 Adventures by Morse. Carton E. Morse presents the Cobra King Strikes Back, featuring Captain Friday. If you like high adventure, come with me. If you like the stealth of intrigue, come with me. If you like blood and thunder, come with me. An oriental jungle caravan of elephants, wild ponies, camels, and strange sure-footed little pack animals of the Himalayas, driven by sullen bandit-faced natives, have kidnapped the combined parties of Captain Bart Friday and Dr. Howard Carter. They have kidnapped them and packed them off a day's march from Angkor, back in the Cambodian jungles of French Indochina, finally depositing them in an ancient ruin of an old Khmer temple. The two girls, Celia Carter and Patricia Young, were placed in one stone chamber, and the four men, Captain Friday, Professor Lebrun, Skip Turner and Perry Mills, in a second big chamber, and then unaccountable things began to happen. A strange, bottlest voice came to the girls, urging them to persuade their menfolk to turn back. A mulatto guard told Skip Turner that they were prisoners in the ancient temple of the guerrillas. Then Perry Mills vanished from the room, almost before the eyes of his fellow prisoners. And on top of this, they discovered that their guard also had disappeared, leaving their prison gates wide open, and then to climax it all, there suddenly came the terrified screams of the two girls. Hey, Captain! Captain, that's Patricia and Celia. It's the girls. Come on. Hey, Captain! Captain Friday! This way, Skip! Professor Lebrun! Captain, if more rat runs down here under this building, we're going to get lost, sure. We've already lost Professor Lebrun. But the girls... Well, what's the use of everybody getting lost? Look here, you've run into a blind alley yourself. Come, let's go back where we started the herd of the screams. Start all over again. For an hour they scoured the underground passages. First Skip would get lost, then Professor Lebrun, and finally Captain Friday himself, stumbled around in the darkness for half an hour before he got back to the starting point. Nothing more has been seen or heard of the girls. Now they've just about given up. Hey, what's that? Monkeys. Listen. I say, what's that? I didn't hear nothing. Well, listen. Sounds like cotton does wizard work. Any idea what that wrapping is, Lebrun? No, but it sounds as though it might be coming from our prison chamber. Let's go back in and see. Well, I'm on a jimmy this gate, just so don't swing shot and lock us in. I don't hear it now, do you? It's gone. Let's go back inside. It's getting closer. It's in this room, all right. That's right. It's back over here by that pile of rice straw. Well, I don't want anybody to ever lock us up with that gate again. I jim at the inside. Now listen now. Right under our feet. Yes. That doesn't solve the question of what it is. Hey, I've got it. Yes? Sure. The gorillas. Maybe. What do you think, Lebrun? Why not try to find out? Tier-Rising won't help us. Any suggestions? It seems to come from under this pile of rice straw somewhere. Let's shove some of it aside and see what we find. This'll go good in my diary. Twenty-seven. Road Ella. Eight monkeys, two, and ended the day by shovelling rice straw in the temple of the gorillas. The day isn't over yet, Skip. And besides, you haven't shovelled any rice straw. Yes, Skip. How about giving us a hand? I wasn't drugged up to be no straw, Shoveler. Just what will you drag up to be? Look here. Almost under our feet. Hey, a trapdoor. Well, it most certainly looks like a crude sort of handle sticking up out of the floor. But I don't see your trapdoor, Captain. No. Doesn't seem to be any break in the floor. Now, listen. Pounding's right beneath the handle. Supposing we try to turn the knob. Won't do any harm. Here? What makes you think it won't? Supposing it's the gorillas making that noise. We'll have to chance it. Yeah, but they've taken our guns away from us. Can't help that now, Skip. Go ahead, Lebrun. Very well. Here goes. The heavens! We've lost Skip! Now I know what became of Perry Mills. You mean he went through the trapdoor too? He was lying right on top of it. The minute I touched that handle, the door in the floor dot opened and then snapped shut like an animal's jaw. Skip went through like a shot. That was a devilish dark hole. No chance to estimate how deep it is. It was Perry doing the pounding. Bye, Joe, Captain. I wonder. But then why doesn't he shout? Didn't you notice how thick the floors are? You might hear pounding on the floor, but we'd never in the world hear voices. Listen, listen. See if we can hear the pounding again. There it is. Do you suppose we could drag a log in here and ram it in the opening to prevent the trapdoor from snapping shut? I've got a better idea. Yes? This trapdoor is much more likely to lead into a passage than just into a blind hole. Well, if that's the case, then there certainly is another entrance to it. Now grab a couple of torches off the walls and we'll scot around. Right, O. Well, we may be stopped by these fellows that have been holding us prisoner. I don't think so. Our guards seem to