For a moment Terry withdrew her face from the opening, then like a flash she had scrambled through the hole at the surface and was standing in plain view of the flyer. What’s more, she was sobbing and shaking her fist toward Joe Arnold.“It’sSkybird! He’s taking our plane!” she cried.As if mocking her,Skybirdflipped its tail gracefully and zoomed into the blue.As Terry stepped on to the plateau, the women surrounded her, trying to hide her from the man watching them from above. Terry could not be sure that he had seen her, but Prim had no doubt in the matter.“Now you’ve done it, Terry Mapes!” she cried. “Why don’t you think before you do such a thing? You’re apt to get these people into trouble! Joe said he’d clean them out!”“Oh, I know, Prim. I’m sorry I did it, but just then I couldn’t help it. I was crazy! I can’t bear to haveSkybirdused by a smuggler. I’ll feel as if my little plane were dirty after he’s had his hands on her. Prim, what are we going to do?”But Prim had no suggestions to offer. They were prisoners without question. How long they would have to remain here, she had no idea. They knew only too well what their father and mother were thinking. If Allan and Syd had escaped destruction in the storm, their report would leave no doubt in Dick’s mind, at least, that the girls had been lost in the hurricane. Terry knew that the suspense would mean torture for her parents. How thankful she was that Sally Wyn was with them to comfort them and, with her cheerful ways, keep them hoping that all was well.If Dick and Alice could only have seen them surrounded by a horde of blacks, they would not have been any more hopeful of their final escape.Joe Arnold had flown off into the blue withSkybird, and Terry’s heart was sore and bitter with anxiety and anger against her father’s enemy.If she could have known Joe’s thoughts at that moment, she would have realized that she was in grave danger. Joe Arnold had planned to search for the girls as soon as the important matter of the smuggled silk had been attended to. He guessed that Terry was on her way to Peter Langley’s mine to plead with him to renew the contract and extend the option on the flying field. He had an idea that she was carrying some money.Joe Arnold was not in a hurry. He had the girls safely on the island. They were his prisoners. He could take his time in getting the papers from them and not run any risk by rushing it. So when the captain of the tramp steamer decided not to leave the harbor that night, Joe and Bud were only too glad to go on board for a good meal, and it was well on toward morning when they reached their huts and prepared to sleep.In the morning when Joe Arnold went to find the girls, they had disappeared. Pedro seemed truthful when he declared that his people knew nothing about them.“If we see ’em, we catch ’em for you!” he said.Pedro’s savage grin assured Joe that he would be only too glad to do it and was eager to earn the reward which Joe offered to any of the tribe who would bring the girls to him.But it did not take Joe long to suspect that the blacks were protecting the girls. He threatened Pedro with destruction of his village, he swore that no one would be left alive on the island, but the chief merely nodded and promised that he would find the girls and bring them to the camp.Joe knew that he did not dare to molest the blacks. He could rage and threaten, but he dared not carry out his threats. Once angered, they were ugly and he and Bud might be caught and tortured.So Joe and Bud decided to wait their chance. Whenever the work at the beach let up for a moment, Bud set out in search of Terry and Prim. He was anxious to curry favor with Joe by finding the girls himself and bringing them into camp.So as soon as Joe Arnold flew off inSkybirdwith a load of smuggled silk to be turned into the much needed cash, Bud took this chance to look about the island.He left Pedro in charge at the beach and began wandering around the jungle, skirting the island. With the Big Chief out of the way he thought he could terrify the other members of the tribe and learn where the girls were hidden.But Pedro had suspected his plan and, taking a short cut through the jungle, he hurried to the cave and talked to the girls.“Let him come!” cried Terry. “I’m not afraid of Bud Hyslop. He’s a big braggart, but it’s all a bluff. He’s just a coward!”“I’d like to get Bud down in this cave and keep him here,” said Prim angrily. “I’d like to keep him here forever.”“I can’t see how that would help any,” answered Terry. “What we want to do is to get away from the island and down to Peru with this paper. And we’ll not get away by making a prisoner of Bud. That won’t help in the least.”Pedro was shaking his head. He frowned and his face looked fierce and cruel. The girls felt shudders go through their bodies and realized that the tribe might be really savage if roused to anger.Suddenly Pedro spoke, and in his halting, broken sentences he expressed his ideas. Bud was on the way to the new village, and when he came, if he made trouble, it would be good to put him down in the cave. Besides they might make him talk so that they would know what Joe Arnold was planning to do.“And where willwestay?” asked Terry.“My house!” replied the chief with a wave of his hand toward the hut. “Pedro’s house, your house!” And Rosa led the girls inside the hut.Pedro covered the opening to the cave with straw mats and giving orders for his followers to guard the girls well, he left to go back to the beach.But Terry and Prim were far less comfortable here than they had been in the cave. Here there was not a breath of wind, for Pedro’s wife seated herself in the opening and kept out what little air there was.Finally Terry could stand it no longer. She jumped up and shoved Rosa aside. The big black woman laughed as she watched Terry and Prim mopping the perspiration from their faces.At that moment one of the half grown native girls ran with a cry of fear to Rosa. She pointed back toward the far side of the ridge, where a man was scrambling up to the settlement.There was no time to hide away. Terry and Prim stood face to face with Bud Hyslop.Bud laughed as he had seen Joe Arnold do, a sarcastic, triumphant laugh. He moved toward the girls aggressively, but Rosa was by their side and was shoving them gently but firmly backward.“You’re to come with me, girls!” exclaimed Bud. “Hurry up and get going! I’ve got you now!”Rosa pulled them back with a vigorous hand as Bud rushed at them. But his foot slipped, he stumbled and sprawled headlong for a second then went sliding down through the earth. For Rosa had cleverly moved around the straw mats in a straight line from Bud, and when he charged at them, the force of his stride sent him slipping and sliding down the slippery walls of the cave. He did not stop until he had bumped all the way down and splashed into the dark waters below.“Help, help!” he cried. “You black rascals, get me out of here!”A young native hauled him out to safety. Bud was half stunned and glad enough to stay in the cave for a little while until he could think what to do. He finally called Terry, but the girl refused to go down into the cave to talk to him.Hour after hour slipped by. Bud saw none of the brilliant colors of the crystals. He was sore and disgusted, his plans had all gone wrong, and instead of being praised by Joe, he would be despised and blamed and ridiculed.A strong guard was placed at the opening of the cave and Terry and Prim could enjoy the air. Muggy and oppressive though it was, it was better than the stifling closeness of the hut.Rosa glowed with triumph, taking all the credit to herself for trapping Bud, and for the rest of the day she was in high spirits, commanding the young blacks as if they were her slaves.It seemed to Terry and Prim that these people were eating half their time. Huge amounts of fish and fruit were consumed. They started at sunrise and only ended at bedtime.Terry and Prim slept that night in the chief’s hut, with the faithful Rosa sleeping on a mat before the door. They rose at dawn when the blacks began to stir.It was still early in the morning when they heard the drone of a motor in the sky and hurried into the hut. For now the real trouble was beginning. Joe Arnold had returned.Skybirdsoared, banked and circled about the island. Joe headed her low over the plateau, so low that Terry, peering through the matted vines, saw Joe’s face distinctly. His grin of triumph was always unpleasant, now it was threatening as well.Terry’s face went white with anger as she sawSkybird.“How dare he use our little plane for his shady business! The crook!” she exclaimed.If Terry and Prim could have heard the Big Chief when Joe Arnold returned to the beach, they would not have been so trusting. For Pedro told Joe that his men had captured the girls and had them safely in the cave. Bud Hyslop was there now to guard them.Joe nodded approvingly. Things seemed to be working out just as he planned. His trip to the mainland had been successful and now he was free to fly to South America where he would attend to that little matter of taking up the option on the Dick Mapes Flying Field. But in the meantime he would search the girls and see if they were carrying the money.“Guess I’ll go on up and take a look at them,” said Joe carelessly. “You might fill up the plane with gasoline. I may need to go out on another trip soon.”As Joe followed the path through the jungle he thought to himself. “You have to handle these savages rough! If I hadn’t threatened to kill them all, they’d have turned against me. Some day I’ll have a big base here and they’ll all be working for me like slaves.”But Joe had come by the jungle path and the girls were fully warned of his approach. Rosa went to meet Joe Arnold with a broad grin on her face.Terry’s heart sank as she watched from the shelter of the hut. She gripped Prim nervously. They clung together in terror. Why had they been so easily fooled? There was Rosa telling Joe that she had the girls safely trapped, waiting for him. The girls shrank back in the hut afraid to come out and face the man who had them in his power. With the whole tribe on Joe’s side, there was little chance of escape. This was the end.“I’d have sworn they were real friends,” whispered Prim in a frightened voice. “It would be lots better to be on that island with wild beasts than here with these treacherous savages.”But just then they heard Rosa directing Joe Arnold to the cave. With the few words of English she knew she was telling him that the girls were prisoners in the big cave. “You go down!” she said.“Sure!” replied Joe with a broad smile. “I’ll kill two birds with one stone. I’ve always wanted to see the inside of one of those big caves. And when I find those girls, I have a few things to say to them.” Joe put his leg down the opening and felt for the rock. Then his other leg found a foothold. As his head disappeared. Bud’s voice called to him.“Watch out, Joe, they’re tricky! The girls are not here!”But it was too late. When Joe started to scramble out of the cave, shouting his threats, he was thrust back by a huge black, who held a long knife in his hand. Down he tumbled, bruised and shaken.At that moment Terry and Prim rushed out of the hut and saw Joe disappear. “Now is our chance to get away, Prim!” cried Terry. “Let’s get to the beach!” Terry grabbed up her flying coat and helmet.