Dave Dawson on Guadalcanal

  CHAPTER NINE

  _Fate Is Fickle_

  "How you doing, Freddy? Having fun, huh?"

  As he asked the questions Dawson twisted around in the seat and grinned.They were close to the end of their patrol "beat." Soon they would turnaround and retrace their air tracks to the carrier Carson.

  "Me?" the English youth echoed with a forced smile supposed to indicatemock happiness. "Why, I never had so much fun in my life. Such wonderfulsun-filled air. And isn't all that water down there just beautiful? Icould just sit here and look at it all day--I don't think! Man! I wishwe could get a look at something. Anything would be perfectly all rightwith me."

  "And how!" Dave breathed, and pushed up his goggles. "Boy! Am I sick oflooking at water. When we took off I was all hopped up and bubbling overwith expectations. But no more now. Nothing can take the starch out ofyou like looking for something, and not finding it. So I guess thisisn't our day, pal. At least not this patrol. If there's any Jap forcearound these parts, it's down there under water, and I can't see it."

  "Quite!" Freddy grunted, and then gave a little harsh laugh. "But, afterall, why should we expect fate to play into our hands? We're just two ofmany working on the job. It's quite possible that the blasted Jap forcehas already been spotted by one of the other chaps, and our force isn'tgoing to further risk revealing its position by recalling us. Maybe--"

  "Here, here, put on the brakes, pal!" Dawson laughed, and nodded hishead at the radio. "If and when that Jap force is sighted we'll all berecalled and pronto. We'll be needed in the scrap, and how!"

  "Yes, of course, you're right," Freddy said with a slightly sheepishgrin. "Still--"

  The English youth cut himself off short, stiffened slightly, and blinkedtoward the east.

  "What's the matter, kid?" Dave asked, and turned his own head that way."Don't tell me you see something?"

  "I'm not sure; I can't say," Freddy replied, and continued to starehard. "Thought I saw a flash of something out there a way. Like sun onthe wings of a plane. Or maybe it was just the sun on a wave."

  "Probably," Dave grunted, and strained his own eyes. "But maybe the teamto our right has gotten off course and swung closer to us. You--"

  "There it is again!" Freddy broke in excitedly, and pointed. "Right outthere. And it is a plane, though I can't tell what kind."

  Dawson hesitated for a split second, and then as he, too, caught sightof sunlight flashing off the wings of a moving plane he made up hismind, and banked the plane around.

  "Maybe we'd better take a look, just in case, Freddy," he said. "Maybeit's one of ours way off course. And then again, maybe it isn't. Sowe'll go look-see."

  Freddy Farmer simply nodded, and made no comment as Dawson brought theDauntless all the way around, and gave the Cyclone in the nose fullthrottle. And during the next couple of minutes neither of them spoke.Both were too busy trying to keep the distant plane in sight. It wasmore or less between them and the sun climbing up toward the zenith,and for that reason they kept losing sight of the other plane in thesun's brilliance.

  They quickly picked it out again, and presently they were close enoughto get a good look.

  "Hey, what do you know!" Dave cried in astonishment. "That's not one ofours, but whose is it? I sure never saw a job like that before. Did youever, Freddy?"

  The English youth shook his head and frowned at the other plane. It wasa double pontooned seaplane with short, stubby-tipped bi-plane wings. Itwas painted a light, light gray, but carried no markings or insignia ofany sort.

  "No, I never have," Freddy Farmer finally replied to Dave's question."Rather a queer-looking thing, isn't it? A two-place aircraft, too. Andwhat in the world is it doing way out here, I'd like to know? A thingthat small certainly can't carry much gas!"

  "Just what I'm thinking, too!" Dawson grunted, and took his eyes off theother plane to sweep the surrounding waters carefully. "I'd bet it isn'ta land-based job. Must be from some surface ship. And, doggone it, don'tthey see us coming over? Why don't they give some sign whether they'refoe or friend? Maybe I should let them have a burst to wake them up!"

  "Not a bad idea, Dave; go ahead," Freddy said. "They--no, wait a bit!They've spotted us, and are coming over. See?"

