Bill Barnes Air Adventurer, July 1935 — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

64 “And whose fault is it?’ Zimmerman wanted to know. “We make all the preparations and then men we thought we could trust ruin our plans. Kurtz and Hortsmann, Kiel and Belcher all give themselves away. Then you, Heil- ner, let five of your men be shot out of the air and let five of our planes be destroyed by a tin Yankee soldier of fortune. “Where is the deed and survey Wyndam gave to that Yankee scum Hassfurther? Hassfurther still has it. He can bring the French down on our heads at any time, And that wili be the finish unless we strike first. And we're not quite ready to strike. Hass- further and Barnes didn’t land here to-day to wish us a Happy New Year. So far they’ve won every conflict we’ve had with them. So far we’ve kept under cover, and our actions under cover. The French officials are wondering about those five biplanes and the bomber you landed here to-day. If Barnes goes to them with his story they’ll be up here with an army in twenty-four hours.” “And where will that get them?” Heilner sneered, his hideous face con- torted. ‘We can blow their army into the sea.” “But what will that get us?” Zimmer- man raged. “They’ll withdraw and send for reenforcements and an air force. We'll have only this plateau. They’ll cut us off from supplies. We must strike before they come here. We must drive them out of the capital and seize it and the railroad to Tamatave and Fort Dauphin. And the naval] station at Diego Suarez. We must gain com- plete control of the island and declare Cistra the queen and descendant of Queen Ravalona III. We must have all of the natives armed and ready to fight when the French come back. “There is only one way to hold them off. We must get that deed from Hass- further. Then the French can't prove BILL BARNES that this plateau hasn’t always been ours. We can lay our plans carefully and be sure of success when we are ready. We have a fortune invested here but we can win it back a thousand times if we pro- ceed carefully. We must eliminate Hassfurther and Barnes in such a way that suspicion will not be directed at us!” Cistra Boettner pushed back her chair and got to her feet. Ske covered her white face with her hands as though to shut out the evil faces before her. “More murder!” she sobbed and ran from the room. The three men watched her go with- out a change of expression. “You're sure she’ll behave when the time comes?’ Zimmerman asked Boettner. The blood vessels bulged on Boettner’s high, Teutonic forehead. “She'd better behave!” he said, omin- ously, “I'll answer for her.”’ The three men put their heads to- gether, talking so quietly that their voices could not be heard five feet away. WHEN Bill and Shorty returned to their hotel, they ate what -the hotel called supper, in the company of Red, Cy and Sandy. After Bill had told them what Shorty and he had discovered that after- noon, and of their talk with the Ameri- can consul, they discussed plans for the next day. When they arose from the table Sandy’s face was a thing of despair. Like the rest of them he had hardly touched Ims food. Fhe Neat and the nature of the food and the dirt of the hotel was too much for all of them. ‘The sooner they left here the better. “T hope Charlie will have something decent to eat on the transport to-mor- row,” Sandy said. They all went to their rooms and fell into a deep slumber. When Shorty suddenly awakened he remembered that night back on Barnes BB—4 oO COMmiCcloo S CO