Cries were coming from the passage as they reached the door. Then the staccato of rapid pistol shots burst from the gloom. Groans followed.
Loo Look stood stock-still, surprise upon his face.
“What does this mean!” he exclaimed. “My men had knives. Can it be—”
A Chinaman toppled through the door. His arm was bleeding as he fell at Loo Look’s feet. He uttered words in the Chinese tongue.
“He says the man is a demon,” called Loo Look. “A devil who lies in darkness, and is part of the night.”
One by one the remaining warriors of Loo Look staggered in from the passage. All had been wounded by The Shadow’s shots. From their garbled exclamations, Loo Look knew that they had failed in their quest.
The squatty Celestial counted his fallen men. Assured that they had all returned, he quickly bolted the door.
“He cannot escape this way,” he said, calmly. “The door is too strong.”
“But the panel at the other end—” objected Bronson.
“He may break through there,” admitted Loo Look. “That is where we shall wait for him.”