“One moment, my son,” De Richleau persisted, dragging the hose outside the hangar.
“The ladder! What shall I do with it?” came Marie Lou’s voice.
“Shove it clear of the ’plane,” Rex called back softly.
From her seat beside Simon she gave the ladder a push. There was a loud clang as it struck the corrugated-iron side of the hangar. It shattered the silence like a blow on a giant gong.
“That’s torn it,” said Rex, angrily. “For God’s sake come on.” De Richleau clambered hastily up beside him.
With straining ears they listened for the sound of running feet. It did not seem possible that such a sound should pass unnoticed, but nothing stirred.
“All set?” cried Rex, loudly. There was an answering cry from Simon and the girl in the back. “Praises be she’s the latest thing in ’planes with an electric starter,” he added to the Duke, but the latter part of his sentence was lost in the roar of the engine. In the corrugated-iron hangar the noise reverberated like thunder — the ’plane remained quite stationary.
“Can’t you start her?” yelled the Duke, apprehensively, in Rex’s ear.
“Sit tight!” Rex bawled back.
The roar of the engine drowned every other noise, but in the distance, on the right, squares of light showed where the hut doors were being thrown open, and against the light little figures could be seen hurrying forward.