.

  Craig wasted few words. "I am going to the city of the Ogrum," he said."All of you who want to go with me, step forward."

  The fierce shout that answered him told him all he wanted to know. Theblue-jackets were with him. Only one man failed to step forward. It wasVoronoff. Craig eyed him.

  "What about you, Voronoff?" he said.

  "Don't be a damned fool!" Voronoff spat out the words. "We don't have achance."

  "No?"

  "No! The Ogrum have planes and gas and everything else. If we jump them,they'll mow us down."

  "What would you recommend that we do?" Craig asked. His voice was softand there was a worried expression on his face. He looked like a man whois faced with a tough problem and is weighing all the possibilitiesbefore deciding what to do.

  "There is only one thing to do," Voronoff snapped. "Get to hell awayfrom here as fast as we can. Hide in the jungle. Maybe the Ogrum don'tknow there are any of us left alive. If we jump them, they'll know we'realive and they'll clean us out."

  "Hmmm," Craig said thoughtfully. "You've probably got something there.But what about the men the Ogrum have captured?"

  Voronoff shrugged indifferently. "They're done for," he said. "We can'thelp what happens to them."

  * * * * *

  A low growl came from the mass of sailors as Voronoff spoke.

  "I suppose we really can't help what happens to them," Craig said. "ButI, for one am going to try to help it. We need every able-bodied man wehave. That includes you, Voronoff. Are you going with us or aren't you?"

  Craig's voice was still soft and pleasant. Voronoff completelymisinterprete
d it.

  "Include me out!" he snapped. "I'm not going."

  "No?"

  "No! You can't make me volunteer if I don't want to."

  "But we need you, Voronoff," Craig pleaded. "We need all the strength wecan muster."

  "You can go to hell!" Voronoff said sullenly.

  "You won't go?"

  "I won't go!"

  Craig glanced over the side of the ship. Dusk had already fallen butthere was still enough light for him to see the triangular fins cuttingthe surface. He nodded toward the water. "Either you go with us,Voronoff," he said evenly, "Or I, personally, am going to throw youoverboard."

  Voronoff looked like a man who did not believe his own ears. A low growlof approval came from the sailors. They remembered how they had foundthis man hiding in the lowest depths of the ship when they had comeaboard. While their kidnapped comrades had fought, he had gone to hide.

  "You--you don't mean it," Voronoff whispered.

  "I never meant anything more," Craig answered. "We can't have anyslackers here. Either you go with us or you go overboard and take yourchances of swimming ashore."

  His voice was hard and flat and there was not the slightest trace ofsympathy in it. There was no mistaking his meaning. Voronoff turnedpale. He looked quickly around as though seeking a place to hide.

  "You've got no hole to pull in after you now," Craig said. "What is youranswer."

  Voronoff gulped. "I'll--I'll go with you," he said.

  "Good," Craig said. He gave swift orders for the preparation of theattacking party. The sailors scurried to do his bidding. He was awarethat Michaelson was plucking at his sleeve.

  "Weren't you being rather hard on him?" the scientist questioned.

  "Maybe," Craig answered. "The truth is, I don't like him. There issomething furtive about him. He impresses me as being pretty much of arat. Besides, we need every man we can get."

  "I know we do," Michaelson said slowly. "But would you honestly havethrown him overboard if he had refused to go?"

  Craig shrugged. "Don't ask me such questions. I don't know the answers.Maybe I would and maybe I wouldn't."

  "I see," the scientist smiled. "You're a hard man, Craig. All I can sayis that in this situation we need a hard man and I'm glad we have you tolead us."

  "Thank you," Craig said.

  * * * * *

  Hours later Craig stood on the side of a mountain looking down at anincredible scene. Guru, by devious paths known only to the dawn man, hadguided them here. Below them lay the city of the Ogrum.

  The city was located on the edge of a huge, circular bay that hadapparently at some time in the remote past been the crater of a largevolcano. To the east where the walls of the volcano had crumbled downwas a vast swamp, a favorite feeding ground for the dinosaurs. Hundredsof the great beasts could be heard screaming and fighting in the swamp.

  The city itself held Craig's eyes.

  He had seen the Ogrum in airplanes, he had seen them use gas, both ofwhich meant an advanced civilization, with a great knowledge oftechnology. He had expected to find a city bright with lights, numberinghundreds of thousands of inhabitants, with large factories, broadstreets, and--since they used planes--landing fields.

  None of these things was visible. The city of the Ogrum was unlighted.There were no wide streets, no factories in sight. There was only onelarge building in the city, and the buildings which apparently served ashomes for the Ogrum were little better than crude huts. There was abrilliant full moon overhead, clearly revealing the whole scene.

  "It's not possible!" Craig whispered to Michaelson. "This can't be thecity of the Ogrum. Guru brought us to the wrong place."

