Rodriguez burst out angrily, “What is this, se-fior-a trick of some kind? I demand an explanation at once!”
“Something has happened to the controls. This is the only way I can get back to the clearing.”
After further maneuvering, Tom brought the ship down. Doc Simpson and the crewmen from the Flying Lab came rushing up.
“The controls are dead,” Tom said tersely as he 150 ELECTRONIC RETROSCOPE
and his passengers climbed out. “I think something has happened to the hydraulic system.”
“And / think you have done this on purpose!” Rodriguez growled suspiciously. “Why? Because you do not wish us to see what you have been doing at the Mayan village I”
“Think what you please,” Tom retorted, out of patience. “We’re lucky we didn’t crack up.”
Unscrewing the cowl panels, he made a quick check of the paraplane’s hydraulic system. “There’s the answer.” He pointed to a hose from the main pump. The hose had a leak through which the hydraulic fluid had oozed out, causing a loss of operating pressure.
“Well, I’ll be doggoned!” Stu Kern, the Sky Queen’s flight engineer, scratched his head. “For a new ship, that hose sure didn’t last long!”
“Maybe the rubber rotted in this jungle atmosphere,” another crewman conjectured.
“That hose isn’t made of rubber,” Stu pointed out. “It’s a synthetic plastic that’s impervious to heat or humidity. The hose section must have been faulty to begin with. But it’s hard to believe the inspectors at Swift Construction slipped up and let that go by!”
The Swift Construction Company, managed by Phyl Newton’s father, built the production models of all inventions developed by Swift Enterprises. Knowing the company’s rigid standards of inspection, Tom agreed with Stu.