Wings Read Online Free PDF Page B

interesting experience any frog ever had anywhere, one which would go down in frog history and be remembered for... maybe even for minutes.
    Masklin helped Gurder along another metal channel full of wires. Overhead, they could hear human feet and the growling of humans in trouble.
    "I don't think they're very happy about it," said Gurder.
    "But they haven't got time to look for something that was probably a mouse," said Masklin.
    "It's not a mouse, it's Angalo!" "But afterward they'll think it was a mouse. I don't think humans want to know things that disturb them."
    "Sound just like nomes to me," said Gurder.
    Masklin looked at the Thing under his arm.
    "Are you really driving the Concorde?" he said.
    "Yes."
    "I thought to drive things you had to turn wheels and change gears and things?" said Masklin.
    "That is all done by machines. The humans press buttons and turn wheels just to tell machines what to do."
    "So what are you doing, then?"
    "I," said the Thing, "am being in charge."
    Masklin listened to the muted thunder of the engines.
    "Is that hard?" he said.
    "Not in itself. However, the humans keep trying to interfere." "I think we'd better find Angalo quickly, then," said Gurder. "Come on." They inched their way along another cable tunnel.
    "They ought to thank us for letting our Thing do their job for them," said Gurder solemnly.
    "I don't think they see it like that, exactly," said Masklin.
    "We are flying at a height of 55,000 feet at 1,352 miles per hour," said the Thing.
    When they didn't comment, it added, "That's very high and very fast."
    "That's good," said Masklin, who realised that some sort of remark was expected.
    "Very, very fast." The two nomes squeezed through the gap between a couple of metal plates.
    "Faster than a bullet, in fact."
    "Amazing," said Masklin.
    "Twice the speed of sound in this atmosphere," the Thing went on.
    "Wow."
    "I wonder if I can put it another way," said the Thing, and it managed to sound slightly annoyed. "It could get from the Store to the quarry in under fifteen seconds."
    "Good job we didn't meet it coming the other way, then," said Masklin.
    "Oh, stop teasing it," said Gurder. "It wants you to tell it it's a good boy - Thing," he corrected himself.
    "I do not," said the Thing, rather more quickly than usual. "I was merely pointing out that this is a very specialised machine and requires skilful control."
    "Perhaps you shouldn't talk so much, then," said Masklin.
    The Thing rippled its lights at him.
    "That was nasty," said Gurder.
    "Well, I've spent a year doing what the Thing's told me and I've never had so much as a 'thank you,'" said Masklin. "How high are 55,000 feet, anyway?"
    "Ten miles. Twice as far as the distance from the Store to the quarry."
    Gurder stopped. "Up?" he said. "We're that far ?" He looked down at the floor.
    "Oh," he said.
    "Now, don't you start," said Masklin quickly.
    "We've got enough problems with Angalo. Stop holding on to the wall like that!" Gurder had gone white.
    "We must be as high as all those fluffy white cloud things," he breathed.
    "No," said the Thing.
    "That's some comfort, then," said Gurder.
    "They 're all a long way below us."
    "Oh." Masklin grabbed the Abbot's arm.
    "Angalo, remember?" he said.
    Gurder nodded slowly and inched his way forward, holding on to things with his eyes closed.
    "We mustn't lose our heads," said Masklin. "Even if we are up so high." He looked down. The metal below him was quite solid. You needed to use imagination to see through it to the ground below.
    The trouble was that he had a very good imagination.
    "Ugh," he said. "Come on, Gurder. Give me your hand."
    "It's right in front of you."
    "Sorry. Didn't see it with my eyes shut." They spent what seemed like ages cautiously moving up and down among the wiring, until eventually Gurder said, "It's no good. There isn't a hole big enough to get through. He'd have found it if there was."
    "Then we've got to find a way into the cab and get him out that way," said