Chapter Six
Mountain Glory continued to develop aircraft. She designed a two engine
plane that was so fast it could outrun any fighter. Loaded with bombs,
it shot in and out of enemy territory, destroying their factories.
2 She modified the design to carry torpedoes. Now everyone
said a plane couldn't drop torpedoes, they would explode when they hit
the water, but when they took fifty of their planes south, and sent
them against the enemy's navy, the disbelievers were proved wrong.
In ten days they sank three-hundred enemy vessels, seventy-five
of
them, warships. The enemy kept to the safety of their harbors.
3 Next, Mountain Glory designed a two engine cargo plane that could
also be used for passengers. It was one of the first all metal
passenger planes, and soon out-sold anything else built.
4 Gray Boar was proud of his mate's work. But each season as her fire
came and passed, she was disappointed that she bore no child. She also
began to suffer pain. She went to a Healer.
5 "You fell when you were a child," he remarked, "there could be some
internal damage. Red Serpent, the famous Surgeon, who is the very best
in these matters, is in the city. I'd like to have him take a look
inside. If there IS something wrong, we might be able to fix it."
6 Mountain Glory was willing, but Gray Boar was terrified of the idea!
"Operations are perfectly safe," promised Mountain Glory.
7 "Then why do so many people having them," argued Gray Boar, "die?"
8 "I won't!" promised Mountain Glory. "Do you want me to suffer more
pain every season? Do you want us to have no children? Let them look. I
MUST know."
9 Reluctantly, Gray Boar agreed, and the day of the operation he paced
the hospital's waiting room like