" I get the feeling I know you." " I've had the same feeling." "What are your intentions?" " That'll take a week." " Here they come!" "There's an aeroplane in Robin Masters' tidal pool." "Higgins, I didn't put it there!" " I am sorry about the accident." " I do not believe in accidents." "You terrified a couple of kids." "Satisfied?" "What's the password?" "Close enough." "Gandalf, this is Frodo." "Do you read me?" "Over." "Do you read me?" "Over." "Do you read me?" "Gandalf, this is Frodo." "Do you read me?" "Over." "Gandalf, this is Frodo." "Do you read me?" "Over." "Do you read me?" "It's El Jefe." "Gandalf, this is Frodo." "Do you read me?" "Over." "Nothing yet." "Gandalf, this is Frodo." "Do you read me?" "Over." " How you doing?" " OK." "A little shaky." "Don't worry, T.C.'ll find us." " He's gotta." "I got money on it." " Someone bet we wouldn't make it?" "I didn't bet they wouldn't make it." "I bet they'd never find that Navy pilot." " Same thing, Orville." " No, it ain't." "Either they didn't make it or they went up the valley." " Where?" " Somewhere up in here." " Damn!" " What?" "Where'd they go?" " Cambodia." " Cambodia?" " We ain't supposed to go into Cambodia." " We ain't supposed to die young either." " What was that?" " Claymore?" " El Jefe rigged a booby trap." " I got them." "Gandalf, this is Frodo." "We're three clicks west of the Srepok." "An old temple." "Come in from the northeast." "Tell T.C. to orbit out a couple of clicks till we get TacAir in here." "Frodo, say those coordinates again." "Three clicks west of the Srepok River." "Grid 994/372." "Frodo, those coordinates are inside Cambodia." "What are you doing in there?" "Gargoyle wants to know what we're doing here." "Tac-Com, this is Frodo Leader." "We were pushed in here by VC who didn't get their passports stamped." "If they can come in, so can you." "Sorry, I can't authorize without special clearances." " Damn it, Gargoyle, that'll take a week." " You will use proper radio procedure..." "Frodo, this is Hawk Leader, I'm low on fuel, but within two minutes of your coordinates." "Hawk Leader, this is Tac-Com." "I'm in charge." "What are your intentions?" "I repeat, what are your intentions?" "I'll encourage those VC harassing Frodo to mosey on back to Vietnam." "Here they come!" " Thanks, Hawk Leader, we're outta here." " Know what you boys are holed up in?" "That's a Khmer temple." "I've never heard of one this far east of Angkor." "Unless..." "There's this legend about a Khmer monk who stole a gold cobra from Angkor Wat." " Built a temple out in the jungle." " Say again." "Is there a stone cobra guarding it?" "We gotta go." "Thanks for the support." "Our lift home's here." "Wait, take a look around." "You could be sitting on a real archeological treasure." "I'm telling you, you boys could've found the Temple of the Lost Cobra." "Hawk Leader, this is Tac-Com." "Get out of there now." "That's an order." "Take it easy." "I wanna make sure I can find these ruins after the war." "That jet jock's nuts!" "But he saved our butts and you owe me 50 bucks!" "This is your final warning." "Get out of therel" "Now, Hawk Leader, now!" "For a boy who ain't getting shot at, you sure are nervous, Gargoyle." "But seeing as how I'm low on fuel, I guess I'll have to oblige." "honolulu Approach, 9-4 Delta declaring an emergency." "Eight miles east of..." "Eight miles out and I've just become a glider." "Believe it or not, even paradise has its problems." "Take this morning." "I went for my usual run along the road and nearly got hit twice by tourists on motorbikes gawking at the scenery." "When that happens, I know someone is trying to tell me something." "Like, get off the road before you get killed." "Running on the beach was tougher, but definitely safer." "You all right?" "Yeah, yeah." "What happened?" "I ran out of gas." "I would've made it, but some health nut was in the way and I had to side-slip..." "Guess that was you." "Yeah." "Well, if I'd have had a horn, I'd have honked it." " Hey, where you going?" " To get my hat." "Oh, my God!" " Magnum, what have you done?" " What?" "There's an aeroplane in Robin Masters' tidal pool." "Well, Higgins, I didn't put it there." "He did." " Howdy!" " You can't land your aeroplane there." "Didn't have much choice." "You see, this