Stoddard stared at it a moment incredulously, and then glanced at his watch.
"Ten o"clock, I make it!" he muttered. "Am I crazy, or what?"
"No, I hardly think so," smiled Professor Prescott, recovering from his own surprise. "It is merely that we are in some part of the world quite a few thousand miles removed from India. Back on Kinchinjunga, it is still ten o"clock at night, but here, it is quite obviously daytime."
"That must be the explanation," Stoddard agreed. "But it certainly gave me a start at first!"
Approaching the door, followed by the professor, he peered cautiously out, to confront a desolate stretch of scrubby growth, hemmed in by a background of rugged mountains.
"Now where the devil would you say we are?" he demanded, gazing around perplexedly.
"Either in the United States or in Mexico," was the astonishing reply.
"But how can you say that?"
"Because it must be some place approximately twelve hours distant from India in time, to judge from the sun, which is not far past the meridian."
"But why not Australia, for instance?"
"Because Australia is too far. It would be three o"clock tomorrow morning there, since it is ten o"clock last night now in India."
Stoddard pondered this a minute, then admitted its correctness.
"All right, then. a.s.suming that we are somewhere on the North American continent, the next thing is to give Kra.s.snov the slip; otherwise it won"t be big enough for all of us!"
And that Professor Prescott conceded readily enough.
But before making any further move, they looked over their surroundings carefully, to satisfy themselves none of their late captors were in view.
"They"re evidently somewhere on the other side of the rocket,"
Stoddard concluded at length. "So let"s make a break for it while we"ve got the chance."
"Lead the way!" said the professor.
"O. K., here we go!"
And, stepping through the door, they dropped to the ground and raced off under the glare of the burning sun toward the rugged mountains that loomed ahead.
For a hundred yards or so they were able to keep the rocket between themselves and the Russians but soon the ground sloped up to such an extent that they realized they must be in full view.
Dropping behind the scant shelter of a scraggly tree, they turned and glanced down--and there, beyond the rocket, they could now see a group of men standing around outside a small wooden shack, shouting and gesticulating in their direction.
"d.a.m.n it, they"ve seen us!" muttered Stoddard.
"But why don"t they come after us?" queried Professor Prescott.
The answer came even as he spoke, for out of the shack rushed the tall figure of the prince, in his hand a pair of binoculars which he raised to his eyes.
Whether or not be spotted them, an instant later he turned and uttered a command, and two huge Cossacks sprang to the pursuit.
"There"s nothing to do now but run for it!" cried Stoddard, leaping to his feet.
The professor followed and they plunged on up the slope, bullets from their pursuers" pistols and the rifles of those below kicking up the dust around them. But either because the aim was bad or the targets difficult, they escaped unscathed.
As for Stoddard, he wasted no time in firing back.
"Once we get in those mountains, we"re safe!" he gasped, as they struggled on. "How are you, Professor--all right?"
"No holes in my skin so far!" came the panting answer.
Five desperate, dodging minutes pa.s.sed.
Glancing over their shoulders, they saw that the heavy, stolid Cossacks were losing ground. And ahead, tauntingly near now, loomed a thickly-wooded slope that meant the beginning of big timber--and safety.
Another five minutes--each second an hour--and they had gained it.
But there was no pausing yet, they could hear the Cossacks crashing on like determined blood-hounds behind.
"No need to climb any more!" exclaimed Stoddard, half breathless.
"We"ll edge along, keep in the trees, and try to throw them off."
The older man said nothing; merely gritted his teeth. This climb had told on him more than anything he had experienced on the cruel slopes of Kinchinjunga.
As they struggled along now, sometimes it seemed that they had thrown their pursuers off the trail, or completely outdistanced them, but always a moment later they would hear again the crunch of the Cossacks" boots on the dry undergrowth.
So the grim flight continued, mile after heart-tearing mile, and Stoddard was beginning to realize that the professor couldn"t keep on much longer--had just about decided to stop and shoot it out with their pursuers--when suddenly there came a sound that brought new hope to him.
"Did you hear that?" he gasped, pausing.
"It--sounded like--a car!" panted his companion.
"Right. And that means there must be a road through here somewhere!
But where?"
"Listen." Professor Prescott pointed to the left. "The sound seems to be coming from over there."
And sure enough, from the left came a wheezing grind of a car making a heavy grade.
"Near, too," decided Stoddard. "Come on--let"s go! We"ve got to head it off. It"s our only hope, except--"
With relief, he shoved his automatic back into its holster and led the way in the direction of the now rapidly nearing car.