He found the boys getting set. Tony was loaded and ready to jump. Arno was spotting his markers.
"Go!" he called.
Tony unloaded through the open hatch and disappeared into the blue blackness, followed closely by Allison. Arno nodded to Stan and Stan piled out. As he went down into the cool night he slid his hand to the rip cord. Theywere jumping from low altitude and there was no time for free falling. He pulled the cord and felt his chute open and snap him into suspension. A shadowy form above him and very close told him that Arno had wasted no time in following him out of the ship.
Stan adjusted his pack and his tommy-gun for a landing. Peering down, he saw the field they were to land on. At first he thought Arno had missed and dropped them over a lake. He could dimly see what looked like rippling waves. Then his feet touched waving grain and he eased up on the cords to make his landing. A split second later he was down in a field of tall and ripening grain. Wadding his chute up he drew in a deep breath. The field reminded him of Kansas with its rich, ripe smells.
A low whistle off to his right indicated one of the boys was asking for a location. Stan gave a bird call and listened. He got three answers and heard his pals working their way toward him. Twice more he gave the assembly signal. Then he noticed that the sky above and over toward the twin peaks was lighting up with streaks and points of light. Tracers were arcing up and over, in and out. Grimly Stanwatched. Night fighters had tackled O'Malley. He watched the battle, following the action by the tracers and the bursts of cannonfire. Suddenly one of the planes broke into flame. Like a torch it twisted earthward.
"Could have been a Messerschmitt," Arno spoke close beside Stan.
"It burned up like a plywood job," Allison's voice said. He spoke in his usual unruffled drawl.
"O'Malley never would run from a fight," Stan said grimly.
"This time I think he ran," Tony cut in.
Allison laughed. "You just don't know O'Malley, old man."
"No matter what happened to O'Malley we have to get going. Lead on, Arno," Stan ordered. There was no use in going sour over what might be a tough battle. They had plenty of work to do.
Arno led the way out of the wheat field. He located a thick woods and they entered it. A few minutes of walking through tangled bushes brought them out on a pathway.
"This is the trail to the orchard," Arno whispered to Tony.
"There is another trail branching off, the one we used to follow when we went swimming in the little lake below the hill," Tony said.
"That one we must find," Arno answered as he moved on.
The boys had their packs swung high on their backs. Their tommy-guns were held ready. If the night fighters who had jumped O'Malley had spotted the parachutes they would have given an alarm. Arno seemed to be thinking about this. He moved carefully, pausing to listen every few yards.
Tony was bringing up the rear. He called softly to Arno. "Here is the trail, you passed it."
They halted and went back. Arno checked the cross trail.
"Yes, this is the trail," he said.
He headed off to the right and they followed. Coming to the top of a little hill they saw lights below, dim and shaded lights, but many of them.
"That is the house," Arno said.
"How far is it?" Stan asked.
"About a kilometer," Arno answered.
"Less than a mile to go. What's in between?" Stan asked.
"There is a settlement where the Sachetti farm workers used to live. I see lights down there." Arno was bending forward, peering into the night.
"And I hear cars and trucks," Allison added. "I'll bet the Germans have a repair depot or an assembly point down there."
"In that case the half mile between the settlement and the house will be filled with Germans," Tony said.
"One way to find out. Lead on," Stan ordered.
The little group moved slowly down the trail. After a couple of halts Arno paused and pulled the boys close to him.
"I think it best to leave the trail. Just a little way ahead it opens into a roadway. There we should certainly run into outposts."
"We better go on until we locate them," Stan said.
"If you think that is the best way," Arno agreed.
"I'll walk ahead with you," Stan said.
They moved along very slowly, stopping every few feet to listen. Finally they heard guttural voices in the darkness ahead. Halting,they listened. Allison moved forward a little to try to overhear what was said. Soon he came back.
"This is the outpost," he whispered. "Six men and two machine guns. They are about to change guards." He chuckled. "And they do not expect us."
"Can we move around them?" Stan asked.
"We could, but I think we should stay. An officer is coming out to inspect the guard. He's coming from Villa Sachetti." Stan could almost see Allison's sardonic smile. "Nice spot for a surprise party, eh?"
"Swell," Stan answered. "We'll take over the post. Allison can be the decoy to lure the officer in close. He speaks German."
"Good, very good," Arno said eagerly. "Will we use the short knives on them?"
"No shooting if we can help it. We'll shove in close and have a look." Stan began moving down the pathway with Allison at his side. The party kept very close together so as to be able to give signals to each other without speaking.
