evolution again. The theory that man is an ape who gradually evolved a bigger brain and learned to walk upright may be all wet. Perhaps it was man who started, not ape. Perhaps half or more of the original tribe got this sickness, turned from man to monkey, instead of the other way around, and stayed that way through all the centuries. Perhaps—”
“Loo,” came an impatient interruption. “If that pink stuff is the cure for what I’ve got, why don’t you give me a shot of it. I’d like to get well.”
It was Heber. He walked toward them, knees so gnarled and bent that his knuckles dragged the floor like an orangutan’s. His low forehead, with the coarse, flaming red hair an inch above the eyebrows, seemed even lower than it had been the night before.
“Of course,” said Benson. “We’ll start injections at once.”
“Mind telling me what that stuff is, exactly?” said Heber apprehensively.
“A simple antitoxin,” said The Avenger. “I used the principle already very familiar in disease preventives. From dead bacteria causing the disease, I produced this serum. It can be used to inoculate those who have not already had the disease. And injections of it should cure those who suffer from it already. So, if it is proved in a day or two by your beginning recovery, we’ll leave at once for the radium fields where Stahl is held. If he is still alive down there—”
As he spoke, The Avenger had bared Heber’s arm. He shot a bit of the pinkish stuff into the man’s veins.
Heber had come in after Smitty and Nellie entered. He had not seen their Indian captive, in his anxiety about the antitoxin. Now, for the first time, he saw the little monkey man.
He screamed like a maniac and ducked behind a chair.
“What on earth—” gasped Nellie, who had almost forgotten their souvenir. Then she saw what Heber was afraid of.
“He’s all right,” she said. “We searched him. He hasn’t any poisoned darts. He can’t hurt you.”
“Keep him away!” yelled Heber. “He’ll kill me. Or his pals will. Or that gang that almost got me in the truck. I want to get away from here!”
It was a surprising, and seemingly insane, tangent Heber had gone off on. A moment before, he had been fairly composed. Now, suddenly, all the fears he’d been running from came out on him like a rash, at sight of the harmless captive.
“I want to get out of here! They all know I’m here. They’ll bust in and murder me. I want to get away and hide!”
“That,” said Mac, “is the last thing you ought to want. To get away from here. This is the safest place in New York—”
“Let me out! Let me out!”
The Avenger looked at Josh. Such was the closeness of contact between the members of Justice, Inc., that the look was order enough for Josh.
He took Heber’s arm.
“We’ll go down to your suite,” the gangling Negro suggested. “You’re safe there. You can rest there. And we’ll be leaving for Brazil very soon now, anyway.”
Heber quieted a little. But his eyes were still wild with fright as he looked at the Indian. And he kept turning to look back at the silent, morose little native, till he had gone out the door, urged by Josh.
“That’s a funny one,” said Nellie. “All of a sudden he goes completely out of his head and wants to get away from here!” The Avenger’s face expressed no emotion, as usual. And, as usual, he did not waste words on idle speculation.
“Get that girl up here, will you, Nellie? I’d like to question her a little and see if she has recovered at all from the spider’s bite.”
The girl was so beautiful that it was heartbreaking that she should be such a moron—at least, for the time being, while the effects of the spider bite lasted. Nellie looked at her and shivered as she thought that she herself could have been in that condition if she hadn’t jerked her hand back in time at the junkyard.
At the same time, Nellie was perplexed by something she sensed rather than saw
“Loo,” came an impatient interruption. “If that pink stuff is the cure for what I’ve got, why don’t you give me a shot of it. I’d like to get well.”
It was Heber. He walked toward them, knees so gnarled and bent that his knuckles dragged the floor like an orangutan’s. His low forehead, with the coarse, flaming red hair an inch above the eyebrows, seemed even lower than it had been the night before.
“Of course,” said Benson. “We’ll start injections at once.”
“Mind telling me what that stuff is, exactly?” said Heber apprehensively.
“A simple antitoxin,” said The Avenger. “I used the principle already very familiar in disease preventives. From dead bacteria causing the disease, I produced this serum. It can be used to inoculate those who have not already had the disease. And injections of it should cure those who suffer from it already. So, if it is proved in a day or two by your beginning recovery, we’ll leave at once for the radium fields where Stahl is held. If he is still alive down there—”
As he spoke, The Avenger had bared Heber’s arm. He shot a bit of the pinkish stuff into the man’s veins.
Heber had come in after Smitty and Nellie entered. He had not seen their Indian captive, in his anxiety about the antitoxin. Now, for the first time, he saw the little monkey man.
He screamed like a maniac and ducked behind a chair.
“What on earth—” gasped Nellie, who had almost forgotten their souvenir. Then she saw what Heber was afraid of.
“He’s all right,” she said. “We searched him. He hasn’t any poisoned darts. He can’t hurt you.”
“Keep him away!” yelled Heber. “He’ll kill me. Or his pals will. Or that gang that almost got me in the truck. I want to get away from here!”
It was a surprising, and seemingly insane, tangent Heber had gone off on. A moment before, he had been fairly composed. Now, suddenly, all the fears he’d been running from came out on him like a rash, at sight of the harmless captive.
“I want to get out of here! They all know I’m here. They’ll bust in and murder me. I want to get away and hide!”
“That,” said Mac, “is the last thing you ought to want. To get away from here. This is the safest place in New York—”
“Let me out! Let me out!”
The Avenger looked at Josh. Such was the closeness of contact between the members of Justice, Inc., that the look was order enough for Josh.
He took Heber’s arm.
“We’ll go down to your suite,” the gangling Negro suggested. “You’re safe there. You can rest there. And we’ll be leaving for Brazil very soon now, anyway.”
Heber quieted a little. But his eyes were still wild with fright as he looked at the Indian. And he kept turning to look back at the silent, morose little native, till he had gone out the door, urged by Josh.
“That’s a funny one,” said Nellie. “All of a sudden he goes completely out of his head and wants to get away from here!” The Avenger’s face expressed no emotion, as usual. And, as usual, he did not waste words on idle speculation.
“Get that girl up here, will you, Nellie? I’d like to question her a little and see if she has recovered at all from the spider’s bite.”
The girl was so beautiful that it was heartbreaking that she should be such a moron—at least, for the time being, while the effects of the spider bite lasted. Nellie looked at her and shivered as she thought that she herself could have been in that condition if she hadn’t jerked her hand back in time at the junkyard.
At the same time, Nellie was perplexed by something she sensed rather than saw
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