To the girls’ complete surprise Bruce now said, “Ned, how about your taking the controls?”
“I’d like to,” the Emerson student replied with a wink at the girl detective.
Nancy stared unbelievingly at the two of them. “Are you kidding?” she asked.
Ned now admitted that he too had been taking flying lessons. “I couldn’t let you get ahead of me!” he said to Nancy.
Ned proved to be an excellent pilot. When he brought the plane down smoothly on the flying school’s runway, both Bruce and Nancy praised him.
She added, “That really was a marvelous surprise, Ned, and you kept your secret well.”
Bruce drove them to the Hamilton ranch. Fortunately Pop Hamilton was near the entrance and heard their story. The rancher’s eyes opened wide in amazement.
“Something must be done at once!” he exclaimed. “We must remove those buried rifles and bombs and try to capture the sky phantom and his buddies!”
Bruce, who had stood by, now spoke up. “I’m sure all my instructor friends at the school would be glad to help.”
They discussed the best way to accomplish what they wanted to do. Several schemes were mentioned and discarded. It seemed to the flying group that the best way to catch the sky phantom was in the air.
Nancy said, “How about several planes surrounding the phantom flier when he comes? If he disappears into the cloud we can force him to surrender.”
Bruce and Ned thought this was an excellent idea, and finally Pop was convinced.
Getting into the spirit of the game he said, “We’ll start off at sunset.”
CHAPTER XIX
Surprise Attack
BRUCE made some phone calls to the flying school to arrange for the sunset flight. He talked confidentially with the manager and asked if he would be willing to let certain planes and the instructors go on the mission the next morning.
After a long conversation, he came back to Nancy, Ned, and Pop, smiling. “Everything is arranged,” he reported. “How about all you visitors going on the adventure?”
“That would be great,” Ned replied. “Here come our friends now.”
Bess, George, Burt, and Dave were just riding in. Walking behind them were two Brahman cows with their day-old calves. Pop and the others hurried forward to meet them.
As Bess slid from her pony, she said, “Aren’t they adorable?”
“They certainly are,” Nancy agreed.
She went up to one of the cows, patted her neck, then ran one hand up and down the calf’s nose. He eyed her shyly, ready to bolt if she should try to stroke any more of his body. Two cowhands appeared and took charge of the animals.
“We’ll put them in separate stalls for a little while,” Pop said.
George now asked what Nancy and Ned had discovered. When the group heard about the couple’s find, they were astounded.
“You actually uncovered rifles and bombs?” George asked incredulously.
Ned chuckled. He turned around and said, “Look at these heels of mine! They were my spade and rake.” There was no doubt that the deep scuff marks on Ned’s shoes had been made by hard digging.
Pop excused himself, asking Nancy to extend the invitation for the evening flight.
“We’re going somewhere tonight?” Bess asked.
Bruce repeated Pop’s offer. At once George, Burt, and Dave accepted.
Dave said, “I can hardly wait to help capture the villain and solve the mystery.
“Who do you suppose he’s going to turn out to be?” Burt questioned. “The sky phantom, or some political terrorist?”
Nancy confessed that all she had done so far was to eliminate suspects. “But within a few hours I hope we can catch the leader of the revolution,” she added.
“And is he the sky phantom, or is the sky phantom his pilot?” Burt asked.
“I’m sure we’ll soon find out,” Nancy replied.
All this time Bess had said nothing. Finally George prodded her cousin into giving an answer about going on the sleuthing trip.
“If you want the truth,” Bess said, “I’m scared to death. It sounds like war!” Then looking at Dave, she asked, “Do you want me to go?”
“I sure do,” he replied.
It took several seconds for Bess to make up her mind, but finally she agreed to accompany the others.
Nancy and Ned lingered behind the rest as they set out for the ranch house. The girl detective had whispered to Ned that she wanted to inquire about Chuck and Range. Both at the corral and the bunkhouse she was told that the two cowboys had not returned.