After edging forward a short distance they were halted by a gruff laugh ahead. Getting down low they peered through the starlight andspotted the sentries. They were grouped close together, four seated, two standing. The two men standing up moved off, one to the left and one to the right. Stan got his crew into a close huddle.
"Allison and I will do our commando stuff on the two guards walking post. I take the one on the right, Allison the other. You boys stay right here. We'll be back soon." Stan spoke in a low whisper.
One of the seated Germans suddenly sprang to his feet. He stood looking into the night toward the party of raiders. Tony started to move forward. Stan pulled him back. The German walked up the pathway a few feet and halted, listening. The boys turned their faces away and remained perfectly still. After a minute or so the man went back and sat down. Stan gave Allison a signal and they moved off the pathway. They left their tommy-guns and carried only their pistols, knives, and short lengths of rope.
Stan moved silently along in a direction that would cut across the beat walked by the sentry. Soon he spotted his man moving at a slow walk along what appeared to be a pathway.Stan moved in and halted beside a bush. There he remained without moving a muscle. The sentry had reached the end of his beat and was turning back. Stan ducked his head to make sure no light was reflected from his face. Tensing his muscles he waited.
The sentry seemed to be enjoying the night. He sauntered along, his rifle slung carelessly over his shoulder. The barrel missed Stan's head by inches as the man brushed past the bushes where he stood. Straightening, Stan leaned far forward, his arm shot out and encircled the man's neck. At the same time his knee came up through the bushes in a smashing blow. The expert application of Stan's arm and the blow in the spine knocked the German limp at once. He did not struggle and he could not cry out. Stan dragged him back into the bushes, hurriedly gagged and bound him.
Moving swiftly back to the pathway he came upon the boys. Allison was already back, kneeling with Tony and Arno.
"Fast work," Stan whispered softly.
"He was a rotten soldier," Allison answered. "He sat down and started removing one boot."
"We'll close in fast but without noise. I havea hunch we'll get a break. If two of the men should start out to check the men we disposed of, Allison and I will take them out. You boys take the other two. Make sure they don't get a chance to yell."
"They will not yell," Arno promised grimly.
The four raiders moved in on their hands and knees. They halted only a few yards from the four men. Here they waited. Finally one of the men got up and called. He listened, then challenged his sentries again. When there was no answer he caught up a rifle, snapped an order to one of the others, and headed off down the picket line.
Instantly Allison slithered away into the night. One of the others got to his feet grumbling loudly. He caught his rifle up and held it at ready as he moved off. Stan was after him at once.
Before Stan had overtaken the guard, having allowed him to get down the pathway a little distance, so as not to arouse the two left behind, he heard sounds of scuffling. Arno and Tony had not waited. They were in action.
Stan leaped in upon the guard just as the fellow whirled around. He knocked up theman's gun and closed with him. The German shouted once before Stan could get a strangle hold upon him, then he went down, struggling wildly. He was a burly fellow with powerful arms and thick legs. Stan was not sure that he could hold the headlock he had slid down into a strangle grip.
They flopped and thrashed around until Stan finally worked behind the German and put on more pressure. After that the fellow wilted in short order. Stan was binding and gagging him when Arno came running to help him.
"Did we act too quickly?" he asked in great excitement.
"A bit fast," Stan admitted, "but I have him now. He was a tough customer." Stan rolled the sentry into a clump of bushes and faced Arno. "How did Tony make out?"
"Fine, very fine. Tony hates all Germans." Arno laughed quietly.
They moved back to the guard station and found Allison and Tony there. One glance at the two sentries Arno and Tony had silenced told Stan they would not have to be bound or gagged. The boys had used their knives expertly.
"Now about the reception committee?" Allison queried softly.
"We need four helmets. I have one and there are two on the ground. Get one more," Stan ordered.
"I have it," Allison answered. "On my head."
Sure enough, Allison was wearing a German helmet. "You boys know what the Germans will do with us if they catch us wearing even one of their helmets?" Stan asked.
"The firing squad," Arno answered as he slipped one on his head.
"If the inspector's car has its lights on bright we'll have to get down. Arno and I will be out on each side as though on beat. Allison will have to make up a challenge that will pass."
"I have their password," Allison answered. "Got it from the man who brought up word of the inspection. He gave it to get up to the post."
"The Germans are not so smart," Tony said. "They are fools to warn their soldiers of a coming inspection."
