A TERRIBLE FIGHT IN THE CLOUDS
The return to the base with only the single mishap alluded to was cause
for congratulations, and the lieutenant came in for a large share of the
commendation.
In turn he prepared a special report setting forth the work done by the
boys on the eventful journey. He pointed out that Ralph piloted the
machine the entire distance, giving him, as the commanding officer of
one division, time to direct the operation of the machines and attend to
the bombs, while he had the pleasure of presenting to the authorities a
set of unique photographs taken by Alfred at the very time the bombs
were thrown and exploded.
When the roll was called, two days thereafter, the men of the squadrons
were lined up, an officer from headquarters passed down the line, and,
among other places, halted before the boys, who stepped forward. On the
breast of each was pinned a medal, and as the officer did so he kissed
them on the cheeks, a custom which is faithfully observed, in accordance
with the regulations, whenever a merit order is bestowed.
There was a cheer as the two blushing boys stepped back to the line, and
there were no prouder hearts than theirs as they heard the encomiums
expressed on all sides for their bravery and devotion to duty. It was a
pleasure to many other young Americans, who, like them, were volunteers
serving in the aviation corps, and many of whom were afterwards also
honored in like manner.
There was hardly a day that there was not some experience added to their
store of knowledge pertaining to airships, and the work connected with
flying, all of which was performed with efficiency and credit.
But the work which they performed was not all a series of jolly
excursions without the corresponding sorrows. The devotion of Lieutenant
Guyon to them dated from the time when that brave officer was stricken
while on a trial flight from the camp at Bar-le-Duc. He never forgot how
they took charge of the machine, and brought it safely to earth and
cared for him so tenderly. Thereafter, it was rarely the case that he
went aloft without one or both of the boys in his company.
Shortly after the foregoing events, while the three were performing
scout duty north of St. Mihiel, they were attacked by two German
machines, an Albatross and a Taube, a combination which, especially when
operating against a single machine, is capable of doing deadly work.
When the two enemy ships were sighted, Alfred was in the pilot's seat,
and under the direction of the lieutenant, the airplane shot forward
directly in the path of the first machine, while the lieutenant poured
out a constant storm of shot. The Albatross dived, and Alfred at once
moved the control to ascend, thus bringing their machine above the
Taube.
The object now was to so manoeuver their ship as to keep between the two
enemies, and in doing so make it difficult for either of them to use the
quick firers without danger of hitting the other. The Seraph was a rapid
climber, due to the high power of her engines.
"Send her up as rapidly as possible," shouted the lieutenant. "Keep on
going, and turn slowly to the left, so as to make a big circle; that
will give me a chance to put in some shots."
Alfred knew the manoeuver, the purpose being to bring the two machines
into line with each other, and thus enable the lieutenant to get his gun
in the range of both machines.
"A little down now, and more to the right; there, steady," was the next
command.
"Br-r-r-r-r" sounded the gun, as the officer turned the crank.
"The Taube is going down," cried Ralph excitedly, "and here comes
another of the same kind," continued Ralph.
"Go straight for the second one," shouted the lieutenant, and Alfred
knew that the same trick had to be repeated.
But the new arrival did not accept the invitation to fight on the lines
that the first machine adopted. Instead, it began to circle about at a
safe distance, endeavoring to secure the overhead position.
"Follow that bird," said the lieutenant, "and keep going. They will
learn something about high flying before they get through with us."
The Albatross was not making much headway in the climbing game. On the
other hand, the new Taube was an extraordinary flyer.
"There is only one man aboard of her," said the lieutenant. "Take the
glasses, and see if you can make out her number."
Ralph studied the machine for some time. "I am not sure," he said, "but
I think it is D 28. No one but the pilot is aboard."
"That's good. He can't hit us head on. Trail him or get ahead of him and
keep on ascending," said the lieutenant, now preparing his rapid firer
with a new charge.
The Taube suddenly swerved to the right, and let loose a full charge
from his gun. It seemed as though one side of the Seraph had the
covering of the planes ripped off, for the hail of bullets tore right
through the frame. Alfred shook his head as he cleared away several bits
of wreckage.
"How high are we?" asked Ralph.
"Two thousand six hundred meters," was the reply.
The lieutenant had his revenge, however, for their own machine was now
creeping up and gradually getting a rear position. This was what he had
been aiming for. The stream of shots from the Seraph's gun now began to
tell. In one despairing attempt the Taube turned fully half way around
and answered, but it was evident that something was wrong with the ship.
Suddenly the Seraph darted down. Ralph and the lieutenant looked back in
surprise. Alfred's head had dropped to one side, and one arm hung over
the side of the chassis.
The lieutenant leaned over and caught the elevating rudder, not a moment
too soon, and corrected the machine. Ralph leaned over the side of the
body, and drew Alfred toward him, as the lieutenant climbed into the
aviator's seat. All this took but a moment's time, but meanwhile it was
necessary for them to observe the enemy and avoid him.
"The Taube is falling," cried out Ralph, "but the Albatross is swinging
around."
