Skyrider

by B. M. Bower

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  "WE FLY SOUTH"

  Johnny did a great deal of thinking along the line suggested by oldSudden. At first he thought merely how groundless was any suspicionthat the airplane was in any way connected with the horse-stealing,except that it might justly be accused of contributing to his negligence.Even so, Johnny could not see how one man could possibly protect thewhole of Sinkhole range from thieves. He could have been on his guard,could have noticed when the first horses were missing, and notifiedSudden at once. That, of course, was what had been expected of him.

  But as to Tomaso and his oily brother, Johnny did not at first see anypossible connection between them and his present trouble, save that theyalso had innocently contributed to his neglect. But Sudden had told himto think about it, and the suggestion kept swinging his thoughts thatway. Finally, for want of something better, he went back to the verybeginning and reconstructed his first meeting with Tomaso. Sudden hadhinted that they must have known how deeply he was interested inaviation. But Johnny did not see how that could be. He had not talkedmuch about his ambition, even at the Rolling R, he remembered; not enoughto set him apart from the others as one who dreamed day and night offlying. Until the boys got hold of that doggerel he wrote, Johnny wassure they had not paid any attention to his occasional vague rhapsodieson the subject.

  Tomaso had seen the letterhead of that correspondence school, and hadjust accidentally mentioned it. Or was it accidental? To make sure,Johnny got out the circular which Tomaso had seen, laid it where heremembered it to have been that day, and sat down at the table whereTomaso had been sitting. He placed the lamp where the light fell fullupon the paper and studied the letterhead for several minutes, scowling.

  Tomaso, he decided, had remarkably sharp eyes. Seen from that angle, theletterhead was not conspicuous. The volplaning machine was not at allstriking to the eye. Unless a person knew beforehand what it represented,or was looking for something of the sort, Johnny was forced to admit thathe would be likely to pass it over without a second glance.

  Tomaso, then, must have come there with the intention of leading adroitlyto the subject of airplanes. He must have brought those little, steelpliers purposely. And after all, he really had no business on the RollingR range, if he was riding for the Forty-seven. He had come a good fivemiles inside the line. And when you looked at it that way, how had hegot inside the line? There was no gate on the east side of the fence.

  It looked rather far-fetched, improbable. Johnny was slow to acceptthe theory that he had been led to that airplane just as a toy is givento a child, to keep its attention engrossed with a harmless pastimewhile other business is afoot. It hurt his self-esteem to believethat--wherefore he prospected his memory for some other theory to takeits place.

  "Well! If that's why they did it--it sure worked like a charm," he summedup his cogitations disgustedly. "I'll say I swallowed the bait whole!"And he added grimly: "I wish I knew who put them wise."

  Youth began to make its demands. He started a fire, boiled coffee, friedbacon, made fresh bread, and ate a belated supper. Sudden had told him todo as he pleased. "Well," Johnny muttered, "I will take him at his word."He did not know just what he would please to do, but he realized thatfasting would not help him any; nor would sleeplessness. He ate,therefore, washed his few dishes and went straight to bed. And althoughhe lay for a long while looking at his trouble through the magnifyingglass of worry, he did sleep finally--and without one definite plan forthe morrow.

  Half an hour before dawn, Johnny went stumbling along the ledge to thecleft. On his broad shoulder was balanced the propeller. On his face wasa look of fixed determination. He scared Bland Halliday out of a sleep inwhich his dreams were all of a certain cabaret in Los Angeles--dreamswhich made Bland's waking all the more disagreeable. Johnny tilted thepropeller carefully against the rock wall, lighted a match, and cuppedthe blaze in his palms so that the light shone on Bland.

  "Where's the lantern? You better get up--it's most daylight."

  "Aw, f'r cat's sake! What more new meanness you got on your mind? Me, Icome down here in good faith to help fix a plane that's to take me backhome--and I work like a dog--"

  "Yeah--I know that song by heart, Bland. You in your faith and yourinnocence, how you were basely betrayed. I can sing it backward. Lay offit now for a few minutes. I want to talk to yuh."

