Chefano and his evil accomplice, Frenchy, were completely surprised when their former prisoners appeared in the doorway of the meeting room. The two men were engaged in tense conversation over the table. They looked up when Vincent and the Englishman entered. Weakly, the crooks raised their hands at sight of the two pistols.
Harry ordered them outside the building. Major Weston had discovered a rope in the corner of the room. While Harry covered the captives with his gun, the Englishman bound them and toppled them to the ground. He put their guns in his own pockets.
Their work had been quickly done; now Harry thought of the torture chamber and the stairs to the tower.
The Shadow had rescued them; now he was at bay! Superman though he might be, this strange being of the night was human, and his retreat was cut off by the terrible ape-man, who possessed the strength of a gorilla!
The thought maddened Harry. He pictured a lifeless body on the winding stairs that led to the tower, with Jupe snarling above his fallen prey.
The Shadow's aid ran toward the ruin, and a cry came from his throat. Two forms had appeared upon the top of the old tower. One was tall and lithe in the moonlight; the other was a bulky, crouching figure.
Major Weston had heard Harry's cry. The Englishman raised his automatic. It was a long shot, but his aim was on the ape-man when Harry seized his arm. The two figures had closed together; they were locked in conflict!
The sight was weird and amazing. The Englishman uttered a cry of surprise as he saw the tall figure push the bulky one backward. It was unbelievable that the strange fighter in black could resist the power of the ape-faced monster.
Yet the conflict seemed equal. The ape-man was recovering now, and for a moment The Shadow appeared weakened. Then both forms stood motionless, apparently at ease. But the observers on the ground knew that each of them was using all his strength.
"I'm going up the stairs!" exclaimed Harry.
"Wait!" Major Weston's voice was commanding. "You can do nothing on the tower. You would be hurled aside in that terrible struggle. Your place is here with me. If they separate for an instant we must shoot to kill the monster."
They watched the battle helplessly. At times the figures swayed. Once the ape-man staggered backward, and the major's finger was on the trigger of his automatic. The next instant The Shadow had followed up his advantage. Again the grappling shapes were locked.
Minutes went by — terrible, tense minutes — while the weird fray continued beneath the glare of the risen moon. Then the strength of the ape-faced man became more apparent. It was Jupe who was fighting strongly now.
"There will be a break," promised Weston, his voice betraying his anxiety. "My aim is true, even at this distance. But I must wait until they are apart."
"The monster is forcing the fight," groaned Harry. "We cannot wait long. It will be too late."
* * *
As if in answer to the gloomy prophecy, the two forms on the top of the tower moved steadily toward the parapet. For a tragic moment the figure of The Shadow seemed to lean over the edge. Then, imbued with sudden strength, it regained its former position. Yet the ape-man still held the advantage.
Again human strength began to yield as the power of the fiend increased. The Shadow's form seemed to collapse, going down beneath the bulk of the fierce monster. It reappeared, a twisted shape, half-thrust from the edge of the ruined tower.
Two long arms lost their clutch on the ape-man. They spread apart and grasped the low stone parapet.
The head and shoulders of The Shadow were projecting above the wall. The cloaked avenger was making his last fight for life!
Then came the sickening finish. The Shadow rose in one final effort. He staggered, arms wide, his black cloak fluttering in the night breeze. Weston's automatic thundered as Jupe stepped back for the spring, but the shot went wide. The ape-man merged with his faltering victim. The tall form was lifted upward.
Then it was head downward; the cloak draping on the parapet. The two figures sank as the monster crouched to throw its victim to the ground beneath.
A portion of the parapet gave way as the fighters flattened against it, and a living form fell with the shower of stones, the black robe winding about it as it crashed to its doom on the stones beneath. A crouching figure was silhouetted on the tower.
The Englishman's eyes had rested for an instant upon the shapeless mass that lay among the ruins of the old building. Instinctively he had followed its fatal fall. Now he saw the sinister form by the broken parapet, but as he fired a well-aimed shot, the figure disappeared.
Harry Vincent was clambering over the ruined building, risking his limbs amid the loose stones. His companion followed him. Their one thought was for the man who had fallen. Perhaps through some miracle The Shadow was still alive!
The black robe covered the body. In the glare of the Englishman's flashlight, Harry pulled the cloak aside and stared at the upturned face. A cry of amazement followed. It came from Harry Vincent.
He was looking at the evil countenance of Jupe, the ape-man. In its final spring the monster had become entangled in the black robe of The Shadow. Its powerful body had broken the crumbling parapet. The fierce creature had plunged headlong to its death while The Shadow had managed to hold on in safety as the cloak ripped from his shoulders.
The crouching figure that had remained on the tower was The Shadow!
A sudden noise startled Harry. He looked back toward the entrance to the cellar. Two men were fleeing through the moonlight toward the woods. They were well away, close together. One of them appeared to be carrying something. Chefano and Frenchy were free!
"We cannot stop them," cried Major Weston. "One of them must have slipped the ropes and aided the other."
Harry watched the men as they vanished among the trees. He clambered back over the loose stones.
Reaching the steps, he entered the passage, with the major close behind.
"Where are you going?" asked the Englishman.
"To get the wooden box," replied Vincent. "It was intended as a coffin. It will do for the ape-man's body."
"Hush!" exclaimed the major, as they reached the end of the passage. "I hear something."
A moaning sound came from behind the door of the vault. They opened the barrier. Their flashlights showed a man lying on the floor, bound with ropes. They released him. The Englishman uttered a cry of recognition when he saw the man's face.
"It's Berchik!!" he exclaimed. "I remember him! Samanov's trusted servant. He is the messenger. They captured him! He must have come while we were in the torture chamber!"
"And now they are gone," muttered Vincent. "Chefano and Frenchy — gone — gone with the stolen wealth."