Flyers of Fortune by Frederick Lewis Nebel
Page 3
through his nostrils.
prevented Gales from bringing his gun into
A few minutes later there was a rush
action. Halsey was upon him with the agility
Air Stories
10
of a cat, catching his gun-hand and swinging it passing close at hand, and then diminishing. A aloft and bearing Gales back across the room
few minutes later it grew again, then ceased
in a mad rush.
suddenly. The engines of the yacht reduced
Gales stopped short against the speed.
forward bulkhead, gritted his teeth and swung Five minutes later there were footsteps
away. In close grips, they spun across the
in the corridor. Then the captain’s voice:
room, fell over a chair and crashed down to
“There’s a French naval flyer here, a Cap’n de the floor. Gales’ gun flew from his hand and
Armand, with orders from the Saigon base t’
slid across the floor. The girl, still seeming on take off William Gales. They shot down his
the verge of a collapse, tottered toward it and partner, McGill, off Cape St. Jacques.”
picked it up.
“Poor old Mike!” muttered Gales
The two men scrambled to their feet
grimly. Then he stiffened, and his hand
and began lambasting each other at close tightened on his automatic. “Miss Warren,” he quarters. Gales was the quicker at this game, said, “you’ll walk out and go aboard the
and in short time he had Halsey staggering
French plane. No argument, please. Get
blindly. The owner of the yacht fell away,
ready.” He turned to Halsey. “I’ll keep my
breathing thickly, running perspiration. His gun on you for three minutes and then walk hand closed over a whisky bottle on the table, out to give myself up.”
and in desperation he hurled it. Gales ducked, He gave the keys to the girl, and with a
but it caught him a glancing blow over the left catch in her throat she went to the door and
ear and staggered him. Halsey cackled opened it. Halsey was standing now, and gloatingly and started for him, but the girl
Gales was directly behind him with his gun
flashed:
against the man’s back. The captain of the
“Don’t!
I’ll
shoot!”
yacht started to enter, but Gales said:
He sagged to a standstill, his face
“Not yet! Stay where you are!”
twisted in chagrin.
The girl passed out unmolested.
Gales swung toward the girl and
Three minutes later Gales lowered his
hastily relieved her of the gun.
gun.
“If there’s any killing,” he said, “let
“All right, Halsey. Perhaps you’d care
me.” Then to Halsey: “Now sit down, you
to see me go aboard the Frenchman.”
swine!”
With that he strode out on deck, and
Halsey dropped limply into a chair and
Halsey followed.
Gales sat down on the settee. The girl brought In the lee of the yacht a big French
him a drink and said:
seaplane was rising and falling with the gentle
“It was all my fault. I shouldn’t have
motion of the calm sea. A machine gun
staggered like that, but I was a little faint—
bristled under the white moonlight.
from the—strain.”
“Ah!” called a voice. “You have heem,
“I understand,” Gales smiled.
oui? Be sure he have no gun, so! And ze Night wore on. Gales snapped on a
ma’mzelle. I am as-toneesh!”
single electric light and then returned to the Gales strode to the rail and with a hard
settee.
little chuckle dropped his gun overside.
It must have been about eight o’clock
“Well, Halsey, the game’s up. Without
when the three in the room heard a low drone
my partner, no use.”
from somewhere in the darkness. Then there
He went down the companion ladder,
was a roar increasing with the seconds, stepped to the wing of the big seaplane and
Flyers of Fortune
11
crossed to the front cockpit. He dropped in it Say, they were after us strong. Well, I got in a beside the girl.
tussle with him. It was him or me, and I did
Then the plane was off into the night,
him in. He had orders to get us. Started from skimming along the moonlit water and finally
Saigon on a wireless tip that you were aboard lifting its nose and rising into the air. The big the Bangkok Belle. Had the wire on him.” He motor roared and the plane zoomed and was fairly roaring the information. “Smith climbed up toward the pale clouds. Then it
went down with our poor old boat. I’m
was suddenly throttled down.
heading for British North Borneo. All right?”
“Say, Bill,” sounded a voice in Gales’
“Good as any,” shouted back Gales.
ear, “didn’t I act like a Frenchman all right?”
“We’ll see the lady aboard a ship at
Gales spun around and looked into the
Saudakan.”
grinning face of McGill.
“And then what?” bellowed McGill.
“Mike!” he exclaimed. “What the devil
“Who knows?” shouted Gales,
are you doing in this official plane?”
grinning.
“I was shot down off Cape St. Jacques
And
McGill
boomed:
by this same plane. I started swimming, and
“What the hell!”
the Frenchman—de Armand—picked me up.