Toward midnight Stan began to worry about his course. His faith in his own reckoning began to falter8. But he said nothing to Niva about it. She had perfect confidence in him and showed no signs of panic.
At one o’clock they came out of the jungle into an avenue from which they could see the stars above. Stan bent9 and examined the ground. They had come to the road.
199 “We’ll need plenty of fever medicine when we get in,” he said grimly. “But from now on we’ll make better time.”
Niva nodded, attempting to wipe the muck and blood stains from her face. Her success was not very great and Stan laughed at her.
“I’d loan you my powder puff10 only I left it in the plane,” he said.
“You have a plane hidden in the jungle?” Niva asked eagerly.
“I do,” Stan replied. “Unless the Japs have found it.”
They moved along the road at a fast pace. With no vines or thorns to slow their progress they made good time. After an hour of tramping Stan halted to listen. They had missed the clearing with its native huts. Now they were not likely to meet anyone, except Jap patrols sent out along the road.
They went on as fast as Niva could walk. Stan halted several times to ask her if she wanted to rest, but she stoutly11 refused to stop.
“The quicker I get away from here, the better I’ll like it,” she insisted.
They tramped on steadily12 for hours. Now200 and then Stan stopped to let the girl rest. In spite of her courage, she was tiring. He was sure she was nearing the end of her strength.
Gray dawn was beginning to lift an arc of light into the sky as they broke out of the jungle at the place where Stan had entered the day before.
“We’ve made it. I’ll bet Von Ketch will be furious,” Stan said with a laugh.
“I feel sorry for the guards,” Niva said. “The common soldiers are not treated very well even when things go smoothly13. Tonight has been a bad night for them.”
“Jap soldiers are the least of my worries,” Stan answered. “The plane is right around this grove14 of trees. If she’s there, I’ll clear the vines away and wheel her out.”
They located the little avenue where Stan had hidden the P–40. He almost bumped into its shining propeller15 before he saw it. Clearing away the vines required some work, but Niva helped and they soon had the ship free. They shoved it out into the open and Stan got busy.
“Stand guard out in the open and watch201 for any Jap patrols that may come out of the woods,” Stan ordered. “If you see anything come a-running.”
Niva went out into the open and Stan checked the ship. He waited a few minutes before winding16 her up. Ten minutes would be needed to get the engine hot. He wanted light for his take-off. When he thought he had the time right, he kicked the motor over and the P–40 started to rumble17.
Niva looked toward the ship anxiously. Stan got down and motioned for her to come to him. When she came in from the field, he put her into the plane. She let him strap18 a parachute on her without saying a word.
“You grab this and pull if you have to jump out,” he instructed. “If you are high up you wait until you have fallen a long way. If your chute opens too soon a Jap will shoot you before you float down.” He was sure she would not be afraid to jump and that she would pull the rip cord.
“I pull this?” She placed her hand over the ring.
Stan nodded. “You do,” he said.
Light was beginning to reveal the meadow202 as Stan settled himself on his chute and leaned back against the shock pad. He slid the hatch cover forward and opened the throttle19. The P–40 surged with power and strained at her brakes. He looked back at Niva, cupped his hands and shouted.
“We’re about to take off!” He pointed20 to the sky. “I have a hunch21 there’ll be a committee from the Mikado to see us off.”
Niva bobbed her head and smiled.
Stan kicked off the brakes and blasted the tail up with a surge of exhaust. The ship slid out into the meadow and roared away, bouncing and bumping along until Stan sent her knifing upward.
They lifted above the jungle in a surging roar of power to meet the rising sun. At ten thousand feet Stan gave his attention to a cloud bank lazily floating above him. He eased over and headed away from the cloud. If there were Japs lurking22 up above, they would be in that cloud.
They were zooming23 along with their backs to the rising sun when Stan spotted24 four ships high above him. They had slipped out of the clouds and were nosing down. Three203 of the planes were Kariganes, the other was a P–40. Stan banked and looked up. His eyes were hard and cold. Munson was heading a pack to intercept25 him. He knew he could easily run for it and get away.
Glancing back at Niva, he pointed up toward the planes. She leaned forward and shouted:
“Don’t run away because of me!”
Stan grinned broadly. He pulled the P–40’s nose up and spiraled into the sky. He knew the Japs had sighted him. They were all coming down the chute with Munson in the lead. Stan banked sharply and kept climbing. He did not intend to give them a target. His thumb caressed26 the gun button and his eyes held on the P–40 leading the Kariganes.
The attackers spread out to keep Stan from climbing above them. Munson was far in the lead because of his greater speed. Stan suddenly looped over. Munson knifed past at a terrific pace, missing Stan by a hundred feet.
Stan caught a glimpse of the scowling27 face of his enemy as Munson flashed past. He204 knifed over and went down after Munson. The Nazi28 spy started to circle with Stan after him. They went into a furious Lufberry circle, each tightening29 and narrowing that circle in an effort to bring his guns into play. The pace was dizzy and everything was blotted30 out in a whirl of speed. The Jap planes darted31 about but could not close in.
