Air Wonder Stories, July 1929 — page 74: what you’re looking at

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

72 ATR WONDER STORIES ‘A few well laid bombs could almost demolish it!” “And who is going to lay the bombs?” “Outside they now have a pretty fair idea of where Mentor lies,” Miss Lois shrugged her shoulders. “That really matters very little. You shall see how little one of these days!” “You mean that no plane could ever reach here because of that infernal machine of yours?” She nodded her head, “I am afraid so.” “Oh, well, I guess the future will have to decide that.” She did not answer me but now we had turned back to the city. I was thoughtful during the re- mainder of the walk. Gosh, if only I could get out of this place and tell my story to the world! What a scoop this was going to be. The girl's words, however, made me realize just how hard it was . going to be to escape. If, as she said, the surround- ing country was populated so thickly with her people what chance would I, a puny man without wings, to fight my way out into the world again. And with what I now knew it was evident that they were not going to allow me to escape. Miss Lois appeared to have read my thoughts. “Tt is impossible for anyone to escape from Mentor. Our Patriarch is not quite ready for the world to know and it is death to any who makes the at- tempt.” She went on to explain just how great an organization her nation was, how it had already thrown out tts tentacles into the world in general all unbeknown to the Outside. T questioned her about the food supply, and her words told me that Pedro Majes had not lied when he spoke of the plantation to which he had been borne by the winged men, Mentor had not only one plantation to raise her food, but many in some of the most fertile countries of the continent. It appears that those born entirely devoid of wings were used for the purpose of going out into the world establishing themselves and working only for the good of their race. By taking Spanish names a dozen or so Mentorites owned and controlled the Beas from which the winged men carried off y night the foods that they needed. It was from the estate of one of these men that Marion Hally had been spirited away! They owned mines in the same manner, rubber- plantations, and air lines were controlled by the far- reaching arm of the Patriarch of Mentor! The wealth from these enterprises of course flowed in a steady stream into his coffers. And to further the interests of the nation were another corps of men and women, the diplomatic corps that found places of responsibility all over the world. They insinuated themselves into posi- tions of trust in Washington, in London, in Paris and in fact in all the capitals of the world and were accepted by their fellow-men as one of them; while in truth their lives were dedicated to the interests of their own race. It was possible therefore for them to accomplish much for its welfare. It was through one of these “spies,” that that infernal engine that had brought our plane down was bought and brought to Mentor. It had been invented by a German just after the Great World War and under the Patriarch’s direction had been purchased for this jungle home ere the world was able to learn about it; and all but one blue print destroyed. In the same manner Doctor Morris had been brought to Mentor enticed by the tales of one of the Patriarch’s agents who proved to the Doctor the need of the jungles for medical aid. And be- cause he had tired of the humdrum life of New York City he had come to take complete charge of the health of the fiye hundred thousand souls within the confines of the jungle. Every necessity that was needed was brought from the Outside, just as electricity was carried hundreds of miles across the continent by cables and conduits from three or four points in South America. The cables were cleverly laid; either in the trees or underground as the topography of the country demanded. Only a continent such as South America with its great unexplored spaces, its great natural resources, its jungles, could have held the secret of Mentor. I could only gasp as I thought of what a pro- digots organization had grown out of the aimless fumblings of Howard Mentor with man-made evolution, Could this strange though powerful na- tion some day put its mark on the world? CHAPTER SIX The Patriarch N returning to my room, where I was still Okt: with Wormley, I told him of all I had seen and learned. “God... if only the world knew! Drastic steps need to be taken if the government hopes to do away with this menace,” he averred. I shook my head. “No... nothing can be done. You can’t wipe out a half a million people easily ... not unless you dynamite half of South America! No, Wormley, this is a tremendous thing and mark my word the world is going to realize very shortly just what they are up against, And warring with these people would be like warring on mice in a hayrick . .. you either have to smoke ‘em out or burn the hay ... both of which methods would be too difficult in this area.” We both fell to thinking and were aroused only by the appearance of Doctor Morris. He had come to remove the bandages from Wormley'’s face. Morris, and the Earthbound nurse who had fol- lowed him, worked for several moments and then revealed the scarred face of the aviator. Wormley had never been handsome but the added ugliness of his face gave him an attractiveness that later was to prove irresistible to the women of Mentor, Wormley refused the mirror Morris held for him, In fact, thereafter, he never so much as attempted to shave himself as it would force him to view his “mug”. After the operation was. over and the nurse had left we commenced questioning Doctor Morris. He appeared to enjoy our conversation, wanted to know all about New York, “Do you think, Doctor,” I asked after I had led up gradually to the subject, “that you are doing the proper thing in helping these people as you have?” comnliclooolks.comn