have vanished. I have the torches, Captain. Good. We'll try all the passageways we can find that seem to lead underground in the general direction of the trapdoor. We'd better arm ourselves with some sort of weapons. Pick up anything you can find. No telling what we'll run on scurrying around in these underground passageways. Patricia and Celia may be trapped down there, too. All we can do is hope for the best. I should never have brought Patricia up here. Oh, I don't think either of us expected to run into this sort of thing. Give me one of the torches. That'll leave you one hand free. I'm afraid one hand isn't of much use in this spot. Then we'll go outside and arm ourselves with clubs. Well, that would be some comfort. I'd better lead. I'm more used to this sort of thing than you. I might find you, Captain. There's no one in the passageway. Come on. All right. Untip us now. Don't talk. The coast is clear around the corner. All right. Hello? What are these? That's a couple of overgrown ice picks, according to Skip. As a matter of fact, those are the iron bars the native drivers use to guide the elephants. Well, they'll make good weapons. Grab one. So they will. Now, uh, shall we turn back and look for our passageway? Yes. I saw a rat run of a passageway leading off from this main corridor as we came along. It was heverted in the right direction and seemed to slant down. Good. Shall we try it first? All right. Captain, I suggest you keep your torch before your face. There's some mighty vicious spiders in this country. They, uh, spin their webs across just such dank, dark passageways, and the torches will clear the way. Yes. But if I hold it in front of my face, then I can't see ahead. I'd hate like the deuce to step on a snake. They're not the friendliest playmates, either. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll keep my torch low, and I'll watch the patches ahead of you and warn you. All right. Here we go down. What a place. Right now, Captain, you are wiffing the decay of something like 20 centuries. You are walking in the dust of a very ancient past. That's all right with me. I wouldn't be surprised if we are the first white men ever to trod this passageway. Are you watching the floor ahead? Righto. You feeling uneasy? Yes, I am. Don't move, Captain. What is it? Hold very still. Got it. Walk it back. What in heaven's name? A deadly viper. It's almost under your feet. I've done away with it, though. Thanks, LeBron. Now let's keep going. We are coming to a turn in the passage. So I see. In fact, this seems to be the crossroads for all the underground passageways in the world. What a labyrinth. Passages are leading in every direction. Better mark the one we've just come down so we can find a way out. It's a good idea. I'll time my handkerchief on this bit of rock. Now then, which passage should we try first? I don't know. This one seems to lead in the general direction we want to travel. Good. Lead on, Captain. Careful. We go down three or four steps. All right. Watch out for pitfalls. There. Uh-oh. What is it now? We picked a winding passageway. This way, I guess. Coming to another turn. Hold it. Don't tell me there's another snake. I thought I heard voices. Oh, that's a relief. I'd rather face a dozen Khmer fanatics than another snake in this place. Listen. There's too far away to distinguish anything. Shall we have a look around the corner? Our tortures will give us away. We'll have to leave them behind. What? And run the chance of spiders and snakes. Either that or run the chance of being recaptured. I suppose it's best. Here we can reg them in between these rocks. That's good. Come along. Girls' voices. It's Patricia. Patricia! Yes, are you all right? Oh, yes. Where are you? I'll go back and get the torches. Yeah, go ahead, Professor. Stay where you are. We'll join you in a second. Hey! Hello, Skip. You all right? Come on. You got me, though. How's your torch, Captain? Is Perry Mills with them? I don't know. Hi, Perry. Are you there, too? Yeah. I went through the trap door, too. We certainly selected a great place for a family reunion. Well, let's collect the crowd and get out of here. But don't you realize you have the dust of 20 centuries on your shoes? The quicker it's wiped off, the better it'll suit me. What a relief to be out of that awful smelling place. Motion seconded by Perry Mills. Boss, was this the room where you were held prisoners? Yes, Patricia. Well, ours was much smaller. What do you suppose has happened to our captors? Let's go outside and take a look around. That caravan must be around somewhere. Yeah, unless it fell through a trap door. Feeling pretty frisky, aren't you, Skip? Yeah, well, why not? How about you, silly? Oh, I feel swell now that we're all back together again. Well, not out of the woods yet, young lady. Oh, yes, I know, but this is so much better than it was when Patricia and I thought we were all alone in this awful place. I really had the willies. Before we do anything further, I want to know what's happened to you two girls. Well, we were... You go on and tell it, Patricia. All right. Well, we were