Charlie looked at her sharply.

"Golly, Jane, I never thought of that. Say, my ship is the one that's been painted up as the bandit plane. You could fly that with your eyes shut and I could take the army plane."

"I know we could do it," said Jane.

"Then here goes. We're on our way to see the director right now."

Chapter Twenty

Down in Flames

Director James was giving orders to the camera crew which was to go aloft in one of the tri-motors. He appeared tired and worried and his greeting to Charlie Fischer was short.

"I'm not looking for any more extras," he growled as he saw Jane with the flyer.

"Sure, sure," agreed Charlie, who had a soothing and persuasive way, "but you do need an extra pilot and you need one in a hurry. This girl can handle one of the planes. I know, I trained her to fly."

The director stared at Charlie.

"Tell me another one," he snorted.

"Listen," said Charlie, "I'm not kidding. This is straight from the shoulder. You let this girl go up in my plane and she'll do all of the tricks your cameras can catch and a few more thrown in. She's a natural flyer, knows the feel of a plane, becomes a part of it from the second she gets into the c.o.c.kpit."

Director James looked thoughtful. "We do need another pilot," he admitted, "but I hate to think of a girl trying all of those stunts."

Jane decided it was time to say a word.

"If I fly Charlie's plane, I know I can handle the a.s.signment," she said eagerly. "With Charlie in the other ship there'll be little chance of anything going wrong. I'd like to have the opportunity to try it."

The director looked at his watch.

"We start shooting in half an hour," he decided. "We'll take a chance."

"Come on, Jane. We've got to work fast," said Charlie, seizing her arm and almost pulling her after him. "Get into boots and breeches. You're going to wear a chute. If anything should happen you'll be ready for it."

"But, Charlie, I've never used a chute," protested Jane.

"There's always a first time," said Charlie darkly. "Now mind what I tell you."

Jane hurried into the stewardess quarters where she kept her flying clothes in a locker. Miss Comstock came in while she was changing.

"What's this I hear about you piloting one of the planes for the movie people?" she asked.

"I'm going to be a bold, bad bandit," smiled Jane. "They're short a flyer and can't wait for another man to come up from Denver."

"But don't you think it's rather dangerous? I don't want to lose my star stewardess."

"Nothing will happen," promised Jane. "I'll be flying Charlie's ship and I could do that blindfolded."

She pulled her boots on and tied a scarlet scarf around her bobbed hair. In brown boots, white breeches, a soft white silk shirt open at the neck and the flaming scarf around her hair, Jane was a striking picture.

"Look out," cautioned Miss Comstock, "or the film people will be offering you a contract."

"No chance. You've got to be able to act." Jane dabbed a bit of fresh powder on her cheeks and hurried out to greet Charlie Fischer. The tall pilot was wearing one chute pack and he carried another in his arms.

"Just about time to start," he said. "The ships are over on the ramp warming up."

Jane looked at Charlie's plane. The speedy old biplane had been repainted and now was shining black. Just beyond it was a smaller and faster biplane painted to represent an army pursuit craft. It was this ship that Charlie was to handle.

Director James was waiting between the planes. He eyed Jane approvingly as she approached for she looked cool and business-like.

"You're to fly as though attacking the No. 1 transport," he told Jane.

"Keep away from the second ship with the camera crew. Make it look good. We've got a machine gun mounted on your plane and when you dash in, pull the trigger and send bursts of blanks at the transport."

While he was giving his instructions, the first transport roared into the air. As soon as the drone of the motors faded, he continued.

"On signal from the camera plane, Charlie will drop down on you. I want you two to make it look like a good aerial dog-fight. Twist and turn and do plenty of power diving. When you see a red flag waved from the camera plane, go into a dive and jerk the smoke pot lever that's been rigged into your plane. That will release a cloud of smoke and make it appear that you're going down in flames. All of this must be done above 3,000 feet. At 1,000 feet you level off for we won't try to follow you with the cameras below that point. Think you understand everything?"

"I'm sure I do," replied Jane.

"Don't you worry," put in Charlie. "This is going to be the best air action your cameras ever caught."

Jane adjusted the straps of her parachute and Charlie boosted her into the c.o.c.kpit of his biplane.

"If anything goes wrong," he told her, "just bale over the side and after you're clear, jerk the ring. Don't worry about the ship. I made the movie people sign a guarantee to replace it, if anything should happen."

"Nothing's going to happen," said Jane firmly.

"Atta girl. Let's go."

Charlie ran to the other plane and hoisted his long legs into the c.o.c.kpit. Jane opened the motor of the biplane, waved to Miss Comstock, who was standing nearby, and then sped across the field.

It was a glorious summer morning and to the north and west the peaks of the majestic Rockies reared their heads above the clouds which obscured their lower levels. Jane tingled with the zest of her adventure. She was actually in the movies. Of course she was just doing a stunt, but when "The Sky Riders" came to Cheyenne she would have the pleasure of knowing that she had piloted one of the planes in an important piece of action.

Above Jane the first tri-motor, the plane she was to attack, was climbing steadily while the second of the big ships, with the director and main camera crew, was wheeling off the field. Charlie was already in the air, following her fast.

It took them fifteen minutes to get into position for action and at a signal from the director in the second tri-motor, the first plane lined away west, simulating a transport in regular flight. Jane, who was a thousand feet above the transport, jammed the throttle on full and dove for the big plane.

The wings of her biplane trembled under the crashing dive, but she knew the plane's capabilities and her heart thrilled as she roared down on the big ship.

The machine gun spouted flame and smoke as she pulled the trigger. She flashed past the tri-motor, nosed up, and poured another volley of fake bullets at the big ship. Now the chase was on in earnest, the pilots of the tri-motor making every attempt to elude the pursuer and Jane was astounded at the tricky flying which could be done with one of the big transports.

Back and forth they roared through the sky, twisting and turning, until it became a real game. Then the roar of another motor came to Jane's ears and she looked back to see Charlie dropping down on her. That was her cue to stop chasing the tri-motor and attempt to save herself.

She dropped her own plane into a quick, twisting dive, that caught Charlie unawares and he missed her the first time, but he came fighting back, his own machine gun spouting blanks. For twenty minutes they twisted and turned, first Charlie gaining the advantage and then Jane.