fella was running on the beach." " I knew it!" " What?" "I was running on my own beach?" "It's not yours, it's Robin Masters' beach." "If you'd run on the road, this wouldn't have happened." "Hold your horses, pardner, did you say Robin Masters?" "The writer?" "Yes." "You've deposited your aeroplane in his tidal pool." "Well, don't that beat all?" "My grandpappy said something good always comes out of something bad." " He said it till the day they hung him." " Hung him?" "Even then he was right." "A widow woman collected the reward." "What has that to do with your crashing into Robin Masters' tidal pool?" "You see, I have this theory about the legend of the lost clipper." "The one Robin Masters wrote about in Golden Trade Winds." "Robin Masters is not here." "Robin Masters is rarely here." "Your aeroplane, however, is." "I want it out of his tidal pool immediately." "Well, it ain't my aeroplane, pardner." "I was just ferrying it here." "But you have a point." "I should let the fella I was delivering it to know what happened." "I can't figure out how I ran outta gas." "I had this flight figured to the last drop." "Had to." "It was a long haul." " Did you come from the big island?" " No." "Van Nuys." "California." "Sam Houston Hunter." "Yes, ma'am, I am from Texas." "Oh, yes, ma'am, I have a ticket." "It just..." "It just needs to dry out." "My son's ten tomorrow." "I gotta get home." "Thanks." " Where's home?" " Waco, Texas." "Magnum, you've done a whole lot for a fella who almost flew into you, but could I ask you just one more favor?" "When do you have to be at the airport?" "My flight takes off in 43 minutes, but I figure you for a hot driver with a hot car." "What do they pay you to ferry those puddle-jumpers here?" " 1,000 bucks and a return ticket." " Not enough." "Did you fly in Nam?" " Two tours." "You?" " Three tours." "On the ground." "I get the feeling I know you, but I never forget a name and yours doesn't click." "I've had the same feeling about you, only I never forget a face." "I'd remember one as ugly as yours." "No!" "Not you, Mr. Sato." "I should hope not." "I was growing concerned, but now that you are in honolulu, I can relax." "Well, I'm not exactly in honolulu." "Where exactly are you, Mr. Hunter?" "Robin Masters' estate." "You know, the writer." "It's quite a place." "I'm sure it is." "Mr. Hunter, what are you doing there?" "I..." "landed here." "You landed on Robin Masters' estate?" "Well, not exactly on his estate." "It's more like... in his tidal pool." "Are you saying my airplane is in the ocean?" "All but a wing and a taiI, but I don't want you to worry about it." "We'll get a new bird ready for you in a couple of weeks." "No charge." "What's going to happen to my old bird..." "as you put it?" "The insurance company will sell her for junk." "Once a plane's been in salt water, she's a total loss." "I am sorry about the accident, Mr. Sato." "So am I, Mr. Hunter." "So am I." " You know where Robin Masters' estate is?" " Yes, sir." " I do not believe in accidents." " I understand, sir." "OK." "Don't ask me how, but we actually made it to the airport in time." "The police escort helped." "I don't know why I did it." "Maybe because getting home for his son's birthday was so important to him or maybe it was a funny feeling I couldn't shake that somehow I owed him one." "This is Van Nuys Airport security paging Superintendent Meyers..." "Boy, sure is pretty." " We do good work." " A Dallas delivery?" " A rich oilman?" " Banker." "I don't like them bankers, but I'll deliver her anyway." " You ever fly one of these Mustangs?" " You start her, I'll fly her." " How many hours you got on recips?" " Ten, maybe 12,000, Peter." "And jets?" "I don't know." "Another ten, maybe." "Why?" "Because I wanna know how anyone with over 20,000 hours can run out of gas and land in a swimming pool." "It wasn't a swimming pool, it was..." " It was a tidal pool." " Is that a fact?" "And to tell you the truth, Peter..." "I'm damned if I know." "I do." "According to Nick, you took off despite heavy headwinds." " I love you too, Nick." " I was just answering Mr. Gallagher." "The FAA was estimating 30-knot headwinds over most of his route." " Hunter should've waited." "I would have." " Shoot, you'd have waited for a tailwind." " You