So intense and spectacular had been the battle of the fleets that
neither Vassar nor his superior officer had lifted their eyes to the dim
struggle of the skies. The birdmen had climbed to such heights they were
no larger to the eye than a flock of circling pigeons. The tragedies of
this battle were no less grim and desperate. Two of these daring
defenders of our shores had been ordered to stay out of the fight and
report to General Hood if the fleet should be sunk.
They saw one of these couriers descending in swift, graceful circles. He
landed on the sand dunes, sprang from his seat and saluted the General.
“Well, sir?” General Hood cried.
The birdman was a smiling young giant with blond hair and fine blue
eyes. They were sparkling with pride.
“It was some fight, General--believe me! Our fellows covered themselves
with glory--that’s all! I nearly died of heart failure because I
couldn’t go in with ’em.”
“How many escaped?”
“I didn’t see any of the boys try to get away, sir--”
“They all fell?”
“Oh, yes sir, of course, they all fell--but, take it from me, they gave
those fellows merry hell before they did--”
He paused and mopped his brow.
“My, but it’s hot down here!” he complained. “They looked like fierce
eagles up there and every time they made a dash at an enemy their claws
brought blood. Honest to God, General, I saw one of our big biplanes
smash six taubes and send them swirling into the sea before they got
him. They were as thick after him as bees too. He’d climb up and then
dip for them with a devilish swoop--his machine gun playing a devil’s
tattoo on the fellow below. Six times he got his man, and then I saw
them close in on him--not two to one or ten to one--it was twenty to
one! He didn’t have a chance. It was a crime. If our fellows had just
had half as many machines, they’d have won hands down. There were only
nine of them in the fight against fifty of the enemy--”
“How many of the enemy all told did they account for?” Hood asked
sharply.
“God knows--I couldn’t take it all in. But I saw fifteen of them go
down. There wasn’t one of our men that failed to score. They fought like
devils. I never saw such skill. I never saw such daring. I’m proud I’m
a citizen of this Republic. We gave the world the aeroplane and we’re
going to show them how to use it before we get through!”
The General scribbled an order and handed it to the birdman.
“Take that to the commander at Fort Hamilton, and report to me at
Patchogue, my new headquarters.”
The birdman touched his goggled cap, his assistant started the engines
and in a minute the great bird was swinging into the sky. With two
graceful circles mounting steadily she straightened her course for the
Narrows and Vassar turned to the General.
“You will retreat to Patchogue?”
“There’s no other course possible. We can’t fight the guns of those
ships. They can land at their leisure. My hope is that they will be
delayed by the weather. God may help us a little if Congress wouldn’t.”
“You want time to intrench?”
“Yes and get our artillery in position. If we can’t get some big guns in
place to meet theirs--it’s no use. I’ve asked the forts to send me two
battalions of coast artillery organized for the field. We’ll get a
battalion of artillery from Virginia by boat tomorrow. Our men are
coming as fast as they can get here over hundreds and thousands of
miles, with our railroads blocked If the weather delays this landing
until we can mass two hundred guns against their four hundred we may
make a stand by digging in. I’ll have my mob underground by tomorrow
night in some sort of fashion. If they give me a week--it may take some
time to smoke me out--”
“It’s breezing up!” Vassar interrupted excitedly.
“And it’s from the right point too, thank God,” the General responded.
“I could have shouted when I heard the first strains of that band
floating in from sea.”
Already the sea was roaring with a new angry note. The barometers on the
armada had given the signal too. The mighty fleet was standing far out
to sea now awaiting a more favorable moment to spring on the land that
lay at the mercy of their great guns.