  In the distance, perhaps a hundred miles away, the towering peak of Mt. Minya Konka, reaching 25,000 feet skyward, could be seen. The day was clear, crystal-blue clear. The air was chill and would remain so until the sun’s rays bore down more strongly. “You better take the lead, Chuba,” Muscles said. “Off we go, searching for Ja-ra-mink-a.” He sang his last sentence to the tune of the Air Force song, “Into the Wild Blue Yonder.” “Hold it a minute,” Biff said. “You know, if we head straight for Jaraminka, we might be walking right into the hands of the enemy. Wouldn’t they expect us to take the most direct route?” “You got something there, Biff, m’boy. What’re you cooking?” Muscles asked. “I think we should head west, west northwest, rather than due north. Head for Minya Konka. Then, when we’ve gone further inland, cut back north and make our approach to Jaraminka from the west.” “Good idea, Biff. Let’s move out.” The three trudged westward, climbing, climbing. Big, craggy rocks dotted the sides of the slopes they scrambled up. Often they had to make wide detours to get around a cliff that rose straight up. After two hours of scrambling, slipping, struggling against the rugged terrain, Muscles called a halt. “We’d better take a break.” The rarefied air of the altitude had all three panting for breath. At Muscles’ words, Biff and Chuba sank to the ground without a word. Muscles flung himself to the ground beside them. Slowly their breathing became more even, strength flowed back into their bodies. Muscles sat up, pulled out a cigarette. He lit it, took three deep puffs and tossed it away. “Burns my lungs at this altitude. How far you figure we’ve gone, kids?” “Like you said last night. If we measure the ups and downs, then we’ve covered quite a distance. But I doubt if we’ve covered more than five miles straight away,” Biff answered, and Chuba nodded in agreement. “That plateau where Jack landed me must be just a short distance south of here. I’m making landmarks so we can spot the place when we come back,” Muscles explained. Biff looked the area over carefully, too. Two peaks rose straight up, miles apart. A smaller peak was centered exactly between the two taller ones. “Just like the letter ‘W,’” Biff said to himself. He would remember that. “Think we better turn north now, Biff?” Muscles said. “Be lot easier traveling. Faster, too. We’ll be moving along the valley. Not so much of this up and down stuff. Particularly the up. I’ve had enough of that. I’ll take my climbing in a plane.” “I guess so, Muscles. We’ll head up the valley, now, Chuba,” Biff directed. They set off again. Traveling was easier. They moved along briskly. The air was becoming warmer, and soon the floor of the valley sent up shimmering heat waves in front of them. Except for brief pauses, no one called for a break until Muscles looked at his watch. “It’s noon. How about a breather and something to eat?” Chuba broke out his supply of food—his “goodies,” Biff had named them. “This is food?” Muscles asked skeptically, looking at the portion Chuba handed him. He ate it, but his face twisted comically as he tasted and then quickly gulped the food. After a half-hour rest, during which Muscles complained bitterly about the menu, they were ready to continue. Their progress up the valley continued smoothly for the first hour. Rounding a sharp bend, the valley came to an abrupt end. “Now what’s this little obstacle placed in our path?” Muscles asked. “Wish it were just a little obstacle,” Biff replied. Directly ahead of them, the ground angled sharply upward. Above, it leveled off like the outside rim of a giant football stadium. “We go right or we go left, Chuba?” Muscles asked. “We’ll go straight up,” Biff replied. “Let’s see what’s on top. Surely can’t tell from here. After we take a look-see, we’ll probably bear to the right. Jaraminka must be off that way.” Biff pointed slightly to the northeast. “Think so, Chuba?” Chuba nodded his head. They mounted toward the rim at the top of the sharp incline. In places, the ground rose so sharply they had to pull themselves up, grabbing the stunted trees for handholds. Nearing the top, they ran into a barrier that stopped them cold. This was a man-made obstacle, the last thing to expect in this wild, remote country. It was a heavy, metal-barred fence. It stood higher than Muscles’ head, and three strands of ugly barbed wire were stretched along the top. “What the—” Muscles’ eyes bugged out in astonishment. The fence stretched out to the right and left in a long curve. The ground was cleared on both sides of the fence, forming a path easy to walk along. “This we have to find out about,” Biff said. “Why fence in a mountain top unless there’s something inside that’s top secret?” “That fence could be electrified. Stay clear of it,” Muscles warned. “Could be,” Biff said, “but I doubt it. It would take a lot of power to do it. Besides, where would the power come from? Let’s follow it, to the right. But be alert. Good fences don’t mean good neighbors here. I’ve a hunch these good fences mean good guards every few feet.” They followed the curving fence cautiously and on the alert. Biff took the lead. They continued until Biff figured they had covered ninety degrees of a gigantic circle. The fence remained an equal distance from the rim at the top as they followed the path. “Hold it!” Biff held up his hand. Then he motioned Muscles and Chuba forward. “Look,” Biff pointed to a gap, wide enough and deep enough for a man’s body to slip beneath the fence. “Some animal must have been as curious as we are,” Biff said. “Something burrowed under the fence.” “Well, what are we waiting for?” Muscles grinned. He dropped to his hands and knees and wiggled through the opening. Chuba followed, and Biff brought up the rear. Crouching low, the three approached the top of the rise. They crawled the last few feet, reached the rim, and raised their heads slowly. What they saw made them all gasp. They were looking into an immense bowl, covering an area so great it was impossible to take it in with one look. They pivoted their heads, following the rim of the bowl. The activity on the floor of the bowl made them squint their eyes in disbelief. Everywhere they looked they saw bulldozers, huge cranes, steam shovels, and thousands of men working furiously. The bottom of the bowl was so far away that the working men seemed like small moving specks. The noises of the steam shovels digging into the earth and the whines of the huge crane arms turning on their metal discs rose only dimly to the ears of the astonished spectators. Toward the opposite side of the huge bowl, two cement runways in the shape of a plus sign were dotted with planes. In still another section of the bowl, great steel trylons, resembling oversized high-tension wire supporters, reared skyward. “What do you make of it?” Biff asked Muscles. The burly mechanic scratched his head. “You got me. Could be a lot of things. It’s got to be something mighty important, something really top secret to build this gigantic complex in this remote spot. And how did they get all this stuff in here?” Muscles asked himself. “I think,” Biff said, “we’d better get away from here—but fast.” Muscles nodded in agreement. The three backed down, reached the fence, scrambled beneath it, and headed for Jaraminka. Making as much speed as they could, they put distance between themselves and their startling discovery. Biff’s mind was filled with questions. Foremost among them was one which kept coming back like an exam question he couldn’t answer. Did this tremendous, secret construction job have anything to do with Uncle Charlie’s flight into China? |
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