don't get a tailwind to Hawaii." " I know." "Knock it off." "Mr. Gallagher wants to know why 9-4 Delta is in the beautiful blue Pacific instead of on the apron of the honolulu Airport." "Probably cos I ran out of gas before I got there." "Still a wisecracker." "You can call me a redneck, but not a cracker, Gargoyle." "I'm from Texas, not Georgia." "Excuse us for a minute." "Damn it, Hunter, listen to me." "You're wising off with a FAA inspector who could easily pull your ticket." "I don't care if you never fly again, but if he gives me an unfavorable report, my insurance is gonna go higher than my blood pressure!" "I filed a report over the phone in honolulu and he's got it." "That clown's been on my six since Nam." "I didn't take it then and I won't take it now!" "You'll take it cos I'm telling you to take it." "Either that or find yourself another outfit to fly for." "OK?" " If you weren't my old CO..." " Yeah, I know." "You'd have taken a poke at me a long time ago." "I thank my lucky stars every night that you never did." "Wouldn't wanna hurt you." "All right, Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Hunter's ready to answer all your questions." "When did you know you hadn't enough fuel to make your destination?" "Well, I was a couple of hours out." "I got this funny feeling so I ran her leaner than usual to be on the safe side." "See, I don't now how much fuel I'm burning until the temp tanks run dry." "They're supposed to last 12 hours." "They tapped out at ten." "So I leaned her out till she squeaked, got lucky with a little wind and made it." " Almost." " You really are something." "You lose an $80,000 aircraft because of incompetence and make it sound like you deserve a medal." "You keep that up, I'm gonna see if I can't kick you back to Hawaii." "Nick, that Lear has to be delivered soon." "Better get back on it." "Yes, sir, Mr. Jordan, it'll get done." "I just wanna make sure that this guy doesn't blame going down on my work." "You gonna blame it on Nick?" "I wish I could." "No, I ran that bird so lean that the cylinder head temp was on red." " Never missed a beat." " Then one way or another, it was pilot error." " You putting that in your report?" " You'll know when you read it." "I want you in the office this afternoon to fill out an accident report." "I gotta be in Waco tonight." " Gallagher, it's my son's birthday." " That's your problem." "This afternoon." "Gallagher, the FAA gives a pilot ten days to file an accident report - isn't that right?" "I think I got you this time, Hunter." "A couple of days one way or the other doesn't matter to me." "Just a minute, pardner." "I still need a ride to Waco." "You ever hear of commercial airlines?" "Where you pay to ride on an airplane with somebody else driving?" " It is a novel idea." " No, no, never catch on." "Listen, pardner, want me to saddle up?" "That's terrific, Higgins." "I was just clearing my throat." " Funny, cos it sounded just like a SPAD." " Sopwith camel." " With 30-calibre machine guns." " 7.7 mm." " Flown by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker!" " Major Billy Bishop." "And you were there!" "Magnum, what do you want?" "I just dropped by to tell you that T.C. will lift the airplane out of the pool in the morning." "wonderful." "Now you've informed me, why don't you go back to..." "Come on, guys, let him finish ordering me out!" "It's not you." "There's someone on the estate." "All right, lads." "Magnum, do something." "It's just a couple of kids ripping off a souvenir." " You're responsible for estate security." " I am?" "As far as I'm concerned, that's international waters." "Very well, I'll handle it myself." "Ahoy there!" "You're on private property and you're trespassing!" "Oh, good, Higgins." "You terrified a couple of kids." "You satisfied?" " Is this what they were after?" " I think so." "There were at least four of these hidden in each seat." "What is it?" "Gold?" "Platinum?" "Silver?" " Lead." " What?" "An ordinary bar of lead." "The type used by plumbers, electricians, newspapers." "Why would anyone hide lead bars in airplane seats?" "That's gotta weigh a ton." "Someone didn't want that plane or Mr. Hunter to reach Hawaii." "That's Camelot and over there, that's the drawbridge." "And over there, that's the