 Did you have too many Easter eggs today? Dreaming about that vacation you can't take yet Want to get away from it all we offer you escape You are groping your way slowly through the dark hold of a ship at sea Moving carefully step by step Searching intently for something you've dread to find Because you know that this ship carries a cargo of Escape designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure Tonight at your request we bring back one of our most popular escape stories We escaped to a harbor front in Venezuela and a grim voyage which started from there as told by Martin storm in his gripping tale a Shipment of mute fate I Stopped on the wharf at La Quira looked up the gangplank toward the liner chanque standing there quietly at a moorings The day was warm under a bright traffic sudden the harbor beyond the ship laid drowsy silent But all at once in the midst of those peaceful surroundings a cold chill gripped me And a shivered with sudden dread Dread of the thing I was doing was about to do Too much it happened to turn back now Had gone too far to stop I Set the box down on the edge of the wharf placed it carefully so as to be in plain sight and within gunshot of the captain's bridge I knew what I was going to do, but I couldn't forget that a certain pair of beady eyes were watching every move I made eyes had never blinked to never close just watched and waited I Turned and started up the gangplank Hello, mother Willis. How's the best-looking stewardess on the seven seas? I'm fine mr. Warner. I Guess I'd better run long now get on with my child. Well now wait a minute. That's a fine greeting after two months It's just that I'm so busy. I don't believe a word of it sailing days tomorrow. You're simply avoiding me. That's all And on the trip down from New York, you said I was your favorite passenger What's that you're carrying in your apron? What's nothing just just supplies supplies. Let's have a look. No, please It's a cat. It's Clara. Mr. Warner Mr. Bowman said I had to leave her as sure and I just couldn't was mr. Bowman the new second mate Clara's been aboard with me for two years and I just can't leave her here in a foreign country especially with With her condition so delicate now. Yes, I see. Well, I hope you get away with it You won't tell anyone not a soul is a matter of fact that things don't work out, right? We may both end up smuggling I'll save you to have you aboard on the trip down two months ago Christopher And I'm very glad you're coming along with us on the run back to New York Well, thanks Captain Wood. There is one thing though. I'm having a little trouble with the customs men here And I wonder I can't do it Christopher I just cabled your father this morning told him I'd have done it for if I possibly could I Sent a request from New York, you know. Yeah, I thought he would I wired him from upriver last week I hated to refuse but it's absolutely out of the question Captain Wood. I'm afraid I don't follow you Responsibility to the passengers and we'll have women and children aboard Not a liner the safety of the passengers comes ahead of anything else but with proper precautions might happen what I don't know What but something might carried worse things there isn't anything worse any skipper a float will bear me out No, it's very simply can't take the chance. That's fine Final wasn't final if I could do anything about it I hadn't come down here to spend two months in that stinking back country and then be stopped on the edge of the wharf Two months of heat rain insects malaria I'd gone clear in past the headwaters of the orinoco Traveled through country where every step along the jungle trail might be the last Sanchez Better start looking for a place to camp Be dark in a little while. Yes, sir. Very soon. We turn to rubber camp on rocks by water This is a very bad country. This very bad country. We've been saying effort 10 days now very bad country This is in your water. There's a very bad country skip it for all the luck. We've had so far might as well be central park Central park Never mind Dante what's wrong in the park see push master Bush master the deadliest snake in the world Bush master this latin name was la cases muta mute fate It lay there in the center of the path a 10 foot length of silent death Coil loosely in an undulate loop ready to strike violently at the least movement Here was the one snake that would go after any animal that walked For any man It lay there and watched us not moving not afraid Ready for anything His splotch of its color sit out like some horrible gaudy floor mat lying there on the brown background of the jungle Waiting for someone to step on it Here was what i'd come 2000 miles for a bush master The natives captured the snake and sanchez brought it to me in a rubber bag He was shaking so hard. I thought for a moment the thing had struck him make sure senior warner Not on him loose in venezuela Because he know i the one who catch him And he know where i live. All right sanchez. I'll keep an eye on him. He also know you pay me to catch him All the time he watched and wait You know forget that senior warner because he know forget Not ever Well after going through all that trouble and danger and laying out 1500 bucks I wasn't gonna let a pigheaded ship captain stop me at the last minute At least not as long as the cables were still in operation between lagoir and new york Good morning captain would they boy at the hotel said you wanted to see me. That's right christopher sit down. Thanks Seems you weren't willing to let matters stand the way we left him yesterday I'm sorry to go your head captain would but i had to Museum sent me a long way to get that snake. I'm not going to be stopped by red tape This will be the only live bush master