“Hurry, hurry, Terry, he may get out!” cried Prim. Her face was white with the strain.Terry was saying goodbye to Rosa and the other women of the village. She was trying to express her thanks. It seemed ungrateful to hurry away without a farewell. But Rosa shook her head and shoved Terry ahead of her toward the jungle path, calling back in a shrill voice to the women.Suddenly Terry started and looked upward. “Listen Prim. It’s a plane!” She had heard the distant hum of an airplane motor and was searching the sky anxiously. Then through the trees she saw the plane driving toward them.“Who is it, Terry?” asked Prim.“I wish I knew. Maybe it is a friend of Joe Arnold’s,” replied Terry as she gazed with dread toward the plane that was coming nearer and nearer to the island.Now the plane was circling above them. The girls watched with anxiety as the pilot put it into a long, fast dive toward the near-by clearing.CHAPTER VIICrashed!The girl flyers watched with thumping hearts as the plane, diving with wide open throttle, headed straight toward the plateau.Prim gripped her sister’s arm. She felt giddy and faint. A cry escaped her.Terry turned to her with a frown. “Snap out of it, Prim! This is no time to get hysterical. That plane may be piloted by a friend of Joe Arnold. If it is, we’ll need to do some quick thinking. Don’t lose courage now!”Prim was gazing toward the plane. “It looks to me as if there were two men. And someone is waving! Do you think it’s a rescue plane?” cried Prim.Terry did not answer. Every nerve was tense as she watched the plane banking and circling for a landing. She dared not tell Prim that she believed it was Allan and Syd. It would be too great a disappointment, if she were mistaken.Then suddenly Prim screamed with delight. “Look Terry, look! It’s Syd and Allan! We’re saved! We’re saved!”Rosa stood beside the girls until she realized that they did not need further help, then as the plane circled low for a landing, she scurried into the hut, calling on the women and children to follow. In a moment the place was deserted. Terry smiled at the idea of Rosa finding protection in those flimsy huts of twigs and leaves.A few minutes later Allan set down his plane before the native huts. Before the boys could step from the plane, the girls were beside them, shaking their hands and almost crying with relief.“We thought you were lost in the storm, Allan!” cried Terry.“And we had almost given you up for lost!” answered Allan, his voice husky.“How did you find us?” Prim asked excitedly. Her cheeks were flushed, all her fear was gone.“We recognizedSkybirdand followed her,” replied Allan, looking around anxiously. “Joe flew her to Honduras and then back here.”“Don’t I know it!” exclaimed Terry. “What a good thing it was that I didn’t have a chance to stop him. I was angry enough to smash the plane rather than have him use it for smuggling.”“Let’s be going!” said Syd. “We can tell you how we found you when we’re out of danger. Are you sure these blacks are friendly?”“I’ll say they are. They’re wonderful people!”Terry burst out. “They’ve kept us out of Joe’s clutches. He and Bud were trying to put us on an uninhabited island. And Pedro, the Big Chief, hid us away and fooled him. The natives saved our lives!”“Some day,” said Prim with a laugh, “I’m going to send a whole barrel of presents down for them, beads and candy and brightly colored calico. They’d love it!”“But when do we go and how?” asked Syd. “I won’t feel safe until we get away from this island. Do you think there is any chance of gettingSkybird? Joe won’t give that plane up without a fight.”“He isn’t going to put up a fight for that plane,” answered Terry. “When we heard you coming, we were just on our way to get her.”“Joe is down there!” cried Prim triumphantly, pointing at the opening to the cave, near which a huge black was sitting, fingering a knife menacingly. “And as you see, he’s under a strong guard! He and Bud are both prisoners down there.”“Prisoners! Where?” asked Syd.“It’s the most wonderful prison in the world! It’s a crystal cave! The roof is of sparkling emeralds, rubies and sapphires. It’s beautiful!” Terry explained with sparkling eyes.“Yes, you ought to see it, boys!” interrupted Prim.“We’ll save that for the next trip. Much as I’d like to see a crystal cave, I think my pleasure would be all spoiled if I had to share the view with Joe Arnold,” answered Allan.At that moment Pedro came running up the trail. He had seen another plane arriving and feared that Joe and Bud might be rescued by some friends. His white teeth showed in a broad smile when he saw the girls happy.“My plane? Is it ready?” asked Terry.“All ready!” replied the black.Pedro started to lead them back to the harbor, but Rosa stood in his way, frowning and talking in a high pitched voice. The chief explained to the young people that the tribe wished to give the flyers a farewell feast.“Guess we’ll have to wait long enough to eat something,” said Terry under her breath to Allan.“But we really ought to be going when luck is with us. You can’t tell what may happen!”“It’s impossible, boys. It’s the only way we have to repay these people for their kindness to us,” Terry begged.“That’s a brand new idea, repaying people by eating some more of their food. I don’t know as I’d want that kind of pay for a debt.”“You would if you were in the place of these people. It’s the greatest honor we can show them.”After assuring Allan and Syd that Joe Arnold and Bud Hyslop were well guarded in the cave, Terry led the way to the fibre mats before the huts where the meal was about to be served.“How did they guess that we hadn’t had a thing to eat today?” asked Syd. “We were too busy watchingSkybird. We didn’t dare leave the field for fear Joe Arnold would take off and we’d lose him.”“I’m glad you’re hungry,” said Terry in a whisper to the boys. “I wishIwere, then I might be able to eat their fish. And unless you eat a lot, Rosa is offended.” As the bowl was brought in, strange spicy odors filled the air. They had several courses. The feast began with fish, continued with fish and ended with fish.Terry bravely faced the ordeal, trying to smile and enthuse over each dish as it was brought. But it was hard work. However, the boys made up for her lack of appetite. They declared that they had never tasted anything so good and when they accepted a second helping, Rosa’s face was beaming with happiness.Allan was thoughtful for a time, then his face brightened. He had been racking his brains to think of some gift to present to Pedro. At last he had it. From his pocket he took a wrist watch. Allan usually carried an extra watch.Terry saw the idea and smiled. “He’ll love it, Allan! But make a lot of fuss when you present it,” she whispered. “They like that even better than the gift.”The four friends rose and bowed low before Pedro. Then Allan stepped forward and fastened the watch on the wrist of the black.Pedro did not know what to say. He tried to speak but his few words of English were forgotten in his excitement. Like a king, he strode among his people with extended hand to show them the honor that had been given him. Rosa beamed her pleasure. It was a great day on the island.Allan and Syd were restless. “I think we’d better go!” said Allan suddenly. “I won’t be happy until I get you girls a thousand miles away from Joe Arnold and Bud Hyslop.”“O.K.,” replied Terry. “Come Prim,” she said, and her sister followed as Terry went among the natives and bade them goodbye.Allan and Syd started their plane and flew above the forest toward the beach, while the girls hurried through the jungle by a short cut that Pedro took and Rosa followed as fast as she could.The boys were putting their plane down on the smooth water besideSkybirdwhen the girls arrived. Pedro leaped into the launch and beckoned the girls to follow.Suddenly they heard wild, piercing cries coming from the direction of the jungle, savage cries that sounded more like the night call of some jungle beast.“Hurry!” exclaimed Pedro, looking back. “It’s Joe. He escape!”Joe and Bud were racing madly toward the beach. In a moment the reason for their panic was seen. Behind the two men came a stream of howling blacks.“Will Joe hurt you, after we are gone?” asked Terry anxiously.“Me no afraid!” Pedro answered. “My people, they fight him!”Bud made for a boat, but one of the natives came up and shoved him aside violently. Joe was struggling with a horde of blacks, and all he could do was to shout furiously to Terry. ButSkybirdwas free from her moorings and the girl started the engine ready for the take-off. She could not hear what Joe was saying, but it was abusive and threatening.Sending a spurt of water before her,Skybirdtaxied in a wide sweep to head into the wind. Pedro stood up in his boat and waved a big black hand. There were shouts of farewell from the shore, mingled with threats from Bud and Joe.As the plane soared over the island, Prim said through the earphones, “You may call those people savages if you want to, but I’ll count them among my very best friends. What’s more, I’m coming back some day to see them.”Allan took the lead, straight westward. The deep blue water spread beneath them to the horizon. There was hardly a ripple on the mirror-like surface of the sea. The sky was clear and like birds the two planes soared alone in the great blue dome.Only occasionally Terry looked back in the direction of the island to be sure that Joe Arnold was not in pursuit. She had confidence in Pedro.It was still early in the day. Terry and Allan had consulted their maps and decided to head for Tela on the Gulf of Honduras. If possible they wanted to get over to the Pacific side by night. There they would feel safe.Flying in a northwesterly course, they left the high rocky coast of Honduras that lay exposed to the Caribbean storms, and made a landing at Tela. But they did not stay long, a heavy mist had come in from the sea. Within an hour they had made a check-up on their aircraft, refueled and were taking off for Salvador on the Pacific where fair weather was reported.A low-lying cloud made Terry nose her plane up to a height of ten thousand feet. There was a brilliant sky and sunlight overhead. Below it looked as if they were still flying over the ocean. The broad sheet of fog spread beneath them like a blanket. But when they neared the Pacific late that afternoon, the mist began to thin and they could see the ranch houses with their cultivated fields. Leaving the cloud behind, they flew over Salvador. From that height they could see far north to the towering Guatemalan plateau, with here and there a cone-shaped volcanic peak. Plumes of blue smoke shot from the craters.Prim gave an exclamation of astonishment, then was still. Both girls felt the overpowering majesty of the outlook over that vast panorama. Soon they saw the red and green roofs of Salvador City and a lofty Gothic spire. Terry circled over the town and came down on the flying field.Here they intended to spend the night and have their planes thoroughly overhauled for the trip down the Pacific. The air was clear and dry, perfect flying weather.But Terry was restless. While she enjoyed seeing the foreign city, she was fearful that Joe Arnold might still be pursuing them. Now he had a still greater reason for finding them. In the plane Terry had discovered a large legal envelope with several important looking papers marked “Confidential.” Looking at them hurriedly, Terry gasped. Among them was the will of Colonel Roger Fairfax, a document that disposed of millions of dollars worth of property.At the hotel when she showed them to the boys they agreed that they were extremely valuable. Yet they saw that the possession of these papers would add to the peril of the girls. Joe Arnold would not rest easy until he had caught up withSkybirdand recovered the documents which he had stolen, no doubt, and expected to sell for a huge sum.Terry did not sleep well. She wanted morning to come so that she could be on her way, and long before daybreak she was up and ready to go. After a hasty breakfast, the four flyers took off and were under way by the time the sun was rising.It was a long day. The flight down the Nicaraguan coast was jumpy, for the cool air from the high mountains poured down to meet the warm air from the plains. They passed near to some of the volcanoes and once they could see into the crater with its boiling lava and clouds of steam and smoke.