Adventure Magazine Cover — page 179: what you’re looking at

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

There and Back “Just a minute,” protested Hemingwood, glancing quickly at the motionless Wood- ruff. ‘‘Won’t you let us turn the ship around and block the wheels so we can turn off that motor?” The Kentuckian hesitated. The Duke noticed that whereas the girl seemed unable to take her eyes off the ship, the man almost ignored it as if it were a familiar sight to him. “You see the ground is so steep that the ship will roll either backward or forward ‘unless the wheels are braced. Just let us fix it up, and then tie us and be —— to you.” ‘Go ahead,” consented their captor at length. ‘But hit’ll go hard with ye if ye try t’ git away.” Hemingwood was thinking swiftly as he signaled Woodruff to come and help him with the ship. There was a bare pos- sibility that they could get away—there was only one man with a gun against them. It seemed useless to figure on the ship, but he had no mind to be a.captive in the moun- tains any longer than he could help. He knew the railroad was only a few miles away, running along the banks of, the river. Together he and Woodruff lifted the tail of the ship, careful not to lift it so high that the whirling propeller would hit the ground. “‘We may have a chance to get away from here, Sergeant,” said the pilot rapidly. “Get into action the minute you see me start.’” The sergeant did not reply. They braced the wheels of the ship, which was now pointed down the hill, and then Hemingwood cut throttle and spark. The silence seemed intense as their ears were relieved of the constant noise of the motor. “By George, Woodruff, look what was the matter!” George pointed disgustedly to the right distributer head, which had worked loose from its clamp. “Probably a lot of water had worked in to them both, too,’ added Woodruff, who did not mind showing his knowledge now that there was no chance to make Goddard Field by nightfall—or any other time in the near future. “Short circuit,” agreed Herne ond: “Fix it up, will you, while we have a chance?” A desperate expedient was forming in his 169 mind—if the motor could be fixed. He per- fected it as he stood beside the cowling while Woodruff worked. The watchful moun- taineer held his gun ready for immediate action. He was standing, with the girl, about ten feet away from the ship. She was drinking in, what to her, was evidently a marvelous sight, for the big De Haviland looked positively huge—much bigger than the tiny cabin near by. Hemingwood surveyed her with equal interest—in fact both of the Kentuckians were interesting. Straight as young pines— tanned, clear-eyed, breathing of the out- of-doors—and with an undercurrent of purposeful determination that was un- escapable. Hemingwood noticed that what looked like the fading signs of welts were dis- cernible on the girl’s legs—it looked as if they might have been striped with red bands not so long before. Suddenly he decided to make his play. Woodruff was standing on a nose-drift wire, the other foot on the motor-cowling, and could jump down to his assistance quickly. Unwittingly his captor helped his plan. “Thet’s a De Haviland, haint it?” he remarked unexpectedly. “Why, yes. How did you know?” replied the surprized flier. “TI wuz drafted down to Camp Henry in the war and there wuz some airyplanes thar,” said the Kentuckian. “Oh, I see. I thought you didn’t seem greatly interested in a ship,” said Heming- wood, walking carelessly forward. He appeared to trip on a clod of earth, and fell prone on the ground. As he sat up, the muzzle of the rifle was perhaps three feet away from him. He grinned cheerfully at the Kentuckian, and started to brush himself off. “Did you ever get a ride?” he inquired. The ex-soldier relaxed a trifle from the quick tenseness resulting from the unex- pected fall of the pilot. “No, and I haint hankerin’ fer any,” he said. Hemingwood’s arms were flailing away at his dust-covered shirt and breeches, in gradually increasing arcs. ‘“‘Well, if we get out of here and you’re ever down——” One of those arms shot forward like a flash of light, and knocked the gun muzzle aside. The Duke grasped his captor’s legs DOOLK (C@