Before it was possible to correct the machine, and avoid the danger, the
gunner of the oncoming aeroplane began to pump, and the shot began to
tell on the Seraph's framework. The lieutenant now saw that it would be
a terrific task to get above the Albatross, so turning the control
rudder sharply, the Seraph made a quick slide below its adversary.
Alfred did not move, and Ralph tried to control himself, for in the
great excitement attending the above circumstances, he was almost
distracted. He was leaning partly over the body of the machine when the
lieutenant saw him crouch forward. He put his hand on the boy and tried
to shake him, but there was no response.
Down, down went the machine, still under absolute control of the
lieutenant, who turned the machine in a circle in order to be sure to
bring it down within the French lines. When within five hundred feet of
the earth something seemed to go wrong with the steering mechanism. The
lieutenant tugged and pulled the lever back and forth. The machine
refused to move forward in a straight line, and landing while the
machine is describing a circular movement is a most dangerous manoeuver.
Both boys were quiet, and the lieutenant feared for the worst. A hundred
feet more and all would be over. In desperation he banked the machine to
stop its terrific speed. This helped the situation, but did not prevent
the spinning motion, and finally the crash came.
They landed in a newly ploughed field, the worst possible sort of place
for a disabled machine. The lieutenant and Ralph were thrown out of
their seats, but Alfred was held fast in the machine.
Many willing helpers were on hand, and they found all three of the
flyers were unconscious when put into the van, but, fortunately, they
were within a half mile of the emergency hospital south of St. Mihiel.
On the way to the hospital a hurried survey was made to ascertain the
extent of the injuries, but the physicians were silent.
Alfred regained consciousness before the hospital was reached. The
doctors said that there was a severe bruise on the back of his head, as
though he had been struck by some heavy object. The lieutenant opened
his eyes, as he was placed on the operating cot. He glanced around
wildly for a moment, and then asked: "Where are my boys!"
"We have them here; they are all right," said a nurse.
He forced a weak smile, turned his head to one side, and was quiet.
Ralph had been shot through the body, too high up, it was believed, to
touch the lungs. A second bullet had passed through the fleshy part of
the left arm, and he was very weak from loss of blood. The three were
placed on adjoining cots after the first examination was over, and after
all had regained their normal senses a pair of stretcher bearers entered
the door, and bore a wounded man to one of the adjoining cots.
The lieutenant was the first to observe the chevrons on the sleeve of
the patient, and that he was a German. Ralph tried to raise up as he
noticed them carefully lift the wounded man, and deposit him on the cot.
"That's the fellow who piloted the last Taube; I'm sure of that. He's
the fellow I saw through the glasses," said Ralph.
Inquiry quickly established the truth of Ralph's observation. His
machine had fallen within French lines, and not far from the place where
the Seraph struck. It was an odd coincidence.
The lieutenant was the most severely injured, how badly no one knew at
the time, for a certain time must elapse before the full extent of the
injury in such cases develops. The next morning the boys were informed
that the lieutenant was much worse, and then for two days they had no
news.
Meanwhile, Ralph's wounds were healing, and no excessive fever
developed. Alfred's spine seemed to be affected by the terrific blow,
but that would be all right again in course of time.
The sad intelligence came to them a few days thereafter that the
lieutenant had died. It was, indeed, a grief to them. They had grown to
love him as a friend, and they understood each other so well. It was
learned that his heart was too weak to bear up against the internal
injuries, which he received when the machine struck the earth.
It was two weeks before the boys were able to leave the hospital, and
they were then not able to return to duty. The shock of their friend's
death was so acute that, as Ralph expressed it, they never again wanted
to see an airplane.
They were soon sent to Paris to recuperate, and while there they formed
plans which took them into another part of the great war game, and we
may be able hereafter to follow them in their new exploits.
THE END
THE MOTION PICTURE COMRADES SERIES
By ELMER TRACEY BARNES
The object of these books is to place before the reader the unusual
experiences of a party of boys who succeed in filming a number of
interesting scenes.
The stories are replete with striking incidents on land and sea, and
above all they describe with remarkable accuracy the methods employed to
obtain many of the wonderful pictures which may be seen on the screen.
=The Motion Picture Comrades' Great Venture;
or, On the Road with the Big Round Top=
=The Motion Picture Comrades Through African Jungles;
or, The Camera Boys in Wild Animal Land=
=The Motion Picture Comrades Along the Orinoco;
or, Facing Perils in the Tropics=
=The Motion Picture Comrades Aboard a Submarine;
or, Searching for Treasure Under the Sea=
=The Motion Picture Comrades Producing a Success;
or, Featuring a Sensation=
_12mo. Cloth_ _50c per Volume_
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=1. Phil Bradley's Mountain Boys=
=2. Phil Bradley at the Wheel=
=3. Phil Bradley's Shooting Box=
=4. Phil Bradley's Snow-Shoe Trail=
=5. Phil Bradley's Winning Way=
=By SILAS K. BOONE=
These books describe, with interesting detail, the experiences of a
party of boys among the mountain pines.
