Faked Passports

"Yes, we know that."

"For that reason I am most anxious that there should be the house while you are at work. If not, you must try to hold up no shooting if it can possibly be avoided. I have brought two bombs, one explosive and the other incendiary. It is to be hoped that they will be sufficient to distract all the occupants of anyone who interrupts you until you have finished, and the more deadly your weapons the more likely a successful hold-up without bloodshed will be. To help you in this I have brought you two of our Suma automatic rifles which fire twenty-five rounds a minute and, of course, if you are compelled to fight they will give you a much better chance of escaping alive than if you were armed only with pistols."

"That was a grand thought. Did you manage to secure a plan if the house?"

"Yes." Wuolijoki drew a paper from his pocket and spread it out. "The house, as you will see, stands in its own grounds with a drive up to its front but with one of its sides abutting m a lane. The whole garden is surrounded by a wall but, 'fortunately, out there in the suburbs there will be few people about at this hour of night, so you should have no difficulty in getting in, unseen, over it. The front room on the lane side of the house is used as a dining-room. Behind it are the kitchens. The front room on the garden side of the house is used as an office. The room behind it is a private office also used for; conferences, and it is there that you will find the safe."

"All right," said Gregory, taking charge. "Then I shall place the bombs in the lane so that their explosion, which should blow a hole in the wall and set fire to it, will bring everybody running to that side of the house. If they can't get in unseen at the gate, the rest of the party will come in over the front wall the moment the first bomb goes off and break open a window of the back -room on the garden side. I shall rejoin them directly I have placed the bombs. Mr. Suki and I will then enter the house and while he works on the safe I will hold the door with one of the sub-machine-guns. In the meantime the other two will remain in the garden to deal with anybody who comes round the louse and protect our retreat. Is that all clear?"

"It will not do," Wuolijoki shook his head. "If you place the bombs in the lane they may injure or kill some innocent person who is passing at the time."

"They must be on that side of the house," Gregory insisted, in order to draw its occupants in that direction and give us a free field on entering the back room; otherwise we should be compelled to start a shooting match at once."

` I think Fredeline and I could help you there," Erika said, glancing at her cousin.

"No, no," von Kobenthal protested. "Neither of you must be mixed up in this."

"Oh, I'm not suggesting that we should play any part in the burglary or run any risk," Erika smiled, "but we could stand in the lane about a hundred yards on either side of the bomb, or far enough away to be out of danger; then if either of us saw anyone coming along at the critical moment we could engage them in conversation and keep them with us until the bomb had gone off. We could pretend that we had lost our way-or anything."

"Excellent,Frau Gräfin, excellent “Wuolijoki cried. "In that case the plan is good. Let us set off. I have my car outside so I can drop some of you there and I will wait near-by so that there will be no delay in the Colonel-Baron's handing the packet to me if he can manage to get it."

"We shall want a second car in any case," von Kobenthal said, "as we ought to have at least one in which we can make a quick get-away." He glanced at his wife… "We'll take ours, dearest, and you had better drive. You can park it at the entrance to the lane, stand a few yards from it in case you have to delay a pedestrian for a few moments, then get back into the driver's seat immediately the bomb has exploded."

"Oh, Oscar," she laughed, "how thrilling l It's almost like a gangster film, isn't it?"

"I wish we were only making a film," said Erika soberly as she looked across at Gregory.

They filed out, put on their furs, distributed the weapons and bombs and entered the two cars. Twenty-five minutes later the cars entered a long, lonely road right on the outskirts of the city and drew up a hundred yards short of the house. It was pitch-dark, as a black-out rehearsal was in progress-a piece of unexpected luck which cheered Gregory enormously, since he knew that it would make it much easier for them to get in and out over the garden-wall without being spotted by a patrolling policeman or some civic-minded citizen; which was a part of the operation that had been worrying him considerably.

Gregory, Charlton, von Kobenthal and Suki got out, and Wuolijoki turned his car round; while Fredeline von Kobenthal drove hers on, with Erika in it, to the corner of the lane. The raiding- party then made an inspection of the front wall, with the aid of a small torch which Suki carried hung round his neck so that when it was on he could work by its light with both hands free.

The wall was broken only by a single gateway, and this was of solid wood. They tried it, but it was locked, and a long bell pull that hung beside it indicated that anyone who wanted to get in had to ring for the porter. Gregory directed the other three to climb in over the wall at its furthest point from the lane, here it adjoined another property, and leaving them with a whispered "Good luck", went along to the corner, where he found Erika waiting for him near Fredeline's parked car.

With Erika beside him he proceeded along the lane until hey reached the side of the house, which was blank except for is kitchen-entrance. He set down the two bombs and the rifle hat he was carrying and took her in his arms. They clung together for a moment, then she drew herself from his embrace and disappeared down the lane in the darkness.

There was a drift of snow against the wall. Gregory dug down into it for a couple of feet, put the bombs up against the Brickwork in the bottom of the hole he had made and released the springs which Wuolijoki had told him would cause them to detonate in sixty seconds. He then began rapidly to tread the snow back on top of them with his foot, knowing that the firmer he could embed them the more shattering the explosion would be. For forty seconds he worked like a maniac, piling up the now and stamping it down; then, snatching up his automatic rifle, he ran for his life.

Chapter XV

Herr Gruppenführer Grauber Wins a Trick

STUMBLING, with every ounce of speed he could muster, through the darkness and the heavy snow that clogged his steps, Gregory had barely covered fifty yards when there was a crash like a six-inch gun behind him, a reverberating roar and the sound of tumbling bricks and mortar. Turning his head he was just in time to glimpse a lurid sheet of flame that seemed to leap right up the wall of the house and, in -its glare, he saw a score of brickbats hurtling towards him.

Next second he had flung himself flat in the drift of snow under the wall of the lane, escaping the pieces of flying brick except for one that caught him on his right foot, which was still outside the shelter angle. Jumping up again, he ran on past Fredeline von Kobenthal, who was standing on the corner, and round it, down the main street, to the extremity of the front garden. The garden wall was not a high one. Slipping one arm through the sling of his automatic rifle he ran up the slope of snow at the foot of the wall, jumped, grabbed at its top, hauled himself up and wriggled over.

On the far side he landed among some snow-covered bushes. Forcing his way through them he found a path and ran along it down the side of the house. As he ran he heard the shouts of its inmates which told him that, as he had planned, the explosion had thrown them all into confusion. Next moment lie was brought up sharp by a swift challenge; but it came from von Kobenthal, who had the other automatic rifle. He was covering his two companions further along as they worked on the window.

"Good man. Stay where you are," panted Gregory. "Don't expose yourself more than necessary-get behind a tree or something-and if anyone else comes from this direction don't challenge but fire right away. Put a couple of rounds over their heads to check them."

Leaving von Kobenthal groping through the darkness in 'search of suitable cover, Gregory hurried on. Just as he reached the other two Suki got the window open. At the same instant an electric burglar-alarm began to ring with a deafening clatter.

"Find some cover if you can, Freddie," Gregory shouted, and fire at anyone who comes round from the back of the house. 'two rounds over their heads and the next at the flash of their pistols if they attack you."

As Charlton moved off, drawing his revolver and a pistol hat von Kobenthal had lent him, Suki got the inner window open and Gregory thrust in his hand, pulling the black-out curtains aside. The room was brightly lit but empty. He could hear the shouting in the house plainly now; a first-class rumpus was in progress. Grabbing the window-sill he hoisted himself up and over it.

There were two doors to the room. One led on to the passage, and somebody had left it half-open after dashing out, as was evident from a freshly-lit cigarette, the smoke of which was curling up from an ash-tray on a table-desk near the window. 'the other led to the room at the front of the house. Gregory saw that the key was in its lock, and tiptoeing over, turned it.

As Suki came in through the window Gregory reached the passage door. This also had a key in it, but on its outer side. Swiftly transferring it to the inner side of the door Gregory locked that too.

"Quick " he whispered to Suki in German. "We must Barricade ourselves in"; and between them they dragged the heavy desk up against the passage door. It was the only large piece of furniture that the room contained, so Gregory muttered: "Get busy on the safe; I'll see to the other door"; then, exerting all his strength he carried three tall, thin steel filing-cabinets across and set them against it.

The safe was a large affair which stood in a corner of the room, between its two windows, one of which looked out on to the back garden and the other-through which Gregory and Suki had come-on to the side-garden. As was to be expected in any Gestapo office, the safe had a combination lock, but it was of the most modern type and after a swift preliminary examination Suki declared that he thought he could deal with. While Gregory piled up all the chairs and other odd pieces of furniture that he could find in jumbled barricades against the two doors Suki began to operate with swift, deft fingers on the combination lock, listening to the fall of the tumblers with each turn that he gave it.

Having completed the barricades Gregory switched out the lights so that if the Germans came round to the back of the house, broke open the window there and pulled aside the curtains he should not present an immediate target. The room was now in darkness except for the thin pencil of light shining from the torch hung round Suki's neck on to the lock; where, his small wizened face set and concentrated, he worked with frantic speed.

There was no more that Gregory could do and he crouched near the safe-breaker with his rifle at the ready, listening to the noises that percolated from the other part of the house. The shouting had now subsided and he could catch only the sound of loud, guttural voices which came to him muffled by the distance. The burglar-alarm had ceased to ring, petering out in a spasmodic jingle soon after he had fixed the barricades. Since nobody had tried to get into the room as a result of the clamour he decided that all the windows on the ground-floor, and the doors, were probably wired by the same system, and that the Nazis believed that the alarm had been set ringing by the explosion on the far side of the house. But another noise had now taken the place of the shrill ringing; it was a low, angry roar, and Gregory knew that his incendiary-bomb was doing its work in the breach that the explosive-bomb had made. The house was on fire.

He wondered anxiously if Wuolijoki had judged the size of the bomb correctly. Their objective had been to start a fire which would keep the Gestapo men occupied for a quarter of an hour or so but which, with the help of a fire-engine, could be put out. But if the bomb was too big the fire would get too great a hold to be dealt with, in which case the Nazis would abandon the fight and come running to the other rooms to save their papers and belongings before the flames spread to the rest of the house.

Suddenly the handle of the door to the passage rattled. There was a pause. It rattled again. Someone outside was shaking the door impatiently. Gregory remained as still as a mouse. Suki's fingers continued to flicker over the combination lock; his head was bent down towards it as he listened to the clicking which was almost inaudible except to anyone with his supernormal hearing. There was a sharp knock on the door and voice said:"Hlier ist Schumacher. Lassen Sie mich hinein Kommen."

On receiving no reply the man moved away. Gregory could hear his heavy footsteps as he marched down the hall. A moment later the knob of the other door rattled. On finding that also locked the man called out in a surprised voice:

"Grauber, Bind Sie dort?" And once more getting no response, he moved away from that door too.

Gregory crouched there, with his automatic rifle at the ready, praying for time. Once they started to batter in the doors the noise might be too great for Suki to catch the sound of the falling tumblers any more and all chance of getting the safe opened would be lost. Turning to the little man he whispered urgently: How are you going?"

"Fine," Suki nodded. "I'm nearly through; another few moments."

As he spoke feet sounded in the passage again. There was murmur of quick, angry voices; then a heavy rapping on the door.

"Wer ist da" cried an impatient voice, which Gregory recognized as that of Grauber. "Offen Sie sofort!"

There was another brief pause, the mutter of voices again, then a heavy body crashed against the door in an endeavour to burst it open. The woodwork strained but did not give, as the lock was a stout one and still held. Ten seconds' silence followed, then a series of deafening reports. Someone outside was blowing he lock off with an automatic.

Gregory's lips tightened. He had hoped to get through with the business and away before the arrival of the fire-brigade or police so as to avoid any risk of running up against the Finnish authorities. The fire-engine had not yet arrived or he would have heard the clanging of its bells. Wuolijoki had assured him that it would take the best part of a quarter of an hour to get out to this remote district so he reckoned that there were still some minutes to go before it could come on the scene. But one or two patrolling policemen must have heard the bomb go off, and if they had already reached the house the sound of the shots was certain to arouse their unwelcome curiosity.

The roar of the explosions had hardly subsided when heavy bodies came crashing at the door once more. The lock was shattered but the big desk still held the door in position. After few moments of frantic banging, as the men outside tried to force it, they gave up and there was another muttered consultation.

Thump Bang! Crash! A sudden assault had been launched without warning against the door leading to the front office. It strained and groaned but the weighty filing -cases prevented its being forced open. The din was still going on when there came the sound of splintering glass on Gregory's right. A second party had gone out of the house with the intention of coming in through the window that overlooked the back garden.

Poor Suki now stood with a look of despair on his face and his hands dangling by his sides. It was impossible for him to continue his operations in such a hellish clatter. Gregory knew that the doors were safe for the moment but he watched the window like a lynx. A second later the inner panes were shattered and came tinkling to the floor. In the faint glow from Suki's torch Gregory saw the black-out curtain suddenly twitch, as a hand grasped it from outside, and knew that he must wait no longer. He was within a couple of feet of the window; aiming a few inches below the place where the curtain was caught up, he fired.

There was an agonizing scream and the curtain went quite smooth again, with nothing to show what had happened except for a little round hole in it about six inches above the windowsill. At the sound of the shot the banging on the office door ceased abruptly; Suki instantly got busy again in a silence broken only by the distant roaring of the fire yet pregnant with alarming possibilities.

Gregory crouched low beneath the level of the window-sill, expecting a volley of shots to crash through the black-out curtain at any second. Suki in his corner was safe from any blind volley directed at the window and could not be hit through it, unless somebody outside got right up against the house and fired in at a sharp angle.

Suddenly two shots in quick succession sounded outside. Gregory could not tell if it was von Kobenthal or Charlton, but evidently the Nazis were now attempting to get round to the side-window of the room and had come up against one of his two friends.

There was another silence of perhaps a minute. He looked anxiously at Suki. At that very second the little man gave a chuckle of delight and swung the safe-door open. Shuffling swiftly towards him on his knees Gregory followed with acute anxiety the safe-breaker's little torch as it flickered over the safe's contents. Was his packet there, or had they risked their lives for nothing?

With frantic speed he began to tumble out bundles of documents, letters, cash-box, scattering them all over the floor; then he tried the drawers below the main compartment. His packet was lying in the second. Grabbing it up with a sudden surge of elation he thrust it under his furs and wedged it so that it could not slip down, above the belt that held his fur-coat tightly in to his body.

He had hardly done so when pandemonium broke loose. A volley of shots thudded through the black-out curtain; the sound of more shots came from outside in the garden; and at the game moment, as though they had been waiting for a signal, a third party of Nazis launched themselves in a fresh attack on the passage door.

Gregory let fly at the black-out curtain which was now riddled with small holes. As he emptied the contents of his automatic rifle into it another cry rang out, showing that his blind fire had accounted for at least one more victim.

Ramming home another clip of cartridges he swivelled round to the door that was creaking and groaning under the weight if the bodies that were being hurled against it. Suki had switched out his torch, so the corner in which they crouched was now in thick shadow. It was that which had saved Gregory from a bullet in the back; for the body of the room was still faintly lit, and the light, now Suki's torch was out, came from the passage door, showing that it had at last been forced. It was open about three inches, and the black splodge that broke the line of fight about half-way up was a hand which had been thrust through the opening, gripping an automatic.

The pistol flashed three times, sending pot-shots in various directions. Gregory raised his rifle and, firing at the flashes, sent three shots back. There was a yell as the man at the door was hit and the tearing of wood as one of the bullets grazed the door-frame. Bullets were still streaking through the window and volley after volley sounded from the side of the house. A long wail of pain came, showing that somebody out there had also been hit.

Springing up Gregory grabbed Suki by the arm. "Now we've got what we came for we must get out of here."

As they ran to the side-window the outline of a head suddenly appeared above the sill. Gregory raised his rifle but a voice cried: "Don't shoot! It's Freddie"; and Charlton began to heave himself up through the window.

"Don't come in, you fool!" Gregory yelled. "We've got the goods-now we must make our get-away."

"You can't," panted Freddie. "They're too many for us came round both sides and caught us between two fires. Von Kobenthals hit. We'll have to try to hold this room."

He was half in the window, half out, when he gave a sudden "Ouch " of pain and fell back into the garden.

"Oh God " groaned Gregory. "He's hit " And he blazed off over the sill from which Freddie had fallen. There was a rush of feet; then a crackle of answering shots which drove him back from the side-window.

With Suki beside him he took up his old position in the corner by the safe, cursing his luck that they had not been able to get it open a few minutes earlier. They might have escaped then; now they were trapped.

Bullets were whistling through both windows and the pounding on the door continued with increased ferocity. Gregory fired another burst at it, hoping that his bullets would pass between the legs of the chairs he had piled on top of the desk and penetrate the panels. For a moment the din ceased, but it was renewed almost instantly. Someone began firing from the partly-open door again, scattering bullets all over the room in the semi-darkness. Suki gave a piercing screech and grabbed his leg where one of the stray shots had caught him in the thigh. Gregory fired at the flashes in the doorway. His trigger-finger was pressed down, but after two shots the rifle went silent; he had come to the end of his reserve clip of ammunition and Wuolijoki had given him only one spare, as he had never visualized the possibility of the raiders having to fight a pitched battle.

The room was now full of acrid smoke; their eyes smarted from it and the stink of it was strong in their nostrils. Suddenly a whistle blew, the firing outside ceased and Gregory wondered anxiously what new menace this portended. Throwing down his empty rifle he thrust his hand under his furs to get the automatic which he was carrying in his hip-pocket.

At that instant there came the crash of falling furniture. Three of the Nazis had hurled themselves against the door with such force that the chairs had fallen from the top of the desk as it was jolted back. One man pitched head-foremost through the now half- open door, the other two tumbled over him into the room; a fourth switched on the lights.

Gregory's fingers had only just found the butt of his automatic and owing to the heavy clothes that he was wearing he could not draw it swiftly. Jerking away his hand he grabbed up his rifle to club it. Except for the fog of cartridge-smoke the room was now bright as day.

The two Nazis who had forced their way in had drawn their pistols and had Gregory covered, when a high-pitched shout came from the passage:

"Don't kill that man I want him” And Grauber lumbered through the doorway.

The Nazis put up their guns. Both of them were hefty, bullet-headed men. The third, who had fallen by the desk, was now on his feet again and the fourth followed Grauber into the room.

Suki was lying groaning in the corner clutching his wounded thigh from which the blood ebbed slowly. Gregory had only just grasped his rifle. He was on his feet but had no time to draw himself erect before the two leading Nazis came at him with a rush. He dodged a blow that one aimed at his head, but the other kicked him in the ribs and sent him spinning sideways. He managed to land his foot in one fellow's groin as he went over, and the man gave a howl of agony, but next moment he was on the floor and the other three Strong-Arm men had flung themselves on top of him.

