Produced by Al Haines.
"It was as though the mighty concussion had blown a holein the universe."--_Page_ 245.]
THE PHANTOM AIRMAN
BY
ROWLAND WALKER
AUTHOR OF "DASTRAL OF THE FLYING CORPS," "DEVILLE McKEENE, THE BRITISH ACE," ETC, ETC.
S. W. PARTRIDGE & Co. 4, 5 & 6, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W.1
MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN _First Published_ 1920 _Frequently reprinted This Impression issued_ 1931
*CONTENTS*
CHAPTER
I. The Secret of the Schwarzwald II. The Wonder 'Plane III. "Tempest" of the Aerial Police IV. A Midnight Consultation V. The Aerial Liner VI. An Up-to-Date Cabin Boy VII. A Duel with Words VIII. Sons of the Desert IX. The Phantom Bird X. The Brigand of the Eastern Skies XI. The Air-King's Tribute XII. The Maharajah's Choice XIII. The Missing Airship XIV. Betrayed by the Camera XV. Diamond cut Diamond XVI. The Ghostly Visitant XVII. The Watchers XVIII. "Live Wires" XIX. The Devil's Workshop XX. "Hands Up!" XXI. The Coming Fight XXII. An Aerial Duel
*THE PHANTOM AIRMAN*
*CHAPTER I*
*THE SECRET OF THE SCHWARZWALD*
Rittmeister Heinrich von Spitzer, late flight-commander in the GermanAir Service, was one of the Prussian irreconcilables, who, rather thansubmit to the peace terms enforced by the Allies after the defeat ofGermany, resolved to become an aerial brigand, an outlaw of the nations,and to wage a bitter warfare of violence and plunder against his lateenemies.
His proud spirit refused to bend before the conquerors, for the ironshaft of defeat had embittered his soul, particularly against Britain,whom he had ever regarded as the evil genius of the Entente.
One day, when his plans were well matured, he unburdened his spirit to acouple of his friends, kindred souls, men after his own heart, both ofthem apt pupils of the great Richthofen, who was still referred to byhis disciples as "the red airman." They had been engaged that day indismantling an aerodrome on the edge of the Schwarzwald; to them, atleast, a hateful job.
"Comrades," he said, "this peace has ruined us. _Germania delenda est_,but I will not sit still amid the ruins of the Fatherland. Glorious wehave lived, like kings of the air; let us not inglorious die."
"I am with you, Rittmeister. I will follow you to the gulfs," exclaimedone of his companions, named Carl, who had been a famous scout pilot inthe Richthofen "circus," and the lightning flashed from the youngairman's eyes as he spoke.
"But what can we do against the empires of the world?" asked a Gothapilot who had raided the English towns a score of times.
For answer the chief turned a withering look upon the last speaker andsaid:--
"Max, you have faced death a hundred times in the air, and over theBritish lines. You have thirty enemy machines to your credit, and yetyou ask me what can we do?"
"What of it, Rittmeister? Tell us what is in your mind."
"Listen, then, both of you, and I will tell you what still remains forbrave men to do. All is not lost while courage and hope remain," andwhilst he spoke the German chief drew his two friends away from thehalf-dismantled aerodrome on the southern edge of the Schwarzwald, to anarrow path that led amongst the trees.
When the aerodrome was hid from view he began to speak once more,huskily at first, as though restraining some pent up excitement.
"I am in possession of a secret," he said, "which I may not tell even toyou unless you first swear to follow me on some great adventure."
They both looked at him, not a little amazed and bewildered, and neitherspoke for a moment.
"I have chosen you," continued Spitzer, "because I know you to be men ofdaring and resource. You are both dissatisfied with the condition ofthings in the Fatherland. Ach Himmel! This occupation of the sacredGerman soil by the Britisher, the Frenchman and the American is breakingmy heart. I will endure it no longer, but I will strike a blow at theenemy before I die."
As he spoke thus, he almost hissed out the words which he uttered, forhis voice had now lost its strange huskiness, while his eyes gleamedlike the fierce glittering orbs of the tiger about to make its springfrom the hidden jungle. Nor was his present madness without its visibleeffect upon his two companions, for he had strange powers of magneticinfluence, this Prussian Junker.
"Donner and Blitz, but you are right, Rittmeister!" exclaimed Carl, theblood mounting to his temples.