“We’ve been lucky!” said Prim through the earphones. “From now on it’s clear sailing!”“Touch wood, Prim! We’re not there yet,” answered Terry.But Prim had not touched wood quick enough. A few hours later when they stepped from their plane on the field in Panama, they noticed at once that there was trouble. Men were running about excitedly, looking into the sky and the ambulance was being started ready for an emergency. In the sky a plane was out of control and diving wildly.“Oh Prim!” cried Terry. “It’s Allan! He’s falling!”The plane above had gone into a tailspin and the girls knew that Allan was not the kind to show off his skill or attempt a stunt over a strange flying field.Prim clung to her sister with cries of fright but Terry’s face was grim. Her lips moved with a prayer, but no words came.Allan’s plane was falling! Nothing could save it now. It was too near the ground to be righted and landed safely.But the next minute the plane straightened out. By some miracle of luck Allan had it under control again, but it was too late. The plane landed on one wheel and with a bound it turned clear over. Even before it touched the ground, the ambulance was speeding across the field.Prim ran screaming toward the plane but Terry stood as if turned to stone.Allan and Syd had crashed! Their bodies must be crushed and bleeding under that crumpled wreck. Allan and Syd were dead! Terry saw no hope.But strong hands had dragged Syd from the rear cockpit. He was dazed from the shock of landing but Terry saw that he was alive.Frantically she ran toward the plane. Where was Allan?Allan, strangely white, was taken from the wreck and placed in the ambulance. His limp form was covered with blood. Next minute the clanging ambulance was racing the injured boy to the hospital. Syd was given first aid on the field and was able to ride with the girls to the hospital in the automobile of the field manager. The boy was shaken up, bruised and sick from the shock, but he had no serious injuries. The girls watched him anxiously as he trembled and twitched, but the doctor at the hospital assured them that it was entirely nerves and after a night’s rest he would be himself again.But with Allan it was far more dangerous. Behind the closed doors of the operating room, strange white-clad figures were working over Allan. Terry caught glimpses of hurrying nurses, but dared not speak to any of them. A moment’s delay in carrying out an order might be a risk to Allan’s life.Suddenly Syd seemed to come out of his stupor. He tried to get up, looked wildly around and cried: “Where’s Allan? Tell me, is Allan dead?”“No, Syd, lie down and keep quiet. Allan is alive! He has a fighting chance. That’s all we know now.”An hour went by and dragged slowly into two hours before they brought Allan from that operating room. His long body was motionless under the sheet. Terry had slipped into the corridor and was watching. She held her breath with dread. Would they bring that still form toward a room, or was it all over? Was Allan dead? Would they take him away?No one had time to answer her questions if she could have spoken. But her heart leaped with hope as she saw them turning into the room next to Syd. Allan was alive!Then came the thought, as it had come when her father was injured: “Would this happy, care-free boy be left a cripple?” She thought of her father, spending his best years in a wheel chair and her eyes filled with tears. It was agony to think of that alert and active Allan doomed to the same fate. If only someone could relieve this terrible suspense!CHAPTER VIIIJumpTerry turned to the doctor who had just come in. She tried to speak, but words would not come.The doctor approached with a smile of sympathy. “I guess this fellow was born under a lucky star,” he said. “He’s pretty well shaken up, but there is nothing serious that we can find. A few broken bones! The shock of a fall like that is always bad. He’ll be flying again in a few months!”Terry did not wait to ask questions. She flew to Syd and Prim to tell them the good news.Allan was alive! He would fly again!Terry set out for South America two days later with a heart full of gratitude that Allan was not seriously hurt. The morning after the accident he was able to talk to her and while he looked worried to think of the girls flying alone into the dangers of a strange country, he did not try to keep them from going on.Terry was getting nervous. The day set for taking up the option was almost there. The work she set out to do must be done quickly.From his bed in the hospital Allan watched the plane soaring away from the field. It remained a tiny speck in the sky for a long time in that clear air.“I feel as if we should have stayed to look after Allan,” said Prim through the earphones. “Do you think Syd can do everything that’s needed?”“Allan is in a good hospital,” replied Terry. “He’s well cared for and there’s nothing we can do right now. We’ll get this job through as quickly as we can and get back.”Following the airway down the coast, Terry had no difficulty in reaching the town of Trujillo in the northern part of Peru, at which point she was to turn inland to Majora, a settlement of adobe houses and stores, the center of supply for a number of mines in the mountains.Over an early breakfast at Trujillo, their spirits rose once more. The trip inland was not far and they should reach the foothills in an hour.“South America is different from what I expected,” remarked Terry, as she drank her breakfast coffee. “I thought that most of this country was jungles and tropical vegetation. Did you see that strip of brown sand, along the coast? It’s like a desert.”“Which shows you didn’t study your geography very well or you’d have remembered that all along the coast, especially from here down, there’s a strip of desert, and in places it never has been known to rain,” replied Prim. “I always remember that, for it was one place I never had any desire to go. But here I am!”“We’ll just give it a good look and fly high! I don’t like desert country either. But we’ll soon get to the foothills.”“Let’s hurry, Terry! I’m anxious to get to the mine. I wonder what Peter Langley and his wife will be like? I hope they won’t turn out to be friends of Joe Arnold.” Prim picked up her belongings and hastened toward the door of the restaurant.A few moments brought them to the flying field, where their plane had been refueled and stood ready for the take-off. There was no wind and Terry taxied across the field to get plenty of speed for the rise. As usual Prim had insisted on the parachutes. The harness always annoyed Terry, but she did not make any objection. Anything that would make Prim feel satisfied was worth doing.The rising ground beneath them told that they were getting into the foothills. They saw the jagged peaks far ahead. Terry was glad that she would not have to cross the Andes on this trip. She had had enough excitement for a while; that could wait for another flight.Seeing a small settlement ahead, Terry recognized it by the description given her of Majora. She flew straight toward the town, circled and came down on a wide, smooth field. Although it was not intended as a flying field, Terry had seen worse places to alight, and broughtSkybirdto a neat three-point landing.But here the girls met disappointment. Ed Jenkins, an American storekeeper in the settlement, told them that it would be impossible to land a plane in the mountains near Peter Langley’s mine.“There isn’t a square foot of level space anywhere in these hills. That pair of fools who went up there in a plane this morning will meet sudden death. They’re bound to!” exclaimed Jenkins.“Two men went up there in a plane this morning!” cried Terry excitedly. “Who were they?”“I can’t say, Miss,” replied Jenkins. “One had red hair and the other's eyes were funny! A queer looking pair of crooks!” Ed Jenkins was fumbling in his pocket. “Here’s a message. I guess it must be for you. The man with the squint said to give it to two girls in a plane. I reckon that’s you!”Terry ripped open the envelope and read these words scrawled on a scrap of paper: “He laughs best who laughs last!”“Come on. Prim, let’s go!” Terry’s face flushed, then set in determination. “That’s a challenge! If Joe Arnold thinks I’m through, he’s mistaken!”But Ed Jenkins was pointing to the mountain, where a few stone huts were visible. “That’s Peter Langley’s mine up there! You can see for yourself there’s no place to land among those peaks!”But Terry had already started the engine. The propeller was spinning. And with a wave of her hand to the storekeeper, she sent her plane across the field and into the air. Circling for altitude, she pointed straight toward Peter Langley’s mine.“I believe that man is right,” said Prim a few minutes later, as the hills became more rugged and menacing with their sharp peaks.Terry flew slowly over the hills, watching for a spot to put her plane down. If Joe Arnold and Bud Hyslop could find a place, surely she could. She brought her plane as low as she dared above the mountains but there was no sign of level ground, and soon she saw little figures running about and waving at her excitedly.“They’re warning us not to try a landing,” Prim called to her sister. “i’m afraid it’s no use.”“Then I’ll have to use the parachute! Come over here and take the controls. I’ll have to jump,” cried Terry.“Don’t, Terry. It’s a terrible chance to take!” pleaded Prim.