A Battle in the Air.
Ned with difficulty brought the Grey Eagle back to a tranquil position.
So unexpectedly had the rifle shot struck the forward rudder that he
had been very close to losing control of the craft and pitching the
entire party to earth. With a frantic effort he regained his balance.
Due to the fact that the boys had not felt speed essential to their
purpose, no attempt as yet had been made to put the Grey Eagle to its
best pace. The monoplane, however, seemed to be traveling at a high
rate of speed, and was not long in securing a favorable position for
the evident purpose of its occupants.
"If he gets above us, he'll drop a bomb!" cried Jimmie, in an angry
tone. "I'll bet it's The Rat! He's been watching for us to start!"
"Put on a little more speed, Ned," urged Jack anxiously. "Let's try to
prevent his getting above us, if we can. I don't like this!"
"Hang on!" cried Ned, glancing upward toward their pursuer. "I'm going
to try to dodge him if I can. He's clever, though!"
Obedient to Ned's request, the boys prepared for sudden and unexpected
evolutions on, the part of the Grey Eagle. They were none too soon, for
almost instantly Ned began a series of movements that were calculated
to frustrate any attempt on the part of the enemy to successfully
launch a missile with telling effect. Darting and dodging hither
and thither, the lad gradually drew away from the monoplane, which
slackened speed.
With a pull at the controlling levers Ned suddenly began an ascent that
quickly carried the Grey Eagle to a level above that of the monoplane.
He hoped thereby to gain the advantage of position, but the pilot of
the other machine was evidently prepared for just such a move. He
sheered off abruptly to one side, as if abandoning the chase.
"There he goes, the coward!" exulted Jimmie, as the Grey Eagle was
brought to an even keel at a slight elevation above its rival. "Now see
him beat it when he thinks we have the best of him!"
"If you think he's going to leave us alone," Jack suggested, "let's
get down a ways. It won't be so cold as up here, and we can see the
country better. Except for a river or two, I can't distinguish anything
down there. We ought to take a look at the place."
"Sure," agreed Harry, "let's travel a little lower."
"Where is the other fellow now?" questioned Ned, as he brought the Grey
Eagle downward. "I don't see him in front of us."
"I can see him away off to the right," announced Francois.
"Yes, there he is, as big as life, and twice as natural!" put in
Jimmie. "Let me have the binoculars, and I'll see if I can make out who
the fellows are. I guess it's getting light enough now so I can see."
After a long examination of the other machine, Jimmie handed the
glasses to Harry. He shook his head and glanced quickly at Ned. "I
wonder what that fellow thinks of himself," he said presently. "Do you
suppose he realizes that other people consider him the worst kind of a
sneak? He surely must be case hardened if he doesn't hate himself!"
"If his past actions toward us is any indication," Ned offered, "he
probably thinks he is a fine fellow being heartily abused by four
boys."
"Really feels sorry for himself?" Jimmie asked, with contempt.
"I shouldn't wonder a bit! People get queer views sometimes."
"Here he comes back again!" announced Harry, who had the glasses. "He's
hitting it up some, too! Looks like he's in an awful hurry!"
Astonished, the boys saw their pursuer heading again for the Grey
Eagle, but this time at a much greater altitude. His course was laid so
that it would cross that of the machine containing the five boys.
With some anxiety the lads observed the maneuver. Jimmie drew his
automatic from its holster, prepared to reply should any more shots
be fired in their direction. The clamor of the approaching motor grew
louder.
"He's going to cross away above us!" announced Harry, watching closely.
"I can see both the pilot and the passenger now," he continued, "and it
looks remarkably like The Rat. I believe it is he!"
"Here comes the sun at last!" shouted Jimmie. "I'm glad we can have
some more light. We can tell better what the fellow is doing."
"Guess we'll have to be ready for anything from him!" Harry said,
with his eyes still at the glasses. "They're evidently trying to do
something up there. The passenger is working away at a part of the
machine!"
"What does he seem to be doing?" Jimmie inquired.
"I can't tell from here, but I can see him apparently adjusting
something. He seems to be quite busy about it, whatever it is!"
"Maybe he's preparing a bomb or something to drop on us!"
"He's dropping his wrench or something!" cried Harry excitedly. "I can
see something flashing in the sunlight as it drops from the bottom of
his chassis. There, he's dropped another," he continued.
"What can it be?" wondered Jack. "He can't be dropping tools."
"I see the flash of some more!" announced Jimmie excitedly.
"Why, there are lots of them!" was Harry's astonished statement. "If we
don't look out some of them will hit us! Any more speed, Ned?"
"Lot's of it," reassuringly answered Ned, gazing upward at the other
machine, now almost overhead. "It puzzles me, though, what that fellow
is dropping. It can't be he had ballast and wants to discharge it."
All the boys were intently observing the oncoming monoplane as it
appeared to be following a course at some distance above their own
level. The curious flashes of light, as if from falling objects, caused
them considerable wonderment. Not for long were they left in doubt.
Directly the monoplane had passed over the Grey Eagle the boys heard
a whizzing noise, as of a piece of metal rushing through the air at
a high rate of speed. This was followed by several more. Then came a
crash aboard the Grey Eagle itself. Ned gave utterance to a cry of pain.
"Jimmie, Jimmie!" he called. "Where are you, Jimmie?"
"Here I am, Ned, what's the matter?" responded the boy.
"Can you take the levers? I can't see a thing! I'm hit!"
Jimmie sprang to the levers at Ned's request, noting with horror that
blood was flowing freely into Ned's eyes from a gash in his forehead.
