A great silence had fallen over the jungle. From far away came the scream of a parrot. Mary’s low-spoken words scarcely broke the silence:
“I have orders to guard this plane until the man who flies it returns. He’ll be back in a half hour. If you’ve come from China you might like a cup of coffee.”
“Preposterous!” The older man’s face purpled.
The younger man took another step forward but this time Mary did not retreat. She just stood there looking him squarely in the eye as she said, “Why so preposterous? What does this mean, your swooping down like this? I haven’t been long in the Orient and I’m only a girl but all this seems strange and,—irregular.”
“Irregular!” the older man stormed. “You can’t run a war in this country in what you call a regular way. You must sometimes act in a hurry. China cannot wait, so please step aside.”
“I am remaining where I am,” she declared stoutly. “Anyway, I don’t have the key to the plane. I may be right, then again I may be wrong. If I am wrong, I may lose my wings but you’ll have to come and take me if you want the cargo of this plane.” Outwardly Mary was calm but inside, she was all atremble.
The younger man’s lips twitched. “Such stupidity!” he muttered, as his hand slipped toward a something that showed black beneath his belt. Mary trembled but did not move.
At that instant there came a sound from behind the plane. “Who can that be?” Mary asked herself. Her heart gave a great leap as she heard a thin voice say:
“I got me a tommy gun. I can shoot him very good. Wanna see?”
Before Mary could stop him Hop Sing sent out a burst of fire that burned the air above the four men’s heads.