can, tightly wrapped with rags, caromed off
get into their air force, before I came to the
the hillside into their midst, scattered the fire
Legion, but a washout in the army flying
and plunked against the trembling body of
school wasn’t enough recommendation to suit
Norkoff.
the leathernecks.”
In the growing heat the little band IN UTTER disregard of the sudden storm of sought comfortable positions and moistened
bullets over their heads from above,
their dry lips from thinly sloshing canteens.
everybody in the hole lunged for the can. Too
Norkoff groaned, and the few drops of water
well they knew what was in that bit of
which Catozzi tried to pour down his throat
apparent refuse.
ran out the side of his mouth.
With a supreme effort, Norkoff raised
A shimmering halo radiated from the
himself to a sitting posture, seized the can in
glaring white garments of the twisted figures
both hands and rolled over upon it. The next
on the nearby desert. In the edge of the brown
instant there was a sickening explosion under
thicket a riderless horse foraged for something
him, and with a sigh he stretched out on his
incomprehensible to any but a hard-bitten face, his hands clawing for a moment at the
Frontier Stories
6
hot sand.
whose djellaba stuck out behind him like a Five living men emulated him under
dirty tablecloth.
that plunging sleet of lead. A lone Mauser
The Riffians were decamping, horse
answered as Catozzi worked his bolt furiously
and foot, while over them swooped a low-
from behind the boulder where he had hung amphibian biplane with the insignia of slumbered a minute before. One by one, his
the Spanish Navy beside the bomb-racks on its
comrades took up the fire as they worked to
lower wings.
vantage points. Gradually the enemy’s fire
Around the hill swerved the machine,
died out, and the cowled heads ceased their
its pilot waving his hand and the legionarios
bobbing over the dazzling summit.
waving back. Out over the desert it swooped,
“Another name engraved in the Book
its machine gun spraying death among the
of Gold,” murmured the lieutenant softly. scuttling tribesmen. When the last fluttering
“Norkoff’s gone west.”
djellaba was far beyond effective rifle range,
“What do you say, fellows?” breathed
the machine turned, settled lightly to the
Aldridge, wriggling into his tunic and belts.
ground and waddled toward the hill like an
“Who wants to take the hill?”
overgrown penguin.
“I,” responded Catozzi, and the word
was instantly echoed by Spaniard and Swede.
“WONDER where the observer is?”
There was a fluttering sound in the air,
exclaimed Aldridge, his eyes on the glittering
a rattling thump in the nearby brush, and five
machine gun over the empty rear cockpit.
heads went down as if pulled by a string.
“How many men have you?” called the
Crash! Sand, thorns and fragments of
pilot, as the machine came to a purring halt.
tin whistled overhead. Aldridge sprang to his
“Six,” answered the lieutenant,
lean height.
hopping and sliding down the thorny slope.
“Come on, gang!” he snapped.
“Two at a time, then,” rejoined the
Up the rocky slope he sprinted, the
pilot. “It won’t take many minutes. I left my
rattle of his comrades’ hobnails behind him.
observer, in expectation of possible
Through the clatter came a sharp cry from the
passengers. Your call was relayed to us by
lieutenant.
radio, as we rounded Cape Quilate. We saw
“Listen!”
your next signal, broken off in the middle, and
Three tattered figures flattened on the
I took off by catapult while under way. I’m
steep hillside. Three pairs of eyes glued from the Picador de Asturias. ”
themselves to the summit. Three sweaty
“Go ahead, two of you,” said Aldridge.
forefingers tightened on slippery triggers. In
“Carry Norkoff to the plane, and make the
the hush that followed could be heard the dull
lieutenant go with him on the first trip. Two of
roar of an explosion beyond the hill, the us will watch from here, while they take off.”
distant crackle of musketry and a steadily
Jensen and Catozzi scrambled down
rising drone.
the slope and picked up the dead Russian.
“Hooray!” yelled Aldridge, digging
“I’ll wait for the last trip, fellows,”
toward the summit with his companions in hot
called the lieutenant, at which a protesting
pursuit.
chorus broke from his men. The naval aviator
From almost overhead came the apparently adding his protest, the lieutenant unmistakable rumble of an airplane’s motor,
was lifted in beside the Russian’s body and
and as Aldridge lunged over the summit he
gave Jensen his cigarettes. Jensen and the
saw a bomb explode near a running tribesman
Italian turned the amphibian around, and it
Wings in the Spanish Legion
7
immediately scooted across the flat sand, fluttering garments and glittering weapons of climbed into the air and swerved over the hill
the tribal warriors.
toward the coast.
