Chapter 19 Death By Petrification

The big engineer smiled wanly in disgust, estimating his chances of bringing his super-firer machine pistol to bear before being brought down by the spear-armed villagers who by now surrounded him and his bronze leader. The thing was capable of discharging several hundred bullets per minute. Doc Savage's voice cut through the big man, jolting him from his reverie. "You'd be killed before you could drop a half a dozen of them," Doc advised, in the Mayan language. "Put the gun away." Renny complied with the bronze man's directive, cautiously returning the supermachine pistol to its holster. "What now?" asked the big engineer in a low voice, also using Mayan. "I have an idea," Doc replied. "These men are motivated by something other than greed. That presents us with an opportunity." He raised in arms in submission. Renny followed suit, ham-like hands reaching for the sky. The bronze man and his aide were pushed along a path leading out of the village, tips of pointed spears used for encouragement. Doc and Renny, needing no encouragement, did as instructed, the latter trusting the keen mind of the former. The path wound around the side of the island Doc Savage and Renny Renwick had not been to, leading to Medusa's camp, which Doc had spied earlier. The group trudged on for several minutes along the rocky path. At one particularly rocky point in the trail, the bronze man stumbled against his aide. Renny felt a hard smooth object press against him. His ham-like hand reached out to steady Doc Savage, and the big engineer surreptitiously took the object from the bronze man--it was the jar of salve--one big hand swallowing it. The natives began squawking in their many-vowelled language, and Doc and Renny separated before much of a fuss was made. The villagers did not suspect that an object had passed between the two. Minutes later, the bronze man broke into song. It was not a particuarly good song, not having a pleasant melody. The villagers were plainly disgusted with the wordless ditty, which consisted of clucking noises and grunting sounds. They would have been surprised to learn that Doc was communicating with the giant engineer in Mayan, disguising the speech with a simple tune. Doc said, "Use the salve on Johnny if you get the chance." They presently arrived at Medusa's encampment. Guns snapped to attention as the villagers, leading their two captives, approached the small camp. The leader of the war party conferred with the maskless Medusa, dressed in khakis. After a few moments of conversation in the dialect of the natives, Medusa came to Doc and Renny. Though maskless, Renny did not recognize the nefarious villain. "Dr. Savage," said the mastermind, by way of greeting. The bronze man remained silent. It was evident to Renny that the two knew one another. "It doesn't matter that you recognize me," said Medusa. "Because you're about to be killed." "On the contrary," replied Doc, "I have known your identity for some time. For all the trouble you took to kill the men in your gang who knew your identity, you were sloppy in covering your tracks." The bronze man's voice was pitched loud enough to carry to the hired gunsels. Their faces showed the effect of Doc's words--some surprised, some disgusted. "For example, you never bothered to register at a hotel in the city." Medusa's face turned hard with malice. "How did you escape the trap on Treasure Island?" "It was set off prematurely, like the one at the International Geologists League building," Doc admitted candidly. "I wasn't near the thing when it went off." "I thought as much," said Medusa, arrogantly. "There is no resisting the stone death." "That is not true," Doc said loudly. "I am immune to your stone death." It took a moment for Medusa to realize that the bronze man had spoken in the tongue of the natives. In English, the villain said, "I don't know what you're trying to pull--" "I challenge your power," Doc continued, his voice audible to all in the area. Renny and the others from America did not understand what Doc Savage was saying, but the effect on the natives was noticeable. They murmured among themselves, casting glances of doubt at their Stone God. Medusa spoke quickly, to reassure his native followers who now outnumbered his gunsels four-to-one. "I, and I alone, control the stone death, as you have seen," he rattled. "My magic is greater than yours," Doc Savage said. "Your stone death cannot harm me. Expose me to the stone death and we will see whose magic is more powerful." Renny, who did not speak the dialect of the island, could tell by the reaction of the villagers that trouble was brewing between them and Medusa. They spoke to him in irreverent tones. Finally, he addressed them, and they quieted. In English, Medusa said, "You're a fool, Savage. No one can resist the stone death." As Medusa's men removed Doc's special vest containing gadgets, the bronze man said to big Renny, "I'm being taken to the stone death." His voice was calm. In Mayan, he added, "Don't forget Johnny." A wan smile on the big engineer's horse-like features belied his mood. He was frankly worried. The bronze man pulled off seeming miracles too often to count, it was true, but the stone death was unlike anything Renny had ever seen. Doc Savage was led away by armed gunsels, along the trail through the small crack between boulders. Once Doc was out of sight, Renny Renwick was taken another direction, pushed along by unpleasant-looking gunmen. His supermachine pistol was taken from him. "You boys may want to think about what Medusa did to the others in your gang," Renny boomed, playing up Doc's earlier statement about the diabolic mastermind killing off his own men to protect his identity. The gunsels remained hard-faced. The big engineer couldn't tell if the men were weighing his words, or steadfastly ignoring them. They continued along the path, which led to a small clearing surrounded by large boulders. As big-fisted Renny approached the entrance to this clearing, he saw two men, lying on the ground, apparently bound. The giant engineer immediately recognized the stringbean form of Johnny Littlejohn. Renny Renwick was pushed by calloused hands into the enclosure which had become a makeshift prison cell. Lucky Loo lay beside the lean geologist, squirming at the sight of the big engineer. Heedless of the gunsels, Renny began untying lanky Johnny. A voice from behind the big engineer said, "Let them be. We're going to kill them as soon as the bronze guy gets turned to stone. No use tying the last one up for ten minutes." The big-fisted engineer turned. One gunsel had his gun pointed at Renny's head. The breath caught in the giant engineer's chest. "Okay," agreed a second gunman. They moved away from the three prisoners, returning to their post several feet from the enclosure. Renny went back to untying the knots securing bony Johnny as the guards turned away from the opening to the impromtu cell. Soon, the lean geologist was free. His face twisted in a grimace as he tried to move. The big engineer massaged Johnny's thin arms. He handed the lanky geologist the jar of salve, saying to him in Mayan, "Cover yourself with this stuff. Doc's got a plan." "That, my substantial confrere, is a covetable pronunciamento," lean Johnny said upon the removal of the gag from his mouth. He seemed pleased to be able to spout his big words again. Johnny took the jar from big Renny, and rubbed the greasy substance into his flesh with bony fingers as the big-fisted engineer went about the task of untying Lucky Loo. "What now?" asked the worthy, upon regaining his freedom. "We wait for a chance," rumbled the big engineer in a low voice. His two comrades' faces were expectant. "Doc is facing the stone death." The hole in the cliff face was man-sized, no bigger. The two gunsels gestured to the opening with their tommy guns. "In you go," said one. The other gave the bronze man a shove. Doc Savage, a large man, had to squeeze through the opening. A soft glow was visible in the darkness, some yards ahead. Doc watched it for several seconds. It was a liquid flame, like the phenomenon he had seen on the tramp steamer in San Francisco, only larger. This seemed to be a natural spring of the stuff, rising from an opening in the cavern floor, like a flame on a giant candle. The flame flickered, twisting like a sinuous colorless python in the darkness. This was the stone death.

The Stone Death Written By: Jeff Deischer Dedicated to "Kenneth Robeson X" for his encouragement. The Stone Man is a work of fan fiction. Doc Savage is © Conde Nast Back to: Top of Page Index Page Home Page