No time was lost when Senov and his three followers reached the ground floor of the house. Guards were still on duty. Three men were working upon the door of the room where the Bolshevik soldiers had been trapped.
Senov paused only to remove his gas mask; the other three laid down their burdens to duplicate the action. The leader gave final instructions to the men who remained. Then, as his trio of carriers hoisted their laden bags, he pointed the way to the outer passage.
Despite the terrific furor and the fearful destructiveness of Senov’s attack, the work had been completed in an unusually short space of time. Reserves, stationed outside, had aided with capable service. They had captured and killed four soldiers who had approached the house.
That had unquestionably halted the spreading of an alarm; but Senov knew that it would not be long before all Moscow would teem with an excited hunt for Czarist agents. His faithful hordes must scurry back to the places of obscurity wherein lay their only shelter.
For Senov and a few associates, certain escape had been arranged. The automobile that had been stationed around the corner was now standing at the entrance to the alley. It was manned in front by two sturdy henchmen. The bags were placed in the back seat. Senov motioned one follower to enter. Then he spoke to the others who stood by.
Responses of acclamation followed as the leader stepped into the car. The big machine moved along the street. Senov gave a destination to the driver. He named an airport outside the limits of Moscow.
Back by the invaded house, Senov’s last order was repeated. It was carried to the men inside the building. With one accord, they hurried from the place, forgetting the trapped soldiers whom they had been so desirous to capture and slay.
SILENCE now dominated the scene. Dead bodies lay upon the floor. There was no motion of the door that led to the room where the three guards had fled. The men within suspected a trap awaiting them.
Long minutes went by. They were solemn minutes, a strange anticlimax to those exciting moments that had gone before. Then, a slight motion took place at the door of the passage. The forbidding darkness became a living shape. Into the room of destruction stepped a tall man clad in black.
The Shadow had reached Moscow! He had raced thousands of miles, by sea and by air, to find this spot before the attack of death had been launched!