tower, yeah, where Arthur and Guinevere live." "And over there is the Lady of the Lake in that long white gown." "Buckshot, you listening to me?" "What do you know?" "You're just an old hound dog." "But if you were smart, you'd look up there and see... rabbits!" "And squirrels!" "I bet there's even a cat or two hiding up there." "He made it!" "He made it!" "Sam Houston Hunter, you scared those cows sour!" "Yes, ma'am." "Won't happen again." " You say that every time you come here." " Is that any way to treat your favorite son?" " Oh!" " Oooh!" "You are my only son and thank God." "Don't know if I'd have survived more'n one of you!" " I got your lunch waiting." " How d'you know I'd be here?" "Kip's birthday, isn't it?" "Come on." "Pa!" "Pa!" "How ya doin'?" "Oh, boy!" "I knew you'd come!" "I told Mom." "She said not to count on it, but I knew you'd come." "Well, I always have." "Always will." "Say... you been growing?" "Almost as tall as Tommy Lee Kahan." "Tommy Lee Kahan?" "He's a midget." "Go on inside." "We'll see how much you've sprouted in the last three months." "Go on." "samuel, the boy can't help it if he's not gonna be a mule like you." "All he's gotta do to grow is want to bad enough." "You sound just like your pa." "AII Waco knows he was crazy as a bedbug till the day he died." "Why did you stay married to him for 43 years?" "Because I loved him." "But he was still crazy as a bedbug." "You know, if we counted all this hair, you'd be a regular Goliath." "Just look." "Well, I'll be." "Do you know, you've grown a half-inch in the last three months." " Now what do you think, huh?" " Soup's ready." "See, son?" "If you want something bad enough, it'll happen." "Yes, Pa." "Course, your grandma's cooking has something to do with it." " How long you staying?" " Just overnight, Ma." "Gotta deliver that duster to San Antone tomorrow." "What do you want for your birthday?" " Teach me how to fly!" " You know the promise I made your mother." "I won't ever be 16!" "Till you are, you'll just have to make do with what's out in the duster." " He wants to fly near as bad as I did." " Could be." "Or maybe he figures, if you teach him, you'll have to stick around a while." "It's not a matter of trust, Jenny, it's business." "Lee, you and I have known Billie Joe since we were pups." "It's been a bad year for everyone." "AII Billy Joe needs is a little more time." "Jenny, I run a bank, not a charity." "You don't run it, your daddy does." "I'm the Senior Loan Officer." "Jenny, come on, wait a minute." "Jenny, you're not being fair." "Tell that to Billie Joe when he loses his farm." " Shut it off." " Hi, Jen." " Shut it off." " What?" "Shut that engine... off." "Did you hear that?" "It's a real jet." "Does a scale speed of 150 knots." " Not in the kitchen." " How ya doin', Lee?" "Still foreclosing on your friends?" "I asked you to tell me when you're gonna be home." " It's Kip's birthday." "You knew I'd be here." " No, I didn't." " How come you wore my favorite dress?" " Where's your grandma?" "She went to Aunt Ida's to pick up my cake." "Probably couldn't stand the noise." " Honey, Lee brought you a present." " Gee, thanks, Mr. Childress." "I hope you like it, Kip." "Looking good, Jen." "Prettiest girl in Hondo, Texas." "Always was, always will be." "Course, Betty Sue Swacker doesn't count." "She moved here from San Antone." "Gee, thanks, Mr. Childress." "It's really quite educational." "You buy and sell real estate, invest in stocks, make loans..." " Foreclose on farms." " Damn it, Sam, that's enough!" " What did I say?" " Lee, have a cup of coffee," " and show Kip how it's played." " Ma!" "Sam and I need to have a little talk." " Jenny..." " Lee, play the game." "Now, of course, you understand bonds and debentures." " I won't have it anymore, Sam!" " Won't have what?" "You dropping in any time you feel like it, disrupting my life, insulting my friends!" " Lee?" "For God's sake, Jen, he's a wimp!" " Stop calling me Jen." "I've been calling you Jen since we were six and played doctor." "We never did any such thing." "It was Easter Sunday, 1954." "Your folks came over to my folks' house to see our new TV, and then you and I went out behind the hayrack, if you remember..." "I think you slapped me then, too." "I miss the way you make me laugh." " You