The Sky Wagon
The Sky Wagon climbed out of the valley at Bontoc and Rick set a course
for Banaue. He took his pad and wrote a note to his friends, telling
them of his conversation with Colonel Rojas and of the trick Lazada had
pulled. He wrapped the note around a wrench and tied it with a piece of
string.
Behind him, Chahda was busy with the bags for the cable pickup. He had
already removed the hatch. He tied the bags in two bundles and put them
in a handy place, to be tossed to the Spindrift group, then he got into
the seat next to Rick.
"We pick up stuff, even though constabulary coming to rescue?"
Rick nodded. "The plane can do nothing but scare the Ifugaos off. That
wouldn't prevent them from trying to capture the golden skull, anyway.
And even after troops land, that stuff is too valuable and too tempting.
Don't forget Lazada is on the scene. He could take over from the
troopers and they wouldn't dare say no."
"True," Chahda agreed. "Better we get it. What you thinking about this
deal with Lazada? Why does Nangolat trust him? And what does he want?"
"You told us the answers in Baguio," Rick reminded him. "Lazada told
Nangolat he couldn't refuse a permit--which we never got, by the
way--but that he would hinder us in other ways. Nangolat thinks Lazada
is his friend, all right. Lazada must have told him that our real plans
were to carry off the golden skull, probably to America. And why?"
"Because Lazada wants Ifugaos to massacre us after we have located
skull," Chahda said. "That way, no witness. Dead men not telling stories
on witness stand. Then Lazada and Nast shoot poor Nangolat and take
stuff. Or something like that."
"Nice people," Rick commented.
The Sky Wagon was crossing the ridge. Soon they would be back on the
scene. Chahda got into the rear seat, ready to throw the message and
bags out through the access hatch.
"Wait until I signal," Rick reminded him, and put the Sky Wagon into a
dive. He followed the road for a distance, then saw the truck and used
that for a landmark. As he flashed past the Spindrift refuge he saw that
the Ifugao warriors were in a semicircle around the edge of the meadow.
Apparently the siege was still on. Now to drop the message. He gauged
his distance and altitude. He wanted to be sure the message landed
within reach.
"Get ready," he called, and circled until he was headed directly at the
recess. When a crash into the terrace wall seemed imminent he yelled,
"Now," and zoomed up into a screaming wing over. When he circled again,
Tony and Scotty were reading the message.
The second time around, Chahda dropped the bags. Then there was a wait
while Scotty and Angel set up the pickup poles.
The Ifugaos were obviously curious, nor were they the only ones. Rick
saw Lazada, Nast, and the rest of their party emerge from the village
and walk to a place on the terrace just beyond the meadow. They could
not be seen by anyone within the recess, but they could watch what was
going on in the meadow.
Scotty knew that Rick could not make pickups while flying toward the
recess, so he was setting up the poles in such a way that Rick could fly
parallel to the terrace wall in which the recess was located.
The pickup was very simple. Each bag was attached to a circle of cable
about eight feet in diameter. When ready for pickup, the bag was put on
the ground between the two poles and its cable was placed on angle irons
at the tops of the poles. The cable was not anchored. The only purpose
of the poles was to lift the cable far enough off the ground for
convenient pickup.
Soon the first bag was in place and Scotty and Tony retired to the
recess to watch. Rick pushed a button on his control board and the cable
in the rear of the plane unwound. It was heavy, woven steel, terminating
in a weighted six-inch hook.
Rick knew from many previous pickups the altitude at which to fly. He
circled for the run, dropped to the correct altitude, and glued the
plane's nose on the poles. The Sky Wagon passed over the poles, and the
hook on its cable caught the cable stretched between the poles. That
cable slid off the supports. The fast-moving plane took up the slack and
the bag of artifacts was jerked from the ground. A touch of the button
and the electric motor reeled it in. Chahda pulled the bag through the
hatch, unhooked it, and put it in the luggage compartment. They were
ready for another run.
Tony had dug up enough stuff for seven bags. That was a lot of
artifacts. Each time Rick asked, "Was that one the skull?" And Chahda
would shake his head.
The seventh bag was the skull. Rick was sure because of the
clasped-hands wave Scotty gave him, and because Tony did not retreat
into the recess. As Rick turned for his run he saw the sleek form of a
military plane slip past. Help had arrived. He sighed his relief and
held up his run to watch. The plane buzzed the Ifugaos and dropped a
container with streamers attached. An Ifugao--Rick thought it was
Nangolat--ran to get it.
Rick could imagine what the note said. "Do not attempt further harm to
the Americans or your village will be bombed." Or some similar threat.
Nangolat might not like it, but he would obey.
"Here we go," Rick said. He put the Sky Wagon on course and held it
steady. The poles passed from sight and there was a strong jerk on the
plane. That skull was heavy.
"Bag tearing! Reel in!" Chahda yelled.
Rick pushed the button and the winch whined, then suddenly screamed as
the load was released. Gone! The skull was gone! He swung in a vertical
bank just in time to see Nast lift the bag to his shoulder. Rick pounded
the seat beside him with helpless rage!
The golden skull had fallen within reach of Nast and Lazada; it was in
the hands of the enemy. Rick swung in a tight circle and saw them run to
the station wagon and climb in.
"They waste no time," Chahda said bitterly. "That Lazada, he move fast."
"We'll never see that skull again," Rick muttered. "What rotten luck!"
The Hindu boy's face tightened with determination. "We get that skull
back. Rick, fly to Bontoc. Open throttle wide and let us go!"
"There's nothing we can do at Bontoc," Rick objected. "No one there, or
in Baguio either, would dare question Lazada."
"Go to Bontoc," Chahda urged. "Leave this to me, Rick. Chahda will take
over."
"But what can you do?"
"I will know when the chance comes. You and Scotty will be ready.
Somehow, some place, we will get our chance--and the golden skull will
be ours again!"