“Nonsense! I’ve made lots of parachute jumps!” Terry snapped impatiently. “Don’t waste time! We have less than ten minutes to get there. Peter Langley can’t close a deal with Joe Arnold until twelve o’clock. Our contract holds until then.”Prim’s face was white as she climbed into the pilot’s seat, protesting nervously. “Don’t jump, Terry! Don't take such a big chance!”But Terry was studying the ground below her and she answered, “I’ll jump when we are directly over the mine. You take the plane down to Jenkins' store and wait for me there. I’ll be down after a while. Bye!”Then at sight of Prim’s tragic face, she laughed and began crawling out on the wing. Terry watched the ground beneath her, then with a catch in her breath, stepped out into space.No matter how many times Terry jumped, she never could get used to that long drop. Her mind was clear, every sense alert to what she had to do.In a few seconds she pulled the rip cord but there was no response from the parachute.Had something gone wrong? Terry was falling with terrific speed toward those jagged rocks. “This is the end,” she thought. But suddenly she came up with a tremendous jerk as the parachute opened above her head and she began sailing gently downward. Working with the shrouds, the girl steered the parachute toward a safe landing.At the sight of a figure hurtling through the air, Mary Langley had screamed, “Oh Peter, Peter! A man has fallen from the plane! Help! Help!”Horror-struck, Peter Langley watched the falling figure, then gave a lusty cheer as the white parachute opened, the little figure in the sky was righted and came sailing down gracefully.“I was hoping she’d break her neck!” muttered Joe to Bud Hyslop. “Just as I was getting the did man interested, she had to spoil everything! But I’m not through! He’s got to take my word against hers!”“Sure!” answered Bud. “Terry Mapes is no good at a business deal. She’ll not convince Peter Langley!”While Bud and Joe looked on sullenly, Terry landed on the mountain at some distance from the astonished old couple, who hurried along the trail to reach her.“He’s a brave man whoever he is,” said Mary Langley. “Jumping from the sky like that! It scares me to think of it!”“I wonder why he’s coming here?” asked Peter Langley.Terry was just picking herself up and rubbing a bruise on her arm, as the old couple scrambled up the rocky ledge.“Bless me, if it isn’t a girl, and a pretty one! Did youhaveto jump out of that plane?”“Yes,” replied Terry with a laugh. “Ihadto jump! I had to get here before twelve o’clock and that was the only way I could do it. I’m Terry Mapes and I’ve come to take up the option on the flying field.”Peter Langley stared at the girl in astonishment. “You did that? You brave, brave girl!”Mary Langley was brushing Terry off and helping her to get out of her parachute harness. “Come along to the house,” she said. “I’ll make you a cup of good strong coffee to brace you up, though goodness knows it would take more than that to bring me to, if I’d jumped from a plane! What are girls coming to! When I was young I’d never have dreamed that girls could do a thing like that!”“Times are different!” agreed Peter with a shake of his tousled white head. “And you made it without an accident, which is more than my other two visitors did.”“Were they hurt?” asked Terry.“Not much! They landed their plane somewhere down the slope and broke the propeller. Joe Arnold has a sprained ankle and a bruised shoulder,” replied Peter. “He isn’t feeling very good.”Terry looked at the old man anxiously. “You haven’t signed any papers, have you, Mr. Langley?” She looked at her watch. “It’s just one minute before twelve. I still have time to take up that option. Here’s your check!”Peter shouted with laughter. “What a girl!” he exclaimed. “No, I haven’t signed any of his papers!”“And what’s more youwon'tsign any of them!” Mary Langley cried. “I don’t like the looks of those two men!”“No more do I!” agreed Peter.As they reached the ledge of rock where their cabin stood, Peter was confronted by Bud Hyslop. “Don’t have anything to do with that girl!” he stormed. “She’s been in more crooked deals than you can count. You’ll be making a great mistake.”Peter gave a quiet laugh that was more provoking than if he had stormed at the men and accused them of fraud. He turned to Terry. “Come right in, Miss Terry,” he said with a deep old-fashioned bow, “I’ll just sign that paper and close the deal!”Joe Arnold bit his lips in rage. His face was deathly white. Terry had never seen the man so angry before. Joe had staked everything on this trip to get the flying field, and he had lost. Even his plane was a wreck and he was miles from a railroad.Joe Arnold’s brain was working hard on a new plot. How could he getSkybird? And how could he get those stolen papers back? Perhaps they were still in the plane, maybe the girls had overlooked them! But that was not likely. Terry and Prim were too clever to miss a chance like that!Joe studied the sky. Far down in the valley he could see the plane, with Prim at the controls, just making the landing by the store. Terry noted the look of hatred and villainous hope and her eyes followed his.Suddenly she understood. Already Joe was talking to Bud. They were preparing to leave.“Stop them, somehow!” said Terry to Peter Langley. “He’s going to try to reach Majora and get our plane. My sister Prim is down there! Don’t let them go!”Peter stood in the path in front of Joe Arnold. “You have a few things to clear up before you leave, Mr. Arnold,” said the old man. “I’ll not let you go until you explain some of the stories you’ve told me about Dick Mapes and his family.”“Get back!” shouted Joe Arnold furiously. “Out of my way!” His voice cracked in rage. Suddenly his fist shot out. Bud landed a second blow and Peter Langley reeled and staggered back, shouting for help.There was a sound of running feet and the next moment a gang of miners rushed at the two men and tied their hands. After their struggles had quieted the pair were thrown into a corner and ordered to behave or take the consequences.Terry looked anxiously toward the valley where she could see a small figure on horseback. It looked like Prim coming to her rescue.“What shall we do with these crooks?” asked Peter Langley.“Lock them up until Prim and I have time to get away,” Terry begged.At Langley’s command, the miners dragged the two rascals to a stone shed. The heavy door had a strong lock.“There they’ll stay until I’m sure you girls are safely home,” said Langley. “I’ve a notion to have them jailed!”When Prim arrived in camp she was greeted as if she belonged to the family. She and Mary Langley were soon like old friends. They had many interests in common. And while Prim was being shown over the house, Terry and Peter Langley were exchanging stories of their adventures.“Wait till I show you this!” said Peter going to a shelf in the corner. “Here’s a map I made on one of my trips. I went through the Land of the Incas with a native guide. We were looking for a lost temple. It is said that there’s a sacred emerald in the altar. Now the temple is lost, no one knows where it is. If I were young and had an airplane, I’d go and find that temple. Besides there’s treasure there.”“I’d like to find it myself,” said Terry eagerly.“Why don’t you? It’s a wonderful country down there. You’d see new sights and have new adventures and maybe you’d find the treasure.”Terry’s eyes were dreamy as she studied the map. “Would you be game to go with me?” asked the girl. “This map is like a challenge. I'm going to do it!”“Going to do what?” asked Prim.“First I’m going to Panama and after that we’ll go on a treasure hunt in the Land of the Incas.”Mrs. Langley laughed. “Peter has been showing her his map! I do believe he’d start out himself to find that treasure, if I’d let him.”“Maybe I will,” replied Peter. “Terry says she’ll take me along. And I’ll trust myself to her any time. After seeing her jump from a plane I know she’ll get what she goes for, so I’ve given her my map.”Terry rose to go. “We’ve got to get started! I wish I had more time to look around, but some day I’m coming back.”Mrs. Langley threw both arms around the girl. “Promise me that you will. And next time don’t be in such a hurry to arrive. Come up the mountain on horseback. I was scared to death, almost, when I saw you falling.”Peter saddled his own horse for Terry with instructions to leave it with Ed Jenkins, who would see that it got back. The girls waved at the old couple as long as they could see them and when they reached the store in Majora, Prim ran to the plane and got the binoculars. Looking back to the mine she saw the two old figures still standing on the rocky ledge and waving their hands.As they took off. Prim suggested that Terry fly once more over the mountain, but Terry shook her head.“Not this time, Prim. We must get back to Panama. But if Allan is all right and doesn’t need us, I would like to take that trip to Peru on a treasure hunt,” replied Terry.From Trujillo, where they stopped for fuel, she sent a cable to her father and also one to Allan and Syd, who would be anxiously awaiting word.Then as they headed up the Pacific it seemed to Terry thatSkybirdknew that she was facing homeward, the engine hummed and the country unrolled beneath them, like a great moving picture.They found Allan recovering rapidly, although it would be many weeks before he could be moved. Terry and Prim were making their plans for the trip to Peru.But Allan seemed troubled, and after much questioning Terry learned the cause of his worry. Some one was needed to follow up on that business deal. Dick could not attend to it all from his wheelchair and the other men about the field were not dependable.“So you want me to go back?” asked Terry. “Is that it?”“No, I don’twantyou to go back! Iwantyou here!” replied the boy.Terry was quiet for a long time, she was thinking hard. Again she stood where duty called. She had to choose between her own pleasure and her duty to those she loved. There was a fierce struggle in the girl’s soul. Why did she always have to give up her own desires?Suddenly she rose and held out her hand to Allan. “I’m starting home in the morning,” she said simply.Allan looked troubled. “But Terry, your trip to the Land of the Incas! Your hunt for treasure!”“Oh, that's nothing. That can wait!” she said with a laugh.Even Allan did not realize how great had been that inward fight. Terry wanted to get away from all the problems of the flying field, the conflict and jealousy of Joe Arnold and Bud Hyslop. She wanted a month of freedom, just flying around and enjoying herself without any thought of duty or business details. She wanted to fly for her own pleasure.The next morning she was on her way north. She circled her plane high up into the clear air. Ten thousand feet above the earth she could forget the problems of life. She could dream undisturbed for Prim always knew when to keep quiet.But little did Terry dream that in the Land of the Incas, the Girl Flyers would endure many hardships, face grave dangers and many times would escape with their lives only by a hair’s breadth.
For a moment Terry withdrew her face from the opening, then like a flash she had scrambled through the hole at the surface and was standing in plain view of the flyer. What’s more, she was sobbing and shaking her fist toward Joe Arnold.
“It’sSkybird! He’s taking our plane!” she cried.
As if mocking her,Skybirdflipped its tail gracefully and zoomed into the blue.