captured, just as we told you, and were brought here on a camel. No, we went to one better. We came in on an elephant. Well, riding an elephant couldn't be worse than a camel. Well, when we got here, they put us in a kind of cell with only straw on the floor. She were awfully seasick from riding on the camel and couldn't stand up. So they carried us in. Seasick? Never heard of it. What are you laughing at? It wasn't a bit funny. Skip was sick all the way here, too. It's the most terrible sensation in the world. Well, anyway, they carried us in and laid us on the straw and then brought us a bowl of stew. It was wonderful. We ate every bit of it. Yeah, know what it was? Well, no, what? Monkey stew. Oh, honestly? Sure, we had some, too. Oh, I wouldn't have touched it if I'd known. Oh, you mustn't be so sensitive back here in the jungle. You're liable to get that sort of thing. Hey, listen, listen, everybody. What is it, Skip? There's somebody else in this temple with us, and he ate very far off, either. Oh, you're nervous, Skip. Skip here? Have you forgot they're supposed to keep live gorillas running around this place? Captain Friday, Skip Turner, Professor LeBron, Perry Mills, and the two girls, Celia and Patricia, have been reunited, down in an unsightly underground rat run under the ancient Khmer temple, true, but still united. Still missing, however, are Dr. Carter, head of the expedition, and their Cambodian guide to Qan. Just now, the two girls are telling their experience at the Grand Rapids. They are back in the room where the men were formerly prisoners. The chamber is lighted only by smoky reed torches. Your ears are deceiving you, Skip. There is no endspying on us. I heard something. You wait and see. But we've waited ten minutes, Skip. You keep your eyes open down the passage, Skip. Go on with your story, Patricia. Well, after we'd eaten, we heard a voice. A voice? Yes, boss. We couldn't see a thing. Just heard a voice that sounded as though it was in the room with us. What did it say? It said to go to our men, folks, and tell them that they still had an opportunity of turning back. What do you mean, turned back? They had to honk ties to get us this far. I know. The voice said that the force that brought us this far had the power to return us to Angkor if we would promise to leave Cambodia immediately and never return. I told him we didn't even know where you were. And then the voice directed us to take a certain passage away from our cell. The door was unlocked. Uh-huh. We did just what the voice told us to. We came to that passageway where you found us. You know, Professor, I don't understand why we heard the girls scream and couldn't hear their voices when we were right over their heads. But we were out in the corridor when they screamed. Their voices probably came to us through the passageway that we followed in rescuing them. Uh-huh. That's a likely explanation. But why are you a girl screaming? Did you see something? Well, it was when we met Perry. It was terribly dark. We could hear something moving around, but we couldn't see a thing. You weren't any more scared than I was. And when you screamed, my hair stood on end. I could think of a skip story of gorillas. Thanks for nothing. Are you saying we sounded like gorillas? Well, as soon as I got my senses back, I knew it was you girls. Well, that's all. Except that we found a loose rock and used it to pound on the floor to attract your attention. Yeah, and then I did my spectacular nose dive into the manhole. Now listen, everyone, if we're careful, perhaps we can escape from this place and make our way back to Angkor. What? Through this jungle? Unarmed? We can't stay here forever. It would be impossible to get back without a guide. Nevertheless, let's see what's doing outside. Yeah, but look here, chief. Hadn't one or two of us ought to go on ahead and look things over first. I think we should stay together. We've had enough of this chasing one another through these dark passageways. I'm inclined to agree with the professor. If there's anyone around, we've made enough commotion to attract their attention by now. Talk about your mystery of the Khmer Empire. You girls stay a few steps behind, just in case we run into anything up ahead. There's the corner where we picked up those elephant pods. We're not far from the entrance to the courtyard now. Quiet, everybody. Walk on your tiptoes. Talk about adventures. Yeah, too much. I didn't like it down there underground a bit. Look, there's daylight. We're almost out. Wait. The boss is waving us to keep quiet. It's all right. Come on out. The courtyard's empty. Empty? You mean all the elephants and camels and everything are gone? Not even a smell left behind. Well, I don't understand it. It's like magic. Oh, it's not so much like magic when you examine the ground. Look here. Yeah, all they've left behind are tracks and the dust. The caravaners just moved on, that's all. Well, we've been left stranded out here in the midst of the Cambodian jungle without supplies or weapons of any kind. But for what reason? Probably on the order of some of the old Khmer