even
caught himself addressing him as Mr. Halliday, and wanting to apologize
for his treatment of the aviator that morning.

"We'll have to have a new strut here. You didn't get one in that outfit.
And by rights we need a new propeller. There ain't the same thrust when
it's gravel-chewed like that. But maybe you can't stand the expense, so
we'll try and make this do for awhile. Say," he added abruptly, turning
his pale stare upon Johnny, "for cat's sake, how d'yuh figure I'm going
to replace them broken cables without a brazing outfit?"

Johnny didn't know, of course. "I guess we can manage somehow," he
hazarded loftily.

"A hell of a lot you know about flying!" Bland Halliday snorted. "A lot
of cable to fit, and no blowtorch, and you tell me we can manage!"

"Every fellow to his own game," Johnny retorted, feeling himself slipping
from his sure footing of superiority. "I can ride, anyway."

"Well, I'll say I can fly. Don't you forget that. And here's where you
take orders from me, bo. I took 'em from you yesterday. Got pencil and
paper? I'll just make you out a list of what's needed here. And you get
it here quick as possible."

"Well, I can't ride in to town for a week, anyway. I've got to--"

"That's your funeral, what you got to do. I've got to have the stuff to
work with, and I've got to have it right off. At that, there's two weeks'
work here, even if the motor's all right. I haven't looked 'er over
yet--but seeing the gas tank is empty, I'm guessing she run as long as
she had anything to run on, and that they landed for lack of gas. If
that's the case, the motor's probably all right. I'll turn 'er over and
see, soon as you get gas and oil down here. And that better be right off.
I can be working on the tail in the meantime. But believe me, it's going
to be fierce, working without half tools enough." Then he added, fixing
Johnny with his unpleasant stare, "You'll have to hustle that stuff
along. I'll be ready for it before it gets here, best you can do. Send to
the Pacific Supply Company. Here, I'll write down the address. Better
send 'em--lessee, a minute. Gimme the list again. You send 'em thirty
bucks; what's left, if there is any, they'll return. Some of that stuff
may have gone up since I bought last. War's boosting everything. All
right--get a move on yuh, bo. This is going to be some job, believe me!"

"All right. There's grub and blankets for you. You'll have to camp right
here, I guess. I don't ai