Allison laughed. "The man who came up was a pal of the squad. He was tipping them off."
"There's a car coming up the road," Stan warned. "Use your tommy-guns to cover them, but no shooting unless we have to fight it out."
He and Arno moved into the darkness, leaving Allison and Tony seated on the bench which had been used by the Germans.
"There ought to be four of us here," Tony said.
"I don't think that will make any difference," Allison said. "They'll think the others are out on the beat."
The car came up the gentle slope slowly. It did not have its bright lights on. The slit in the headlight hood gave only a meager amount of light and did not show more than ten feet ahead of the car. Allison moved several paces down the road and shouted an order in German.
The car halted and Allison shouted again, making his voice gruff. He got the password and snapped permission to advance. The car charged forward in a surge of speed that made Allison leap aside.
From the darkness beside the road Stan had moved in. He saw that there were three men in the car, counting the driver. He also saw the shadowy form of Arno closing in on the otherside. A tall officer climbed out. He snapped an order at Allison. Allison backed away a few steps to allow the other two officers to get out. Stan had moved up and Arno had a gun barrel shoved into the neck of the driver. Tony leaped forward with his gun ready.
"Get your hands up!" he snapped and Allison gave the same order in German at the same instant.
Startled grunts came from the three officers. One of them reached for his pistol. Allison's gun barrel came down over his head and the officer pitched forward. The other two elevated their hands.
The boys closed in and took away the men's side arms. They helped themselves to caps and light topcoats and belts, then they bound and gagged the officers. The ranking officer, a colonel, was furious. Until the gag stopped his mouth he poured forth a stream of angry abuse.
With the officers laid out far back in the bushes, Arno donned the driver's cap and jacket. They were ready for the real adventure, cracking the gates of the German prison camp.
"You know the roads, so you take over, Arno," Stan said.
"Shall we drive right through and into the front yard of the big house?" Arno asked.
"Is there a back yard?" Stan asked.
"A very spacious one, but with a high stone fence around it and only one gate, though it is a very wide gate," Arno answered.
"There is the stone passageway to the wine cellars," Tony put in.
"We don't want to be caught in any wine cellar," Allison answered.
"We have to figure on fast work. The dirty work we've done here will be discovered within a few hours, then they'll be after us," Stan said.
"I know the house and I think I know the spot where prisoners will be held. The Germans always take the best rooms for themselves. I think they will hold my father in the servants quarters at the back of the house. I have even decided which room he will be given. There is one having no running water and very little light."
"We'll have a look there first," Stan said."If we park in the back we'll be near to those rooms?"
"Yes," Arno answered. "We can reach them through a narrow hallway without entering the main part of the house."
"O.K., driver, move on."
Arno started the car and they rolled down the road at a fast pace. Stan could not see the road but Arno knew every turn. They soon swung into a long driveway and headed toward a big stone gate with machine gunners at each side. Sentries armed with rifles paced back and forth across the opening.
"Here goes!" Stan snapped. "Try your German on the boys. If you flop, we start shooting our way in."
Arno charged up in the best German manner of driving an official car. The heavy machine guns on each side of the gate converged on the car and one of the sentries bellowed an order.
Arno did not put on his brakes until he had forced the guards at the gate back two paces. Allison leaned out over the door, his cap pulled down over his eyes. He bellowed loudly in German, blurring a string of words together and winding up with the password from the outside post. He was taking a chance that that was the password for the whole area.
The guards backed away, presented arms, and jerked into stiff positions of attention. Arno lost no time in shooting the car through the gates. They entered a shadowy courtyard where the light was dim. The Yank raid on Bolero Villa, just over the hill, had caused every post in the vicinity to be blacked out.
"We are under the window of the room," Arno said in a low voice.
"There's a guard down the wall a ways," Allison said. "I'll give you fellows a calling-down in German to make the guard think I'mreally on the warpath, then we'll march right in."
"Perhaps I had better try the window while you are trying the door," Tony said. "You might have trouble. There will be plenty of light inside."
Allison raised his voice and began berating the boys in German. "Schwinehund!" he bellowed and followed that up with other choice words of abuse. He had a bright idea and added that he was going to find the man who had handled the blackout. He said he could see light from the back hallway all the way out to the road.
Instantly they heard the guard moving toward the back door.
"Now's our chance," Allison whispered. "I said we could see light from the back hallway. We'll make them douse the lights."
