Henderson daily dispatch., 1940-09-14
BEFE ORE THE4R}H!!lKEz:!ktlR!EG
L@ CENTRAL aP FHsz 9s5 So d~ RUPERT GRAYSON
RUPERT GRAYSON

| the looks of that little drawing
Office"
Huh! They'll be damned un,
mCkv. Come on, what about
that bath and bed?"
Twenty minutes later they were
in their respective beds, and sleep
ing as only men who have been fly
ing for nearly "a hours at stretch
can.
In Whitehall. both War Office and
Air Force staffs had returned. y
was white and faded.
ITS two hours since chat last
message came through" remarked
War Office. "Whatever's happened,
it's plain they won't get another
chance to communicate tonight, l
should say"
Air Force nodded, grimly.
They've got them, all right" he
said, unconSciously echoing Gun S
remark made just about the same
time. II should think we might as
we'll pack up-no good sitting here
ard looking at each other"
y nodded. and rose YEARLY. Hc
almost staggered as he walked
across to the mantelpiece.
Yes. you're right he agreed
AN operator will be standing by
all the lime. of course, and I'll ar
rar~n 70 10 called # anything im-
port. .....,j through. But, per-
sonally. don't expect to hear any
thing for some time. Days, prob
ably. If at ALL" he added. gloonnily.
He cursed the pessimism and de-
preston that seemed to have
stripped him-probahly due to the
long hours of strain. he imagined.
The other two said good night,
and went. Y gave his final di:cc-
tons and followed suit.
Outside the night was starry,
and he stood OIL the pavement for
a moment 81 two. staring up at the
sky in silent contemplation.
The sea has hitherto held all the
mysteries. he thought. but now
that Star-Spangled waste is begin
ming to rival it! Lost flyers! An
airplane in that waste is a very
small and helpless thing, really.
And some of them never come
back. and nothing is ever heard Of
them,
AS though in answ to his
thoughts he heard the distant roar
of an engine, and presently could
just make out the shape Of a plane,
faint against the stars.
y hailed a belated taxi.
Gun was awakened at an early
hour by a beam of bright, warm
sunshine on his face. It felt good,
and he heaved long sigh, yawned,
and stretched luXuriously. But in
the middle of it he remembered
where he was, and the stretch col
lapSeG rather ANONYMOUSLY.
He sat UP and locke, around
the room. Noticed again what he
had already seen last night-that,
while they were eating. their flying
kits and the service revolvcrs had
been quietly removed.
But Gun still ha' his inseparable
companions-a small, flat pocket
torch, and a So automatic. There
was some comfort in that-eSpc-
cially in the latter.
He reached out for cigaret and
lighter, and pu:@ 49,. -Usly, try
ing to think of safe place to hide
his treasures in case they were
"frisked." Decided that was hardly
likely to happen so long as their
captors did not realize that they
were there by their own intent, and
not owing to their captors' cum
ming. So far they seemed to have
no suspicion of this.
Gun finished his cigaret, then
got up and dressed-having no pa
jamas, he had slept naked.
Then he lit another cigaret, and
went quietly into the sitting room.
There was no one about, and he
presumed that Sambo was still
asleep in his annex"
Gun opened the door, without
noise, and stepped out into the
sunlight. His watch registered
seven-thirty, but the sun was al
ready hot. The garden, which sur
rounded the bungalow, was well
laid out, and was about a half-ac:e
in extent. 1t was surrounded in its
turn by the wire fence Gun had
noticed the previous night. This
was composed Of stout, narrow
neshed wire netting, with barbcd
wire strung through it at intervals
in such way that it was obvious
ly unclimba 2, and was about Il
feet in heic :.
"They dot mean for us to get
out of this bird cage, that's q GER
tainty," was Guns inward COM