Air Wonder Stories, July 1929 — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

62 as they were by the sun. The trick also gave rise to the supposition that the winged men came from the stn, were not of Earthly origin after all. How- ever, only the ignorant would believe such a tale, CHAPTER TWO The Three Start ND still the kidnappings continued with the police baffled, always just too late. Planes were called into service, but they invariably arrived too late or else were eluded. A soldier did manage to shoot an abductor as he bore off with a girl and they both plunged to their death. Thereafter orders,were issued that there was to be no more shooting, but to capture alive, A second flying man with his prey was chased into the Andes mountain fastnesses and there lost. It appeared as if the winged men knew no caution; the purloining of women became more daring, more spectacular. North Europeans with their wives and daughters were fleeing homeward, and most of the American residents in Latin countries were sending their families back to the States. Married women appeared to be no safer than the single girls. All South American govern- ments were calling for aid from their northern neighbors with their superior air-craft and air-men. Nor was America quiet. Its people were up in arms demanding that the government do all they could to fight this menace to American woman- hood. The winged men must be exterminated! Their lair must be discovered and wiped out. Planes left daily for Latin America. The air was to be made unsafe for flying men! Still disgruntled over the scoop made by Brent, a plan came to me and I confronted the city editor with my scheme. Three years earlier I had gone with one of the Smithsonian expeditions into the heart of the Amazon country. I knew the country. I knew several Indian dialects, And now all reports were pointing to the fact that the winged men had their home in Brazilian jungles. Why could I not go down there and alone find my way to their settlement? I would get the complete story, the history of this new race, and their intentions! I was the man to do it. Sims, the city editor, had to think it-over. It sounded good. It was. The next morning I was summoned to his desk. Of course I had not slept all that night and now was feverishly awaiting that call. Plans had already been laid. I was to go with two more trusted men, Jack D’Arcy and Dick Norton, also reporters on the News. We were of course to keep our plans secret and must hurry before another paper beat us to it. We took off in our plane one dim morning, and by the afternoon had passed the Mexican border. We were apprehensive that our mission be dis- covered. Howard Wormley the famous aviator was our pilot. We thought at first to use Lima as our headquarters, but after scouting around the city for a day we flew to Cuzco somewhat southward but nearer the Brazilian jungles, We learned that two planes, one leaving from Quito and one from Rio de Janeiro, had headed for the Amazon jungles, but had been heard of no more, forced into a bad landing no doubt. The ATR WONDER STORIES papers were of course filled with the latest ab- ductions. A most daring one had occurred aboard a great trans-pacific air liner going from Hono- lulu to San Francisco. The account read: “Aboard Quitonia, April 5; Another victim has been added to the long list of white women who have been stolen by winged men. “At ten o'clock this morning the liner’s passen- gers were startled to see a flying man appear com- ing toward the craft. At first he had been taken for a giant bird but as he drew closer it could be seen that he was one of that strange new race of winged men. He alighted on the super-structure holding by one hand to some rigging while he surveyed the people on the observation deck. Then letting go his hold he soared over their heads for several minutes giving a pretty exhibition of fancy flying, then swept low as he scanned each face. He dropped ta the edge of the deck at last smiling brightly, “People crowded to the rail and spoke to him. He was said to be a handsome youth, an interesting freak. He did not look harmful. He answered a few questions put to him, joked and laughed and then motioned for one of the young women passengers to come close. She was a Miss Elizabeth Moray, known to be a teacher on a holiday jaunt, a very pretty young person. “Miss Moray would have hung back, but her fellow passengers laughingly pusher her forward. She came near and the two began talking together. Someone heard her liken him to Icarus and he laughed. It sounded to the by-standers that they were discussing mythology. Then the flying creature dropped his voice and spoke too low for any but Miss Moray to hear him. “The vyoyagers commenced talking amongst themselves with their eyes lingering on the strange youth. They did not appear to realize the serious- ness of the situation until suddenly Captain Edwin Moorhead was seen approaching with a revolver in his hand trained on the visitor. The crowd were awakened by the sight of the weapon to the fact that this youth was a menace, a creature to be captured. They began milling about, drawing back, pushing forward. Then it happened! “The astonished passengers of the Quitonia saw the school-ma’am suddenly fling her arms around the winged man’s shoulders and seemingly without effort he lifted her and himself above the deck with a great surge, With a wave of their hands the two headed for South America. Captain Moorhead did not shoot. They were at an altitude of three thousand feet. And like the other he headed straight toward the sun. Hours of pursuit by the Quitonia ended in the realization that the bird-man had escaped.” After the Bird Men HE article went on to discuss the horror of such a situation when women were kidnapped in the sight of their fellow-man, and the fact that the ab- ductors were such handsome fellows, that the kid- napped did not appear to object at all. Several other aircraft reported having sighted the twain as they passed overhead. A small coast-wise air-freighter fired some random shots at them and a village on the sea-coast saw them go by, Many aircraft gave them chase, but the bird man always eluded them. comnliclooolks.com