Billings felt his anger rise during Cosgrave’s confession, and for a little time he could think of nothing but punishing the man. With his jaw set hard, he looked straight into Cosgrave’s eyes, trying to see through to his very soul, to discover if all he had confessed was the truth. Cosgrave’s gaze never wavered, and Billings at last decided that Cosgrave had done no harm and all was right with the plane.
CHAPTER VI
THE FLIGHT IS ON
TO the two men in the cockpit of the monoplane, the tense drama of hours had been packed into those few seconds of the take-off.
As the Skipper very carefully opened the throttle, the engine took hold and the plane gathered headway. The soggy condition of the field after the rain seemed to hold them back. They could feel the wheels of the undercarriage sinking deep into the sod and the mud. Jack was conscious for a fleeting second of the lights of parked cars reflected in numberless puddles along the course.
The roar of the engine increased. They rolled faster and faster. The Skipper sat tense watching his instruments, with an occasional quick glance ahead.
They were rolling still faster now, gathering speed, and from the corner of his eye Jack saw the Skipper push the control stick forward to get the tail off the ground. Striking uneven spots in the field, the big plane rocked gently. Still it seemed to drag. But always their speed increased over the ground.
They were half way down the field, with still not enough momentum to lift their heavy load from the earth.
Three-quarters of the way down the field, and no tendency to spring away from the rain-soaked ground!