Wings Over the Rockies; Or, Jack Ralston's New Cloud Chaser

by Ambrose Newcomb

  VI

  CYCLONE PROVES GAME

  In the morning after they had partaken of a late breakfast, Jack and hispal stepped around the corner to get a taxi, pick up Cyclone as perarrangement and proceed out to the flying field.

  "For one thing," Perk was remarking as they stepped gaily along, "weain't noticed any sign o' them gringoes we licked so neat last night.Guess they had their little tummies filled up with excitement and rightnow may be rubbin' arnica on their hurts. Wow! but I'd hate to've gotthem socks Cyclone passed on to his party--must have near broke his nosefor I saw his face was gettin' fair bloody when he was snatched up andtossed into the car."

  They found the ex-fighter and cow puncher waiting anxiously for them, hehaving been abroad early and had his customary morning meal. Later onthey arrived at the landing field and found everything "okay" as Perkput it. He had confessed to a little anxiety concerning the safety oftheir ship but the man they had hired to stand guard had not seen orheard anything suspicious during the entire night.

  "Huh! guess they feel too blamed sore this mornin' to be up an' around,"was the sensible conclusion arrived at by Perk after his fears had beendissipated and in this summing up of the conditions he was seconded byJack, likewise their mutual friend, Cyclone Davis.

  It was Jack's custom to always have his ship in condition for animmediate flight--there could be no telling how soon an order mightreach them giving directions for a hasty takeoff with their goal any oldplace as Perk was accustomed to remarking off-hand.

  Consequently there was always a full tank of gas on board together withplenty of lubricating oil and all manner of essential things sonecessary to a successful flight. Of course, as a rule they could dropdown at some wayside landing field for the purpose of replenishing theirstores since the whole country was becoming dotted with such necessaryplaces, some of them gorgeously fitted up with everything in the way oflanding lights, extra hangars for visiting ships and even service plantsfor supplying gasoline with little effort.

  Cyclone displayed no actual concern as he was secured in his seat by astout leather strap, having also had the parachute harness fastened tohis back. He watched every move of his two experienced companions witheagerness and asked not a few pertinent questions, thus showing hisdesire to know all there was connected with the flying game.

  Then the pilot gave her the gun and they started to move along withconstantly accelerated speed until presently Jack lifted his charge andthey no longer found themselves in contact with the earth but mountingtoward the blue sky overhead.

  Up, up they climbed with great spirals marking their course--the earthbelow began to lose its individual proportions and looked like animmense checkerboard to the thrilled cowpuncher.

  Cyclone could be seen twisting his head this way and that, eager to seeeverything. Perk, noting this, nodded his head as though feelingpositive the other was going to fall in love with flying. Dashing acrossthe plains on a cow pony, pursued by made-up Indians and all thatregular sort of stuff must seem mighty tame to him after moving throughthe air at the rate of possibly a hundred and fifty miles an hour withthe motor and propeller keeping up a constant roaring sound and all withthe consciousness that he was several miles above the earth, amidstfloating fleecy clouds, with even the high-flying eagle far, farbeneath.

  Jack took special pains to give the ambitious comrade such a ride as hecould never have imagined, even in his wildest dreams--he put the newboat through all manner of ordinary stunts, even turning over so thatthey kept going ahead at a fair pace while flying upside-down--he wentthrough dizzy revolutions, banked sharply and carried on generally asskillful pilots seem to take great delight in doing.

  All this never seemed to bother Cyclone a particle--perhaps hisexperience as a cowboy may have assisted him to meet the numerousthrills without quailing.

  Of course he could not talk with either of his friends for hearing wasnext to impossible since Jack was not making use of the silencer thathad been made a part of the "furniture" of the new ship--but he noddedhis head joyfully whenever he found Perk watching him with a question inhis eye.

  The two pilots had their head-phones in position, for they would nodoubt like to hold communication from time to time. Thus it happenedthat Jack, chancing to think of something, addressed his chum.

  "Forgot to ask you whether they'd learned anything about our lostfriend, Buddy Warner--how about it, Perk?"

  The other mechanically shook his head in the negative.

  "Nothing doin' along them lines, sorry to say partner," he explained."To be sure there was a'plenty o' rumors, but the paper said nobody hadlearned a blamed thing that'd stand the wash. Afraid Buddy's gone underan' that the on'y thing left to do is to come across his crashed boat insome canyon off there in the Rockies. Tough, all right, but then usflyers jest got to look at sech mishaps as all in the line o' duty--it'slike bein' a soldier all over again, ready to start out mornin's withouta ghost o' an idee we'll be back to eat another meal or write a lastletter home."

  "I'm mighty sorry to hear that, Perk. Buddy was a fine boy and everybodyliked him. That old mother of his, too, it may be the death of her.Hurts to feel that no matter how many pilots may be scouring the landthey just can't seem to dig up even a little clue to tell where hedropped out of sight and never was heard from again--not even a flowercould be dropped on his grave if they wanted to."

  Jack had taken a wild ride through cloudland, going something like twohundred miles and then swinging around to make the return trip afterthat he had climbed to a ceiling of something like twenty thousand feetuntil they were all shivering with the frigid air. Still Cyclone neverflinched--indeed, he did not even display the slightest inclination tobeg Jack to drop down where it was warmer--in fact he showed all thesigns of one who would eventually make an exceptionally good flyer,could he but pass his examination successfully.

  It was close to high noon when they landed after the most thrillingmorning in all Cyclone's checkered life. Before he said goodbye to histwo pals he squeezed their hands, and with a face illumined said in hisdetermined way:

  "Me for a pilot's license, boys and when I've done my fifty hours ofsolo flying and get my papers, behold me making a bee-line forWashington and breaking into Uncle Sam's Secret Service corps. I'm afade-out as a movie actor, and I feel that my star of destiny calls onme to be a cloud chaser, getting after law breakers in the air acrossthe land from the Atlantic seaboard to the Gold Coast; ditto on the seato the ends of the earth. Wish me luck, fellows and here's hoping thatsome day we'll all be pals in a great game. If ever you get to LosAngeles drop in and see me at Hollywood--if I'm still on deck and doingmy little stunts rescuing fair maidens and beating the villains blackand blue--all in your eye, boys."

  They were sorry to see him go, for Cyclone had turned out to be a mostenjoyable companion as Jack told Perk more than a few times.

  Since the morning flight had covered so much in the way of stunt flying,speed testing and altitude climbing, Jack decided there was hardly anynecessity for their going out again in the afternoon. So they figured ontaking things comfortably in their room, catching up with their sadlyneglected correspondence, and even getting in a nap or two while waitingfor their usual supper hour to come along.

  The sun was well down in the western heavens when a knock on their doorcaused Jack to answer it. Perk could hear him speaking to the lady fromwhom they hired the room, then Jack came back examining a yellow bit ofpaper, meanwhile giving Perk a peculiar look that somehow caused theother to jump up excitedly and exclaim:

  "Hot ziggetty dog! that strikes me like a wire, partner, tell me, hasour order to strike out and get busy come along--gee whiz! I'm tremblingall over with eagerness to know what our next line's goin' to be!"