priests who were instigating the Cambodian Revolution with the aid of their precious seven-headed emerald cobra. Yeah, Captain. They probably got wind of the fact that you and I was coming in here to grab off the co-bridle and recapture Fenlo. Oh, boss, you're not still after that Cambodian boy, are you? Fenlo is a menace to the French government. And he killed a man to escape. He's a criminal. And he's the first criminal that ever escaped from my custody. I won't leave this country until we get him. Patricia, come here. Over here in the courtyard. Excuse me, boss. It doesn't look as though we are going to leave here anyway. Why do you say that, LeBron? It would be certain death to attempt to backtrack to Angkor through these jungles with neither food, nor blankets, nor weapons. Nevertheless, we're going to try it. I'm with you, chief. Professor LeBron's right, Captain Friday. We haven't a chance in the world to make it. Besides the poisonous reptiles and insects, there are tigers, wild elephants, and innumerable other animals. And that's not mentioning the fact that we haven't a guide. I think that caravan left all the signposts we'll need. Oh, be reasonable, Captain. Such a move would be the same as sentencing the girls to death. Oh. Yeah, the girls. Yeah. Well, supposing a couple of us fellas hike back then and let the other two stay here with Patricia and Celia. We could bring back a rescue party. Once you get back to Angkor, admitting for the moment that you could accomplish it, do you think that you'd ever be able to find this temple again? Why, sure. Don't be stupid. We'd follow the trail left by the caravan. Which shows quite plainly how little you know of a tropical jungle. What do you mean? Well, merely that the jungle closes in behind such a caravan so that there is no trail. Within three days after a trail is made, it is obliterated by the rank, grass, and vines, unless it is used continually. You ain't kidding me, are you? Ask Berghier. He's an expert on that sort of thing. And Professor Lebrun's right-skip. And besides that, a person on foot wouldn't be able to make more than a mile or two a day fighting his way through the jungle. That's the reason the caravan uses elephants. They break through and make a path for the camels and the mules and the horses. Hmm. What do you say to that, Captain? Looks like we're out of our element here in the jungle-skip. Yeah, but we'll starve to death if we stay here. No, not necessarily. We may be able to kill a few edible birds and animals. Well, how'd we cook them? I ain't got a match on me. Have you? No, but we still have the burning torches. We'll have to keep our fire going continually. Your precious Cambodian guide to Kwan hadn't skipped out. We might have a chance. I think we will find that Kwan has an excellent reason for his disappearance. Perhaps Dr. Kirtle will hear of our kidnapping and start a search for us. Yeah, if he isn't in the same sort of a fix himself. Well, anyway, supposing we remain here as comfortably as possible the rest of the day and overnight and see what materializes. I'll make that bargain with you, Professor Lebrun. We'll wait 24 hours. Then we'll have to do it my way. Oh, here come the girls back. Whatever we do, let's stay together. It's so dreadfully still. Talk about your desert islands. I don't know the sound except the wild parrots and the monkeys and those bamboo trees. Hey, I wonder if we can get out of this courtyard. Maybe we're locked inside these walls. Oh, no we are not. There's the gate yonder. Wide open. Oh, it's like being the only ones left in the world, isn't it? But I bet that whole ruin is going to look wicked when the sun starts to go down. They're easy, Sinister aspect, about it itself. Yeah, it's just the kind of place you expect them to throw a person into the gorilla's cage. Skip, Turner, what are you talking about? Sure, that's what the guard told me they used to do. Well, why did you have to say that? I think it was quite an excuse. Yeah, well, if I'm going to have gorilla nightmares tonight, I want to know that some of the rest of you are having them too. I think your guard gave you a fine fairy tale for the $20 you gave him Skip. He told you his caravan was turning us over to someone else too, didn't he? Yeah, that's what he said. Well, if there is as much truth in his story about this being the temple of the gorillas, then it is probably all fiction. Well, as I said before, it's his story, not mine. Hi, Professor LeBruyne, Captain Friday. Hello, Perry, it's running into something. Some matter, Perry. Hey, come over here and see what I've got. Bring the clouds. Hey, come on, come on, let's go. Well, I can't imagine. What have you found, Perry? I don't see anything out of the ordinary. Look, guinea sacks. Well, what about the food? Huh? Are you certain, Perry? Sure, the big one's rice and the one over there's dried dates and figs and then there's coffee and even some dried monkey meat. Well, it looks as though we weren't meant to starve anyway. This thing doesn't add up. What do you make of it, Professor? Nothing beyond the fact that we appear to have the