f one of them stops."

Standing in the aisle of the cold cabin, with the wind rocking the
plane and the snow hiding the ground, Jane felt a chilling of her heart
that was caused by something beside the sub-zero winter. The serum they
carried was so desperately needed in the isolated town. Lives of
children depended on the success of their trip. They must win through;
the wing motors must continue their rhythmic beating.

Five minutes later the center motor quit firing altogether and the wing
engines growled as the added burden came upon them. The wind seemed to
have slackened slightly, but the mantle of snow still enfolded them in
its fleecy whiteness.

The minutes crept on endlessly. They must be nearing the village if the
pilot's calculations were correct and the wind had not drifted them too
far off their course.

Jane went to one of the windows and peered down. There was only the
snow and the wind swirling it below them. Then they started down,
feeling their way through the blizzard.

It was tricky work, a task that required the hand of a master pilot,
for at any moment they might smash down out of the sky in a crash
landing.

With nerves taut, the stewardesses watched the needle of the altimeter.
The light flashed three times. It was the warning of trouble ahead.

The plane lurched upward and a resounding shock rocked the big craft.
Jane caught a glimpse of something black and rugged underneath the left
wing. Miss Comstock cried out in alarm.

"The landing gear's smashed," she shouted.

"We must have struck a rock ridge," replied Jane.

They zoomed upward and the light flashed four times. That was the
signal to jump. Jane looked at Miss Comstock. The chief stewardess
shook her head.

"I'm not jumping," she cried.

"Neither am I," replied Jane, hurrying ahead to the pilot's cockpit.

Slim Bollei was clinging to his controls.

"Jump," he yelled. "We've washed out the landing gear."

"We're not jumping," Jane told him firmly. "If the storm will only
clear you may be able to skid in for a landing on the snow."

"That's what I'm hoping for, but I can't stay up here forever."

Jane remained in the forward cockpit while the pilot sought a break in
the storm which would enable him to get his bearings and land. For
fifteen minutes they cruised in great circles.

"The storm's breaking away," cried Jane.

Slim nodded hopefully. It did seem as though the snow was thinning.
For another fifteen minutes th