As Terry stepped on to the plateau, the women surrounded her, trying to hide her from the man watching them from above. Terry could not be sure that he had seen her, but Prim had no doubt in the matter.
“Now you’ve done it, Terry Mapes!” she cried. “Why don’t you think before you do such a thing? You’re apt to get these people into trouble! Joe said he’d clean them out!”
“Oh, I know, Prim. I’m sorry I did it, but just then I couldn’t help it. I was crazy! I can’t bear to haveSkybirdused by a smuggler. I’ll feel as if my little plane were dirty after he’s had his hands on her. Prim, what are we going to do?”
But Prim had no suggestions to offer. They were prisoners without question. How long they would have to remain here, she had no idea. They knew only too well what their father and mother were thinking. If Allan and Syd had escaped destruction in the storm, their report would leave no doubt in Dick’s mind, at least, that the girls had been lost in the hurricane. Terry knew that the suspense would mean torture for her parents. How thankful she was that Sally Wyn was with them to comfort them and, with her cheerful ways, keep them hoping that all was well.
If Dick and Alice could only have seen them surrounded by a horde of blacks, they would not have been any more hopeful of their final escape.
Joe Arnold had flown off into the blue withSkybird, and Terry’s heart was sore and bitter with anxiety and anger against her father’s enemy.
If she could have known Joe’s thoughts at that moment, she would have realized that she was in grave danger. Joe Arnold had planned to search for the girls as soon as the important matter of the smuggled silk had been attended to. He guessed that Terry was on her way to Peter Langley’s mine to plead with him to renew the contract and extend the option on the flying field. He had an idea that she was carrying some money.
Joe Arnold was not in a hurry. He had the girls safely on the island. They were his prisoners. He could take his time in getting the papers from them and not run any risk by rushing it. So when the captain of the tramp steamer decided not to leave the harbor that night, Joe and Bud were only too glad to go on board for a good meal, and it was well on toward morning when they reached their huts and prepared to sleep.
In the morning when Joe Arnold went to find the girls, they had disappeared. Pedro seemed truthful when he declared that his people knew nothing about them.
“If we see ’em, we catch ’em for you!” he said.
Pedro’s savage grin assured Joe that he would be only too glad to do it and was eager to earn the reward which Joe offered to any of the tribe who would bring the girls to him.
But it did not take Joe long to suspect that the blacks were protecting the girls. He threatened Pedro with destruction of his village, he swore that no one would be left alive on the island, but the chief merely nodded and promised that he would find the girls and bring them to the camp.
Joe knew that he did not dare to molest the blacks. He could rage and threaten, but he dared not carry out his threats. Once angered, they were ugly and he and Bud might be caught and tortured.
So Joe and Bud decided to wait their chance. Whenever the work at the beach let up for a moment, Bud set out in search of Terry and Prim. He was anxious to curry favor with Joe by finding the girls himself and bringing them into camp.
So as soon as Joe Arnold flew off inSkybirdwith a load of smuggled silk to be turned into the much needed cash, Bud took this chance to look about the island.
He left Pedro in charge at the beach and began wandering around the jungle, skirting the island. With the Big Chief out of the way he thought he could terrify the other members of the tribe and learn where the girls were hidden.
But Pedro had suspected his plan and, taking a short cut through the jungle, he hurried to the cave and talked to the girls.
“Let him come!” cried Terry. “I’m not afraid of Bud Hyslop. He’s a big braggart, but it’s all a bluff. He’s just a coward!”
“I’d like to get Bud down in this cave and keep him here,” said Prim angrily. “I’d like to keep him here forever.”
“I can’t see how that would help any,” answered Terry. “What we want to do is to get away from the island and down to Peru with this paper. And we’ll not get away by making a prisoner of Bud. That won’t help in the least.”
Pedro was shaking his head. He frowned and his face looked fierce and cruel. The girls felt shudders go through their bodies and realized that the tribe might be really savage if roused to anger.
Suddenly Pedro spoke, and in his halting, broken sentences he expressed his ideas. Bud was on the way to the new village, and when he came, if he made trouble, it would be good to put him down in the cave. Besides they might make him talk so that they would know what Joe Arnold was planning to do.
“And where willwestay?” asked Terry.
“My house!” replied the chief with a wave of his hand toward the hut. “Pedro’s house, your house!” And Rosa led the girls inside the hut.
Pedro covered the opening to the cave with straw mats and giving orders for his followers to guard the girls well, he left to go back to the beach.
But Terry and Prim were far less comfortable here than they had been in the cave. Here there was not a breath of wind, for Pedro’s wife seated herself in the opening and kept out what little air there was.
Finally Terry could stand it no longer. She jumped up and shoved Rosa aside. The big black woman laughed as she watched Terry and Prim mopping the perspiration from their faces.
At that moment one of the half grown native girls ran with a cry of fear to Rosa. She pointed back toward the far side of the ridge, where a man was scrambling up to the settlement.
There was no time to hide away. Terry and Prim stood face to face with Bud Hyslop.
Bud laughed as he had seen Joe Arnold do, a sarcastic, triumphant laugh. He moved toward the girls aggressively, but Rosa was by their side and was shoving them gently but firmly backward.
“You’re to come with me, girls!” exclaimed Bud. “Hurry up and get going! I’ve got you now!”
Rosa pulled them back with a vigorous hand as Bud rushed at them. But his foot slipped, he stumbled and sprawled headlong for a second then went sliding down through the earth. For Rosa had cleverly moved around the straw mats in a straight line from Bud, and when he charged at them, the force of his stride sent him slipping and sliding down the slippery walls of the cave. He did not stop until he had bumped all the way down and splashed into the dark waters below.
“Help, help!” he cried. “You black rascals, get me out of here!”
A young native hauled him out to safety. Bud was half stunned and glad enough to stay in the cave for a little while until he could think what to do. He finally called Terry, but the girl refused to go down into the cave to talk to him.
Hour after hour slipped by. Bud saw none of the brilliant colors of the crystals. He was sore and disgusted, his plans had all gone wrong, and instead of being praised by Joe, he would be despised and blamed and ridiculed.
A strong guard was placed at the opening of the cave and Terry and Prim could enjoy the air. Muggy and oppressive though it was, it was better than the stifling closeness of the hut.
Rosa glowed with triumph, taking all the credit to herself for trapping Bud, and for the rest of the day she was in high spirits, commanding the young blacks as if they were her slaves.
It seemed to Terry and Prim that these people were eating half their time. Huge amounts of fish and fruit were consumed. They started at sunrise and only ended at bedtime.
Terry and Prim slept that night in the chief’s hut, with the faithful Rosa sleeping on a mat before the door. They rose at dawn when the blacks began to stir.
It was still early in the morning when they heard the drone of a motor in the sky and hurried into the hut. For now the real trouble was beginning. Joe Arnold had returned.Skybirdsoared, banked and circled about the island. Joe headed her low over the plateau, so low that Terry, peering through the matted vines, saw Joe’s face distinctly. His grin of triumph was always unpleasant, now it was threatening as well.
Terry’s face went white with anger as she sawSkybird.
“How dare he use our little plane for his shady business! The crook!” she exclaimed.
If Terry and Prim could have heard the Big Chief when Joe Arnold returned to the beach, they would not have been so trusting. For Pedro told Joe that his men had captured the girls and had them safely in the cave. Bud Hyslop was there now to guard them.
Joe nodded approvingly. Things seemed to be working out just as he planned. His trip to the mainland had been successful and now he was free to fly to South America where he would attend to that little matter of taking up the option on the Dick Mapes Flying Field. But in the meantime he would search the girls and see if they were carrying the money.
“Guess I’ll go on up and take a look at them,” said Joe carelessly. “You might fill up the plane with gasoline. I may need to go out on another trip soon.”
As Joe followed the path through the jungle he thought to himself. “You have to handle these savages rough! If I hadn’t threatened to kill them all, they’d have turned against me. Some day I’ll have a big base here and they’ll all be working for me like slaves.”
But Joe had come by the jungle path and the girls were fully warned of his approach. Rosa went to meet Joe Arnold with a broad grin on her face.
Terry’s heart sank as she watched from the shelter of the hut. She gripped Prim nervously. They clung together in terror. Why had they been so easily fooled? There was Rosa telling Joe that she had the girls safely trapped, waiting for him. The girls shrank back in the hut afraid to come out and face the man who had them in his power. With the whole tribe on Joe’s side, there was little chance of escape. This was the end.
“I’d have sworn they were real friends,” whispered Prim in a frightened voice. “It would be lots better to be on that island with wild beasts than here with these treacherous savages.”
But just then they heard Rosa directing Joe Arnold to the cave. With the few words of English she knew she was telling him that the girls were prisoners in the big cave. “You go down!” she said.
“Sure!” replied Joe with a broad smile. “I’ll kill two birds with one stone. I’ve always wanted to see the inside of one of those big caves. And when I find those girls, I have a few things to say to them.” Joe put his leg down the opening and felt for the rock. Then his other leg found a foothold. As his head disappeared. Bud’s voice called to him.
“Watch out, Joe, they’re tricky! The girls are not here!”
But it was too late. When Joe started to scramble out of the cave, shouting his threats, he was thrust back by a huge black, who held a long knife in his hand. Down he tumbled, bruised and shaken.
At that moment Terry and Prim rushed out of the hut and saw Joe disappear. “Now is our chance to get away, Prim!” cried Terry. “Let’s get to the beach!” Terry grabbed up her flying coat and helmet.
“Hurry, hurry, Terry, he may get out!” cried Prim. Her face was white with the strain.