They headed toward the back door and stomped up the wide steps. The guard opened the door and they saw that the hallway was dark. Allison roared at the fellow and he came to a stiff salute, presenting arms.
"General Bolero," Allison snapped. "We would speak to him."
The boys did not understand, but they caught the general's name and had an idea. The guard protested but Allison thrust several papers at him. He had taken the papers from the officer's pocket but had no idea what they were. When the man started to use a pocket flashlight to read the papers, Allison smashed the light out of his hand, roaring at him about the blackout.
The soldier was thoroughly cowed. He turned and started down the hallway with the boys close behind him. Tony had found the window barred on the outside and had joined the others. He nudged Stan as they halted before a door. It was the very room Arno had said his father would be kept in.
The guard unlocked the door. As it opened, a flood of light shone over the men. The general's window had been boarded up, so he was allowed a light. He was sitting at a little table writing. Stan did not wait to see any more. He knew the guard was wise the moment he saw the raiders in the bright light. Their shoes and trousers gave them away as well as their faces. Stan had moved along very close to the guard. His arm went out in a perfect commando attackand before the guard had time to shout he was silenced and heaved into the room.
In an instant Tony was across the room and in his father's arms. Arno stood beside them gripping one of the general's arms. The general looked over Tony's shoulder at Stan and Allison.
"I am honored," he said.
"Turn out the light," Stan ordered.
The general shoved Tony aside and switched off the light. "You have taken greater chances than you should. I am hardly worth the effort."
When he had ceased speaking they listened. Several men were moving down the hall, talking in angry voices.
"That is the commandant of this post. I know his voice. He has with him a number of his officers," the general said in a low voice.
"They'll wonder where the other guard is," Stan said. "We better jerk the boards off that window and get out of here."
"That cannot be done," the general said. "They are planks, not boards, and they are spiked to the outside of the house."
Allison had opened the door a crack. "Theyhave turned on the light. There's five of them, and they seem excited."
"How far down the hallway?" Stan asked.
"At the door," Allison answered.
The voice of one of the men lifted as he shouted an order. "He's calling in a squad of armed men from the gate," Allison said.
"It seems we are trapped," Arno said grimly.
"Can we go out the front way?" Stan snapped, turning to Tony.
"Yes. There is a side door and a front door. But we can't get back to our car because of the walls around the back plaza."
"Our tommy-guns and grenades are in the car," Allison said.
"We'll have to chance it and move fast. Lead off." Stan reached for the doorknob. Opening the door a little way he looked out. The five officers were standing in the doorway down the hall looking out into the night.
Stan stepped out, whipping his Colt from its holster as he went. "Down the hall!" he hissed. "Lead them, Tony. I'll cover your retreat."
The raiders and the general moved out and started down the hall. They had taken only afew steps, when one of the officers at the door turned around. He let out a startled shout. The others whirled. Stan covered them with his Colt. The distance was a full thirty feet, good shooting range for the forty-five.
"Get your hands up!" Stan snapped. The bore of his gun wavered over the stomachs of the officers and came to rest on a spot between the eyes of the colonel.
Amazement showed on the faces of the Germans, then hatred and fury.
"Fools!" the colonel grated. "You will all be shot as soon as the alarm is sounded."
Stan was moving backward. He grinned at the colonel and made a good bluff. His free hand slid into the pocket of his coat. "Perhaps," he said loudly. "But I have a grenade here, an American-made grenade. You know how much damage they do. I'm going to toss it right where you are standing just as soon as I get to the corner."
He knew at once that he had scored a hit. The Germans knew that tossing a grenade in just that manner was the way Rangers and Commandos worked. Three of the men, those in the doorway, dived out into the night wherethey began shouting. The colonel and one other officer edged toward the door. Stan reached the corner and made a motion to jerk his hand out of his pocket. The two Germans dived for the door.
"Whirling, Stan raced down the hall. He was passing a door when a hand reached out and jerked him into a dark room or hall, he could not tell which. Allison's voice hissed:
"Inside, we're going up on the roof." Stan heard the door slam and all was dark. "Tony knows how to go through a French window in this room out to a trellis. We climb the vines."
"But the general, he's pretty heavy," Stan said.
"The boys are boosting him up right now." Allison was dragging Stan across the room.
They went through the window and saw the stars above. Dark shapes loomed against the wall of the house where vines climbed up to the eaves. Stan and Allison started up the trellis. They could hear General Bolero puffing and grunting as Tony and Arno helped him climb upward.