"Jack, Harry, Francois!" cried Jimmie. "Help Ned out of his seat here,
so I can sit in. He's badly hurt! Help him quickly!"
Willing hands were extended to Ned's assistance. Guiding him in his
efforts to leave the pilot's position, Francois and Harry soon were
able to seat Ned in a more favorable place. Jack, meanwhile, had
unlocked a box containing a first aid outfit, and now was ready to
assist his chum with medical attention, which seemed to be badly needed.
"What was it hit me?" Ned asked presently, as Jack succeeded in
stopping the flow of blood. "I saw a flash and heard something strike,
then felt a smash right on my forehead. I guess he got me, all right."
"I'll bet I know!" announced Jimmie. "The fellow was dropping a lot of
iron bolts or arrows or darts or something. One of 'em fell through the
cowl and has smashed the compass. Maybe it was the glass cover of the
compass that hit you. I see the bolt now!"
"Where is it?" inquired Harry. "Let me look at it."
"Here it is, sticking through the floor. Here's the place it went
through the cowl, leaving a jagged hole in the metal."
Harry proceeded to extract the bolt from its lodging place, and soon
brought it forth for inspection. Jimmie kept a sharp lookout for the
other machine, preparing to elude it if it returned.
With a considerable degree of interest the boys examined the object
brought forth by Harry. It was a bolt or shaft of iron about nine
inches long, and had been provided with a vane at one end, evidently
for the purpose of causing it to fall perpendicularly in its flight.
"Gee!" ejaculated Harry. "A few bushels of those things dropped into a
regiment of soldiers would play sad havoc! They'd go through a man!"
"You're right, they would!" declared Jack. "If they were dropped from
any considerable distance, they'd go through more than a man!"
"Well, Ned, you're lucky the thing didn't hit you instead of the
compass," congratulated Harry. "We need both, but you more than the
compass, if either is to be spared! I'm glad it wasn't worse!"
"Let's be ready for him if he returns," suggested Jimmie.
"Let's get out of his way!" offered Harry. "We can beat him!"
"Not much!" argued Jimmie. "We don't have to run away! If he comes back
again, I'm going to show him that he's monkeying with a buzz saw when
he bothers us! If he can drop slugs like that, I can shoot!"
"Bloodthirsty again!" smiled Ned. "Would that be right, Jimmie?"
"Yes, sir!" stoutly maintained Jimmie. "We've got some rights!"
"Well, we won't have much cause to argue about it," Harry announced.
"He's heading away off to the northeast and going fast."
"Probably heading for Berlin," suggested Jack. "Let him go!"
"If they leave us alone, we'll be there soon, ourselves!" Ned replied.
"I don't think he ever intended to go to Lille at all!"
"I can beat him in a race!" boasted Jimmie. "What speed do you think we
are making right now, without half trying?"
"Don't know, I'm sure," replied Ned, glancing over the side.
"Well, I can double that! Keep your eye on me! See me overhaul that
railroad train down below us. It's a passenger or mail train."
"Yes, and it's going some!" Jack stated. "You'll have to hurry!"
Jimmie, in an endeavor to exhibit his skill with the machine, began
urging it to greater speed. Up to this time the boys had not endeavored
to secure speed, preferring to wait until the engine, so recently from
the shop, had been given time to get "down to bearings."
They were expecting great things of the new motor, but were scarcely
prepared for the burst of speed which Jimmie coaxed it to yield.
In a few moments they had overhauled the train and were speeding
along a short distance ahead of it. Jimmie had brought the craft to a
distance but little above the flying locomotive and its burden.
"See him try to beat us!" cried the lad, triumphantly.
"He never can do it," agreed Jack. "Besides, he'll have to slow up for
the bridge across that river ahead. That puts him out of the race!"
"Here comes our friend again!" cried Francois, pointing.
"Well, of all things!" declared Jimmie. "He's got nerve!"
"Keep yours, and show him what a Wolf can do," advised Ned.
Nodding his acknowledgment, Jimmie began an ascent which he hoped
would carry him above the approaching enemy. He was not quick enough,
however, to execute this maneuver, and contented himself with flying
directly ahead at an increased altitude. Unconsciously the boy still
followed the line of the railroad as it approached the river ahead. The
train had now been left a mile or more behind.
Anxiously watching the enemy, the boys observed that he was about to
attempt to cross above them once more. More arrows were expected.
Harry had trained his glasses upon the approaching machine, and from
time to time announced the movements of the pilot and his passenger.
"He's almost overhead now," reported the lad. "The passenger is trying
to fix another batch of arrows, I believe! Get ready for him!"
Jimmie determined to execute a daring maneuver to throw the pursuer off
his trail. Calling to the boys to secure themselves with safety belts,
he buckled on his own, then gave the levers a touch.
With the first impulse of the engine the Grey Eagle leaped ahead.
Jimmie threw his whole weight on the lever controlling the horizontal
rudders, and the machine climbed up at an angle that threatened to
unseat the passengers. Apparently his motive was to ram the other
machine.
With a quick movement he threw off the power, altering the rudders
at the same moment. The Grey Eagle began to drop backwards toward
the earth. Again Jimmie manipulated a lever and the rudders guided
the craft into a complete backward somersault that brought them some
distance to the rear of the other. Gasping at the sudden movement the
boys stared about.
A roar came to their ears from below. Mingled with a cloud of thick
black smoke they could see pieces of timbers falling where once had
been the railroad bridge. The missile had passed them, thanks to Jimmie.
"The train!" gasped Jimmie, with a startled look at his friends.