h to the front
of the crowd and the source of all this disturbance.

"Go back," said Ortiz seriously. "I shall die, Senor Bell. There is
nothing else for me to do. But I wish to die with Latin melodrama." He
managed a smile. "I will give you ten minutes more. I can hold off the
police themselves for so long. But you must hasten, because there are
police launches."

* * * * *

He held out his hand. Bell took it.

"Good luck," said Ortiz.

"You can come--" began Bell, wrenched by the gaiety on Ortiz's face.

"Absurd," said Ortiz, smiling. "I should be murder mad within three
days. This is a preferable death, I assure you. Ten minutes, no more!"

And Bell went racing back and found Jamison rolling away the last of
the fuel drums and Paula looking anxiously for him.

"Tanks full," said Jamison curtly. "Everything set. What next?"

"Engines," said Bell.

He swung down and jerked a prop over. Again, and again.... The motor
caught. He went plunging to the other. Minutes.... They caught. He
throttled them down to the proper warming up roaring, while the air in
the enclosed space grew foul.

* * * * *

Once more to the warehouse. Ortiz shouted and waved his hand. He was
filling his pockets with hand grenades. Bell made a gesture of
farewell and Ortiz seemed to smile as he went back to hold the
entrance for a little longer.

"We're going," said Bell grimly. "Get your guns ready, Jamison, for
when the door goes up."

He pressed on the button Ortiz had pointed out. There were more
explosions and the rattle of firearms from the front of the warehouse.
There was a sudden rumble of machinery and the blank front of the
little covered dock rose suddenly. The sunlit waters of Buenos Aires
harbor spread out before them. To Bell, who had not looked on sunlight
that day, the effect was dazzling. He blinked, and then saw a fast
little launch approaching. There were uniformed figures crowded about
its bows.

"All set!" he snapped. "I'm going to give her the gun."

"Go to it," said Jamison. "We're--"

The motors bellowed and drowned out the rest. The plane shuddered and
began to move. The sound of explosions from the back of the warehouse
was loud and continuous, now. Out into the bright sunlight the plane
moved, at first heavily, then swiftly....

Bell saw arms waving wildly in the launch with the uniformed men.
Sunlight glittered suddenly on rifle barrels.