Stan looked down and saw the top of the garden wall. "I'm going down after somegrenades and a submachine gun," he hissed. Before Allison could stop him he had swung over the wall and was dangling in space. The vines ended at the wall and Stan could not see what was below. He took a chance and cut loose.
Stan was lucky. He landed on top of a canvas-covered van. The padding dulled the thud of his landing. He sat up and listened. The yard below was filled with shouting and yelling. Boots pounded as men ran across the hard ground. Doors slammed and someone fired a pistol. Stan whistled but got no answer. Then he spotted his gang. They were crouching on the roof above. Stan whistled louder and saw a shape detach itself and slide down toward the edge of the roof. He was sure it was Allison. When the dark shape loomed directly above him he called up cautiously.
"There's a canvas-covered van right here. Get the men and have them drop off on top of it."
"Pretty far down, isn't it, old man?" Allison called back.
"Not too far," Stan answered. "We'll get to our car and blast our way out of here."
Allison moved back up the roof. In a minute he was back with the general and his sons.
"General Bolero coming down first," Allison called softly.
Stan moved back but got ready to help the general. A bulky form swung down from the roof, then fell, landing with a thud beside Stan. Stan helped the general to a sitting position.
"Are you hurt?"
"Only slightly jarred," the general assured him.
The others dropped off in a hurry. They crowded around Stan. "Now to get to our car," Stan said.
They slid off the back of the van. It was parked a yard from the wall of the house. Other vans stood beside it as closely as they could be packed in. The raiders moved along the wall, halting behind the last van. The car they wanted to reach was only a few feet away, but it was surrounded by a squad of men. Flashlight beams stabbed into the car and men talked excitedly.
Inside the house there was a great uproar as the Germans searched for the missing men. Tony chuckled, then whispered:
"Little Don Sachetti and I used to get spanked for sneaking through that window and climbing the trellis."
"We had better take over that car and our guns and grenades. This is the best chance we'll ever have. Most of the Germans are in the house," Stan said.
"Don Sachetti was executed yesterday. I think he would rest better if we tossed a few grenades through the windows of his home," the general said. "By all means let us proceed with the capture of the car and matériel."
"You drive, Arno," Stan ordered. "Fan out, boys, and start shooting when they spot us." He turned to the general. "Sorry, sir, that we do not have a gun for you."
"I will soon have one," the general answered grimly.
The boys spread out in the darkness along the side of the last van. They moved forward with automatic pistols ready. Stan picked his man, a burly officer with a flashlight. The Germans were so intent upon the arms they had found that they did not see their attackers until the boys were upon them. The burly officer was the one who sounded the alarm. He shouted loudlyas he shot his light over the raiders. Instantly the boys opened up. With pistols flaming they charged. Stan saw the general leap ahead and tear a rifle from the hands of a falling German.
For a moment the action was furious, but the fire from the forty-fives was deadly and the Germans went down or leaped away. Stan located a sack of grenades that had been removed from the car. He took out a couple and tossed them over toward the big gate. The result was all that he had hoped it would be. A dozen armed guards had been standing at the gates under shaded lights, while the machine-gun crews outside were dragging their guns around to bring them to bear inside the yard. After the second grenade exploded with a roar Stan saw nothing at the gate at all except a pile of bricks where one of the entrance pillars had stood a moment before.
"Good going, but Tony has been hit," Allison shouted. "Better get into the car!"
Arno had the engine roaring while Allison and the general were sweeping the yard with tommy-gun fire. Tony lay on the floor of the car, shoved down to keep him clear of flying lead. From the shadows all around them bulletswere whining. Stan slid in beside Arno. He could not find a tommy-gun, but he had the sack of grenades on his lap. Leaning out through the window of the car he began lobbing them at the windows of the big house. He hoped some of those he tossed would be incendiary grenades. Arno drove parallel to the house for a short distance to give Stan a chance with his grenades.
The car swerved as they passed the door. Stan was able to plant a grenade into the open door and to add another before they straightened out for the charge at the gate. They hit the pile of loose bricks lying in the entrance and one tire exploded. The car wobbled and careened but shoved through the opening without turning over.
As they smashed through, Stan saw flames leaping out of the doorway. A gaping hole in the wall, revealed by the fire, showed where one grenade had done its work. They had charged ahead only a few hundred yards and were not clear of the driveway when they saw ahead of them a small tank and two trucks. Men on foot swarmed beside the vehicle. With a roar the whole driveway ahead burst intoaction. The careening car had been sighted. Arno twisted the wheel and they plunged through a hedge and down a steep bank where the car came to halt with its radiator smashed against the trunk of a tree.