She and Ned did not comment until they were out of earshot of everyone else. Then Nancy said, “Do you suppose Chuck and Range are staying away on purpose to avoid all of us?”
Ned agreed this was possible, but said with a smile, “You mean Dave and Burt. But personally I’d rather Chuck and Range didn’t give in so easily. Running away from a problem isn’t going to solve it.”
No more was said on the subject. When the couple reached the ranch house, they separated to go to their rooms. Bess and George were already there. The blond girl was walking the floot and continuously running her hands through her hair.
George was a bit annoyed. “Oh Bess, for Pete’s sake, stop walking around and trying to pull out all your hair! You may need it!”
Bess eyed her unsympathetic cousin but did not answer her. Instead she turned to Nancy and asked, “If you were in the predicament I am in, what would you do about it?”
At once her young detective friend replied, “I’d have a good talk as soon as possible with the boy who’s the loser.”
Bess answered at once, “But how can I talk to Chuck if he isn’t here?”
Nancy smiled and George winked at her. “So you’ve decided on Dave?” Nancy asked. “That means you’re not going to stay out here and marry Chuck?”
Bess said this was right. She had thought the matter over and while she was very attracted to Chuck she had concluded that in the long run Dave would be a better companion for her.
Nancy and George felt relieved, and Nancy hugged Bess. “I’m glad,” she said, and went to take a shower.
But George asked teasingly, “Bess, when did Dave ask you to marry him?”
Bess blushed to the roots of her hair. “He has never asked me, and maybe he never will, but right now he is my favorite boy friend.”
George said, “Thank goodness.”
Nancy was the first one to reach the lobby at suppertime. Ned was already there, and they walked outside to the garden. At once she told him about Bess’s decision.
“I’d have felt pretty bad if she had decided against Dave,” he remarked.
Nancy suggested, “I think it’s best if Dave never finds out—or Burt either—how close Bess came to switching boy friends.”
Ned nodded, then looking straight into Nancy’s eyes, he added, “I’m glad you didn’t toss me over in favor of Bruce!”
Nancy burst out laughing. “Little chance of that,” she said. “Bruce has a lovely wife and an adorable baby!”
Ned chuckled too, then they walked back and went to the dining room. Conversation during the entire meal was about the upcoming trip.
At sunset the group gathered at the Excello field. Bruce, Nancy, Ned, and Pop were to occupy the plane that would lead the foray. The other couples were assigned to various craft.
After the rancher had taken his seat, he said to the others, “I have some news for all of you. After a great deal of trouble I got Ben Rall to talk.”
Pop said that Ben had indeed stolen the other cowboys’ money. He learned that the horse thieves were working for the man who had given him the ransom note. These men were supposed to cause all kinds of nuisances for Nancy’s group and were responsible for various mishaps, as Nancy had suspected.
“Ben was a willing tool, but was never told much,” Pop added.
Nancy asked, “Did Ben confess that he tried to kidnap me so I could be taken away?”
>
“Yes.”
“Does Ben know who the sky phantom is?” Nancy inquired.
“Not exactly,” Pop responded. “Ben declared that he does not know the name of the man who gave him the ransom note and to whom he was to deliver the money. He has never met the head of the gang. But he did find part of a torn message on the ground near the man’s plane. It said the hidden stuff would be picked up at dawn on the twenty-eighth.”
“That’s tomorrow morning!” Nancy exclaimed.
“Exactly,” the rancher agreed. “That’s why it’s a good thing we’re going out now. We’ll be ready for the sky phantom and his buddies.”
Ned looked a bit grim. “These revolutionists will probably be armed,” he said.
Pop admitted that they might be. “If there’s any shooting,” he said, “we’ll turn back.”
He now revealed that several deputy sheriffs were to be stationed around the area in case there was any trouble.
The six planes took off and followed Bruce, who was at the controls of the first plane. He led them to the scrubby land beneath the great cloud. The pilots had been instructed to form a circle when landing.