  He lighted the lantern, and Bland lay blinking at it lugubriously. "Andme--I dreamed I was in to Lemare's just after a big exhibition flight,and a bunch of movie queens was givin' me the glad eye."

  "Yes, I've done some dreaming myself," Johnny interposed dryly. "I'mawake now. Listen here, Bland. I've been playing square with you, allalong. I want you to get that. I can see how you being so darn crookedyourself, you may always be looking for some one to do you, so I ain'tkicking at the stand you take. You've got no call, either, to kickagainst my opinion of you. I'm satisfied you'd steal my airplane and makeyour getaway, and lie till your tongue wore out, proving it was yours.You'd do it if you got a chance. That's why I hid the gas on you. That'swhy you couldn't take Miss Selmer home. I knew darn well you wouldn'tcome back. And that's why I took off the propeller and hid it. It ain'twhy I licked you yesterday--that was for what you said about Miss--"

  "Aw, f'r cat's sake! Did yuh have to come and wake me up in the middle ofthe night just to--"

  "No--oh, no. I'm merely explaining to you that I don't trust you for oneholy minute. I don't want you to think you can put anything over on me bygetting on my blind side. I haven't got any, so far as you're concerned.Now listen. I meant, and if possible I still mean, to keep my promise andtake you to the Coast in the plane; but something's come up that is goingto hold up the trip for a few days, maybe--"

  "Aw, yes! I had a hunch you'd--"

  "Shut up! I told you I'd go as soon as I could without leaving the bossin the hole. Well, it happens that--well, some horses were stolen offthis range, and I'm the one that's responsible. So--"

  "Say, bo, you don't, f'r cat's sake, think _I_ stole your damn horses?Why, honest, bo, I wouldn't have a horse on a bet! I--"

  "Oh, shut _up_!" thundered the distracted Johnny above the other's whine."Of course I know you didn't steal 'em. Horses ain't in your line, or Iwouldn't be so sure. The point is this. I've got to get out and get 'emback, or get a line on who did it. I can't go off without doing somethingabout it. This range was in my charge. I was supposed to report anythingthat looked suspicious, and I--well, the point is this--"

  "So you said," Bland cut in, with something of his natural venom.

  "Shut up. There's just a chance I can find out where those horses weretaken. We'll go in the plane. You'll have to go along to handle it,because I'm liable to be busy, if I run across anybody. I'm going to packa rifle and a six-shooter, and I don't want my hands full of controlsright at the critical minute. Besides," he added ingenuously, "some ofthese darned air currents nearly got the best of me yesterday, comingback. You can handle the machine, and I'll do the look-see."

  "Aw, sa-ay! I--"

  "I know it's against my promise to a certain extent," Johnny went on."I know I've got you in a corner, too, where you can't help yourself.You couldn't walk to the railroad, or even to the closest ranch, if youknew the way--which you don't. You'd wander around in the heat and thesand--well, you're pretty helpless without me, all right, or the plane.I sabe that better than you do. You've got to do about as I say, becauseyou haven't got the nerve to kill me, even if I gave you the chance.Sneaking off with the plane is about as much as you're game for.

  "Well, the point is this: I don't want to take any mean advantage ofyou. I can't afford to pay you what your services are really worth, aspilot--and there's no reason why I should. But--well, I ain't quite brokeyet. I'll give you twenty-five dollars for helping me out, in case what Iwant to do only takes a day or two days. If it takes more, I'll give youten dollars a day. It isn't much, but it helps when you're broke."

  Bland permitted the sour droop of his lips to ea
se into a grin."Now you're coming somewhere near the point, bo," he said. "But tendollars--say! Ten dollars ain't street-car fare. Not in little old L.A.Make it twenty, bo, and you're on."

  "I'll make it nothing if ten dollars a day don't suit you!" Johnnydeclared hotly. "Why, damn your dirty hide, that's as much as I make in a_week_! And listen! I expect to sit in the back seat--and I'll have twoguns on me."

