Part 21 (1/2)
When Steve had dispatched Rick, Scotty, and Zircon to Tibet, it had been with the cover story that they were going to hunt the blue sheep called Bharals in the mountains of West China Only Steve would know that The e was clear:
”_The one who started the hunt needs the biggest hunter Only the biggest hunter He should be delivered as soon as possible Call your usual contact before arrival and say that the doctor is coe was repeated, while the four strained to be certain they had heard every word When normal traffic resumed, Rick switched the set off
”It appears,” Zircon said slowly, ”that I'rinned ”The de way off”
The storm punctuated his words
CHAPTER XIV
Below the Dark Coral
The sky was overcast, ceiling about two thousand feet, visibility about two miles The as moderate and steady Rick exae and told his friends, ”I can take off all right
But I don't want to leave without a weather report or weto swap this radio for a newspaper,” Scotty gruet a weather report
Tony Briotti looked at the Sky Wagon, brows furrowed, then asked, ”Rick, couldn't you turn on the radio in the plane and get a weather report fro into the Sky Wagon before Tony finished Of course he could! He called, ”I'm a chump!”
The set warmed and Rick called the airport, then held the phones to his ears to hear the reply through heavy static When the airport answered he asked for a weather report for the area between St Thoot it, and cli a pup,” he told the others ”We're in a lull at theoff to the north, but there's another one right on its tail We have just about tiet to Charlotte Amalie and back before the second one closes us in”
The group went into action fast All four pushed the plane into the water Zircon ran to pack a bag, and Tony went to get the film Rick had taken for Zircon to carry to Steve Scotty and Rick went through the check list, inspecting the plane for possible storine and war aboard
Scotty yelled, ”Tony and I will keep the ho Don't waste any time, Rick!”
”I won't”
Zircon closed the cabin door and Rick taxied out In a fewseaward over the north end of the island He looked down and sao of the frog the plane
”Be sure to tell Steve everything,” Rick reive him the film I won't have time to see him, unless he meets the plane But it doesn'tScotty and I do”
”I'll be glad to get actively to work on this confounded business,”
Zircon stated ”I'men had in the cave that I'm about to burst”
Rick set a co just under the clouds
When they were a half hour out he contacted the airport again and asked for the weather The report hadn't changed He told the airport operator, ”The doctor is co Please notify the patient” He could alave out a crisp ”Roger”
He sat down on a heavy chop at Charlotte Ah ride as he taxied to the pier Lieutenant Jiuard in attendance