may not. I tried the controls, and they seem
to work. For a new ship, of course, a man would like to go over it
carefully, but if we've got to hurry...."

"I think," said Ortiz, and laughed, "that haste would be desirable.
Herr Wiedkind--No! _Amigo mio_, it was that damned Antonio Calles who
listened to us last night. I found pencil marks beside the listening
instrument. He must have sat there and eavesdropped upon me many weary
hours, and scribbled as men do to pass the time. He had a pretty taste
in monograms.... I gave all the orders that were needful for you to
take off from the flying field. I even went there myself and gave
additional orders. And Calles was there. Also others of The Master's
subjects. My treason would provoke a terrible revenge from The Master,
so they thought to prove their loyalty by permitting me to disclose my
plan and foil it at its beginning.

"I would have made the journey with you to The Master, but as a
prisoner with the tale of my treason written out. So I returned and
changed the orders to the chauffeur, when all the Master's loyal
subjects were waiting at the flying field. But soon it will occur to
them what I have done. They will come here. Therefore, hasten!"

"We want food," said Bell evenly, "and arms, but mostly we want fuel.
We'll get busy."

* * * * *

He shed his coat and picked up a hand-truck. He rammed it under a drum
of gasoline and ran it to the walkway nearest to the floating plane.
Coiled against the wall there was a long hose with a funnel at its
upper end. In seconds he had the hose end in one of the wing
fuel-tanks. In seconds more he had propped the funnel into place and
was watching the gasoline gurgling down the hose.

"Paula," he said curtly, "watch this. When it's empty roll the drum
away so I can put another in its place."

She moved quickly beside it, throwing him a little smile. She set
absorbedly about her task.

Jamison arrived with another drum of gas before the first was emptied,
and Bell was there with a third while the second still gurgled. They
heaped the full drums in place, and Jamison suddenly abandoned his
truck to swear wrathfully and tear off his spectacles and fling them
against the wall. The bushy eyebrows and beard peeled off. His coat
went down. He began to rush loads of foodstuffs, arms, and other
objects to a point from which they could be loaded on the plane. Ortiz
pointed out the things he pantingly