GRIPPED IN SUSPENSE
From that hour on Jack continued in a fever of suspense. His one thought
was of the coming of the official notification connected with their
hoped-for leave.
Tom fancied that his chum did not get much sleep on the following night,
the last both of them hoped they would have to spend in the dugout used
as a billet back of the American front.
So another day found them. Jack took special delight in casting up
figures connected with the case. These he would show to his chum, and
make various comments. Tom, realizing how the other was endeavoring to
suck consolation from this proceeding, encouraged him in it.
"By to-night," Jack said, more than once, "it will be three whole days
since the steamer sailed from Havre. I've tried to find out how fast
she is, and then figured that they'd have to slow down when passing
through the barred zone. I reckon it will take her eight or nine days
to get across."
"Oh, all of that," Tom assured him; "and it might be as many as twelve.
You see, the few passenger steamers still in use haven't been in dry dock
for the longest time, and their hulls must be covered with barnacles,
which cuts off considerable from their speed."
Jack gave him a thankful look.
"You're the best sort of jollier, Tom," he observed. "You know how to
talk to a fellow who's quivering all over with eagerness and dread. What
if something happens to hold up those notices until it's too late for
even Colin's big bomber to catch up with the steamer?"
"You're only borrowing trouble when you allow yourself to fear that," was
the reply. "But all the same, I mean to do everything I can to get things
hurried along. I'll see the general, and with your permission explain to
him that there's great need of our getting word to-day."
"But, surely, you wouldn't dare hint anything about the big trip we want
to take, Tom?" asked Jack, looking alarmed.
"I should say not!" came the immediate response. "If we did that, the
general would consider it his duty to put his foot down on the mad scheme
right away. Trust me to let him know we stand to lose out in something
that concerns your whole future if the notifications are delayed beyond
early this afternoon, and I'm sure he'll start the wires going to get
them here."
"What can I be doing in the meanwhile?"
"You might see to making arrangements for crossing to the coast on the
first train that goes out," answered Tom.
"But that's going to be slow traveling, even if we're lucky enough to get
aboard," protested the other. "Tom, do you think the general would permit
us to take our machine, and fly to Dunkirk?"
"Good! That's a clever idea you've hit on, Jack!" exclaimed the other.
"I'll take it up with the general when I see him. He might find it
_convenient_, you know, to have some message sent across the country to
the coast; and it would save us hours of time, perhaps win the race for
us. A splendid thought, Jack!"
"Then let's hope it can be carried through," returned the other.
Tom did not lose any more time but hurried away to try to get an
opportunity to talk with the kindly old general. He had always shown an
interest in the fortunes of the two Air Service Boys, and they had
already received favors from him on several occasions.
The minutes dragged while he was gone. Jack could not keep still, so
nervous did he feel, but continued walking up and down, "like a tiger
in its cage," he told himself. He ran through the entire gamut of
possible troubles and triumphs in his mind, as he tried to picture the
whole thing.
"What great luck to have Colin Beverly break in on us just at the
time when my fortunes had reached their lowest ebb," Jack kept saying
to himself.
At last Tom came back. Jack could read success in his looks, even before
the other had had a chance to open his mouth and say a single word.
"It's all right then, I take it, Tom?" he exclaimed impulsively.
"Didn't have any trouble at all in interesting the general," replied the
messenger joyfully. "He said he'd see to having an urgent call go out to
hurry the notifications along, and almost promised they'd get here by two
this afternoon."
"And how about the plane business?"
"That's all settled in the bargain. I have written permission to make use
of our plane, turning it over to a certain agent in Dunkirk after we've
arrived there. The general will send a message over to us which we're to
deliver at the same time we give up the machine."
"Great work, Tom! I've always said you'd make a mighty fine diplomatic
agent, if ever you tried, and now I know it."
"No soft-soap business, please. If it had been anybody but the general
I'd have surely fallen down on my job. But you know he's always had an
interest in us, Jack."
"Do you think he suspected anything?" asked the other.
"Sure he did, but not _the_ thing, for nobody in the wide world would
ever dream we were planning such an unheard of thing as a non-stop flight
across the Atlantic."
Tom dropped his voice to a whisper when he said this; not that there
seemed to be any particular need of caution, but simply on general
principles. They could not afford to take any chance of having their
great plan discovered in these early stages of the game.
"Well, I don't know how I'm going to hold out much longer," complained
Jack. "I can't keep still five minutes, but have to jump up and walk it
off. Let's see--two o'clock you said, didn't you? That'll be nearly three
long hours more. It's simply terrible, Tom! Sixty minutes in each hour!"