As they came within range, the
“Simple, isn’t it?” remarked Aldridge,
Riffians changed their course diagonally.
as the four legionarios sat atop the hill and Rapidly they came on, offering an impossible
lighted cigarettes while they watched the target as they spurred this way and that in their airplane dwindle out of sight toward the circular approach. And now the legionarios sparkling Mediterranean.
lay down upon their faces and cuddled their
“Great stuff!” averred Jensen. “Ten sweating Mausers.
years ago, we wouldn’t have had a chance.
“There she comes!” shouted Aldridge,
Airplanes are wonderful things.”
as the first wild shots whined off the hillside
“They are that,” agreed Aldridge, and the returning airplane appeared high in the taking off his cap and running his fingers
air behind the galloping horsemen.
through his perspiring hair. “I’m going to
make another start in that game, myself, when
STRAIGHT for its prey the machine dived, its
I get out of the Legion. I didn’t see much hope
wires screaming and its motor picking up with
a few minutes ago, though.”
a mighty roar as it neared the ground. With a
“Neither did I,” admitted the Italian.
wing tip almost brushing the flat desert at
“But now we sit comfortably waiting, and
moments, with its machine-gun drumming
when the airplane gets back we’ll just step
sporadically and a lengt
hening trail of kicking
aboard and soar to our breakfast like men and horses in its curved wake, it swept millionaries. I could use some breakfast, what
around the hill in a storm of bullets from the
I mean! My stomach is flapping like an empty
tribesmen’s rifles.
wine-bag. You two blondies need a haircut,
The
watching
legionarios gasped as a
too, the same as myself.”
feather of dust followed the trailing wing tip.
“I’m going to get one, if I ever run
Suddenly the machine righted, swept the
across another barber,” replied Aldridge, ground with its wheels, roared off toward Sidi holding up his joined palms with four twigs
Dris and sideslipped sickeningly through a
protruding. “The two short sticks remain for
vertical bank. In the nick of time, it leveled off
the last trip. The two long ones pile into the
over the charging Riffians and fluttered
airplane as soon as it stops. Draw your tickets,
uncertainly earthward.
gentlemen.”
Roughly it struck the ground, bouncing
Sheepishly they drew, and Jensen and
from one wheel and alighting on the other and
Catozzi held tickets for the last trip.
a wing-skid. Drunkenly it thumped back and
“We’ll leave you all our guns and careened to the opposite wheel. Lurching from ammunition,” said Aldridge, shaking the last
side to side, it waddled forward with rapidly
drop of brackish water from his canteen into
diminishing speed.
his mouth. “In case the Riffians come again—
Risking a broken neck, Aldridge was
sangre de Cristo! Look!”
charging down the slope. Through the spiny
Across the shimmering desert scores of
thicket he plunged, his trousers flying in
tiny horsemen were converging toward Djebel
tatters, his legs smarting, and the crash of
Messaua. Unable to do a thing except watch,
stones and brush told him that his comrades
realizing that they occupied the safest position
were with him.
that could be found, the legionarios silently Madly they raced toward the machine
waited. Soon they could plainly see the as it stopped with idling motor. As madly, a
Frontier Stories
8
score of yelling tribesmen beyond spurred
“Here’s a pencil,” answered Jensen,
their horses forward. A bearded Riffian sprang
“and I can use the empty cigarette package for
from his saddle to one of the wings. After him
paper.”
in a steel-tipped dive went Aldridge, while his
“Fine!” called Aldridge, experimenting
companions met the enemy in furious, with the controls, his confidence rising.
clashing battle.
“Write on it, ‘ Two starving legionarios at bay Pushing rifle, bayonet and transfixed
on Djcbel Messaua-. ’ Put it in your tunic
Riffian from the wing, Aldridge leaped for the
pocket, and throw the tunic overside if we can
rear cockpit. Lying across the gun mount, he
get above any Spanish troops. Here, you
whirled the machine-gun around and pressed
fellows! Take our guns and ammunition, and
the trigger as it covered the howling hold out to the last button. We’ll get help to tribesmen.
you, if we don’t crash. Up the hill you go!
