Air Wonder Stories, August 1929 — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

AIR WONDER STORIES oe Br ee c > ree” lower deck. “Not only were there a dozen police planes in the neighborhood when we came down, but the pilot would send out the call on the tadio alarm as soon as he started to come down.” “Your pilot didn’t 13e the radio alarm,” was the sleuth’s quiet reply. “You will discover that when we get to the operating room.” As they crossed the lower deck toward the front of the craft, they could fee! the huge cruiser begin to move forward with rapidly fhcreasing speed, until it was tearing through the water at a fast rate and a moment later was in the air again. In the operating room they found everything normal, and the pilot on the job. “Did you: use the radio alarm?” demanded Wallace as he opened the door leading into the control room. ‘Tet me handle this,” cut in the Scotland Yard rep- resentative before the embarrassed pilot could answer. Turning to the pilot he asked, “Now, young man, why did you bring down the liner?” Wallace was amazed .at the question, but said nothing. “Well you are right when you say I brought her down, for I did. The automatic radio control was not working right, and I intended to try and adjust it. But now, when I recollect, it was a foolish thing to do because I could have finished the trip with the manual controls,” “And have you fixed the control ?” “T just tested it out and I find that it:is now work- ing all-right.” : “Tt-looks funny,” fumed Wallace, “that you have to bring the ship down just at the time the robbers arrived.” “Tt isn’t his fault although he thinks it is,” Riel quietly informed him. “I must:remind you once more that we ate dealing with a very clever foe. Meanwhile we can return to the upper deck.” Turning to the operator he added: “If you get any calls asking why we descended, just say that we were making tests, and deny any statement that the raiders have been here.” A Deadly Weapon \ ‘“ ELL I found out what I wanted to,” Riel ‘said ashe dropped into his chair a few moments later, “Our clever friend is the most powerful manin the world. He has us all at his mercy and no doubt he.is a maniac and will sooner or later turn our earth into a living hell just to demonstrate his power over his fellow-man. I tell you, Wallace, we’ve got to act quickly, quietly and surely while he is content to play with small things like this-line of yours.~ One thing . we know is that the wizard doesn’t know of our wrist watch indicators. yet. We have one chance in a thou- sand of keeping them secret, for he already knows that his ray is traceable. The radio instruments of a plane are affected when the machine passes through it, and the reception of radio messages is disturbed by the ray’s magnetic. action.” “Then you know where the beam is coming from.” “We have a very good idea of its location, yes. But the exact spot is not known.” “Then why don’t you trace it down with your planes, if it’s so easy to follow?” “That has been tried, yes, tried too often before we discovered the power the man held over the rest of the world.” “You mean that the ray contains some deadly ele- ment that is fatal to anyone passing through it?” “No, the vision tay is harmless in itself, otherwise you and I would be dead, for we have had it on us more than once. We are able to follow the ray; but few that have tried it have lived to tell of their experi- ences, The first attempt was made by your-own gov- ernment, who thought someone was illegally using a tadio beam for wireless signals. A plane was sent out to trace the ray down, and it has not been heard from since. “Probably shot down by the raiders when they saw the plane.” “No, Wallace, it wasn’t: shot down. A deadlier weapon was used.on the plane before it got within a hundred miles of the wizard’s base. The next attempt to. trace the vision ray was made by the New York Detective Bureau after the robberies of your liners started. You remember where the wreck of their police plane ‘was found next day.” “But there must be an explanation; those ships wouldn’t fall. down without a reason, surely the wizard can’t do all this: with hundreds of miles between him and his foes,” “A little later,” continued the detective, “the ray began. to be coupled with the raids on your air cruisers, but-it was kept.a close secret by the police. Scotland Yard sent two swift well-armed planes to search for the-ray. They picked it up at noon the next day and followed it southwest. They never returned. The two machines suddenly turned on each other and fought! a deadly gun duel to the death. One went down in flames and the other flew a few miles south and suddenly without warning swooped downward, diving straight down into the ocean with engines roaring at full speed. Another time an unofficial adventurer was seen follow- ing the ray by one of our planes. He was cruising along, not over one hundred miles an hour when to the horror of the observing plane he leaped from his ship into the ocean below, followed closely by his uncon- trolled plane. Orders have been given to all ocean police to. allow no one to follow the beam when it comes on the air.” “Then the ray must drive its victims mad,” “The vision ray itself is harmless, but something else is being used with it, possibly another ray. Now we'll drop the subject until we reach-London, then we will try and find a way to deal witt the situation.” In spite of the fact that he. would have liked to learn more-about the case, Wallace decided that it was best to remain quiet and wait. Riel Gives Some Orders Bakses was settling over the land when they left. the transatlantic beam and coasted gently down into the area of the landing beam. And it was but a few minutes more before the cruiser came to a smooth stop in the London station. “Well, here we are,” Riel remarked, rising from his seat. “Now we'll probably be trailed by the ray, so be careful what-you say.” Leaving the ship they stood on the platform a moment and watched the special leave, There were perhaps a dozen persons standing around, most of them waiting for the Paris liner, “We'll go up to the offices and have a talk with your London manager,” the detective said as they passed through the waiting room. “I called him from New York, so he will be waiting for us. Then we will go out-to my place.” A speedy elevator soon brought the two men down ty ; fh, 4 a Dee a aa CGE eee SO CR A tem