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第17节

the night-born-第17节

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half a dozen San Francisco detectives arrived; and several

hours later the secretary; in high excitement; erupted on Peter

Winn。



〃It's come!〃 the secretary gasped; the sweat beading his

forehead and his eyes bulging behind their glasses。



〃What has come?〃 Peter demanded。 〃Itthethe loo…loo bird。〃



Then the financier understood。



〃Have you gone over the mail yet?〃



〃I was just going over it; sir。〃



〃Then continue; and see if you can find another letter from our

mysterious friend; the pigeon fancier。〃



The letter came to light。 It read:



Mr。 Peter Winn;

HONORABLE SIR: Now dont be a fool。 If youd came through; your

shack would not have blew upI beg to inform you respectfully;

am sending same pigeon。 Take good care of same; thank you。 Put

five one thousand dollar bills on her and let her go。 Dont feed

her。 Dont try to follow bird。 She is wise to the way now and

makes better time。 If you dont come through; watch out。



Peter Winn was genuinely angry。 This time he indited no message

for the pigeon to carry。 Instead; he called in the detectives;

and; under their advice; weighted the pigeon heavily with shot。

Her previous flight having been eastward toward the bay; the

fastest motor…boat in Tiburon was commissioned to take up the

chase if it led out over the water。



But too much shot had been put on the carrier; and she was

exhausted before the shore was reached。 Then the mistake was

made of putting too little shot on her; and she rose high in

the air; got her bearings and started eastward across San

Francisco Bay。 She flew straight over Angel Island; and here

the motor…boat lost her; for it had to go around the island。



That night; armed guards patrolled the grounds。 But there was

no explosion。 Yet; in the early morning Peter Winn learned by

telephone that his sister's home in Alameda had been burned to

the ground。



Two days later the pigeon was back again; coming this time by

freight in what had seemed a barrel of potatoes。 Also came

another letter:



Mr。 Peter Winn;

RESPECTABLE SIR: It was me that fixed yr sisters house。 You

have raised hell; aint you。 Send ten thousand now。 Going up all

the time。 Dont put any more handicap weights on that bird。 You

sure cant follow her; and its cruelty to animals。



Peter Winn was ready to acknowledge himself beaten。 The

detectives were powerless; and Peter did not know where next

the man would strikeperhaps at the lives of those near and

dear to him。 He even telephoned to San Francisco for ten

thousand dollars in bills of large denomination。 But Peter had

a son; Peter Winn; Junior; with the same firm…set jaw as his

fathers;; and the same knitted; brooding determination in his

eyes。 He was only twenty…six; but he was all man; a secret

terror and delight to the financier; who alternated between

pride in his son's aeroplane feats and fear for an untimely and

terrible end。



〃Hold on; father; don't send that money;〃 said Peter Winn;

Junior。 〃Number Eight is ready; and I know I've at last got

that reefing down fine。 It will work; and it will revolutionize

flying。 Speedthat's what's needed; and so are the large

sustaining surfaces for getting started and for altitude。 I've

got them both。 Once I'm up I reef down。 There it is。 The

smaller the sustaining surface; the higher the speed。 That was

the law discovered by Langley。 And I've applied it。 I can rise

when the air is calm and full of holes; and I can rise when its

boiling; and by my control of my plane areas I can come pretty

close to making any speed I want。 Especially with that new

Sangster…Endholm engine。〃



〃You'll come pretty close to breaking your neck one of these

days;〃 was his father's encouraging remark。



〃Dad; I'll tell you what I'll come pretty close to…ninety miles

an hourYes; and a hundred。 Now listen! I was going to make a

trial tomorrow。 But it won't take two hours to start today。

I'll tackle it this afternoon。 Keep that money。 Give me the

pigeon and I'll follow her to her loft where ever it is。 Hold

on; let me talk to the mechanics。〃



He called up the workshop; and in crisp; terse sentences gave

his orders in a way that went to the older man's heart。 Truly;