The breath was driven out of his body. He was kneed, kicked and pummelled until, incapable of further resistance, he was lugged to his feet with his hands twisted behind him and found himself looking into Grauber’s face.

Herr? Gruppenführer Grauber had never been a handsome man at the best of times. He was strong but paunchy and his bull neck rose to a cannon-ball head with fair hair, cut en brosse. His face was pasty and his eyes had been a muddy, nondescript colour under his almost-white eyelashes: but now there was only one of them. Gregory himself had bashed out the other with the butt-end of an automatic and the wound was covered by a large black patch. After one glance at the safe Grauber advanced on Gregory with a mincing step.

"So! Mr. Sallust," he said in his high falsetto, "you re up to your old tricks and you thought you'd rob me. But it is not so easy to break into a Gestapo Headquarters."

With a swift, catlike movement he wrenched open Gregory's furs and ramming his hand inside drew out the big packet.

"Thank you," he smiled. "Now we will find out the name of the traitor in Berlin who gave you these. Take him down to the cellar, men. I'm sure my ingenuity will be sufficient to make him talk."

Chapter XVI

A Question of Identity

Gregory had an excellent memory. He did not need to be reminded of what Grauber had done with the lighted end of a cigar to poor old Tom Archer's eyes. Only six weeks before, on his secret visit to London. He recalled, too, with the utmost vividness the acid-bath in the secret Gestapo Headquarters in Hampstead and the frightful death which Grauber's lieutenant, Karl, had inflicted upon the unfortunate Jacob Rosenbaum. No-one had better reason than himself to know that the Gestapo were every bit as merciless outside Germany as in it if they once got an enemy into their clutches.

With racing brain he endeavoured to assess his own chances. ',Now that the firing had ceased and he had not rejoined Wuolijoki the diplomat would know that the attempted burglary had failed and would assume the raiding party to be wounded or dead. Wuolijoki had made it quite clear that, anxious as he was to have Goering's report for submission to his Government, his official position made it impossible for him to play any part in this legal affair. Finland was not only at peace with Germany but in the Finnish War of Independence Germany had been her sole ally. For twenty years the relations between the two countries had been excellent-right up to the time of the Russo-German alliance in the previous August and, in spite of that, were still good. They might be most seriously damaged by a Finnish Foreign Office official's participating in what amounted to be a gangster-raid on the Helsinki Gestapo Headquarters. Gregory felt that he could not possibly count on any help from Wuolijoki.

Erika and Fredeline von Kobenthal would still be waiting anxiously outside. But what could they do apart from endeavouring to comfort each other for the non-reappearance of their men out of the desperate shooting-affray which they must have heard? Other people, too, must have heard the shooting, even in such a sparsely-populated neighbourhood. The fire was still roaring, so by this time quite a crowd must have gathered outside; but during the hectic quarter of an hour which had elapsed since the bombs went off Gregory had not heard the clanging of the fire-engine bell, so he felt certain that the fire brigade had not yet got out there.

What would happen when the fire-brigade did turn up, or when the police, some of whom must be on the premises by now, began to ask questions? The local civilians would certainly tell them about the shooting. Grauber would satisfy their inquiries by saying that a gang of bandits had attacked the place and been driven off; upon which it was unlikely that further inquiries would be made until the morning; and Gregory had good reason to believe that by the morning he would have cashed in his cheques after a lingering and most painful death.

As two of the Nazis began to drag him towards the door a third said: "Is it safe to put him in the cellar, Chief? They haven't got the fire under yet."

Grauber's one eye narrowed and Gregory saw his last hopes fading as the Gestapo Chief considered the best means of preventing any interference between himself and his prisoner. "True," he said: "and the fire-brigade may be arriving at any moment. Go and get Flugel."

As they waited there Grauber filled in the time by getting a little of his own back on the enemy who had caused him such acute mental and bodily distress. While the two Nazis held Gregory upright the Gruppenführer swung his fist and caught him a smashing blow in the middle of the face. His upper lip was cut against his teeth, his nose began to bleed and the pain from it caused the water to start to his eyes and run down his cheeks.

"How do you like that, Mr. Sallust?" Grauber asked in his thin, piping voice. "It is only one-thousandth part of what is coming to you."

He swung his fist again, this time hitting Gregory not on the chin but just below it so that his collar-stud was driven home, like a small hammer, on to his Adam's apple. The pain was excruciating and by reflex action Gregory immediately began to vomit.

Gregory knew both these blows and had used them himself upon occasion; one to make a man cry, the other to make him sick; and in his pain-racked mind he wondered what the Gestapo Chief would deal out to him next. Perhaps he would put on one of the leather gloves that still lay on the desk and strike him a glancing blow across the cheek, which Gregory very well knew, by the sharp drag of leather on skin, would lay his face open from the corner of his eyebrow to his chin; but he was saved from that by the appearance of a short, gorilla-like man who had the look of a professional wrestler.

"Well, Flugel?" Grauber turned to him. "How are you doing?"

"We're getting the fire under, Chief. Good thing we had those chemical extinguishers; but we had no chance to fetch them from the bedrooms until we'd mopped up the men outside. A crowd has collected out in the street, but so far only three policemen have put in an appearance. I told them that we'd been attacked by Jewish Communists who had made their escape into the darkness after an exchange of shots. As all the Finns loathe Communists they seemed to think it a pity that we hadn't killed some of them, and now they're helping our fellows to put out the fire."

At that moment they all caught the sound of a clanging bell and shouting from the street as the fire-engine drove up.

"They'll be coming through the house in a minute," Grauber said quickly. "We don't want them to see that we've taken any prisoners so we'd better not take this man out through the hall." He nodded at the two men who were holding Gregory. "Get him out through the window and take him down to the shed at the bottom of the garden. No-one is going to look down there for the people who attacked us. Take his little friend who forced the safe with him, and if either of them starts to shout bang them over the head. But don't kill the Englishman; I'll attend to him myself later."

Gregory knew that it was no use trying to argue. If he attempted a big bluff, that they had better be careful, as friends of his in Helsinki knew where he had gone and would come in force to rescue him if he did not return to them by eleven o'clock, Grauber would first laugh at the threat and would then probably kill him on the spot in case there was some truth in his assertion.

The two Nazis marched Gregory towards the back window; a third hauled the groaning Suki to his feet. Gregory could hear the firemen stamping into the front hall now; but he dared not shout for help as it would only have resulted in his being knocked out.

Suddenly a head appeared in the window at the side of the house and a gruff voice said in German, with a heavy Finnish accent: "What's going on here?"

The whole party turned to stare as a police captain hoisted himself up over the sill and slid into the room. To Gregory's unutterable relief he was followed by Wuolijoki; and more men game crowding in behind them. The Finnish diplomat had arrived with a squad of police.

As Grauber recognized the officer's uniform his manner changed instantly; he became again the urbane, plausible, mild mannered business man which was his usual pose when outside Germany.

"Ah How timely your arrival,Herr Hauptman " he smiled. `We have been attacked by Jewish Communists; they placed a bomb at the far side of the house which has partly shattered t and started a fire. While we were trying to put it out they broke open our safe to steal important papers which are the property of the German Government."

"That's a lie," Gregory interrupted. "You were not attacked by Communists and we did not come here to steal papers that are the property of the German Government."

Grauber ignored him and hurried on: "Fortunately, we discovered them before they managed to get away; but they fired on us, wounding a number of our men, and in self-defence we were compelled to fire back. Some of them are out in the grounds, but these two we took prisoner here."

"Those papers that you are holding," declared Gregory impressively, "are the property of His Britannic Majesty; you secured them this morning, under false pretences, from the management of the Hotel Kamp with whom they had been lodged for safe-keeping. I came to demand them back and you and your men fired upon me and my friends without warning."

The story was thin-thin as tissue-paper-since it did not account for the bomb or the looted safe and the presence of Suki, who was known to the Finnish police as a safe-breaker. Yet, while he could not say that the papers had been given to him by Marshal Goering, by dragging in the British Government he gave himself at least some sort of title to them, and he knew that he Finns would think twice before allowing British official documents to remain in German hands after an allegation that they had been stolen. Moreover, it was just the cue that Wuolijoki needed.

Stepping forward the little man extended his hand abruptly to Grauber. "I am an official of the Finnish Foreign Office.

Those papers will be safe in my keeping until such time as this dispute has been settled and we have ascertained to whom they rightly belong. Kindly hand them over to me."

"I protest," exclaimed Grauber swiftly. "In the name of the German Government, of which I am a high officer, I demand the right to retain this packet."

"As a representative of His Britannic Majesty's Government I demand that it should be handed back to me," Gregory declared with equal force.

"You see?" Wuolijoki shrugged his shoulders and looked from one to the other. "The only possible course is that I, as a neutral, should take charge of it until the question of their ownership is settled."

"No," said Grauber. "I don't know you; I refuse to give these papers up."

"I know the gentleman all right," said the police captain; "he is Monsieur Wuolijoki, of the Finnish Foreign Office. There's been quite enough trouble here to-night already. You'd better do as he suggests."

"And if I resist?" Grauber's face went deadly white and his hand moved towards the pocket into which he had slipped his automatic.

"Then we'll have to take them from you." The captain jerked his head over his shoulder. "I've got six men here and there are plenty more outside. You’l1 find yourselves in grave trouble if you resist the police. Now then, hand those papers over! "

As Grauber reluctantly extended the packet to Wuolijoki Gregory sighed with relief. Goering's report would be laid before Field-Marshal Mannerheim in less than an hour. He had fulfilled his mission after all.

The police captain glanced towards the two Nazis who were holding Gregory. "Release that man."

Grauber stepped forward. "I will not allow this. He is a bandit: he broke into this house; he fired upon my friends. It is monstrous that he should be allowed to go free."

"Easy, easy," replied the officer. "Who said he was to be allowed to go? I'm taking him and the whole lot of you to police headquarters; and you'll remain there until we get to the bottom of this affair."

"What?" From deadly white Grauber's face suddenly became crimson as the blood rushed into it. "You mean to arrest me and my friends? What about the fire? And look; this room that has been half-wrecked-all my papers scattered about the floor."

"That's all right. The fire-brigade will deal with the fire and f shall leave a couple of my men on guard here. Nobody will '.interfere with your papers.

"But many of them are secret documents."

"I can't help that. There was shooting on both sides, so all of you are coming with me."

Gregory had the greatest possible difficulty in suppressing a; grin. His only regret, apart from his anxiety as to what had happened to Freddie and von Kobenthal, was that he had not! had time to destroy Grauber's papers once the safe was open; but he felt certain that Wuolijoki would have the good sense: to get one of the Finnish Secret Service people out there in order go through them during the night.

The police captain suddenly stepped towards Grauber and '.laid a hand on the pocket that bulged With his automatic. "I'll relieve you of this for the time being," he said, and signed to 'his men, who collected the pistols of the other Nazis.

The whole party was then led across the hall, out of the front door and through the garden, to the street where, in a space that had been cleared of a curious and growing crowd, two policeman were waiting. Another squad of police was sent in to collect the Nazis who were still dealing with the fire and to search for others in the house and grounds. Meanwhile the first batch of prisoners was sorted out.

Grauber and his men were put into one van, and Gregory and Suki into the other. As he stepped into it Gregory was intensely relieved to find Charlton and von Kobenthal there. Freddie was only just recovering from a blow from a pistol-butt which had caught him on the back of the head as he was standing it the window and had temporarily knocked him unconscious; out von Kobenthal was wounded both in the shoulder and in the right arm.

They had barely exchanged greetings when the torch of the policeman who was lifting Gregory into the van shifted, revealing Erika further inside it. Caution demanded that she should conceal her elation in front of the policeman but she could not altogether repress the look of joy which suddenly suffused her face as she saw Gregory alive and unharmed, and immediately the van doors were closed she flung herself into his arms.

"What on earth are you doing here, my pet " Gregory whispered as the van jolted into motion.

"I was caught by a civilian," she answered quickly, "a man who entered the lane from my end just before the bomb went off. I stopped him and pretended I had lost my way, just as we arranged. Then the explosion occurred and he thought that I must have had something to do with it, so in spite of my protests he hung on to me until the police turned up. But what does it matter-what does anything matter except that you're alive and safe? My heart nearly choked me with every shot that was fired."

Gregory grinned into the darkness of the speeding van as he held her tight. "Yes. It was a pretty tough business and I was lucky to come out of it better than the rest. But we got the packet all right; Wuolijoki has it now, so it's on it's way to Mannerheim."

"Oh, splendid, darling-splendid! Did you see Grauber?"

"Did I not! " Gregory could still taste the salt blood that had been running from his nose. "The swine cornered me and I'm afraid I won't be much to look at for the next few days, darling, but the police arrested him and all his boy-friends as well as us and they're on the way to police headquarters in another van."

"How about Fredeline?" Erika suddenly asked; and von Kobenthal answered out of the darkness

"She got away all right; I saw her standing among the crowd as I was led out. She saw me, too, so-thank God-she knows that I'm not dead."

"What D’you think they'll do to us?" Freddie inquired.

"Nothing," said Erika promptly. "Wuolijoki will fix it somehow so that we're released to-morrow morning."

At police headquarters the wounded were helped out and the little party was put into a bleak waiting-room furnished with pitch-pine. A large stove roared in the corner and the heat was almost unbearable after the intense cold outside. The police captain came in to take their names. Erika, Charlton, von Kobenthal and Suki gave theirs without hesitation, but Gregory found himself in a most disagreeable quandary. As he had claimed to be a representative of the British Government the officer would think it extremely strange if he gave the name of von Lutz; yet if he gave that of Gregory Sallust the British Legation in Helsinki would equally disclaim all knowledge of him. However, it didn't much matter what the police thought, so long as Wuolijoki was not given the least reason to suppose that there was anything phoney about Marshal Goering's emissary. Wuolijoki would have assumed, Gregory felt certain, that he had only claimed to be British in front of Grauber as a ruse to contest the true ownership of the papers and provide a reason for their being given into a neutral's keeping. The diplomat would expect Gregory to disclose his German identity once he was out of Grauber's presence, so after having pretended for a moment not to have heard the officer's question Gregory gave his name as Colonel-Baron von Lutz. The captain blinked, but he was a stolid man; he made no comment and went off to make his report, leaving two policemen with them.

A few minutes after he had gone a doctor came in to make a first examination of the wounds of von Kobenthal and Suki. He declared that none of the injuries was serious, and having applied first-aid dressings, said that he would later attend to them properly. Twenty minutes elapsed; then the party was led along a passage to the room of the Chief of Police. The officer who had arrested them was with him.

The Chief of Police was a grizzled-haired man with a sweeping moustache. He spoke in German, telling them all to be seated. He then signed to the captain and the men who had brought them to leave the room and, when the door was closed, said abruptly: "I don't pretend to know what lies at the bottom of this affair but I have received a note from Monsieur Wuolijoki asking me to give you every consideration possible. In consequence, if you are prepared to pledge me your word that you will not attempt to escape I shall not put you in cells for the night."

They all voiced their agreement to his proposal and he went on:

"That is satisfactory, because as two of you are wounded they would normally be sent to the infirmary; but owing to the crisis every hospital in Helsinki has now been evacuated in case of an unprovoked air-attack. We wish to keep every bed free; but I can give you a room where beds will be made up for you and those of you who are unwounded can then look after the others."

"I am quite prepared to act as nurse," Erika volunteered.

The police chief nodded. "In that case you can remain with your friends,Frau Gräfin; otherwise I was going to provide you with separate accommodation." He pressed a buzzer on his desk and a police orderly appeared. Having thanked the Chief of Police for his courtesy they said good-night and filed out into the passage.

The orderly led them up to the fourth floor and into a room which looked as though it was used as a lounge by some of the Finnish detectives. It had a large table, numerous chairs and three sofas. The doctor rejoined them a few minutes later, bringing with him two more orderlies who carried piles of bedding.

Von Kobenthal and Suki were helped to undress and their wounds were properly bathed and bandaged while Gregory washed the blood from his bruised face. One bullet had gone through the fleshy part of von Kobenthals arm and- the other was lodged in his shoulder. Extracting it was a painful business but he stood it well and they then got him into a bed that had been made up on one of the sofas. Suki's wound was only a long cut where a bullet had grazed the upper part of his thigh and he declared himself quite comfortable when they had tucked him up in a second bed. Three others were then made up, one on the remaining sofa for Erika and two on the floor for the unwounded men; after which the doctor and the orderlies departed, locking the door behind them.

Gregory dimmed the light so that the wounded men should have a better chance of getting off to sleep; then he sat himself down beside Erika on her sofa and told her in a low voice the details of what had occurred inside the Gestapo Headquarters.

When he had done she smiled, and said: "Well, thank God that's over, and I feel sure we'll all be free to-morrow. It's rotten luck, though, that we should have to spend the first night of our reunion like this."

Gregory felt as badly about it as she did but they tried to console themselves with the thought that they were at least together again, and after a while he urged her to lie down and get some sleep. But she would not hear of it, as she meant to look after von Kobenthal and Suki through the night and the doctor had left with her various items, such as Veganin tablets to give the men if they were in pain and barley-water for them to drink if they were thirsty.

For a time the two of them sat silent in order to give the others a chance to get off to sleep; then, when snores told them that their object was accomplished, they lay down together and exchanged more detailed accounts of all that had happened to them during the three weeks they had been separated.

At seven o'clock police orderlies came in to rouse them. A police matron appeared, who took charge of Erika and led her away to the women's section where she was able to have a steam bath and tidy herself; while the orderlies took Gregory and Freddie to the men's baths where they had their first experience of the national manner in which the Finns cleanse themselves.

They stripped, and, instead of an ordinary bath, were led into a steam-room where the temperature was very high and they sweated profusely. Afterwards they were given large towels with which to rub themselves down and were lent razors so that they could shave.

On returning to their room they found Erika washing the two wounded men and, in due course, a good, plain breakfast for all five of them was brought up.' The doctor appeared at nine o'clock and after examining the two invalids he reported that the wounds were clean and that both were doing 'well. Suki's wound was so slight that the doctor measured him for crutches and said that he would be able to get up the following day.

The doctor having gone Gregory insisted that Erika should get some sleep and Freddie said that Gregory ought to do so too, volunteering to look after the other two while they slept; but they did not get very long, as at half past ten Fredeline von Kobenthal was shown in, having obtained permission to see her husband.

When she had fussed over Oscar and assured herself that they were being well looked after she told them that in spite of the fact that the Finns still remained outwardly calm the underlying feeling that in a few hours the crisis would reach a head was stronger than ever. From an early hour that Wednesday morning long before the late winter dawn-everybody in Helsinki had been out and about making feverish preparations against the Russian onslaught, as rumour now had it that the Finnish Government had definitely determined to resist; which looked as though Goering's report was having due effect.

