The Veiled Lady (2 page)

Sergeant Barnum of the Jungle Patrol was shooting at his toes.

He'd swung his swivel chair over closer to the air-conditioning outlet and thrust his big booted feet up on his wooden desk. Carefully, with a look of deep concentration on his broad sunburned face, the squat sergeant was shooting paper clips at his feet with a rubber band. "Big toe, left foot," he said, letting fly a shiny silver clip.

"Bull's-eye," said the slender blonde girl who stepped into Jungle Patrol headquarters out of the hot afternoon.

"Oops." Sergeant Barnum swung his feet hurriedly off the desk, almost sending his in/out box sailing over the edge. He got himself upright, and touched his low wide forehead in an informal salute.

"Good afternoon, miss. What can we do for you?"

The tall bearded man who'd been with the girl on the plane followed her into the JP outer office now.

"We have an appointment with Colonel Weeks. Doctor Love of Boston University."

Barnum's thick shaggy eyebrows nearly touched as he frowned. "Oh, sure. About 6

business." Moving toward the door of the colonel's office, he said, "Boy, I wouldn't want to try to climb down into that baby for love or money-or both."

The Jungle Patrol was the major peace-keeping body in the Bangalla area. The patrol operated on the jungle borders and the no-man's land between the small countries along a thousand-mile border. It was an elite corps. Of the thousands of men of all races from all over the world who applied each year, only a few, after undertaking rigorous tests, were accepted.

Colonel Weeks, the commanding officer of the Jungle Patrol, was a large, gray-haired man. He was sitting behind his wide gray-metal desk, which he liked to keep as uncluttered as possible, puffing on his pipe when Sergeant Barnum knocked and stepped in. "Is that a rubber band around your forefinger, Sergeant?" asked the colonel.

"Oops." The squat Sergeant Barnum frowned at his forefinger, and put his hand behind his back.

"That's right, sir, and you have suggested I refrain from practicing my marksmanship out in my cubbyhole. Sorry, sir."

The colonel nodded, waiting for the sergeant to get to the business which had brought him.

"They're here," announced Sergeant Barnum.

Exhaling pipe smoke, the gray-haired colonel asked, "Who would they be, Sergeant?"

"That Doctor Love who wants to jump into the volcano," explained the chunky sergeant. "And, Colonel, you ought to see the terrific blonde he's got with-"

"If you'll show them in, I can get a look at both of them."

"Oh, sure, right. Yes, sir."

The colonel stood, resting his pipe in the dark stone ashtray at the side of his desk, as the slim blonde and her tall, bearded companion entered his office, "Good afternoon," he said. After smiling at both of them, Colonel Weeks crossed to the rear window of his office. He ran a finger along the bamboo slats of the curtain. The sound of rifle fire drifted from the target range. "Let me get to the point at once. No one has ever survived an attempt to climb down into that volcano." He turned to face the two. "The sides are much too steep and-"

"We know that," said the bearded young man. "We plan to fly down by copter. We've already made arrangements to hire-"

"Suicide. With the quirky air currents inside and lord knows what other dangers...its suicide." Colonel Weeks strode up to the young man. "I think, Doctor Love, you're a fool to think of risking not only your neck but that of this fragile young woman here."

The girl laughed. "I'm Doctor Love, Colonel."

"Good Lord! You mean this expedition is being headed by a..." began the surprised colonel. He got hold of himself and removed the stunned look from his weathered face.

"Yes, Colonel-by a woman." The girl was sitting in one of the rattan visitors' chairs, her long slim legs crossed, her black notebook resting on one knee. "Doctor Jan Love, professor of biology at Boston University. This is Doctor Karl Waagener, an associate professor in our department."

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From the outer office, from the vicinity of Sergeant Barnum's desk, came a sound that was somewhere between an exclamation and a snort. "A lady boss," the sergeant muttered to himself.

Before he said anything further, the colonel went back behind his desk. He picked up his pipe and bit down on the stem. "I see," he said finally. He opened a crisp manila folder, thumbed through the papers inside. "You say you wish to explore the volcano because-?"

"From what we've heard there may be many interesting life forms down there," said Doctor Jan Love. "The odd conditions that exist within the volcano, the continual steam, and the complete isolation from the outside world for centuries, perhaps for thousands of years." The slender girl had uncrossed her legs and was leaning forward in her chair, her eyes glowing. "Going down there is like, well, like going back to the dawn of time, to the beginning of things. In a way, Colonel, I feel like Darwin must have felt when he came near the Galapagos archipelago. You know, the United States and Russia have been exploring the moon and even Mars. To me, well, your Veiled Lady is as big a challenge as the moon or Mars and she may provide us with more answers as to what life is all about than all the space probes put-" The pretty scientist stopped, laughed. "Excuse me, Colonel, for giving you a biology lecture. I simply want to convince you that, as a biologist, I'm dying to explore . On top of which I really think it would be a heck of a lot of fun."

The colonel went back to studying the papers in the folder for a moment. "I should have done my homework on you, Doctor. I see by these letters that you have a considerable reputation in your field." He leaned back in his chair, blowing smoke toward the ceiling. "I suppose you've heard the other stories about our Veiled Lady?"

Karl said, "If you think we came to search for the mysterious treasure of , Colonel, let me put your mind at ease. We don't believe hi such nonsense."

"Many people do, however," the colonel told them. "Which is one reason I know how treacherous is. Dangerous and difficult for the best of men. Two parties in the past decade have made a try for that treasure. No one ever returned from either attempt."

"We're not anthropologists or folklore collectors," said the slender blonde girl. "We're only interested in what really may exist in the volcano, in life-forms we can study and classify. The legends about sacrifices of maidens and gold and jewels in the dim past don't interest us at all."

