The Golden Skull Part 8

The American stepped forward. He was of medium height, with close cropped sandy hair. He wore a yellow T shirt under a white linen coat.

His trousers were gray rayon, and his footgear was openwork sandals. He looked comfortable and cool, even in the broiling Philippine sun. Rick judged him to be about forty years old.

"Mind if I look?" the man asked.

"Not at all," Rick answered politely. He hesitated, then introduced himself and Scotty, who had come around from the other side of the plane.

"My name is Nast. James Nast. You must be two of the scientific party I read about in the Manila _Bulletin_."

"I didn't know anything about us had been in the papers," Rick replied.

"This morning," Nast said. He took a tabloid-size paper from his pocket, unfolded it to the item, and handed it to them.

The item was brief. It merely stated that a party headed by Dr. Anthony Briotti, with Mr. Richard Brant and Mr. Donald Scott, had been entertained by the a.s.sistant Secretary of the Interior at dinner prior to their departure to Mountain Province to search for primitive artifacts. Dr. Okola, of the University of the Philippines, local adviser to the American party, also had attended the dinner.

"Lazada must have given that to the press," Rick remarked.

"Probably," Nast agreed. "Filipino politicos are like our own. They live on publicity. Please don't let me intrude. I came to the airport to meet a shipment from Hong Kong, but the plane is late, so I've been wandering around sightseeing."

"Are you in business?" Scotty asked.

"Yes. Import-export. I import Chinese silver, both alloyed and pure, and have it fabricated by Filipinos. Mostly into filigree work. Then I export it to America. I also import Siamese and Indo-Chinese silks which are made into all sorts of things and then exported to America. I was expecting a silk shipment this morning. My agent in Hong Kong gets it from Siam and Indo-China, and forwards it."

"Been out here long?" Rick inquired.

"Since the war. I first came here when I was in the Navy. Liked it so well I took my discharge here and stayed. Going to be in Manila long?"

"Just a few hours." Rick wiped sweat from his face. "We're going to Baguio."

"So am I. Perhaps I'll see you there."

"Really? What's Baguio like?"

"Plenty of local color. And the weather is great. It's high in the mountains and very cool. You'll sleep under blankets tonight, and so will I." Nast wiped his face, too. "This shipment goes by truck to Baguio, and I'm going to ride along with it." He wiped his face again.

"Why don't you take your coat off?" Scotty asked.

Nast grinned. "Because I've got a .38 automatic in a shoulder holster."

The boys stiffened. Rick and Scotty exchanged glances.

"The road to Baguio isn't the safest in the world," Nast explained.

"It's fairly peaceful now, but bandits still operate up through Pampanga Province. I carry a gun to discourage interest in my shipments."

Now that he had mentioned it, Rick could see the bulge of the shoulder holster. But it was a good job of tailoring and he realized that the linen jacket had been made to conceal the shoulder gun.

"The plane from Hong Kong won't be in for at least a half hour," Nast said. "Mind if I stick around? It's a pleasure to talk to Americans. I deal mostly with Filipinos out in the _barrios_, the small towns where my fabricating is done, and I don't see Americans very often."

"Glad to have you, if you don't mind our going ahead with our work,"

Rick told him.

"Don't let me get in the way. Go right ahead."

The boys did so, and Rick explained the fine points of the Sky Wagon to Nast while he worked to check every possible point of sabotage. He liked talking about the plane. It was something to be proud of. And Nast was an interested listener who apparently knew something about planes.

After the check up, they rolled the plane outside and Rick warmed up the engine. Then, while he was testing the radio, Angel Manotok arrived with a truck. Rick immediately shut the engine off and got out, curious to see what Angel had found. Scotty was already looking it over, with Nast an interested spectator. Rick introduced him to Angel, then asked:

"Is it in good condition?"

"Very good. The man said it had been overhauled recently, and I believe him. The tires are in good condition and there are two spares."

The truck was a typical Army vehicle with double rear wheels, both front and rear drive, and a winch on the front. The motor purred sweetly.

Angel had apparently done well.

Nast asked, "Going to use both the truck and the plane? Or will you leave the plane at Baguio?"

"We're not sure," Rick said. "Depends on whether we find a landing place at Bontoc. Have you been there?"

"A few times. There are no decent fields. But you could land on the road. It's black top, and there are few power lines or phone lines. I think you can do it."

"Glad to hear that," Rick said, relieved. To Scotty and Angel he said, "We can go on back to the hotel and load the truck. We'll have to check the plane engine before take-off, anyway."

"Think the plane will be safe?" Scotty asked.

"Sure. We'll put it in the hangar and lock the door. I notice the airport guards go by pretty often, and besides, the plane has been all right so far."

"I guess you're right," Scotty agreed. "But let's put the alarm out, anyway."

The alarm was a very loud horn wired into a circuit which caused it to go off if the plane was so much as touched. Rick set it, then locked the door of the plane. Removing the key from the lock activated the circuit.

Then they closed and locked the hangar door. The plane would be all right.

Nast was talking to Angel Manotok in Tagalog. Angel was replying, but not very enthusiastically.

Rick spoke up. "You speak the local language pretty well, Mr. Nast."

"Have to," Nast said cheerfully. "The Filipino families that work for me can't speak English, often as not. Well, good hunting. Perhaps we'll meet in Baguio."

The boys shook hands. "Good luck to you. Hope your shipment arrives."

"It will. The planes from Hong Kong are often late. The airport there is closed in half the time from fog. Good luck."

The boys got into the truck with Angel and he drove out to the main highway.

"What were you and Nast talking about?" Scotty asked.

Angel took his time about answering. "He just wanted to know when we were going to Baguio. I think he was making small talk. Maybe he wanted to show off his Tagalog."

"Was his Tagalog good?" Rick asked.

"Yes. Very good."