Fredeline was allowed to stay for an hour and, being satisfied that her husband was not dangerously wounded and that they would all be released quite shortly, she amused them with her chatter. Soon after she had gone a midday meal was served, but no official came up to see them so they remained in ignorance as to how their case was being regarded, until Wuolijoki was shown in at half past four. He looked extremely worried and when they questioned him he said at once:

"After seeing the report Marshal Mannerheim determined to make the strongest possible stand and early this morning he submitted his views, together with the report, to the Cabinet, who are still considering their decision. But I did not come about that." He turned his glance on Gregory. "I wish to know who you are?"

Gregory stimulated blank surprise. "But I told you yesterday, I am Colonel-Baron von Lutz."

"I'm not quite satisfied about that."

"Really " Gregory shrugged. "My credentials are all in order. You saw both my passport and the letter from Field Marshal Goering, so what possible reason can you have for suddenly questioning my identity?"

"But you had two passports," Wuolijoki persisted; "the German one which you showed me, and a British passport-in the name of Mr. Gregory Sallust-which you presented on your arrival at the air-port here. Then, last night in front of me you claimed that you were acting on behalf of the British Government."

"True. But I couldn't possibly admit, in front of members of the Gestapo, that I was acting on behalf of Field-Marshal Goering. I had to lay some claim to the papers-and that seemed to me as good as any."

"It is curious, to say the least of it, that you should have, arrived here piloted by a British Air Force officer."

"Flight- Lieutenant Charlton agreed to fly me to Helsinki as the price of his liberty. I told you that yesterday."

"Perhaps. But having carried out his part of the bargain why should he involve himself further in your affairs? He is an Englishman; while you say that you are a German. England and Germany are at war. It is not natural that two enemies should agree to risk their lives together in the way that you two did last night."

"It was my idea entirely," Freddie volunteered. "I simply couldn't resist the chance of having a cut at some of those swine in the Gestapo."

"Well- we shall see," Wuolijoki said non-committally; and Gregory did not like his tone at all.

Although he did not show it he had an unpleasant premonition that he might soon find himself in very serious trouble. This impostor business was a great game so long as nobody could check up on one, but in order to keep Goering out of it he had had to play a dual role in Finland-landing there as an Englishman so that the Gestapo should not suspect that he had come from Germany, then posing as a German so that Wuolijoki should readily accept him as Goering's envoy. He remembered Goering's telling him that Wuolijoki was half German, through his mother, which accounted for the fact that the diplomat was distinctly anti-British in his outlook. He had

accepted Freddie without open hostility the night before, evidently considering him as no more than a pawn in the game, but if he once secured definite proof that Gregory was also an Englishman the fat would be in the fire. He would regard himself as having been tricked, start looking for hidden motives which did not exist and probably withdraw any protection he was at present prepared to give them, and on which their fate now hung, on account of his inbred enmity for the British.

"I take it we can rely on you to get us out of this?" Gregory said with an assurance he no longer felt; and he waited with acute anxiety for the Finnish diplomat's answer.

Chapter XVII

The Trials of An Impostor

VUOLIJOKI regarded Gregory with a distrustful stare as he replied: "The present situation is none of my seeking. The last thing I wished was that a shooting affray should result from your suggestion of burgling the Gestapo Headquarters. Now, unfortunately, the matter has become a diplomatic incident. The German Minister here made the strongest possible protest to my Government this morning about the arrest of the Gestapo men, and since it cannot be concealed that your party were the aggressors we have been compelled to release them; whereas you people must remain under arrest."

"D'you mean that the Finnish police are going to charges against us?" Erika asked indignantly.

Wuolijoki looked uncomfortable."Frau Gräfin, it is true hat I sponsored this venture unofficially and even assisted it by supplying bombs and the best arms to utilize in a hold-up; but I did warn all concerned that in the event of any shooting ,our friends would be held responsible by the Finnish law. In the fight last night four Gestapo men were wounded-one of them very seriously. God knows, I did not wish to bring the police into this affair but after the shooting had been going on for a few minutes I realized that the only way to get your friends out of the place alive was to have them arrested; so I went off in my' car and collected a squad of police from the nearest station."

"Yes; you certainly saved our lives," Gregory agreed. "But what is to happen now? You know as well as I do the reason why we raided the place. Through the raid you were enabled to secure those documents which are so vital to Finland and which will be of inestimable value to her if she decides to defend herself. Surely you don't propose to abandon us after we have -rendered your country such a signal service?"

"First I must know if you are, in fact, Colonel-Baron von

Lutz or Mr. Gregory Sallust, and an inquiry is in process which I trust will reveal your true identity. When I have that information I shall know how to act."

`Here are these damnably awkward suspicions cropping up again,' thought Gregory uneasily. `Perhaps if I test out the fellow's reactions to the possibility that I might be one of the British he appears to hate so much, we'll learn a little more where we stand,' So he shrugged and said: "Just supposing that on some trumped-up evidence you did decide that I was an Englishman, what difference would that make? It was I who got Marshal Goering's report to Finland for you, and that's the only thing that really matters."

"Not at all 1 " Wuolijoki gestured violently "Whether you're a German or an Englishman makes a great deal of difference. If you are a German you have acted with me in good faith and there can be no reason to doubt that those documents are genuine. In that case I shall feel a definite obligation to get you out of this trouble. I cannot alter the Finnish law but I could arrange for the Finnish police to connive at your escape."

"Thank you; that is no less than what I expected," Gregory said quietly, but the half-German Finn ignored his interruption and hurried on

"If, on the other hand, you are an Englishman you have lied to me for some reason best known to yourself. It may be that you are an agent provocateur and that all those documents which you brought to Finland were forged with the object of inducing Finland to go to war as a pawn in the game that the Western Powers are playing-caring nothing for her, but just so that Russia should be distracted from sending supplies to Germany for a few weeks. If they are forgeries the details in them can no longer be facts culled from an authoritative source. If we act upon them, and they are incorrect, thousands of Finnish soldiers may lose their lives in consequence of alterations in our strategy. In such a case you will have acted as the betrayer of my country, instead of as its friend, and I shall not lift one finger to avert such consequences as may come to you as a result of the affair last night."

Before Gregory could speak again Wuolijoki bowed to Erika and, turning sharply on his heel, left the room.

"Are you an Englishman?" von Kobenthal suddenly asked from his bed.

"Yes," Gregory replied frankly. "I'm sorry I had to deceive you about that; but the whole situation was so damnably implicated and my one anxiety was that Wuolijoki should have no reason to question the authenticity of the report; otherwise he would never have supplied us with bombs last night

" without bombs we should have been powerless to pull the job off."

"The report we risked our lives for was faked, then," said on Kobenthal bitterly. "You swine! "

"Good God, no " Gregory took no notice of the abusive epithet. "I give you my word of honour that every one of those documents is absolutely genuine. We flew direct to Helsinki with them from Karinhall.'.'

Freddie nodded. "That's so. I'll give you my word on that as well."

Von Kobenthal frowned. "You expect me to believe that Goering would trust an Englishman with such a mission?"

"You don't understand, Oscar," Erika hurried into the reach. "Mr. Sallust is an English agent but he has proved himself our friend. It was he who made possible the ArmyPutsch of November the 8th, and Uncle Jocheim decorated him with the Iron Cross for his services. Goering knew that he was an Englishman but also knew that he could be trusted."

"I see," said von Kobenthal slowly. "Well, I suppose if von Pleisen decorated him he must be one of us. It seems a queer business, though, that we should be hand-in-glove with an Englishman when our two countries are at war."

"No queerer than that you should have consented to go in with Charlton, here, last night," Gregory pointed out.

"No; but the whole thing was arranged so swiftly that there wasn't much time to think about it then."

"Our interests were entirely identical; you must agree about that."

"Yes, that's true; but since you are an Englishman, what's going to happen if Wuolijoki finds that out? The whole report will be discredited as a fake and we'll have landed ourselves in pretty mess for nothing."

Gregory smiled. "Oh, no. If the report had been faked they would have discovered that before now. You can bet that the Finnish Secret Service were working on it all last night and all day. They must have quite a bit of information about Russia themselves. The report will check with that and amplify it; them selves if there are lots of discrepancies and improbabilities in the Finns would know that it was a fake-even if Goering had handed it to them himself. No. We've done our job, all right, and the report will do its work."

"In that case we haven't much to worry about," said Freddie optimistically. "Directly Wuolijoki is convinced that the report is genuine he'll become friendly again and get us all out of here."

"That's the spirit, Freddie, my boy " Gregory patted him on the back. He was by no means certain that Charlton's reasoning was logical, as it failed to take into account Wuolijoki’s extremely anti-British bias, which Gregory now considered to be their gravest danger; but he welcomed the cheery confidence of the airman, whose whole personality seemed to have changed since the day before when he had so unexpectedly found his Angela. All through their time in Germany he had been suspicious, difficult and pessimistic, whereas for the last twenty four hours he had been willing, easy and amazingly cheerful; so the last thing Gregory wished to do was to damp his newfound optimism. For the morale of the whole party, too, it was much better that they should no longer dwell upon Wuolijoki's change of attitude-at least, until they had some more definite reason to fear that it might bring serious consequences on themselves. He therefore loudly declared that Freddie was right, and proceeded to change the conversation.

Dinner- time came at last and, shortly afterwards, the doctor appeared to have another look at his patients. With him he brought a pair of crutches for Suki and the news that the United States had offered to arbitrate in the Russo-Finnish dispute.

The day had been one of great strain in the Finnish capital, so the doctor told them. Everywhere the whole population had been working frantically on last-minute preparations to face the onslaught of their giant antagonist; evacuating children, sandbagging buildings, preparing yet more and more beds in the buildings that had been taken over as temporary hospitals. All the younger men of the nation had been mobilized for weeks and were already at their war stations on the Mannerheim Line and along the chain of lakes and canals which form the Russo Finnish frontier north of Lake Ladoga; but in the last few days many more classes had been called up. The streets were full of middle-aged reservists going off to join their units while men of any age up to seventy-and older-were drilling in the fire fighting and ambulance squads against the possibility of devastating air-attack.

That was the great danger. The Finnish Air Force was absolutely negligible compared to the thousands of planes which the Russians could put into the air. Unlike London at the Beginning of the war, Helsinki had no balloon-barrage and very few anti-aircraft guns for its defence, yet, according to the doctor, the people were wonderfully calm in spite of the great danger which threatened them and which they could do so very little to avert if it were once launched for their destruction. The women were proving as brave as the men and doing men's work; filling the sand-bags, digging air-raid trenches and taking over a thousand and one jobs so that their men-folk could don their uniforms and go to the front. Nevertheless, that Wednesday had been one of terrible tension and the news of the American offer of mediation had been received with inexpressible relief.

America, the doctor went on, had always had especially friendly feelings towards his country because Finland was the only European nation which had honoured its debt and paid up in full the American loan made in the last Great War. True, the loan was not a very large one, but the thought that a small country that was by no means rich should have managed to meet its obligation, when other much wealthier and more powerful countries had failed, had appealed to American sentiment. The American people were passionate believers in democracy, too, so it was certain that they would not let Finland down. If the United States mediated. Finland might have to accommodate Russia on certain points-such as demilitarizing some of her island fortresses, giving trade concessions and allowing the Russians access to her ice-free port of Petsamo in he far North-but the great American people would see to it hat Finnish independence was preserved.

"I wouldn't count too much on that," Gregory advised him. 'I'm sure that the American statesmen would like to help you, and also many of the more cultured Americans, but unfortunately the fate of Europe means very little to the millions who live in the Middle West. In spite of papers and radio the bulk of them are still much more remote from world affairs than most if us are apt to imagine. They've known one war in their lifetimes and they can't see any earthly reason why they should be dragged into another, just because what they regard as a lot of lunatics five thousand miles away from them have started to slit one another's throats; and no political party dare go against them, for fear of losing votes at the next election."

"That I do not believe," said the doctor; "and if Russia refuses the just settlement which President Roosevelt will propose, the Americans will be so indignant that they will make our cause their cause and send us arms and supplies."

"I trust you're right," replied Gregory slowly. He felt that now the United States had made this offer of mediation it indirectly involved them to the extent that the Finns would be even more ready to fight, believing that they had America behind them, should the Russians refuse a settlement of arbitration; and anything which even partially relieved him of the awful responsibility of inducing this little nation to resist its giant neighbour by force of arms came as a great comfort at the moment.

When the doctor had hurried away to assist in the preparations against air-attack which were still going forward, it was decided that in order that all of them could get some sleep that night Erika, Gregory and Freddie should take watches of three hours each, in case their two wounded companions needed any-, thing, while the others slept. Erika took the first watch, from ten o'clock until one, Gregory took the second, from one till four, and Freddie the third, from four till seven.

Soon after seven o'clock the orderlies arrived and escorted the unwounded members of the party, together with Suki on his crutches, to the steam-baths; and on her return Erika set about washing von Kobenthal. Breakfast was brought up for them at eight, and a few moments later, while one' orderly was still setting it out on the table, the other, who had temporarily left the room, suddenly came dashing back into it.

He spoke rapidly to his companion in Finnish, who thereupon turned to the prisoners and said in German: "It has come. We are at war. At eight o'clock the Russians launched a full scale attack on the Mannerheim Line."

"But I thought America was going to mediate," Gregory exclaimed.

The man shook his head. "That was last night. Before our Government even had time to accept the offer the Russians broke off diplomatic relations as a result of the strong Note which we sent earlier in the day." Picking up his tray the man hurried from the room.

"It looks as though Goering's report did the trick after all, then," Freddie remarked cheerfully.

Gregory nodded. "Yes. It must have been that which caused the Finns to send the strong Note that the orderly spoke of. The Government was definitely for giving in after the Russian air-demonstration here on Tuesday. The report must have changed their views and-and been the means of making them dig their toes in."

For once in his life Gregory seemed stupefied and sat gloomily silent, thinking of the weight of woe which he had been responsible for bringing on that small and gallant people; but Erika guessed what was in his thoughts and, taking his hand, said gently:

"Lieebchen, which would you rather do if you were a Finn? Go out and die for what you believe is right-as they are going to do-or, if we had been able to get married, see our property confiscated and us separated, with you working as a slave in the Russian mines of the Urals or the Don Basin, and me being sweated in some factory where in my off-time I was the plaything of the Russian overseers?"

He shrugged. "You needn't ask, darling; you know the answer."

"Well, cheer up, then! However much misery may come to Finland as a result of this war, you have done right; not only just acted in what you considered to be the best interests of your own country but right as a man in giving the Finns the opportunity to do what you would do yourself."

Breakfast was a depressing meal, as although with their knowledge of the contents of Goering's report they had all felt confident the night before that Finland could hold the Mannerheim Line until help reached her, they now began to have uncomfortable doubts about it. Was the Finnish Army really as good-small though it was-as people had been led to believe? And were the Russian masses really so ill-trained and ill equipped apart from their great fleets of unwieldy tanks? Were the forts of the Mannerheim Line really of the strength that had been claimed for them? Or had that just been bluff on the Finns' part and were they in fact, like the Czech "Maginot Line", just concrete emplacements, many of which had no guns in them? What effect would the terrific Russian air-armada have on the campaign? Would it play the same part as the German Air Force had played in Poland-harrying communications, blasting bridges, railways and crossroads-so that the Finnish rear became utterly disorganized and neither supplies nor reserves could be got up? Then, even if the Soviet Army was of poor quality it would come pouring through the Mannerheim Line because the Finns no longer had the ammunition to drive it back?

Suki was the only cheerful member of the party. Although he was an habitual criminal and safe breaker by profession he had never in his life killed a man or harmed a fly; yet he had boasted to his friends that if there were a war he would kill a dozen Russians and he was anxious to get on with the business. He was already hopping round on crutches and his wound was so slight that it would be completely healed in the course of the next few days, but he feared that on account of his participation in the episode with the Gestapo the authorities might detain him instead of letting him rush off at once to join up.

At a few minutes past nine Wuolijoki came in. He seemed in a great hurry and, having bowed coldly to them, said abruptly: "You will have heard that the die is cast. Finland is now at war with Russia. My country needs every able man. Suki, are you willing to serve.

"Why, yes, sir, yes," little Suki exclaimed. "I have promised my wife that I will kill a dozen Russians."

"Very good. You were unarmed the other night so we know that you played no part in the shooting. Under an emergency decree we have power to release all prisoners who are held only on minor charges. You arc free."

Suki began to express his gratitude, but Wuolijoki cut him short and turned to Erika. "There is no proof, Frau Gräfin that you actually participated in Tuesday night's affair. Therefore we do not intend to hold you any longer."

Transferring his glance to yon Kobenthal, he went on "That you were concerned in the shooting I have little doubt but I am convinced that you acted from the highest motives and with an entirely unselfish desire to serve Finland, the country of your adoption. I am having you transferred to a private nursing home. Charges will be officially preferred against you but I shall arrange that when your wounds are healed you will disappear, so that you will never have to answer them."

Von Kobenthal nodded. "That's very kind of you, Wuolijoki. I hope, though, that you'll also exert your influence to assist these other gentlemen. I'd take my oath on it that they acted from the same motive as myself."

Wuolijoki ignored the remark and, opening the door, said Abruptly to Erika: "You are free, Frau Gräfin, you will please to go. '.

She glanced at Gregory and Freddie, and shook her head. `I'm not going until I know what you propose to do with these two friends of mine."

"As you will," he replied stiffly. "In that case all three of you will come downstairs with me."

Giving them only the barest opportunity to say good bye to von Kobenthal and Suki, the diplomat hustled them out into the passage. Two orderlies who were waiting there escorted them down to the ground floor and Wuolijoki led them into a room where the heavily moustached Chief of Police was standing.

Closing the door behind him, Wuolijoki looked at Gregory and said: "We have satisfied ourselves about you now. Inquiries made through the German Ministry here yesterday resulted in a cable which came in early this morning. It states that the body of Colonel Baron von Lutz was found in the woods near his home on November the 27th, the day following a shooting affray with some Nazi officials who were endeavouring to arrest him. You are therefore an impostor. You are not German at all, but. British. Your friend is also British. He presents himself as an Air Force officer but whatever he is he has aided and abetted you in your activities as a secret agent. Both of you are British spies."

"I deny that," Gregory protested hotly. "But in any case your own Intelligence Department must by now have informed you that the report was genuine. It's an invaluable document upon which you can act with every confidence and we brought it to Finland for you so what the hell would it matter even if we were British?"

