Sparky Ames of the Ferry Command

  CHAPTER XIX

  ST. ELMO’S FIRE

  “If there are mountains about it’s always best to climb.” Sparky sethis plane to reach higher altitudes. When at last he felt the push ofstrong winds behind him he said:

  “The storm took us over the mountains all right.”

  “That’s something to be thankful for,” said Mary.

  “Yes, but we’re still more or less lost.”

  This, they discovered, was truer than they had thought, for the cold orthe push and bang of the storm had damaged their radio. Try as shemight, Mary could raise no one.

  For a time, flying by instrument, Sparky flew across what he hoped waslow, level land. Since he could not be sure of this, he still flew highamong the thick clouds.

  When at last, in desperation, he dropped lower and lower until theywere dangerously close to the earth, they found themselves still in adense formation of clouds.

  “Where are we?” Mary asked.

  “Somewhere over China.”

  “The part held by our own people or by the enemy?”

  “There is no sure way to know. Here, take the ship. Let me at thatradio. We’ve just got to get it going.”

  Whether this was a “must” or not did not appear to matter. The radiowas dead and apparently would remain so.

  To make matters worse the shadows within the plane grew darker withevery passing moment.

  “Night,” Mary thought. “Night over a strange land.”

  Night settled down and still they cruised on. From time to time, theycame down close to earth, often too close, in the hope of finding abreak in the clouds, of spotting a landing beacon. No break was found,no light appeared.

  “Our position is growing desperate,” Sparky said at last. “Our fuel isrunning low. In less than a half hour we’ll be obliged to make a blindlanding and that, well—you know—”

  Yes, Mary knew. There was no need for her to answer.

  “I think I’d better get the ship aloft then let the rest of you take toparachutes.” Sparky’s voice was husky. “For better or worse, this lookslike journey’s end.”

  “Yes—yes, I guess you’d better let Hop Sing use his parachute. It willbe safer for him.”

  “Yes, and for you.”

  “Not so much better, Sparky, perhaps much worse for me if we’re overenemy territory. I’m staying with the ship.”

  “Okay. It’s your life. I can’t live it for you.”

  For a little time they were silent. “About time to do a littleclimbing.” Sparky shifted his controls.

  “Sparky! What was that?” Mary cried sharply.

  “What was what?”

  “A light!”

  “I didn’t see any light.”

  “Yes, there! No, now it’s gone! Yes! Yes, there it is! By the nose ofthe plane!”

  “Yes, I saw it!” Sparky seemed unimpressed.

  “But look, Sparky!” she exclaimed. “Look at the radio antennae. They’relike neon tubes! They, they’re burning up! Sparky! What’s going tohappen? Is the ship on fire?”

  “Not so you can notice it.”

  “But, Sparky! Look! There’s a ball of fire on the ship’s nose—big as aFourth of July balloon.

  “No—no! Now it’s gone! But, look! There’s a flash right across thepropeller blades!

  “Say! We can begin to see things!” she was fairly beside herself. “Ijust saw a house and a clump of trees.”

  “The clouds are lifting,” said Sparky. “There may be a chance—”

  “Yes—there’s a road. It’s broad and white, must be cement.” Marygrabbed Sparky’s arm. “Sparky! we’re going to be safe. We’ve been savedby some kind of miracle!”

  “Miracle, my eye!” Sparky grumbled, as he set his ship for a try atlanding on that road. “If I don’t hit it right on the beam,” he saidgrimly, “we’ll crash and that means like as not that this whole triphas been made for nothing.”

  “No, not for nothing. Don’t forget, there’s the quinine!”

  With balls of fire rolling all over the plane and with their landinglights on for a space of seconds, they hit that hard road, bounced, hitagain and again, then began to glide. Just before the ship came to astop, the right wheel left the road to bury itself in soft mud.

  “Nice thing to do at the very end!” Sparky growled. “If we’re in enemyterritory we’re in a bad way!” Snapping off the lights, he headed forthe door.

  All the strange, rolling balls of light were gone. About them it wasdark as a subway when the lights are off.

  “Sparky,” Mary insisted as her feet hit the pavement, “it was amiracle! You don’t dare say it wasn’t!”

  “Oh! Can’t I!” Sparky squeezed her arm. “At least I’m bound to try.That, my dear Mary, was what they call St. Elmo’s Fire.”

  “St. Elmo’s Fire!”

  “Sure! It’s a form of electrical disturbance. I picked it up once whenI was half way across the Atlantic. The scientists say it’s harmless.Probably they’re partly right, but I claim that a thing that scares youto death can’t be entirely harmless.

