CHAPTER SEVEN
_Blackout_
The setting sun was turning the waters of Paria Gulf between Trinidadand Venezuela to blood red as Dawson and Farmer strolled along afootpath that skirted a huge sugar plantation close to the San Fernandofield. As neither had ever set foot on Trinidad before, the many andstrange sights that met their wandering gaze took up all of theirattention, and the thought that was in the back of each youth's mind wasnot given utterance for quite some time.
Presently, though, Dawson came to a full stop, took a deep breath, andsquatted down on the ground.
"Let's rest and watch the sunset," he said. "It looks like it's going tobe something. Besides, that's plenty enough walking for these agedbones."
"I was wondering if you were going to keep it up forever," Freddy Farmergrunted, and sank down beside him. "Good grief! It does get your legswhen you're not used to it."
"Think of the poor infantry, and realize how lucky you are," Dawsonchuckled. "After all, pal, you and I were flying last night, notsleeping."
"And don't I know it!" the other youth replied. "Can hardly keep my eyesopen now. As a matter of fact, when we get back, I'm going to borrow aplace from Major Parker to sleep until Colonel Welsh shows up. Blast it,Dave! I don't think I feel very friendly toward the colonel, just now.Heaven knows he's kept us in the dark once or twice in the past, butcertainly nothing like this. I'm just about ready to explode withcuriosity."
"Me, I'm almost beginning not to give a darn," Dawson said, and lazilystretched his arms over his head. "Too doggone much mystery and not ananswer to a single question. Speaking of questions, Freddy--call menuts, but I've got an awful funny feeling."
"About what, Dave?" the English youth asked quickly, and gave him asearching look.
"These darned sealed envelopes we're still carrying around," Davereplied. "The four we've still got, counting Major Parker's. In thecolonel's message, he ordered us to destroy them if necessary.Well--well, outside of that dizzy U-boat thing, it's been just anairplane flight. Yet--darn it, Freddy--having these envelopes in mypocket is giving me the jim-jams!"
"Yes, I know what you mean," young Farmer admitted, and frowned. "I'mgetting rather fed up with carrying them around, too. Silly, of course,but a couple of times I've felt as though somebody were watching everymove I made."
Dawson started slightly and took a quick glance in all four directions,but he didn't see anyone, except some people near the San Fernando baseover half a mile away. He looked at Freddy and grinned a littlesheepishly.
"You have, kid?" he echoed. "Well, me too. I've been having exactly thatkind of feeling, too. You know what I think about hunches!"
"Yes," the other replied. "And I also know that sometimes your hunchesare worth giving serious consideration."
"Sometimes, he says" Dawson snorted. "Look, pal--Oh, skip it! Now aboutthe four envelopes, Freddy, if you want my opinion on the matter,it's--let's dump the acid on them and be rid of the darn things. MaybeColonel Welsh won't like it, but what the heck? He said, _if necessary_,and the funny feeling I've got right now, and have had ever since we gothis message, makes me think it _is_ necessary! What do you think? Or amI going off half-cocked?"
Freddy Farmer didn't reply for a moment. He sat staring out over theGulf of Paria that was now changing from blood red to midnight bluesince the sun had gone down behind the headlands of Venezuela. Finallyhe reached a hand up inside his tunic and nodded abruptly.
"If you're going off half-cocked, then we both are, Dave," he saidquietly. "I'm all for getting rid of them. If you alone had the funnyfeeling, I'd say no. But I've got a queer feeling, too. So--well, herego my two, anyway."
As young Farmer spoke, he took out his two sealed envelopes and droppedthem on the ground. Then, moving back a bit, he unscrewed the cap of hislittle vial and poured the brownish-colored contents over the envelopes.There was a small flash of flame as the stuff came in contact with theenvelopes which seemed to melt away into the ground, leaving nothing buta black smudge where they had been.
"Boy, does that do the trick!" Dawson breathed, and dropped his twosealed envelopes on the spot where Freddy's two had been. "Drop thatvial, Freddy, and kick dirt over it. Just a smell of that stuff wouldmost likely take the soles off your shoes. Okay, here go mine, too."
A few seconds later there was another dark smudge on the ground, and notso much as a shred of any of the sealed envelopes, or their contents.Both Dawson and Freddy dropped their empty vials, kicked dirt over them,and stamped the little mounds flat. Then, as if by mutual agreement,they relaxed and heaved deep sighs of relief.