Wuolijoki's German blood was very evident as he snapped: "If you had been Germans you would have observed my wishes and not fired on other Germans, but only held them up. Now it is clear that, being British, as your country is at war with Germany you deliberately took the opportunity to fire on your enemies. You have committed an act of war in a neutral country, and for that you are to be held accountable to the Finnish law."

As Wuolijoki stepped back the Police Chief stepped forward. He produced a paper and addressed them

"Four German citizens resident in Helsinki were wounded in an unprovoked attack which you made on the premises they occupy on the night of November the 28th, and one has since died of his wounds. It is my duty to arrest you both upon charges of arson, armed assault and murder."

Chapter XVIII

Wanted For Murder

MURDER The blood drained from Erika's face. This was far worse than anything she had anticipated and it seemed that nothing could be done about it; yet Gregory made a last, very able effort to maintain his imposture, knowing that their only chance of reprieve from having to stand their trial now lay in shaking his accusers' belief that he was British. Turning to Wuolijoki he said in a most reasonable voice:

"Honestly, you're making a big mistake. My letter of personal introduction from Marshal Goering clearly states that I am Colonel Baron von Lutz. If the.

"The letter must have been stolen," Wuolijoki interrupted.

"On the contrary. I can prove that it was not," Gregory declared sharply. "Your cable says that my body was found on November the 27th, yet the Marshal's letter is dated the 28th, proving conclusively that I was still alive the day after the Gestapo believed me dead. That they should have taken the body of a man found on my estate for myself is not surprising: because, as I told you, I have been listed as either dead or missing for the past three weeks."

While Gregory was speaking he had produced Goering's letter again in triumphant proof of his assertion but Wuolijoki waved it impatiently aside. "That will not do. We have other evidence, besides the cable, that you are an impostor."

He signed to the Police Chief, who abruptly pulled open a door behind him, and Erika's heart missed a beat as Grauber marched heavily into the room.

"Can you identify this man, Herr Gruppenführer?" the Police Chief asked, pointing to Gregory.

"Certainly," Grauber piped in his thin falsetto. "His name is Gregory Sallust and he is a most dangerous British agent provocateur. He has twice been secretly into Germany since the outbreak of war and on each occasion he has been responsible or the deaths of a number of my compatriots. It is he who was he leader of the murderous assault upon myself and my colleagues on Tuesday night. We have already made an official request that he should be tried for murder under the Finnish law and if that request is not acceded to I shall apply for an extradition warrant so that he can be executed for his crimes in Germany."

Gregory saw that the game was up but he meant to go down fighting so he snapped back: "And I shall request the British Legation here to apply for an extradition warrant against you,Herr Gruppenführer Grauber, for the murder of Thomas Archer on the night of October the 7th, in Hampstead, London."

The Chief of Police turned to Grauber. "The matter of extradition warrants can be gone into later. At the moment it is my province to attend only to the case in hand; and you may rest assured that this man and his companion will be brought to trial for murder here."

Wuolijoki scowled at Gregory: "So at last you admit… `he began; but his sentence was abruptly cut short by a loud, thin wail and suddenly the hideous warbling of air raid sirens broke out all over the city. Next moment a deep booming note became perceptible which, in a few seconds, increased to a Thunderous roar.

"The Russians " exclaimed Wuolijoki. "The Russians "

Grauber went as white as a sheet and began to tremble. Gregory suddenly remembered that although the German was unquestionably brave in other ways he had an absolute terror of air raids. They caught the sound of a distant explosion another and another nearer now until a giant crash seemed to rock the whole building. Outside whistles were blowing and people shouting. The Police Chief pressed a buzzer on his desk and an orderly came running into the room.

"Quick " cried the Police Chief above the din. "Take all these people down to the air raid shelter." He glanced swiftly round at the others and added: "I must see that my men are at their stations. We will conclude this business later." In three strides he was at the door and out of it.

The orderly beckoned to the rest of the party to follow him. They filed out down the passage, through the main hall that vas seething with hurrying policemen, and downstairs to the casement. As more bombs crashed into the street above the man flung open a door and motioned them to enter a big empty cellar that had been fitted up as an air raid shelter.

In his anxiety to reach the safest place in the building Grauber had been pressing on the orderly's heels from the moment they had left the Police Chief's room; now, pushing past the man, he ran to a far corner and leaned against the wall for support; his plump face was grey and sweat streamed down it.

Wuolijoki followed Grauber into the cellar. He was calm but puffing heavily upon a cigarette he had just lit. The others filed behind him. The orderly slammed the door after them but did not lock it, as in his hurry to attend to his duties the Police Chief had given no instructions that the party were to be detained as prisoners.

Overhead the roar of the planes had intensified as squadron after squadron came into action circling over the almost defenceless city and discharging their deadly cargoes. Now and again between the Grump of the bombs they caught the sound of a series of whip like cracks as the few anti aircraft batteries opened against the planes, but the crashes of the bombs succeeded one another with terrifying swiftness.

Gregory waited until the orderly had had ample time to get upstairs again; then he said loudly to Wuolijoki: "Our parole automatically ended when we were charged with murder. We're going now and you'd better not try to stop us."

"Don’t be a fool l " Wuolijoki snapped. "This building is strong enough to resist anything except a direct hit. Even if you could get past the police upstairs once out in the street you'd be blown to pieces."

"Perhaps. I'll chance that." Gregory smiled at Erika. "They've nothing on you, darling, so you'd better stay here. Come on, Freddie."

Grauber was too overcome by his own fears to attempt to stop them, but he screamed above the din: "I'll get you 1 I'll get you yet."

Gregory turned at the door and shouted back: "It's lucky for you I haven't got a gun on me or I'd shoot you where you stand, you white livered slug."

Wuolijoki made a move to follow them and call for help but Freddie roughly pushed him aside. "Stay where you are, little man," he cried, 'or you'll be sorry you ever met us. You can't expect us to stay here and be hanged because we shot a few Gestapo swine to get you that report."

"That's the stuff to give 'em, Freddie," Gregory muttered he had the door open and was peering down the passage to see that the coast was clear when he found Erika beside him.

"I'm going with you," she said. "I must; otherwise God knows when I shall see you again."

It was no time to start an argument and Gregory knew that Erika could be as pigheaded as a mule. The bombing had eased little in the immediate neighbourhood and he felt confident hat if they could get clear of the police headquarters they would soon find equally good shelter elsewhere.

Wuolijoki stood there scowling but impotent. He realized that it was two strong, desperate men against one small one and. snivelling, crepitating lump of fear, so he made no further effort to stop them as they slipped out into the passage.

Having locked the door behind them Gregory abandoned all precautions and taking Erika by the arm walked forward with a quick, confident step. On the stairs they almost collided with a policeman who was clutching a fire hatchet, but the man took no notice of them and hurried past, intent upon his own urgent business. Up in the front hall the crowd of police had disappeared. There was only a sergeant there and he was gabbling furiously into a desk telephone. He never even looked up as they marched out.

On the doorstep Gregory paused. Across the road a building was in flames. Further along a block of flats was a smoking ruin; in front of it lay piles of debris that had fallen into the road: completely obscuring the pavement for about a hundred yards. An ambulance came clanging down the street and the little crowd of fire fighters who were busy opposite began to carry creaming, wounded people out to it.

"Come on," said Gregory, and with Erika beside him he ran down the steps and along the street towards a big square of sand bags which bore a placard that he guessed to be the Finnish equivalent of A.R.P. Shelter.

As they ran the planes were still circling low over the house tops; some were machine gunning the Red Cross workers in the, streets. Further away in the direction of the harbour bombs more were still detonating with a horrid crump every few seconds. Great clouds of black smoke were pouring up into the sky from a number of burning buildings. A one decker bus came careering down the street with another fire fighting squad in it. There, was a burst of machine gun fire from a swooping plane; the driver was riddled with bullets and slumped over his wheel; the bus, now out of control, suddenly swerved, mounted the pavement and crashed through a shop window.

They were half way to the shelter when a woman staggered out of a house just in front of them, carrying a little girl. The child's left foot hung half severed from the leg which was mutilated and bleeding, with only a rough tourniquet twisted above the calf to check the flow of blood. The woman seemed dazed and panic stricken so Gregory snatched the child while Erika and Freddie seized the woman by the arms and they all dashed on together. Machine gun bullets spattered the pavement but they reached the shelter in safety.

The shelter was a converted street lavatory so running water was available and a young doctor with several amateur assistants was rendering first aid to each casualty as it was brought in. Gregory passed the poor little girl to him and the mother was taken over to be treated for shock by a grey haired, uniformed woman whose fine face radiated calmness and courage.

For a quarter of an hour they remained with the little crowd in the shelter while the earth shook and trembled. They found their nerves difficult to control and instinctively ducked at each explosion, but Gregory knew that they were safe down there and he tried to reassure them. He pointed out that the really frightening thing about air raids was the possibility of being terribly wounded by a piece of bomb, falling masonry or a splinter from an anti aircraft shell, so that one might die in frightful agony; whereas once one was in a proper shelter there was nothing whatever to be afraid of. Either they would emerge perfectly sound in wind and limb or, if a bomb had got their names on it, they would never know what hit them but be killed instantly by the explosion or concussion.

Erika realized that he was right, but to her the most appalling thing about the devilish business, apart from seeing the casualties brought in, was the noise. The crack-crack-crack of the guns and bombs was positively ear splitting and although she tried to shut it out by pressing her hands over her ears each detonation seemed like a sledge hammer blow on her reeling brain.

At last the din lessened. Bombs ceased falling, the droning of aircraft overhead faded, the fire of the anti aircraft batteries died down and after an anxious wait of ten minutes the sirens warbled the "'All Clear". The raid was over and the still dazed party staggered up into the street.

"D'you know where the British Consulate is?" Freddie asked Erika at once.

"Why?" She looked at him a little vaguely. "Do you want to go there?"

"Yes. I've been worrying myself stiff all this time about my fiancée, Angela Fordyce. It's pretty certain that she'll have been here with her father."

"The police will be much too busy to worry about us for the next hour or two," Gregory declared, "so there's no point in our splitting up. We'll go to the Consulate with Freddie."

"All right," Erika agreed, "it's not far from here," and they a off towards the harbour:

Great columns of black smoke were still rising from a dozen different points in the city. Here and there the snow in the streets was stained with blood where some unfortunate had been aught by a flying fragment of bomb or a piece of anti aircraft hell. Stretcher parties were hurrying hither and thither while civilians were now coming up out of cellars and air raid shelters: to fill the streets once more and lend a hand if they could, or stare dumbly at the shattered buildings.

It was twenty five to eleven when they reached the British: consulate and on Charlton's sending up his name a message came down from Mr. Fordyce that he would see them at once. They were shown up to a pleasant room overlooking the snow covered garden at the back of the house and found the dark, pale faced Angela with her father.

Just as Freddie's one thought during the raid had been anxiety for her, so hers had been anxiety for him, and both were unutterably relieved to find that the other had escaped unarmed. While he was still holding her hands and staring at her as though he could never take his eyes off her face Gregory introduced Erika to Fordyce and told him as briefly as possible what had happened to them.

By the time Gregory had finished his recital Fordyce looked very grave. "I'm afraid you can't stay here," he said slowly. You see, in the eyes of the Finnish authorities you're criminals, and although Freddie and yourself are both British subjects you're both accountable to the Finnish law while you are in this country. The best I can do for you is to get the Legation lawyer a take up your case and give you all the legal assistance possible."

Gregory smiled. "It's very kind of you, sir, but I hope that Don't be necessary. I'm not proposing to stay here to stand my trial. Now the Finns have got their hands full there's a very good chance that we'll manage to get out of Finland; and, as a matter of fact, we shouldn't have embarrassed you with our presence here at all if it hadn't been for Freddie's anxiety about Angela."

"Yes; I quite see that," Fordyce replied uneasily. "But it may not be so easy to get out of Finland as you think. I haven't been here very long, as you know, but long enough to realize that the Finns have a remarkable capacity for keeping their heads. The air raid was pretty shattering, but even so, I think you'll find they'll endeavour to carry on normal police activities to the best of their ability. It's hardly likely that you'll be able to find a ship which is sailing in the next few hours, and anyway you have no visa to leave the country; so I doubt if you'll get past the port officials. By to morrow, if not this afternoon, they'll all have been notified that you are wanted by the police and will have been told to keep a look out for you."

"That's true," Gregory agreed, "but we arrived by plane and our machine is still at the airport, so if we drive out there at once I think we ought to be able to get away in that. Owing to the raid it's certain that there will be a great evacuation from Helsinki and I doubt if they'll bother neutrals who wish to get out quickly about such formalities as visas."

Freddie and Angela had been talking together in low voices on the sofa but they had followed what Gregory said, and Freddie suddenly turned to Fordyce. "Now the Russians have shown their hand, and that they're out for wholesale murder, this morning's raid may have been the first but it certainly won't be the last. I want you to let me take Angela with me."

Fordyce considered for a moment. "Yes. We must certainly expect other raids now and I'm very anxious that Angela should leave the country as soon as possible. What do you feel about it, my dear?"

She hesitated. "I should hate to leave you, Daddy, at a time like this."

"I'm sure you would, darling. But think of the strain that your presence here is going to be on me if you remain. In every raid I shall be terrified not for myself, I hope but certainly for you; whereas if I only know that you are safely out of it my mind will be at rest and I shall be able to do my job much more efficiently."

"Do you really mean that, Daddy?"

"Of course I do, my dear. Try and put yourself in my shoes for a moment. If I had no duties which necessitated myremaining here, would you rather have me out of it or prefer me to stay and keep you company for the purely selfish reason that you like to have me with you?"

"You know I'd want you to go."

"Then since you have no duties here I think you should accept Freddie's offer. I know that I can trust you to him, and if by any chance he is caught before he gets out of the country the Finnish police have nothing against you; so you might be of great use to him by getting in touch with me and letting me know as soon as possible what has happened. Where do you propose to fly to, Mr. Sallust?"

”Stockholm," replied Gregory. "It's less than three hundred miles from here and if we can get off by two o'clock we should be there in time for tea. Freddie can then overhaul the plane and see if he considers it up to flying standard for flying home tomorrow. If not, we'll go on by the Imperial Airways service which I understand has started up again."

Mr. Fordyce nodded and looked at Angela. "In that case, darling, you'd better pack at once. The whole essence of the plan is that the plane should leave before the Finnish authorities have had time to turn their attention to civil matters and notify the airport people that Freddie and Mr. Sallust are wanted for murder."

"You will be as quick as you can, won't you?" Gregory added. "Just one suit case should be enough as I have plenty of money on me and we can get anything else you want in Stockholm."

"I'll be moderate just a dressing case," Angela smiled at him, and kissing her father quickly on the forehead she hurried from the room.

When she had gone Erika said: "I'm sure your daughter will be perfectly safe with Flight Lieutenant Charlton, Mr. Fordyce, but in case she's air sick or anything it may comfort you to know that she'll have another woman with her I'm going too."

"Do you mean, darling that you'll come to England with me?" Gregory exclaimed.

She shook her head. "No, I don't say that. I wouldn't when you wanted me to before because my country was still at war with England and, although I hate the Nazis, I felt that I ought to stay in Germany and see the business through. The situation hasn't changed materially since; but there's no point in my remaining in Helsinki to be bombed and I want to be with you as long as possible, so I'll come to Stockholm."

Gregory gave a rueful grin. "I was afraid the conclusion I jumped to was too good to be true, and in any case I meant to insist on your leaving Helsinki with us; but the situation has changed since I last tried to persuade you to come to England with me. Then you were in Germany and thought it your duty to stay there, but you had to leave it in order to escape being arrested and executed."

"Yes," she said quickly. "But I went to Finland which, as far as we're concerned, is neutral; and Sweden, too, is neutral, so for me to go there is very different from my going to live in England, my country's enemy." And Gregory saw that it was no use pressing her for the moment.

While they had been talking Fordyce had pressed a bell and given an order to a servant, who now brought in a bowl of biscuits and a decanter, the contents of which Gregory took to be sherry, but as Fordyce poured the wine into the glasses he said:

"One of the amenities of being stationed in the Nordic countries is that one gets such excellent Madeira a wine we very rarely see at home."

Gregory sipped from his glass and smiled appreciatively. "You're right. This is grand stuff. I wonder why it is that although such quantities of Madeira were drunk in England in Victorian times it has now been practically relegated to the kitchen."

Fordyce shrugged. "Heaven knows. People hardly ever offer sherry in these parts, but the countries round the Baltic take nine tenths of the Madeira that is vintaged every year, including all the finest. They'll pay up to £160 a butt for some of the rich dessert wines and, although I don't know much about such things, I'm told that's big They talked for a little of the possible effects of the Russo

Finnish War upon the international situation; then Angela rejoined them, Looking very pretty in her tweeds and furs and carrying only a bulging dress dressing case.

Fordyce had already ordered his car to take them to the airport and he accompanied them downstairs to the front door. The father and daughter were devoted to each other but with the usual British dislike of any display of sentiment their parting was almost as brief as though Angela had been going out shopping. Fordyce shook hands with the others, wishing them the best of luck, and the car drove off.

Gregory felt that for Freddie and himself to call at the hotel and attempt to collect their belongings was much too risky. It was a bore to have to abandon the things they had bought on he Tuesday morning but they were still wearing their furs and he other items were of no great consequence. What did perturb him, however, was that the police had disarmed them both when hey had been arrested. It had become second nature to him to carry a weapon when travelling anywhere outside Britain; so he asked the chauffeur to drive them to a gunsmith's where, by pulling a bluff that they were neutral Englishmen who were proceeding into Russia on. Finland’s business, he succeeded in persuading the shopman to sell him two Luger automatics, spare clips and a hundred rounds of ammunition, without a permit.

Having divided the spoils with Freddie they drove on to the von Kobenthals'. Fredeline was out so Erika left a note for her and ran upstairs to get her passport and pack a bag. Into it she: crammed the most useful things that came ready to hand, stuffed a flask of brandy and her own small pistol into the pockets of her furs and was back in the car within fifteen minutes.

They had left the Consulate at about eleven thirty but it was now after half past twelve, and they were still some distance from the airport when the sirens began to wail again. The Finnish chauffeur drove on for another half mile until he reached a large stone building, the entrance to which was heavily sandbagged; then turning to Gregory, who was seated reside him, he said calmly, in excellent English:

"I think perhaps we'd better get out here."

As they left the car the horrid droning of the enemy planes reached them again and looking up they saw scores of black specks coming up from the east in the bright, cold, winter sky. In the doorstep the chauffeur paused for a moment to look at them and said:

"The swine If only we had a few planes ourselves we'd show them."

"You will have soon," Gregory strove to reassure him. "If only Marshal Mannerheim can manage to hold his line for a week or two it's quite certain that help will be sent." Upon which they hurried inside.

