Air Stories, November 1937 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

AIR STORIES Nobby’s been talking, I’ve been thinking. Now, you chaps all know that I’m a bit of a fellow for ideas, and———”?” ‘‘Oh, for Lord’s sake shut up! ”’ snapped Major Clarke, his temper finally boiling over as he remembered his morn- ing adventure in Edison’s aerial trick-box. ‘‘Well you asked for suggestions, Major,’’ said the inventor a little ruefully, ‘* and hang it all, I don’t see that there’s any reason to be rude.’’ ‘‘The only reason why I wasn’t murdered to-day by that filthy bundle of tricks you fixed up on your machine,”’ said the Major, heatedly, ‘‘ has yet to become plain to my clouded intelligence. Look here, Edison, things can go too far, sometimes. We’re speaking seriously, now. I’m willing to forget everything else, but if you waste our time with a lot of idiotic, cranky Heath-Robinson sug- gestions I’llI—I’ll—oh, for Heaven’s sake have a bit of sense, and keep quiet ! ”’ Edison smiled in a soothing way. ‘* My dear old Major, it’s a good job I know you so well,’’ he said. ‘‘I realise that you’re overstrained, all keyed-up. Good Lord, I know what it’s like, well enough. I’ve been like it myself for the past two or three days while I’ve been working-out the details of a new inven- tion of mine—a quick-release parachute that opens of its own accord, and can be used by the pilot of a small machine. And if you think this interception business over, the first thing you realise is that the only reason defence machines can’t get to grips with the raiders, is that they can’t see them.’’ Nobby sat down suddenly, and held his head in his hands. It was better to let Edison talk—better than losing one’s temper completely and saying unforgiv- able things to a man who, for all his faults, was a first-class fighter and a courageous soldier. ‘‘It must have taken you a long time to work that out, Edison,’’ said one of the others, sarcastically. ‘‘ What a brain ! What an intellect ! ’’ ‘‘ Just a matter of going logically to work,’’ said Edison with perfect serious- ness. ‘‘ Now if we could arrange that the German raiders’ positions were sig- nalled accurately, ‘we could get at them.’’ ‘“Grand !’’ said Carter, viciously. ‘What are you going to do—get into Germany disguised as a sausage, and cover their Gothas with luminous paint when they aren’t looking P ’”’ ‘“My dear Carter, this is hardly the time for joking,’’ said Edison, shaking a reproving head. ‘‘ Now, my idea is this. First of all we get a Gotha.’’ ‘‘It’s certainly an idea,’’ said one of the others. ‘‘ Of course, the Kaiser may not be willing to hand one over when you firstring him up. But if you explain y ‘‘ A Gotha came down, intact, on the outskirts of London last week,’’ said Edison. Chap had a broken crankshaft, and they’ve got his machine, safe and sound, at some actodrome. So there’s no reason why we shouldn’t get the loan of it. Now then, if we could get that Gotha, a couple of us—say Nobby and I— could take it up after dark and fly it round London at about fourteen or fifteen thousand feet. There’s plenty of room for a wireless set on board, and we should hear the first of the raid warnings. We should get good information of the direction in which the raiders are sup- posed to be coming. And don’t forget that a Gotha, without her bombs, could be flown for seven or eight hours on end if necessary.’’ OMEONE laughed, but in the main the Squadron were quiet. Vaguely they began to think that, by a fluke, the inventor had struck something with practical possibilities. ‘‘ By arrangement,’’ went on Edison cheerfully, ‘‘ we would have a search- light playing on us the whole time. That searchlight would be careful to keep us in its beam. And that means that any other Gothas coming along would be sure to see us. If we were in an ordinary, British machine, they would see us at once and dodge away in the darkness before we could get to grips. But because we are an un- mistakable Gotha—one of their own kind—they naturally won’t try to avoid 392 AMICLO© ‘‘T read about it in the papers. | (©