CHAPTER III
Tropic Storm
High above the sapphire mirror of the Caribbean, Terry kept her plane ina southwesterly course. The sun was a pitiless ball of flame that sentout long fingers of fire. It was tropic weather.
Above them Allan's plane was soaring ahead now. The sight of Joe Arnoldat Havana had made them fear an attack, and the four flyers werewatching to see whether a third plane was following them.
Leaving the islands behind they flew out over the sea, a great expanseof deep blue and purple water.
Suddenly Prim called to her sister. "Look Terry, there's land overthere, away to the left."
"Yes, I see," answered Terry. But she was watching the horizon withanxious eyes. That dark purplish mass looked to her like a low-lyingcloud. There was something unnatural about it. Its color was changingrapidly to a reddish hue.
"I don't like the looks of it, Prim," called Terry. "See how the lightis changing."
A reddish haze had spread over the whole sky, the sun appeared like agreat disc of hot metal. The sight was weird and menacing.
"What's the matter, Terry? Is it a storm?" Prim asked.
"Yes, a tropic storm. We've got to race it. Where are the boys?" Primleaned over the cowling and strained her eyes to the sky, but thatstrange and terrifying haze had blotted out the other plane. Terrycircled and banked in an effort to find their friends. Then, opening thethrottle wide, the girl sent her plane straight before the storm. It washer only chance. If she could out-race that storm, she would be saved.
Sending her plane ahead and in a gradual rise, the girl tried to getabove the haze. These tropical storms often covered only a small area,but very soon she realized that the cloud was coming on and risingfaster than her plane.
Below them the sea was still visible, a dull lead color now withgreenish tipped white-caps. The wind had not reached the plane yet andthe girls hoped that they might be able to keep ahead of the tempest.
Then it came, first with a gust that made the little ship bob and danceabout. Terry knew this was only the beginning. The storm was upon them!The next deep breath of the hurricane would threaten their lives withits fury. Terry held her plane to the only course she dared to take. Shewas racing for dear life!
The throb of the motor told that the engine was being strained to thelimit of its power. There was no time to lose. If the girls were toescape destruction, they must take that chance.
When the full force of the tempest struck the plane, it was tossed aboutlike a straw in the wind. Under less experienced hands than Terry's theplane would have crashed. Terry could feel the craft being shaken as ifa mighty hand had taken it in its grip, as the gusts of wind struckvicious blows at the wings.
Terry's grim face was set with determination. But her hand on the stickshowed no sign of her fear, it did not tremble or lose its power tocontrol. She was glad now that her father had insisted on training herin all the stunts of the air, for there was no possible position thather plane would take that Terry had not put it into deliberately aboveher own flying field, and brought it out safely.
But this was altogether different. There she had _put_ the plane intothose dangerous positions, now she was being _forced_ into them and shenever knew what was coming next.
Terry knew the danger she was in but she felt no panic. Every nerve wastingling, every sense alert. She knew she was doing her best. Her headwas clear, her hand was steady and she kept the little plane, climbing,ever climbing.
The girl felt that _Skybird_ was fighting for life, with what seemedlike human intelligence. It shuddered and shook and it seemed to try toright itself after a gust of angry wind.
Prim clung to the cowling, terrified yet fascinated as she watched hersister. At times it seemed as if the plane had turned clear over, as ifit were going down in a tail spin, but the next moment Terry would bringit up for a second. It was a big fight.
"She'll win," thought Prim. "She's wonderful!"
Only for a second did Terry lose hope of victory. There was a sputteringof the engine that her trained ear heard. It sent a chill to her heart.Her hand shook. She gave a frantic glance back to see if Prim had heardthat menacing sound. And that one look showed her a clear space in thedark masses.
The storm was passing. Terry held to the controls, praying that theengine would hold out until the wind ceased.
Suddenly Terry was able to put her plane into a steep climb that broughther above the storm. Coming out of that black cloud Terry saw Allan'splane ahead of her. She followed it, her heart singing for joy. A mistcame to her eyes as she realized that it was only by a miracle that bothplanes had gone through the storm and survived.