The big building was a school and as they entered it the last of the children from the classrooms were filing down to the basement under the care of their teachers.

Downstairs the party from the car found that there was a large underground swimming bath which had been emptied and about 150 children were gathered there. When the last of them had filed in they all lined up without crowding or excitement and evidently by a prearranged plan. It was a mixed school and while each teacher remained with his or her own class the headmaster took up his position near the diving board and spoke to the children in Finnish.

The first bombs began to fall and their explosions could be heard quite clearly down there in the basement. Some of the children jerked spasmodically at each detonation, but at a signal from the master they began to sing and the thin childish voices were lifted in what the chauffeur told them was the Finnish battle song by the national poet, Runeberg. He said that the Russians would not allow it to be sung in the days when the Czars were the masters of Finland, and gave them a rough translation of the first verse which ran:

"Sons o f a race whose blood was shed

On Nerva's field, on Poland 's sand; at Leipzig Lutzen's dark hills under

Not yet is Finland 's manhood dead.

With foeman's blood a field may still be tinted red. All rest, all peace, away be gone! The tempest loosens; the lightning's flash; And o'er the field the cannon thunders. Rank upon rank, march on, march on!"

At first the singing was faltering and uncertain but soon it swelled to a great volume of sound and Gregory Sallust, who was a hard man, felt himself touched to the very heart by so fine a demonstration of childish faith and courage; when he glanced at Erika he saw that she was openly crying. The hellish battle above continued and at times they could even hear the; scream of the bombs as they hurtled earthwards.

Suddenly there was an ear splitting roar as a bomb hit the building. One corner of the ceiling of the swimming bath seemed to dissolve in a great puff of smoke, rubble, dust and game, obscuring the children who were nearest to it.

While the women teachers gathered their charges to them and endeavoured to still their frightened cries the men, with Gregory's party, thrust their way among them until they reached: the great pile of debris under which some of the children had been buried. Above them now gaped a great hole, through which they could see the open sky and the black murder planes circling in it with the shells from the few anti aircraft batteries breaking like white puff balls here and there among them.

Fortunately the bulk of the fallen masonry had landed on the broad platform that ran round the edge of the bath and comparatively little had crashed into it where the children were standing… With frantic energy, careless of bleeding hands, the rescuers dragged aside the great lumps of brick and stone until they could get at the poor mangled, bleeding little bodies. Six children had been crushed to death and another fifteen injured.

Those still living were carried through into an underground gymnasium near by which had already been fitted up as a first aid station. By the time the rescuers had all the wounded children clear the teachers had stilled the panic of the others by the courage and calmness of their own example and the headmaster was driving fear from their minds by making them use their bodies in swift, rhythmatical physical jerks. The sound of the explosions gradually lessened and at twenty past one the "All Clear" again sounded.

Gregory's party went upstairs with a number of other civilians who had taken refuge in the building. They found the car undamaged except for one smashed window which had been broken by a splinter and, getting into it, they drove on to the airport which they reached ten minutes later. As they descended from the car an official came to meet them, and smiling at him Gregory said at once:

"We're a party of neutrals. Now things are getting so hot here we've decided to go away at once; so we're leaving in the Sabina plane in which my friend and I arrived here on Tuesday morning."

The official shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir: the Russians are shooting down any plane that goes up. Instructions have been given that for the present no planes are to leave the airport."

Chapter XIX

The Undreamed of Trap

'OH, come!" Gregory protested. "They won't interfere with is; our plane is a Belgian make and it has the British markings. The Russians won't fire on a neutral."

"I'm afraid you're wrong there," grunted the official. "That's just what they have been doing. They shot down two Swedish Manes and a Dutchman this morning."

"Were they civil planes or owned by volunteers who had offered their services to Finland in the event of war?"

"Civil planes, sir. Two were caught in the first raid at nine twenty five. They had just taken off and were flying south when they ran right into the Russians coming up across the Gulf; the other was shot down as it was coming in and about to make a landing on the airport at about ten minutes to one."

"But why; Russia is not at war with Sweden or Holland?"

The official shrugged. "You've seen what they've done in the city, sir, and most people would tell you it's because they're a lot of cut throats who delight in murder; but if you want my honest opinion it's because these Russians are an ignorant lot they don't know the markings of one country from those of another and they're not taking any chances. They regard any plane that's not one of their own makes as a potential enemy and shoot it down."

"That's pretty rough on the civilian pilots and their passengers; but the sky's clear now and I don't suppose there'll be another raid for a few hours, at any rate, so I think we'll chance it and get out while the going's good."

"I'm sorry, but that's impossible. As I've told you, the airport's closed until further orders and no planes of any kind are to be allowed off the ground."

Gregory was getting worried, but he tried not to show it as he said: "That's all very well as a precautionary measure; and it's only right that every pilot should be warned what he may be letting himself in for if he goes up; but once you've issued the warning it's the pilot's own responsibility."

"Oh, no, it's not," the official disagreed quickly. “Finland is responsible for the safety of neutrals as long as they're flying over her territory. If we had a decent Air Force we should be able to protect them from attack. As we haven't, the only thing we can do is to protect them against themselves by refusing to allow them to go up. It wasn't our fault that those three were shot down this morning but we shall have the job of explaining to their Governments how it came about and, naturally, we don't want to explain any more such incidents if we can possibly avoid it."

"What are you going to do if I insist on going up?" Gregory hazarded.

"The air port police would prevent your taking off, sir, and I'm sure you don't want to give us any unnecessary trouble when we have so much on our hands already."

"Of course not," Gregory agreed. "But is there anyone else that I can see someone from whom I might be able to obtain a special permit?"

"There’s no one out here at the airport who has the power to grant you that and I doubt if you get one anyway; but if you're determined to try the only person who could give you one is the Chief of Police."

"Thank you," said Gregory thoughtfully; "thank you very much."

The others had been standing near him and they all turned away towards the waiting car. Freddie's German was good enough for him to have followed the conversation and he muttered to Gregory: "What the hell do we do now? They may not lift the ban on neutral planes leaving for several days and, even if they do so to morrow, by that time the airport police will have been informed that a murder warrant is out against us.

"How much petrol was there left in the tanks when we landed?" Gregory asked. "Enough to get us to Stockholm?"

"I should think so. Anyhow, there's ample to get us across the Gulf to the Estonian coast and we'd be better off there than we are in Finland; but, as a matter of fact, I told them to fill her up. Why D’you ask?"

"Because," said Gregory slowly, "unless we want to be hanged we'll have to return here after dark get into the airport by coming across the fields, run the plane out of its hangar ourselves and take off. With all the snow about would you be able to take off at night without assistance from the ground men?"

"Oh, yes. I've had so much experience of night flying that could manage quite easily. The snow doesn't make any ',difference in places where they're used to it because they have proper arrangements for rolling it solid so that the wheels of he planes don't get clogged. The difficulty will be to get the plane out of the hangar without being spotted."

" I know. It'll be a tricky job and we may have to sandbag one of the watchmen. We won't have any time to examine the plane either, so if they haven't filled her up and she runs out of fuel we may all find a watery death in the Gulf of Finland."

"No. I'm sure there's enough juice in her to get us over to Estonia; once we're in the air I can soon see what we've got and let you know if we can risk making the full trip to Stockholm."

"That's what we'll do, then. But where the devil can we go in the meantime? In these parts it's dark at this season by half past three so fortunately we haven't got very long to wait, but is only just on two o'clock. If we hang around here we may rouse the suspicions of the airport people. On the other hand, we drive back to the centre of the town we may be spotted by Grauber or one of these law abiding Finns who want to put ropes around our necks."

"Ask the chauffeur," Freddie suggested. "He may know if a small hotel or cafe in the suburbs where we're not likely a run into anyone who would recognize us while we shelter from this freezing cold for a bit."

There is nothing like a danger shared for the swift ripening of friendship between strangers and having just passed through an air raid with the Finn, who had proved himself a stout fellow throughout, Gregory felt that he could risk being more frank with him than he would ordinarily have been with someone that he had never seen until two hours before; so he said to the man:

"Look here, we're in a spot of trouble. The airport has been closed till after dark, because the Russians are shooting down every plane that goes up, but we don't want to go back to the centre of the town in the meantime because, between ourselves, my friend and I had a slight difference of opinion on Tuesday; with the police. That's one of the reasons that Mr. Fordyce wanted to see us out of Helsinki as soon as possible. Can you

suggest anywhere not too far from the airport where we could lie up for an hour or two?"

The chauffeur grinned. As his master had told him to drive the two Englishmen to the airport and young Miss Fordyce was going with them, he felt what was actually a quite groundless confidence that they could not be wanted for any very desperate crime; so he replied at once: "My home's only about a couple of miles from here; it's quite a small place, but if you'd care to wait there you'd be very welcome."

Nothing could have suited the fugitives better. Having thanked the chauffeur they gladly accepted his offer, got back into the car and drove away.

Gregory learned that the chauffeur's name was Aimo Loumkoski, and that his excellent colloquial English had been acquired as third engineer on a British tramp steamer in which he had spent the best part of four years; but he declared that the sea was a hard life and he had been glad to leave it when he married.

His home proved to be one of a row of small, two storeyed timber houses in a suburban street. He took them inside and introduced them to his wife: a good looking woman of about thirty, with fair hair and rosy cheeks whose face, owing to the Finnish prejudice against make up of any kind, was entirely innocent of powder and shone as though it had been deliberately polished. She spoke a little English and in spite of their protests she insisted on bustling into her spotless kitchen to prepare hot coffee for them; which among the Finns is a much more popular drink than tea.

While she was getting the coffee they talked with Loumkoski about the prospects of the war. He was over forty but expected to be called to the colours any day, as although the Finnish regular army is almost negligible, every Finn is trained in the militia, and for many weeks all the younger classes had already been called up to man the fighting positions in the Mannerheim Line. Loumkoski said that they felt confident that they could hold the line for a month and that Viborg would not fall before Christmas at the earliest; but after that it might be difficult to hang on unless they received foreign help.

He thought it almost certain that Norway and Sweden would declare war on Russia during the next few days; his reason being that whereas Finland had her Mannerheim Line across the Karelian Isthmus, and her chains of lakes further north, which made her eastern frontiers easy to defend with comparatively small forces, the Scandinavian countries had no such prepared or natural defences. As long as the Finnish front held, Russia's path to the west was barred and the whole peninsula safe, but if Finland were once overrun Norway and Sweden would fall an easy prey; therefore their only hope of salvation From eventual conquest by Russia lay in their throwing in their lot with Finland and fighting now.

On the other hand, he realized the difficult situation in which the Scandinavian countries found themselves owing to Russia’s tie up with Germany. Whereas before, Norway and Sweden would, without hesitation, have come out openly on the side of Finland, the Swedes were now afraid that if they acted Germany, as Russia’s new friend, might invade them in the south; so they would be most reluctant to send their best troops right up round the north of the Gulf of Bothnia to Finland.

As Loumkoski talked Gregory was amazed to find what a wide knowledge the chauffeur had of the international situation and it cheered him immensely. It showed so clearly that whereas the masses in Russia could have little idea what they had been ordered to fight for, and the masses in Germany were being deliberately misled the democratic Finns knew exactly and Precisely why their Government had called upon them to lay down their lives; which made an immense difference to the morale and fighting power of any nation.

Loumkoski went on to say that the Finns had always looked to Germany as their natural protector but, since Germany had 'let down Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Finland could hardly expect any assistance from the Nazis. Did Gregory think that Britain and France might send Finland aid?

"The trouble is that the Baltic's closed to us," Gregory replied, "so it wouldn't be easy to bring you military support."

"There is our ice free port of Petsamo in the north," suggested Loumkoski; "they could land troops there."

"But that's the best part of a thousand miles away from the main theatre of operations," Gregory objected, "and conditions up there in the Arctic would make it very difficult to move large numbers of troops south over indifferent communications during the winter."

"Perhaps Norway and Sweden would allow them free passage?"

"Yes," Angela put in. "They certainly would if they come in with you, but not if they stay out through fear of Germany. To do so would lose them their neutral status."

"Not at all, Miss," the Finn disagreed politely. “Finland is a member of the League of Nations. Russia’s attack on us is the clearest possible case of unprovoked aggression which could ever be put before any court. Naturally, we shall appeal to the League. If the League gives its verdict in our favour as it must we shall be entitled to call upon all other states that are members of the League for armed support. If Britain and France decide to give us that support any other League state may permit the passage of armed forces coming to our assistance through their territories without contravening their own neutrality."

Gregory nodded. "Yes. That is part of the League Covenant. If Sweden and Norway feel that they daren't risk coming in themselves they can still let British and French troops through without giving any legal cause for Germany to make war on them. The trouble is, though, that Germany is not a member of the League and the Nazis are the last people to bother about legal causes if it suits their book to go to war with anyone."

Erika lit a cigarette and said slowly: "I'm afraid that's true, Mr. Loumkoski. You see, Germany is so largely dependent on Sweden for her supplies of iron ore and if the Western Powers landed troops in Scandinavia they would probably choose the Norwegian port of Narvik as a base and come right down the railway through Northern Sweden to the head of the Gulf of Bothnia. That would be their quickest route to Finland and at the same time it would cut Germany off from the Swedish iron mines at Kiruna."

"With Sweden still neutral we could hardly pinch the mines, however much we might like to have them," Freddie laughed.

"No," Erika smiled. "You could hardly do that; but the British are very clever at managing things when they want to. You see, there's only the one railway line up there; and over it the ore goes North West for transport from Narvik by sea in winter and south to Lulea for transport by ship across the Gulf of Bothnia when it is free of ice during the summer. It would be found that the Western Powers needed every truck on that railway for transporting their troops and ammunitions to the Finnish front; so, while offering to compensate the Swedes for their loss of business, they would point out that it was quite impossible for them to spare the rolling stock for transporting the ore in either direction."

"Yes, that's typical of our methods," Gregory grinned. "I'm afraid there's no doubt about it that, law or no law, Germany would invade Sweden in an attempt to reach those mines first if an Allied Expeditionary Force were landed in Norway."

"But if the Scandinavian countries do not support us them selves, and refuse to allow other countries to support us by sending troops through them, they will be signing their own death warrants," Loumkoski argued. “Finland can hold out for a month or two but without help we must eventually be crushed by the weight of the Russian masses. Once we are defeated Russia will push West and seize the iron mines for herself with those ice free Atlantic ports on the Norwegian coast that she is so anxious to acquire and the whole of Northern Scandinavia. Surely the Norwegians and the Swedes would rather risk trouble with Germany than allow that to happen?"

"Perhaps. I only hope so, for your sake," Gregory replied.

"If the Scandinavians let troops through, how soon do you think military aid from the Western Powers could reach us?"

"It's difficult to say and it greatly depends on the state of the railway from Narvik, but presumably that's in good condition, and if the Allies acted at once their first troops might be arriving in the battle line in about a month."

Loumkoski sighed with the satisfaction of wish fulfilment. 'In that case we'll be all right."

Gregory's forecast had been given entirely with a view to cheering their new friend. His private opinion was very different. 'the greater part of Britain's Army was still untrained and her air Force was as yet a long way from having caught up with Germany's so it might well be that however sympathetically the Western Powers regarded Finland's cause they could not possibly afford to decentralize their own war effort by dispatching men and planes to Scandinavia. In having taken on Germany they had as much as they could tackle for the moment and at any time it would be a terrible responsibility to add to their burden by taking on Russia as well. Germany had been brought to her knees before and could doubtless be brought to her knees again even if it meant a long war of attrition; but: Russia was a very different matter. Even Napoleon had found: Russia too tough a nut to crack owing to the vast area of her territory and almost limitless resources. If the Western Powers once declared war on the Bolsheviks where could such a war possibly be expected to end? And what a triumph such a declaration would be for Germany. It would be playing von Ribbentrop's game with a vengeance to bring in Russia, with her inexhaustible man power, openly on the side of Germany.

Also, regarded purely as a local operation, the sending of an Expeditionary Force to Scandinavia presented immense difficulties. The British Navy was doing magnificent work but it was already strained to the utmost in tackling the menace of German mines and submarines and in protecting convoys. Russia was known to have a fleet of ninety submarines up at Murmansk in the Arctic a greater under sea fleet even than that with which Germany had entered the war. Once those ninety submarines were loosed against Allied and neutral shipping they might do inestimable damage before they could all be accounted for; and in winter conditions it would be doubly difficult for Britain’s Navy and Air Force to cope with them. In consequence, any Allied Expeditionary Force dispatched to Narvik would be faced with this under sea menace to the troopships and almost certainly with terrific bombing attacks from the German air fleets in addition. It would be one thing to run in a small striking force for the sole purpose of seizing the port and the iron mines, which are only a hundred miles upcountry, just over the Swedish border; but quite another to attempt sending an army of a size to be of any use to the Finns, along the thousand miles of railway that linked Narvik with the Mannerheim Line.

Narvik was only a small port; much too small to accommodate at one time more than a fraction of the armada of ships necessary to transport a modern army of any size with tanks, guns, lorries and the vast quantities of supplies required to keep it in the field; so the disembarkation would be a slow process. The enemy bombers would have time to blow the docks and railway to pieces at their leisure and, in the face of combined Russo German opposition, the landing might well prove another Gallipoli.

In Gregory's opinion, if the Western Powers were asked for aid by Finland, arid decided to send it, they would not do so until the spring. Submarines are slow moving vessels and as long as Russia’s under sea fleet was concentrated at Murmansk it might be dealt with in better weather. An aircraft carrier and flotillas of submarine chasers could be sent up there which would probably account for a considerable portion of it before the Expeditionary Force sailed. By the spring, too, it was said that the Allies' aircraft production would have caught up with that of Germany, which would better enable the Western Powers to protect their troops from aerial attack while disembarking.

It was a sad business, but, apart from volunteers such as had gone out to the Spanish war, Gregory did not feel that the Finns could really count on any military aid for the present unless Norway and Sweden decided that their own fate was linked with that of Finland.

Madame Loumkoski came in with coffee and sweet cakes but they had barely received cups of the steaming brew when the air raid sirens sounded once more.

Although the Finns had been working desperately hard these last weeks to provide air raid shelters they had had to concentrate their efforts in the more populous parts of the city; so when Gregory suggested that they should all go to the nearest, Loumkoski told him that there was no proper shelter less than half a mile distant. The deep booming of the Russian planes could already be heard, so their host said swiftly that they might easily be killed on their way through the streets and that it would be less risky for them to take refuge in a trench which he had dug in his back garden.

They hurried out through the snow and found it to be a long, narrow ditch about four feet wide partially covered with planking and a few sand bags. Some rubble had been thrown into its bottom to drain away the water but the sides were damp, cold, virgin earth, and there were no seats, so having scrambled down, they had to crouch uncomfortably in it.