ever brought to the united states Yes, if i had my way Order the orders got a cable from the head office this morning All right christopher as far as we talk about precautions I'll handle it any way you say it's got to have a stronger box that creates two flimsie Well, it's stronger than it looks a wire screen on top it hold a wild cat But anyway, I bought a heavy seat chest this morning. We'll put the crate inside of it Sounds all right. We've got lock on it. Yeah, heavy padlock It's fixed so the lid can be propped open a crack without unlocking it snakes got to have air in dirty weather That lid has to stay shut. I'll take no chances Fair enough We'll keep the thing in my inside cabin where I sleep You can't have it in the baggage room and nobody on board is to know about it Do you say captain? We won't have any trouble after all. It's only an animal. It doesn't have any magical powers I saw a bush master in the zoo at caracas once They had it in a glass cage with double walls Never moved just lay there and looked at you as long as you were in sight Enough to give a man the creeps. You know, they had a bush master at the caracas zoo They don't now They found the glass broken one morning and the snake gone the night watchman dead They never learned exactly what happened. Well, they watch we must have broken the glass by accident some way The way they figured it the glass was broken from the inside There we uh sail in four hours End of the caribbean with perfect weather and a sea as smooth as an inland lake The barometer dropped a little on the third day, but cleared up overnight left nothing worse than a heavy swell But in spite of the calm season pleasant weather, I found myself feeling more and more often a An ominous foreboding I was developing an almost unnatural fear of that snake Stay clear the past is pretty much got the habit of dropping into captain wood's quarters several times a day Kept the heavy box underneath his birth Approach it quietly and shine my flashlight through the open crack Never once could I catch that 12 foot devil asleep or even excited He'd be lying there half coiled his head raised a little Staring out of those beady black eyes waiting Still be like that when I turned away to leave Maybe that's what bothered me that horrible and constant watchful waiting The name of heaven was he waiting for Hello there mr. Wona. Oh How are you mother willis? My but you and the captain spend an awful lot of time around this cabin I'm beginning to think the two of you must have some guilty secret No, no, no nothing like that mother willis. I I don't know about captain wood, but I certainly don't have any guilty secret Well, she's running quite a swell out there mr. Baumann. It's a little heavy. All right, mr. Wanner It's a storm passed through to the west of us yesterday when the glass dropped. You think it missed us then, huh? Yeah, that's what the mate figures. You're stirred up some water though This will put half the passengers in their bunks They'll keep mother willis so busy Hey, look at the size of that way. Uh, great. G. Hasseffette. We're going to take it on the port bow. Hang on That was a freak if there ever was one Not another way that size and sight. Oh, you see him like that sometimes even in a comm see I gotta get below mr. Wanner that water probably did some real damage in the officer's deck. Yeah What did you say a wheel companion way was open on the port side? The bridge cabins must have taken a pretty bad smashing up. They're right below the Something wrong mr. Wanner. No No nothing at all mr. Baumann At least I hope not I didn't stop to find captain wood Of course, I know it was only one chance in a thousand but the chances against that freak wave were one in a thousand too I stumbled on the companion way and along the passage to the captain's cabin mother willis My is this cabin a mess Trying to get some of these things out to drive. Yeah. Well, I just wanted to Where's that box that was under the captain's bunk threw it out on the deck What? Well the desk over there slid into it It was all smashed but the small box inside of it. What happened to it. Oh, they were both splintered mr. Wanner Broke wide open. No Well, mr. Wanner your fight is a sheet mother willis Go find captain wood. Tell him to come down here immediately. Well, of course, mr. Wanner I'll go tell him right away. I can finish up here later I pulled open the top drawer of the bureau and said Took out the captain's flashlight and loaded pistol Mother willis had left a mop standing by the door. I put my foot on the head of it and snapped on the handle Every move I made turned into slow motion. I could hear my own heartbeat Slowly I started to search the cabin Sodden heaps of clothing and furnishings were scattered around on the wet black floor I punched at them one at a time holding the gun cocked Flashlight pointing along the stick Nothing I worked around the room throwing the light into the dark corners back of the desk under the bunk Wherever I turned I could feel those cold unblinking eyes of my back Watching waiting Using this stick I pushed open the closet door and threw the light inside Carefully, I poked at the boxes and junk on the floor Snake was not in the closet Inch by inch I covered the entire cabin And only then a horrible realization began to dawn on me Captain wood mother willis just told me Well, Christopher It's happened. That's right. It's happened. I see you found the gun. We better start searching the cabin here captain wood I just finished searching Oh, then Women kids and that thing loose on board A thousand places for it to hide heaven help us christopher I know you're starting to blame anybody now gentle when I didn't call you in here to pass judgment The thing's done and