“Some grand little bus,” he told them.
“You bet. Where can we take you?”
“To Albany. We got to get the mail there too,” the pilot informed them and the brothers glanced at each other. Her Highness would certainly carry the three of them and some freight, but whether she was capable of such a load was another matter. “The mail must get through,” the pilot repeated. “We’ll try it,” Jim responded.
“One of you fellows might stay here,” the pilot suggested.
“That won’t be necessary,” Jim said quickly. Taking the mail to Albany would be a task, but coming back to find the one left behind would be an all night’s job. Anyway, Her Highness had never been pressed into service for such an emergency and he was determined to leave nothing behind if that could be avoided. The mail man was already dragging bags from the pile. Luckily none of them were very bulky and the three set to work to fit them into the freight compartment. That full, what was left was stored in the extra passenger seat.
“I’ll sit back there,” Bob offered. “I’m smallest.”
“All right,” Jim agreed. He was rather glad the younger boy had made the suggestion. Caldwell had piloted Her Highness through her latest hazard and must be fagged. “Pile in.” He took a moment to inspect the strip he would follow in the take-off, then leaped to his own seat. The third air-man was beside him.
“I’m much obliged to you lads for what you did for me tonight,” he said. “You don’t know what a relief it was to see you tearing to help me. Had an idea that your backs were turned in my direction and didn’t hope that you had seen me.”
“I was watching you as we went along. We were about a mile over, so of course we came back,” Jim replied casually. “Glad we were able to get to you in time.”
Further conversation was impossible, for the boy opened the throttle and Her Highness roared. The engine ran smoothly, the machine started, but it seemed to Jim as if she would never lift. He could see the pines leaping toward them, then up went her nose and she was off the ground, soared laboriously and dangerously close to the trees, then began to climb. That part accomplished, Austin was relieved, and he concentrated on the long grill ahead of him. He wished that he had discussed the course with this man who must know every inch of air along his route, but the whole affair had taken but a short time. The excitement had driven a great many things from his mind, so now he began to calculate his course, tracing it on the map. In coming up from Texas the boys had stopped off to see the capital city and its twin across the river. He could depend upon the pilot to direct him to the proper field, so coming down would be all right.