Patrols of Peril by Frederick C Read online

chance with the girl isn’t worth a plugged Twombly stepped out. “A moment ago

  nickel.”

  I was about to state that I knew Hennings and Stevens

  moaned.

  Fulton can’t take their patrol, sir. Some men—

  “What’s wrong, Porky?”

  ” his eyes shifted toward Fareton, who grew

  “God, Farry—you know—ah, God, I

  red of face—“some men might think I was

  couldn’t have done a more damn’ fool stunt objecting to the usual flight in the face of such than—what I did—”

  danger. In order to offset all such suspicions, I

  “What’re you talking about? Not your

  ask to be allowed to take the east to Bitter insisting on going up?”

  Creek.”

  “No!” Stevens opened eyes heavy with

  “Wait a second!” This time the treble

  misery. “Farry, just before they brought

  of Porky Stevens interrupted. “Lieutenant McKeever and Thompson back, I took Twombly is a newer man with the flight than I Twombly into my tent, friendly like, and gave am. He doesn’t know the patrol as well as I him a glass of my ginger-ale. Well, I guess I do, sir. I ask to be allowed to take the east—”

  was just naturally sore at his lording it over us

  “Twombly will go,” Captain Horder

  so much that he stands in so good with Julie—

  interrupted.

  Anyway, I thought it would be a good joke—

  “I—I

  ask

  again—”

  just a good joke, understand—”

  “That’ll

  do,

  Stevens!”

  Fareton frowned. “What’re you driving

  “Captain Horder, I—I demand—” At a

  at, Porky?”

  murderous glare from the Captain, Porky

  “Wait a minute! Wait till I get the

  Stevens stepped back, his face wet with sweat.

  nerve to tell you what a rotten fool I’ve

  “I beg pardon, sir!”

  been—that’s all.”

  Dapper Twombly turned briskly on his

  “Take your time,” Fareton bade him

  heel toward the tents. A D.H. had been tugged laconically.

  from the hangars by the feverish mechanics The purring of a ship’s exhaust came

  and already warmed up. Twombly ran into his faintly on the air. Fareton craned out of the tent and loped back jacketed and helmeted, tent. In the southwest two D.H. planes were adjusting his goggles.

  approaching, almost side by side. They

  An instant after he was in the cockpit

  stepped down to the landing space and stalled the propeller was singing. Then the plane in. The pilots hopped out of the cock-pits.

  taxied, lifted, stalled into the wind, crabbed Captain Horder had come out of Headquarters off south, and deadheaded east. Until it again, and now received their report.

  became a dark star on a white sky all eyes Crowding close, Fareton and Stevens

  kept to it.

  heard.

  Then relaxation came, and men

  “We lost it, sir. There are heavy

  dragged themselves wearily to their tents.

  cloudbanks down over the mountains, and the In Fareton’s tent Stevens lay on the

  ship sneaked into them. We couldn’t follow cot, and Fareton sighed.

  too close on account of the gun-fire. Also a

  “This man Twombly is a dude, but he

  little short of gas, sir. Sorry!”

  knows the stick. Also, he has guts. He knows

  “Be glad you’re still breathing!”

  how to fly and—how to make love.” Fareton Horder grunted; and turned on his heel.

  slumped down in his chair. “If he was a rotter, When they were together again in their

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  7

  tent, Fareton observed to Stevens: “Whoever it which was still in the field, and signaled to the is in that Mexican plane, he’s a flying wild mechanic to warm it. They hastened out for man!”

  themselves in caps and goggles. Fareton

  Stevens again turned worried eyes on

  gestured Stevens into the fore cock-pit. Into Fareton. “You think there’s a chance they the rear one he climbed himself. Before the might try to fire on Twombly on patrol?”

  motor caught, Stevens turned to demand:

  “Sure there’s a chance. Twombly

  “Farry, what’s on your mind?”

  knew it when he went up. We all did.”

  “We’re going after Twombly the

  Stevens flung his feet off the cot. fastest way possible!”

  “Farry, we’ve got to do something, fast! I told

  “But what can we do now?”

  you I wanted to play a joke on the dude. I

  “If there’s anything special to be done,

  didn’t know all this was coming up. I thought little man, I’ll do it. You keep your hand on it would be sweet revenge if I could make him the stick and do as I say!” Then came a word miss that dinner-date. Well, you know about like an explosion: “Wait!”

  how I can’t sleep at night, always, and have to He poised thoughtfully, then leaped to

  take powders. Farry, by Heaven, I put two the ground. Running straightly for his tent, he powders in Twombly’s drink. It’ll put him to ducked under the flap. In the plane Stevens sleep in the ship. Farry, as sure as you’re fidgeted anxiously. No matter what could or cursing me now!”

  could not be done, every second was precious now. In a moment Fareton dodged out of the FARETON stared. “Good God, Porky! That

  tent again, ran back to the plane, and legged stuff’s powerful!

  into the rear cock-pit.