Terry was saying goodbye to Rosa and the other women of the village. She was trying to express her thanks. It seemed ungrateful to hurry away without a farewell. But Rosa shook her head and shoved Terry ahead of her toward the jungle path, calling back in a shrill voice to the women.
Suddenly Terry started and looked upward. “Listen Prim. It’s a plane!” She had heard the distant hum of an airplane motor and was searching the sky anxiously. Then through the trees she saw the plane driving toward them.
“Who is it, Terry?” asked Prim.
“I wish I knew. Maybe it is a friend of Joe Arnold’s,” replied Terry as she gazed with dread toward the plane that was coming nearer and nearer to the island.
Now the plane was circling above them. The girls watched with anxiety as the pilot put it into a long, fast dive toward the near-by clearing.
CHAPTER VII
Crashed!
The girl flyers watched with thumping hearts as the plane, diving with wide open throttle, headed straight toward the plateau.
Prim gripped her sister’s arm. She felt giddy and faint. A cry escaped her.
Terry turned to her with a frown. “Snap out of it, Prim! This is no time to get hysterical. That plane may be piloted by a friend of Joe Arnold. If it is, we’ll need to do some quick thinking. Don’t lose courage now!”
Prim was gazing toward the plane. “It looks to me as if there were two men. And someone is waving! Do you think it’s a rescue plane?” cried Prim.
Terry did not answer. Every nerve was tense as she watched the plane banking and circling for a landing. She dared not tell Prim that she believed it was Allan and Syd. It would be too great a disappointment, if she were mistaken.
Then suddenly Prim screamed with delight. “Look Terry, look! It’s Syd and Allan! We’re saved! We’re saved!”
Rosa stood beside the girls until she realized that they did not need further help, then as the plane circled low for a landing, she scurried into the hut, calling on the women and children to follow. In a moment the place was deserted. Terry smiled at the idea of Rosa finding protection in those flimsy huts of twigs and leaves.
A few minutes later Allan set down his plane before the native huts. Before the boys could step from the plane, the girls were beside them, shaking their hands and almost crying with relief.
“We thought you were lost in the storm, Allan!” cried Terry.
“And we had almost given you up for lost!” answered Allan, his voice husky.
“How did you find us?” Prim asked excitedly. Her cheeks were flushed, all her fear was gone.
“We recognizedSkybirdand followed her,” replied Allan, looking around anxiously. “Joe flew her to Honduras and then back here.”
“Don’t I know it!” exclaimed Terry. “What a good thing it was that I didn’t have a chance to stop him. I was angry enough to smash the plane rather than have him use it for smuggling.”
“Let’s be going!” said Syd. “We can tell you how we found you when we’re out of danger. Are you sure these blacks are friendly?”
“I’ll say they are. They’re wonderful people!”
Terry burst out. “They’ve kept us out of Joe’s clutches. He and Bud were trying to put us on an uninhabited island. And Pedro, the Big Chief, hid us away and fooled him. The natives saved our lives!”
“Some day,” said Prim with a laugh, “I’m going to send a whole barrel of presents down for them, beads and candy and brightly colored calico. They’d love it!”
“But when do we go and how?” asked Syd. “I won’t feel safe until we get away from this island. Do you think there is any chance of gettingSkybird? Joe won’t give that plane up without a fight.”
“He isn’t going to put up a fight for that plane,” answered Terry. “When we heard you coming, we were just on our way to get her.”
“Joe is down there!” cried Prim triumphantly, pointing at the opening to the cave, near which a huge black was sitting, fingering a knife menacingly. “And as you see, he’s under a strong guard! He and Bud are both prisoners down there.”
“Prisoners! Where?” asked Syd.
“It’s the most wonderful prison in the world! It’s a crystal cave! The roof is of sparkling emeralds, rubies and sapphires. It’s beautiful!” Terry explained with sparkling eyes.
“Yes, you ought to see it, boys!” interrupted Prim.
“We’ll save that for the next trip. Much as I’d like to see a crystal cave, I think my pleasure would be all spoiled if I had to share the view with Joe Arnold,” answered Allan.
At that moment Pedro came running up the trail. He had seen another plane arriving and feared that Joe and Bud might be rescued by some friends. His white teeth showed in a broad smile when he saw the girls happy.
“My plane? Is it ready?” asked Terry.
“All ready!” replied the black.
Pedro started to lead them back to the harbor, but Rosa stood in his way, frowning and talking in a high pitched voice. The chief explained to the young people that the tribe wished to give the flyers a farewell feast.
“Guess we’ll have to wait long enough to eat something,” said Terry under her breath to Allan.
“But we really ought to be going when luck is with us. You can’t tell what may happen!”
“It’s impossible, boys. It’s the only way we have to repay these people for their kindness to us,” Terry begged.
“That’s a brand new idea, repaying people by eating some more of their food. I don’t know as I’d want that kind of pay for a debt.”
“You would if you were in the place of these people. It’s the greatest honor we can show them.”
After assuring Allan and Syd that Joe Arnold and Bud Hyslop were well guarded in the cave, Terry led the way to the fibre mats before the huts where the meal was about to be served.
“How did they guess that we hadn’t had a thing to eat today?” asked Syd. “We were too busy watchingSkybird. We didn’t dare leave the field for fear Joe Arnold would take off and we’d lose him.”
“I’m glad you’re hungry,” said Terry in a whisper to the boys. “I wishIwere, then I might be able to eat their fish. And unless you eat a lot, Rosa is offended.” As the bowl was brought in, strange spicy odors filled the air. They had several courses. The feast began with fish, continued with fish and ended with fish.
Terry bravely faced the ordeal, trying to smile and enthuse over each dish as it was brought. But it was hard work. However, the boys made up for her lack of appetite. They declared that they had never tasted anything so good and when they accepted a second helping, Rosa’s face was beaming with happiness.
Allan was thoughtful for a time, then his face brightened. He had been racking his brains to think of some gift to present to Pedro. At last he had it. From his pocket he took a wrist watch. Allan usually carried an extra watch.
Terry saw the idea and smiled. “He’ll love it, Allan! But make a lot of fuss when you present it,” she whispered. “They like that even better than the gift.”
The four friends rose and bowed low before Pedro. Then Allan stepped forward and fastened the watch on the wrist of the black.
Pedro did not know what to say. He tried to speak but his few words of English were forgotten in his excitement. Like a king, he strode among his people with extended hand to show them the honor that had been given him. Rosa beamed her pleasure. It was a great day on the island.
Allan and Syd were restless. “I think we’d better go!” said Allan suddenly. “I won’t be happy until I get you girls a thousand miles away from Joe Arnold and Bud Hyslop.”
“O.K.,” replied Terry. “Come Prim,” she said, and her sister followed as Terry went among the natives and bade them goodbye.
Allan and Syd started their plane and flew above the forest toward the beach, while the girls hurried through the jungle by a short cut that Pedro took and Rosa followed as fast as she could.
The boys were putting their plane down on the smooth water besideSkybirdwhen the girls arrived. Pedro leaped into the launch and beckoned the girls to follow.
Suddenly they heard wild, piercing cries coming from the direction of the jungle, savage cries that sounded more like the night call of some jungle beast.
“Hurry!” exclaimed Pedro, looking back. “It’s Joe. He escape!”
Joe and Bud were racing madly toward the beach. In a moment the reason for their panic was seen. Behind the two men came a stream of howling blacks.
“Will Joe hurt you, after we are gone?” asked Terry anxiously.
“Me no afraid!” Pedro answered. “My people, they fight him!”
Bud made for a boat, but one of the natives came up and shoved him aside violently. Joe was struggling with a horde of blacks, and all he could do was to shout furiously to Terry. ButSkybirdwas free from her moorings and the girl started the engine ready for the take-off. She could not hear what Joe was saying, but it was abusive and threatening.
Sending a spurt of water before her,Skybirdtaxied in a wide sweep to head into the wind. Pedro stood up in his boat and waved a big black hand. There were shouts of farewell from the shore, mingled with threats from Bud and Joe.
As the plane soared over the island, Prim said through the earphones, “You may call those people savages if you want to, but I’ll count them among my very best friends. What’s more, I’m coming back some day to see them.”
Allan took the lead, straight westward. The deep blue water spread beneath them to the horizon. There was hardly a ripple on the mirror-like surface of the sea. The sky was clear and like birds the two planes soared alone in the great blue dome.
Only occasionally Terry looked back in the direction of the island to be sure that Joe Arnold was not in pursuit. She had confidence in Pedro.
It was still early in the day. Terry and Allan had consulted their maps and decided to head for Tela on the Gulf of Honduras. If possible they wanted to get over to the Pacific side by night. There they would feel safe.
Flying in a northwesterly course, they left the high rocky coast of Honduras that lay exposed to the Caribbean storms, and made a landing at Tela. But they did not stay long, a heavy mist had come in from the sea. Within an hour they had made a check-up on their aircraft, refueled and were taking off for Salvador on the Pacific where fair weather was reported.
A low-lying cloud made Terry nose her plane up to a height of ten thousand feet. There was a brilliant sky and sunlight overhead. Below it looked as if they were still flying over the ocean. The broad sheet of fog spread beneath them like a blanket. But when they neared the Pacific late that afternoon, the mist began to thin and they could see the ranch houses with their cultivated fields. Leaving the cloud behind, they flew over Salvador. From that height they could see far north to the towering Guatemalan plateau, with here and there a cone-shaped volcanic peak. Plumes of blue smoke shot from the craters.
Prim gave an exclamation of astonishment, then was still. Both girls felt the overpowering majesty of the outlook over that vast panorama. Soon they saw the red and green roofs of Salvador City and a lofty Gothic spire. Terry circled over the town and came down on the flying field.