"Get the tommy-guns and grenades," Stan snapped. "Get Tony out!"
Tony was already out. "I have the wound plugged," he said in a weak voice. "I'll manage."
"We'll help you along," Stan said. "You lead the way, Arno."
"I know best how to get out of here. I was here more than Arno," Tony said. "I'll lead you."
"Give him a hand, Arno," Stan said. "They're coming through the hedge up above."
Allison and Stan opened up on a group of Germans breaking through the hedge above. Their gunfire drove the Germans back and allowed Arno and the general time to get Tony up the bank and into the woods.
Whirling, they ran up the bank and overtook the three who were waiting for them.
"Where to now?" Stan asked.
"We have to stay in the woods and keepmoving. Near the top of the ridge we'll find a small lake. There are a number of small huts up there. We can hide in one of them." Arno spoke quickly.
"But they'll search every foot of the woods and every hut," Allison objected.
"They do a very good job of hunting down escaped men," Stan agreed.
"We might fool them if we hide in the Sachetti villa. They would never think of looking for us there," Tony said.
"An excellent idea, but how can we get in without being discovered?" the general asked.
"There's an outside air shaft leading down into the cellars. It is covered with vines and there is a tree growing beside it," Tony said. "I used to be able to slide down that shaft."
"A good idea," Stan said. He was beginning to realize that Tony would not be able to travel very far or very fast. "Let's get going."
"See, they are making a circle around the woods," Tony said.
Lights were flashing above and below them. But the Germans did not seem to think it necessary to throw a line between the woods and the house. Arno and General Bolero helped Tony.Stan and Allison brought up the rear. They moved through the trees and across a garden thickly planted with shrubbery and grapevines.
Behind them the woods were filled with German soldiers. The searchers had fanned out into the valley below and upon the hills above the villa.
"Here is the shaft," Tony said as they halted in the black darkness under a tree.
Stan could see nothing that looked like a shaft or like the roof of a wine cellar.
"We must be careful not to disturb the vines or the bushes." Tony laughed softly. "Mr. Sachetti went to a great deal of trouble in hiding the cellar and the shaft. He said they ruined the beauty of his garden." Tony was pushing aside bushes as he spoke. Finally he called very softly. "Come now."
The raiders moved under the spreading branches of the tree and from there they crawled under a leafy vine. They found an open shaft with a high metal cone over it. Tony and Arno went down first. When the general tried it he had trouble squeezing down the shaft. Stan was the last to slip through. He loweredthe guns and grenades to Allison before he descended. Sliding down he found himself in total darkness.
"Now we have to hide. The Germans will be coming down here often for wine." Tony spoke eagerly. "We'll hide behind the vats containing the new crop of grapes. The Germans will drink only the old wines. They are on this side."
Feeling their way they located a row of huge barrels and crawled in behind them. Stan and Allison located themselves near the outside barrel.
"We can hear the doors open when anyone comes down here," Tony said. "The hinges are rusty and will squeak loudly."
"How about dressing your wound now, Tony?" General Bolero suggested. "I will tend to it myself."
The creaking hinges of the wine cellar door served as a warning signal to the hiding men behind the wine casks. Every time a German orderly was sent for wine they knew he was coming before he had even entered the short passageway leading into the main room. Usually the men were sent in pairs, sometimes three or four came. The men always had liberal samples of the wine before filling the decanters for the officers.
The cellar was damp and smelled of rotting wood and stale wine. The space behind the wine casks was limited and legs developed cramps as the night and the next day wore on. Belts had to be tightened over empty stomachs, but there was no complaining. Tony regained his strength and with it his belief that they would escape.
"We can't very well climb back out of thatchute," Allison said for the tenth time. "We'll have to plan some other strategy. It's threep.m.right now and we still don't have any ideas. We have to be up at that wheat field by midnight."
"I'll slip out into the hallway and have a look," Stan offered.
"And get caught," Allison said sourly.
Further talk was halted. The hinges of the door creaked dismally. Four men entered and turned on the small light over the row of old wine barrels. They talked and had a few drinks before filling the pitchers they carried. There was much laughing and joking. When they had gone, Allison translated their conversation.
"We finally have some information," he said. "The Germans blame the Italian peasants for our disappearance. They are sure the peasants spirited us away and they are taking reprisals."
