I expect every man to do his duty to the full. There will be but one
excuse for failure, and that is death.

The Master.




CHAPTER V


IN THE NIGHT

The night was moonless, dark, warm with the inviting softness of late
spring that holds out promises of romance. Stars wavered and wimpled
in the black waters of the Hudson as a launch put out in silence from
the foot of Twenty-seventh Street.

This launch contained four men. They carried but little baggage; no
more than could be stowed in a rucksack apiece. All were in their old
service uniforms, with long coats over the uniforms to mask them. All
carried vacuum-flashlights in their overcoat pockets, and lethal-gas
pistols, in addition to ordinary revolvers or automatics. And all were
keyed to the top notch of energy, efficiency, eagerness. The Great
Adventure had begun.

In the stern of the swift, twenty-four cylinder launch--a racing
model--sat Captain Alden and Rrisa. The captain wore his aviator's
helmet and his goggles, despite the warmth of the night. To appear in
only his celluloid mask, even at a time like this when darkness would