  Freddy's exclamation was a waste of breath as far as Dawson wasconcerned. He had already seen the seaplane bank around toward them andcame prop clawing across the sky. For some unknown reason, which hedidn't bother to fathom at that moment, the old familiar warning ofimpending danger rippled across the back of his neck. And he impulsivelyslid the guard off the electric firing button of his forward guns, andgot set to catch the oncoming seaplane in his sights at an instant'salarm.

  There seemed no need to be on the alert for danger, however. The figurein the rear pit of the strange-looking seaplane stood up in theslip-stream and waved both hands in greeting. Because of the helmet andgoggles the figure was wearing neither Dave nor Freddy could get a lookat his face. And a flying jacket covered up whatever kind of uniform hewas wearing. In short, the waving figure could well have been adaredevil ace from Timbuktu as far as Dave Dawson and Freddy Farmer wereconcerned.

  "Who the heck are you?" Dave shouted just to let off steam. "Friend orfoe? And where in the world did you dig up that crate, anyway?"

  Of course the thunder of the Dauntless' Cyclone drowned out Dave'swords, but a split second later it was almost as though the two unknownsin the other plane had heard and understood. This time the figure in thepilot's pit stood up, and waved. Then he stopped waving and pointed pastthe Dauntless. Dawson frowned, then instinctively twisted around in thepit to stare back. He saw Freddy start to twist around, and thenviolently check himself as wild alarm lighted up his face.

  "Dave! Look out! The blasted beggars are--!"

  And that's all Dawson heard of Freddy Farmer's screaming voice, for therest was drowned out by the savage yammer of aerial machine guns. Hejerked front just in time to see the seaplane boring straight in at himfrom the left. It was headed dead for the nose of the Dauntless, and inthe infinitesimal period of frozen astonishment Dawson saw the bulletsfrom the guns of the other plane hammer and chew their way through theCyclone's cowling. And then before he could move the control stick, orjump on a rudder pedal, the seaplane had flashed by him, and his Cyclonewas starting to cough raspingly and spew black smoke out of itsexhaust.

  "Why, you dirty, low down rat!" Dave roared, and dropped the nose of theDauntless. "You--you double-crossing, cheating bum! I'll teach you topull a dirty one like that! Come back here and take--!"

  But Dawson was simply exploding words, and he ended them with a bittergroan, as more smoke poured back from the bullet-damaged engine, and thepower plant quit altogether. He and Freddy had been tricked as neatly ascould be. There was no doubt, now, as to whether the occupants of thestrange-looking seaplane were friend or foe. They were Jap rats, andtrue to their rotten race they had struck their blow under false colors.

  And a blow they had struck, too! No doubt about that, either. Their wellplaced bullets had finished the Wright Cyclone, and the Dauntless wasnosing down toward the waters of the Southwest Pacific below. And thedanger wasn't passed, either. With a dead engine the plane was just agliding target for those two Japs in the seaplane. They had only tosneak up under and out of reach of Freddy Farmer's rear pit guns, anddrill the scout-bomber like a setting hen on a fence.

  And as thoughts crashed through his brain Dawson twisted around quicklyto be ready to do what little he could when the seaplane came wingingback. Freddy Farmer had swung his guns around, and was waiting to catchthe seaplane in his sights if he got the chance. Not a word had hespoken since his cry of alarm to Dave, but the look of raging anger onhis flushed face indicated that he was _thinking_ plenty.

  Dave caught that look in one flashing glance and then whipped his gazeout across the air space to where the strange-looking seaplane wascircling about slowly just out of range of Freddy's guns.

  "What the heck?" Dave gasped impulsively, and scowled. "What's w
rongwith those rats? Afraid to come in for the kill? Holy smokes! They'vegot us cold, darn their rotten hides."

  "That's what I'm wondering, too," Freddy Farmer said in a tight voice ashe spoke for the first time since the sudden attack. "They're eitherafraid, or else they _aren't_ Japs!"

  "Huh?" Dawson gulped. "What do you mean by that, Freddy?"

  "Just crippling a chap's engine wouldn't suit Japs," the English youthreplied. "They have to slaughter, too. That's half the enjoyment forthem, blast their black hearts. So they must be afraid that I'll pickthem off, if they come in closer. Or maybe they're hoping we'll bailout. _Then_ it would be more fun for them!"