  You mean to tell me he couldn’t stay

  Stevens froze his eyes to the controls.

  awake if he tried?”

  K-k-rrrrrr!

  “Nothing would keep him awake with

  Combined with the staccato notes of

  those two shots in him! It’s almost sure death the motor came the ground rumble of the ship for him, Farry! I—I tried to keep him from as it taxied around and nosed into the wind.

  going up—you heard me!”

  Then with a gentle tilt the D.H. was skimming Farry jumped up. “Come along!”

  over the fence and fast leaving the patchwork They hastened to the radio shack and

  of tents and hangar roofs below.

  put their heads in.

  Stevens paralleled into the usual trail

  “Sarge,” Fareton demanded of the of the afternoon patrol to Bitter Creek. At two operator, “Twombly’s reports are coming in thousand feet Fareton’s eyes scanned the

  regular?”

  ground below, spotted, clumped with

  “One is overdue. It ought to be in any

  mesquite, the band of the Rio Grand curling minute—if that machine gun lunatic isn’t across it. Scudding southward and northward chasing him.”

  at intervals, the ship went up to five thousand Fareton and Stevens, both paler, turned

  feet as the search went on. Then Stevens

  away swiftly.

  waved toward the northeast, where a plane

  “Porky, is it too soon for that stuff to

  was spinning evenly along toward them.

  be working on him now?”

  For minutes Fareton eyed the plane,

  “It is not!” Stevens answered tightly.

  half believing it an illusion. It was, however,

  “Right this minute Twombly may be—” and

  real. As it came closer, Fareton saw that it was he finished with a shudder.

  navigating uncertainly. It swerved and veered, Fareton ran toward one of the D.H’s

  and was not maneuvering in a usual manner. It

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&nb
sp; seemed out of control.

  was rocking giddily, floating on the sea of Stevens glanced back and through the

  eternity. Hanging onto the struts and wires as glass of the goggles. Fareton saw the horror in he went, Fareton toed outward on the wing his eyes.

  until he was hanging at the verge of space, at The plane, they knew, was running

  the tip of the wing.

  itself. No hand was on the controls! They Stevens, his face a pasty white beneath

  knew that a ship which is accurately aligned the leather of his goggles, complied. He

  and balanced will, if it is driven at the correct caught Fareton’s signal to close in.

  speed, fly on by itself so long as the air is The checkboard of the earth was

  smooth and the gas holds out. Both men careening. The fragile bodies of the planes and realized that Twombly, feeling the drowsiness their death-flashing propellers were

  coming upon him, had set the controls to this appallingly close together. A wind racing at nice adjustment. As they arched up they could more than a hundred miles an hour tore at see Twombly in the pit of the other ship, head Fareton.

  hanging forward, but, even in sleep, braced Still Fareton kept his eyes on the tail of back to keep himself from unconsciously the loose plane as it swung closer. Sometimes pushing against the stick and so driving many feet, sometimes only a few, separated himself to death on the earth below. The credit the wing of the one plane from the tail of the for his still being in the sky was due to other, while Fareton’s leg stretched out, mechanical perfection and the grace of God.

  waiting for his chance.

  The self-flying plane passed them, and

  In the cockpit Stevens gazed on it all as in a Stevens banked to the left to chase it. When he dream. A shaky move, a sloppy adjustment, a leveled off Fareton bent forward, tapped turn-out at the wrong instant and Fareton Stevens’ shoulder and signaled that he had would go hurtling a mile down to death. Soon something to say. Stevens throttled back and after Twombly’s plane would also crash.

  let the plane mush out into a glide.

  Delicately Stevens moved the controls, and

  “Porky, how long will Twombly the planes weaved closer—while Fareton sleep?”

  waited, leg outstretched.

  “Hours!”

  Then a moment came when the tail of

  “Thought so! There’s only one thing

  Twombly’s ship levelled with the wing which can be done. I’ve got to get onto his plane.”

  was carrying Fareton; and Fareton swung out.

  “What! You’re crazy! You’re no wing-Both his feet left the wing. His hands still walker. You couldn’t do it You’ve got too clung to the strut. Stevens grew frigid. The much imagination. You’d slip off—and we’re under plane bumped. Fareton all but dangled, up six thousand.”

  Stevens gently swung over; and Fareton

  “Under the circumstances, you’re whirled off, falling astride the tail and doing what I say! Listen to me! I’ve got to punching his fingers through the linen for a land on Twombly’s tail. Give her the gun!”

  hold.

  The motor roared again. Stevens

  Stevens frantically banked his plane

  banked right and carefully crowded his plane away.

  closer to that of the free-flying D.H. As the Fareton crawled rapidly up the tail of

  two planes straightened out, Fareton divested Twombly’s crate, and fell inside the cockpit.

  himself of his jacket and climbed out of the Sitting on Twombly’s lap, grotesquely high, rear cockpit.

  he shot on the gas and the plane bored ahead More than a mile down, the crust of the earth steadily.

