Book 5, Chapters 1-5 Summary

Stretch Thompson, owner of Arctic Circle airways, offers his best pilot, Foster J. ("Tex") MacWilliams, $4,000 to fly to Lydda and more for him to fly for his new Palestine Central Airways on a mission to bring Jews into Israel from southern Arabia. Planted as trading colonies in biblical times, when the Queen of Sheba met King Solomon, Yemenite Jews have survived 3,000 years of isolation from the rest of Jewry, resisted conversion to Islam, kept the Torah, Sabbath and holy days and dress like ancient prophets. They never give up on "going up" to Jerusalem, even when Yemen declares war on Israel and sends a token force to Egypt. Their "Wise Ones" - the Haham - see this as a sign and tell them to prepare to emigrate. The Imam, who protects the Jews because they are valuable craftsmen and...