by B. M. Bower
“This four hundred dollars is my own, that I brought from Arizona,” he explained, flushing a little under the keen eyes of Captain Riley. “This is honest money; the rest is what they paid me for flying back and forth across the line.”
The commandant turned the big roll of bank notes over, looking at it quizzically.
“Who is really entitled to this money?” he asked Johnny crisply.
“Well, I—I don’t know, sir. It’s what they paid me for flying.”
“And did you fly as agreed upon?”
“Yes, sir; I made trips back and forth whenever Cliff wanted me to. That is, up to the time I lit out for here, so you could see for yourself what he’s up to. He ordered me to go back to Schwab’s place, but I wouldn’t. I—I knocked him on the head and came on. But until then I flew as agreed upon.”
“Do you feel that you earned this money?”
“Well—taking everything into consideration—yes, sir, I do. I think now I worked for them much cheaper than any other aviator would have done.
“Yes. Well, you spoke of that four hundred being honest money, thus differentiating it from this money. Don’t you consider this is honest money? What do you mean by honest?”
Johnny flushed unhappily. “Well, it’s kinda hard to explain, but I guess I meant that I wasn’t doing the right thing when I was earning that money you’ve got. I meant it wasn’t clean money, the way I look at it now. Because it was crooks I was working for, and I don’t know how they got it. I worked honestly for it, for them, but the work wasn’t honest with the government. It’s kinda hard—”
“I think I’ll just give you a receipt for this. How much is it?”
“There ought to be about seventy-two hundred there, all told, sir.”
Captain Riley looked at him queerly and proceeded to count the astounding wealth of John Ivan Jewel. Then he very matter-of-factly wrote a receipt, which Johnny accepted with humility, not at all sure of what the captain thought or intended.
“Now, tell me this. Is this young man—the one you brought in—is he the only one you know who has been concerned in this—er—business?
“Yes, sir, on this side he is. Cliff spoke about his boss several times, but he never told me who his boss was. An International News Syndicate, he claimed. But I know now that was just a stall. I don’t think there was any such thing. There’s a Mexican, Mateo, down where we kept the plane—”
“Mateo—yes, we have Mateo.” Captain Riley sat drumming his fingers gently on the table, studying Johnny with his chin dropped a little so that he looked up under his eyebrows, which grew long, unruly hairs here and there.
Johnny’s eyes rounded with surprise. He wanted to ask how they had come to suspect Mateo when they had seemed so unsuspicious, but he let it go.
“There’s another one, named Schwab, over in Mexico where we always went,” he divulged. “He’s the one Cliff got those papers from—whatever they were. And he’s the one that expects to get some money in the morning. I heard that much. I—I could get him, too,” he added tentatively.
“Out of Mexico?” Captain Riley stirred slightly in the chair.
“Yes, sir. I’m pretty sure I could. I was planning to nab him, if you’d let me.”
“You mean you could bring him—as you brought this man Lowell?”
Johnny’s lips tightened. “If I had to—yes, sir. I’d knock him on the head same as I did Cliff. Only I wouldn’t hit quite so hard next time.”
Captain Riley bit his lip. “Better hit hard if you hit at all,” he advised. “That’s a very good rule to remember. It applies to a great many things.”
Then he straightened his shoulders a bit and called his orderly, who again impressed Johnny with his military preciseness when he stood at attention and saluted. Captain Riley’s whole manner seemed to stiffen to that military preciseness, though Johnny had thought him stiff enough before.
“Detain this man,” he commanded crisply, “until further orders. If he is hungry, feed him; and see that he has a decent place to sleep. The petty officers’ quarters will do.”
He watched the perturbed John Ivan Jewel depart under guard, and his eyes were not half so stern as his tone had been. Then he reached for his desk ’phone and called up the repair shop.
“Run that Thunder Bird plane into the shop and repair it tonight,” he commanded. “You will probably need to shift motors, but preserve the present appearance of the plane absolutely. It must be ready to fly at sunrise.”