most humane antagonist. Well, anyway, let's drag this stuff inside the temple where the birds and animals can't get at it. Oh, just a minute. You got an idea, Chief? Yeah. Now that we have food to carry with us, one or two could easily make an effort to get through to Angkor. We have food, Captain, but no guide. I'll take a chance on it alone. Oh, no, boss. Please, not alone. Oh, supposing we sleep on it and talk it over again in the morning. Well, all right. I said I'd wait 24 hours. Come on, everybody. Let's set up camp for the night. Hello? What's up? Well, I'll be, uh... Professor Lebrun, Captain Friday, wake up. Uh, is that you, Perry? Yes, Captain. Look at the door. Well, it's guarded. Hey, what's our deal waking a guy up in the middle of the night? Can't you see it's still dark? It's just because the torch is in here burnt out. Skip, take a look at that door. What for the love of Pete? Hey, it looks like we're prisoners again. Can't see my hand in front of my face. Is Lebrun awake? Why do we, Captain? What do you know about this, Lebrun? Nothing at all, I'm afraid, Captain. Hey, I'm going up to the gate and take a look through the bars. What for? To see if our guard's the same one we had before. Don't let him see you and come right back. Okay. Well, it certainly looks like a vanishing caravan at return. Oh, Elsa, second one is moved in on us. We shouldn't have made this room our headquarters. Yeah. All they had to do was set a guard before that door and we're prisoners again. Yes, Patricia. What's the matter? We're prisoners again. Prisoners? Well, did they come for us in the night? We don't know. I just woke up and there they were. I've got an idea. Well, let's hear it. Why couldn't we all drop through the trapdoor and escape through the underground passageway? Hey, not pass. Yes, it might work. What do you think, LeBron? It's worth looking into. Hey, folks, we got a new deal in guards. I saw half a dozen fellas and they was all the same nationality, as Fenlo and Taquan. Cambodian thing. LeBron, do you suppose this is the gang that paid to have us kidnapped by that caravan? It seems likely. Well, then, the other guard was telling the truth when he said that we was being transferred into the hands of the real enemy at this point. It looks so, doesn't it? Good thing we brought our supplier food in here. We'll drop it through the trapdoor and then follow it one at a time. If we can escape from this room, we can hide in the passageways until they've gone. Are the, uh, sacks tied up tight? Yes, I saw it at that last night. And set them on the trapdoor. Well, we'll locate the sacks first. Oh, it's so blamed. Ah, here they are right here. Tell me when they're on the door. I've got the handle. There they are. Turn the handle, Captain. What in? What's the matter, boss? Trapdoor doesn't work anymore. I can't budge it. What do you mean, you can't budge it? They'll have them all down on our necks. Shall I try? If you like, but it's useless. So it is. It looks as though our new captors were familiar with this old castle. Yeah? What do you mean? It looks as though they put our trapdoor out of commission, don't you think? Well, then we're in for it. It looks so. Hello. Someone's coming in here with torches. It looks like the entire Cambodian nation. They're certainly not taking any chances of being overpowered. Why don't they say something? Are they old deaf mutes? Everyone stand quietly. Not me. I'm putting up a battle. You just let them come near. Do what you're told, Skip. It's useless to fight. They're tender one against us. Captain Friday, what are they going to do? Why don't they say something? Keep your chin up, Patricia. Look, some of them are carrying torches. And the rest are aren't. Easy now, Celia. What do you people want? Who are you? Hey, hey. You can't tie my hands behind me. What do you think you're doing? Skip, don't be a fool. Take your hands off me. Patricia, there's no use fighting them. They're just tying your hands behind you the same as with the rest of us. Are you all right, Celia? Oh, yes only. Only I'm awfully scared, Perry. Keep calm, everybody. Nothing very terrible has happened yet. But what are they going to do with us? Well, now that we're all trust up, it looks as though we were to be marched out into the open. Well, what's the matter with these guys anyway? They're dead and dumb. Keep next to me, Patricia. All right, boss. Coming, Celia. I'll look out for Celia as much as I can. Well, here we go. You're trembling like a leaf. Perry, don't you recognize that chant? I know. Do you? It's the death chant. Fenlo sang the night he disappeared off the ship. Oh, look. They're making Skip get on a horse. Hey, you! I hate horseback riding. They're going to make a horseback rider out of him. Look, they're tying him on. You mean they're going to tie us each on a horse? Yeah, it looks that way. Do you? Do you suppose that death chant was meant for us, Perry? This week, you will hear the sixth episode of the Cobra King Strikes Back, entitled, Terrors of the Hollow Mountain. This newest radio thriller is another in the series of Adventures by Morse.