“I’m sure,” he said, “that if the sky phantom sees our craft on the ground, he’ll disappear into the great cloud. The rest of us will take off and surround him. Sooner or later he will have to come out and we’ll force him to land.”
There was bright moonlight, and Nancy and Ned decided to reconnoiter the vicinity. They carried bright searchlights with them and promised to return soon.
“First I’ll show you the cave where we found Major,” Nancy said and led the way.
They turned on their flashlights and went inside. Suddenly, somewhere ahead of them, they heard a low groan.
“Who’s there?” Ned called out.
Before an answer came, he and Nancy were grabbed from behind. Two men whose faces they could not see knocked the flashlights from their hands. They punched the couple so that they fell forward. Then the attackers pulled large sacks over their captives’ bodies.
Nancy and Ned struggled to get out, but it was hopeless. Both realized that the oxygen inside the bag would not last long. They would suffocate!
CHAPTER XX
The Sky Phantom
TIGHTLY wrapped in the stifling sacks, Nancy and Ned tried frantically to free themselves. Since they were not stopped, both wondered if their attackers had left. They could neither see nor hear anything.
“I must get out of here!” Nancy thought, becoming panicky.
It occurred to her that if she could not break out by using her fists and feet, she would have to pry herself loose from the cloth. Using her fingernails and her teeth, she began making holes in the covering.
Soon she had created an opening through which to breathe. At the same time Nancy began to worry about Ned.
Fortunately he had been tearing his way out of the sack just as she had. Soon each had torn a hole large enough to put his head through.
“Nancy! Are you all right?” Ned called out.
“Yes. And I’m so glad you are.”
Both continued to shred the cloth until the opening was wide and they could crawl out. They felt around the floor of the cave for the flashlights. To their relief, the mysterious attackers had not taken them.
For a few minutes Nancy and Ned had completely forgotten about the person who was groaning in the cave. Had the men who tied them up taken him away?
The couple listened. Presently they heard the groans again. Nancy beamed her searchlight ahead while Ned trained his behind him in order to prevent another surprise attack.
Soon Nancy’s light picked up the prone figure of a man trussed and gagged. He was lying on the floor at the rear of the cave. She and Ned hurried forward and quickly took off the gag.
Nancy recognized the person at once. “Roger Paine!” she exclaimed.
“Yes,” he said in a shaky voice. “I was captured and hidden. Today I was brought here by a man who has the same initials as mine. I don’t know his name.”
Nancy now introduced Ned and together they untied the ropes that bound the prisoner.
“Thank you! Thank you!” Roger Paine said. He tried to get up but was too weak.
“We must take you out of here before the men who attacked us return,” Nancy told Roger.
“If you can’t walk, we’ll carry you.”
Roger said he knew he had lost a lot of weight. “The other R.P. brought me food and water once in a while,” he said, “but not so much as I’m accustomed to eating.”
It was decided that Nancy and Ned would carry the man, at least outside the cave. The fresh air seemed to revive Roger somewhat. Leaning on their shoulders, he was able to make it to the flying-school plane.
Bruce was amazed to see him. He was solicitous of his condition.
“Where’s Pop?” Nancy asked.
“He went off to see about one of the other search groups. He hasn’t come back.”
Nancy suddenly looked at Bruce’s right arm. “Why, what happened to you?” she asked in concern.
Bruce said he was afraid his arm was broken. “I was ambushed,” he said. “Oh, I hope Pop and the others haven’t been harmed!”
Ned climbed into the plane and immediately got in touch by radio with the other fliers. None of them had had any trouble. Right now Pop was with Bess, Dave, and their pilot.
“Tell him to come back here as soon as possible,” Ned requested.
While waiting for Pop, Nancy and Ned gave Roger Paine some water and a box of crackers to eat. Then they brought out the first-aid kit and put Bruce’s aching arm into a sling. They would take him to a doctor as soon as they reached the flying school.