don't have to." " Yes, I do." "I'm 33 and I have a ten-year-old son." "I don't wanna live outta sleeping bags, crawl through jungles or spend my nights freezing in some open cockpit over the Andes." " Kinda sounds like fun." " To you, not to me." "I want a house of my own, a dinner out once in a while, for Kip to know there's more to life than airplanes and legends." "But mostly I want a husband who's there, not just on birthdays or when I have a baby," " but every night." " Sounds like Lee Childress." " I guess it does." " Why haven't you married him?" "It didn't seem right." "We've only been divorced a little over a year." "One year... .. ten months... .. three days." "Mm." "Mm." "No, not this time!" " Come on, Jen." " You gonna stay?" " Get a regular job?" " Where?" "In Waco?" "San Antone, Houston, Dallas" " I don't care." "As long as you're home at night." " I gotta fly." " I don't!" "I can't give up my dreams." "I used to lay out in that pasture... look up at them clouds, dream about the wonderful places I'd read about in books." "Places lost so long ago that most people don't even believe they ever existed." "They did." "And they're still out there in some form or another." " All you gotta do to find them is..." " Want to bad enough." "I know your philosophy, samuel." " But it hasn't worked for me or you." " It's worked for Kip." "He's grown a half-inch." "He hasn't grown a hair." "He makes me measure him every Saturday night." " Stood on his toes." "He did that to me once." " Why would he do that?" "For the same reason I wore this damn dress." "He wants to please you." "Only I've been around you a lot longer and I've learned that pleasing you... it isn't enough." "* Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you" "* Happy birthday, dear Kip" "* Happy birthday to you *" "You gotta make a wish." "I already did." "Hello?" "Yes." "Who?" "Just a minute." "samuel, it's for you." "Hawaii." "Some fella named Magnum." " Magnum, how the hell did you find me?" " I'm a private investigator, remember." " I did a little investigating." " I'll know who to come to if I'm in trouble." "Well, I think you might be." "Someone was snooping around the tidal pool last night." "So I swam out there this morning and checked out the plane." "The seats were cut open." "There were lead bars inside." " Lead?" " Yeah, about 300 pounds' worth." " That's why you didn't make it, isn't it?" " That would do it." "Uh..." "It's none of my business, but I did some checking." "This guy, Sato, that you delivered the plane to, he's a big investor in the islands, land, condos... cocaine." "That give you any answers?" "Some... possibilities." "Magnum, why did you even bother?" "I don't know." "This may sound stupid, but for some reason, this little voice inside keeps whispering I owe you one." "I think that voice has got it backwards." "I sure do thank you." " Take care, Hunter." " You too." "I... gotta deliver the duster tonight to catch a flight back to LA." "There's this jet they want me to ferry to honolulu." "It's a good bonus if I get it there by... tomorrow night." "When I get back, I'll teach you how to fly that jet." "What do you say?" "Sounds great, Pa." "I've been doing some thinking and a half-inch in three months is pretty fast growing." "You get to being too tall and there's a lot of cockpits you won't fit in." "Maybe you oughta..." "Well, just sorta..." "hold what you got, you know." " Don't overdo the growing bit." " OK, Pa." " Ma." " Fly good." " Maybe next time, Jen." " Maybe." "Hey, Nick." "Nick, this is Mr. Sato." "He looked over the 9-4 Delta wreckage." "Wants a different interior on the replacement." "I really didn't care for the seats." "Nick's delivering that Lear to New York, but he can find a few minutes to talk upholstery." " Yes, sir, of course." " Good." "Mr. Sato, I'll be in my office." "When you're done, I'd like to take you to lunch." "Sushi?" "That would be most unique." "Terrific." "I had two big orders." "Yours and another customer in New York." "But I only had enough merchandise to fill one order." "I figured that, if your plane was in the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, who's gonna check it out?" "Mr. Sato..." "I'm sorry." "Actually, you show remarkable initiative and ingenuity." "Only my plane didn't