"And you, Max, what say you?" and the chief fixed the Gotha pilot withhis eyes.
"Ja! ja!" he assented. "I am with you also."
"But the end of this adventure is death!" continued von Spitzer,speaking now more deliberately. "This much I must tell you in allfairness before I proceed further. However much we achieve--and we shallaccomplish not a little--there can be no other ending."
"Bah! we have looked too often into the face of that monster to beafraid," returned the scout.
"You speak truly, Carl," replied the chief. "When your machine went downin flames near Cambrai, you passed so close to me that I stalled myFokker to let you pass, and I saw the smile upon your lips that day asyou looked into the face of death. I never expected to see you aliveagain, but you were saved for this."
Then, amid the gloom of the dark aisles of the Schwarzwald, these twomen swore to follow their chief on this last great adventure, as theyhad followed him during the darkest days of the war.
"And now I will tell you the secret which I hold, and which at presentis known only to two other men," said the Rittmeister, and, sitting downabout the gnarled roots of an upturned tree, the two airmen listened tothe following story:
"You have heard me sometimes speak of a great mathematician andengineer, by name one Professor Weissmann," began von Spitzer.
"Yes, we have heard of him," replied the others.
"He is the greatest living scientist; moreover, he is a practicalengineer, and during the last four years he has devoted his timeentirely to designing, constructing and perfecting with his own hands,assisted by one other mechanic, a wonderful aeroplane, compared to whichneither the Allies nor the Central Powers have anything to approximate."
"Donnerwetter, but why wasn't it ready before?" exclaimed Max. "Itmight have turned the tide of battle in the autumn of 1918."
"It's no use crying over spilt milk," replied the chief. "It could notbe completed before."
"And you say that this wonderful machine is now ready," interposed Max,who had flown every type of machine from a single-seater scout to aheavy bomber, and whose professional curiosity had now been thoroughlyawakened by the words of the German ace.
"It is ready, and what is more to the point, it is at my disposal,"returned the chief briefly.
"Der Teufel! But where is it?"
"I can lead you to it, for it is less than three miles from where we sitat the present moment."
"Himmel!" exclaimed both the pilots, springing to their feet. "Take usto see it, Rittmeister; we have given you our promise."
"Be calm, my friends; you shall see it to-day. But let me put you onyour guard. You must not speak of it aloud, but only in whispers, forthe secret of this machine is jealously guarded, and its whereabouts isunknown, save to the professor, his assistant and myself."
"Has it ever been flown?" ventured Max.
"Yes."
"Who was the pilot?"
"I was."
&nb
sp; "You, Rittmeister?" exclaimed the amazed airmen.
"Yes."
"And you are satisfied at her performances?" asked Carl, gazingsteadfastly into the eyes of his chief.
"More than satisfied. She is the most wonderful and responsive thing Ihave ever flown. You will say the same when you have seen her, and madea trip or two."
"Phew! take us to see her now; I would give ten years of my life to flyin her," said Max, who was getting almost feverish in his anxiety to seethis wonderful thing and to handle her controls; for such is the lure ofthe air, especially to those who have climbed into the azure and sailedamongst the clouds in the days of their youth.
"You shall fly in her," replied Spitzer.
"When?" asked the eager youth.
"When we start our great adventure," replied the chief.
"And when will that be?"
"To-morrow, if you are willing; all our plans are laid."
"Why to-morrow?" asked the others simultaneously.
"Because delay is dangerous. There is always the danger that thissecret, so jealously guarded, and hidden away in the depth of the BlackForest, may be discovered. You know that Germany, under the Peaceterms, is forbidden for the present to manufacture aircraft."
"Yes, yes; we know it only too well."
"Well, even now," continued von Spitzer, "the British Air Police havegot wind of the thing, and their agents are in a dozen different partsof Germany trying to fathom the mystery of this phantom aeroplane, butso far they have not succeeded. All the same, it is time for us to getaway, and that is why I have confided my plans to you to-day. Do youwish to withdraw?" and there was just a faint suspicion of a sneer inthe tone of the speaker's voice, as he said this.
"Withdraw? Ach Himmel, no, a thousand times no! I am ready to startto-day," flashed back the ruffled Carl as he replied.
"Gut!" grunted von Spitzer. "Then you shall see this wonderful thingto-night at sunset; I dare not take you there before, and to-morrow,ach! to-morrow, this great adventure will begin."