“It feels much better now,” the pilot said, wincing a bit.
As soon as Pop Hamilton arrived, Nancy said she wanted to make sure that the buried rifles and bombs were still at the site. Once more they hurried off with their flashlights, but this time took a small trowel and spade with them. It did not take long to find the exact spot and shovel away part of the dirt. They were relieved to find that the revolutionaries’ hardware was still there, intact!
“This is some find,” Ned remarked. “I can just see screaming headlines all over the nation.”
The earth was smoothed over and the couple returned to the plane.
Bruce said, “Of course, with my broken arm I won’t be able to pilot the plane. Nancy and Ned, you will have to do it.”
Nancy’s heart began to thump wildly as she thought of the task ahead of her but she looked at Ned, whose face was calm and unworried. Her courage was restored.
The four slept in Lady Luck, but awoke before dawn. They ate a quick snack and prepared for the day’s adventure. The other five pilots reported that they were ready for action.
About five o’clock, Nancy heard another plane coming in their direction. “It must be the sky phantom!” she said. After listening to the rhythm of the craft, the girl detective was convinced she was right.
She and Ned took their places at the controls. Nancy sat in the pilot’s seat. The engines of all the planes were revved up. As soon as the strange craft came into view, Ned tried to contact it. There was no answer.
“I guess it’s time to go,” he announced.
Nancy took the plane down the grassy runway and gradually rose into the air. All around her the other pilots were doing the same thing. Little by little they circled the strange plane until it was completely surrounded.
Once more Ned tried to contact the stranger, but again he received no response. Instead, the pilot of Roger Paine’s craft found an opening between two planes and shot into the great cloud.
Pop Hamilton was impressed by the skill of Nancy and Ned as fliers. “We’ve got that villain boxed in!” he cried, excited.
The six planes flew round and round the edge of the great cloud and above and below it. Each craft had enough fuel to remain in the air for several hours. They hoped that their enemy would run out of fuel before
they did.
Ned tried several frequencies, hoping to get a response from the enemy plane. Although there was none, he kept on pleading with the pilot to surrender and land.
“You haven’t a chance,” he said. Then to his companions he added, “This is maddening! We know Roger Paine’s plane is equipped with a radio. I’m sure your sky phantom hears us.”
There was no way of telling whether or not the mystery pilot had received their messages. All they could do was keep on flying. Sooner or later the stranger would have to come out of the great cloud and make a landing.
Pop spoke up, “If that guy suddenly emerges, and tries to get away we must chase him and force him down. I wonder where he’ll come out.”
Nancy guessed it would be underneath the great cloud. Then she thought the sky phantom would try to fly just above the ground until he was out of danger.
“He’ll never be free of us!” Ned declared.
Nancy’s hunch had been right. The enemy plane suddenly emerged from the base of the cloud and flew low over the ground to avoid the other craft. All the pilots were alerted. They too descended and gave chase. Gradually they managed to circle the enemy again.
When he realized it was impossible to get away, he let down his wheels and prepared to land. The other pilots picked spots and descended one by one.
Nancy and Ned had maneuvered their craft so they were closest to the man they were after. As soon as they taxied to a stop, Pop Hamilton opened the door and dropped to the ground. He raced toward the opponent’s plane. Nancy and Ned were at his heels.
“Open up and get out!” Pop Hamilton ordered the sky phantom. “I am a deputy sheriff. You’re under arrest.”
Finally the door swung wide. A lean, dark-haired man with deep-set eyes and a swarthy complexion emerged.
“What’s this all about?” he asked sullenly.
“Tell us your name,” the rancher demanded.
“I’m not going to give you anything, and you have no reason to detain me,” the man answered defiantly.
Pop Hamilton turned to Nancy. “Tell this man what you know about him.”
The young detective said to him, “First of all, your initials are R.P. You stole Roger Paine’s plane. Since you have the same initials, you thought you could get away with the theft.”