They were hardly inside the trench before the bombs began to fall; but it seemed that the Russians were directing their main attack upon the port, which was some miles away. The distant thudding continued for about ten minutes then a few crashes sounded nearer. Suddenly there sounded the sharp "rat tat-tat" of machine gun fire overhead. Loumkoski poked his head out from underneath the boards and gave a whoop of joy. "It's one of ours," he shouted; "it's one of ours " They had been about to pull him back but his excitement as so infectious that even Gregory temporarily lost the extreme caution which had so often been the means of saving his life. He had seen dog fights in the air before and knew that it was a senseless risk to expose oneself to possible death for the sake of seeing the fun; but there was something so very gallant about that solitary Finnish airman up there in the midst of the Red air armada that for once he felt bound to take a chance and see the result of the fight.

The small Finnish plane had just circled under a big black bomber and come up on its tail. There was another burst of machine gun fire; a wisp of smoke streamed out behind the Russian plane, then it seemed to falter. Next moment it was hurtling earthwards with red flames spurting from it and a great tail of oily black smoke smearing the blue sky in its track; while the little Finnish plane streaked away to northwards to attack another enemy.

It seemed that the whole neighbourhood had also come out from their shelters to watch the fight, as the sound of cheering began on every side from the moment the Russian was hit and swelled to a roar as it crashed like a box of lighted fireworks about a quarter of a mile away.

The cheering continued for a moment but was cut short by a fresh series of crashes quite close at hand; another Red plane was unloading its cargo. The earth shook and trembled as each of the great bombs burst with the roar of thunder somewhere on the far side of the house. Stones, earth, and pieces of red tile from the roof tops came sailing through the air to fall with a clatter upon the boards of the trench under which they had once more taken refuge. For another quarter of an hour they crouched there until the detonations ceased. A few moments later the "All Clear" signal sounded for the third time in five hours.

It was only a little after three when they climbed out of the trench but the early winter dusk was already falling and Gregory felt that in another half hour or so they might make their attempt to secure the Sabina. In the little sitting room of the Loumkoskis' house they found the coffee which Madame had provided, and which they had had to abandon on account of the air raid, still fairly warm. She wanted to re heat it for them but they would not let her, as they knew that she was anxious to find out what had happened to her neighbours and give them any help she could.

While they drank the tepid coffee they stood looking out of the window at the sad spectacle the street now presented. Three air raids in five hours had shaken even the courage of the Finns and very wisely, Gregory thought all those who had no duties which detained them in the city had apparently decided to evacuate it.

In front of the small, wooden, workers' houses, sleighs and carts were drawn up and on to them men, women and children were hastily piling their bedding and their most precious belongings. Already a continuous stream of evacuees was passing down the street from the direction of the centre of the city towards the open countryside. Many of them had no conveyances and carried huge bundles on their backs while they led small children by the hand. It was a sight which filled the watching party at the window with a bitter anger against the Russians and the deepest pity for these poor people who had been driven from their homes.

The hearts of the girls were wrung more than those of the men, because they had already been some weeks in Finland and so appreciated more fully the horror of such an evacuation in mid winter up in that northern land. They knew that, unlike the country round London, Paris, and Berlin, where hundreds of thousands of houses could be used for billets in such an emergency, the Finnish countryside outside Helsinki was very little built over. Only a very few of these poor refugees who were being driven forth by the terror of mutilation and death would find accommodation in the farms and barns; the vast majority would have to camp out in the woods where the snow was already two feet deep upon the ground. Thousands of them who were fleeing without even bedding would be frozen to death during the night or get frost bite which would injure them for life.

Gregory, too, felt particularly badly about it, because he knew that he had been to a large extent responsible for the last minute decision of the Finnish Government to defy the might of Russia, but he tried to comfort himself with the thought that the Finns were at least still free men; whereas, if they had surrendered without firing a shot a month or two would have found thousands of them marching through the Russian snows in forced labour gangs.

Madame Loumkoski returned after about twenty minutes to tell a harrowing tale of the havoc wrought by the bombs that had fallen in the next street. A whole row of workmen's dwellings had been blown down and many more were in flames through fires caused by the explosions. The fire fighters and ambulance people were at work there so there was nothing she could do except as she told them render thanks to God that, whereas she had thought that He had cursed her all these years with barrenness she now knew that He had blessed her by preventing her from having any children of her own.

Gregory took out his wad of Finnish notes and peeling off three large ones said to her: "Madame, there is very little that we can do to help but I should be glad if you would take this money. It will buy you a railway ticket to Sweden and keep you there for a few weeks without want, at least; and I'm sure that your husband would rather have you safely out of all these horrors than that you should risk your life to stay with him. If you're lucky you may be able to get one of the trains leaving to morrow morning."

She shook her head. "It is most' kind of you, sir, but I not leave 'im at zis time, no, no."

Her husband and the others all tried to persuade her to do so but she was quite adamant in her refusal. The best that they could do was to make her take the money to put aside so that when her husband was called up which would mean separation for them in any case she would then be able to use it to leave the country; which he said would be a great comfort to him while he was serving with his unit.

At a quarter to four they said good bye to Madame Loumkoski and set off in the car again, back to the aerodrome. It was slow going, as the road was now crowded with an army of refugees who were pouring out of Helsinki to face the bitter cold of the woods rather than spend another night in what appeared to be a doomed city. It was quite dark when they reached the aerodrome and Gregory asked Loumkoski to drive them along a road at its side for about half a mile; then he signalled to him to halt and they all got out. Before taking leave of the friendly chauffeur Gregory asked him if he could spare a spanner with which request he willingly obliged, and they then parted from him with many expressions of goodwill on both sides.

Crossing a ditch Gregory's party began to tramp through the thick snow of the open fields. After ten minutes' laboured going they came up against a wire fence which they knew, from what they had seen in daylight, marked the boundary of the aerodrome. Slipping through it they ploughed on through the snow on its far side. In spite of the darkness they could see for quite a distance owing to the light which the snow reflected, but on this night of death and terror it was not the pale, white light normally reflected from snow, by which, it is said Confucius, as a boy, learned to read on winter evenings because he was too poor to buy candles. It was tinged with a sinister crimson from the blood red glow shot with fiery orange that hung like a devil's

227

THE UNDREAMED OF TRAP 22']

pall above the burning buildings of the city. The light had a horrid, eerie quality about it yet, as they advanced, it served to show them the line of the hangars in one of which the Sabina plane was housed.

At a muttered word from Gregory they made a slight detour in order to get round to the back of the hangars. He meant to approach them from the rear so that if there was a watchman about they could take him by surprise and overpower him before he had the chance to raise an alarm and bring the airport police on the scene. Ten minutes later they had completed their slow, laborious trek and passing through a narrow corridor between two of the hangars came level with their fronts.

Gregory whispered to his companions to halt and peered out into the evil red twilight, first round one corner, then round the other. In normal times there would certainly have been a watchman on duty interval's, would walk round the whole block of hangars at intervals, but they had seen nobody at the back of the row and there was nobody pacing up and down in front of it. There was quite enough light to see some way across the open, but the watchman might be crouching over some hidden brazier inside one of the hangars, and Gregory thought it best for them to wait where they were for a little, as if there was a watchman there he would almost certainly come out to have a look round from time to time.

It was very cold but with that crisp, dry cold which is exhilarating, and in their excitement at the prospect of getting safely away from Helsinki they did not particularly notice it; although they instinctively kept their faces buried deep in their big fur collars and stamped their feet every now and then.

After a quarter of an hour it seemed that they had been waiting there for an age and Gregory began to hope that, after all, there was no watchman on duty. The first day of war in Helsinki must have thrown all ordinary routine right out of gear. The watchman must have been wounded in an air raid or called up for military service, and the people responsible for the safe guarding of the hangars had quite possibly been so frantically busy on more urgent matters that they had had no time to replace him. At last Gregory decided to have a cautious look round and whispering to the others to remain where they were he slid out as noiselessly as a shadow along the front of the hangars.

Ten minutes later he returned to inform them cheerfully that he had examined every likely place and that quite definitely there was no watchman on duty. They followed him out into he open and along to the third hangar from the left hand end of the row. The doors were padlocked but Gregory produced the heavy spanner he had begged of Loumkoski and in two swift wrenches tore the padlock away from its hinge; after which the double doors slid smoothly back upon their grooves.

While Gregory shone his shaded torch Freddie climbed into he cockpit of the plane and gave the instrument board a quick look over. To his joy he found that his orders on landing two days before had been carried out. The plane had been refuelled to capacity, so there seemed nothing to prevent them from making a direct flight to Stockholm. Between them they pushed the plane out of the shed on to the hard, frozen snow and while he two girls and Gregory stood by, Freddie spent five minutes examining the controls to see that they were all in order; then they turned the plane so that it should face the wind.

They had only just finished when Erika gave a gasp of dismay and tugged at Gregory's shoulder. Swinging round he saw coming towards them, from the direction of the airport Buildings, a group of figures.

"Quick!" he shouted. "On board, all of you Freddie, get her going "

At the same instant one of the approaching group shouted something in Finnish and they all began to run.

Freddie was in the plane and Angela was scrambling up beside him but Erika and Gregory were still on the ground when the group of men came pounding up to them. One was in pilot's kit; there were five others, armed police and airport officials. Gregory realized that there was nothing for it but to turn and face them.

"Hullo! What's the excitement?" he said in English. "What do you do here?" one of the airport men replied in he same language.

"Getting out while the going's good," replied Gregory calmly.

"But you 'ave not pass the controls and 'ave no permit." "I'm not going to allow a little thing like that to stand in my way in times like these," said Gregory. "Our passports are all order and we've come straight from the British Consulate." "Yes, yes; per'aps. But you cannot take this plane." "Why not? It's mine."

The official shrugged. "All planes 'ave been commandeered under an emergency decree we make this morning."

"You can't commandeer this one " Gregory retorted swiftly. "This plane is the property of the British Government."

"I can," replied the official abruptly. "As I 'ave told you, we 'ave powers to commandeer all planes under an emergency decree."

"But this is flagrant interference with the rights of neutrals."

"That I cannot 'elp. Compensation will be pay to you for et but Finland makes war and every plane in Helsinki is needed." The official glanced up at Freddie. "You, there in the pilot's seat please to come down! "

Gregory could hardly contain his cold, fierce wrath. In another five minutes they would have been on their way out of Finland to Stockholm and perhaps twenty four hours later safely home in England. Now they were stuck again with no means of getting out of the country. Worse still, by now the names of Freddie and himself had probably been circulated as those of men wanted for murder and at any moment the airport police might demand to see their passports.

For a second he played with the idea of putting up a fight. Freddie was still in the plane and had only to press the self starter. Gregory would have risked being shot by drawing his own gun and leaping up into the cockpit, but he had the two girls to consider. In a shooting affray they might easily be wounded or killed and Erika was still standing beside him. Before they could both get up into the plane they would be dragged back. There were six Finns against Freddie and himself so the odds were much too heavy and he dismissed the idea as soon as it came to him.

Grimly he nodded to Freddie, who had been waiting for some sign from him whether to obey the order to get out or not. The airman reluctantly climbed down and Angela jumped out after him.

"There's going to be trouble about this," she announced sharply. "I'm Miss Fordyce, and my father is a special assistant to the British Consul here. He would have made other arrangements to get me to a place of safety if this gentleman had not offered to fly me home. If you detain me my father will make things jolly hot for you with your Government."

The official bowed. "I am mos' sorry, Madame; but 'ow can we let private matters interfere with the necessities of our country?"

"But this isn't a private matter," Freddie put in rashly. “I’m a Royal Air Force pilot and this is a British plane. If you’re not darned careful you'll have a diplomatic incident on 'our hands, and you'd be penny wise and pound foolish to start even a minor quarrel with the British Government at this juncture."

The Finn who was dressed in pilot's kit spoke in halting English. "We should have great regret, sir, to offend your Government in any way but this is an urgency. Our so few military planes are all needed; our civil planes are took also for many purposes. I introduce myself. Staff Captain Helijarvi. I have urgent orders that I must take with no delays to our forces at Petsamo. Please be reasonable. You see how great is our necessity."

In the face of such an appeal they all felt how impossible, it was to place what the Finns, not knowing that two of them were wanted for murder, could only regard as their temporary safety before such a vital matter as conveying Marshal Mannheim’s orders to his troops in the far north.

For a moment they all stood there in silence, then Gregory asked: "Do you intend to bring the plane back here and, if so, will it be free then, or will you require it for further service?"

"I shall make return in it," replied Captain Helijarvi "immediately I 'ave deliver my dispatches, but after who can say? I fear that all aeroplane in Finland will be required for the duties until more aeroplane come to our 'elp from neutral countries."

It had occurred to Gregory that if there was a chance of their regaining possession of the plane they might have found their way back to Loumkoski's and lain doggo there for twenty four hours until the plane was back and they could get away in it; but evidently this was the most slender thread upon which to pin their hopes. Clearly, too, even if they could persuade the Staff Captain to take them with him to Petsamo, as he meant to return at once he would not release the plane there so that they could fly on with it into neutral Norway. But another possibility suddenly occurred to Gregory, and he turned to Charlton.

"Look here; Freddie, Petsamo, as you probably know, is an ice free port in the Arctic. If we could get there we might have to wait a week or so but we should almost certainly be able to secure a passage in a British or neutral ship and go home that way. How about it?"

"That would suit Angela and myself," Freddie nodded; "but how about Erika?"

Erika shrugged. "Almost any ship sailing from Petsamo would call at one of the Norwegian ports before going on to England or America, so you could drop me off in Norway. The point is, though, would Captain Helijarvi be willing to take us?"

"Madame," said the Finn at once. "I only regrets that I 'ave to take your plane at all. In any other way please make your command to me. If it is 'elpful to you that I fly you to Petsamo it will be big pleasure for me to take you."

"This is mos' irregular," cut in the airport official. "These peoples have not pass the controls, Captain. They mus' 'ave known that we would not allow them to take their plane."

For a second their fate seemed to hang again in the balance., then Helijarvi laughed a rich, deep chuckle. "There is a war on, friend. 'Ow can you blame two gentlemen’s for not observing regulation when they wish to get their ladies to safe places? Let us 'ave no more delays."

Gregory felt that his star was once more in the ascendant as the thick set Finnish Staff Captain climbed into the plane and began to examine the controls. Freddie got in beside him and swiftly explained the more subtle idiosyncrasies of the plane which his own flight from Germany had shown him. It was a four seater but none of them were heavy weights; the two girls weighed only sixteen stone between them and their two dressing cases were the only luggage; so Helijarvi and Freddie agreed that the plane would not be overloaded. Gregory and the girls wedged themselves into the back while the two pilots sat in front. One of the airport men blew a whistle; a light flickered for a moment in the distance to give Helijarvi his direction; the engine roared and they were off.

Freddie had offered to fly the plane if Helijarvi would act as his navigator but the Finn had replied that he preferred to fly it himself and knew the route to Petsamo so well that he could manage without assistance; so for once the ace British pilot experienced the, to him, rather dubious joy of being a passenger. Apart from Angela none of the fugitives had had their full ration of sleep for the past two nights and, from nodding drowsily to the engine's monotonous hum, after about twenty minutes they all dropped off to sleep.

The first part of the journey lay over Central Finland, so there was little danger of encountering the Soviet war planes; which, if their pilots were not tired out after their long day of murder, would be operating against either the towns of the South or the fortifications on the frontier. Helijarvi's only anxiety was that they might run into a blizzard; but the weather had been good all day and the calm of the early night suggested a peace which no longer existed in the stricken land. The Soviet bombers had not confined their attention to Helsinki but had raided many towns and villages that day, so as the plane flew on its pilot picked up the glare of still burning homesteads from time to time and knew that in the dark forests below him a million homeless people were striving to keep the warmth of life in their shivering bodies.

At seven o'clock Freddie roused up, upon which Helijarvi told him that they had accomplished about two thirds of their journey and were now approaching a part of the country where the Russian frontier juts out like a big cape into Northern Finland. To remain on the direct route to Petsamo he would have had to fly over Soviet territory for about a hundred miles so he altered course slightly to keep inside the Finnish border, but they were near enough to the frontier to see here and there far below them some evidence of the fighting that was still in progress.

The main battle fronts were hundreds of miles away to the South, on the Karelian Isthmus and north of Lake ' Ladoga. Up here the fighting consisted only of encounters between small detached units who occasionally came up against one another in their endeavours either to penetrate or to defend the frontier. At one point a battery was shelling some unseen target but in all the hundred and fifty miles of their detour they saw only three other local engagements and in these the sporadic spurts A fire and individual flashes showed that nothing heavier than machine guns and rifles were in action.

Soon after they passed away from the frontier they ran into cloud and, coming down to a thousand feet, encountered snow. it was not a blizzard but the gentle, drifting snow that falls so frequently in the Arctic and which pilots must always anticipate there when flying below the lower cloud levels. Helijarvi said that Petsamo must now lie somewhere beneath them and switching on his navigation lights he began to send out radio signals in anticipation that the airport would give him a beam to guide him in. After several minutes' tapping they received no response; which looked as though the airport people were not operating their wireless, for fear of giving guidance to Soviet bombing planes which might quite possibly be in the area.

Without radio assistance it would prove difficult to find the landing ground but Helijarvi felt confident he could do so.

Circling round he slowly began to bring the plane much lower until after circling six times they picked up some flashes of light. A moment later they were flying over the lights and were able to see that there were two distinct groups of them, about a mile apart. The snow blanket seemed to be less solid down here and they suddenly realized that instead of a uniform greyness below them the cloud like landscape was rent into two jagged halves, one of which was much darker than the other. As Helijarvi circled again they saw that one group of flashes came from the edge of a prominence in the whiter part while the other was out in the darker, and the explanation flashed upon the two airmen simultaneously. The first group of flashes came from shore batteries on the harbour and the second from Soviet warships which were shelling them from the sea.

As Helijarvi knew Petsamo well the flashes from the forts of the harbour gave him a good idea of his position. Turning inland again he sailed low over them and a moment later was flying only fifty feet above the roof tops of the town.

They could spot scattered lights below them now, as the black out was anything but perfect. It was impossible to see the people who were down there but the glow from the snow which was broken by black patches, enabled them to pick up the principal buildings. For a second Freddie's heart was in his mouth as they narrowly missed a church spire, but that gave Helijarvi the final key to his direction and almost immediately afterwards he pointed at a light ahead which he declared came from the airport.

As they passed over it they saw that the light did not come from the control tower but from a window in the airport buildings and Helijarvi began to radio again for the landing lights to be switched on. Twice more they circled butt no fresh lights appeared, so they decided that the airport wireless must have been put out of action by an air raid earlier in the day and that the only thing to do was to risk a landing without guidance. Zooming up again Helijarvi banked to get into the wind, flattened out and came down on the snow covered ground.

