ly a moment
later that Bell dipped down below the clouds and the other plane was
visible only as a swiftly receding mote in the sunlight.

"I wonder," said Bell coldly to himself, with the thunder of the motor
coming through the singing of the air route signal, "I wonder if he'll
see the ship I cracked up last night?"

Paula was pointing. The shoulder of a hill upthrust beneath the
jungle. The tall trees were cleared away at its crest. Small,
whitewashed buildings appeared below.

"Good landing field," said Bell, his eyes narrowing suddenly. "On the
direct route. Fifty miles back there's another landing field. I
wonder...."

He was already suspicious before he flattened out above the house,
while dogs fled madly. He noticed, too, that horses in a corral near
the buildings showed no signs of fright. And horses are always afraid
of landing aircraft, unless they have had much opportunity to grow
accustomed to them.

The little plane rolled and bumped, and gradually came to a stop. Bell
inconspicuously shifted a revolver to the outer pocket of his flying
suit. Figures came toward them, with a certain hesitating reluctance
that changed Bell's suspicions even while it confirmed them.

* * * * *

"Paula," he said grimly, "this is another landing field for Ribiera's
emergency use. It sticks out all over the place. Relatives or no
relatives, you want to make sure of them. You understand?"

Her eyes widened in a sudden startled fear. She caught her breath
sharply. Then she said quietly, though her voice trembled:

"I understand. Of course."

She slipped out of the plane and advanced to meet the approaching
figures. There were surprised, astounded exclamations: A bearded man
embraced her and shouted. Women appeared and, after staring, embraced.
Paula turned to wave her hand reassuringly to Bell, and vanished
inside the house.

Bell looked over his instruments, examined the gas in the tank, and
began to work over his maps in the blaring sunlight. He cut out the
switch and the motor stopped with minor hissings of compression. The
maps held his attention, though he listened keenly as he worked for
any signs of trouble that Paula might encounter.

He was beginning to have a definite idea in his mind. Ribiera had
talked to a headquarters somewhere, by beam radio from Rio. Beam
wireless, of course, is nothing more or less than a concentration of
a radio signal in a nearly straight line, ins