Adventure Magazine Cover — page 148: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

138 with perfect handling of the ship taken for granted, as riding is fundamental in polo. Consummate skill in actual flying is only the first requirement in landing for a mark. e=.3 Dumpy, his helmet just in sight above the front cockpit, took the air. By tossing a coin he had drawn first try. As always, he had to grand-stand a little. He banked with his wingskid almost scraping the ground, pointed the ship for the crowd, and then as women shrieked and men stumbled and fell trying to get out of the way, he zoomed. Steadily he climbed un- til he was a thousand feet over the white circle, pointed into the wind, which was ~ west, the way the landings would be made. Then the roar of the motor died and the propeller could be seen, turning lazily. Now that the test had arrived, Dumpy took no chances, but went about his task ina workman-like manner. No grand-standing now. He turned his ship to the right, and then in a wide left-hand spiral came down slowly. At a hundred feet he was an equal number of yards away from the mark, to the east of it. turning toward the mark as it came down. Ten feet from the ground it came out of the slip, headed directly for the mark. Then the tail went sideward, and it skidded for a moment, straightening just as it hit the ground in a perfect landing. As it rolled toward the mark the propeller was motion- less. Slower and slower the great plane came and an excited murmer came from the packed spectators as they saw how close he was going to come. With his round face poked over the side, Dumpy used rudder and ailerons to keep himself going straight for the whitewashed circle. Barely moving, the wheels rolled over the rim of the outside circle and stopped just within it. Dumpy ae missed the exact center by less than ten eet. Automobile horns honked, men cheered, and women joined shrill voices to the din. They had hoped Dumpy would lose—but what a flyer he was! And with all his con- ceit he was a good scout—the little fat ras- cal! Tex, a whimsical grin on his face, shook his head sadly as he walked over to the ship in the circle. The crowd laughed in sym- pathy with him. No man alive could beat AN EXPECTANT murmur rose from the massed onlookers as His ship began to sideslip, Adventure that landing except by sheer luck. Judg- ment could’go no farther. Dumpy, his face’ alight with triumph, leaped from the plane and mechanics shoved it through an opening in the crowd, back to the line. “Some troubie beating that, ah Tex?” he shouted before his roly poly form disap- peared in a wavg of admirers, led by the Marfa men. Somehow or other, as Tex lounged easily over to his already roaring plane, the crowd had a feeling that all was not yet over. MacDowell gave that impression and there was his reputation behind him to back it up. As Captain Kennard retorted to. Major Schaffer, who was already claiming his hundred— “Tf it was anybody but Mac I’d kiss the hundred good-by, but let’s wait a minute and see what happens.” Meanwhile Tex, that peculiar sparkle of recklessness very apparent in his eyes, joined Captain Kennard and the major. “Captain, just what are the precise con- ditions of this little argument?” he inquired. “Why, what do you mean?” “T figured out a way I might win, if ’m lucky,” drawled Tex. ‘Supposing I got nearest the mark, but ‘sort of damaged the ship a little, maybe. Id be taking kind of a chance, doing what I figure on.” ‘Both men looked at the grinning fiver, sensing something that underlay his inquiry. ‘““My idea would be that it would depend on whether your damaging of the ship was due to poor flying or not,” said Major ' Schaffer. “Thanks,” and Tex strolled over to his ship. “Get me a spare cushion, and wire it firmly to the side of the cockpit—on the left,” he ordered the mechanics. ‘“‘Now what the do you suppose that bird is up to?” Major Schaffer asked plain- tively. ‘I don’t see any earthly reason why it should be so, but if I don’t feel that hundred slipping!” Captain Kennard cackled gleefully. “What did I tell you?” he crowed. . The buzzing crowd apparently had some- what the same feeling as Major Schaffer, although they were as much puzzled as the mechanics, who, under MacDowell’s super- vision, had attached the cushion. Some- thing unusual was about to happen. Tex, flying without a helmet, took off across the field before the heartening cheers COmiclbook (©