Owing to the difficulty of such a landing at night they bumped heavily, which woke Gregory and the two girls; but after three more bumps Helijarvi steadied the plane and managed to halt it about two hundred yards from the dark control tower. Directly the plane was at rest they opened the cabin door and all climbed out, gaily congratulating Helijarvi on his successful flight.

They could now hear the dull rumble of the guns in the distant harbour, but as the town was quiet it seemed a little strange that no airport people had come out to meet them, since they must have heard the plane droning overhead. There was little wind but it was snowing quite fast, the large flakes coming down silently and steadily. Through the snow they could just make out the glow from the lighted window. With his satchel of papers tucked under his arm Helijarvi led the way towards it. As they approached they heard the muffled sound of singing coming through the double windows of the building and striding to a door through which he had often passed on completing his flights to Petsamo Helijarvi pushed it open.

It gave on to the Petsamo Air Club smoking room where, in peace time, in and out going pilots usually had drinks together. After the intense cold of the air outside the heat of the place seemed to hit the newcomers in the face and it was thick with smoke and the smell of spilt beer. The room was occupied by about twenty soldiers who were lolling about on the chairs and settees bawling a raucous chorus as one of their number hammered at the piano. Some of them were very drunk indeed, but that was not the only thing which Gregory noticed in his first swift glance over Helijarvi's shoulder. The soldiers were wearing pointed, gnome like caps. They were not. Finns; they were Russians.

Chapter XX

Hell in the Arctic

IN a flash Gregory realized that although the Finns were still holding out in the forts on the harbour their small garrison must have been driven from the town by a massed Soviet attack that afternoon.

From the open door a flurry of snow driven on an icy blast swept into the room. The singing quavered out; the brutish, drunken faces turned towards the door and the nearest soldiers jumped to their feet. As they recognized Helijarvi for a Finnish officer they grabbed up their rifles. One pulled an automatic from its holster and swaying unsteadily yelled something in Russian which clearly meant "Put your hands up " Before he could pull the door shut again the thick set Finn was covered from a dozen different directions.

But he had seen instantly the trap into which he had walked; even before they had him covered his hand jerked to his own pistol. Although he knew it was death to do so his choice was instantaneous. Better to kill a few Russians if he could than be ignominiously captured on the first day of the war. Whipping out his gun he pressed its trigger and sent a stream of lead into the crowd of soldiers. The screams of the wounded were half drowned in the crash of shots that followed and, his pistol slipping from his hand, Helijarvi fell in the doorway riddled with bullets.

Gregory grasped the situation at the same instant as Helijarvi’s hand had jumped to his gun. Leaping back he nearly knocked over the two girls who were behind him. As the bullets aimed at the Finn sprayed the open doorway one passed within an inch of Gregory's ear, another zipped through the thick fur on his shoulder, and a third thudded into the dressing case he was holding in his hand. The Russians were now almost hidden by the drifting blue smoke from the barrels of their rifles; before they had time to aim again he had turned and thrusting his friends back yelled: "Run-Run for your lives "

Freddie had been bringing up the rear of the party; seizing Angela he wrenched her round and almost dragging her off her feet scampered with her along the side of the building. Lowering her head Erika plunged along in their track until Gregory caught her up and, grabbing her arm, ran with her.

Orders, counter orders. Drunken shouts came from the open doorway behind them as the soldiers tumbled out of it and the horrid fear of bullets in the back lent added speed to the fugitives' flying feet. Freddie and Angela reached the corner of the building and dashed round it into the temporary safety of a narrow passage. A rifle cracked when Erika and Gregory were still some five yards from it, but the bullet went wide and Erika raced after the others.

Gregory had dropped her case and drawn his gun as he was running. He did not want to fire. He and his friends had no quarrel with Russia and it was the most evil luck that at the sight of Helijarvi the troops should have taken the whole party for Finns. Yet he knew that in the darkness and confusion, and lacking any common language, any attempt at explanation was impossible. The Russians, furious at the casualties they had already suffered and half stupid with liquor, were shooting to kill on sight. Unless they could be checked his whole party would be massacred so, flattening himself against the wall, he sent three rounds of rapid fire into the dark crowd of figures which was pouring from the club room; a scream of pain told him that at least one of his bullets had found a billet in flesh or bone. His shots halted their pursuers for a moment, and in it he slipped round the corner. Ahead of him he could see his friends running; behind him came the stamping feet and drunken shouts of the Russians.

Freddie was still leading. On reaching the far end of the passage he saw that it gave on to a wide sweep where in normal times people drove up to the airport. As he charged out into the open a ragged volley sounded in their rear. Some of the bullets whizzed harmlessly overhead and others spattered into the snow. The Russians were shooting wildly as they ran and were too drunk to take proper aim but none the less their shots carried possible agony and death.

When the fugitives were half way across the open space a tall wooden fence loomed up through the drifting snowflakes in front of them. They had hardly reached it when the Russians came streaming out from between the buildings in hot pursuit.

The fence was too tall and difficult to attempt to scramble over at such a moment and Freddie did not know in which direction the gateway through it lay. Trusting to luck he turned blindly to his left; and luck was with him. Twenty yards further on two big stone pillars flanking a gate appeared. It was open and there was no sentry on it. But the Russians, instinctively assuming that they would make for it, were taking a short cut across the carriage sweep and so had considerably decreased their distance. Yelling and shouting they came pounding over the snow as Freddie and Angela dived through the gate with Gregory and Erika hard on their heels.

Just as they reached the street one of the Russians paused to fire. Gregory gave a cry, staggered and pitched forward on his face. Erika stopped in her tracks and pulling out the little pistol which she had pushed into her pocket after packing her dressing case opened fire with it.

"Gregory! Gregory!" she cried imploringly, as she prayed with all her might that he would stagger to his feet and run on; but he did not stir.

At the sound of shots so close behind them Freddie and Angela turned. Seeing what had happened, Freddie let go of Angela's arm and running back seized Gregory by the shoulders. He was quite limp and either unconscious or dead.

In all his life Freddie had never had a more difficult decision to make. The two girls were now dependent on him as their only protector, and to try to carry Gregory would enormously increase their chances of capture. If he were dead the added risk would serve no useful purpose; but the young airman felt that he could not possibly leave the companion with whom he had spent so many weeks of difficulty and danger, in case there was still life in him. Seizing Gregory in his strong arms he hoisted him up in a fireman's lift across his shoulders and turning, began to run again.

Erika had taken cover behind one of the stone pillars to which the gate was hinged and stood there peering round it. Her first shots had checked the drunken soldiers for a moment. Instead of turning with Freddie she remained half crouching there waiting for the Russians to come on. They sent a burst of fire through the now empty gateway and then came plunging forward in a body. Erika aimed carefully as they loomed up out of the drifting snow then pressed the trigger of her pistol twice.

There was a shriek as the leading man slumped in his tracks; another staggered sideways and went down in a heap. Several more tripped sprawling across their comrades' bodies, but Erika had barely glimpsed the result of her shooting before she sprang to her feet and was running for her life. She could no longer see her friends but she knew the direction they had taken and fled over the crisp white carpet in their tracks.

She had barely covered a hundred yards when shots came whipping after her; the soldiers had gathered in the gateway and were firing down the street. The gauzy veil of drifting snow now hid her from them and she felt certain that she could outdistance them owing to the lightness with which she could skim over the ground; yet a ghastly fear tore at her heart strings as she ran. Her adored Gregory might be dead.

Another twenty yards and she caught sight of Freddie. He was plunging along with Gregory's limp body slung over his back and Angela beside him. Putting on a spurt Erika came level with them. In spite of the icy cold, rivulets of sweat were running down Freddie's face. His breath was coming in awful sobbing gasps and each gulp of the freezing air that he drew into his aching lungs hissed out again like a cloud of steam. He had made a supreme effort and covered the first hundred yards in remarkable time considering that he was carrying the dead weight of a fully grown man; but he could not possibly keep up such a pace. Now, he was stumbling as he ran and his heart was hammering against his ribs as though it would burst with the strain. He knew that he must soon set his burden down or his legs would give way under him.

The firing had ceased but a fresh chorus of drunken shouts told them that the troops had not given up the chase; they were coming down the street after them. As they ran both the girls kept glancing over their shoulders. The dancing snowflakes still hid them from the pursuing soldiers but now that Freddie's pace was flagging they knew that they must be losing their lead and they expected to see the troops emerge through the curtain of whiteness at any moment.

Erika was at her wits' end. She still had two or three bullets left in the magazine of her pistol. But even if she could again manage to pick off their foremost pursuers she knew that she would never be able to hold the others up long enough to give Freddie a new lead that would be of any use now. He was almost done and from his reeling gait she could see that he was due to collapse within another thirty paces.

The colossal physical effort that Freddie was making took every ounce of his energy so that he could not use his brain at all but only stagger blindly on to the limit of his endurance. Every second the weight of Gregory's body seemed to grow heavier and now he felt as though he were crushed under the bodies of five men instead of one. This time it was Angela who once more temporarily saved the situation.

They had passed the limits of the airport and were no longer running along beside the fence but had entered a street with small houses on either side. Between two of them Angela spotted a narrow alleyway. Seizing Freddie by the arm she pulled him with all her force so that he swung round into it. Losing his balance he fell with Gregory just inside its entrance. Erika came sprawling on top of them but in an instant she was up and helping Angela to drag Gregory's body from on top of Freddie and further into the ally. By the time they had pulled the body four or five yards Freddie lurched to his feet and came lumbering after them, only to collapse again just as he caught them up.

While he sprawled there panting as though his lungs would burst, Gregory lay inert and silent. Erika had to know if he was alive or dead. Wrenching off her right glove she fumbled frantically at the furs about his neck and thrust her hand down under his clothing. He was alive. His heart was still beating. Her unspoken relief lasted only for a second. The blank walls of the houses rose steeply on either side of the alley and it was pitch dark in there except for a faint, greyish oblong which showed where it entered the street. It was impossible for her to ascertain where, or how badly, he was wounded. Perhaps he was dying. Her brain reeled under a fresh spate of agony as she realized that he might be bleeding to death, yet she was powerless to stop it.

Crouching beside their men the girls peered with wide, anxious eyes towards the faintly light patch as they strove to get back their breath and still the beating of their hearts. Erika had dropped her gun when she tripped over Freddie but, although she was less than twenty feet from the place where she had fallen, she dared not go back to look for it. The snow had deadened the sound of their footsteps but it also deadened the sound of their pursuers. The Russians might reach the entrance of the alleyway before she could get her gun and slip back into the darkness. Everything depended now upon the soldiers' not noticing the entrance and believing that their quarry was still ahead of them, further down the gloomy, snow swept street.

She had been crouching beside Gregory for barely forty seconds when the sound of muffled footfalls and heavy breathing reached her. Angela laid a quick hand on Freddie's shoulder to try and quiet him in case his awful gasping should be heard and he made an agonizing effort to control the hoarse gulps that came spasmodically from his tortured lungs.

Another ten seconds and the troops had passed, ploughing heavily on down the road; but there was not an instant to be lost. When the Russians failed to sight the fugitives they would turn back and might notice the tracks in the freshly fallen snow that led into the entrance of the alley. Erika had Gregory's head pillowed on her lap. Half crazed by fear that he was dying she stroked his face and in soft whispers implored him to speak to her; but he remained absolutely limp. She could feel that his mouth was hanging open but he did not utter even a moan or sigh. Angela was the first on her feet and she shook Freddie by the shoulder. "Come on, darling! Come on 1 " she whispered. "They may be back here in a moment."

Still panting, Freddie struggled to his knees. The two girls hauled Gregory across his back and assisted him to rise; with a lurch he began to plod heavily along, deeper into the darkness of the alley. Erika was already following when she suddenly remembered her pistol and turned back to look for it. She knew within a few feet where she must have dropped it but the uncertain light made it impossible to see the pistol at a glance so she had to grope about on her hands and knees in the snow for a good minute before she found the deadly little weapon. Its safety catch was still off and only the soft snow had prevented its exploding after it had fallen from her hand. Quickly pushing the safety catch down she rammed the gun into her pocket and ran after the others.

They had passed out of the black gulf made by the two houses but wooden fences hedged them in on either side for some distance and the only light was the greyish, snow filled murk above. At last they reached the further entrance to the alley and Freddie set Gregory down again while they held a quick consultation as to which way to go. Their only knowledge of the geography of Petsamo came from their brief flight in the semi darkness above it but they felt that the town lay towards their left and that it would be best to make in that direction; so Freddie hoisted Gregory on to his shoulders again and they set off along a dreary looking road.

It seemed that they had managed to evade the soldiers but the thought that the Russians had taken Petsamo filled them all with the gravest forebodings. From the little they could make out, encompassed as they were by darkness and snow, they were passing down a street which consisted of back gardens interspersed with empty lots and they felt that since none of them could speak Finnish it would be a risky business to knock up a house, even when they found one. As the Russians had fought their way into Petsamo that day everything would be in confusion; they might easily walk into a trap, as they had done at the airport, and find that the building they knocked up had been taken over as a billet for Russian soldiers; or, if it still held Finns the Finns might take them for Russians as they could not speak Finnish and set about them. Even the fact of heading for the town seemed a policy of dubious wisdom. The main body of Soviet troops would certainly be quartered there and the sort of fate that might overtake them as prisoners of the Russians was too grim to contemplate; yet they could not stay out all night with the thermometer at thirty degrees below zero.

They had covered about a quarter of a mile at a slow, plodding pace when the bulk of a house loomed up through the snow; before it stood a huge sleigh to which were harnessed three horses. Erika halted the party with a swift whisper. "Wait If we can get hold of that troika we could get away."

"Where to?" Freddie muttered anxiously.

"God knows. But away from the Russians, anyhow."

"Yes," Angela added quickly. "Erika's right. Anything would be better than falling into the hands of those soldiers."

"Right," said Freddie. "Let's take it, then. It's no time to bother ourselves about private ownership."

As they stepped forward a man emerged from the shadows on the far side of the horses. They had no idea if he was a Russian or a Finn but Erika felt now that their very lives depended upon getting possession of the sleigh. Drawing her pistol she advanced on the man, crying sharply in German: "Put your hands up "

The man stood there, evidently not understanding. In the uncertain light she could not see the expression on his face but she stepped forward another couple of paces and thrust out her automatic so that he could see it. Apparently taken completely by surprise he jumped back a pace and pulling his hands from his pockets lifted them quickly above his head.

Freddie ran to the near side of the sleigh and lowered Gregory into it. Angela scrambled up on to the box and grabbed the reins. The sleigh bells on the harness jingled and the three small wiry horses began to paw the ground impatiently. Erika waved her pistol, motioning the owner of the sleigh to retreat. He began to curse in some unknown language but gave back a few paces. Then, suddenly regaining his courage, he made a rush at her.

Her pistol flashed as she sent a shot over his shoulder. It brought him up short' and she lowered her gun with a determined gesture which showed him that she meant to put her next shot into his body; he hesitated, then still cursing, he began to back away again.

"All aboard " called Angela, passing the reins to Freddie. With a swift turn Erika grabbed the off side of the sleigh and jumped. Freddie cracked the whip and as Erika half fell into the body of the troika the horses plunged their way into the snow flaked darkness leaving their unfortunate owner shouting and cursing in the middle of the road.

The three horses were as much as Freddie could handle but he soon had them under control. Although they were still rugged up against the piercing cold they cantered down the street at a fine pace and he let them have their heads for the first mile, until they were clear of the town and somewhere out behind the airport on a road that had only a line of trees at one side to mark it. Pulling up, he un-rugged the horses and with the reins still over the crook of his arm came round to the side of the sleigh to find out how badly Gregory was wounded.

Erika and Angela had both lost their dressing cases but they had found a torch in one of Gregory's pockets and were examining him by it. He was still unconscious but the light showed that the fur collar of his coat was glistening with wet blood and on removing his fur cap they found that he had been wounded in the back of the head. At first they feared that a bullet had smashed his skull and was lodged in the bone there, but as Angela held the light and Erika probed the wound gently with her fingers they discovered that it was only a deep cut through his hair and the back of his scalp; upon which Freddie declared that the wound must have been made by a spent bullet which had ricocheted off the brickwork of the airport building.

As Erika probed the deep cut Gregory began to moan and soon afterwards came round but he was unable to talk coherently. The girls bandaged the wound as well as they could by making a wad of their handkerchiefs and keeping it in place by pulling his fur papenka over it; then they made him as comfortable as possible between them in the back of the sleigh and drew the rugs, with which it was well provided, over them.

If the man from whom they had stolen the sleigh had roused his neighbours there was still danger of pursuit so, jumping on to the box, Freddie drove on again. There would have been considerable risk of his driving off the, road had it not been that the way was now dead straight and lay between two solid blocks of forest which they had entered within a few hundred yards of their first halt, and even through the gently falling snow he could see the black blur of the massed tree trunks on either side.

After they had been going for nearly an hour he pulled up and turned towards the others to ask a little doubtfully: "D'you think we ought to go on? I haven't the faintest idea where this road leads to."

"Never mind," said Angela decisively. "Give the horses another breather, then drive on again. We must get as far as we possibly can from Petsamo now it's been captured by the Russians."

"Yes. I'm with you there," he agreed; "but the devil of it is that we don't know where we're going."

"We can't help that," said Erika; "anything is better than falling into the hands of the soldiers. One look at their faces as they were in that mess room drinking like hogs was quite enough to show what brutes they are."

After resting the horses they continued their journey into the unknown at an easier pace, halting once more after another half hour had passed. The snow was still falling so they could not see the stars and Freddie was uneasy about their direction; but the girls continued to insist that they must get as far as they could from Petsamo by morning and Angela volunteered to drive the next stage.

When they went on she found the three horses a heavy strain upon her arms but the vigour she had to exert to control them kept her warm; and it was a pleasant change from sitting inactive in the back of the sleigh where the cold was bitter even under the pile of fur rugs.

Freddie took over again after the next halt and they went on and on down the long, straight road which they had had no difficulty at all in following as it was still bordered in either side by grim, silent forests.

When they halted for the fifth time they estimated that they must be well over twenty miles from Petsamo; yet they had not seen a single traveller on the road or passed through any village. As they drove on again the snow began to lighten. After a little it ceased altogether and they were able to see the moon, which was only four days past full, and the stars gleaming overhead in a dale, frosty sky. Freddie halted the sleigh once more and remained peering up at them for a moment; then he said in an uneasy voice

"That's the North Star up there on our left. We've been driving into Russia."

"Petsamo is only about fifteen miles from the Russian frontier," said Erika, "so we must have crossed it by now."

