Argosy: The Short Story Magazine — page 79: what you’re looking at

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

Ch en Sheeai? Coe eee 02 oy ee * - aes J 7 * Fads 4 : A me $ ® » is wah x 5 = Shey ot > | = tes HEART OF THE STORM . "79 rae «Bates came pushing forward from the navigation compartment. _ “Tf T can get a word in edgeways, Skipper—looks like we’ll be an hour and a half late over the island. The trouble now is the speed.”’ ; Shaughnessy and Draper immediately looked at the airspeed — indicator. It had crept back to just below 135 knots. ‘“‘ Fifteen inches,” Kelston called out. “Hang on to your. 4 hats .. . we’re going down to find her.”’ a | The motors died down to a slow, protesting fed Ae as Easy _ Zebra’s nose dipped towards the storm-tossed sea, three and a half _ ‘a miles below her. . — a a” “a” ae Kelston knew that the request to search for the Santa Lucinda ss was an unusual one. Several times, aircraft had been asked to — keep a look-out for a ship in difficulties near their course, which | meant nothing more than a vigilant, and almost invariably fruitless y, watch over the water. As Captain of the aircraft, his first responsi- __ bility was to the twenty-three souls on board Easy Zebra. He had already decided that he had an extra margin of safety which would -_be spent looking for the ship. 4 But what was that margin in hours and minutes? And how could _ he use it to the best advantage? Used to splitting up his attention, part to flying, which had always to go on, part to an emergency or difficulty that had suddenly arisen, he started, as always, to make his plans well in advance. a He knew it wasn’t going to be easy. They were late and he would have to go slow on the petrol consumption. ‘Then there was the ~ question of getting down safely below the base of the storm clouds, which he reckoned would probably be about 800 feet. > : The islands of the Azores were scattered with high volcanic | mountains, one of which—Pico—rose up nearly 8,o00 feet into the air. And at the time she approached them, the position of Easy Zebra (due to a complete absence of radio- or astro-fixes) would be anybody’s guess within a circle of probability as much as 100 miles in diameter. Ask Control if they’ve got the winds at the lower levels,” he told Draper. ‘‘ Should have got some information on this stuff by now.” - ee -Draper was still muttering about the static, as he keyed out ~ Control’s call-sign. “ Wouldn’t be surprised if I’m stone-deaf after — this,’’ he prophesied gloomily to Hawkins. ae Just as they were passing through 14,000 feet, the air became smoother. They seemed to have emerged out of a colony of - ¢umulo-nimbus cloud into the dank undergrowth of less violent ____ stratus. Be ‘* D’you think you can take over, Mr. Shaughnessy? ”’ Kelston oe) -. asked. z “Tl try, sir.” The boy gingerly gripped the wheel. ao “See the speed doesn’t go above 170 knots ... there may be ~ bumps... big ones.” “4 COMIEOOKS.COlm rs ?.