ck hurried on. Jane was determined and there was no time to
waste in argument.

The tri-motor had landed on a hillside, first striking a fringe of
trees which had wrecked the undercarriage and then skidding along the
hillside until the nose had dug into the ground, flipping the tail into
the air at a crazy angle.

The pilots' cockpit appeared badly smashed, but as Miss Comstock and
Jane approached, a man crawled out of the wreckage. It was the
co-pilot, badly battered and only half conscious.

"Slim's in there," he gasped, pointing back at the smashed cockpit.

Miss Comstock lunged ahead, tearing at the wreckage, hunting for Slim
Bollei, the chief pilot. The smell of gasoline was doubly strong and
Jane realized their grave danger, but she never wavered in following
the chief stewardess.

They found the chief pilot jammed behind the control wheel.

"You take his shoulders while I try to free his feet," ordered Miss
Comstock. Working swiftly, they managed to lift the pilot clear and
Jane was thankful that he was slight in stature. It would have been
impossible for them to carry a heavy man.

They staggered away from the wreckage just as a tongue of flame leaped
along the remains of the right wing.

"Hurry," gasped Miss Comstock. "We've got to get farther away."

The co-pilot tried to assist them, but he was too weak to help.

"Take care of yourself," Miss Comstock told him. "We'll get Slim away."

The flames spread rapidly and by the time they reached the crest of the
hill, the wreckage was an inferno of fire with roaring, twisting flames
leaping into the heavens. Jane shuddered and closed her eyes and the
other girls huddled close together.

"This is no time for anyone to have hysterics," said the steel-nerved
Miss Comstock. She turned to the co-pilot. "Did you get a message out
that we were crashing?" she asked.

"Yes, but I don't know whether it got through. The static has been
terrific for the last hour."

"Where are we?"

"Somewhere between Wood River and Kearney and a little south of the
line. The Platte can't be far south of us."

"I don't care where the Platte is. I want to get to a phone and find a
doctor for Slim and report to the line," snapped Miss Comstock. She
turned to Sue and Alice.

"You girls take charge here. Do what you can for these men while Jane
and I start out to see if we can find a farmhouse with a telephone."

Leaving the other girls on the hilltop, Miss Comstock and Jane p