“That would take too much time.”
“Not more than an extra half hour,” countered the army man. “Look at this map.”
They bent over the map on the table and the army officer pointed out what he considered Tim’s best route for the return flight to Atkinson.
“You’ll have to swing to the east of the hills,” he said, “But your flight will be over level country and you’ll have a chance if anything goes wrong.”
“I believe you’re right,” agreed Tim. “The last thing I’m looking for tonight is a crack-up.”
An orderly came in to announce that Tim’s plane was ready for the return trip.
Captain Nugent put on a heavy coat and accompanied Tim to the runway. The Good News, outlined in the field’s floodlights, was waiting for Tim, motor idling.
Captain Nugent climbed up to the forward cockpit and made a thorough inspection of the contents. Satisfied that everything was ship-shape, he dropped back to the ground.
“You’ve got an even dozen demolition bombs,” he told Tim. “The men didn’t have time to rig a bomb rack on your plane but they did the next best thing. They put the 'eggs’ in a hammock that will carry them without danger unless you happen to crack-up.”
“Pleasant prospect,” smiled Tim.