CHAPTER XVIII
The Sky Wagon
The Sky Wagon climbed out of the valley at Bontoc and Rick set a coursefor Banaue. He took his pad and wrote a note to his friends, tellingthem of his conversation with Colonel Rojas and of the trick Lazada hadpulled. He wrapped the note around a wrench and tied it with a piece ofstring.
Behind him, Chahda was busy with the bags for the cable pickup. He hadalready removed the hatch. He tied the bags in two bundles and put themin a handy place, to be tossed to the Spindrift group, then he got intothe seat next to Rick.
"We pick up stuff, even though constabulary coming to rescue?"
Rick nodded. "The plane can do nothing but scare the Ifugaos off. Thatwouldn't prevent them from trying to capture the golden skull, anyway.And even after troops land, that stuff is too valuable and too tempting.Don't forget Lazada is on the scene. He could take over from thetroopers and they wouldn't dare say no."
"True," Chahda agreed. "Better we get it. What you thinking about thisdeal with Lazada? Why does Nangolat trust him? And what does he want?"
"You told us the answers in Baguio," Rick reminded him. "Lazada toldNangolat he couldn't refuse a permit--which we never got, by theway--but that he would hinder us in other ways. Nangolat thinks Lazadais his friend, all right. Lazada must have told him that our real planswere to carry off the golden skull, probably to America. And why?"
"Because Lazada wants Ifugaos to massacre us after we have locatedskull," Chahda said. "That way, no witness. Dead men not telling storieson witness stand. Then Lazada and Nast shoot poor Nangolat and takestuff. Or something like that."
"Nice people," Rick commented.
The Sky Wagon was crossing the ridge. Soon they would be back on thescene. Chahda got into the rear seat, ready to throw the message andbags out through the access hatch.
"Wait until I signal," Rick reminded him, and put the Sky Wagon into adive. He followed the road for a distance, then saw the truck and usedthat for a landmark. As he flashed past the Spindrift refuge he saw thatthe Ifugao warriors were in a semicircle around the edge of the meadow.Apparently the siege was still on. Now to drop the message. He gaugedhis distance and altitude. He wanted to be sure the message landedwithin reach.
"Get ready," he called, and circled until he was headed directly at therecess. When a crash into the terrace wall seemed imminent he yelled,"Now," and zoomed up into a screaming wing over. When he circled again,Tony and Scotty were reading the message.
The second time around, Chahda dropped the bags. Then there was a waitwhile Scotty and Angel set up the pickup poles.
The Ifugaos were obviously curious, nor were they the only ones. Ricksaw Lazada, Nast, and the rest of their party emerge from the villageand walk to a place on the terrace just beyond the meadow. They couldnot be seen by anyone within the recess, but they could watch what wasgoing on in the meadow.
Scotty knew that Rick could not make pickups while flying toward therecess, so he was setting up the poles in such a way that Rick could flyparallel to the terrace wall in which the recess was located.
The pickup was very simple. Each bag was attached to a circle of cableabout eight feet in diameter. When ready for pickup, the bag was put onthe ground between the two poles and its cable was placed on angle ironsat the tops of the poles. The cable was not anchored. The only purposeof the poles was to lift the cable far enough off the ground forconvenient pickup.
Soon the first bag was in place and Scotty and Tony retired to therecess to watch. Rick pushed a button on his control board and the cablein the rear of the plane unwound. It was heavy, woven steel, terminatingin a weighted six-inch hook.
Rick knew from many previous pickups the altitude at which to fly. Hecircled for the run, dropped to the correct altitude, and glued theplane's nose on the poles. The Sky Wagon passed over the poles, and thehook on its cable caught the cable stretched between the poles. Thatcable slid off the supports. The fast-moving plane took up the slack andthe bag of artifacts was jerked from the ground. A touch of the buttonand the electric motor reeled it in. Chahda pulled the bag through thehatch, unhooked it, and put it in the luggage compartment. They wereready for another run.
Tony had dug up enough stuff for seven bags. That was a lot ofartifacts. Each time Rick asked, "Was that one the skull?" And Chahdawould shake his head.
The seventh bag was the skull. Rick was sure because of theclasped-hands wave Scotty gave him, and because Tony did not retreatinto the recess. As Rick turned for his run he saw the sleek form of amilitary plane slip past. Help had arrived. He sighed his relief andheld up his run to watch. The plane buzzed the Ifugaos and dropped acontainer with streamers attached. An Ifugao--Rick thought it wasNangolat--ran to get it.
Rick could imagine what the note said. "Do not attempt further harm tothe Americans or your village will be bombed." Or some similar threat.Nangolat might not like it, but he would obey.
"Here we go," Rick said. He put the Sky Wagon on course and held itsteady. The poles passed from sight and there was a strong jerk on theplane. That skull was heavy.
"Bag tearing! Reel in!" Chahda yelled.
Rick pushed the button and the winch whined, then suddenly screamed asthe load was released. Gone! The skull was gone! He swung in a verticalbank just in time to see Nast lift the bag to his shoulder. Rick poundedthe seat beside him with helpless rage!
The golden skull had fallen within reach of Nast and Lazada; it was inthe hands of the enemy. Rick swung in a tight circle and saw them run tothe station wagon and climb in.
"They waste no time," Chahda said bitterly. "That Lazada, he move fast."
"We'll never see that skull again," Rick muttered. "What rotten luck!"
The Hindu boy's face tightened with determination. "We get that skullback. Rick, fly to Bontoc. Open throttle wide and let us go!"
"There's nothing we can do at Bontoc," Rick objected. "No one there, orin Baguio either, would dare question Lazada."
"Go to Bontoc," Chahda urged. "Leave this to me, Rick. Chahda will takeover."
"But what can you do?"
"I will know when the chance comes. You and Scotty will be ready.Somehow, some place, we will get our chance--and the golden skull willbe ours again!"