Schafter

Schafter and Seriot were quite prepared for such a thing to happen; it was one of the occupational hazards of their way of life.

ROUND THE BEND Shute, Nevil, 1899-1960 1951

"He's got some mighty strange ideas for an engineer," said Schafter.

ROUND THE BEND Shute, Nevil, 1899-1960 1951

Schafter plucked him by the arm and nodded, and then turned and ran aft to snap on his parachute and jettison the door.

ROUND THE BEND Shute, Nevil, 1899-1960 1951

Schafter had bad luck; he fell on the tree-tops, which checked him, and his parachute collapsed.

ROUND THE BEND Shute, Nevil, 1899-1960 1951

"I run from the Philippines to Saigon," said Schafter carefully.

ROUND THE BEND Shute, Nevil, 1899-1960 1951

He paid the month's wages out of money that had been left with him by Schafter, and went to Bangkok, travelling by fishing vessel up the coast.

ROUND THE BEND Shute, Nevil, 1899-1960 1951

There was no other aircrew; Schafter and his brown co-pilot flew every trip together, alternatively in the Dakota and the Carrier.

ROUND THE BEND Shute, Nevil, 1899-1960 1951

"You don't have to do that," said Schafter, looking at him curiously.

ROUND THE BEND Shute, Nevil, 1899-1960 1951

The brown man at the wheel counted ten slowly, trimming the aircraft as he counted; then he left his seat and ran down the fuselage after his captain, snapped on his parachute, and followed Schafter into the black void below.

ROUND THE BEND Shute, Nevil, 1899-1960 1951

"I think he was very well trained when he was with Schafter," he said.

ROUND THE BEND Shute, Nevil, 1899-1960 1951