Here they intended to spend the night and have their planes thoroughly overhauled for the trip down the Pacific. The air was clear and dry, perfect flying weather.
But Terry was restless. While she enjoyed seeing the foreign city, she was fearful that Joe Arnold might still be pursuing them. Now he had a still greater reason for finding them. In the plane Terry had discovered a large legal envelope with several important looking papers marked “Confidential.” Looking at them hurriedly, Terry gasped. Among them was the will of Colonel Roger Fairfax, a document that disposed of millions of dollars worth of property.
At the hotel when she showed them to the boys they agreed that they were extremely valuable. Yet they saw that the possession of these papers would add to the peril of the girls. Joe Arnold would not rest easy until he had caught up withSkybirdand recovered the documents which he had stolen, no doubt, and expected to sell for a huge sum.
Terry did not sleep well. She wanted morning to come so that she could be on her way, and long before daybreak she was up and ready to go. After a hasty breakfast, the four flyers took off and were under way by the time the sun was rising.
It was a long day. The flight down the Nicaraguan coast was jumpy, for the cool air from the high mountains poured down to meet the warm air from the plains. They passed near to some of the volcanoes and once they could see into the crater with its boiling lava and clouds of steam and smoke.
“We’ve been lucky!” said Prim through the earphones. “From now on it’s clear sailing!”
“Touch wood, Prim! We’re not there yet,” answered Terry.
But Prim had not touched wood quick enough. A few hours later when they stepped from their plane on the field in Panama, they noticed at once that there was trouble. Men were running about excitedly, looking into the sky and the ambulance was being started ready for an emergency. In the sky a plane was out of control and diving wildly.
“Oh Prim!” cried Terry. “It’s Allan! He’s falling!”
The plane above had gone into a tailspin and the girls knew that Allan was not the kind to show off his skill or attempt a stunt over a strange flying field.
Prim clung to her sister with cries of fright but Terry’s face was grim. Her lips moved with a prayer, but no words came.
Allan’s plane was falling! Nothing could save it now. It was too near the ground to be righted and landed safely.
But the next minute the plane straightened out. By some miracle of luck Allan had it under control again, but it was too late. The plane landed on one wheel and with a bound it turned clear over. Even before it touched the ground, the ambulance was speeding across the field.
Prim ran screaming toward the plane but Terry stood as if turned to stone.
Allan and Syd had crashed! Their bodies must be crushed and bleeding under that crumpled wreck. Allan and Syd were dead! Terry saw no hope.
But strong hands had dragged Syd from the rear cockpit. He was dazed from the shock of landing but Terry saw that he was alive.
Frantically she ran toward the plane. Where was Allan?
Allan, strangely white, was taken from the wreck and placed in the ambulance. His limp form was covered with blood. Next minute the clanging ambulance was racing the injured boy to the hospital. Syd was given first aid on the field and was able to ride with the girls to the hospital in the automobile of the field manager. The boy was shaken up, bruised and sick from the shock, but he had no serious injuries. The girls watched him anxiously as he trembled and twitched, but the doctor at the hospital assured them that it was entirely nerves and after a night’s rest he would be himself again.
But with Allan it was far more dangerous. Behind the closed doors of the operating room, strange white-clad figures were working over Allan. Terry caught glimpses of hurrying nurses, but dared not speak to any of them. A moment’s delay in carrying out an order might be a risk to Allan’s life.
Suddenly Syd seemed to come out of his stupor. He tried to get up, looked wildly around and cried: “Where’s Allan? Tell me, is Allan dead?”
“No, Syd, lie down and keep quiet. Allan is alive! He has a fighting chance. That’s all we know now.”
An hour went by and dragged slowly into two hours before they brought Allan from that operating room. His long body was motionless under the sheet. Terry had slipped into the corridor and was watching. She held her breath with dread. Would they bring that still form toward a room, or was it all over? Was Allan dead? Would they take him away?
No one had time to answer her questions if she could have spoken. But her heart leaped with hope as she saw them turning into the room next to Syd. Allan was alive!
Then came the thought, as it had come when her father was injured: “Would this happy, care-free boy be left a cripple?” She thought of her father, spending his best years in a wheel chair and her eyes filled with tears. It was agony to think of that alert and active Allan doomed to the same fate. If only someone could relieve this terrible suspense!
CHAPTER VIII
Jump
Terry turned to the doctor who had just come in. She tried to speak, but words would not come.
The doctor approached with a smile of sympathy. “I guess this fellow was born under a lucky star,” he said. “He’s pretty well shaken up, but there is nothing serious that we can find. A few broken bones! The shock of a fall like that is always bad. He’ll be flying again in a few months!”
Terry did not wait to ask questions. She flew to Syd and Prim to tell them the good news.
Allan was alive! He would fly again!
Terry set out for South America two days later with a heart full of gratitude that Allan was not seriously hurt. The morning after the accident he was able to talk to her and while he looked worried to think of the girls flying alone into the dangers of a strange country, he did not try to keep them from going on.
Terry was getting nervous. The day set for taking up the option was almost there. The work she set out to do must be done quickly.
From his bed in the hospital Allan watched the plane soaring away from the field. It remained a tiny speck in the sky for a long time in that clear air.
“I feel as if we should have stayed to look after Allan,” said Prim through the earphones. “Do you think Syd can do everything that’s needed?”
“Allan is in a good hospital,” replied Terry. “He’s well cared for and there’s nothing we can do right now. We’ll get this job through as quickly as we can and get back.”
Following the airway down the coast, Terry had no difficulty in reaching the town of Trujillo in the northern part of Peru, at which point she was to turn inland to Majora, a settlement of adobe houses and stores, the center of supply for a number of mines in the mountains.
Over an early breakfast at Trujillo, their spirits rose once more. The trip inland was not far and they should reach the foothills in an hour.
“South America is different from what I expected,” remarked Terry, as she drank her breakfast coffee. “I thought that most of this country was jungles and tropical vegetation. Did you see that strip of brown sand, along the coast? It’s like a desert.”
“Which shows you didn’t study your geography very well or you’d have remembered that all along the coast, especially from here down, there’s a strip of desert, and in places it never has been known to rain,” replied Prim. “I always remember that, for it was one place I never had any desire to go. But here I am!”
“We’ll just give it a good look and fly high! I don’t like desert country either. But we’ll soon get to the foothills.”
“Let’s hurry, Terry! I’m anxious to get to the mine. I wonder what Peter Langley and his wife will be like? I hope they won’t turn out to be friends of Joe Arnold.” Prim picked up her belongings and hastened toward the door of the restaurant.
A few moments brought them to the flying field, where their plane had been refueled and stood ready for the take-off. There was no wind and Terry taxied across the field to get plenty of speed for the rise. As usual Prim had insisted on the parachutes. The harness always annoyed Terry, but she did not make any objection. Anything that would make Prim feel satisfied was worth doing.
The rising ground beneath them told that they were getting into the foothills. They saw the jagged peaks far ahead. Terry was glad that she would not have to cross the Andes on this trip. She had had enough excitement for a while; that could wait for another flight.
Seeing a small settlement ahead, Terry recognized it by the description given her of Majora. She flew straight toward the town, circled and came down on a wide, smooth field. Although it was not intended as a flying field, Terry had seen worse places to alight, and broughtSkybirdto a neat three-point landing.
But here the girls met disappointment. Ed Jenkins, an American storekeeper in the settlement, told them that it would be impossible to land a plane in the mountains near Peter Langley’s mine.
“There isn’t a square foot of level space anywhere in these hills. That pair of fools who went up there in a plane this morning will meet sudden death. They’re bound to!” exclaimed Jenkins.
“Two men went up there in a plane this morning!” cried Terry excitedly. “Who were they?”
“I can’t say, Miss,” replied Jenkins. “One had red hair and the other's eyes were funny! A queer looking pair of crooks!” Ed Jenkins was fumbling in his pocket. “Here’s a message. I guess it must be for you. The man with the squint said to give it to two girls in a plane. I reckon that’s you!”
Terry ripped open the envelope and read these words scrawled on a scrap of paper: “He laughs best who laughs last!”
“Come on. Prim, let’s go!” Terry’s face flushed, then set in determination. “That’s a challenge! If Joe Arnold thinks I’m through, he’s mistaken!”
But Ed Jenkins was pointing to the mountain, where a few stone huts were visible. “That’s Peter Langley’s mine up there! You can see for yourself there’s no place to land among those peaks!”
But Terry had already started the engine. The propeller was spinning. And with a wave of her hand to the storekeeper, she sent her plane across the field and into the air. Circling for altitude, she pointed straight toward Peter Langley’s mine.
“I believe that man is right,” said Prim a few minutes later, as the hills became more rugged and menacing with their sharp peaks.
Terry flew slowly over the hills, watching for a spot to put her plane down. If Joe Arnold and Bud Hyslop could find a place, surely she could. She brought her plane as low as she dared above the mountains but there was no sign of level ground, and soon she saw little figures running about and waving at her excitedly.
“They’re warning us not to try a landing,” Prim called to her sister. “i’m afraid it’s no use.”
“Then I’ll have to use the parachute! Come over here and take the controls. I’ll have to jump,” cried Terry.
“Don’t, Terry. It’s a terrible chance to take!” pleaded Prim.
“Nonsense! I’ve made lots of parachute jumps!” Terry snapped impatiently. “Don’t waste time! We have less than ten minutes to get there. Peter Langley can’t close a deal with Joe Arnold until twelve o’clock. Our contract holds until then.”
Prim’s face was white as she climbed into the pilot’s seat, protesting nervously. “Don’t jump, Terry! Don't take such a big chance!”