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  9

  As Stevens arched to the other plane’s

  ahead! Fareton braced himself madly upon

  level, Fareton waved broadly to him.

  every possible support; he was loose in the

  “Get out of the way!” this gesture cock-pit, without a strap, without a parachute!

  plainly said. “Go back home!”

  Downward he went like a shot, until he

  Stevens was too shaken to question.

  skimmed off to the south, banked east steeply, Gladly he complied; he banked right and bee-and climbed directly below the other plane.

  lined.

  Some of the bullets had penetrated the

  As Twombly’s plane eased down fuselage in the rear. Luckily the propeller was again, Fareton strove to get himself in a unhit; one bullet would have splintered it.

  position whereby he could work the stick Twombly was untouched; Fareton’s fast drop more easily. Having done this he tried to had saved them both.

  arouse Twombly. But Twombly was not to be Pr-r-r-rrr!

  aroused. The man was as though dead.

  Again a parade of steel-jacketed

  Fareton leveled off again and headed

  bullets raced across space at Fareton. He heard into the wind.

  the slugs rip through the linen. Madly he Fareton’s compass straightened him. stomped on the gas and drove the D.H.

  By the time he had found the bearings for the upward at a steeper angle.

  plane, Stevens’ own D.H. was almost out of Fareton knew that if he kept close

  sight. Taking it easy, Fareton throttled back.

  under the other plane, the machine gun

  Now an avalanche of emotion, in operator could not reach him. The barrel could contrast with his coldness of a few moments not drop many degrees below the cowling of back, came upon him. He shuddered, air-sick the pit. The other plane swerved and veered to for the first time. He had never done a plane-get at Fareton, but Fareton, keeping his eyes change stunt before in his life and he had no always on it, duplicated its every move. His desire to repeat it. His one wish, now that he life depended on keeping the bottom of the was steadied again, was to get back to his tent other plane close above him.

  and take a rest.

  This was a strange game of hide-and-

  The ironic thought struck him that seek with Death in the sky!

  perhaps, if the man could be revived,

  The gun-bearing plane swooped, and

  Twombly could keep that dinner date with

  Fareton swooped likewise. Then the Mexican Miss Juliet after all!

  plane leveled off and Fareton, like a pilot fish He heard, close behind him, suddenly,

  on a shark, followed.

  the drone of another motor merging into the

  “I see! You’re trying to make me ease

  whirr of his own ship. He glanced back—and up—think you’ll catch me napping, eh? You the blood in his veins became as ice.

  babies have got something coming you’re not In the rear cockpit of the ship which

  expecting!”

  was streaming straight toward him a leather-His hand dove into his pocket and

  encased head was rising; and the bore of the brought out something black and pear-shaped.

  machine-gun, was leveling straight at him.

  It was his precious souvenir hand-grenade, the P-p-pr-rrrrrr!

  one which he had forgotten, that memorable time in No Man’s Land, to bite off, which had WITH insane suddenness, even before the knocked the Boche out cold! On a wild notion, rattle broke out, Fareton dove. The earth tilted Fareton had run back to fish it out of his box straight up before the nose of his plane. of mementoes, just before taking off the field, Through the haze he saw the Rio Grande full on a wild chance that he might need it. Now

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  10

  he gripped it tightly.

  He opened his eyes again, determined

  He inclined his plane straight up at the

  to see. On the other bed lay Twombly, patched other. Directly under it and very close he put with plaster, and at his side Miss Juliet Horder the hand-grenade to his mouth, bit it off, and was giving him tea in a spoon. Fareton’s eyes tossed i
t upward. At the same instant he dove, turned puzzledly to the girl sitting on the edge and the earth swung again before his eyes.

  of his own bed.

  The shock of the explosion shook his

  The girl’s blue eyes were straight into

  own plane. Dimly Fareton saw flashing his. She was almost the double of Miss Juliet; fragments streaking across his field of vision.

  except that she was prettier. Yes, bewitching The sudden push in the air made one of the as Julie was, this girl possessed an even more wings of his ship crackle and the linen rip exquisite charm. As Fareton stared, he gulped slightly.

  down another spoonful of the tea which she In answer to Fareton’s prayer, the linen

  was giving him.

  held as he put the sky back where it belonged.

  “Also,” Porky Stevens was saying,

  The ground was very close again now. Then—

  irrelevantly, “Minnie is coming all the way Ka-weeeeeeee!

  from Tulsa to see me, right away.”

  Another short crash, and the Lincoln

  Fareton said bluntly, “Who’re you?”

  motor screamed out like a dying thing.

  “Mariet—Julie’s sister. I just came in

  “Propeller’s

  gone!”

  on the train today, for a visit—indefinitely.”

  A weighty fragment from the other

  Fareton swallowed more tea. “Do you

  plane had struck it and splintered it.

  ever serve tea—at home? You do? Well, may Desperately Fareton tried to glide I come up, please—if I promise not to tell you down the remaining distance. He gave one