They teach the young reader how to protect himself against the elements,
what to do and what to avoid, and above all to become self-reliant and
manly.
_12mo. Cloth_ _50c per volume, postpaid_
THE NEW YORK BOOK COMPANY
201 EAST 12th STREET NEW YORK
THE HILLTOP BOYS SERIES
By CYRIL BURLEIGH
=The Hilltop Boys; A Story of School Life=
Jack Sheldon, a clean-minded and popular student in the academy, gains
the enmity of several of the boys, but their efforts to injure him fail.
A mystery, connected with Jack's earlier life, is used against him, but
he comes off with flying colors.
=The Hilltop Boys in Camp; or, The Rebellion at the Academy=
A strange situation arises in which an airship figures as the bearer of
an important letter. The head-master acts without investigating all the
facts, but matters are all finally adjusted to the satisfaction of all
concerned.
=The Hilltop Boys on Lost Island; or, An Unusual Adventure=
The scene now shifts to the West Indies and Jack figures as the hero of
a daring rescue. Their experiences in tropical waters form a most
stirring narrative, and the young reader is assured of a tale of
gripping interest from first to last.
=The Hilltop Boys on the River; or, The Cruise Up the Hudson=
The Doctor takes a number of the boys on a cruise up the Hudson. An
unlooked-for incident finds Jack Sheldon equal to the occasion, and what
at one time promised to be a disastrous trip for all concerned was
turned into a complete victory for our young friends.
=The Hilltop Boys Doing Their Bit; or, The Young Farmers of the
Highlands=
Our young friends, fired with patriotism, prove their real worth to the
community, and their efforts meet with unexpected success.
_12mo. Cloth_ _50c per Volume_
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By KENNETH WARD
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THE NEWEST BOYS' BOOKS ON THE EUROPEAN WAR, RELATING THE ADVENTURES OF
TWO AMERICAN BOYS AND THEIR EXPERIENCES IN BATTLE AT SEA AND ON AIR
SCOUT DUTY. ALL PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED WITH AUTHENTIC DRAWINGS.
=The Boy Volunteers on the Belgian Front=
Describes the adventures of two American boys who were in Europe when
the great war commenced. Their enlistment with Belgian troops and their
remarkable experiences are based upon actual occurrences and the book is
replete with line drawings of fighting machines, air planes and maps of
places where the most important battles took place and of other matters
of interest.
=The Boy Volunteers with the French Airmen=
This book relates the further adventures of the young Americans in
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of air planes and battle planes used by the warring nations, as all
descriptions are illustrated with unusually clear line drawings.
=The Boy Volunteers with the British Artillery=
How many boys today know anything about the great guns now being used on
so many European battle fronts? Our young friends had the rare
opportunity of witnessing, at first hand, a number of these terrific
duels, and the story which is most fascinatingly told is illustrated
with numerous drawings of the British, French and German field pieces.
=The Boy Volunteers with the Submarine Fleet=
Our young heroes little expected to be favored with so rare an
experience as a trip under the sea in one of the great submarines. In
this book the author accurately describes the submarine in action, and
the many interesting features of this efficient fighting craft are made
clear to the reader by a series of splendid line drawings.
=The Boy Volunteers with the American Infantry=
The entry of the United States into the great conflict offers the two
boys their long-looked-for opportunity. The arrival of our troops abroad
and the boys' experiences with them make a thrilling tale.
THE NEW YORK BOOK COMPANY
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
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| Transcriber's Notes: |
| |
| Words surrounded by _ are italicized and words surrounded by = |
| are bold. |
| |
| Obvious punctuation errors repaired. |
| |
| Due to the restriction of the ascii font, the word "Francaise" |
| has been rendered without its cedilla mark. |
| |
| Printer errors and inconsistent spelling repaired, including: |
| - p. 15 "Eecheren" changed to "Eeckeren" (north to Eeckeren) |
| - p. 18 "Belguim" changed to "Belgium" (end of Belgium) |
| - p. 21 "increditably" changed to "incredibly" (incredibly |
| short space) |
| - p. 77 "d'l'Opera" changed to "de l'Opera" (the rue de l'Opera)|
| - p. 80 "Bologne" changed to "Boulogne" (Bois de Boulogne) |
| - p. 109 "aline" changed to "aligned" (were properly aligned) |
| - p. 127 "reappeared" changed to "re-appeared" (the lieutenant |
| re-appeared) |
| - p. 152 "Ludwigschafen" changed to "Ludwigshafen" (and near |
| Ludwigshafen) |
| - p. 156 "is" removed from phrase "without the cap is on" |
| (without the cap on) |
| - p. 158 "th" changed to "the" (the first bomb) |
| - p. 161 "enconiums" changed to "encomiums" (heard the |
| encomiums) |
| - p. 163 "disance" changed to "distance" (a safe distance) |
| - Advertisement page "to-day" changed to "today" (many boys |
| today) |
| |
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