Air Wonder Stories, May 1930 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

+. ? “It’s beginning to look as if our bandits are using more than a ray.” “T don’t get you.” “Well, this may sound impossible and foolish, but it appears like there's a large: magnetic field or screen spread in the air directly between us andthe coast field. It’s likely spread-right across our route and this field is not-only deflecting all radio signals that strike it, causing poor communication. between: you and the coast, but it is also the cause of our ships coming down. As soon as. they enter this field, their electrical equip- ment, which includes radio, motor ignition and the guiding beam, become demagnetized or depolarized in some way, while all delicate magnetic and electric instruments such as the com- pass, become useless.” “By Jove, Tom, your idea fills the bill alf right. From the description given by Weldon, it appears as if the plane entered a-field of some sort which has only feeble effects on the appa- ratus at first, but increases as the plane gets farther into the field, But how in the mischief can any white man produce a gigantic magnetic field like that in the air?” “How can a man in: New York see what's going on in London by means of a lot of electrical apparatus? To you or me the one seems as easy as the other, only we know that the one can be done and yet because’ we have never seen or heard of a gigantic magnetic field beg produced in the air, we doubt the possibility of it being accomplished.” ~ “Then if there’s.a screen of some sort across our path, how is it that some of our ships fly the route without a quiver while others have all kinds of trouble or disappear altogether?” “Because the screen, or whatever this trap is, is only turned on.when a ship is approaching that they want,’ That explains why some planes fly over the valley and do not register a single defect in their instruments or controls.” “And you think that but for this magnetic barrier across the valley I would be able to get Capetown on my radio?” “Tt sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?” "Tn a way, yes. But if such is the case then they must have that field on now, for I can get no radio signals from the west at all.” HEY probably have got it on. Look at your compass. Mine is pointing nearly west.” “Mine is too,” admitted Jim, “But what in the mischief have they got their net spread for now? The next plane is not scheduled to pass over the valley until the morning.” ‘We're headed that way aren’t we?” “But you don’t think—” “Tf the valley is a base for a ring of air bandits, then you can depend upon it, they have a man at each end of this line, tipping them off as to shipments that are leaving the airports.” “Then you think that-they are aware of our approach and have spread the net for us?” “That is my idea; only we are not going to fall into their trap. Listen, Jim; our radio messages will likely be picked up by this gang, so call Watson and tell him that you can't get the coast: Also tell him that we are having trouble with one of the tudder rods and are landing: to fix it. Tell him that everything else is O. K. and that we will resume our flight as soon as the repairs are made, Also shut down the automatic transmitter and then tell him that you've burned out a tube, and have no spare-one, We don’t want that transmitter going after we land because it'll give the location of the ship away. Also, we can’t shut it down without giving the chief a good reason or. he'd think we had crashed like Weldon and would be tearing out here after us himself.” Shutting off the automatic transmitter, Jim then called the _ field and having concluded his conversation with the chief, con- tected himself again to the local phone circuit and resumed his talk with Tom. “T think I get your idea,” he said. “You are afraid that our bandits will-see us drop and come gunning after us, Is that it?” “Exactly. But if they think that'we are just going to make a five-minute repair job, then they'll just wait until we take the air again. That'll give us a chance to get away from the plane_ and get located: before they- get curious enough to come looking for us. We're close to the valley now,,so we'll drop down and squat in the first clearing we see. Keep your eyes peeled for a parking place.” CHAPTER IV Into the Valley T was not long before.a break in the jungle afforded them the chance. they wanted. A stretch of clear prairie land sufficiently large and clear, as viewed from above, prom- ised-a good landing place, and- without further delay Tom banked the ship and dropped lower. “We'll have to take a chance on hitting rocks or holes,” he informed Jim, circling the plane for the final drop. “That grass looks pretty high and you can’t tell what it’s hiding.” “Well, we've got to chance it,” Jim replied, as the ship glided down over the jungle growth on the north edge of jthe clearing, “But break her as quick as you can, Tom. The less coasting we do the better.” As he finished speaking, the wheels of the ship touched the ground, rebounded, settled lightly, again and rolled to a smooth atop. “A perfect field, by Jove,” Jim exclaimed as he unbuckled his helmet. “Better keep--your. pistol handy and your eyes open Tom cautioned, “We're not on any good-will flight to-tig! “What about the machine gin? We'd be fools to leave it here in the ship, and bigger fools to try-and lug it through five tiles of jungle to the valley.” “We're not much over a mile from-the entrance to the valley, but even that is too far to carry the gum in this country. We'll ditch it in ‘the thick brush over there near the edge of this clearance, Then, if we come back and find the ship taken, we will be able’ to make good use of it, Bring an extra string of. shells, we may need them.” Together they quickly carried the machine gun to the edge of the clearing, and in a few minutes hhad carefully. hidden it, “Take a good look at this spot,” Tom warned, “We may want to find it in a hurry on our way back here,” “There’s a tall dead tree with its top broken off as if it had been hit by lightning, not far west of here. You can see it for a mile for it sticks up well above the rest around it.” “Well then, let's get going, It’s a good mile to the entrance of that valley, and heaven knows: how far away our bandits are,” Fortunately for them, there-was little of thick tangling tnder- brush in that section of the country, and they were able to make rapid progress. “We should have given Watson a hint of what we were up to,” Jim commented, as he-ttailed clase behind his companion, “He'll be. worrying his head off about us when we fail to come through on the wireless.” “Tt's better to have him worry than to have a committee of ait bandits waiting for us to wall into an ambush, isn’t it?” “T guess you're right, Tom.” “T guess we'd better put a damper on our tongues before we're heard. We're making plenty of noise with our feet right now.” “OQ. K.” “Jim replied in a low voice. ILENTLY, with eyes and ears-alert, the airmen approached the clearing at the entrance to the valley. 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