  The scientist questioned Guru. Craig could hear the dawn man's replies.

  "Guru says this is the right place," Michaelson spoke. "He says this isthe city of the Ogrum, that there is no other city."

  "But with the exception of that temple, this place is a dump!" Craigprotested. "I have seen Papuan head-hunters who had built morepretentious cities than this. The Ogrum have planes. You can't buildplanes without a complex industrial system."

  "It is certainly strange," the scientist said musingly. "But Guruinsists this is the place and I am inclined to believe him. You willnote also that the city below us is not laid out in streets and I see noevidence of a lighting system."

  "Maybe they've got a black-out on," a sailor suggested.

  Guru, consulted on this point, said no, the city of the Ogrum was alwaysdark at night. Guru had a great deal of difficulty in understanding whatwas meant by light, but once he grasped the idea, he insisted the Ogrumnever used lights.

  "Well, it's a damned mystery," Craig said. "And I'm going down there andfind out about it. Guru, come with me."

  Craig had spent the hours in the boats trying to grasp the language ofthe dawn man. He still did not understand Guru as well as Michaelson didbut he could understand enough for his purpose.

  "Just the two of you going down there?" Michaelson questioned.

  "Yes. Any more would only increase the chances of discovery. We've gotto know the lay of the land and we've got to have some idea of what wewill meet down there before we attempt a rescue. We probably will not beable to make an attack before tomorrow night anyhow."

  After disposing his force and ordering them to get as much rest aspossible, Craig and Guru started down to the city of the Ogrum.Michaelson had to be restrained from accompanying them.

  "You stay here," Craig bluntly told the scientist. "You're not as youngas I am and you need a rest."

  Overhead was a broad tropic moon. There was no wind. From the greatswamp came the only sound that broke the silence of the night, thescream of the dinosaurs, the roaring of the great lions of this time.Below lay the strange city of the Ogrum.

  * * * * *

  Craig felt the weirdness of the scene as he and Guru started down theside of the mountain. What kind of creatures were the Ogrum? What secretlay behind their existence? They had left no mark on history as he knewit. So far as the human race knew, the Ogrum had never existed. Andyet--the sudden thought was startling--there was a word in the Englishlanguage that came close to describing these creatures--ogre! Ogre andOgrum were very similar. Were these the original ogres, thosemythological monsters who devoured human beings? Had the Ogrum, known,feared, and named by the dawn men, come down through legends as ogres?

  The thought sent a shivery feeling up Craig's spine. Was he going downinto a city of monsters? Were Stinky Higgins and Margy Sharp andhundreds of men from the Idaho held as prisoners by ogres? What horriblesecret was hidden down there in that silent city?

  They reached the edge of the city. It was larger than Craig had thought.Hundreds, possibly thousands of rude huts, were hidden in the junglegrowth. The place smelled bad. Apparently no effort at sanitation hadever been made. A nauseous stench arose from the ground. Craig wrinkledhis nose in disgust.

  "Filth!" he muttered. "This place needs nothing so much as it needsburning to the ground. Where Ogrum, Guru?" he said, turning to the dawnman.

  "Ogrum sleep," Guru answered. "In little caves," he said, nodding towardthe huts. "Ogrum sleep."

  "Where prisoners?" Craig asked. He had to rephrase the question andrepeat it several times before the dawn man understood.

  "In big cave," Guru said, understanding at last.

  "Where big cave?" Craig asked.

  "Big rock cave," Guru answered, pointing toward the large stone templethat stood in the center of the city.

  "Then that is where we are going," Craig said. "Come on."

  Guru hung back. Craig sensed the dawn man's fear. "What's wrong?" heasked.

  "Monster that is always hungry in big cave," Guru answered.

  "Ah," Craig said. The monster that is always hungry! The bright beastthat eats forever! A shiver passed through him as he remembered how Guruhad described whatever was in the cave. "What is the monster?" hequestioned.

  But Guru ei
ther did not understand or could not explain, and Craig wasleft with no knowledge of the nature of the monster. However he couldguess that the Ogrum regarded the thing in the temple as a god andoffered sacrifices to it, an impression which Guru confirmed.

  "Tomorrow when sun goes," Guru said. "Ogrum feed one man to bright beastthat is always hungry. Next day when sun goes feed beast again. Keep upuntil no one left to feed. Then go hunt more people."

  Craig recognized the performance as an incredibly ancient ritual ofsacrifice to ensure the return of the sun. The Ogrum seemingly had noreal knowledge of the universe. Each night when the sun went down theywere not sure that it would rise again. To make certain the bright lightin the sky would return again, they offered a sacrifice to it.

  "What do they do when they run out of captives?" he asked.

  "Catch Ogrum, feed him to beast," the dawn man answered.

  When they ran out of captives, the Ogrum sacrificed their own people!

