In the Clutch of the War-God Part 3

"Where do we land?" asked the girl.

Komoru steadied the wheel with one hand; and, reaching into the breast pocket of his aviator's jacket, he produced a little doc.u.ment-like roll. "These are the orders," he explained, and asked Ethel to spread out the papers on the chart case.

The instruction sheet read:

"Fly twenty-eight minutes beyond the coast line, which will place you ten or twenty miles northwest of the town of Beaumont, where a fire of some sort will be lighted about 3 a.m.

"When you alight locate one or more farm houses and attach one of the enclosed notices to the door.

"This done, fly toward the Beaumont signal fire and a.s.sist in subduing the town and capturing all petroleum works in the region.

"At 6 a.m., if petroleum works are safe, follow the lead of the red plane and fly northwest as far as Fort Worth, returning by nightfall to oil region."

Ethel read the paper over and over as she held it down out of the wind by the dim glow lamp. She wanted to ask questions. She wondered what was expected of her. She wondered again as to what was expected of the entire invasion and why the women had been brought along. But her questions did not find verbal expression, for she had schooled herself to await developments.

The roller chart had now come to a stop and showed the red line that marked their course terminating in a cross to the northwest of the town of Beaumont. Komoru tilted the plane downward and flew for a time near the earth. Then checking the speed, he ran it lightly aground in an open field a little distance from a clump of buildings.

The driver got out and stretched his cramped limbs. Taking a hand glow lamp he ran carefully over the mechanism of the plane. Then he opened a locker and took out two small magazine pistols. One he handed to Ethel.

"Don't use it," he said, "until you have to."

"Will you go with me?" he asked, "to tack the poster, or will you stay with the plane?"

"I'll stay here," she replied.

Komoru walked off rapidly towards the house. Presently the stillness was interrupted by the vociferous barking of a dog; Then there was a sound as of some one picking a taut wire and the voice of the dog curdled in a final yelp.

In a few minutes Komoru was back. "Dogs are no good," he said; "they produce nothing but noise."

"Will you kindly get aboard, Miss Ethel? There is much to do."

[Ill.u.s.tration: By carefully shielding his flash lamp, Komoru was able to read a duplicate of the notice he had just fastened up.]

Ethel obeyed; meanwhile Komoru inspected the surface of the ground for a few yards in front of the plane. Returning he climbed into his seat and started the engine. They arose without mishap.

Within a mile or two, Komoru picked out another farm house and made a landing nearby.

"I will go with you this time," said Ethel courageously.

Approaching an American residence, Ethel suddenly found herself conscious of the fact that she was dressed in a most unladylike j.a.panese kimo. For a moment the larger sentiments of the occasion were replaced by the womanly query, "What will people say?" Then she laughed inwardly at the absurdity of her thought.

Komoru produced the roll from his pocket and unwound a small cloth poster. This he fastened to the door jam by pressing in the thumb tacks that were sewed in the hem. Then noting another white blotch on the opposite side of the door, he carefully shielded his lamp, and made a light. It was a duplicate of the notice he had just fastened up and read:

WARNING

"Two hundred thousand j.a.panese have invaded Texas and are desirous of possessing your property. You are respectfully requested to depart immediately and apply to your government for property elsewhere. All buildings not vacated within twenty-four hours will be promptly burned--unless displaying a flag truce for sufficient reason.

Kindly co-operate with us in avoiding bloodshed.

(Signed) The j.a.panese People."

"We were late," said Komoru as they walked back toward the plane.

"Two hundred thousand," he mused; "what you call 'bluff,' I guess."

"It's growing light," said Ethel, as they reached the plane.

"Yes, a little," replied Komoru, as he walked around to the front.

"An ugly ditch," he said. "We shall have to use the helicopter."

Taking his seat he threw down a lever and what had appeared to be two small superimposed planes above the main plane a.s.sumed the form of flat screws. Letting the engine gain full headway, Komoru threw the clutch on this shafting, and the vertical screws started revolving in opposite directions with a great downward rush of air.

The whole apparatus tilted a bit, and then slowly but steadily arose.

When they had reached alt.i.tude of a hundred feet or so, the driver shifted the power to the quieter horizontal propeller and the plane sidled off like an eagle dropping from a crag.

Tilting the plane upward, Komoru circled for alt.i.tude. Presently he called back over his shoulder, saying that he saw the signal fire at Beaumont at the same time heading the plane in that direction.

As the dawn began to break in the East, the occasional pa.s.sing lights of flying planes became less bright and soon the planes themselves stood out against the sky like shadows. And then the whole majestic train of aerial invaders became visible as they poured over the southern horizon---a never ending stream.

Komoru and Ethel landed in a meadow already well filled with planes and following the others, hurried along toward the town.

There had been some fighting in the streets and a few buildings were burning. Walking along to the main street of the town, they came upon a crowd of j.a.panese who were collected in front of a building from which the contents were being dragged hastily.

"What is it?" asked Komoru of one of the men.

"Hardware store," replied the other; "we've rifled all of them for the weapons and explosives."

"Where are all the people?" asked Ethel. "The Americans--are they killed or captured?"

"They are at home in their houses," answered the man, who seemed well posted. "I was with the first squad to arrive. We captured the policemen and then took the telephone switchboard. j.a.panese operators are in there now. They have called up every one in town and explained the situation, and advised the people to stay indoors, telling them that every house would be burned from which people emerged or shots were fired. The operators are working on the rural numbers yet. We hold the telegraph also, and are sending out exaggerated reports of the size of the j.a.panese invasion."

A man wearing a blue sash came hurrying up. He stopped before the group at the hardware store and gestured for silence.

"The town is well in hand," he said, "and only those of you who are detailed here as guards need remain longer; the others will get back to their planes and await the rise of their designated leaders for the flights of the day.

"Come," said Komoru to his companion. But Ethel did not move. Her mind was racked with perplexity. Here she was in a city of her own people. Why should she continue to accompany this young j.a.panese whom, despite his gentlemanly conduct, she instinctively feared? Yet what else could she do? She was dressed in the peculiar attire of the invaders, and would certainly have trouble in convincing an American of her ident.i.ty.

[Ill.u.s.tration: As they pa.s.sed near other planes, Ethel noted that in many cases the women were driving.]

"I must ask you to hurry," said Komoru, as the others moved off.

With an effort Ethel gathered her wavering emotions in hand and went with him. If she must go, she reasoned it were well not to arouse Komoru's suspicion of her loyalty.

A few minutes later they were again in the air, following the lead of a plane with bright red wings--the flag-ship, as it were, of the group.

In a half hour the expedition was approaching Houston. Coming over the city, the leader circled high and waited until his followers were better ma.s.sed.

"Are we going to attack the town?" inquired Ethel, as Komoru asked her for the water-bottle.