Part 34 (1/2)

”I'd rather not shoot too close to them,” Ned answered, manipulating the levers and valves in an effort to obtain more speed. ”Perhaps we can run away from both. In that case we won't have to shoot any one.”

”I think I'll take a crack at their propeller,” announced Dave. ”Maybe I can send a bullet through that, and if I can it will stop them.”

As he spoke Dave took a quick sight, resting the rifle across the rim of the fuselage. A sharp detonation echoed above the hum of the motors. Dave peered eagerly toward the plane at which he had aimed.

”I got 'em, I got 'em!” he announced, slapping his thigh in glee.

”Who did you get?” asked Ned, without turning his head.

”I am sure I winged their propeller!” declared Dave, gleefully. ”I aimed right at the circle in which the blades travel, and I'm sure I saw splinters from the wooden blades. They're slowing up, too!”

”Sure enough!” cried Harry, peering through the gla.s.ses. ”You're some shot, Dave. I'll place all my bets on you hereafter!”

”But the other fellow is hot after us!” was Jack's announcement.

”Where are they? And what are they doing?” asked Ned.

”They're coming up fast from the left,” said Jack. ”I think they're trying to get over us so as to drop a bomb or so.”

”I wish we didn't have these two prisoners with us!” Ned said, as he urged the Eagle to her best paces. ”It takes a lot of power to keep up at this alt.i.tude when we're carrying so much weight.”

”We'll make out all right,” responded Jack, encouragingly. ”We can take them along with us and when get across the French lines we'll just dump them down as prisoners of war and let them be exchanged.”

”That would be a pretty good scheme,” commented Harry. ”The only thing I can see to interfere with it is that fellow on our left.”

”He won't be able to do much when Dave gets in his work with the rifle again,” cried Jimmie, admiringly. ”Dave's the boy!”

”That was a lucky shot, though,” protested Dave. ”Don't expect every one to do as much execution as that one did.”

”We'll have to take a chance, that's all!” urged Jimmie. ”We won't let a little thing like that keep us from trying to make a landing.”

”Perhaps not,” went on Harry, ”but at the same time it is a possibility and must be considered. Besides,” he added, ”we're not free from that fellow over here on our left yet. He's rising.”

”Is he going over us?” asked Ned, anxiously. ”I can't get much more speed out of this craft the way we're loaded.”

”Yes,” replied Harry, training his gla.s.ses aloft. ”He is trying to pa.s.s above us. Perhaps he'll drop a bomb on us.”

”That's exactly what he's trying to do!” declared Jack. ”What can we do to prevent him? Dave, how about another shot?”

”I'll try,” answered the boy, ”but I'm not sure. There's considerable vibration here, you know, and I haven't a rest.”

Presently he saw that unless he fired soon the other would be out of reach, and taking a chance discharged the rifle. As he had antic.i.p.ated, the bullet went wild and resulted in no damage. Before he could reload and again take aim the other had pa.s.sed to a point where the upper planes of the Eagle shut off his view.

”Now they'll be able to bombard us to their own pleasure!” declared Jimmie. ”Gee, I wish I could climb up above this top plane and take a little crack at them myself! Can't I get up there?”

”None of that, Jimmie!” ordered Ned. ”We have already all the danger we can handle without trying such a stunt as that!”

”All right, then, but it would be well to alter our course a bit.”