"That is like them," General Bolero said sadly.
"And here is the big news. The Germans figure we have escaped and will reach the British lines in the south. They expect a bombing raid upon this spot, similar to the one on the Bolero villa. So tonight they will evacuate undercover of darkness and they will put this place, wine cellar and all, to the torch before they go." Allison laughed.
"When are they going?" Stan asked.
"They plan to get out as soon as darkness comes to cover their movements from our air force, which seems to have taken over the sky. As soon as they have evacuated they will destroy the place. I gather the high command has ordered that every place evacuated is to be destroyed in revenge for Italy's quitting the war."
"So. We have to get out of here by dark," General Bolero said. "And that we will do."
"I hope so," Stan said.
"We will evacuate with the Germans," the general said. "That is our only chance."
"Right-o," Allison agreed.
"So we may as well lay a few plans." The general seemed eager to get into action.
"We could shoot our way out," Tony suggested.
"We would do better to use our heads," the general said firmly.
"We ought to be able to take over one of the gangs sent here to get wine. The German officers will want to haul away all of this fine winethey can possibly take with them," Stan said.
"Now we're beginning to get places," Allison agreed.
For the next hour they planned and talked. Tony explained the route they would have to take to get to the field where O'Malley was to pick them up. No one said anything about O'Malley's not being there at midnight. Their big worry was to get to the field themselves.
It was well after dark, according to their watches, when things began to happen. An officer and a squad of soldiers entered the cellar. The officer barked commands at the men for a few minutes, then marched off.
The raiders crowded close to Allison to learn what had been ordered. Allison whispered his report while the men a few feet away began rolling barrels from the racks.
"They are taking the old wine. The new wine in these vats is to be poured out. The barrels are to be smashed. They have a drum of gasoline outside and will pour it into the cellar and set fire to it as they leave." Allison paused. "They have a simple method worked out for emptying these barrels. After the gasoline is set afire the men are to toss a few grenadesin here to smash the barrels and make certain the cellar is destroyed."
"We better take over right now," Stan said. "Those birds have only side arms. We'll slide out with our tommy-guns covering them. Each take a barrel and when I whistle step out."
The German workmen were startled out of their wits a second or two later when five armed men stepped out from behind barrels and covered them with machine guns and a rifle. They stared at General Bolero, blinked their eyes wildly, and then elevated their arms toward the ceiling.
"Tie them up," Stan ordered. "Take the door with Arno." He nodded to Allison. "If any more men come, cover them and bring them back here."
Tony and the general and Stan got busy. It took a little time to bind and gag eight men when the bonds and gags had to be ripped from their clothing with trench knives. Before that was finished Allison and Arno added two more noncom officers who had come in to hurry up the squad.
"I suggest we each roll a barrel outside," General Bolero said. "We can use them assomething to hide behind if we meet resistance."
"Good idea," Stan agreed. He turned to Tony. "Can we get out without charging the main gate? If we rouse the Germans, we'll be in the same spot we were in the first time we got loose."
"I don't think so," Tony answered.
The problem was solved by the appearance of an officer. He bellowed angrily into the cellar, then took a step or two into the dark passageway. That was a mistake. Allison tapped him over the head with a gun barrel and dragged him back.
"He says the villa has been fired. There is only a few minutes to load up and get out." Allison laid the officer beside his men.
"We won't tie him up. When he comes to he can free his men. I wouldn't roast even a German," Stan snapped. "Get a barrel and let's get going."
The floor and the passageway sloped gently down into the cellar because the barrels always came in full and went out empty. The boys soon discovered that it took two of them to roll a heavy barrel. They managed to get threebarrels rolling and headed for the entrance.
Outside they found a big van with a driver who was dancing up and down shouting. Three planks sloped up into the truck. The first barrel hit the planking and the boys heaved it up. The driver was yelling wildly and he had every reason to yell. The yard was as light as day. Flames licked up all around the house and the smaller buildings blazed furiously. The heat was intense and the smoke was thick.
Allison snapped an order at the driver and the fellow put a shoulder against the next barrel. No sooner had he leaned forward than Arno tapped him over the head with his pistol butt.
"Get our guns and the sack of grenades and flares," Stan shouted. "Arno, you drive."
They had two barrels in the back of the van where they could be seen. In a moment the guns and the grenades were in the truck along with Tony, the general, and Allison. Stan armed himself with a tommy-gun and rode up front with Arno.
