As the girls said goodbye to her, Sally called out: “Next year Terry Mapes, I’ll race you to Peru!”
It was a glorious morning, the sun was just rising as Terry sent her plane into the air and headed south. There were no last minute delays.
Now it remained for Terry and Prim to reach Peru, find old Peter Langley and convince him that he was mistaken and make him want to sell Dick the property. And in Terry’s mind there was no doubt that she could accomplish it.
Below them was a vast stretch of fertile country with streams, lakes and broad green valleys. And high in the air, Terry's hand at the controls felt the spring of her little plane and was certain that Skybird was thrilling at the adventure.
Terry held the plane down to a steady speed, hour after hour, only changing the monotony by diving to a lower level or rising to greater heights. They were following along the general line of the airway. They could pick out the landing fields and see the position of the great beacons that would flash at night to guide the flyer to the hangars on the ground.
Terry and Prim had decided to stay all night at the Waverly Field, far to the south. That meant steady flying all day, only coming down to refuel at long jumps.
They saw the lights of the Waverly Field a full half hour before they expected to be there. “Shall we go on?” asked Terry through the earphones. “We can easily reach the next landing field before dark.”
“No, let’s stay here. You look tired and besides I like the looks of this pleasure beach,” replied Prim.
Terry put Skybird into a steep spiral, leveled and circled the field and then put the plane neatly down on the ground.
Little did the girls think as they were greeted by the manager of the flying field that this was where their troubles would begin. That before they reached Peter Langley’s mine they were to face an enemy who was desperate with greed and hate. And that at times the girls would despair of escaping with their lives!