Stan soon realized that the extra weight he was carrying was giving Munson the advantage. He was edging Stan into position for a blast from his Brownings. Suddenly he flipped32 the controls and the P–40 shuddered33 under the slap of air that hit her. She bounced straight up a thousand feet but held together.
Munson swung wide out of his circle and came up, but Stan had the ace2 spot. He dropped off his perch34 and came down, straight at Munson. This was a test of courage, gun to gun. Stan’s burst beat Munson to the barrage35. Lead ripped into the P–40 coming up, ragged36 holes opened in her fuselage. Munson slid off on one wing without getting in a burst.
Stan dived after Munson but now he had205 three Kariganes on his own tail. They were peppering away with their light armament. Stan scowled37 as he laid over and zoomed38 out of their fire. The Japs went on down and flattened39 out. Stan saw that Munson was hiking it for home. Evidently he was not hurt badly.
The Japs made one attempt to come up at him but Stan was king of the air, now that the fast P–40 was out of the way. He knifed across and opened up on one hapless Karigane. The Jap fighter seemed to explode in the air. It went hurtling down out of control and in flames. The other two dived and headed off after Nick Munson.
Stan leveled off and headed for the Rangoon base. He looked back at Niva. For a few minutes he had forgotten all about the girl. She was white-faced but her eyes were sparkling. She forced a smile and made a thumbs-up sign to him.
They crossed the Salween River and were boring toward home when Stan sighted two fighter planes coming down out of the sky at a roaring pace. They were on him before he could lay over and duck out of their path.206 They plummeted40 past and then came back up. Stan laughed softly as O’Malley’s rich brogue came in over his radio.
“Sure, an’ yer gettin’ back late, Commander. Breakfast is over.”
“What are you birds doing off your patrol beat?” Stan growled41.
“We are inspecting the sunrise,” Allison’s voice droned back.
“Orders from Commander Allison, sor,” O’Malley chimed in.
“I appreciate the escort,” Stan called. “But if you have work to do get on about it.”
“We have to be on hand as part of the welcoming committee,” Allison drawled. “You know, old man, that your post would not fail to be set to celebrate your return.”
“Faith, an’ we have it all planned,” O’Malley crowed.
Stan scowled. He smelled a plot. Allison and O’Malley had something waiting for him. He was glad there were no brass42 bands available at the Chinese post.
“Did you shoot down any Japs?” O’Malley asked.
“I had a whack43 at Munson and put a bit207 of lead through his ship, but he got away,” Stan answered.
“In that case he’s my meat,” O’Malley answered.
They swept in over the field and landed side by side. All the ground men were out as well as most of Stan’s fliers. A shout went up as Stan helped Niva out of the plane.
Stan presented Niva to Allison and O’Malley who were the only officers to close in on them. O’Malley bobbed his head and shuffled44 his big feet. He flushed and mumbled45 something under his breath. Allison smiled. He was perfectly46 at ease, very much the British gentleman.
“Welcome,” he said with a bow, “to our manor47.”
The others closed in and Stan introduced Niva to his fliers. She smiled embarrassingly and blushed, probably because she looked disheveled with her torn clothes and scratched face.
Stan turned on Allison as they entered the briefing room. “I thought I told you this was a secret mission,” he growled.
“You can trust the Flying Tigers. Not a208 word got to a single general,” Allison answered.
Stan grinned widely. “I’ll tend to you birds just as soon as I get this girl over to headquarters and into the hands of a woman.”
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1
slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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ace
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| n.A牌；发球得分；佼佼者；adj.杰出的 | |
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3
bogs
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| n.沼泽，泥塘( bog的名词复数 )；厕所v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的第三人称单数 )；妨碍，阻碍 | |
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detours
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| 绕行的路( detour的名词复数 )； 绕道，兜圈子 | |
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5
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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6
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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7
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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falter
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| vi.(嗓音)颤抖，结巴地说；犹豫；蹒跚 | |
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9
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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10
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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11
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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15
propeller
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| n.螺旋桨，推进器 | |
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16
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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17
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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18
strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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19
throttle
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| n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压 | |
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20
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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21
hunch
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| n.预感，直觉 | |
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22
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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23
zooming
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| adj.快速上升的v.（飞机、汽车等）急速移动( zoom的过去分词 )；（价格、费用等）急升，猛涨 | |
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24
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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25
intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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26
caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
scowling
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
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28
Nazi
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| n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的 | |
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29
tightening
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| 上紧，固定，紧密 | |
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30
blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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31
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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32
flipped
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| 轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥 | |
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33
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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34
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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35
barrage
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| n.火力网，弹幕 | |
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36
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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37
scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
zoomed
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| v.（飞机、汽车等）急速移动( zoom的过去式 )；（价格、费用等）急升，猛涨 | |
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39
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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40
plummeted
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| v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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42
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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43
whack
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| v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份 | |
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44
shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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45
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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47
manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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