Out at the main gate guards were shouting and waving at the van to hurry up. No Germans remained in the courtyard. Arno startedthe van and they headed for the gate. The guards wanted a ride, but Arno had gotten up speed and did not stop. They roared down the driveway and headed out into the road. Foot soldiers were everywhere. Arno slipped into a line of trucks and they chugged along toward the settlement. They reached it without mishap, though a dozen officers had shouted orders at them, and one captain had ridden several hundred yards on their running board. The complete blackout necessary to make a convoy movement safe helped a lot.
Reaching the settlement, they were directed to a grove of trees where their truck was shoved back into deep cover.
Allison came forward and got in with Stan. When an officer came along checking their load, he explained they had wine for the officers' mess and suggested it be shoved deeper into the woods to keep it from being tapped by the soldiers. The officer cleared a pathway and led them deep into the timber beyond the rest of the convoy. He ordered the crew to report to a designated spot and then rushed off.
The five raiders gathered beside the truck and broke out laughing.
"So considerate of them," Arno said.
"I have never known the German army to be so co-operative before," the general observed.
"We better be on our way," Stan said.
They gathered up their things and headed into the woods with Tony leading the way. After an hour of searching and much argument between him and Arno they finally located a trail and followed it.
Stan and Allison began to suspect the boys were lost, when suddenly they came out on a knoll. Above them, silhouetted against the starlit sky, were the two square-topped peaks.
"See," Tony said to Arno. "Now you must admit I was right."
"You were, I am sorry I argued."
"It's twenty minutes to twelve," Allison said anxiously. "How far is it to the wheat field?"
"Just a ten-minute walk," Tony answered.
"We'll hit it right on the minute," Stan said eagerly. "Lead on."
Tony led them out of the woods and into the wheat field. They checked the wind and got out their flares. Arno took one, Tony another, while Allison took the red center marker.
"Clear a space so as not to set the field of wheat on fire," Arno warned. "I'll show you how far to go."
Stan and the general went along, carrying the guns and grenades. They were about in the center of the field when they heard the roar of a plane motor. Stan listened and then grinned. The engine was a powerful radial. He was certain O'Malley was at the throttle.
The plane swooped around and around high above while the boys got spaces cleared and everything set. Arno called to the others and the flares blossomed out. Looking up into the sky they waited. The plane circled and headed in. Suddenly a barrage broke loose from a hill a half mile away. A German battery had heard the plane and had spotted the flares. The gunners were shooting at the flares and by the dirt they were lifting they seemed to be getting the range.
"He'll be blown to bits when he lands!" Arno shouted.
"We'll have to move back or get blasted ourselves," Allison called, breaking into a run.
Shells were exploding close to them, kickingdirt over them, and the barrage was swinging toward them. Overhead the plane was coming in. It roared over their heads a few feet above the barrage.
"Overshot it!" Tony yelled. "Now he'll have to try again."
"And the Germans are coming!" Stan yelled. "Get set with the machine guns!"
When a shell burst close to Allison, he stopped running. Suddenly he shouted, "He's fooled them! He's set down at the far edge of the field!"
Sure enough, the plane had landed almost at the edge of the woods. It was swinging around. They all ducked and raced toward it. Stan got there first and was greeted by O'Malley's voice from the plane.
"Sure, an' you got out the band for a welcome!"
"As soon as they spot the flare of your exhausts the welcome will get hotter!" Stan shouted back.
Loading up was only a matter of seconds, but the Germans on the hill and those charging down into the field had the Mosquito locatedand began pounding the lower end of the field. O'Malley headed into the barrage and hopped her off without getting a direct hit. They circled overhead and then swung south. Stan was seated across from O'Malley.
"Have a nice trip?" O'Malley asked with a grin.
"We did," Stan answered.
"I hear there'll be a flock o' tinware waitin' for you when you get in." O'Malley continued to grin. "The boys are bettin' ten to one that you all got shot. I'll be richer than Rockefeller when I get back." He chuckled to himself.
"Right now we could do with something to eat," Stan said as he leaned back and closed his eyes.
"Colonel Benson has a banquet spread for you. Have Allison get on the radio and tell him to put it on the table, and have him order me two apple pies." O'Malley opened the Mosquito up another notch as he thought of the pies.
Stan clicked on the intercom and got Allison. He felt, at the moment, as though he could stand a vacation, but glancing back he saw agreat fire raging with an intensity that lighted the sky for a hundred miles. The Germans were destroying the historical city of Naples. There would be no vacation.