y from the mines,
some weeks before. They had made the journey in safety. Twice they had
been obliged to land to escape the fury of a storm. Wild reindeer had made
up for the scantiness of their food supply. Now they were about to alight
and enter the city of many mysteries.

Pant had already entered. The clan was gathering, gathering for stirring
events, for the development of new mysteries and the solving of old ones.
Soon, all unknown to one another, Dave and Jarvis, Pant, Johnny Thompson,
Cio-Cio-San, and Mazie would be in the same city--a city seething in the
tumult of revolt.

CHAPTER XVIII

UNDER MACHINE-GUN FIRE

By the time Johnny had left the den of Wo Cheng, night had come down upon
the city. It was by the light of a golden moon that he saw the balloon
hanging in the sky. The balloon, however, interested him little. He was
thinking only of Mazie. He had decided to make his way to a corner of the
city occupied by Japanese people of doubtful character. To do this he must
leave the street he was in and, after turning to his right, go straight
ahead for ten blocks.

He was not long in discovering that the carrying out of his plans would
put him in the greatest danger. The cross-street was jammed with Russians
who fled from the raking fire of machine guns set somewhere at the head of
that street. Johnny could still hear their rat-tat and the sing of
bullets. Men, women and children ran through the street. An aged peasant
woman, her face streaming with blood, toppled toward him, then fell. He
sprang to assist her, but two of her own people came to her aid.

"What's the rumpus?" He hazarded the question in English.

"Nobody knows," said a clean-faced young Russian. "It's the Japs shooting.
Can't tell why. Probably just nervous. Nothing was done against them,
though St. Christopher knows it's plenty we'd like to do. They want this
peninsula, and if keeping us fighting among ourselves will give it to
them, they'll win it."

"I've seen their spies two thousand miles from the last sign of
civilization."

"They are everywhere, like fleas."

"I've got to get at some of them. Think they kidnapped a friend of mine,"
said Johnny. "But how can I get past this?"

"I know a closed private alley. Want to try that?"

"I'll try anything."

"Come."

The man led the way half the distance back to Wo Cheng's door, then
suddenly opened a door in a wall.

"See. Through there."

He closed the door behind Joh