that's that you're right there captain What we ever got to do is to make up our minds how we're going to handle it And it'd be easier if we didn't have to tell the passengers and crew I've seen panics aboard liners before yes, I agree with you mr. Bowman But I don't quite see how we can avoid it They got a right to know as long as that snake's loose everybody on board's in the same danger And they all ought to know about captain wood that thing is 12 feet long It can't simply crawl into a crack Why don't we make a quick search of the whole ship before we spread any alarm I've thought of that christopher And as far as I can see the only place it couldn't be is in the boilers or on top of the galley stove It might have crawled overboard we can't count on that we've got to assume it's on the ship somewhere Yeah, and that could be anywhere now coil a rope on a deck chair or our bucket or in a pile of clothes Yes, or another some woman's birth or a baby's crib. You've already said it Bushmaster could be anywhere We've got to do something we've got to do it fast All right I think the best idea is to follow mr. Warner suggestion to make a quick search first You're agreed to that right and if we don't find it we'll have to warn the passengers We've got to find it Alone in the dim baggage room I went through the same movements as I had earlier in the captain's cabin Gun in one hand flash light any other poking into every dark corner behind every trunk and box Since the baggage room was empty. I could keep the gun cocked and ready The rest of those poor devils were having to do the same thing Bear-handed All over the ship the search went off. We are now Stuart. What on earth are you doing rummaging through my cabin? Just checking up, man. Well, I'm quite sure there's nothing in here that has to be checked Sorry, man captain's orders will only take a few minutes Well, I never heard of such thing a passenger simply doesn't have any privacy at all I've traveled on a lot of different lines Mind moving over to the other rail I'd like to look through these lockers. I'm sure go ahead. What's the matter? Are you lost something? No, no just looking things over. There's nothing in there but life preservers Yeah, that's right. You must be getting ready to sink the boat Gonna collect the insurance, huh? Gonna send us all to the bottom, huh? But not one of us could find that deadly shape Coiled in some dark corner or outstretched along a window seat Not one of us caught a glimpse of that horrid head with its beady black watchful eyes The thing lay waiting out there somewhere along the decks shaded in the gathering dusk But where? We didn't know It was nearly dark when we met together again in the chart room There's no other way around it. We've risked all the time. We can we've got to warn the passengers Oh, we do it captain and call them all together in the lounge. No, is there anything like that? We'd be asking for a panic. We'll get one whether we asked for it or not And we pick a few men and go through the cabin decks Tell them individually inside the cabins watch for any that act like they might cause trouble We'll keep an eye on them And we'll crew the same way like that as soon as you're finished Arm all the deck officers and start searching again Our only chance of preventing a riot is to find that damnable snake The slow nightmare that followed drew worse by the hour None of us slept All the ship's officers not on duty kept on with that endless search Passengers locked themselves in their cabins or huddled together in the lounges Knowing all the time at no spot on board could be called safe Fear was a heavy fog in the lungs of all of us And every light on the vessel burned throughout the night Morning came brought no relief Terror and tension mounted by the hour There now Mrs. Crane stop getting yourself all woke up and go back to your cabins The horrid things probably crawled over by any way Oh you're just saying that You're paid to say that You don't know nobody knows Now now everything's going to be all right now If only we could do something If all of us could only get off the ship Did it get fumigated? Yes that's it We've got to we've got to get off the ship We've got to get off the ship Wait, Mr. Bowman she's gonna jump Let me go Oh you don't lady Let me go Nice work Mr. Bowman get her down to her cabin Whatever you do don't turn her loose You never know when it might strike you You can't put on a coat or move a chair without risking your life Something's got to be done It might be right here in this lounge Yes All right listen better quiet down and take it easy Take it easy You're a great officer Why don't you do something about it That thing might be crawling around here right under our feet somewhere I said shut up They're trying to start a panic I got a right to talk I don't want to die Nobody's going to tell me what The second night passed Morning came round again A gray and rainy day that dragged passed And then night came down again Third night of the terror Again every light burned the whole ship's seeds In the throes of incipient panic Faced by a horror they'd never met on the sea before Crew and officers alike were on the verge of revolt Passengers sat huddled in the trance-like stupor Ready to scream at the slightest unknown song Seven bells I made my way forward to the chart room Found Captain Wood bent over a desk Hello Christopher come on in sit down It's got to be somewhere Captain Wood it's got to be I don't know You can search the ship for six months and never touch all the places aboard If we can only hold out for two more days I'm gonna be in What's the home office say? Use the latest wireless from them Keep quiet and keep coming What else can we do? How is it on the decks? Pretty bad anything