Air Wonder Stories, July 1929 — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

MEN WITH WINGS 5 85 We learned that the flying men made descent tipon the three camps of the enemy and with their thunderbolts entirely demolished all that had been accomplished in the last months. Thousands of air- planes were demolished that night, the artillery was completely wrecked and there were thousands left dead and dying. : What airplanes managed to take to the air were wrecked and went up in smoke before they had so much as-fired a single shot. Zeppelins exploded and added terror to the awful carnage. The infantry that had already been making its way through the jungles under the cover of night were met by the Earthbound and entirely routed, and many of them, captured, helped to swell the popula- tion of Mentor. However, several thousand Earth- bound died in those battles, for they did not have the advantage of wings or of machine guns. The infantry made a name for themselves that night, even, though in the end they were forced to retreat as the thunderbolts entirely demoralized them. With the morning all fight was driven out of the invaders, and once again Mentor was declared victor. The world cried out in chagrin. For a week following, we of Mentor were busy with our wounded. All day and night our people worked in the jungles to save the living and to bury the dead, It was left for Mother Nature to heal the raw wounds that had been inflicted on her forests. The world was now in turmoil. The newspapers came out with editorials against the winged people, for they saw a new scourge sweeping the planet. Even Asia was touched by it. Individuals in the southern part of the United States commenced arm- ing themselves against the inroads of the abductors and proposals were made for a fleet of airships that should bombard the entire jungle area so that the menace might be wiped off the face of the earth. Indeed several private parties sent out two long cigar-shaped Zeppelins in an effort to do a little warring of their own. They no sooner appeared in the sky before they were attacked by a horde of the alated and the ships went up in smoke as soon as the thunderbolts reached their vital parts. And Mentor went on about its business quietly and efficiently. Its area was growing as new settle- ments were continually being filled. The number of captives now ran into thousands and the work of rearing the young continued. Two years went by and nothing more had been done, for now Mentor was alert and ready, and every attempt that was made to establish bases in the jungle was thwarted. Every plane that appeared in the skies was immedi- ately attacked, and no matter how large a fleet might come the flying men always conquered, having grown surprisingly efficient in bringing the machines to earth in a minimum of time with scarcely any loss to themselves. The ranks of the winged were growing, for the youth of sixteen were being enlisted, and now the count of able-bodied alated was well over two hundred thousand. The fact that the Mentorites had their home in the jungle, of course, had much to do with their continued success. In any other part of the globe all might not have gone so well with them, but here they had control of an area of many hundreds of square miles about, an area that was a natural protection since the enemy had difficulty in securing any footing. The Indians were also our friends, for they saw in this new race a savior who would give them their own again. In fact, large tribes of them were drawing close to Mentor and offering themselves to the Mentorites. They did much in keeping us informed of all that the enemy did within the jungles. Word next came that an attempt was going to be made on Mentor with poisonous gases, but again ere they could begin this new attack the Mentorites were upon them, and every city that had received a supply of gases was attacked at night, and the supply was bombarded so that the cities them- selves felt the attack, and cried out against the governments to stop bringing any more of the bombs into the strongholds. A Startling Proposal At LAST the day came when Mentor sent out orders to his emissaries to begin negotiations with the World Court for recognition of the Nation of Mentor. He demanded that all hostilities cease, that the new race be accepted in fellowship, And, he went on to advise, that if his demands were not accepted Mentor would hereafter take the offensive and the World would regret its refusal of Mentor! To me it appeared a very audacious step for a people of less that a million to take, Yet they had proved time and time again their strength, and I knew that Mentor meant what she said. In our laboratories our scientists had discovered a gas that was more potent than even cacodyl isocyanide the gas that had been discovered some fifteen years earlier and which destroyed any life it touched. Another year went by, and in that time the World Court had come to no decision, for the world still clamored for our destruction. Again attempts were made upon us with plane and gases, but again Mentor thwarted every move. And fo prove that she had meant what she had said a small contingent of winged men clothed entirely in a sheath of pro- tection headed for Cuzco. They went armed with gas bombs, and the morning found the city black and scarred with not a living creature within its walls! A ery of distress went up from South America and this time the World Court acquiesced. Two representatives went out from Mentor with a large guard armed with thunderbolts and bombs. They landed in Washington D. C. and with an armed guard proceeded to the Capital. There were de- monstrations in the city as the Americans fought to reach the enemy and tear them limb from limb, but the United States had offered them protection so that they might confer with the President. The result of that conference was that the representatives embarked on an air-liner for Europe. Where they flew on to Geneva, Switzerland, where the World Court was then in session, Brazilian representatives were there also and they fought against the usurping of such a large area of their nation by the Mentorites. Their protest was overruled as the other nations were glad that the winged people were willing to stay within bounds and not move to some other part of the globe. However, boundaries were laid, and the Mentorite representative signed an agreement that Mentor would not oyerreach her borders, connlicloooks.com