Then, being all alone where he could afford to be just a human being, he grinned to himself, “So-ome boy,” he chuckled. “Hope he doesn’t lose any sleep tonight. So-ome boy.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
THE THUNDER BIRD’S LAST FLIGHT FOR JOHNNY
Over North Island the high, clear notes of the bugle sounding reveille woke Johnny. Immediately afterward a guard appeared to take him in charge, from which Johnny gathered that he was still being “detained.” He did not want to be detained, and he did not feel that they had any right to detain him. He flopped over and pulled the blankets over his ears.
“Here, you get up. Captain wants you brought before him right after chow, and that’s coming along soon as you can get into your pants. You better be steppin’.”
“Aw, what’s he want to see me for?” Johnny growled. It would be much pleasanter to go back to his dream of Mary V.
“Why, to shoot you, stupid. Whadda yuh think?”
“I’d hate to tell yuh right to your face, but at that I may force myself to it if you hang around long enough,” Johnny retorted, getting into his clothes hurriedly, for the morning was chill and bleak. “Where’s that chuck you was talking about? Say, good golly, but you’re a sorry looking bird. I’m sure glad I ain’t a soldier.”
“Whadda yuh mean, glad? It takes a man to do man-size work. That’s what I mean. Wait till about twelve of us stand before yuh waiting for the word! Lucky for you this sand makes soft digging, or you wouldn’t have pep enough left to dig your own grave, see.”
“You seem to know. Is yours dug already? They musta had you at it last night.”
The guard grinned and suspended hostilities until after Johnny had eaten, when he led him out and across to where Johnny’s inquisitor of the night before awaited his coming. Captain Riley was not so terrifying by daylight. For one thing, he betrayed the fact that he wore large, light-tan freckles, and Johnny never did feel much awe of freckles. Captain Riley also wore a smile, and he was smoking a cigar when Johnny went in.
“Good morning, Mr. Jewel. I hope you slept well.”
“I guess I did—I never stayed awake to see,” Johnny told him quite boldly for a youth who had blushed and said “sir” to this man last night.
“You landed pretty hard last night, I hear.”
“Why—yes, I guess I did. It looked to me around here last night as though I had fallen down bad.”
“And what has made you so cheerful this morning?” Captain Riley actually grinned at Johnny. He could afford to, since Johnny was not in service and therefore need not be reminded constantly of the difference between officer and man.
“I dunno—unless maybe it’s because the worst is done and can’t be helped, so there’s no use worrying about it.”
“Well, I can’t agree with you, young man. You may possibly do worse today. Last night, for instance, you brought in a man who has been very much wanted by the government. We did not know that he was the man until you landed with him, but certain papers he carried furnished what proof we needed. You spoke of another—a man named Schwab. Now I am not going to ask you to bring him in. He is in Mexico, and the laws of neutrality must be preserved. I shall have nothing whatever to do with the matter. I wish he were on this side, though. There’s quite a good-sized reward offered for his arrest—in case he ever does get back on our side of the line.”
“Mhm-hmh—I—see,” said Johnny, in his best, round-eyed judicial manner.
“Yes. He’s a criminal of several
sorts, among them the crime of meddling with the government. He’s over there now—where he can do the most harm.
“Y-ess—he’s over there—now,” Johnny agreed guardedly.
“However, I can’t send you over after him, I am sorry to say. It is impossible. If ever he comes back, though—”
“He’d be welcome,” Johnny finished with a grin.
“We’d never part with him again,” the captain agreed cheerfully. “Well, that Thunder Bird plane of yours had quite a jolt, from the report. You cracked the crank-case for one thing, and broke the tail. I had the plane run in and repaired last night, so it’s all ready now for you to go up. We really are much in your debt for bringing in this man Lowell; though your manner of doing it was rather unusual, I must admit. Are you—er—ready to fly?”
“Fly where?” Johnny nerved himself to ask, though he knew well enough where he intended to fly.
