| Show A Case of Extremities ly Iy J y c M I. I lure IUt I M I T TJ DUNLIN hooked his hi hl l ruin rhin I over the padded rim of the cockIll cockpit cock cock- Ill I'll and glumly surveyed the ground bo below ow them mutual he muttered withdrawing to till the protection of or Uj the ta h eW what hat rotten conn- conn try tr I IFor I For minutes they hall had been n I I flying over OUT a 1 vast Mist bed hII of or volcanic slag sing It 11 was a Jumbled and assured I expanse of ot lava stretching In Ini i i every ry direction as us far as Dunlin Donlin i could see It I was known m to be un un- tra by form any of ot surface tra travel vel The pilot dried drle t lips lip as he thought of ot what a forced landing here would mean Sure crash crash- and even If It you jou OU didn't get bumped crush I off orr where'd you be Twenty miles to the railroad I Why that cut the shoes off your feet before you OU were well started Blast me for an Idiot I 1 Why didn't I follow tollow the San San- ta fa Fe around by Itoi Hol Puerco Instead of bustin out an air line like this Donnas Donna's roving gaze settled on the helmeted head of his hia passenger In the front cockpit and he wondered won won- on dered It if he too was feeling the strain Probably not Funny chap that passenger Had Just wandered on to the airport back at Wichita and said he wanted to charter a II plane wanted plane wanted to fly to the coast Explained that he didn't want to togo togo togo go on the regular air line because he wanted to take fake his time time time-go go by bl easy stages see a little of the country coun conn- tr try off the beaten track As he recalled the latter remark Donlin snorted Well We he was seeIng see see- Ing lag a little of It all 1 right Then he be noticed that his engine was beginning beginning be be- ginning to run a little cool He lie made a change In the shutter control control con can position and settled back Thump 1 I Thump 1 I Thump I The plane was quivering qui to a pounding that broke through the regularity of the motor vibration That taut empty feeling gripped the pit of Donlin's stomach He lIe knew Instantly Instant Instant- ly Iy It was not a simple motor miss It was too slow too heavy a beat bent A succession of po possible causes streamed through the pilots pilot's mind I None was reassuring He lie did not look about for a place to land He lie knew It was useless That horrible lava lava and and lava It would he for another fifteen min OlIn utes utts Then they'd thed strike the rail rail- road In the vicinity of Gallup then then then- but fifteen minutes I Why It was preposterous to hope for another five fire the way the pounding was increasing In- In creating creasing In in- force Yet five fIe minutes dragged ed by hy and they were still In the air To Donlin Don- Don lip lin It was merely the diabolical prolongIng prolonging prolonging pro pro- longing long of an ordeal which had but butone butone butone one possible conclusion Any moment now now any any moment moment be he kept thinking lie He stared starell straight ht ahead at the distant horizon horl hori zon zoo keeping the plane level and on course through pure force torce of habit Now the lava held a morbid fascination fascination fas fas- fascination for him Tilting the plane to the right he looked down There It was Tumbled heaps of volcanic slag as hard as diamonds and as rough as clinkers He Ile shuddered even as the plane was shuddering under the racking Jolts of that pounding Donlin's lips drew back Come on on he snarled bust loose and get It t over with l I Throwing Throwing the stick over viciously he dropped the left wing and looked down on that side Good Lord I It couldn't be It was some miserable trick or of his eyes ejes But Dut It wasn't There lay the Santa Fe tracks The la lava va had been crossed Within gliding dis die distance distance land tance Lance was a piece of grazing Full of dog holes probably but It was the loveliest sight that Donlin could remember ever having seen HP lIe pulled the throttle back and went Into a glide e e It was some five weeks later that Donlin showed showell up at his home airport airport air air- port at Wichita Look what's come back some someone someone someone one shouted and the gang gathered around him Wheres your plane he was asked In a field Beld Cracked up Landed full tun of holes Had to crate it and ship It look took pale I Hut tee nee Donlin you Get hurt Been laid up In n the Jug he hesta re restated Nope Hope Ive I've been lIeen sta stated ted ba boldly Idly Some one chuckled Another said Gwon Gwan Insisted Donlin Don- Don No Its It's the truth for tor assault and lin ha Thirty days how It was Ill I'll tell you battery ordeal them of his be he told So 1 over the lava There were quick listeners sympathetic nod node from his nerve smashing nerve what a They I knew like that can be Situation thing a the railroad rail rall of making After he J had told amid emid the road and cracking up dog holes he pau paused ell scowling But the a assault sault and battery of where does that come clime In inn one asked the pilots feet were cold Donlin A guys guy's bitterly answered That dont don't male make sense the other oth oth- protested pilot er Donlin Oh nh It con dont don't i dont don't the whose whose the toy Well exploded passenger was my ml cold feet teet were wed we'd landed handed after I found that out il wrecked And W was S and the plane that devil devil- devilIsh devilIsh that awful that had me Ish waa him like an Idiot floor boards I It t those hose cold feet on the |
