Air Wonder Stories, May 1930 — page 60: what you’re looking at

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

-~ AIR WONDER STORIES - tion of the fact! He felt it in his bones, his subconscious mind ‘old him, he knew it. That was all! CHAPTER III The Raid! 3 HEN Professor Markleson suddenly felt a gentle pres- V \ sure; as of a revolver, in-the small of his back, he was not surprised. He expected something ‘like that, though the feel of the blunt nose of the weapon made him try to turn his head to get a glimpse of its owner, Not a word had been said, The scientist had merely-heard a-sudden-scramble of feet upon the cabin floor and then felt the gun poked) inte his back, ‘No other sound except one high-pitched chuckle was audible above the hissing of the Sky Urchin-as it shot across the sky. That excitement ran high he could tell by the heavy breathing of the man behind him and the occasional grunt of another. Then the man behind him: spoke with startling suddenness, in a voice that sounded vaguely familiar to Markleson. If he could - but look at the figure of the man who he felt confident was masked, perhaps he could tell: the identity of its owner. With his hands gripping the controls: tightly he found himself won- dering what sort of deviltry was gomg on. With difficulty he restrained a wild urge to swing around and face the man behind him. Two things prevented him—the thought of the Sky Urchin hurtling through the air out of control, and the firm pressure of the pistol on his back. “Mighty sorty, professor!” the yoice~stated, bluntly. How the voice startled him! For an instant he thought.he recognized it, and he pondered over it. No, that could not be Dr. Jorgstedt’s firm voice! Hardly! The man continued: “Just throttle her down, ofd top, and float her in the air, Don’t try anything foolish or we'll have to. drop you! Every one of you is covered. T've five men ‘here and five searching the ship for any other passengers.” : Without hesitation Professor Markleson slowed down the yelocity of the Sky Urchin, His mind was blazing in a wave of resentment.as the indicator told him that the craft's speed had diminished rapidly until it was barely making headway, He glanced through the observation band. Far below lay a great expanse of flat terrain, some far-flung frontier of the middle west, Behind him he heard a. sudden scuffle—then a sickening thud. One of his passengers had probably slumped to the floor, slugged for attempting to. make a break, He shot a sidelong glance at the government mien standing over to his right. They stood stiffly, hands raised above their heads. As though nothing out of the ordinary was taking place, the crew stood at their posts, faces in front-of them, fearful of turning around, “Now, professor!” the man behind him said, a mischievous chuckle in his voice, “Just handover those papers that you have in your inner pocket. I'lltake care of the plans and details of this ship from now on!” Professor Markleson felt suddenly sick—a nauseating ~ sensa- tion surged through: his vitals, Had not the control wheel been of stiff, rigid-metal, his:grip would have torn it loose from its mooring, He: swayed slightly like a man in a:daze and his lips, now tightly drawn and purple, trembled. “T_[—haven’t got the plans with me,” he said, lying. “They were sent to.my yault this morning !” He felt the man’s: eyes boring into his back as the pistol was snapped in a tight, significant grip. Then the raider laughed sharply. It made the scientist wince, for it dawned upon him that a very dear friend had laughed just ike that not many hour's before. “You're a mighty poor liar, professor!” fs man with the pistal replied, shoving it more firmly against his back. The scientist tensed, expecting to feel a bullet plowing through his flesh. = j A GLOVED hand swung over bis shoulder and slid between his jacket lapels. It-came forth with a sheaf of soiled papers. They crinkled softly as the man’s gloved. fist closed over them i in a firm-grip, The raider chuckled humorously and bent close to the-scientist’s ear. - "TI thank you, professor, most sincerely for your generosity !” he hissed. Professor Markleson glanced sideways and beheld a masked face from under which the neatly trimmed point of a gray Van Dyke-protruded. The scientist stiffened, opened his mouth to speak, thought better of it and smiled grimly, If the man actually was. Dr. Jorgstedt, the world should never know through his lips that his friend had degenerated, He glanced at the earth inductor compass to-hide a surge of hot blood that flooded hig face, The Sky Urchin was now hovering over the flat, brown terrain, like some great silver mammal suddenly shorn of its-power-te go on, Its nose was pointing due west toward a dim outline of distant ranges. The sun, like a huge ball of boiling metal hung low in a-sky that was shot with streaks of -gold-edged’ clouds, The masked raider, who, the scientist concluded, was the leader of the gang, spoke again. “T thought a man of your calibre: would have better sense than-to carry his plans with him so loosely. But your laxity is quite-pardonable, due to the excitement, I presume, of taking the ship into the air, Perhaps this episode will teach you a lesson. Now lower the ship to a landing! You and your friends are going to leave it!” ~ Professor Markleson was at the point of making a hot reply when suddenly the blunt pistol was jerked from his back, It exploded in his ear like a crack of thunder. He heard the thud of a body striking the floor, and looked at-the government men. Qne of them lay in a heap, an automatic clutched in a grip of death. The top of his skull seemed to have been cloven. The raider’s pistol once again nestled snugly into the scientist's back, The man laughed. *“Self-defense on the fast frontier !’* he chuckled. Loud guffaws followed’ from the throats of his confederates, “The law af the air is the law of the gun, my dear professor! And the air belongs to. him. who fakes it! I take it in the name of—” “Doctor—” began Professor Markleson. But he changed his mind and spoke no-name, Instead he said quietly: “I suppose your trip to Mars will be realized now, eh?” The raider’s boring eyes seemed to study the back of his head: for an instant. “Mars?—Mars?’ the man asked, puzzled. “What in: hell would a man want to do-on Mars? But its a mighty good sug- gestion, professor !” “Anyhow, I think you are a dirty cad, my friend!” the scien- tist hissed between his teeth as he swung a small lever that placed the Sky Urehin under a gentle influence: of the earth's gravitational pull.. It began to descend, slowly but steadily, The masked raider chuckled. ~* “Tye been- called worse things than that, professor!’ he said, curtly. “So F take no offense at your mild epithet! I don't like to kill a man-in cold blood anyhow. But I advise you not to interfere with us now. or in the future!” He bent his masked face close to the scientist’s: ear again and hisssed: “If you do, Tl blast you from the face of the earth!” “If it were not for the lives of my friends ‘here,” Professor Marldeson retorted, hotly, “I’d kill'the lot of you with a single’ twitch of my “fingers!” _ The pistol in his back tensed again, “Try it!” the raider invited.- A Foolhardy Move UT Professor Markleson had no desire to kill his friends and himself by throwing the huge Sty Urchin at the mercy of the earth’s gravitational attraction, Had he felt in- clined to do that, the tremendous weight of the ship, would have carried it to the surface below like a plunging meteor, to crash ae aa