The realization that Mrs. Pollzoff was too clever a woman to permit herself to be so easily caught ruined the tiny bit of fun Roberta had found in days. For minutes she stood, staring out at the sea and trying desperately to convince herself that she would soon find a way to escape. At first the fact that she were allowed to go about without guards and not kept under cover appeared to be a good thing, but as she thought that over, she made up her mind that this particular island was so far away from any line of travel or settlement that her captors had no fear of her being found by plane or boat; and she couldn’t get away, so they were safe in letting her roam at will.
167 “No one would take Nike up,” she said aloud because it was pleasant to hear something beside the ceaseless splash of the water on the shore. “Then,” she added a bit later, “perhaps it’s still here.” The abode of Nomie was built in a rock so that anyone passing would not notice that it was a habitation; so perhaps a similar hiding place had been found for her plane.
Hopefully she set out again, and this time she investigated every high rock, shrub, clump of trees, and low cliff. For an hour she continued the search, and although she half skirted the island, there was little difference in the scene from one point to another. The sameness of it all was appallingly dreary. She tried hard to keep thoughts of her mother and father out of her mind, for she knew just how anxious and worried they must be. She could picture them listening for the familiar roar of the machine which would announce her return; running to the telephone every time it rang, eager for news that didn’t come; hurrying to the door when the mail-man whistled, only to be disappointed when he brought no card or letter.168 Dad was doubtlessly making brave efforts to assure his wife that their daughter was quite safe—perhaps even fibbing a bit in an effort to make it easier. He had probably already got in touch with Mr. Trowbridge and her former flying-mates had been urged to keep an eye out for their girl Sky-Pilot, as they had dubbed her.
All those things made her heart sick and she wandered on and on hardly noticing where she went and twice she had to scramble up over rocks to get out of water into which her stumbling feet had taken her. At last, utterly weary and discouraged, she sank down on a hard wide stretch of sand and buried her head on her arm. Although she was nearly overcome with discouragement she did not give way to tears, for she knew they wouldn’t help any. There was nothing she could do but wait, no matter how long it was. She sat quietly for a quarter of an hour and felt more rested, then a sort of plan formed itself in her mind. She must find out just where she was! With that information she might discover a way to escape. But with that encouraging idea, into her brain popped a hopeful169 thought that she would probably be watched to some extent and any move she made would be immediately reported. As she sat there feeling desperately lonely, she heard a gruff voice a short distance further on and recognized the man Wat, but could not see him.
“Well, I’ve fixed her up, just as you want, but whether you like it or not, I’m telling you it’s no good. My advice—”
“I’m not asking you for your advice.” That harsh voice was none other than Mrs. Pollzoff’s.
“You’re gettin’ it gratis, see! When the Boss finds out how you balled up the works you’re going to get plenty, I don’t care how much of a drag you have with him. He told you what to do and you didn’t do as he ordered—”
“Will you shut up!” The woman screamed.
“No, I won’t. You haven’t got a leg to stand on—”
“I tell you the girl was having us spied on—”
“You can tell me all you like, but I don’t believe it, see? Now, this stunt you want170 to pull is a fizzle—and you’ll get thrown as sure as you’re born. You were told to stay here and look after the girl—”
“How do you know so much about what I was told?”
“That’s an easy one. I was told that when the pair of you got here you’d stay, see, so I know those were your orders. If you found you were spied on, you had your orders to go on to Miami and keep away from here, and you were to keep out of the pilot seat. Instead of that you signaled that you were coming along O.K. and it wasn’t until the re-fill that anyone knew you were at the controls—”
“I brought the plane through, didn’t I? And I gave the fellows that were spying on us the slip, didn’t I?” There was proud defiance in her tone.
“I’m not so sure that you did. You got here, yes, with the girl almost dead, and you flew the plane to satisfy your own conceit—”
“This plane belongs to me, understand, I’m doing what I please with it and you are obeying my orders regarding it! Bear that in mind. I made up my mind I was going to171 have it the first time I rode in it, if I had to steal it.”
“Yes!” Wat remarked without much interest.
“Yes. Now I’ve got it, it’s mine, I’m keeping it in payment for the buckshot that girl’s father peppered on my chin. As long as there is the faintest sign of a scar, I’ll feel they are still in my debt.” She spoke with such passion that Roberta gasped in amazement and horror.
“Yes. Well, all I’ve got to say is that it’s a pity her father had such darned poor aim—.” Just then an engine roared and cut off further remarks, and Roberta leaped to her feet, for she recognized Nike’s thunder. A moment later it rounded a curve and came rushing swiftly along the hard stretch of beach.
“Oh, they have painted her white,” the girl gasped. Sure enough, Nike, all her own beautiful trimming concealed under the color which would make her hardest to pick out in the sky, was rushing forward swiftly, gaining speed at every turn of her whirling propeller. With an exclamation of dismay, Roberta172 started to run across the beach to her beloved machine and at that moment, Mrs. Pollzoff saw her. The woman’s expression grew uglier than anything the girl had ever seen in her life and with a lurch Nike was spun around sharply; it was tearing after her and in another minute she would be cut to pieces in that cruel wheel. The plane’s nose was pointed directly at the girl, rushing like some maddened demon to destroy her. There was no time to think or act. The only thing she could do was drop flat on her face and pray.
“God help me,” formed on her lips, but before the words were out of her mouth, she felt something brush the full length of her body and knew that the machine had lifted before it touched her and was already two feet in the air. “Thank you,” she sighed gratefully then raised her head lest Mrs. Pollzoff discover that by a miracle her fiendish plan had failed, and turn back to finish it, but Nike was climbing at top speed and was half way across the island.
“Hurt, Miss?” Wat came running.
“Thank you, no,” she told him.
“You’re mighty lucky.” His rough face173 was white through its tan and to relieve his feelings, he shook his fist after the racing plane and its pilot.
“I hope you fly to perdition,” he shouted.
“Second the motion,” Roberta added, then she began to laugh hysterically and Wat stared down at her.
“Sure you’re all right?” he asked again.
“Positive,” she told him.
“You sure got a good guardian angel!”
“You don’t seem overly fond of Mrs. Pollzoff.”
“I don’t know anyone who is,” he replied.
“Did you paint Nike—the plane?” she ventured to ask.
“Yes,” he admitted. “She’s got money in these works so I had to, because she told me to, but it was a hurry-up job just on the outside. It’s hardly dry yet, but that flying fool couldn’t wait.”
“She did appear to be in a hurry,” the girl remarked.
Roberta didn’t say so, but he had given her the information she wanted. They had not taken time to go over the inside of the machine and it was possible that the signal buzzer174 would be heard by someone. The girl wanted awfully to ask Wat where they were, but decided against being too inquisitive.
“I see the kid, Natell, over on the hill. Guess it’s time you got something more to eat,” he told her.
“That would be welcome,” Roberta replied with a smile. She started toward the young Indian girl, but Wat called.
“I say, Miss Langwell!”
“Yes.” She turned about.
“Thought I’d tell you it’s about three hundred miles, air line, to the nearest coast.”
“Three hundred miles!” she exclaimed in dismay.
“Yah, kind of a long stretch when you figure doing it on a raft fer instance, or a canoe,&rdqu............