  "Aw, ferget them two guns!" Bland surrendered. "This is sure the gunniestcountry I ever stopped in. Even the Janes--"

  "Shut up!"

  "Oh, well, I'll sign up for ten, bo. It ain't eatin' money, but it'llmaybe help buy me the makin's of a smoke now and then."

  "Well, get up, then. I'll get us some breakfast, and we'll go. It's goingto be still to-day--and hot, I think. You better get up."

  "Aw, that's right! You've got the upper hand, and so you can go ahead andabuse me like a dog--and I ain't got any come-back. It was Bland thisand that, when you wanted the plane repaired. Now you've got it, and it'sgit-ta-hell and git busy. Pull a gun on me, beat me up--accuse me ofthings I never done--drag me outa bed before daylight--" His self-pityingwhine droned on monotonously, but he nevertheless got into his clothesand pottered around the plane by the light of the lantern and the flaringfire Johnny started.

  The one praiseworthy thing he could do he did conscientiously. Heinspected carefully the control wires, went over the motor and filled theradiator and the gas tank, and made sure that he had plenty of oil. Hisgrumbling did not in the least impair his efficiency. He replaced thepropeller, cursing under his breath because Johnny had taken it off. Hewas up in the forward seat testing the control when Johnny called him tocome and eat.

  In the narrow strip of sky that showed over the niche the stars werepaling. A faint flush tinged the blue as Johnny looked up anxiously.

  "We'll take a little grub and my two canteens full of water," he said,with a shade of uneasiness in his voice. "We don't want to get caughtlike those poor devils did that lost the plane. But, of course--"

  "Say, where you going, f'r cat's sake?" Bland looked over his cup inalarm. "Not down where them--"

  "We're going to find out where those horses went. You needn't be scared,Bland. I ain't organizing any suicide club. You tend to the flying part,and I'll tend to my end of the deal. Air-line, it ain't so far. We oughtto make there and back easy."

  He bestirred himself, not exultantly as he had done the day before, butwith a certain air of determination that impressed Bland more than hisold boyish eagerness had done. This was not to be a joy-ride. Johnny didnot feel in the least godlike. Indeed, he would like to have been able totake Sandy along as a substantial substitute in case anything went wrongwith the plane. He was taking a risk, and he knew it, and faced itbecause he had a good deal at stake. He did not consider, however, thatit was necessary to tell Bland just how great a risk he was taking. Hehad not even considered it necessary to telephone the Rolling R and tellSudden what it was he meant to do. Time enough afterwards--if hesucceeded in doing it.

  He was anxious about the gas, and about water, but he did not sayanything about his anxiety. He made sure that the tank would not holdanother pint of gas, and he was careful not to forget the canteens.Then, when he had taken every precaution possible for their welfare, heclimbed into his place and told Bland to start the motor. He was takingprecautions with Bland, also.

  "We fly south," he yelled, when Bland climbed into the front seat. "Makeit southeast for ten miles or so--and then swing south. I'll tap you onthe shoulder when I want you to turn. Whichever shoulder I tap, turn thatway. Middle of your back, go straight ahead; two taps will mean fly low;three taps, land. You got that?"

  Bland, pulling down his cap and adjusting his goggles, nodded. He drewon his gloves and slid down into the seat--alert, efficient, the BlandHalliday which the general public knew and admired without a thought forhis personal traits.

  "About how high?" he leaned back to ask. "High enough so the hum won't benoticed on the ground? Or do you want to fly lower?"

  "Top of your head means high, and on the neck, low," Johnny promptlyfinished his code. Having thus made a code keyboard of Bland's person,he settled himself with his guns beside him.

  Bland eased on the power, glancing unconsciously to the right and leftailerons, as he always did when he started.

  The buzz of the motor grew louder and louder, the big plane quivered,started down the barren strip toward the reddening east, skimmed lighterand lighter the ground, rose straight and true, and went whirring awayinto the barbaric splendor of the dawn.