Part 19 (1/2)

”But their base, sir, wherever it is?” Dawson spoke up as the other paused ”If you could only find it, and--”

”Exactly the point!” the eneral interrupted ”If we could only _find it_! The only thing I've got here that could out-fly the Junkers Ju-88 is a Lightning But the main difficulty is that I have no pilots I can order out on such a mission I mean, should they find the base and radio its position, they wouldn't have fuel enough left to return

They'd force land in the mountain wilderness and eventually die of starvation or the heat We've _got_ to destroy those planes--and _within the next thirty-six hours!_”

”Thirty-six hours, sir?” Dawson echoed, as his heart started to pound against his ribs

The ravely, and nodded

”Yes,” he said ”Just ten minutes before your plane landed I received code word froton that the President and his party are _already on the way to Casablanca!_”

”Good gosh!+” Dawson gasped before he could check hi suicides can do their stuff? Or try to do it? But--”

Dawson suddenly checked hi moment their eyes met, and then they nodded impulsively Dawson turned to Major General Hawker

”With your permission, sir,” he said quietly, ”Farmer and I would like to locate that base and radio its position so that our boo over and wipe it out”

As Dawson finished speaking, silence settled over the room Colonel Welsh broke it as he addressed his words to Major General Hawker

”Just what I told you, sir,” he said ”And by God, they'll find it, too--Bless the_

For the tenth time, Dave Dawson checked his position and made absolutely sure that he here he was supposed to be For the tenth tih his brain to taunt and jeer at hiation was all cockeyed

He was a hundred miles north of the point He was a hundred miles south of it He was--

”Cut it out, fellow!” he ordered hio haywire! You're simply here ahead of time Your watch tells you that Freddy was held up a bit, that's all Maybe he ran into a bit of weather, or so? But what? That was the question! Freddy Farhest weather made He was that kind of pilot It was crazy to think that weather would hold up Freddy But where was he? Why wasn't he here?

These tantalizing questions pounded in Dawson's brain like the booripped the controls of the Lockheed Lightning so tightly that the knuckles of his hands shohite through the skin That this was perhaps the last flight he ht ever make didn't bother hiht fail in the successful completion of this vitally important mission And that fear was doubled when he realized that the odds were all against them Yesterday when they had volunteered for the job Major General Hawker had told the the secret nazi bomber base were about one in a thousand, and their chances of co back alive were about one in a ainst theainst the Major General Hawker's office they had selected two Lockheed Lightnings on the field and flight tested theone to one of the field hutments and tumbled into bed with their clothes on, so that there would be no waste of tiht take-off in a hurry

Good fortune was theirs, however They each had twelve solid hours of sleep before word cahted off the coast

Fiveout to sea, they carried out a prearranged flight plan Dawson had flown northward to circle around to the east and then southward to a point over the middle of the Atlas Mountains And Far eastward, and then up north to rendezvous with Dawson One of the back to their secret base The instant one of them spotted the nazis he would code call the other over his radio and give his position and course The other would head that way at once, join up, and together they would trail the nazis to their base, and then code call Casablanca where a hastily asse

Yes, a very carefully thought out plan of action, except for one flaw

And that one flaas ht now as Dawson coasted the Lockheed about in the North African sky over the prearranged rendezvous point In short, he had not seen the nazi bombers, and he had not heard so h he had called Freddy Farmer several times for a check No bombers! Radio silence since Casablanca! So--

”So,” Dave said to hi of his heart, ”So so has happened to Freddy! He's bumped into trouble, and his radio went haywire on him Or he's lost and has missed the nazis completely Or--or he's dead!”

Dawson hardly realized that he had spoken the words until they were out

Their echo in his ears caused his ers of ice to curl about his heart He shook his head savagely and pounded one clenched fist on his knee