quite go down to the bottom of the ocean." "Yes, sir." "I still don't know how that cowboy made it." "The point, Nick, is, he did what he did." "You did what you did." "All that remains..." "is for me to decide what I should do." " Any suggestions?" " Yes, sir." "Why don't I deliver my merchandise to Hawaii instead of New York?" "An excellent suggestion." "I like it very much, Nick." "Found her rusting in a barn in Grinnell, Iowa." "Took us a year to rebuild her." "Hold on, I'll be right back." "Hunter!" "Hunter!" "Hunter!" "Hunter, don't you tell me you augured in that Stearman." " Where's Nick?" " He just took off for New York in the Lear." " Damn!" " Damn?" "Damn what?" "They found a couple hundred pounds of lead hidden in 9-4 Delta." " Nick was the only guy to work on it." " Come on, he wouldn't do that." "Yeah, well, our Hawaiian customer, Mr. Sato - big importer - cocaine." "Sato just took off with Nick." "Said he wanted a demonstration." "Hey, where you going?" " Going after it." " Are you nuts?" "I'll call Gargoyle." "He'll have the feds meet 'em in New York." "5 to 1 he's not going to New York." "If Sato is with him, they're headed for Hawaii." "So Gargoyle'll have 'em picked up there." "He could land on a dozen strips in the islands." "Besides, that ol' boy coulda killed me and I don't cotton to that." "Clear!" "How the hell do you start this thing?" "4-4 Foxtrot, I understand you wish to reroute to Hawaii." " Affirmative." " Stand by one." "4-4 Foxtrot." "No problem." "They'll clear us in a minute." " Where is the merchandise?" " Last seat on the right." "6-4 Charlie Lima, you are cleared for takeoff." "Altimeter 30.01, winds 10 at 220." "6-4 Charlie Lima rolling." "4-4 Foxtrot, you are cleared to flight level 420 on a heading of 270," "Squawk 0223 and ident." "4-4 Foxtrot." "Like I said, no problem." "Let us hope so." "LA control, this is 6-4 Charlie Lima." "Did you reroute a Lear from New York to Hawaii?" "Roger." "We have a Lear, 4-4 Foxtrot, at flight level 420 on a 270 routing." " 6-4 Charlie Lima requesting the same." " Roger." "How long will it take us?" "Six hours, give or take a few minutes." "There's a bar in the back." "Why don't you get a drink and relax?" " What was that?" " A cowboy." "Don't worry." "He doesn't have enough speed to stay with us." " What's happening?" " We turned too tight." "Compressor stall." " What's that?" " Our engine blew out!" " Who's got 4-4 Foxtrot?" " Here." " Did he request a routing change?" " Yes, from New York to Hawaii." "Another aircraft, 6-4 Charlie Lima, asked for the same thing." " What's going on?" " Put 'em on the speaker." " 6-4 Charlie Lima, this is LA Control." " Gargoyle, is that you?" "6-4 Charlie Lima, I got a call from Mar-Air informing me of possible narcotics smuggling on 4-4 Foxtrot." "We will handle it." "I'm just gonna give y'all a little hand, that's all." "6-4 Charlie Lima, what are your intentions?" "I repeat, Hunter, what are your intentions?" "I just thought I might encourage this ol' boy to mosey on back." "How's he gonna do that?" "You don't wanna know, son, you don't wanna know." " He is crazy!" " I know, I know!" "Like I said, Nick, you should've waited for a tailwind to Hawaii." "Still clearing the throat or catching a cold?" "Where have you been?" "T.C.'s removing your wreckage this morning." " My wreckage?" "It's Hunter's or Sato's." " Sato's in prison." "Sam called an hour ago to thank you." "He caught Sato and some others with a planeload of cocaine." " Gee, that's great." " I quite agree." "By the by, did you ever hear of a lost temple of Pele?" "No." "Hunter was telling me about it on the phone." "I thought I knew all the local legends, but I've never heard this one." "It seems there's a stone temple housing a jade statue of Pele somewhere on Maui." "Reminds me of the time Alex Clutterbuck and I were looking for a temple in India." "It was so beastly hot, the only way to travel was on elephants in a sedan chair." "Anyway, legend had it that there was a stone temple over a thousand years old with a statue of what could only be a Tibetan monkey and a sacred cow engaged in a most obscene act." "It seems Hunter ran across the legend while ferrying..." "Frodo Leader, this is Hawk Leader." "Know what you boys are holed up in?" "A Khmer temple."