Air Wonder Stories, August 1929 — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

eas F * = = . — sa” ee THE ARK OF THE COVENANT 141 “Why on earth can’t they all settle down with what they’ve got and do.a bit-of work?” T asked. “What’s at the root of it all?” “What is the root of all evil, Jimmy?” said Lord Almeric, “That's it,” said my father. “Money. Each nation thinks the other is making more than itself, and that without working for it. The great cry is ‘unfair com- petition’! If one nation has the wit to think ahead, to take the right line of development to meet a_coming need in commerce, its neighbor yells, ‘Unfair com- petition!’ ” “IT know little of things. international,” said I to Lord Almeric, “except concerning my own line. I hope there’s no chance of a row between your country and ours, sir?” “No, thank God. There’s that comfortable streak in us both that makes: us-admire a successful rival-in trade rather than immediately want to cut his throat. The shopkeeping instinct, if you like—but of value to our sense of proportion. But we may find ourselves on opposite sides, willy-nilly, if some of the hot-heads come to blows. If America had to take a firm hand with Japan, what could Britain do? If she sided with Japan, she would alienate her overseas dominions, who will not ‘have the Jap on any consideration. If we in Britain. supported America, we should endanger large financial interests -we have in the East. We should lay our Eastern possessions at the mercy of the yellow people, for new. China would be dragged in. It is an exceedingly complex’ situation, Jimmy, and not one that can -be threshed out after dinner.” “Let me accept it as threshed out,” said I. “Where do you, Lord Almeric, and dad-come into it?” “On the money side,” said the old man. “There’s lots of them that would like to fight, but they can’t do it without money. And there are numbers of people asking for loans at the moment, ostensibly for devel- opment work. We have to go very carefully. Lord Almeric’s mission in America has been for the forma- tion of an understanding between Britain and our people as to how far we may go in this or that direc- tion, In our. disctissions—between an American group of financial firms and banks and an English group, as represented by Lord Almeric—we have come upon a new situation that may well upset the whole arrange- ment. It may lead us into a big war, nominally through one with Japan.” “Good Lord!” “Now, Lord Almeric has to get to London in quick time, to put the case before his people. There can be no-question of cabling it. We did not want you to work in the dark——” “T don’t mind working in the dark, dad. You want me to get Lord Almeric to England?” “You've got it, Jimmy, I have pledged Lord Almeric my word that you will get him to London by some means.or other by Saturday.” “T wondered if you could put me aboard some ship teaching Southampton on Friday morning,” said. Lord Almeric. “I am ashamed to throw myself into your hands so helplessly—but your father insisted.” “Dad was quite right, Lord Almeric,” said I. “You'd be leaning on a broken reed to try the Transatlantic Aviation. Their weekly plane doesn’t leave until Friday morning, and-it would be the early hours of Monday morning before you reached London. Clumsy brute! —for all its four engines!” “T thought perhaps you could overtake the Thessalic or the Purthalia,” said his lordship. “Let me see.” I searched for a shipping list. “The Thessalic sailed on Friday night, and is due to teach Southampton next Friday morning. The Pur- thalia left last night, Sunday, and-reaches Southampton next Sunday morning, so she washes out, “Suppose-we started to-morrow. The Thessalic will be over three days out, more when we reach her. Lord! She'll be well over three thousand kilometres - out when we overtake her! I might as well fly you all the way, sir.” “But surely that would be unnecessary—I could not i ine yt “Don’t you see, sir? The whole. distance is under six thousand: kilometres. I should have to fly about seven thousand on the double ‘journey to the ship and back, I had better fly you the whole way. It will give me time to put the Merlin in first-class order, anyhow. T'll have to ship ‘new tanks for extra oil and gasoline,” “Will the Merlin do it?” the old man asked. “You bet you, dad. In thirteen hours. We leave here on Thursday evening before dinner, and we reach Battersea aerodrome at one o’clock-on Friday, allowing for the difference in time, How will that do, Lord Almeric?” “Splendid! I cannot find words to thank you, Jimmy —or you, Boon—you overwhelm me with kindness——” “We won’t say anything about that,” said my father gruffly. “Will we, son?” “Surely not,” said. “I'll be glad'to give the Merlin such a good test. All you have-to'do, Lord. Almeric, is to regard yourself as so much make-weight cargo.” “Heaven forbid!” Lord Almeric laughed. “You might find it necessary to jettison me!” “T'd jettison the Merlin first?’ I blundered, redden- ing at my apparent rudeness to a man so courteous. “Heaven forbid-that, too!” said Lord Almeric. “The sea police might arrest us in midair for haying no visible means of support!” He put an arm on my shoulder and we went to the billiard room, where his lordship conscientiously col- lected a nice selection of the Boon dollars by thoroughly beating my dad and me at pool and snooker. _ I went to bed early, for I intended to get some work done before breakfast, and left my elders trying trick shots. I was just dropping off to sleep when my father came into my room. “Hullo, dad!” I said. “What’s the matter?” “Nothing much—just wanted to say good-night, son.” “Good-night, dad——” “You know, Jimmy,” he said slowly, “I’m tickled to death: with my own-son——” “That's funny, dad,” I sat up to say. “I was just thinking I was sort of proud of my own father.” “Oh!” said he. ‘“Well—good-night, Jimmy.” “Good-night, dad.” Across the Atlantic 6 Ge next two days were spent in fixing the engines in the new Merlin and in making tests of them. Milliken and I were in the air-a good deal, trying all sorts of fool tricks to prove the design no good, but we could find no fault in it. We had a winner, all right, In the meantime, the old Merlin was being tuned up —not that she needed much tuning—and the work of putting in the extra tanks for the Atlantic flight went ea ’ Lord Almeric’s luggage was brought over by Didcot = comicbooks7com) Papan ar ore eer