Terry signalled with the wings of her plane and was answered in the samemanner. She followed Allan's lead, hoping that her engine would not goback on her. At intervals she heard a sputter that terrified her, butnow the sky was clearing. She felt hopeful.
Allan finally headed east. This was strange. Terry looked at her compassand a frown came to her face. What was Allan doing? He was going far outof his way. At last she understood. Away in the distance was an island.He was going to land. She wondered if he were having engine trouble.
Terry did not dare to open her throttle wide. Any extra strain might beher undoing. But, as she neared the small island the plane ahead banked,circled and signalled, then went into a dive for landing on the far sideof the island.
Terry tried to follow but the engine was sputtering once more. She madea long dive which brought her amphibian into the water at the near sideof the island. There was a broad strip of sand and Terry sent her planecutting through the spray on to the beach.
"We're safe!" cried Prim as she nimbly stepped from the cockpit,followed by her sister. "Wasn't that an awful storm?"
"It's just luck that we're alive. Now let's go over and see the boys. Itlooks as if they might be having engine trouble, too," replied Terry.
After making fast their plane by a rope to a palm tree at the water'sedge, the two girls scrambled up over the rocky ridge to the low summit.The island was narrow at this end and soon they were looking straightdown upon a sheltered cove where the boys had landed and saw theamphibian floating on the water. A launch shot out from the shore andwhen it reached the plane, several bundles were dropped into the boat bythe aviator, who then got out of the plane and was taken ashore.
The girls looked at each other, distress on their faces.
"We've followed a plane, but it's the wrong one!" cried Terry. "What astupid thing to do! Prim, how can you ever trust me again?"
"But _I_ thought it was Allan and Syd, too," replied Prim. "Never mind,these men will help us fix our plane and we'll be off in an hour ortwo."
With a wave of his hand the aviator started upward toward the summitwhere the girls stood.
"He seems to be friendly," commented Terry. "But let's wait here togreet him. How he'll laugh when I tell him that I thought I wasfollowing another plane." The girls waited at the summit until thestranger came up the winding trail. As they heard his footsteps Terrymoved forward to speak, then grabbed Prim's arm with a nervous grip. Theman had come out on the summit and was staring at them with a triumphantgrin. His eyes were glittering with a fierce and cruel light that madethe cast in his eye more pronounced. It added to the sinister look inhis face. The man facing them was Joe Arnold!
A moment later the girls gasped with dismay for their old enemy, BudHyslop, came shambling up the trail.
"Well, look who's here!" said Bud and added sarcastically, "this _is_ apleasant surprise!"
But Joe silenced his rough-neck follower with a scowl and a low snarl."Don't get funny. Shut up!"
Joe Arnold, with menace in his voice, addressed the girls, "Why did youcome here?" he demanded. "What do you want?"
Terry stammered for a second then answered: "I was having trouble withmy engine after that storm and I knew I'd have to come down, so Ifollowed you here."
Joe stared a
t the girl and shrugged his shoulders. "That sounds fishy tome. I think you're trying to spy on me. What brought you away downhere?"
"We're on a vacation," answered Terry. "We are on our way to the CanalZone."
Joe Arnold watched the girls contemptuously. "I don't believe you!" hesaid. "I think you came here to watch me." Suddenly he turned to Bud."Go on down there and see what's the matter with Terry's plane."
"But I'd rather fix my own plane. I'm used to it and can fix it in aminute. I know exactly what's the matter."
"No! Let Bud go as I told him! You stay here!" There was a note ofcommand that frightened the girls. Prim touched Terry's arm and saidsoftly. "Careful Terry, don't make him angry."
Terry gave her sister a grateful smile. She turned to Arnold and askedpleasantly. "Did you get into that storm?"
"No, I knew too much to let that happen. I saw your plane go into it andthought you were done for," he answered.
"How did you avoid it?" asked Terry.
