THE ZEPPELIN RAID ON LONDON
“Is the old town on fire, Tom?” Jack gasped, as the two air service
boys listened to the noise which was growing wilder every moment.
“It must be the Zeppelins have come and London is under fire from the
skies!” Tom exclaimed.
“Oh! Hurry up, and let’s get dressed!” cried the excited Jack. “I
wouldn’t miss this for anything! Just to think what we’ll have to boast
about when we get home--if ever we do. There’s nothing to hinder our
going out on the streets, is there?”
Tom was already flinging his clothes on with reckless speed, and did
not stop to answer.
Presently the youths found themselves hurrying along the street, with
hundreds of other curious sightseers, who seemed to forget the terrible
danger hanging overhead in their eagerness to see the bombarding air
fleet.
Coming to an open “circus,” or intersection of two streets, around
which the buildings are set in a circle, they found it filled by a
seething mass of people. There were men and boys; women struggled with
the crowd; and girls, who had better have stayed at home in some degree
of safety, added to the throng.
All were staring up toward the heavens, covered with gray clouds.
Powerful searchlights played across the sky, the long shafts of white
light looking very weird.
Loud cries attested to the fact that one of the attacking airships had
been discovered. Many fingers pointed it out, and as Tom had carried
his binoculars along he quickly had the glasses focussed on the small
object high up in the heavens.
“It’s certainly a big balloon, and looks like a long sausage,” he told
Jack, as he stared entranced. “And all around it I can see queer little
puffs of smoke breaking out, though most of them seem to be below the
Zeppelin. Those must be the shrapnel shells they’re firing up at the
invader from the anti-aircraft guns used to defend the city. They’re
mounted on roofs of houses, they say.”
It was a thrilling sight, and one the two chums would not have missed
for a great deal. The lone Zeppelin was steering directly over a part
of the city which was densely populated by the poor. Doubtless other
great airships were moving in lanes that would take them over outlying
districts. The fleet had evidently separated on nearing the city, thus
minimizing the risk of being brought down by volleys or shrapnel, or
the efforts of airplane defenders who were already rising to give
battle to the German monsters.
“There, they dropped something, for I could see what looked like a
spark falling!” exclaimed Tom suddenly.
“That was a fire bomb,” said a man standing near, who probably had
passed through a number of similar attacks, and was well posted. “It is
filled with combustible fluid, and on bursting sets fire to everything
around.”
Hardly had he spoken when they heard a terrific report. At the same
instant there was a vivid flash, as of fire. The boys were reminded
of lightning on a black night; but in this case the glare stayed, as
though the fire had accomplished the work intended.
Quickly following there came another frightful smash.
“That was a regular bomb!” cried the man close to Tom. “Chances are
it’s done considerable damage, for it must have dropped in one of the
congested districts.”
“But there are no fortifications inside London, are there?” asked Jack,
horrified at the thought of death and destruction being scattered
among just such a crowd as had gathered in the streets around them.
“Oh! that’s all tommyrot,” explained the man, with a hoarse laugh.
“They make out London is a regular fortified city and that they are
smashing docks and sinking munition-laden steamers, as well as blowing
up barracks. All they do is to murder half a hundred poor women and
children and burn some of the crowded tenements. But just wait, the
time will come when we’ll get our revenge on Berlin!”
A second Zeppelin was discovered sailing along. The crash of bursting
bombs became almost continuous, as though those above were trying to
empty their reservoirs while passing over the capital that seemed to be
the particular object of German hatred.
Carried along with the crowd, eager to see with their own eyes some of
the exciting scenes, the two American lads found themselves in a more
squalid section of the city. No doubt this was a part of what was known
as the slums.
The narrow streets were filled with sightseers, men, women and
children, as though the grimy tenements had emptied their entire
contents for the occasion. Although the danger was great the crowd
seemed to look upon it all as a sort of holiday affair gotten up for
their amusement.
Zipp! Bang!
Suddenly there was a blinding flash accompanied by a deafening
detonation.
One of the bombs from a passing Zeppelin had dropped upon a row of
tenements near by and the walls were hurled into the street.
The greatest confusion followed, the crowd rushing this way and that in
a delirium of excitement. Tom and Jack had been knocked down with many
others by the concussion, but received only a few minor bruises.
“Hurt much, Jack?”
“Not a great deal, Tom. How about you?”
“A few scratches, that’s all.”
“Let’s get out of this!”
They were quickly on their feet, and staring at the scene that lay
before them. Already cries were heard from the mass of wreckage, and
some of the more courageous among the spectators commenced to drag out
the victims. As a rule these seemed to be women and children, the boys
noticed.
The tremendous throng that gathered prevented their getting close up;
but they could see ambulances come driving wildly to the spot, having
been held in readiness for just such a call.
Into these the wretched victims of German attack were hurried, and in a
short time all that remained of the happening was a mass of bricks and
stones and grimy plaster that encumbered the narrow street.
It was shortly after this, and while the racket was still at its
height, that a cheer suddenly broke out. Looking up to where all eyes
seemed to be directed, Tom and his comrade saw a thrilling spectacle in
the heavens.
One of the twin Zeppelins was on fire! The crowd could see a glare
spring up, and Jack, who at that moment had the glasses, announced to
Tom that the huge aircraft was falling like a rocket-stick after its
ascent.
Whether some of the shrapnel had found its mark, or a daring airplane
pilot had managed to get above the Zeppelin to drop a fire bomb they
could not tell just then. Nor did any one care particularly. The one
exulting thought was that an enemy had been put out of action and that
the entire crew of more than thirty men must meet the death they had
just been dealing out to innocent people in London.