could happen Yes that's why I took the guns away from the men One pistol shot and we'd have a ride on our hands All things my fault Captain Wood that's what I can't forget Oh I'll take it easy I thought there was only some way I could pay for it myself alone No I know how you feel But it's no more your fault than mine Or the man who asked you to bring that snake back alive Nobody planned this You better try to get a little sleep Sleep Mr. Bowman made some coffee down in the stewards' gallery a while ago Why don't you go on down and get yourself a cup Then rest for a couple of hours Rest I can't rest Christopher It's not going to help anything if you stumble through a hatch Half asleep and break your neck is it? You go on and get some coffee One way or another we've got to hold out for two more days Light was on the stewards' gallery Coffee pot was standing on the stove Still warm so I didn't bother to heat it Poured out a cup Carried it over and set it on the porcelain tabletop The center of the room We started to light a cigarette Door of the pan cover beneath the sink was standing slightly ajar Happened a glance toward it I dropped the cigarette Moved slowly backward I had found the bush master As I moved the snake's slit out of the cupboard in the single sinuous glide Drove back into a loose coil on the galley floor never taking his eyes off me I moved slowly back waiting any moment for that deadly slithering strike How had he known it was me? He'd stayed quiet when Bowman was here How had he picked the first time in five days that I was without a gun? My hands touched the bulkhead behind me and I stopped Only then I realized and tell her what I'd done The call button and the door were on the far side of the room I'd backed into a dead end I stared at the snake in fascination Expecting any moment the ripping slash of those poisoned fangs The horrid coils tightened a little Then we're still again Ten million years of evolution to produce this moment Homo sapiens versus lechesis muta A man against mute fate And all the odds were on Right? I knew then that I was going to die I feel a sweat run down between the painted walls and the palms of my hands pressing against it My skin crawled and twitched in the pit of my stomach was as cold as ice There was no sound but the rush of blood in my ears The snake shifted again drawing into a tighter coil always tighter Why didn't the devil get it over with? Then just for an instant his head veered away Something moved over by the stove I didn't dare turn to look at it Slowly it moved out into my mind a vision It was a cat That scrawny cat Clara that mother will as it sneaked aboard in La Guira His back was arched and every hair stood on end It moved stiff like it now walking in a half circle around the snake The bush master moved slowly and kept watching the cat He tightened He was going to strike at any second He struck a mist The cat was barely out of reach Now she was walking back and forth again. She was asking to die Missed again by a fraction of an inch He was striking now without even going to a full coil Missed again and again always missing by the barest margin Each time the cat danced barely out of reach and each time she countered with one precise Spat of a dainty paw bracing their skinny frame on three stiff legs And then suddenly I realized what she was doing The bush master was tiring The one strike was just an instant slow But in that split second sharp claws raked across the evil head And ripped out both the lidless eyes The cat had deliberately blinded the snake Now it slid after her in a fury striking wildly and rapidly always missing And every strike was a little slower than the last one until finally The snake's neck stretched out at the end of a strike The cat made one leap and sank her razor sharp teeth just back of the ugly head Sank her until they crunched bone Tooth and claw she clung as the monstrous snake flailed and lashed on the floor Striving to get those hideous coils around her Trying to break her hole to shake off the claw and certain paralyzing death The gradually crept over him and at last stilled his struggles forever The cat lay on her side on the floor panting Resting from the fight just over she had a right to rest That mangy brave beautiful alley cat had just saved my life And maybe others as well But as I turned toward the stove I suddenly became very humble And I knew all at once what a small thing a human being really is I and others aboard were still alive only by the merest accident There were three reasons why that cat had fought and killed the world's deadliest snake And those three reasons came tottering out from under the stove on shaky little legs Three kittens with their eyes bright with wonder and their tails stiff as polkers Up on the decks hundreds of passengers were waiting for the news that the days and nights of terror were ended they could wait a little longer I pulled open the doors of the cabinet found a can of milk And I dropped down on my knees on the floor of the galley Escape is produced and directed by Norman McDonnell and tonight brought you a shipment of Mute Fate by Martin Storm adapted for radio by Les Crutchfield featuring Harry Bartell as Chris Warner Barry Kroger as Captain Wood and Peggy Weber as Mother Willis with Don Diamond Sarah Selby and Frank Gerstle special effects by David Light the musical score was conducted by Wilbur Hatch next week you're hanging by your fingertips on the sheer face of an ice cliff suspended 2 000 feet above instant death with your strength running out and with no chance for escape next week escape with C.E. Montague's exciting story action good night then until the same time next week when CBS again offers you escape this is CBS the Columbia broadcasting system