Like snow before a blowtorch, the Ready, Jensen?”
charge melted. A few survivors whirled away,
“All ready,” answered the Swede
to be brought down after Aldridge had promptly, and Aldridge opened the throttle.
crawled into the cockpit and snuggled the gun
in earnest. When he turned, his companions
OUT over the blinding desert sped the
were lifting the pilot from his seat and laying
amphibian, gathering speed rapidly. Recalling
him in the black shadow of a wing.
snatches of what he had learned at Brooks
“Looks like the last roll, for him,” Field, Texas, before the renowned “Laundry breathed Jensen, kneeling over the limp Board” had washed him out, Aldridge eased figure. “He’s got a slug right through the
the stick forward and crowed in delight as the
middle of his chest.”
tug of the tail-skid disappeared and the
“A moment ago,” murmured Catozzi,
shimmering horizon rose over the motor
“we were talking about how simple it was.”
cowling.
“Strap him in, back there,” ordered
Doubting the landing but not the
Aldridge, climbing into the front cockpit. takeoff, he pulled back unflinchingly on the
“Here’s where I use some of my education.
stick, and the amphibian climbed off the sand
Who wants to go along ?”
and roared obediently toward the dazzling sun.
“Are you an aviator?” marveled
Gingerly he manipulated the controls,
Catozzi.
his mind gripping back through the
“Not quite,” answered Aldridge, “but I
obliterating months for the scarcely grasped
can run it away from here!”
principles of flying. Gradually, while he
“Let Sollano go,” suggested the Italian.
risked a glance at the two forlorn legionarios
“He has a family.”
arriving at the top of Djebel Messaua with
“Perhaps he’d better stay, then,” said
their armloads of weapons, the horizon swung
Aldridge, dryly, as the now groaning pilot was
around until the blue Mediterranean was
lifted in. “Who wants to take a long chance?”
straight ahead.
“I’ll go,” said Jensen, climbing in.
Swiftly it came nearer. Almost
“I’ll probably bump us both off,” underneath, it seemed, the beach was dotted warned Aldridge.
with the regular lines of tents at Sidi Dris. The
“Small difference,” retorted the height of Talilit swarmed with men, bristled imperturbable Swede.
with guns. In the foreground, with shells
“All right,” said Aldridge. “Got a breaking over their heads, the low ridges were pencil and paper, anybody?”
fringed with countless tribesmen. Offshore a
Wings in the Spanish Legion
9
gunboat was firing rapidly, a transport was
climbed the powerful amphibian, roaring
discharging troops on lighters, and a gray obediently toward the upthrust cone of Djebel cruiser which was probably the Picador de
Messaua.
Asturias was coming to anchor.
Rapidly the hill marched toward him.
Over the blue water soared the Around it flitted dots which were undoubtedly amphibian, and Aldridge turned in a wide arc
Riffians. When he came closer he could see
and shoved forward cautiously on the stick.
some of them lying on the desert among their
Before his vision swirled Sidi Dris with its
slain comrades, shooting toward the hill while
guns, its swarms of soldiers and its tents.
others advanced in wild zigzags. Atop the hill,
Beneath him stretched the wide beach.
glinting rifle barrels and pistoning right arms
Pray
erfully he throttled the motor and
showed the two legionaries in businesslike
glided toward the beach. Lower and lower he
action.
settled, until he expected every moment to
strike the hard sand. Finally, having waited as
NOSING downward, Aldridge experimented
long as he could to avoid pancaking, he pulled
with the breech of the synchronized machine-
the stick back slowly.
gun. Raucously he cheered as the drumming
With a rattling jolt, the tailskid struck.
roar of gunfire suddenly joined that of the
Aldridge’s teeth clapped together as the motor. Maneuvering the amphibian like a leaf wheels followed. Bucking wildly, inexorably
in a whirlwind, and singing nothing in
turning seaward on the gently sloping beach,
particular at the top of his voice, he ripped
the amphibian splashed through a foam-
fantastic patterns of smoking tracers among
crested breaker, came to a stop half afloat and
the milling tribesmen.
was immediately surrounded by a swarm of
Desperately
he
throttled his motor and
drenched soldiers who pulled it ashore.
whistled up to lose some of his terrific
“That’s what you call an amphibian
momentum. Far over the desert he turned,
landing, isn’t it?” laughed a young officer in
lowered the thrumming propeller in a long
their midst.
glide, and opened his way toward Djebel
“Unload,” responded Aldridge, and Messaua with a stream of bullets.
Jensen climbed out after assisting the soldiers
With a smooth mile in front of him,
to remove the wounded naval aviator.
confident of making a perfect landing and
“What’s
this,
Wings in the Spanish Legion by Lee Robinson Page 2