Gesturing at the file in Colonel Weeks's hands, Karl said, "You'll notice Jan has been in a good many rough and out-of-the-way places, Colonel. She's never let the real hazards of a place get the best of her. She's certainly never been much worried about local superstitions."

Jan Love said, "If I start believing in the legend of a fabulous treasure, I may even come to believe in this jungle bogey man of yours."

"In what?" asked Colonel Weeks.

"In the legend of this undying mystery man who skulks around the jungle," said Jan. "What is it they call him? The Phantom?"

"Yes, the Phantom," said Karl. "You find similar naive beliefs in many parts of the world?'

The colonel watched both of them for a moment before he grinned. "No doubt," he said, closing the file. After clearing his throat, he continued, "I'm in sympathy with your intentions, Doctor Love.

However, I'm very much afraid I can't allow you to explore ."

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Karl half-rose out of his chair. "You mean you'll try to prevent us from flying into that volcano?"

"Yes. The Jungle Patrol has all the licensing authority for the area," the colonel pointed out. "I'm re-fusing permission. Sorry."

Jan ran a finger along her cheek. "I think I know why, Colonel."

"Oh, so?"

"It's because I'm a woman, isn't it?"

Colonel Weeks cleared his throat once more. "Well, yes, in a way. I'm really thinking of your safety, Doctor Love. is too dangerous-much too dangerous-for a girl."

"Yes, I've heard that before." Jan left her chair, and moved to face the colonel across his desk. "If I were a man then, you'd permit us to fly into the volcano?"

"Well," said the colonel, meeting the lovely biologist's eyes. "I'd still advise against it, but, yes, the license would be granted."

There was a silence and in it they all heard the crack of shots out on the rifle range.

"Suppose," said Jan suddenly, "I prove I'm as capable as the average man of taking care of myself.

Will you give us the darn license then?"

"I hadn't thought of putting you to a test, Doctor Love," said Colonel Weeks, grinning, a little puzzled. "However, I suppose I'm open to being convinced. What exactly did you have in mind?"

Jan straightened, jerked a thumb at the window. "Let's go outside. I'll show you, Colonel."

The slender blonde girl removed a thick rubber band from between the pages of her black notebook.

After tossing the notebook to Karl, she pulled back her hair and used the elastic to hold it in place.

"Okay," she announced, "I'll take my turn now if I may."

They were standing out in the hot afternoon, at the shooting end of the Jungle Patrol target range.

Dry, brown scrub grass grew around the fenced-in area and some kind of tiny imperturbable insects hovered in the air all about.

The half-dozen young recruits who'd been using the range stood in a semi-circle a short distance from Jan, Karl, and the commander. They were watching the girl, and talking among themselves.

Down at the rack end of the range, a brown, balding Jungle Patrol corporal was tacking up fresh targets. When he had finished he crunched away off the gravel, then waved a hand at the colonel.

Colonel Weeks had let his pipe go out. "All ready for you, Doctor Love." Relighting the pipe, he nodded at one of the young recruits. "Private Reisberson, if you'd be so kind as to loan this young lady your rifle."

"Uh," said the surprised Reisberson, "yes, sir. Here you go, ma'm. Careful you don't..."

The girl handled the rifle expertly. "Still using the M-l out here, Colonel?" Not waiting for a reply, the blonde stepped to the firing line, which put her a hundred yards from the targets. "Offhand position, first," she said, with the stock against her shoulder, her right hand around the grip and the

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fingers of her left hand forked just ahead of the balance point. She took a deep breath, held it, and squeezed the trigger.

"Um," remarked Private Reisberson as Jan continued to shoot "Doggone, look at that."

After firing ten shots, Jan lowered the borrowed rifle.

In a moment, the balding corporal came trotting up to them, waving the target the girl had used.

"You better sign her up, Colonel."

The Jungle Patrol commander took the target. "Well, well." he said. Nothing much was left of the bull's-eye of the decimal target. Eight of Jan's shots had hit the ten spot and the other two had penetrated the nine circles next to it.

"Shall we try it from a kneeling position next?" asked the smiling Jan.

The colonel held the riddled target up between himself and the bright sun. "I don't think that will be necessary, Doctor."

The girl shrugged. "Just when I was getting warmed up." She returned the rifle to Private Reisberson.

"Um, doggone," he said.

Hands on hips, Jan was surveying the Jungle Patrol grounds. "Stables over there and then the gym up on that little rise, right?"

"Yes," said the colonel.

"Let's visit the stables next," Jan said.

Karl put his arm around her shoulders and the two of them started off.

After a second, the colonel followed.

A little over an hour and a half later Sergeant Barnum rolled forward in his chair, dropped his rubber bands and a handful of paper clips back in the drawer. He went and looked into his commanding officer's office. The door had stood open for the past fifteen minutes. "It's quitting time and... you look a little odd, sir."

"Well, I feel a little odd, Sergeant," admitted the colonel, rubbing at his left arm.

"I heard you giving those two scientists a license to explore ," said Sergeant Barnum.

"I thought you didn't believe in ladies doing dangerous stuff like that."

"Doctor Love isn't exactly your ordinary everyday lady." The colonel shifted in his chair, rubbing again at his arm.

"What were you all up to outsider'

"Well, Sergeant, the young lady was demonstrating to me that my ideas about her were merely male chauvinist notions with little or no basis in reality."

"Oh, yeah? How'd she do that?"

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The colonel nodded toward the window, then winced. "First she stepped onto the rifle range and hit eight out of ten bull's-eyes."

"Hey, that's not bad."

"Not at all," agreed Colonel Weeks. "Then she visited the stables, saddled and mounted one of our meanest horses, and took him over all the hurdles and hazards. After which, our Doctor Love dropped in at the gym and bested every man there in judo. She even threw our top man on his ear."