But Terry was studying the ground below her and she answered, “I’ll jump when we are directly over the mine. You take the plane down to Jenkins' store and wait for me there. I’ll be down after a while. Bye!”
Then at sight of Prim’s tragic face, she laughed and began crawling out on the wing. Terry watched the ground beneath her, then with a catch in her breath, stepped out into space.
No matter how many times Terry jumped, she never could get used to that long drop. Her mind was clear, every sense alert to what she had to do.
In a few seconds she pulled the rip cord but there was no response from the parachute.
Had something gone wrong? Terry was falling with terrific speed toward those jagged rocks. “This is the end,” she thought. But suddenly she came up with a tremendous jerk as the parachute opened above her head and she began sailing gently downward. Working with the shrouds, the girl steered the parachute toward a safe landing.
At the sight of a figure hurtling through the air, Mary Langley had screamed, “Oh Peter, Peter! A man has fallen from the plane! Help! Help!”
Horror-struck, Peter Langley watched the falling figure, then gave a lusty cheer as the white parachute opened, the little figure in the sky was righted and came sailing down gracefully.
“I was hoping she’d break her neck!” muttered Joe to Bud Hyslop. “Just as I was getting the did man interested, she had to spoil everything! But I’m not through! He’s got to take my word against hers!”
“Sure!” answered Bud. “Terry Mapes is no good at a business deal. She’ll not convince Peter Langley!”
While Bud and Joe looked on sullenly, Terry landed on the mountain at some distance from the astonished old couple, who hurried along the trail to reach her.
“He’s a brave man whoever he is,” said Mary Langley. “Jumping from the sky like that! It scares me to think of it!”
“I wonder why he’s coming here?” asked Peter Langley.
Terry was just picking herself up and rubbing a bruise on her arm, as the old couple scrambled up the rocky ledge.
“Bless me, if it isn’t a girl, and a pretty one! Did youhaveto jump out of that plane?”
“Yes,” replied Terry with a laugh. “Ihadto jump! I had to get here before twelve o’clock and that was the only way I could do it. I’m Terry Mapes and I’ve come to take up the option on the flying field.”
Peter Langley stared at the girl in astonishment. “You did that? You brave, brave girl!”
Mary Langley was brushing Terry off and helping her to get out of her parachute harness. “Come along to the house,” she said. “I’ll make you a cup of good strong coffee to brace you up, though goodness knows it would take more than that to bring me to, if I’d jumped from a plane! What are girls coming to! When I was young I’d never have dreamed that girls could do a thing like that!”
“Times are different!” agreed Peter with a shake of his tousled white head. “And you made it without an accident, which is more than my other two visitors did.”
“Were they hurt?” asked Terry.
“Not much! They landed their plane somewhere down the slope and broke the propeller. Joe Arnold has a sprained ankle and a bruised shoulder,” replied Peter. “He isn’t feeling very good.”
Terry looked at the old man anxiously. “You haven’t signed any papers, have you, Mr. Langley?” She looked at her watch. “It’s just one minute before twelve. I still have time to take up that option. Here’s your check!”
Peter shouted with laughter. “What a girl!” he exclaimed. “No, I haven’t signed any of his papers!”
“And what’s more youwon'tsign any of them!” Mary Langley cried. “I don’t like the looks of those two men!”
“No more do I!” agreed Peter.
As they reached the ledge of rock where their cabin stood, Peter was confronted by Bud Hyslop. “Don’t have anything to do with that girl!” he stormed. “She’s been in more crooked deals than you can count. You’ll be making a great mistake.”
Peter gave a quiet laugh that was more provoking than if he had stormed at the men and accused them of fraud. He turned to Terry. “Come right in, Miss Terry,” he said with a deep old-fashioned bow, “I’ll just sign that paper and close the deal!”
Joe Arnold bit his lips in rage. His face was deathly white. Terry had never seen the man so angry before. Joe had staked everything on this trip to get the flying field, and he had lost. Even his plane was a wreck and he was miles from a railroad.
Joe Arnold’s brain was working hard on a new plot. How could he getSkybird? And how could he get those stolen papers back? Perhaps they were still in the plane, maybe the girls had overlooked them! But that was not likely. Terry and Prim were too clever to miss a chance like that!
Joe studied the sky. Far down in the valley he could see the plane, with Prim at the controls, just making the landing by the store. Terry noted the look of hatred and villainous hope and her eyes followed his.
Suddenly she understood. Already Joe was talking to Bud. They were preparing to leave.
“Stop them, somehow!” said Terry to Peter Langley. “He’s going to try to reach Majora and get our plane. My sister Prim is down there! Don’t let them go!”
Peter stood in the path in front of Joe Arnold. “You have a few things to clear up before you leave, Mr. Arnold,” said the old man. “I’ll not let you go until you explain some of the stories you’ve told me about Dick Mapes and his family.”
“Get back!” shouted Joe Arnold furiously. “Out of my way!” His voice cracked in rage. Suddenly his fist shot out. Bud landed a second blow and Peter Langley reeled and staggered back, shouting for help.
There was a sound of running feet and the next moment a gang of miners rushed at the two men and tied their hands. After their struggles had quieted the pair were thrown into a corner and ordered to behave or take the consequences.
Terry looked anxiously toward the valley where she could see a small figure on horseback. It looked like Prim coming to her rescue.
“What shall we do with these crooks?” asked Peter Langley.
“Lock them up until Prim and I have time to get away,” Terry begged.
At Langley’s command, the miners dragged the two rascals to a stone shed. The heavy door had a strong lock.
“There they’ll stay until I’m sure you girls are safely home,” said Langley. “I’ve a notion to have them jailed!”
When Prim arrived in camp she was greeted as if she belonged to the family. She and Mary Langley were soon like old friends. They had many interests in common. And while Prim was being shown over the house, Terry and Peter Langley were exchanging stories of their adventures.
“Wait till I show you this!” said Peter going to a shelf in the corner. “Here’s a map I made on one of my trips. I went through the Land of the Incas with a native guide. We were looking for a lost temple. It is said that there’s a sacred emerald in the altar. Now the temple is lost, no one knows where it is. If I were young and had an airplane, I’d go and find that temple. Besides there’s treasure there.”
“I’d like to find it myself,” said Terry eagerly.
“Why don’t you? It’s a wonderful country down there. You’d see new sights and have new adventures and maybe you’d find the treasure.”
Terry’s eyes were dreamy as she studied the map. “Would you be game to go with me?” asked the girl. “This map is like a challenge. I'm going to do it!”
“Going to do what?” asked Prim.
“First I’m going to Panama and after that we’ll go on a treasure hunt in the Land of the Incas.”
Mrs. Langley laughed. “Peter has been showing her his map! I do believe he’d start out himself to find that treasure, if I’d let him.”
“Maybe I will,” replied Peter. “Terry says she’ll take me along. And I’ll trust myself to her any time. After seeing her jump from a plane I know she’ll get what she goes for, so I’ve given her my map.”
Terry rose to go. “We’ve got to get started! I wish I had more time to look around, but some day I’m coming back.”
Mrs. Langley threw both arms around the girl. “Promise me that you will. And next time don’t be in such a hurry to arrive. Come up the mountain on horseback. I was scared to death, almost, when I saw you falling.”
Peter saddled his own horse for Terry with instructions to leave it with Ed Jenkins, who would see that it got back. The girls waved at the old couple as long as they could see them and when they reached the store in Majora, Prim ran to the plane and got the binoculars. Looking back to the mine she saw the two old figures still standing on the rocky ledge and waving their hands.
As they took off. Prim suggested that Terry fly once more over the mountain, but Terry shook her head.
“Not this time, Prim. We must get back to Panama. But if Allan is all right and doesn’t need us, I would like to take that trip to Peru on a treasure hunt,” replied Terry.
From Trujillo, where they stopped for fuel, she sent a cable to her father and also one to Allan and Syd, who would be anxiously awaiting word.
Then as they headed up the Pacific it seemed to Terry thatSkybirdknew that she was facing homeward, the engine hummed and the country unrolled beneath them, like a great moving picture.
They found Allan recovering rapidly, although it would be many weeks before he could be moved. Terry and Prim were making their plans for the trip to Peru.
But Allan seemed troubled, and after much questioning Terry learned the cause of his worry. Some one was needed to follow up on that business deal. Dick could not attend to it all from his wheelchair and the other men about the field were not dependable.
“So you want me to go back?” asked Terry. “Is that it?”
“No, I don’twantyou to go back! Iwantyou here!” replied the boy.
Terry was quiet for a long time, she was thinking hard. Again she stood where duty called. She had to choose between her own pleasure and her duty to those she loved. There was a fierce struggle in the girl’s soul. Why did she always have to give up her own desires?
Suddenly she rose and held out her hand to Allan. “I’m starting home in the morning,” she said simply.
Allan looked troubled. “But Terry, your trip to the Land of the Incas! Your hunt for treasure!”
“Oh, that's nothing. That can wait!” she said with a laugh.
Even Allan did not realize how great had been that inward fight. Terry wanted to get away from all the problems of the flying field, the conflict and jealousy of Joe Arnold and Bud Hyslop. She wanted a month of freedom, just flying around and enjoying herself without any thought of duty or business details. She wanted to fly for her own pleasure.
The next morning she was on her way north. She circled her plane high up into the clear air. Ten thousand feet above the earth she could forget the problems of life. She could dream undisturbed for Prim always knew when to keep quiet.
But little did Terry dream that in the Land of the Incas, the Girl Flyers would endure many hardships, face grave dangers and many times would escape with their lives only by a hair’s breadth.