“Fly away from North Island,” smiled Captain Riley, who was not to be caught. “Civilian planes are not permitted here.”
“If I come back would I be shot at?”
“Oh, no—I think not, so long as you come peacefully.”
“I’ll come peacefully all right; what I’m wondering now is, will the other fellow?” Johnny looked toward the door suggestively.
Captain Riley laughed and rose to his feet. “Young man, you seem to know a sure way of making men peaceful! They tell me that Cliff Lowell came to himself about two o’clock this morning. For awhile they thought you had finished him.”
“Well, it’s time all good flyers were in the air; I’ll go with you and see you start. I’m rather curious over that Thunder Bird of yours. I want a look at her.”
In his youth and innocence—John Ivan Jewel wondered why it was that the soldiers looked astonished even while they saluted their commanding officer. He did not know that he was being especially honored by Captain Riley, which is perhaps a good thing. It saved him a good deal of embarrassment and left him so much at ease that he could talk to the captain almost as freely as if he had not worn a uniform.
“Good-by—and good luck,” said Captain Riley, and shook hands with Johnny. “I’ll be glad to see you again—and, by the way, I’m just keeping that money until you call for it.”
Johnny climbed in and settled himself, then leaned over the edge where the bullet had nicked so that his words would not carry to the man waiting to crank the motor.
“I’ll call for that money in about two hours,” he said. “I ain’t saying good-by, Captain. I’ll see yuh later.”
Captain Riley stood smiling to himself while he watched the Thunder Bird take the air. That it took the air smoothly, spiraling upward as gracefully as any of his young flyers could do, did not escape him. Nor did the steadiness with which it finally swung away to the southeast.
“That boy’s a born flyer,” he observed to his favorite first lieutenant, who just happened to be standing near. “They say he never has had any training under an instructor. He just flew. He’ll make good—a kid like that is bound to.”
Up in the Thunder Bird Johnny was thinking quite different thoughts. “He thinks I won’t be able to deliver the goods. He was nice and friendly, all right—good golly, he’d oughta be! He admitted right out plain that they wanted Cliff bad. But he’s hanging on to my money so he’ll have some hold over me if I don’t bring in Schwab for him. And if I don’t, and go back for my money, he’ll—well, firing squad won’t be any kidding, is what I mean.
“O-h-h, no! Captain Riley can’t fool me! Wouldn’t tell me to get Schwab over here—didn’t dare tell me. But he makes it worth a whole lot to me to get him, just the same. He knows darn well if I don’t I’ll never dare to go back, and he’ll be over seven thousand dollars better off.” Johnny, you will observe, had quite forgotten that receipt in his pocket, which Captain Riley might find it hard to explain if he attempted to withhold the money.
His doubt of the Captain increased when, looking back, he spied two swift scouting planes scudding along a mile or two behind him. That they might be considered a guard of honor rather than spies sent out to see that he did not play false never occurred to him.
“Aw, you think maybe I won’t do it!” he snorted angrily, his young vanity hurt. “All right, tag along and be darned. I’ll have Schwab and be flying back again before you can bank around to fly hack and tattle where I went. That’s what I mean. I ain’t going to be done outa no seven thousand dollars; I’ll tell the world I ain’t.”
Getting Schwab was absurdly simple, just as Johnny had felt sure it would be. He flew to where he would be expected to cross the line had he come from Los Angeles. Schwab would be impatient, anxious to get in his fingers the money Cliff was supposed to bring. He did not wait at the house, but came out to meet the Thunder Bird. Johnny had been sure that he would do that very thing.
To keep the nose of the Thunder Bird toward Schwab so that he could not see that only one man returned with her was simple. Until he was close Schwab did not suspect that Cliff was not along. Even then he was not suspicious, but came hurrying up to know why Johnny came alone. Schwab wanted that money—they always do.
“Where’s my man?” he demanded of Johnny, who had brought the landing gear against an old fence post used to block the wheels, and shut the motor off as much as he could and keep it running.