"But then we'll have to eat our regular midday meal, remember," Tom tried
to cheer his companion up by saying. "If you prefer it, we might walk
over to the field-hospital, which, by the way, I hear is to be moved
ahead to-night, to keep in closer touch with the wounded straggling back
from the front. The Y hut's close by, too, and we'd enjoy an hour or so
with the girls. Nellie told me she expected her brother, Harry, to be
back on our sector any day now, and if he should come before we clear out
we'd be mighty glad to see him."
Jack hesitated.
"Gee! you do tempt a fellow, Tom," he finally remarked, as though coming
to a conclusion. "Nothing I'd like better than to chat with Bessie and
have a few of those Salvation Army girls' doughnuts to munch. But I guess
it would be foolish in our laying off just now."
"You mean the notifications might arrive while we were gone?" remarked
Tom, nodding his head, pleased because the other took such a sensible
view of the matter.
"Yes. We might lose a whole hour, perhaps two, by being away,"
explained Jack. "That would be too bad; it might even turn out a
catastrophe, if in the end that hour would save us from being beaten in
the race against time."
"All right, then, we'll hang around and watch for something to come from
Headquarters. The general promised me he'd have the notifications
sent over without any delay just as soon as they came."
"Let's go over to the flying field and watch some of the boys come in,"
suggested Jack, and to this the other readily assented.
Even when an airman is off-duty his special delight lies in "hanging out"
at the aviation field, seeing his fellow workers go forth, watching their
return, and listening to the many thrilling accounts of battles fought,
as well as perils endured.
The fascination of the sport, once it has fairly gripped a man, makes him
its slave; he can think of little else; and doubtless even in dreams he
fancies himself performing unusual hazards and earning the applause of
the multitude.
However this proved to be a very good panacea for Jack's nervousness
and they managed to put in a full hour there. Business was unusually
brisk in the way of engagements; and Tom more than once secretly
regretted that circumstances beyond their control caused them to miss a
"whole lot of fun."
The enemy was up in the air in more ways than one on that day.
Desperation on account of the blowing up of the bridge caused the German
plane scouts to meet the challenges offered by the exultant Yankees, and
news of many an encounter kept coming in about the time the two boys
thought of leaving the field and going for their dinner.
Word had also been received of several accidents to American pilots, and
it looked as though the history of that eventful day would set a new
high-water mark in the way of losses.
Jack even began to fear they might be ordered to go up, which would bring
about a fresh delay while communication was being established with
Headquarters to verify their story. So he was really glad when Tom drew
him away by suggesting that it was time they dined.
At one o'clock they were at their headquarters, killing time and waiting.
Jack's nerves once more began showing signs of being frayed, or "ragged,"
as he called it. He jumped at the least unusual sound, and alternately
looked expectant and despairing.
It was now close to two o'clock, and as yet there was no sign of relief.
Jack jumped up for the twentieth time and started to walk back and forth,
while others among the airmen were gathering their belongings together,
preparatory to a change of base.
Then a messenger was seen hurrying toward them. Jack became almost wild
with excitement, until he knew for a fact the notifications had arrived.
"And now," said Tom, "let's put for the field and get away without
any further loss of time. It's a long way to Dunkirk, remember, even
by way of the air line, as a bee would take it. And we must get there
before dark!"
They ran part of the way, and thus presented themselves before the
hangar. Ample preparations had already been made. The petrol tank had
been filled, and, everything being in readiness, they would have nothing
to do but jump aboard and make a quick start.
But Tom was too old a pilot to take things for granted. After that recent
experience with treachery he meant to be doubly careful before risking
their lives in the air. Dunkirk on the Channel was a considerable
distance off; and a drop when several thousand feet above French soil
would go just as hard with them as if it were German territory.
Accordingly he took a survey of the plane from tip to tip of the wings;
looked over the motor, tested every strut and stay, leaving nothing to
Jack, who was fairly quivering with the intensity of his feelings.
Even the longest day must come to an end, and Tom's examination was
finally completed.
"Get aboard!" he told Jack. "We're in great trim to make a record flight
of it. And even the breeze favors us, you notice."
"Let's hope it keeps on as it is," said Jack, quickly; "because an
easterly wind will help carry us on our way to-night!"
"We'll be in luck to have such help," Tom replied. "As a rule, the
passage from Europe to America meets with head winds most of the way. How
are you fixed, Jack?"
"All ready here, Tom."
"Half a minute more, and I'll be the same. Take your last look for some
time, Jack, at the American fighting front. We'll never forget what we've
met with here, and that's a fact."
"But, Tom, we expect to come back again, if all goes well,"
expostulated Jack. "In fact, we've just got to, or be accused of
running away. We arranged all that, you remember, and how we'd manage
to get across in such a way that no one will be any the wiser for our
having been out of France."
"Don't let's worry about that yet," said Tom. "The first big job is to
get across the Atlantic. Ready, back there? Here goes!"
Another minute, and with a rush and a roar the plane sped along the
field, took an upward slant, and set out for the coast. The first leg of
the great flight had actually been started!