  "Yeah!" Dawson grunted, and took a quick look down at the surface of thewater now less than two thousand feet below the wings of the helplessDauntless. "Yeah! Or maybe they want to play target practice after weland in the water. Maybe that would be even more fun for the dirtykillers. Gosh, I'm sorry, Freddy. I'm a sap, a dope, and I should be--"

  "Don't be silly!" young Farmer snapped at him. "Cut it out, Dave! We'reboth equally at fault for letting them slip in on us, and falling forthat fake pointing business. But, good grief! What else would anybodyhave done in our shoes? Nothing. At least nothing, and have been human.Man! If only they'd come in just a little closer. I'd give themsomething they'd not forget, the dirty blighters!"

  But Freddy was simply "shooting the breeze" to let off steam, too. TheJaps were sticking to their distance, and even if they suddenly shouldcome ripping in it was questionable whether Freddy would be able to stopthem from cutting the helpless Dauntless to pieces, to say nothing ofbullet riddling its two occupants.

  However, the strange-looking seaplane did stay well clear, and a coupleof moments later Dave stall-landed the dead engined plane in the water.As soon as the plane stopped mushing forward and began to settle slowlyby the nose, Dawson unsnapped his safety harness, twisted the littlevalve knob that automatically inflated his "Mae West," and then gaveFreddy Farmer a hand in getting the collapsible rubber life raft overthe side. Into it they tossed the few things they could take with themand then climbed in and shoved off from the sinking plane.

  Neither of them spoke. Both were thinking the same thing, and didn'twish to alarm the other by speaking of it. In short, both were thinkingof the strange-looking seaplane now circling about above them, andwaiting for it to come gun spitting down in its power dive of death. Butfinally Dawson broke the silence as he stared up at the circling plane.

  "All right, killers!" he got out hoarsely. "The stage is all set. Herewe are. Just a couple of clay pigeons named Joe. Come on down and doyour dirty work. We've got a few million pals who'll even it up for ussome day. So come on down, darn you! We can take it, see? You're darnright we can!"

  "Easy, Dave, old man!" Freddy soothed, and placed a hand on Dawson'sknee. "It isn't going to help any to rave at the beggars."

  "Who says it isn't?" Dave rasped, and kept his gaze fixed on thecircling plane. "It makes me feel better, anyway. Oh, don't worry, kid.I'm not blowing my top, or going off the beam. I just figure it'scurtains, and, by gosh, I've got a few things I want to get off mychest. I hate those rotten--Well, for the love of Mike, maybe I am goingnuts, and seeing things! Do you see what I see, Freddy? Or am I justlooking at a sky mirage? _That doggone plane is flying away!_"

  And that was the truth! The strange-looking seaplane had circled down tosome five hundred feet above the floating life raft, and then suddenlyflattened out and was now making tracks toward the northeast.

  "No, it's no mirage, Dave," Freddy said in an awed voice. "The blightersare certainly leaving us. But why, I wonder? Dave! Maybe they've sightedone of our planes, or one of our ships, or something!"

  Dawson didn't make any reply. Wild hope choked up in his throat, and heeagerly searched both sky and water. However, that's all he saw. Justsky and water, save for the seaplane that was fast becoming adisappearing dot in the northeast. Freddy helped him look, and for tenminutes neither of them spoke. Then Dave groaned and gave a little shakeof his head.

  "Well, if it was a ship or a plane, it's gone now," he grunted. "So itlooks like we'll have to keep each other company for a spell longer,pal."

  "Oh, yes, quite," Freddy Farmer murmured, and nodded absently. "Ablasted funny business this, though. I still can't make up my mind ifthose seaplane beggars _were_ Japs. Why did they just force us down, andthen let us alone? That's definitely not Jap style. And to say that thatseaplane was--But, man! That's impossible! Definitely!"

  "What is?" Dave wanted to know.

  "That it was one of our planes, and they shot us down by mistake,"Freddy said. "But that couldn't be. Our markings were as plain as dayfor anybody to see."

  "Yeah," Dave said, and sighed. "But maybe we _look_ like Japs, and theyfigured we'd swiped the Dauntless."

  Freddy Farmer's comment on Dave's wisecrack was a pronounced snort. Thenboth lapsed into brooding silence and stared more or less unseeingly outacross the limitless expanse of ocean.