“Your man is sick.” Which was true enough; Cliff was a very sick man that morning. “You’ll have to come to him. Get in—it won’t take long.”
Schwab hung back a little, not from fear of Johnny but because he had no stomach for flying. “Well, but didn’t he send—”
“He didn’t send a darned thing but me. He wouldn’t trust me to bring anything else. Get in. I’m in a hurry.”
“What’s the matter with him? He was all right last night.” Still Schwab hung back. “I’ll wait until he can come. I—I can’t leave.”
Then he found himself looking up into the barrel of Johnny’s six-shooter. “I was told to bring you back with me. Get in, I said.”
“This is some trick! I—”
“You get—in!”
So Schwab climbed in awkwardly, his face mottled and flabby with fear of the Thunder Bird.
“Fasten that strap around you—be sure it’s fast. And put on this cap and goggles if you like. And sit still.” Then he called to the languid Mexican who was idly watching him from afar. “Hey! Come and pull the block away from the wheels.”
The Mexican came trotting, the silver of the night before clinking in his overalls pocket. Grinning hopefully, he picked up the post and carried it to one side. But Johnny was not thinking then of tips. He let in the motor until the Thunder Bird went teetering around in a wide half circle and scudded down the level stretch, taking the air easily.
“This is an outrage!” Schwab shouted.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Oh, up in the air a ways,” Johnny told him, but the roar of the motor so filled Schwab’s unaccustomed ears that he could hear nothing else. And presently his mind became engrossed with something more immediately vital than was his destination.
They were getting too high up, he shouted. Johnny must come down at once—or if he would not do that, at least he must fly lower. Did Johnny mean to commit suicide?
For answer Johnny grinned and went higher, and the face of Schwab became not mottled but a sickly white. He sat gripping the edges of the cockpit and gazing fearfully downward, save when he turned to implore, threaten, and command. He would report Johnny to his employers. He could make him sorry for this. He would make it worth his while to land. He would do great things for Johnny—he would make him rich.
From five thousand feet Johnny volplaned steeply to four thousand, and Schwab’s sentences became disconnected phrases that ended mostly in exclamation points. So pleased was Johnny with the effect that he flew in scallops from there on—not unmindful of the two scouting planes that picked him up when he recrossed the line and dogged him from there on.
Whether the Thunder Bird heard and actually did shake a wing does not matter. Johnny remembered that he had yet some miles to fly, and proceeded to put those miles behind him in as straight a line as possible. Schwab’s voice came back to him in snatches, though the words were mostly foreign to Johnny’s ears. Schwab seemed to be indulging in expletives of some sort.
“Don’t worry, sauerkraut, we’ll show you a good time soon as we get along a few miles. There’s some birds behind us I’m leading home first.”
“My God, don’t go straight down again! It makes me sick,” wailed Schwab.
“Does? Oh, glory! That ain’t nothing when you get used to it, man. Be a regular guy and like it. I’ll make you like it, by golly. Come on, now—here’s San Diego—let’s give ’em a treat, sauerkraut. You never knew you’d turn out to be a stunt flyer, hey? Well, now, how’s this?”
“Whee-ee! See the town right down there? Head for it and keep a-goin’, old girl! Whee-ee! Now, here it goes, sliding right up over our heads! Loop ’er, Thunder Bird, loop ’er! You’re the little old plane from Arizona that’s rode the thunder and made it growl it had enough! In Mexico I got yuh, and to Mexico you went and got me a regular jailbird that Uncle Sammy wants. You’re takin’ him to camp—whoo-ee! Give your tail a flop and over yuh go like a doggone tumbleweed in the wind!
“Come on, you little ole cop planes that thinks you’re campin’ on my trail! You’ll have to ride and whip ’em, now I’m tellin’ yuh, if you want to keep in sight of our dust! Sunfish for ’em, you doggone Thunder Bird! You’re the flyin’ bronk from Arizona, and it’s your day to fly!”