I don't think any of us slept the previous night. We arose early, fed
ourselves, wheeled out the two aeroplanes, climbed aboard, and wished
everyone "good-by"--although we intended returning the same evening, if
possible. I leant over the side and kissed Molly, and Gran'pa kissed
Sally Rebecca (who didn't look a day older than sixty in the faint
light of the early morn); and Stringer and Dr. Croft and the two pilots
waved to the assembled multitude. Immediately afterwards our propellers
were swung and we rose into the air like two great birds in quest of
other and pleasanter climes.
As was fitting, the leading 'plane contained Gran'pa, Stringer and
Oakley--Dr. Croft and myself and Newland (one of our other pilots)
followed behind at a distance of about five hundred feet. We also had
our mascots aboard. Mine was a small teddy bear (2 inches in height)
given me by Molly; Croft's was a human knuckle bone (previously
belonging to some ancient, mummified Egyptian princess); Stringer's
was a carved crocodile's tooth (given him, possibly under hypnotic
influence, by Njambai, the Mbenga chief); Oakley's and Newland's were
a couple of green wool, miniature golliwogs; and Gran'pa's was a small
photograph of Sally Rebecca (at the age of 32)--a thing of art and
beauty and sentiment, perhaps, but obviously of very little value,
otherwise.
We flew across the Bay of Corisco at a height of about 1,500 feet,
making straight for the mouth of the Moondah, which glistened like the
head of an arrow pointing towards the heart of the Gorilla Country. The
air was icy cold, and clear; but by the time the sun had risen and we
had crossed the Coast Range we found the way blocked by a long bank of
clouds. To save time, we flew through the gaps, which, as we entered
them, became huge caves. By towering cliffs and over deep chasms we
passed--aflight in another world, which was every bit as solid-looking
as the real one lying sunlit and green-clad beneath.
It was after passing through the last of these cloud gaps that we saw
half-a-dozen miles to our right--three patches of bright red, standing
out like tiny, clear-cut discs on the olive green expanse of jungle.
They were the balloons which gave us the exact location of our cages. A
little further on, the top of our hangar was visible as a blob of white
in the one corner of a light green clearing.
Presently, Newland pulled back the throttle and pushed the joy-stick
forward and we descended swiftly to a height of 1,000 feet. At that
point he shut off the engine; the deep roar, which we had grown
accustomed to for the last two and a half hours, was changed into the
shrill whine of wind against the struts; the aeroplane flattened out,
and we at last commenced our swift glide earthwards.
We landed a couple of minutes or so after our leaders, and immediately
began making arrangements for our journey to the cages.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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