“The Doctor wont let me ride back there,” she said without emotion. “I wanted to be near my daddy all the time, but he wont let me. I’ll have to ride up here.”
“You’d better climb down,” Nick replied hurriedly. “There’s no telling what may happen to this plane—we may all be killed. I don’t want you on board if we crash.”
The girl looked up at him gravely, but made no move to get out of the cockpit.
“Hurry!” Nick ordered. “It’s almost dark and I’ve got to get away from here! I can’t take you.”
“I wont get out,” she said, without raising her voice. “My daddy is in this airplane and I’m going to stay near him. If we—if we have an accident and all get killed—well, I’m not going to get out, anyhow!”
“Listen, girl,” Nick snapped, “I haven’t got time to listen to the whims of anybody! I’m trying to save your father’s life. Now you get back there on the ground—and get there in a hurry! It’s getting dark!”
“I wont! You’ll have to throw me out! My father will need me when we get to the hospital, and this is the only way I can get there.” She began to sob. “Anyway,”—she looked at him pitifully,—“anyway, he’s my papa and—and—”
“All right,” said Nick, as gently as his temper would permit; “but get that safety belt around you.” He helped her fasten the safety belt around her waist. “I don’t want any of my passengers thrown out on their necks when we turn over.”
He made a last inspection of the plane, then unbuckled his own belt and climbed to the ground. He let the air out of both tires, so that they were almost entirely deflated, and presented a flat cushion to the mud.
“Almost forgot that!” He grinned at the waiting men. “All ready? Now for God’s sakes push!”