Part 10 (1/2)

Even this little act convinced the observant lieutenant that his first conception of Hugh's character had been a true one. He realized just why that boy had been chosen to serve as leader of his patrol, and in the absence of both scout master and a.s.sistant, had more than once been given full charge of the entire troop.

It was certainly a most exhilarating sensation to Hugh when he felt the big war aeroplane start away from solid ground and begin to climb upward. Looking down, he could see how fast they were really going.

Why, it seemed as though the earth could no longer be counted his abiding place, but that he must be headed for the planet Mars, or perhaps the moon.

The higher up they went, the more delightful the sensation became. Hugh soon became used to the novel feeling, so that he could enjoy looking down upon the country over which they were pa.s.sing.

It was an experience that far excelled anything he had ever gone through before. He told the pilot that he did not wonder men found it hard to leave such a fascinating if dangerous business, when once they had started to follow it.

”There is an old saying about politicians,” remarked the lieutenant, ”to the effect that few die and none resign. That can never be said about aviators, because, while none of them ever give it up for good, the fatalities have been very numerous. But when that stability device which your friend believes he has invented, but which he may have read about somewhere and unconsciously copied, comes into general use, we hope the deaths will become much less frequent. I am using a stability device right now on this monoplane. It was installed by the firm that patented it. You can see how it acts automatically to steady the machine, no matter how we move about.

And I am almost as safe up in a squally wind as on a calm day.”

He took Hugh much higher than he had the others, as the barograph that was within seeing distance from their seat told the boy, who had learned how to read its figures.

Half an hour later they came back toward the field again, and descended to lower currents. The picture Hugh gazed upon as he looked down would never be forgotten. He could see for miles and miles in every direction; and how different the country looked from anything he had ever imagined!

All at once Hugh made a discovery.

”I am almost certain I saw two men hide themselves in that patch of bushes ahead there,” he hastily told the pilot; ”and it seemed to me that they must be the pair of spies who have been giving you so much trouble. They were creeping toward the camp as if they meant to try and steal in the back way.”

The lieutenant laughed as though pleased.

”Good for you, Hugh,” he remarked. ”Those sharp eyes of yours let nothing escape. Now we'll just circle around a bit and give those precious foreigners the scare of their lives. I happen to have a supply of small experimental bombs along, which are heavy enough to frighten them into believing one of the new explosives may follow, after we have the range. Watch out for some fun, my son!”

CHAPTER XI

GOOD-BY TO THE FOREIGN SPIES

When Hugh saw the air pilot reach back and take a small black object from a box attached to the body of the monoplane close to the gasoline tank, he knew that those skulkers below were in for a lively time of it.

Undoubtedly they had been creeping toward the rear of the camp with the hope either of picking up valuable information, or finding a chance to make way with precious plans connected with this latest war airs.h.i.+p which Uncle Sam was trying out, and which possessed features far in advance of anything known abroad.

At a certain second, when he judged that he could drop the bomb very close to where the couple were secreted, the lieutenant hastened to do this. Almost immediately afterwards he caused the monoplane to make a curve, so that they would be in shape to circle around that particular spot and repeat the bombardment as long as the supply of missiles held out.

Twisting his head so that he could watch the result, Hugh's gaze followed the descending bomb until it struck the ground. Instantly there was a pretty loud racket and the dirt flew, although this missile undoubtedly contained but a small portion of the new and terrible explosive, being intended only for experimental purposes in the way of gauging distances correctly.

The two spies instantly sprang into view and started to dash madly away. They undoubtedly labored under the impression that once the range had been properly found, one of those fearful projectiles would be dropped down on them. No doubt they had before now examined the great hole in the earth showing where aviators had dropped one of the larger bombs, and knew what to expect in case such a missile fell anywhere near them.

”You've given them a bad scare already, sir!” remarked Hugh, greatly enjoying the experience, although it made him think of a fable in one of his earlier books concerning the sport of stoning that was ”fun for the boy but death to the frogs.”

”That is only a beginning,” declared the lieutenant. ”This monoplane is so well constructed that we can hover over them, no matter what they do, just as a hawk shadows a rabbit.”

Indeed, the entire performance did remind Hugh of occasions when he had watched a red-tailed hawk chasing a frightened bunny, now slowing up on quivering pinions, then making numerous pretended lunges in order to frighten the quarry still more, and finally ending the pursuit by a well-directed swoop that gave the bird of prey its fine dinner.

The two men were bewildered as well as alarmed. Another bomb exploded close behind them, and started them off on a new tack.

Run which way they might, it seemed as though that terrible enemy in the air kept hovering above them, sending a little black object shooting earthward every half dozen seconds, to be followed by a sudden crash, many times magnified in their excited imaginations.

Once the taller man started to fire his automatic revolver upwards, as though in sheer desperation he hoped to cause the air pilot to give over the chase. The reports sounded like the detonation of toy fire-crackers to Hugh; and if the bullets came as far as the monoplane, he heard nothing that sounded like their pa.s.sing.