his one son was a chip off the old block; and Peter Winn had no

meek notions concerning the intrinsic value of said old block。



Timed to the minute; the young man; two hours later; was ready

for the start。 In a holster at his hip; for instant use; cocked

and with the safety on; was a large…caliber automatic pistol。

With a final inspection and overhauling he took his seat in the

aeroplane。 He started the engine; and with a wild burr of gas

explosions the beautiful fabric darted down the launching ways

and lifted into the air。 Circling; as he rose; to the west; he

wheeled about and jockeyed and maneuvered for the real start of

the race。



This start depended on the pigeon。 Peter Winn held it。 Nor was

it weighted with shot this time。 Instead; half a yard of bright

ribbon was firmly attached to its legthis the more easily to

enable its flight being followed。 Peter Winn released it; and

it arose easily enough despite the slight drag of the ribbon。

There was no uncertainty about its movements。 This was the

third time it had made particular homing passage; and it knew

the course。



At an altitude of several hundred feet it straightened out and

went due cast。 The aeroplane swerved into a straight course

from its last curve and followed。 The race was on。 Peter Winn;

looking up; saw that the pigeon was outdistancing the machine。

Then he saw something else。 The aeroplane suddenly and

instantly became smaller。 It had reefed。 Its high…speed

plane…design was now revealed。 Instead of the generous spread

of surface with which it had taken the air; it was now a lean

and hawklike monoplane balanced on long and exceedingly narrow

wings。



 。   。   。   。   。 。



When young Winn reefed down so suddenly; he received a

surprise。 It was his first trial of the new device; and while

he was prepared for increased speed he was not prepared for

such an astonishing increase。 It was better than he dreamed;

and; before he knew it; he was hard upon the pigeon。 That

little creature; frightened by this; the most monstrous hawk it

had ever seen; immediately darted upward; after the manner of

pigeons that strive always to rise above a hawk。



In great curves the monoplane followed upward; higher and

higher into the blue。 It was difficult; from underneath to see

the pigeon。 and young Winn dared not lose it from his sight。 He

even shook out his reefs in order to rise more quickly。 Up; up

they went; until the pigeon; true to its instinct; dropped and

struck at what it to be the back of its pursuing enemy。 Once

was enough; for; evidently finding no life in the smooth cloth

surface of the machine; it ceased soaring and straightened out

on its eastward course。



A carrier pigeon on a passage can achieve a high rate of speed;

and Winn reefed again。 And again; to his satisfaction; be found

that he was beating the pigeon。 But this time he quickly shook

out a portion of his reefed sustaining surface and slowed down

in time。 From then on he knew he had the chase safely in hand;

and from then on a chant rose to his lips which he continued to

sing at intervals; and unconsciously; for the rest of the

passage。 It was: 〃Going some; going some; what did I tell

you!going some。〃



Even so; it was not all plain sailing。 The air is an unstable

medium at best; and quite without warning; at an acute angle;

he entered an aerial tide which he recognized as the gulf

stream of wind that poured through the drafty…mouthed Golden

Gate。 His right wing caught it firsta sudden; sharp puff that

lifted and tilted the monoplane and threatened to capsize it。

But he rode with a sensitive 〃loose curb;〃 and quickly; but not

too quickly; he shifted the angles of his wing…tips; depressed

the front horizontal rudder; and swung over the rear vertical

rudder to meet the tilting thrust of the wind。 As the machine

came back to an even keel; and he knew that he was now wholly

in the invisible stream; he readjusted the wing…tips; rapidly

away from him during the several moments of his discomfiture。



The pigeon drove straight on for the Alameda County shore; and

it was near this shore that Winn had another experience。 He

fell into an air…hole。 He had fallen into air…holes before; in

previous flights; but this was a far larger one than he had

ever encountered。 With his eyes strained on the ribbon attached

to the pigeon; by that fluttering bit of color he marked his

fall。 Down he went; at the pit of his stomach that old sink

sensation which he had known as a boy he first negotiated

quick…starting elevators。 But Winn; among other secrets of

aviation; had learned that to go up it was sometimes necessary

first to go down。 The air had refused to hold him。 Ins

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