ences of officers, instructions from Colonel Boynton, and a curiosity-provoking lack

imagine what the yellow journals would do with a scarehead like that. Why, they would have us all

tted. "When I think what this can mean-some other country so far ahead of us in air force tha

Colonel Boynton. "But, between ourse

sper of information of any such construction; the Secretary admitted

air the first minute possible. She ought to show a better ceiling than anything we have here, and you may have to fly high to say 'Goo

" was Blake's instant report. "I thi

n pristine freshness, and where hurrying mechanics grumbled under their breath

as well as this one? And they worked as they growled, worked with swift sureness and skill, and the final

e the air is thin; there were oxygen flasks to keep life in the pilot in the same thin air. And the hot southern sun made ludicrous tha

onel Boynton; then pulled on his helmet, settled himself in his seat

climb was ended, and his goggles were frosted in the arctic cold so

and went into a long spiral that was to end within a rod of where he had started on the brown sun-baked f

ourse your barograph will have to be calibrated and verified

hat other ship if she shows up?" he aske

said. "You didn't see them shoot out of sight, Colo

," the colonel assured him. "We will make him show h

ed up," he told the flyer: "then come back here for instructions."

stretch out here, Colonel, and give me the dope on

air. The office was warm, and Blake kn

or the life of me figure why the craft was spying around here. What are t

want you to go up and give him the once over. I

into the air the way you described. Watch for anything that may serve to identify it and its probable place of m

wanted, but his mind was on further conti

y attack-what then? Is t

ll be off the ground to support you at the first sign of trouble. We don't want to start anything, nor appear to do so. But, by

best they could from the few facts they had, as to what this might mean to the world, to their

The first startled exclamation held him rigid while he tried to piece

Yes, Lieutenant.... Over Mount Lawson?..

trast to the excited tones that ca

r: hold this line open and keep me informed. Captain Blake will leave immediat

ruptly to th

on; descending, so Lieutenant McGuire says. Take the same ship you had up t

hip. Their engines were thundering: men were rushing across the field, pulling

d Captain Blake grinned cheerfully and gulped the last of his food as he waved to the me

ut on a course that in less than two hours would bring him over the heights of Mount Lawson and the mystery that awaited him there. And he fingered the trig

some primordial man might have felt, setting forth wi