  “And now,” he added, “since we’ve put one more ghost to rest, let’sfind out where we are.”

  “Hop Sing,” he called.

  “Right here, Mr. Sparky.”

  “Hop Sing, this is your country, China. Where are we?”

  “Can’t tell—me. I go see. Mebby quick find somebody who live here,then quick find out.”

  The stump-stump of Hop Sing’s crutch faded into the distance. Afterthat, by the plane, for quite some time there was silence.

  “Sparky, I’m tired,” Mary said at last. “I hope we can get to the endof our trip soon.”

  “Don’t hope too much,” he cautioned. “We wandered about in the sky along time and that storm may really have taken us places before it letus down.”

  The darkness was something to brood about. The big plane loomed like ashadow above them. It seemed a long time before they again heard thestump-stump of Hop Sing’s crutch. As it came closer Mary becameconscious of another sound. It was like the wind rustling through dryleaves. Or was it a shuffling sound?

  Before she knew it she found herself surrounded by silent, shadowyforms and Hop Sing was talking in a hoarse whisper to Sparky.

  Hop Sing’s report was both astonishing and terrifying. They were twentymiles behind the Jap lines. The road on which they had landed ranparallel to the lines. That was why on a dark night like this there wasno traffic. Men, ammunition and supplies going to the front traveled aroad, some fifteen miles away, a road that crossed this one.

  The shadowy forms about them were Chinese, men, women, and children.These astonishing people had hidden in the mountains until the battlelines had swept over them. Now, still hiding in holes and cellars, theywere back near their homes.

  “Most surprising of all,” Sparky whispered to Mary, “a half mile downthis road, and off to one side, there is a small airfield.”

  “An airfield! Didn’t the Japs destroy it? Or do they use it?”

  “Neither. They know nothing about it. It’s a turnip patch, just now.”

  “A turnip patch!”

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  _Hop Sing’s Report Was Terrifying_]

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  “Sure. These Chinese are smart. This airfield has always been a secretone. Before the Japs came, they kept it covered with nets and burlapthat made it look like plowed ground. They only used it at night forrefueling.”

  “Fuel, that’s what we need!”

  “Yes, and it’s there.” Sparky spoke rapidly. “It’s in a hiddenunderground room, two drums of it.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “Nothing. These people, like gremlins, gnomes, or something, are goingto do it for us. They’ll get the plane back on the road. That’s whatthey’re doing now.” The plan
e gave a sudden lurch.

  “And then?”

  “Then some of them will pull and push the plane down the road while thewomen and children remove enough turnips and earth from the airfield tomake us a runway.”

  “And then we’ll fuel up and take off. How sweet!”

  “Yes, if the Japs don’t come. Our journey’s end is only two hundredmiles away.”

  “And if the Japs come?”

  “We’ll fight. These Chinese have arms. We’ve got two machine guns.We’ll put up a good scrap.” The big plane with its precious cargotilted back to the road bed. Then, slowly, yard by yard it rolled downthe half mile to the airfield.

  There, by the sense of touch alone, since no lights could be allowed,Sparky felt his way across the prepared runway, and Mary supervised therefueling of the plane, and all the time, Hop Sing was pouring into herears stories of his people’s courage and heroism.

  “Oh!” she breathed at last. “I do hope we can make it. I don’t knowwhat it’s all about but I do know that it will mean a great deal tothese noble, fighting Chinese.”

  At last all was ready.

  With the aid of a very faint light Sparky and Mary went through thebusiness of getting the ship going. At last Sparky gave an order to HopSing. Hop Sing passed it to those on the ground. The motors thunderedand:

  “Up!” Mary exclaimed. “We’re in the air again!”

  “That’s not all,” Sparky added happily. “The air is clearing and wehave gas to carry us to our objective.”

  They reached it before the hour was up. Recognizing the roar of theirplane, a member of the bomber squadron’s crew sent up a small plane toguide them in.

  “Ah! At last you’re here,” shouted a voice. The bomber squadron’sflight commander pulled himself into their cabin. “We’ll have men herein a moment to take off your cargo. It is of vital importance. That’sall I can tell you now.”

  “Me,” said Mary, “all I want is sleep.”

  “There’s a car waiting for you right now. It will take you to thecity’s best little hotel which is not a quarter of an hour away.”

  Mary fell asleep in the car. She roused herself long enough to reachher room and undress. Then she traded the world of harsh realities forone of pleasant dreams.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------