Adventure Magazine Cover, June 18, 1921 — page 40: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

30 He may have another gun there, Can you sneak that log out of the way alone?” Ransom succeeded in pulling the log from the wheels, and as soon as he waved that he was fixed Tex arose from his wriggling hu- man couch and ran for the ship, tucking the revolver in his shirt as he ran. He climbed into the cockpit, turned on the throttle slowly and then fed the Liberty all the gas. With his head stuck out the side to watch his course he used his rudder to keep the De Haviland in the cleared path. The Liberty ran faultlessly and fifty yards from the trees on the boundary of the field was off the ground. As the ship turned eastward the flyers could see Aldez, motionless where they had left him. His head was raised, his eyes on the plane. With a last derisive wave to his late enemy, Tex turned to his work. He kept circling the field as he watched his instruments. It was the only landing-place and it would be wise to keep close to it until the ship proved conclusively that everything was all right. As they went ever higher in widen- ing circles the motor ran smoothly. The long idling of the motor on the ground had sent the temperature up to ninety centi- grade—much too hot. Tex throttled down, _ made sure the motor shutters were open and glanced at the altimeter.. They were two thousand feet high. The motor re- sponded to the cool upper air and the ther- mometer went down gradually. Tex turned sharply and pointed the ship on its way eastward to Del Rio. The motor vibrated a great deal, of course, but apparently the tape-connection in the gas-line would stand up for the sixty- mile trip to Del Rio, for the motor showed no sign of missing. As they sped on along the river, however, Tex kept a constant lookout for landing-fields. No telling when something might go wrong with all that vibration, if the accident to the gas-line was any criterion. If he had realized how bad it was he would never have left Sanderson. The timing error was not serious itself—it was only the effect on the numberless con- nections in gas, oil and water lines of the gradually increasing uneveness in firing. Kita HOWEVER, nothing went wrong, t He and in a half-hour Del Rio came in =“ sight, twenty miles ahead. They were five thousand feet high now and for the first time since they had taken off Tex re- Adventure laxed and took his oe off the_instruments before him. “This has sure been some trip,” he solilo- quized. “All this trouble and not a —— thing accomplished so far as Ransom is con- cemed.”” =. He wondered what Ransom was thinking about the whole affair. Probably the ob- server’s thoughts were far from pleasant, reflected Tex, but when one has only him- self to blame he doesn’t rate much sym- pathy. “These birds who can’t admit it when they’re wrong just naturally put their head in a noose and then kick over the barrel every time,” he told himself philosophi- cally. A warning sputter came from the motor, and Tex jumped as if he had been shot. He looked ahead swiftly—the airdrome was nearly ten miles way. The motor caught again and for half a minute ran smoothly. The pilot leaned back with a sigh of relief, but it did not last long. A series of loud reports, almost like shots, came from the motor. “Tape is working loose, the air is getting in and making the mixture lean and she’s back-firing,”’ thought Tex with the wisdom of a thousand hours in the air. He adjusted the altitude lever to give -as rich a mixture as possible to compensate, but the popping grew worse. However, if the motor would last a little longer they could make the airdrome. Came a louder report, and a streak of flame shot from the exhaust pipes. Tex, quickly appraising altitude and distance to the airdrome, throttled down slightly and nosed over for a-power glide. They could make it all right, if the motor would only last. Whether it was the glide or not Tex never knew, but suddenly leaping flames covered the motor and smoke poured from the car- buretors, set in between the two banks of cylinders. Mechanically the pilot banked steeply, threw on full top-rudder, and started slipping. The wave of heat which had come back in his face was diverted and the smoke poured upward. They were on fire—the most horrible hazard of the air and the only one which can bring unadulterated fear and despair into the heart of even the most experienced airman. For a moment Tex thought that the fire was out. As they dropped in a steep ‘slip COmicloo oN WU) ©