Air Wonder Stories, August 1929 — page 61: what you’re looking at

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

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT, 155 like:a wet rag.” : ee “ ‘Don’t you believe it,” Milliken said stolidly. “Chest like a barrel. Arms like a monkey. Notice when the pencil rolled off his desk?” “Not particularly, Why?” : “Never reacned the floor,” Milliken sald, gazing af the sky. “Caught it without any noise. Quickest reflex Tever saw.” Which shows, I suppose, that if Milliken spares his tongue, he makes full use of his eyes. Danny and I had noticed nothing about the chief—as the quiet man in the back street might be called—except that he seemed bored to death with the mere effort of living. Flying Orders eae next ten days passed slowly. Milliken aiid myself were engaged in demonstrating the new Merlin to the government flying-men, and at the same time we had to oversee the refitting of the armament to the old machine, with other alterations necessary for ‘our campaign. Dan Lamont was kept busy col- lecting stores, and on his own account he was making a selection of instruments which he thought might help him in solving scientific problems connected with the taiders. With all three of us dead eager to be setting out, the delay was irksome, but we consoled. ourselves that we were doing good work in putting the pilots wise to the efficient use of the machines, and that in any case it was better to wait for the next move on the part of the raiders. : The Merlin was fully ready for action by the middle of the week following our commission. The fighting top was fixed, and we had shipped all stores and am- munition. She carried four guns. We had dispersed with two of the smaller, so that we now mounted the fore and aft guns firing half-kilo shells, and a machine gun on either quarter. The arrangement was that Milliken or myself, whichever vf us happened to be piloting, should handle the bow gun, while the other should work that at the stern. Dan Lamont, if not occupied in scientific observation, was supposed to turn his attention to the quarter guns, firing on the side handiest in any encounter. Incidentally, he proved an apt pupil under the instruction of Milliken and myself. We arranged the ammunition bands for each of the guns with great-care, so that there would be no hitch in a crisis, and we put the spares where they would be handy for fitting at once. Dan made it his job to render us as immune from the raiders’ gas as he knew how. On his advice, we Jaid in a cylinder of oxygen, and fitted air-tight covers on all openings. The gun embrasures we filled with fabric, double pleated like camera bellows, and pierced to take the barrels and telescopic sights and fitting tightly to them, but flexible enough to permit a good arc of fire. The material was some close-woven as- bestos stuff of Dan’s own choosing, and he said it would not only keep out the gas, but would resist the heat of the gun-barrels after heavy firing, Our gen- eral idea was that should we get into action with the raiders we should immediately close all apertures, turn on a thin stream of oxygen, and do our fighting from a hermetically sealed cabin, a quicklime apparatus ab- sorbing the carbon-dioxide. Dan also had caused to be fitted under the hatch a bottle arrangement for automatically taking a sample of the gas, should we get into it. During the fortnight in Washington we frequently met Kirsteen Torrance, and her uncle, the President, less often. She was inclined at first to think us a trifle slack about getting dowh to business, but the’ President persuaded her that we were doing the right— and harder—thing in waiting, Kirsteen took a deep interest in our preparations and, was often in the Mer- Uin’s shed. She renewed her acquaintance with Milli- ken, who greeted her every appearance with his widest grin and delighted to explain to her the smallest detaili of our outfit. We thought of her as our mascot, We had an idea that the next of the raids would most ‘likely come on the Great Lakes, and we decided that if we got no news by the evening of the first Sunday in May, we should make a hit-or-miss start for the Buffalo end of Lake Erie on Monday morning. News: catne to Washington by radio, however, that scrapped our plan at once. Dan and I were having tea with Miss Torrance at the White House, when the President came into the room with a flimsy in his ‘hand. “Flying orders, boys,” he said. “Ships have been stopped to-day on the Cape route from England.” “At what point?” I asked, and got to my feet in a Urry. “Northwest coast of Africa—between Madeira and the Canaries. By daylight, too.” “Come on, Danny,” I said. “We'll get: off right away. You'll be breakfasting at Funchal by five ica Saar errs sateen wick work!” said the President approvingly. “Good-bye, Miss Torrance. Goad spe “Nay, nay,” said the President. “Kirsteen and I will'‘see you off. I'll ring for an automobile. We'll go together.” It was-close on five o’clock when we took off from the basin by the Potomac, and a clear “Godspeed!” from_a_ bright-eyed Kirsteen, a ee “Good-luck, boys!” from the President, were the last words we heard as we set ovt on our venture. Fruitless Searching Ne cathe on us very quickly, for we were fly- ing towards it, but while the light lasted Dan took a final lesson on the machine-gun from Milliken. With the dark we hit into a severe storm, which tested the Merlin very thoroughly. We had to climb high before we got out of a heavy driving rain, and when we had avoided that we came into electrical disturb- ances that played the very devil with our compass. It was tricky and difficult flying, for the lichtning-flashed above and. below us, dazzlingly brilliant, and the at- mosphere was terribly, pocketed, so that we pancaked im a most sickening fashion. The smash of the thunder-clouds was deafening. There were times when only the fact that Milliken was standing on his feet persuaded me that we were not flying upside down. The disturbed area must have covered ten degrees of longitude, for we were in it close on two-hours. At last, however, we passed out-of the storm: belt. and could see the stars, and we were more sure of our course as a consequence, Milliken and I spelled each other every two hours, — while Dan, once the interest of the storm was over, ~ slept peacefully. It was bright day when we sighted the Azores, though our clock showed only half-past two. Three hours later we were swaying gently on the-swell in-the very exposed Bay of Funchal. — Milliken cooked reakfast on the gasoline stove, then after a visit from the port authorities Dan and I went ba Vhyy 4: Ree A ‘a > NENT vise Se RN Cae aT tn 5 SA ra ONE etl)