"What"s the matter with Tam?"
Th.o.r.n.ycroft, a flight commander of 89 A, had strolled across and stood with Blackie watching Tam"s tiny machine humming cloudward.
"Tam has what is called on the other side a "hunch,"" said Blackie; "come and look at this machine and see if you can find anything wrong with it. She"s new from the maker," he went on, "in fact, the young gentleman who represents the firm is at this moment in the mess laying down the law on aviation, its past, present and illimitable future--there he is!"
Th.o.r.n.ycroft paused in his inspection to watch the newcomer. He was a young man of singular confidence, who talked so very loudly to the officer who accompanied him that the two men by the machine felt themselves included in the conversation long before they could make themselves audible in reply.
"h.e.l.lo--h.e.l.lo," said Mr. Theodore Mann, "what"s wrong--eh?"
"One of my best pilots took her up and didn"t like her," said Blackie.
"Didn"t like her? What"s wrong with her--cold feet, eh? Bless you, they all get it sooner or later--"the pitcher goes often to the well," et cetera. That"s a proverb that every flying man should unlearn, eh?"
He leapt lightly into the machine and jiggled the joy-stick.
"I"ll take her up if you don"t mind--hi, you!" he called a mechanic, "start her up--ready--contact! Z-r-r-r--!"
The little bird skimmed the smooth floor of the aerodrome and dived upward in a wide circle.
"She"s all right," said Th.o.r.n.ycroft, shading his eyes; "what"s wrong with Tam, I wonder?"
"Tam doesn"t funk a thing," protested Blackie, "I"ve never known him--my G.o.d!"
Apparently nothing happened--only the machine without warning buckled up and broke two thousand feet in the air, a wing dropped off and a crumpled thing, which bore no resemblance to an airplane, dropped straight as a plummet to earth.
It fell less than a hundred yards from the aerodrome and Mr. Theodore Mann was dead when they pulled him from the wreckage.
Blackie directed the salvage work and returned a very thoughtful man.
When Tam returned from his tour he sent for him.
"You have heard the news, I suppose?"
Tam nodded gravely.
"Now, tell me, Tam," said Blackie, "did you feel anything wrong with the machine--why did you bring her down?"
"Sir-r," said Tam, "I"ll no" romance an" A"m tellin" ye Flyin"-Coor truth. I saw nothin" an" felt nothin"--the engines were guid an" sweet an" she swung like a leddy, but--"
"But?"
"Weel, what would ye say if ye were zoomin" up an" of a sudden, for no reason, yeer hair stood up an" yeer flesh went creepy an" yeer mouth grew as dry as Sunday morning? An" there was a cauld, cauld sensation under yeer belt an" the skin aboot yeer eyes was all strained and ye smelt things an" tasted things sharper, as if all yeer senses was racin"
like the propeller of a boat when her bow goes under water?"
Blackie shivered. "That"s how you felt, eh?" he asked. "Well, you needn"t explain further, Tam."
""Tis the airman"s sixty-sixth sense," said Tam. "If he"s worried or sad that sixty-sixth sense gets thrown up and becomes more veevid, if ye"ll understand me."
"Worried? Sad?" said Blackie quickly. "What"s worrying you, Tam?
Haven"t you had your pay this month?"
Tam smiled slowly. "What that young fellow, c.o.x, is doing wi" ma fortune doesna keep me awake at nights," he said; "the MacTavishes are f.e.c.kless, extravagant bodies and it no" concairns me whether ma balance is one poond or two."
"What is worrying you?" asked Blackie.
"Weel," said Tam slowly, "A"m just a wee bit grieved. A frien" o" mine is leaving France."
"Friend of yours?" said Blackie. "Who is your friend?"
"He is a braw big fellow about six foot high wi" muscular arms and curly hair," said Tam. "His name"s Jamie Macfarlane, and his mither"s a leddy in her own right."
Thus embarked upon his career of mendacity the artist in Tam compelled him to complete the picture.
"We were at school together, Angus and A"."
"You said Jamie just now, Tam," reproved Blackie.
"Angus is his second name," said the glib Tam; "we were brought up in the same village, the village of Glascae, and tramped off to the same college at six every morning when the b.u.mmer went. There"d we sit, me and Alec."
"Angus," suggested Blackie.
"Me and Alec Angus Jamie Macfarlane," said the undisturbed Tam, "listenin" wi" eager ears to the discoorses of Professor Ferguson who took the Chair in Rivets at the Govan Iron Works Seminary, drinkin" out of the same mug--"
"Tam, you"re lying," said Blackie; "what is really worrying you and who"s your friend?"
Tam heaved a sigh. "Ah, weel," he said, "A" shall be wanting to go into Amiens, to-night, Captain Blackie, sir-r, and A"ve a graund poem at the back of me heid that A"d like to be writing. You"ll no" be wanting me?"
"Not till four," said Captain Blackie; "I want you to stand by then in case Fritz tries something funny. The circus paid a visit to 89 yesterday evening and it may be our turn to-night."
Tam closed and locked the door of his room, produced a large pad of writing-paper, an ink-well, and fitted his pen with a new nib before he began his valedictory poem.
Never had a poem been more difficult to write to this ready versifier.
He crossed out and rewrote, he destroyed sheet after sheet before the rough work of his hands was ready for polishing.
"How may a puir wee airman fly When ye have carried off his sky?"
the verse began, and perhaps those were the two most extravagant lines in the farewell verse.
He wrote a fair copy, folded it carefully, inserted it into an envelope and slipped it into his breast pocket. He was to see Vera that night and had no other feeling but one of blank helplessness, for he had neither the right nor the desire to reveal by one word his closely guarded secret, a secret which he fondly believed was shared by none.
His plan was to give her the envelope on the promise that it should not be opened and read until she had reached America. He had invented and carefully rehea.r.s.ed certain cautious words of farewell, so designed that she might accept them on the spot as conventional expressions of his regret at her leaving, but pondering them afterward, could discover in these simple phrases a hint of his true sentiment.
Such was the difficulty of composition that he was late for parade. All the squadron which was not actually engaged in routine duty was present.
Ordinarily they would have been dismissed after the briefest wait, but to-day Blackie kept gunners, observers and pilots standing by their machines.
At half-past four Blackie hurried across from his office. "There"s a general alarm," he said. "Everybody is to go up. Tam, take number six and patrol the area."
As the machines rose a big motor-car came flying on to the ground and two staff officers alighted.
Blackie turned and saluted his brigadier. "We only just got the message through, sir," he said.