  "Well, we've still got to find out what is in that temple and where ourpeople are being held," Craig said grimly. "If Guru is afraid, Guru maystay here. I will go alone."

  Guru was afraid. There was no doubt about that. Craig did not criticizethe dawn man for being afraid. He regarded it as evidence of good, soundsense. But, afraid or not, Guru went with him. Slipping like a pair ofghosts through the rough paths that served as streets, they entered thesilent city. Guru was as noiseless as a shadow, and Craig, every sensealert, moved as quietly as an Indian. The big American knew that fromany of the huts an Ogrum might emerge at any moment.

  * * * * *

  They reached the temple unobserved.

  It was a bigger building than had been apparent from the mountain above.Unlike the huts, it was constructed of stone. Roughly circular in shape,a line of columns circled the outer edge. The construction was crude.The Ogrum either had not yet invented the arch or scorned to use it.Numerous holes big enough for a man to enter standing erect, but notmuch bigger, served as entrances. The holes were without doors, anotherinvention the Ogrum apparently had not yet made, and Craig was againstruck by the strangely warped development of this race that knew how tobuild airplanes and to use poison gas but still did not know how tobuild arches.

  Unlike the city, the temple was guarded. Yellow-robed, shaven-headedsentries paced around the building keeping inside the circles of thecolumns.

  "Friends of the bright beast that is always hungry," Guru called them.Craig decided they were priests, temple guards. He saw they were armedwith spears and swords. In addition each guard carried a pouch of small,round objects that looked like grenades.

  "Are those things _grenades_?" Craig whispered. But Guru had never heardof grenades. He did not understand. Nor could Craig make him understand.

  Through the small dark holes that served as entrances to the templeoccasional flashes of light could be seen. The light was dull, like thefitful glow from a campfire that has almost burned out.

  "What is that?" Craig asked.

  But Guru either did not know or, for some superstitious reason, refusedto talk.

  "I'm going into that temple," Craig decided. "You stay here and wait forme."

  This time Guru did not insist on going along and Craig realized that thedawn man was desperately afraid of something within the temple. Craig,waiting until one of the pacing sentries had passed, darted into thenearest opening.

  He knew, as he slid into the building, that there was an excellentchance he would never come out, but he had to go in. He had to know whatwas in there, so he could plan how to defeat it. He had to know wherethe men of the Idaho were held prisoner and how well they were guardedand if it was possible to organize a way for them to escape. Finally, hehad to know the nature of the bright beast that was always hungry, thegod of the Ogrum.

  What was the monster that was always hungry? Some black leering idol onwhose altar was daily sacrificed a living victim? Or was it somethingelse, some real monster that the Ogrum believed to be divine?

  Guided by the fitful flickering of light ahead of him, Craig slippedalong what was in effect an artificial tunnel. He reached the end of thetunnel, and stopped, appalled at what he saw.

  The temple was built like a gigantic amphitheater, like some large bowlin which athletic contests were held. Circling downward in ordered rowswere tier on tier of rough stone steps. Down below him, in a huge cupthat apparently rose from the solid foundation of the mountain itselfwas--_a seething mass of white-hot bubbling lava_!

  * * * * *

  The city of the Ogrum was located in the crater of a supposedly extinctvolcano. The volcano was not extinct. It was merely inactive. Firesstill seethed in its heart, and the white-hot lava, held in balance bysome subterranean arrangement of pressures, bubbled up here, like ageyser that never overflows and never subsides.

  This bowl of lava, rising from the volcano beneath, was what Guru calledthe white beast that was always hungry. It was the god of the Ogrum. Ina flash Craig saw why they worshipped it and why they fed humansacrifices to it. It was bright and hot like the sun. Therefore, by thelaws of sympathetic magic, a sacrifice offered to the lava was the sameas a sacrifice offered to the sun. The Ogrum, creatures of the dawnworld, in spite of their planes and their poison gas, had no realknowledge of science, of the laws of cause and effect. The Ogrum thoughtthat they could assure the return of the warming and life-giving sun byoffering a living sacrifice to this bubbling lava!

  If their reasoning was erroneous and false, it was nonetheless hideousand real for all that. For they would certainly offer in sacrifice,here, every man taken from the Idaho, unless they were prevented byforce.

  Across the arena he could see a larger opening closed by a grill ofwooden poles. The flickering light from the pool of bubbling lavaenabled him to see faces behind the grill--the prisoners. Involuntarilyhe started toward them. Then he saw the company of shaven-headed yellowclad guards standing beside the enclosure.

  The Ogrum were on watch!

  Studying the situation, Craig could see no way by which he could effectthe release of the men. He had a handful of sailors to help him. Therewere thousands of the Ogrum. The Ogrum had planes and if they did nothave firearms, they certainly had other weapons.

  "Surprise!" Craig thought. "We've got to take them by surprise, divertthem long enough to release our men. Then--" He cursed softly. Presuminga sudden surprise attack enabled them to release the prisoners? Whatwould happen then?