"I was flying high, fifteen thousand feet. It never touched me. Thestorm was all below me. I'm used to these hurricanes and I can usuallyguess about how far the storm extends."
"I tried to get above it, but I didn't go far enough." Terry waswatching Joe's face while she was talking. Would he guess that she wascarrying an important paper for Peter Langley? Would she be able to keepit hidden where he could not find it?
Now it was safely sewn once more in the lining of her flying coat butthat was not a good hiding place if he thought to search her.
A sudden shout from the harbor sent Joe Arnold hurrying down the trail.Then he turned back. "Stay right where you are," he ordered the girls.On second thought he said. "No, go on down the trail ahead of me."
"But I don't want to go!" flared Terry.
"If you're wise you'll do as I say!" Without another word he thrust thegirls ahead of him toward the beach.
Terry went without any further argument. For suddenly it had occurred toher that she might learn something of Joe Arnold's schemes if shepretended, to be friendly with him and didn't make him angry.
At the harbor a gang of blacks were loading a boat, preparing to take itto the plane. Pedro, the chief was over six feet tall, wore only a loincloth and looked half savage. This giant was watching his men, who wereworking for Joe Arnold. Pedro seemed to have a few words of English buthe spoke to his men in a mixture of Spanish and his own language.
"What terrible looking savages!" whispered Prim. "They look as if theymight be cannibals."
Terry laughed to conceal her fear. "I could even stand having a cannibalaround if I were sure that Allan and Syd had come through the storm.They were flying higher than we were but I'm afraid they weren't highenough, even then."
Terry was looking about her taking stock of the camp, which was composedof mud huts, and several shacks that had evidently been built recently.On the trail loomed a tall, weathered rock. Terry was pointing out toher sister a great crevice in this stone and explaining the formation ofthat wide fissure when Joe Arnold turned and saw her. His face flushedangrily. He gave a final order to the black leader and then signalledthe girls to precede him up the trail.
"This is no place for you, after all. I shouldn't have brought you downhere where those savages could see you. They belong to a fierce tribe ofnatives living in the clearings in the jungle. Pedro, the chief, thatbig fellow, lives in one of my mud huts down there, so you'd better keepaway." Joe Arnold was nervous and stammered as he talked.
As they reached the summit once more Terry took a good look at him, andsaw that he was agitated.
"Evidently there is something down there that he doesn't want us tosee," whispered Terry to Prim as soon as she could do so without Joehearing her. "When I was interested in that big fissure in the rock, hewas scared stiff. I'd like to find out what he's got down there that hedoesn't want me to see. I'm going to find out! Just watch me!"
"Please don't, Terry! What do you care about his affairs? We've gottroubles enough as it is. How are we ever going to get away from here?How will we fly to Peru with Dad's papers? My head is whirling withproblems and all I want to do is to get out of this jam as quickly aspossible." Prim ceased whispering as Joe came closer.
Terry was looking toward her plane. Bud Hyslop was busily testing themotor. The girl could not bear the idea that Bud should touch _Skybird_.
"If you don't mind, I think I'd like to do my own repair work, Mr.Arnold," said Terry with as polite a smile as she could muster. "I'vealways done my own overhauling and somehow, I'd rather attend to itmyself. It's very kind of you to want to be so helpful, but please tellBud to leave my plane alone."
As she started toward the beach where _Skybird_ was standing, Joe Arnoldstepped ahead of her. "Now don't bother yelling and carrying on forthere is no one around to hear you except some savages and they are mymen. I'm boss here, and I tell you to keep quiet. I'm giving that planeto Bud Hyslop. It's his from now on."
"You're giving him _my_ plane!" stormed Terry. "You have no right to dothat!"
"Is that _so_? Well, I'm taking the right!"
"But what about us? How can we get away?" cried Prim, almost in tears."If you take our plane, we've got to stay here."
"That's it exactly!" Joe sneered. "Here you stay until I get ready tolet you go."
He stared at them coldly then turned and walked away.