id. 'Tis something could happen to anyone flying
ferry planes," O'Malley answered. "Wasn't that the way it happened?"

"That is a bit of the truth, you know," Allison agreed.

"I don't know how I'll explain the flak holes I picked up. No Jerry or
Italian plane ever carried five-inch guns," Stan answered.

"We met a enemy battleship," O'Malley said, unconcerned.

Stan snorted. "The Italian Navy hasn't poked its nose out of a home
base in over a year. We were supposed to be flying in close to Allied
shores."

"Sure, an' you're right," O'Malley answered cheerfully. "But I'll be
thinkin' o' something, niver fear."

Stan looked down and then up. They had plunged into very soupy weather
with low clouds and some wind. His ship was not taking it very well.
Then it began to rain.

"You better be thinking of getting us in, one of my engines is about to
conk out on me," he called across.

"I'm doing foine," O'Malley said. "Hear them signals coming in? That's
the boys on Malta giving us the old signal. We'll ride right in."

They changed course, heading north. Stan began to frown. It did not seem
right to be heading in that direction. Suddenly they sighted a field
through the rain. O'Malley dived for the field and Stan followed with
Allison close behind. They hit the runway in a drenching rain and rolled
in wing to wing.

Suddenly they were confronted by four trucks. The trucks rolled out and
halted across their paths, pulling in close before them so that the
Lightnings could not turn around. Stan stared at the trucks. They
certainly were not Yank or British. Then he saw squads of grinning
Italian soldiers poking machine guns over the sides of the trucks.
Ground men began swarming out. Everyone was smiling.

"You sure let them call you in," Stan shouted to O'Malley.

"'Twas a dirty trick, them using our signals to call us in here,"
O'Malley fumed.

"Malta is just across the strait, I'll bet," Allison said. "I've heard
that the Italians use this trick, but I never thought they'd fool the
Irish." There was a mocking note in Allison's voice. "We may as well
climb down like good little boys. They have us covered with a hundred
machine guns."

"I'm getting out very carefully," Stan said. O'Malley said nothing at
all, but he climbed out and joined Stan and Allison.

A group of Italian officers crowded around them. All were smiling and
bowing as though welcoming the Yanks. O'Malley scowled at them, but Stan
grinned back