"I don't know," Freddie replied. "This road doesn't run due east but about south east by south, so we may still be somewhere on the Finnish side of the frontier."

"Oh, hell!" exclaimed Angela. "What are we going to do? I haven't noticed a single turning for the last ten miles or more and the last thing we want to do is to drive on into enemy territory; yet we can't go back."

Gregory had fallen into a troubled sleep so they could not consult him. Freddie glanced at the dial of his luminous watch. It was not yet midnight and so still November the 30th, the first day of the Russo Finnish War. It seemed incredible that so much should have happened to them in so short a space of time, yet they had woken that morning in the comfortable room at the Helsinki police headquarters with Finland still at peace; reasonably confident that they would soon be free again and, having completed their mission successfully, be on their way to England. Since then, they had been charged with murder, had passed through three devastating air raids, had flown seven hundred miles, had made a most dangerous night landing in a snow storm, had narrowly escaped being killed or captured by drunken Russian soldiers and had driven twenty five miles in a stolen troika to find themselves lost and stranded in the desolate Arctic.

The seemingly endless forests on either side of them were utterly still with a terrifying silence that could almost be felt. For many miles they had seen no sign of life; they were foodless and shelter less and from the agonizing cold they knew that the thermometer must stand at many degrees below zero.

The two men were wanted for murder in Finland; all four of them would be arrested and shot for firing on the soldiers if they fell into the hands of the Russians, and if they did not return to Petsamo they must drive on into Russia, for if they remained where they were they would freeze to death before morning. As all of them silently considered this desperate situation they felt that they were faced with an insoluble problem.

Chapter XXI

The Man without a Memory

"WELL, we can't stay here," said Freddie, flapping his arms across his chest, "otherwise we'll get frost bite. This cold is absolutely shattering and the only antidote to it is to keep moving."

"But where to?" said Angela desperately. "If we go on until we reach a village we'll probably find ourselves in Russia."

"For all practical purposes we're in Russia already," Erika remarked slowly; "as the Russians took Petsamo some time to day they must have driven in the Finnish frontier guards round here; so we're behind the Russian lines now in any case."

"That's true," Freddie agreed, and Erika went on:

"We'll be no worse off if we go forward than if we go back in fact, well almost certainly receive better treatment if we strike a new lot of Russians further along the road than we should if we returned to Petsamo and fell into the hands of the crowd we fired on. They'd never believe we only did it in self defence."

Angela made an effort to stop her teeth chattering and added: "Ye ye es. "They’d sh-shoot us if they caught us, so we must go on. I'm going to drive again."

"Right oh! " Freddie handed her the reins. "There must be a village somewhere along this road and maybe the peasants will give us shelter whether they're Finns or Russians."

They drove on for what seemed an interminable time through the dark, menacing forest, which now looked even more sinister in the bright moonlight, halting occasionally to rest the horses and change the drivers. Erika remained with Gregory's head pillowed on her shoulder although she was cramped and terribly cold. Angela tried to persuade her to change places and take a turn with the reins but she refused for, brave as she was in other ways, she was frightened of anything to do with horses.

Freddie could not understand how any main road, such as this obviously was, could continue for so many miles without a single village upon it, until Erika said: "I don't think people like ourselves who live in the more highly populated parts of Europe ever quite realize how sparsely countries bordering on the Arctic are peopled. Sometimes, I believe, there's as much as a hundred miles between settlements, and then they are inhabited only by miners or trappers."

It was nearly two o'clock in the morning when Angela, who was standing up in the sleigh driving again, gave a cry of exultation and pointed with her whip. A solitary light showed clearly through a break in the trees on the left hand side of the road. halting the sleigh, she and Freddie got out and ran towards a track which wound between the trees. It was only just perceptible in the glow from the snow but they soon realized that the light was much further away than they had at first imagined; so they walked back to the sleigh and climbing in again drove along the track towards it.

The track was about a quarter of a mile in length and as they advanced they saw that the light came from the window of quite a large, one storeyed building. Pulling tip in front of it Freddie gave a shout, but no answer came from the lighted room or from the doorway in the log wall which stood ajar. Tying the reins to a near by post Freddie stamped his feet to try to get some warmth into them, kicked aside a little drift of recently fallen snow outside the door and pushed it open. Catching his breath lie paused there for a moment staring at the ghastly sight that confronted him.

A single oil lamp burned upon a stout, wood table in the centre of the room; its light shone upon four human figures and all of them were unquestionably dead.

Under the window, two panes of which Freddie now saw had been shattered, an elderly bearded man lay clutching a rifle. Near by a younger man sprawled on his back staring with blinded eyes at the raftered roof. On the far side of the room, beyond the table, a middle aged woman was huddled with her arms round a boy of thirteen as though in a last effort to protect him.

Blood stained the white scrubbed floor but the large room was not in serious disorder and it was well equipped for a squatter's home. A row of burnished pots and pans hung beside the stove; the table cloth, curtains and chair coverings were of decent material. In one corner there were some home made shelves, containing at least a couple of hundred books, and a wireless stood on a small side table. Freddie realized at once that such luxuries would never he found in a Russian peasant's shack, so the dead people must be Finns. Perhaps the man and his eldest son had fired upon a body of Soviet troops that they had seen moving along the road earlier in the day. In any case the cottage had been attacked some time after sundown when the lamp had already been lit. It looked as though the two men had been shot whip defending it, and the woman and boy brutally murdered afterwards.

The flat topped stove, a feature of all Arctic dwellings, consisting of cooking range and brick baking oven in this case a huge affair nearly ten feet square was still going. But owing to the fact that the door of the house had been left partly open for several hours, the room was little warmer than the climate outside; and as Freddie examined the bodies he found that they were already frozen stiff. Going out to the two girls he told them what he had found and asked them to remain where then were while he disposed of the corpses. He then returned to the cottage and one by one carried the poor dead Finns from their home to deposit them round the corner of the building, since he was far too done up to think of burying them before he had slept.

While Freddie was busy with the bodies Angela took the torch and scouted round the house until she found a large stable in its rear. There were no horses there but one end of it was piled high with roughly made trusses of sweet smelling hay, and as the place backed on to One stove in the living room its temperature was not unbearably cola. Stumbling with weariness she went back to the sleigh, unharnessed the horses, rugged them up and turned them loose in the stable to munch mouthfuls of hay from the trusses.

Erika had meanwhile roused Gregory and found to her joy that he was now able to walk Without assistance; but he complained that he had a most frightful headache and that it hurt him to talk. She led him into the house and made him sit down in an arm chair where she brushed the frost from his eye brows and chafed his half frozen hands and feet.

By the time they had finished protecting the room from the cold and had warmed themselves at the stove they could hardly stand from fatigue. Since morning they had sustained eighteen hours of almost constant anxiety and exertion and they felt much too tired even to look round the cottage in search of food. Having stoked up the stove they climbed wearily on top of the oven and drew their furs over them; Freddie put out the light and within ten minutes all four of them were sound asleep.

When Freddie awoke it was still pitch dark and on looking at the luminous dial of his watch he saw that it was a quarter to three. Knowing that it must have been just about that hour when they turned in he jumped to the conclusion that they must have slept the clock round twice, but it seemed rather extraordinary that all of them should have done so, even allowing for the terrific strain of the previous day. Then the explanation flashed upon him. Up here in the Arctic, now that it was close on mid winter, the sun did not rise until ten o'clock and it would set again soon after two. They had slept once round the clock but the short four hour day was already over; although they were encompassed again in pitch black night it was actually only a quarter to three in the afternoon.

His stirring had roused the others and while he lit the lamp they climbed down off the big, flat top of the oven. Erika's first concern was for Gregory but when she asked him how his head was he looked at her in a puzzled way.

"My head? Yes; it's aching like blazes. I-I wonder why?"

"You were hit on the back of it last night by a spent bullet and passed out. You gave us the most awful shock. We thought you were dead."

He smiled at her. "That's strange. I don't remember the least thing about it and er " he looked round the big living room, "where the devil are we?"

"In some woodman's or trapper's home that we were lucky enough to find about forty or fifty miles south east by south of Petsamo," said Freddie.

"Petsamo?" Gregory murmured vaguely. "Petsamo? Where's that?"

"Wake up, man 1 " Freddie laughed. "It's the Finnish port in the Arctic Circle."

A look dawned in Gregory's eyes that none of them had ever seen there before; a frightened, hunted look. "But, but " he stammered, "the Arctic! What am I doing up in the Arctic?"

They all stood there in silence for a moment regarding him anxiously until, in a very small voice, Erika said suddenly: "You do know me, darling, don't you?"

"Of course I do," he laughed uneasily. "As though I .could forget your lovely face in a million years But wait a minute that’s very queer .l can't remember your name."

"I'm Erika," she said softly.

"Erika," lie repeated. "That's a pretty name, isn't it and marvellously suitable." He looked at the others. "Of course I know both of you, too, but somehow it's quite extraordinary I can't place either of you for the moment."

"I'm Freddie, and this is Angela," Charlton announced. "it looks as though that crack on the back of your head last night has caused you to lose your memory, old chap," he added with a worried frown.

Gregory passed a hand across his forehead and nodded slowly. Then he laughed rather uncertainly. "Yes, I suppose that's it. What a damnable thing, to happen My mind seems to have gone completely blank. I-I haven't the faintest idea who I am or what we're all doing here."

It was a strange and rather alarming situation but the practical Angela pulled them out of the sudden gloom that had descended upon them, by saying: "I expect when we tell you all we know about your past things'll soon come back. In the meantime I'm jolly hungry. What about seeing if we can find some breakfast?"

"That's the idea," Freddie supported her, and the two of them began to poke into the cupboards to see what supplies they could find while Erika examined Gregory's wound. The bullet had cut a furrow about two inches long through the hair at the back of his cranium, exposing a jagged red weal where the torn scalp had bled. He felt no pain from the wound itself; the whole area had gone dull so that he could not feel anything even when Erika pressed quite hard with her fingers, so she washed it carefully and left it unbandaged so that the air could get at the abrasion and heal it more quickly.

In a cupboard near the stove Angela had found a small stock of coffee, sugar, tinned milk, some slices of dried meat on a plate and two flat loaves like small, thick motor tyres. Erika said that as it was too cold to grow wheat in Finland white bread was procurable only in the towns, where it was made from stocks of imported corn, and that this was rye bread upon which the bulk of the population lived. She had often seen the peasant women carrying a dozen or more such loaves by a string threaded through the holes in the centre, and had heard it said that they went as hard as brick when they were stale but kept almost indefinitely, and that the people made great stocks of them in the autumn to last through the winter.

Angela made some coffee and breaking up a part of one of the brick like loaves they soaked the pieces in it to soften them; which, with the cold meat, made a not particularly palatable but satisfying meal. Over it they gave Gregory particulars as to who he was and a rough outline of his doings as far as they knew them since Erika had first met him on the road between Coblenz and Cologne three months before.

He was naturally extraordinarily interested in this recital but at certain parts of it they had great difficulty in persuading him that they were telling the truth. At first he refused to believe that he was a secret agent and said that such an incredible series of adventures could never have happened to anyone in real life; but he had to admit that they could hardly have invented such a story on the spur of the moment. He seemed to take everything in but he said very little and they were greatly distressed to see that his loss of memory had robbed him of his mental agility to such an extent that he was almost a different personality.

While rummaging for food they had pulled open a low door beside the stove which led into a small lightless chamber that had a drain in the centre of its sloping concrete floor and was empty except for a pile of large stones. Erika said that it was a Soma, or Finnish steam bath, and that to use it the stores should first be heated in the fire then have buckets of cold water poured over them which created clouds of steam in the small, almost airtight chamber making it like the steam room in a Turkish Bath.

But the supply' of food they had found in the cupboards was very limited so Freddie was still greatly concerned about their situation. If there was not a larger stock somewhere about they would have to move on again; a thought that presented a score of difficult problems. In discussing their prospects it was Freddie who now took the lead while Gregory meekly agreed to everything that was said. Angela declared that she must go and look after the horses and Freddie said that he would make a full inspection of the premises; upon which, in silent acquiescence Gregory followed them out of the house like an eager but meek looking spaniel.

When they drove up to the building the night before they had been vaguely puzzled by the fact that although from the outside it appeared to be quite a sizable place it seemed to consist of only the stable and one large living room; but they had been too exhausted to bother about that at the time.

On going round the house they found that there were three other rooms in it, although none of these led into the room where they had slept; which Erika, who had followed the men out, remarked, was probably to prevent the intense cold seeping into the living room through the cracks round a number of doorways.

The first room they entered was a fur store. It was very nearly empty, as the trapping season had only just begun, but its use was obvious from three bundles of pelts lying on the floor and a dozen skins which were hanging up to dry from rafters in the roof.

To their delight they found that the second room was a food store and, evidently, the trapper had laid in his supplies for the winter. No refrigerating apparatus was needed in that climate and there was a great' pile of skinned and gutted carcasses with the antlered heads still attached, showing that they were reindeer. Two or three dozen joints which hung from the beams they took to be haunches of either bear or venison; and filling almost half the floor space was a stack of cases. They set to work opening these with a jemmy which lay handy on a shelf and found them to contain tinned stores milk, coffee, the cheaper varieties of jams and fruits, pork and beans. Soups, sausages, sweet corn and other vegetables; there was also a pile of about a hundred of the cart wheel rye bread loaves and twenty crocks of pickled eggs. Altogether it was a most satisfactory supply which, although containing few luxuries, would have been ample to see the trapper and his family comfortably through the winter and, if necessary, would serve a similar purpose for the party that had taken over his home.

The third room was a general store. It contained half a dozen sets of skis and ski sticks of varying sizes, several pairs of big snow shoe,, three small sledges of a size to be pulled by dogs or men and all the family's spare clothing, which included several sets of furs and two trunks full of other garments; the whole of the far end of the room was stacked with a huge pile of logs and a number of drums of paraffin.

Angela rejoined them while they were still examining the packing cases in the food store to report that the stable was equally well equipped. The trapper had evidently owned two or three horses, although these must have been driven off by the Russians; but that the horses had been stabled there was obvious from the sleigh harness that was still hanging on the hooks, a big troika that occupied one corner of the stable and a good stock of corn and hay that had also been left intact.

The examination of the cases, trunks and other items had occupied them for over three hours so it was close on seven o'clock by the time they returned to the living room. Erika had brought with her from the store a tin of sweet corn, a tin of fruit and half a dozen eggs upon which, with another boiling of coffee, they made their evening meal. While they were eating it, and afterwards, they gave Gregory a more detailed account of the recent adventures in which they had all been involved, but they were still tired from the excitements and anxieties of the previous day so at nine o'clock, having banked up the stove, they put out the lamp and climbed on to the warm top of the brick oven again.

They awoke the following morning at seven o'clock. It was still pitch dark and it now seemed to them that they had not seen daylight for several days, but they got up and prepared breakfast. When they had finished Freddie said that he thought they ought to give some sort of burial to the owners of the place, who were still lying round the corner of the house where he had carried them, warped and frozen, in the attitudes in which they had died.

With Gregory as his meek, willing helper he went outside. Having retrieved the bodies from the previous night's fall of snow they carried them about a hundred yards to a group of trees. Digging through the snow which was already several feet deep they laid the four bodies on the iron hard ground. Freddie could not remember the burial service apart from the phrase "Ashes to ashes and dust to dust", but rather self consciously he said a short prayer over the grave, recommending the Finnish family to the mercy of Almighty God, while Gregory looked on with child like interest. They then shovelled the snow back on top of the bodies, just as the late dawn was filtering through the silent. snow covered forest.

Directly they were back in the house Freddie called a Council of War. The one and only item on his agenda was: should they stay where they were or re harness the horses to the troika and try to break through the scattered Russian line which lay somewhere to the west, in an attempt to get back to the territory that was still held by the civilized Finns?

Erika pointed out that if they did get back to Finland both he and Gregory were wanted for murder there; at which Gregory began to giggle. Pulling up short he apologized and said he found that awfully difficult to believe, because he was really a most harmless person and had never raised a finger against anybody in his life.

The others looked at one another and smiled with pained discretion but they forbore to argue with him and Freddie admitted the point that Erika had made. The last thing he wished to do was to expose himself to re arrest and the possibility of being hanged for murder by the terrifyingly law conscious Finns.

"The only alternative, then, as far as I can see," he said, "is for us to strike north towards the coast. It can't be more than forty or fifty miles distant and we ought to be able to find a fishing village somewhere along it where they won't know anything about us. Gregory has plenty of money…'

"Have l?" interrupted Gregory. "But how nice."

"Yes," Freddie continued. "From what I remember, you've still got over £500 in your pockets and your boots."

"Then if we could get home I could buy a cottage somewhere and a lot of books I'm sure I used to like books," Gregory remarked with considerable interest.

"You could, but you wouldn't, darling," Erika assured him. "You'd be much more likely to blow the lot on taking me to Paris if there wasn't a war on, and hiring the Royal suite at the Ritz."

"The Ritz…" echoed Gregory thoughtfully.”I believe I used to stay there sometimes. I seem to remember a long, long corridor with show cases on each side of it."

"Go on," said Angela, her blue eyes laughing, "go on. What else?"

"There was a foyer as one came in from the square…' "That's it. ThePlace Vendome."

Gregory nodded. "And one went through the long corridor to the bar. It was run by a great character a fellow who would always cash everybody's cheques. I can't remember his name wait a minute, though it was Frank yes, Frank. He was a grand man, and you could never go into the place without meeting somebody you knew."

Erika sighed with relief. If he could remember that sort of thing it showed that his past was not a complete blank and that gradually he might recover his memory entirely.

"That's right, old chap," Freddie encouraged him. "But as I was saying, you've got plenty of money so we could hire some of the fishermen to take us out in a boat along the coast until we sighted a neutral or British ship; then we'd go aboard and pay our passage back to civilization."

Erika lighted one of her few remaining cigarettes. "I think you're underestimating the difficulties, Freddie. You're thinking of the Arctic as though it was the South Coast of England, with towns and villages along it every few miles; but it isn't like that at all. Between Petsamo and Murmansk I doubt if there are more than half a dozen scattered fishing settlements and those will be inhabited only by Lapps. We can't talk their language and, even if we could explain to them what we wanted, the only sort of boat they'd have is the Eskimo kayak a little canoe affair the top of which is covered with skin. We'd need one apiece with an oarsman to propel us and I don't suppose their maximum range is more than twenty miles. The whole world to such people consists of their village and the nearest trading station, and for them to sight a steamer up in those parts is an event which may not happen once in two or three years. If we did as you suggest our chances of picking up a vessel which would take us to a civilized port are unbelievably remote; and on„our way to the coast we might easily get lost and die of cold in this accursed snow."