Part 22 (1/2)

”And now we'd better be getting back,” suggested Jimmy, who was in charge of the prisoner squad. ”The fighting may start again any minute, and we don't want to miss it.”

”I should say not!” cried Bob. ”Now that we can have a show for our white agate there'll be some fun in it. But to have to crouch down in a wood and let some one take pot shots at you from overhead isn't my idea of a war at all.”

They were marching along a camouflaged road when they saw an American and a French machine coming down together on a level spot not far away.

”Wonder if they're in trouble?” asked Roger.

”Doesn't seem so,” answered Bob. ”They seem to have the planes under control. But let's go and see. Maybe we can help. They'll surely need some attention after that fierce fighting.”

The two machines, one a single seater and the other a double, came to earth at the same time, and not far apart. And at the sight of two aviators getting out of the American craft Jimmy gave a yell and exclaimed:

”Well, if it isn't the Twinkle Twins! Good enough! What do you know about that, fellows? The Twinkle Twins were among those who saved our bacon this day!”

And it was, indeed, John and Gerald Twinkleton, otherwise known as Jack and Jerry, or the Twinkle Twins, who had emerged from the aeroplane.

”Well, of all good things! Look, Jerry!” dried Jack. ”It's the five Brothers!”

”Sure enough! Oh, say, what are you fellows doing here?” asked Jerry.

”Same as you were--disposing of some Boches,” answered Jimmy. ”Are you hurt?”

”Not a scratch, though our plane was. .h.i.t a lot,” said Jack. ”But we ran out of gas, and had to come down here. Glad we did, too, or we'd have missed seeing you. Cousin Emile is in the same boat as ourselves.

Here he comes! He'll be glad to see you.”

And from the smaller plane there emerged an aviator whose very stride across the field told what he was--a brave, intrepid man. Such was Emile Voissard, cousin of the Twinkle Twins, and right well had he earned the t.i.tle, ”Flying Terror of France.”

”Ah, my American friends!” exclaimed Voissard, as he came over, acknowledging the greetings he received. ”I am glad to see you again.

It is good--_tres bien_!” and he smiled.

”Well, say, it was good to see you and the other Frenchmen go at those Huns!” exclaimed Bob. ”If we had known the Twinkle Twins were up there among the Americans we'd have been worse scared than we were, when we saw the Germans getting the best of it.”

”Ah, it is nothing. _Voila_! What would you have?” and Voissard shrugged his shoulders. ”They are but beasts and they fight as the beasts--they run, too, as the beasts! _n'est ce pas_?”

”Well, two of 'em tried to run, but we landed 'em!” exclaimed Roger, with a laugh. ”We just took 'em to the rear. Their petrol tank was shot full of holes.”

”Was it a machine with a sort of double iron cross on it?” asked Jack.

”That was it,” said Roger.

”That's the one we couldn't seem to get,” went on Jack. ”She was a bit too speedy for us. But it seems we got her after all.”

”Or Jimmy and his bunch did”, commented Jerry.

”Oh, well, it's all the same as long as they were 'got'!” and Jack clapped Jimmy on the back.

”You are keeping up your good work, I see,” commented Voissard.

”France shall soon be free of the mark of the beast!”