Allison was swaying just a little. Stan tensed himself to leap backward and roll behind the tree. Suddenly, there was a blazing rattle of machine gunfire from the green wall of the jungle close by. The Jap officer spun around and tumbled to the ground. Two of his men went down and the others scattered. They opened fire but Stan did not wait to offer a target. He plunged behind the tree and brought up hard against Allison.
Peering out, they saw a figure emerge from the woods. A high, wild yell rose into the hot jungle air. Bill O’Malley was rushing upon the Japs with a submachine gun spitting fire at them!
The charging O’Malley was too much for the Japanese. They broke and plunged for the cover of the jungle. Stan leaped out and caught up a rifle.
“Get to the ship! Don’t wait to fight! Run for it!” Allison shouted behind him.
Gripping the gun, Stan sprinted for the ship. Allison was close behind him. Stan went up and into the pilot’s seat. He rammed the throttle knob up and the twin motors roared to life. The Martin shook and strained at its brakes. Stan reached down and gave Allison a hand as he kicked off one brake and wheeled the bomber around.
“Forward guns!” Stan shouted.
O’Malley was planted halfway between the plane and the jungle, potting away and shouting. The Japs, hidden in the dense growth, had recovered from their first panic and were sniping at him with their rifles.
Allison opened up with a blast from the forward guns of the Martin. The shells screamed into the tops of the jungle trees. O’Malley tossed aside his machine gun and ran to the plane. As he sprang into the compartment, Stan headed the plane out into the field for a take-off.
The Martin lifted and Stan swung it around. With the bomber in the air, he could nose down over the jungle and strafe the Japanese hiding there. He was nosing in when he sighted a car moving swiftly along a narrow road. It was the new Chrysler.
Stan laid over and went down after the car. As he roared down upon it, he saw men spill out and tumble into the bushes beside the road. Allison opened up, and, as they left, Stan saw that the car had been smashed to a twisted mass of wreckage.