Island in the Sky Page #7

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I keep forgetting it's already tomorrow.

I'm sorta sleepy, I guess.

No, it's no trouble at all.

Don't you worry, we'll find him.

Sure, he's warm.

Sure they've got all kinds of stuff

to eat on those ships.

Charles? Oh, the baby.

He's over his cold.

Sure, I'll tell him.

- Is that all, Mrs. Murray? You still there?

- Yes.

I'm here.

Just tell him that...

we love him.

Hello, Mrs. Murray?

Mrs. Murray?

Yeah, I'll tell him.

No longer a pilot, a navigator...

a radioman, an engineer.

Now four men, welded into one spirit.

For hope can be murdered...

but seldom

the deep human strength of survival.

Every other urge

becomes reduced to nothing...

and so whole peoples may unite

in desperation.

Yet this strength,

is as tricky as it is powerful.

It can become miserable panic

if the leader falters...

or a member of the unit

says the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Then all the strength can explode

and be gone.

Dooley.

You asleep?

No.

I can't sleep. I keep thinking.

Keep trying. We got a lot to do tomorrow.

If the planes don't come back, Dooley...

if they don't come back pretty soon...

They'll come back. You can depend on it.

But I've been thinking...

why should they come back

to this same place?

They looked here, didn't see anything.

Wouldn't they naturally look

somewhere else tomorrow...

just by the process of elimination?

Wouldn't you,

if you were flying one of those planes?

They'll figure it out

when they get back on the ground.

All we gotta do is build up a bigger fire.

Go to sleep.

It'll be swell to get back to my wife

and Charles.

Yeah, that'll be swell...

but I'm gonna ask your wife

if you keep her awake all night.

You're a lousy guy to sleep with.

Little Charlie keeps us up most of the night.

He's always yelling for something.

He's probably yelling for something

right now.

Then be glad you're here.

You're not kidding me, Dooley?

You're sure they'll come tomorrow?

I'm sure.

Try to get some sleep.

I miss my wife and the kid.

You said they'd come today, they didn't.

- Wind's getting louder, what's that mean?

- I don't know.

But if it keeps up like this all night,

we're gonna have a change of weather.

The weather's been good.

That means it'll be bad, doesn't it?

Maybe we ought to crank the radio at night.

No, I don't think

they'll try to come up at night.

Better save our strength for the day.

Tomorrow, instead of sending

straight signals...

maybe you better tap out

some kind of a message like:

"Return to same place.

Return to same place." Get it?

- How long could you keep that up?

- As long as the boys can grind.

Good, then we'll do it all day.

And then what?

Then I guess, we'll just need some rest.

Perhaps it would be better

if we started walking out of here.

There doesn't seem to be anything

to kill around this place...

it's like everything is already dead.

The planes didn't come back...

- the weather was good for flying...

- Shut up.

- We might find a river or a stream.

- Shut up.

But, Dooley, you said that they'd...

Now, listen carefully, all of you.

There's a boy up on that hill

who didn't listen to me.

He's dead.

Our only chance is right here.

If they can't see that ship from the air,

they couldn't see us alone, walking.

I'll shoot the first one of you

who leaves the camp area.

I'll aim for your legs...

but I may miss

and hit you in the back of the head.

Either way, serves you right.

Does everybody understand me?

Have you ever hit your own kid?

Hey, McMullen, where are you?

On top waiting for you.

About 14,000.

Stannish just broke through beneath me.

Okay, let's start climbing.

Hang on, now, we're breaking through.

Vega looks good, and I need one more shot.

- Kind of early, ain't it?

- Yeah.

Let's start cranking,

same rotation as yesterday.

It ain't even light, yet.

May not be hot coffee, but it'll be hot.

Man, that's all I got in me.

- He's had it.

- Okay, you take over, kid.

I'll have a go at it after that.

Stankowski,

when you start breathing again...

get down to the ship

and break out the flares...

and the pistol.

That's where we'll need them.

We don't want to be running around

looking for anything.

That's right,

we don't want to be running around.

Bad for you, on a full stomach.

Okay, guys, this is it, I hope.

We're going down to see what we can see.

Stand by.

Stutzie better watch those hills.

Some of them stick up pretty high.

Ralph, you and I will listen to Stutz.

Keep your eye on that needle all the time.

Wilson!

- You listen in at 500 kilocycles.

- I am.

Listen with both ears.

Don't tell me. Say it isn't so!

You're not getting excited?

Me, excited? Everything's under control.

Stutz, where are you?

Don't bother me.

Stutz, are you in the clear, yet?

Not yet.

Stand by.

Getting a few breaks.

Hey, guys, we're in a valley.

The tops of the hills are just in the clouds...

find yourself a hole and auger on down.

Not for us, Stutzie, we got to go.

Only 450 gallons left.

Wowie, why didn't you say something?

Get going.

Me, too, Stutzie.

See you back in Presque Isle.

Good luck.

Hey, fellows! Hey, I've got him.

For the love of Mike, I've got him.

Where, Mac? Where? Do you see him?

No, on your radio, on your compass.

Listen, you hear the signal?

Look at your needle, look at it spin.

It's 40 degrees.

Quick, turn and let's get going.

He's sending a message. Shut up and listen!

He says to return to the same place.

I knew it, I knew it!

Oh, no.

He better keep those signals up,

or we'll miss him again.

Maybe we crank it too often.

No, we gotta keep doing it.

We gotta. Let's just take a little breather.

Stutzie, I guess we'll have to go.

- Gas?

- Yeah, I'll see you around.

Hey, Mac, have you heard anything lately?

- No, nothing. Have you?

- No.

Hey, wait!

He's on again, he's on, boys.

Thirty degrees. Ten left. You see it?

He's knocking my ears off. Turn!

Hold it.

Let's don't miss them this time.

- There's a flare up ahead!

- Where?

Ahead, I thought. Maybe I'm seeing things.

Hold that course. Hold that 30 degrees.

Hey, there they are!

There's the cross! There's the Corsair.

There's the guys!

There's two more,

bless them flying leather heads!

Right on the dime.

And blankets.

Dooley, I found a letter here.

It says my mother's all right! It says:

"Thank God we found you."

Murray, your wife, Violet...

little what's-his-name is over his cold.

"Ski planes take you all out soon."

"Dooley, your wife and kids

are waiting for you."

They wanna know what's wrong down here.

They count only four of us...

want us to make signs, big letters!

Grab an armful of boughs, make it fast.

That guy can't hang around here

much longer.

Get the other branches.

Hey, Dooley,

I didn't know you had a wife and kids.

Yeah...

six of them.

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