enemies
could recover and drive him to safety. Three men went down; only one was able to discharge a wide
shot before he fell. The others, realizing the menace, leaped for the door. The Shadow's deadly fire
followed the cowardly fugitives.
Pete Ballou and Silk Dowdy, standing outside, saw their men come sprawling forth. One big fellow tried
to grip Dowdy as he staggered; he missed and struck headforemost on the pavement. Other mobsters
were here, ready for the fray. Pete Ballou gave a quick order. He stationed three men at the front door.
They poked their heads into view, looking for The Shadow. He was gone from the landing. Cautiously,
the trio entered.
They were to block the front. Pete Ballou, crafty and determined, was directing the others. Crouched
figures were stealing past the house. Men were seeking ways to ascend the walls. A ladder appeared in
the alleyway.
The new attack was beginning. From front, back and sides, the powerful mob was coming into action.
Even the cellar and the roof were not neglected.
There would be no escape for The Shadow!
CHAPTER XXIII. THE SHADOW'S FIGHT
THE SHADOW entered the room where Perry Wallace was standing in alarm. In one hand, the
black-cloaked man held a revolver. He had taken the weapon from beside the dead body of Lopez. He
thrust the gun into Perry's hand and beckoned.
In the hallway, The Shadow pointed to a stairway that led up to the small third floor. The Shadow spoke
in an ominous whisper.
“Watch up there!”
Perry ascended the stairs. He could not understand The Shadow's action. Perry knew the house was
probably surrounded, yet he would have favored a break for safety before the new attack. He did not
know The Shadow's purpose. Coolly, the amazing man in black was baiting the foe, to hold them here as
quarry for Cardona.
A cry sounded from the front street. It passed along and was echoed everywhere. It was the signal for
the attack from all directions.
Men dashed up the front stairs. They turned at the landing. The Shadow was awaiting them. The first
gangster fell; the two who were following him dropped back for cover.
Outside the house, men were bursting the windows of the second floor. It was then that shots came from
an unexpected quarter—the house across the alley.
Burbank, alert and ready, had a chance to prove his aim. He succeeded. The invaders toppled from their
perches and fell.
Burbank had purposely delayed his fire, knowing that he must not reveal his presence until men were
actually entering the house. There were some whom he could not cover; they were entering from the
back.
As The Shadow waited by the stairs, door burst open and Silk Dowdy leaped into view. He had listened
before he opened the door. He sprang at The Shadow like a madman. His pointed revolver was not a
foot away.
The Shadow's left hand swung and Dowdy's wrist received the blow. The gangster crashed against the
wall at the top of the stairs, losing his gun as he fell.