"Maybe I was wrong," Dawson said thoughtfully. "Maybe Colonel Welsh willhit the roof when we tell him. Just the same, though, I feel a hundredper cent better."
"Quite!" Freddy Farmer murmured, but with emphasis. "I feel as though aterrific weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I swear, Dave, Ihaven't got a strong enough heart to stand much of this sort of thing.Frankly, this is the first contented breath I've taken since we leftWashington."
"Yeah, I know," Dawson agreed. "The colonel certainly did pour on theold caution stuff this time. So I guess it was--or still is--somethingpretty doggone important. But there I go again, wondering what it's allabout. I sure wish the colonel would hurry up and get here!"
"Know something, Dave?" Freddy asked after a couple of moments ofsilence between them.
"_Know_ something?" Dave groaned, and rolled over on his stomach. "Maybeyou haven't been listening to me, pal. _I_ don't know from nothing. Doyou?"
"Not exactly," Freddy replied. "Just the old guessing game again. I amguessing, though, that somebody found out about those sealed envelopes.Also, they found out that you and I were acting as the messenger boys.Also, they arranged that balmy life-raft and U-boat business thisafternoon. And also, Colonel Welsh is a very worried man, right at themoment."
"All of which means nothing," Dawson added, "and will continue to meannothing until the colonel gets here, and explains. _If_ he does."
"Most naturally!" Freddy said with a slight edge to his voice. "I'vebeen doing some extra thinking about this thing, in case you don'trealize it."
"Well, go right ahead and think yourself black, blue, and sky-pink inthe face, if it makes you happy, little man," Dawson said with a laugh,"but you still won't know from beans until the colonel gets here. And ifhe--"
"I know, _I know_!" Freddy interrupted with an impatient gesture of hishand. "Save your breath, old thing. However, you might give this a bitof thought, if your brain can stand the strain. We've been flying partof the air transport route to North Africa."
"No kidding?" Dawson said with a mock gasp. "Why, I always thought theair transport route to North Africa was by way of Salt Lake City andAlaska!"
"Very, _very_ funny!" Freddy snapped. "If I'm not boring you, MajorParker said he was sent down here to keep an eye out for sabotage. Healso said nothing has happened in all the time he's been here. ColonelWelsh admitted that his special agents were acting as C.O. of the pointswhere we've stopped and were going to stop. Why, Dave? _Why_ shouldIntelligence have a sudden interest in this air route to North Africa?"
Dawson started to make another wisecrack, but the deadly serious look onyoung Farmer's face stopped him. He gave the question a moment or two ofthought and then shook his head.
"I don't know, Freddy," he replied. "I really don't know. You can searchme. If it isn't because of possible sabotage, then what?"
"I guess I've asked myself that question a thousand times," theEnglish-born air ace said slowly. "I can think up but one answer thatmight make sense. This is it. All these arrangements are being made tomake absolutely sure nothing will happen to something very special thatis soon to be flown to North Africa."
"Such as?" Dawson prompted.
Freddy seemed to hesitate for a long time. Then he shrugged, and made alittle gesture with his hands, palms upward.
"Blessed if I know, or can guess," he said. "However, I feel absolutelysure that all this busine
ss is taking place because something highlyimportant is to be flown to North Africa."
"I don't think I agree with you there, Freddy," Dawson stated with afrown. "This is one of the Air Transport Command routes to North Africa,but if something special was to be flown across, the plane carrying itcertainly wouldn't land at all these points. Heck, Freddy! Air TransportCommand has lots of planes that could make the run down here to Trinidadnon-stop, and hop from here to Natal the same way."
"Oh, quite," Freddy Farmer agreed, and waved his hand as though brushingaside the undisputed point. "Non-stop all the way to Natal, if you wantto make an issue of it. However, the points in between are being givenjust as much attention. Presumably this is being done _in the event oftrouble and a forced landing_; emergency fields, so to speak, all alongthe route the plane, or _planes_, will fly."
