Island in the Sky Page #5

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- You got trouble, Stutzie.

What's up?

We can't get carburetor heat proper

on your right engine...

without de-rigging the assembly.

It'll take us about two hours in the cold.

- What do you want to do?

- Two hours?

- Can you get up any heat at all?

- A little, but she may ice up on you.

Whatever's customary.

- We'll take her like she is.

- It's your neck.

If we find Dooley tonight...

I will buy us a bottle of liquor

and we will get drunk.

Amen.

We gotta do something

about these windshields.

We wouldn't be able to see Dooley now

if we ran right over him.

Just take it easy, see? Relax.

I'll show you an old trick

when we get close to the searching area.

You got your hunting knife with you?

Yeah, what about it?

Just relax. Don't get impatient.

A razor would be better.

If you want me to cut my throat,

the answer's no.

It's an old trick we learned

flying Fords and Stinsons...

before they had all

these new-fangled heating tubes.

You mean, you want to reach out...

and around and scrape the frost off

with my knife?

No, you reach out and around.

- I do?

- That's right, my friend.

- Just how cold do you figure it is outside?

- I don't know.

Temperature gauges stop at 40 below zero.

I imagine...

I imagine it's close to 70.

- Couldn't be much colder than that.

- No, couldn't be much colder than that.

Relax.

What's the matter?

You're afraid of freezing your hand off?

No, not at all.

It's just that I'm afraid it might get

a little drafty for you...

- if I open the window.

- It won't inconvenience me a bit.

I'll just go back

and snuggle down with Wilson...

till you're through with the scraping.

All right, guys...

we're coming up on the searching area.

Spread out.

Willie Moon,

bound in spirit to certain other men...

because they had all long fought

the same heavens.

Stannish...

flight is more than a lifetime career.

It is the reason for living...

and perhaps for dying,

in the way of your choice.

J.H. Handy, part of a tight communion.

Not enough hatred among these men

to fill a poison thimble...

because it is difficult...

to hate so impersonal

an enemy as the weather.

Stutz, Sunny Hopper...

and Joe, waiting...

listening for a sound, any sound.

Because when one of your kind is down...

it becomes so important

to the age-old battle...

that he rise again.

They usually say something about...

how good a guy was when they do this.

But it seems to me that,

that's for strangers...

and there's no strangers here.

There's just about one thing to be said.

We can do the rest of it with thinking.

Frank was a good pilot...

that takes in a lot of things.

There's some...

Psalm about...

the shepherd, but I don't know it.

So, I think maybe we'd better

say something we all know, like...

Our Father...

who art in heaven...

hallowed be thy name...

thy kingdom come, thy will be done...

on earth as it is in Heaven.

Dooley!

Give us this day, our daily bread...

Dooley!

...forgive us our trespasses...

- They're coming, guys!

I heard them! I know I did!

...as we forgive those

who trespass against us...

They asked for bearings!

...lead us not into temptation...

- We gotta answer now, before it's too late!

Dooley!

...but deliver us from evil...

for thine is the kingdom...

and the power and the glory...

forever and ever. Amen.

I'm sorry, I was so excited.

It's all right, kid.

I guess we can go now...

there's nothing more we can do.

So long, Frank.

On a lake about five miles long. What lake?

That one?

That one?

You can see 100 miles,

but the wingspread of an airplane...

may be only 100 feet.

Like looking for a chip of wood

in the middle of an ocean.

I think we're practically over the area.

I'm going to tell him to build a big fire.

Wilson!

- You hear anything, yet?

- Nothing.

Nothing?

He might not be putting out

in the regular way, you know.

I know.

I've got the volume turned all the way up.

Maybe he's using the emergency outfit.

- You know, the one that you crank?

- I'm listening for that, too.

What do you say, we give him another call?

I hate to try too often.

I can't hear him if I'm sending.

Try it anyway.

That's the chance we gotta take.

Tell him to build a great big fire

and keep it going.

It's them. It's them again.

They must be somewhere near us now.

- Why, are they louder than the first time?

- Yeah, much louder.

They said,

"Build a big fire and keep it going."

Anything else?

Yeah, they said:

"Take it easy."

Don't they want any bearings?

Aren't you gonna send them an answer?

- In a minute, I've got to warm my fingers.

- Get them good and warm, boy.

You and Murray get out and

pile all of that lousy wood on the fire.

Pour some engine oil over it, maybe you

can get something besides white smoke...

and bring that coffee grinder down.

- Aren't you going to answer them?

- We've got to think this out.

And while we're thinking,

they'll probably be going away from us.

I know it, but we've only got

a little power left in our batteries...

and if I hold my key down

there won't be any left in a few minutes.

I think it would be better

if we took bearings on them.

Are you sure?

You got to be sure, boy.

No, I'm not sure.

But I think our batteries will hold longer

if we tell them which direction to fly.

All right.

If that's the way you want it,

that's the way we'll play it.

Here goes.

Here's where we shoot the works.

I got him!

He's weak, but I got him.

He wants to take bearings on us.

Says to fly 140 degrees now.

One... That's behind us.

That's what he says.

He'll give us another bearing

in a few minutes.

Turn to 140, Ralph.

We know! We heard!

We're right on your tail, Willie.

Well, don't be.

Spread out and keep your eyes open.

Hey, Willie, slow down a bit, will you?

Our right engine keeps icing up.

- We can't stay with you.

- Are you pumping alcohol?

Are you kidding?

This ship smells like a brewery right now.

We'll stay with you somehow.

Just stay in the air, that's all I ask.

Hey, Willie, I got him again.

He says, turn to 150 degrees, now.

The cold is sure killing this birddog.

Did you hear my dynamotor a minute ago?

It's plenty sick.

- How much we got left in the bank?

- We've about had it, I think.

The last message said they were

having magnetic compass trouble...

wanted us to send bearings constantly.

- I wish we could do it.

- So do I.

They're still getting way up to the north.

Must be strong winds up there.

Give them a new bearing. 160 degrees.

New bearing. 160 degrees.

How does he sound?

Weaker, he can't last much longer.

Wowie.

This fire ain't doing any good up here.

Let's drag it down by the ship

so they can see it better.

Yeah, grab the big pieces.

Stan, hold it a minute. Listen.

Listen.

- Do you hear anything?

- No, I don't hear nothing.

I swear, I heard an airplane.

I guess I didn't hear anything, Stan.

I guess it was just that I wanted

to hear something so badly.

We better find him pretty soon.

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