  "They'll hit us with planes!" Craig cursed. "They'll gas us and sprayacid on us, and even if we manage to get away from here, they willfollow us through the air." His eyes narrowed. "Which means that we havegot to blow up their hangar, destroy their planes, first of all. Then--"

  A plan was maturing in his mind. He slipped out of the temple, watchedhis chances and darted across the open space when no sentry was near,rejoined Guru.

  The dawn man was frantic with excitement. "See monster?" he questioned.

  "There is no monster," Craig said grimly. "Guru, where cave where Ogrumkeep riding birds?"

  To Guru, the planes were merely large birds that the Ogrum rode. Craigwas asking the dawn man where the hangar was located. Guru led himaround the temple, pointed to a projecting wing. "Birds kept there," hesaid.

  The hangar was open. In line with their ignorance of doors, the Ogrumhad never devised a method of closing the entrance of the building wherethey kept--and no doubt built--their planes. An open space leading downto the edge of the bay apparently was the runway where the planeslanded. Inside the hangar Craig could glimpse the strange airships ofthe Ogrum. Except for the regular sentries that circled the wholeimmense temple, the hangar was unguarded.

  * * * * *

  "Twenty men with grenades will hit the hangar first!" Craig thought."They'll smash the planes and then they will appear to retreat. TheOgrum will follow. Meanwhile across the city, another twenty men willsuddenly appear and start firing the tha
tch huts. The Ogrum will beconfused. Before they can organize themselves, I'll take a hundred menand hit the temple. By God, it will work!

  "Then," Craig thought, "we'll die one at a time as we try to make ourgetaway. The Ogrum, even without planes, will hunt us through the jungleforever." He paused, seeking a solution to that difficulty. To free theprisoners only to have everybody perish from the relentless attack ofthe Ogrum would be no gain.

  "The only way to keep the Ogrum from pursuing us is to destroythem--utterly!" Craig thought grimly. He had no qualms about destroyingthe Ogrum, if he could. The only problem was how! He had not enough menand not enough strength to meet them in open battle. Yet they had to bedestroyed.

  "Return to others," he told Guru.

  The dawn man returned by a different route, passing through the otheredge of the city of the Ogrum. Here they found a heavy stone wall, likethe retaining dike of a river.

  "Why wall, Guru?" Craig questioned.

  "Keep earth-shakers out of Ogrum squatting place," the dawn mananswered. "Earth-shakers" was Guru's name for the dinosaurs and"squatting place" was his word for city. Beyond the wall was the vastswamp. The Ogrum had erected the wall to keep the dinosaurs out of theircity.

  "Well, I'm damned," said Craig thoughtfully. "I wonder. Hurry, Guru.Must get back before sun rise."

  At a swift trot, the dawn man led him up the mountain.

  * * * * *

  "This is what we're going to do," Craig said excitedly to Michaelson.The sailors, listening closely, squatted around him in the darkness.Dawn was not far off. Already the sky in the east was beginning to turngray.

  Swiftly he outlined his plan of attack, submitted it to the scientist."I am no military strategist," Michaelson said slowly. "I am notcompetent to criticize your suggestions."

  "I am," a voice spoke. "I've studied military strategy. Your plan hasn'tgot a chance in a thousand to succeed. You are just getting us allkilled for nothing."

  It was Voronoff who spoke.

  "That may be true," Craig admitted. "If you have a better plan, I'mwilling to listen."

  "I've told you all along the only thing to do is to clear out of here asfast as we can."

  "That is the one thing we're not going to do," Craig said icily. "If youhave nothing constructive to offer, keep your damned mouth shut."

  Voronoff sullenly walked away.

  Craig selected a group to charge the hangar where the planes were kept,a second group to provide a diversionary attack across the city, and athird group to hit the temple and release the prisoners. The attack wasto start just after darkness fell the next night. At that time, so Gurusaid, all the Ogrum would be gathered in the temple to watch thesacrifice.

  "And after that," Michaelson said slowly. "What is to happen?"

  "Ah," said Craig. "There is the heart of the affair. What happens nextwill determine whether any of us ever get out of here alive. And," helooked steadily at the scientist, "that is where you come in."

  "I? What am I to do?"

  "You and Guru are going to take a dozen men and round up as many ofGuru's people as you can find. Here is what you and Guru are going todo."

  In great detail Craig outlined the part the scientist and the dawn manwere to play in the attack on the Ogrum. They made an odd pair.Michaelson, almost a physical weakling but possessed of one of thekeenest minds of the Twentieth Century; Guru, a splendidly muscled giantbut almost a child mentally.

  "Do--do you think our part in the attack will really work?" thescientist hesitantly asked.

  "It's got to work," Craig said bluntly. "If it doesn't work, we are alldead men."