“Nothing. These people, like gremlins, gnomes, or something, are going to do it for us. They’ll get the plane back on the road. That’s what they’re doing now.” The plane gave a sudden lurch.
“And then?”
“Then some of them will pull and push the plane down the road while the women and children remove enough turnips and earth from the airfield to make us a runway.”
“And then we’ll fuel up and take off. How sweet!”
“Yes, if the Japs don’t come. Our journey’s end is only two hundred miles away.”
“And if the Japs come?”
“We’ll fight. These Chinese have arms. We’ve got two machine guns. We’ll put up a good scrap.” The big plane with its precious cargo tilted back to the road bed. Then, slowly, yard by yard it rolled down the half mile to the airfield.
There, by the sense of touch alone, since no lights could be allowed, Sparky felt his way across the prepared runway, and Mary supervised the refueling of the plane, and all the time, Hop Sing was pouring into her ears stories of his people’s courage and heroism.
“Oh!” she breathed at last. “I do hope we can make it. I don’t know what it’s all about but I do know that it will mean a great deal to these noble, fighting Chinese.”
At last all was ready.