"Okay, okay, Master Mind!" Dawson laughed, and threw up his hands."Maybe you've got something there. And if you have, it means that whatwe've been delivering, and what we just destroyed, are instructions incase your mysterious cavalcade of the air happens to sit down on one ofthe fields. Okay, that's that, then. Now all you have left to figure outis _why_ this mysterious flight?"
Freddy Farmer nodded but made no reply. He sat watching the swiftlyapproaching shadows of night. Glancing at his face, Dawson saw that theEnglish youth had something very absorbing on his mind. When youngFarmer continued to maintain silence, Dawson's curiosity got the best ofhim.
"Okay, out with it," he said. "What's the heavy thought that's weighingdown your brain at the moment?"
"A very definitely insane one," Freddy Farmer replied, with a littleapologetic smile. "But taking it all and all, I'm blessed if I can thinkof anything better."
"Thanks," Dawson said sarcastically, and rolled over on his side. "Thatmakes everything clear as mud. What do you want me to do--get up on myhind legs and beg?"
If Freddy Farmer heard the remark, he ignored it. He turned to Dawsonand held up one hand with the fingers stiff and extended upward. Then hestarted counting them off with the forefinger of the other hand.
"_One_: Two F.B.I. chaps followed us all over New York," he said."_Two_: Colonel Welsh told us that a list of names compiled by the WarDepartment had been turned over to the F.B.I., and that it had theapproval of the President, the Secret Service, the Army, Navy, and AirForces. _Three_: The colonel refused to give us so much as a hint as towhat's behind this flight of ours. _Four_: He told us to guard thosesealed envelopes with our lives. _Five_: He said that one of his agentswas in secret command of every point where we were to stop. _Six_: Theroute is the Air Transport route to North Africa. _Seven_: The colonelsaid that the sealed envelopes contained the most important secret ofthe war so far. And _eight_: He said that he would have another specialmission for us when we met in Natal."
"And _nine_?" Dawson queried when young Farmer stopped talking andlapsed into brooding silence.
The English youth hesitated, chewed on his lower lip for a moment, andthen leaned over toward Dave and whispered, "_Nine_, is that all thesearrangements are being made because--because President Roosevelt and theYank High Command are being flown to North Africa, and perhaps beyond,for a war conference with Prime Minister Churchill, Premier JosephStalin, and their High Command Staffs. And there you have what _I_think!"
Dawson whistled softly, sat up straight, and stared hard at his flyingmate and dearest friend.
"And _I_ think you are strictly nuts, Freddy!" he said. But scarcely hadhe spoken the words when he frowned and gave a little twist of hishead. "Jeepers, I wonder!" he mumbled.
"Yes, no doubt I am quite nuts," Freddy agreed, and got up on his feet."Personally, I can't think up a better guess. It's started my brainswimming, though. So what say we start on back, eh? Don't want to missevening mess, you know."
"What a guy! _What a guy!_" Dawson groaned, and stood up. "Here in onebreath he has perhaps figured out the biggest secret in the war so far,and in the next breath he's sounding off about that stomach of his. DidI mention a moment ago that I think you _are_ nuts? If I didn't, thenconsider it said right now!"
"The difference between us, old thing!" Freddy Farmer explained with anairy wave of his hand as he started back along the path. "The food youeat helps your body. The food I eat helps my body _and_ my brain. Ifyou'd only eat more, maybe some of the nourishment would have a chanceto get up that high! I say! I didn't half realize that it was thisdark."
"Yeah," Dawson agreed as he stumbled over a root. "A good thing thattalking box of yours ran out of words, or Major Parker would have tosend out a searching party. I--Hey, Freddy! What's the matter?"
Dawson shouted the last because young Farmer, some ten or fifteen feetahead of him in the gloom, had suddenly buckled at the knees and hadfallen slowly to the ground. Dave leaped forward toward his prostratepal and had started to kneel down beside him when suddenly there was arustling sound in the sugar cane to his right. He turned his head andcaught a fleeting glimpse of bare feet and trousers. Then the Trinidadsky seemed to fall on top of his head with a thunderous roar of sound,and a great shower of red, yellow, orange and purple sparks.
"Hey! What--"
From a million miles away he heard the hoarse whisper of his own voice.Then the hands of an invisible giant seemed to grab hold of him, lifthim high, and fling him spinning head over heels out across a worldcomposed of booming sound and flashing light.
Dave Dawson at Casablanca Page 7