It was a wonderful sight, one which would never be forgotten by those
who stood and gaped. They were thrilled by the spectacle of that great
mass falling swiftly like a meteor drawn earthward, burning as it came.
Jack declared he could see objects that might be human beings falling
from the blazing mass as it neared the earth. He held his breath as he
looked, shocked by the awfulness of the spectacle.
The wrecked Zeppelin disappeared beyond the roofs of rows of London
houses. Then there came a rush of tens of thousands, wild to reach the
spot in order to see all that was left of the great airship.
Jack would have joined in the rush, but Tom proved wiser.
“This man, who ought to know, Jack, says it’s much further out than
most of the people suspect, beyond the outskirts of the city proper.
Let it go for to-night. Perhaps we’ll find our way there in the
morning.”
Jack complained a little but decided in the end that it was best not to
wander over London at that time of the night.
“But above all things, Tom,” he said, as they started back toward their
hotel, “we must see the wreckage of that airship in the morning. It’s
in line with our own business, understand, since we, too, are aviators.
And don’t be afraid that I’ll be knocked out if we happen to run across
one of the poor wretches who fell. I expect to get used to such things
over in France. For all I know some day or other I may wind up by the
same channel.”
“Huh,” was Tom’s grunted reply, when they turned in at the hotel
entrance, “if any of the men fell to the ground they’ll hardly be left
lying around for hours for us to view.”
The raid over London was at an end. The remaining Zeppelin sped away,
as if loth to accept further chances of meeting the fate of its sister
craft. Doubtless British airmen would follow after and harass the
invader as long as it remained over the land; and even when the Channel
was reached they might still pursue with the dogged determination
characteristic of their race.
The boys finally got to sleep again and were not disturbed with further
outcries. There were other airships over England that night, they
afterwards learned, but these did not get past the barrage fire that
protected the metropolis, dropping their stock of bombs over Kent down
nearer the coast.
In the morning the air service boys managed to reach the scene of the
wreckage, but were unable to get close up because of the enormous
crowds. Still, they saw the mass of wreckage, and even watched a corps
of workmen digging away part of the piled-up airships in search of
other bodies supposed to be still unfound.
All that day Tom and Jack went around London seeing what they could
of the city. They came upon several other places where damage had
been done by the air raiders, and never would they forget the horror
and detestation that filled their souls when they saw other hospital
vans removing still more of the victims of that atrocious method of
conducting war upon defenseless men, women and children.
“I can’t get over to Pau any too soon,” said Jack savagely, as they
stood and watched the heart-rending scenes around one of the devastated
districts. “I want to finish my schooling and be sent to the front to
join the French and American fliers. If only they’ll take us in the
Lafayette Escadrille, and put us to work raiding German cities, I’ll be
pleased.”
“The Lafayette Escadrille doesn’t engage in that sort of work,” Tom
reminded him. “They leave that to the French bombing machines. Their
business is to engage German airplanes single-handed and to drop bombs
on military camps back of the lines. Also during a battle to keep
in constant touch with the advancing troops, and by their system of
signals have the fire-control of the batteries in their hands.”
“Well,” added the impatient Jack, “so long as it’s getting a whack at
the Kaiser I don’t suppose it matters much what kind of work we engage
in.”
They had made all their arrangements for crossing the Channel the
following night. There was more or less red tape connected with it, for
these were war times, and the spy scare had not yet entirely died out
of England, and foreigners were being watched closely.
But the two Americans had with them papers to prove just who they
were, and why they were headed for France. They also met several men
connected with the British air service, who were pleased to show them
many little courtesies.
“But we do hope America will soon decide to come in and take her part
in the job we’ve got on our hands,” these men told them more than once.
Night came, and the air service boys boarded a train that left London,
connecting with the boat that was to cross the Channel. Everything was
conducted with a grimness and secrecy that impressed the two young
Americans as being warlike.
“It’s plain to be seen England has long since passed the first stage of
the war,” remarked Tom, who noted all such things. “You know at first
they tried to act as though it was only a small affair, after all.
London was as bright as ever, with business going on much the same.
It’s a different spirit that’s abroad nowadays. The British bulldog
has shut his teeth hard; and when he does that he never lets go--that
is, hardly ever, but there was a time more than a hundred years ago
when he released his grip on our country.”
In the course of time they found themselves aboard the vessel that
along toward midnight was to start from Dover for France. Once
they left port, the utmost vigilance was exercised. Lights were
extinguished, and in the gloom of the night they proceeded.
It was another thrilling experience not soon to be forgotten. Every
little sound, every little wave slapping against the side of the boat,
seemed to the excited passengers to mean sudden peril. There was no
thought of sleep on the part of any one; even the numerous Red Cross
nurses and attendants and the ambulance drivers, going to the front for
service, remained on deck every minute of the time.
Each passenger had a life belt fastened on, to be ready if the hidden
danger presented itself. But again fortune was kind; and if there were
any cruising German submarines in the Channel that night they failed to
run upon the regular boat from Dover to Calais.
Once safe in the Calais harbor the passengers had a chance for a few
hours sleep. With the coming of morning they landed, passing through
all the customary formalities that more than ever are exercised in war
times, to make sure that enemy spies do not get a footing on the soil
of France.
Jack was highly pleased when finally the air service boys found
themselves speeding toward the south of France, where the aviation camp
at Pau was located, not far from the snow-capped Pyrenees Mountains
that constitute the boundary line between the republic and Spain.
“Before another night we’ll be there!” was his exultant exclamation;
and Tom shared his enthusiasm, for he was as eager as his chum to
complete his schooling in aviation and begin his task of flying for the
beloved French republic.