CHAPTER VII
AMONG THE ENEMY
To Frank's ears came a distant whirring. To ears less keen than thelad's the sound, which came from above, might have been some bird ofthe night flapping its wings as it soared overhead. But to Frank andJack both it meant something entirely different. It was the sound forwhich they had been waiting. It was an airship.
Through his night glass Jack scanned the clouds and at last he pickedup the object for which he sought. Almost directly overhead at thatmoment, but flying rapidly westward, was a single aeroplane. So high inthe air was the machine that it looked a mere speck and Jack was unableto determine from that distance whether it was British or German.
"See it, Jack?" asked Frank in a low voice.
"Yes," was the reply. "A single craft, perhaps half a mile up."
"No more in sight, eh?"
"Not yet. This one is heading west."
"Guess we had better get up that way, then," said Frank.
Jack assented.
A moment later the hydroplane was skimming swiftly over the water. Forperhaps three hundred yards Frank kept the craft on the water; thensent it soaring into the air above.
There was not a word between the two boys until the hydroplane was aquarter of a mile in the air. Then Jack said:
"Make your elevation half a mile and then head west, slowly. Thechances are there will be more of them. In the darkness we can let themovertake us and mingle with them in safety."
Frank gave his endorsement to this plan and the machine continued torise. At the proper elevation, Frank turned the hydroplane's headwestward and reduced the speed to less than thirty miles an hour. Soslow was its gait, in fact, that it had the appearance of almoststanding still.
Jack scanned the eastern horizon with his glass.
"See anything?" asked Frank.
"Thought I did," was the reply, "but whatever I saw has disappearednow. Guess I must have been mistaken."
But Jack had not been mistaken.
Far back, even now, a fleet of perhaps a dozen German air planes werespeeding westward. For the most part they were small craft, having acapacity of not more than three men, with the single exception of onemachine, which, larger than the rest, carried four men. The air planeswere strung out for considerable distance, no two being closer than twohundred yards together.
And in this manner they overtook the hydroplane driven by Frank andJack.
Jack, again surveying the horizon with his night glass, gave anexclamation.
"Here they come, Frank," he said. "Let her out a little more."
Frank obeyed without question and the speed of the hydroplane increasedfrom something more than thirty miles an hour to almost sixty. Andstill the Germans gained.
"This will do," said Jack, leaning close to Frank. "They'll overtakeus, but believing we are of their number, there is little likelihoodthat they will investigate us very closely. We can fall in line withouttrouble and accompany them wherever they go."
"Suits me," said Frank. "Just keep me posted on their proximity."
Gradually the Germans reduced the distance and at length the firstplane was only a few yards behind the craft in which Frank and Jackwere risking their lives. The German craft flashed by a moment laterwithout paying any attention to the hydroplane.
"Little more speed, Frank," called Jack.
The hydroplane skimmed through the air faster than before and the nextGerman craft did not overtake it so easily; but at length it passed, asdid a third and a fourth.
"Here's a good place for us to fall in line," Jack instructed.
Again Frank increased the speed of the hydroplane and it moved swiftlyin the wake of the fourth German craft. After that no enemy air planepassed them.
"Any idea where we are?" asked Frank of his chum.
"We're not far off the Belgian coast, but how far west I can't say,"returned Jack. "Don't suppose it makes any particular difference,though."
"I guess not."
Frank became silent and gave his undivided attention to keeping theGerman plane ahead of him in sight.
And in this manner they proceeded for perhaps another half hour.
Then the machine ahead of Frank veered sharply to the south. Frankbrought the head of his own craft in the same direction and the flightcontinued.
"Headed for the Belgian or French coast, apparently," said Jack tohimself. "Wonder what the idea is?"
Now the craft ahead of that in which the two boys rode reduced itsspeed abruptly. Frank cut down the gait of his own craft and theycontinued on their way more slowly.
"Nearing our destination, wherever that is," muttered Jack.
The lad felt of his revolvers to make sure that they were ready in caseof an emergency.
"Land ahead," said Frank, suddenly.
Jack gazed straight before him. There, what appeared to be many milesaway, though in reality it was but a few, was a dark blur below.Occasionally what appeared to be little stars twinkled there. Jack knewthey were the lights of some town.
"Guess that's where we are headed for, all right," he told himself.
Behind the British hydroplane the other German airships came rapidly,keeping some distance apart, however. Jack leaned close to Frank.
"Just do as the ones ahead of you do," he said quietly. "I don't knowwhere we are nor what is likely to happen. Keep your nerve and we'll beall right."
"Don't worry about me," responded Frank. "I'm having the time of mylife."
Jack smiled to himself, for he knew that Frank was telling the truth.There was nothing the lad liked better than to be engaged in adangerous piece of work and more than once his fondness for excitementhad almost ended disastrously.
"Frank's all right if he can just keep his head," muttered Jack. "I'mlikely to have to hold him in check a bit, though."
They had approached the shore close enough now to perceive that thedistant lights betokened a large town.
"Probably Ostend," Jack told himself, "though why they should come thisway is too deep for me."
But Jack was wrong, as he learned a short time later.
The town that they now were approaching was the French port of Calaisand it was still held by the French despite determined efforts of theGermans at one time or another to extend their lines that far. Thecapture of Calais by the Germans would have been a severe blow toEngland, for with the French seaport in their possession, the Germans,with their great guns, would have been able to command the Englishchannel and a considerable portion of the North Sea coast.
When it appeared that the German aircraft would fly directly over thecity, the leading machine suddenly swerved to the east. The othersfollowed suit.
The night was very dark, and in spite of the occasional searchlightthat was flashed into the air by the French in Calais, the Teutonmachines so far had been undiscovered. Now, hanging low over the land,a sudden bombardment broke out from the German air planes.
It was not the sound of bombs that came to the lads' ears; rather thesharp "crack! crack!" of revolver firing. Jack and Frank gazed aboutthem quickly, for they believed, for the moment, that the Germans hadencountered a squadron of French airships.
But there was no other machine in sight save the German craft.
"What in the world is the meaning of this?" Frank asked of Jack.
"Don't know," returned the lad, "but I guess I'd better join in."
He drew his revolver and fired several shots in the air.
"Seems to be expected of us," he said. "We don't want to disappointthem."
The German aircraft now headed straight for the city of Calais. Franksent his machine speeding in the same direction. Then, just as itappeared they would fly directly above the city, the first German craftbegan to descend. The others did likewise and a moment or so later theyall came to earth in the center of what Frank and Jack could see was asmall army camp; and as they alighted from their machines, the lads sawthat it was an Allied camp and not a German.
"Must be Calais," said F
rank to Jack in a whisper. "Have we beenmistaken? Are these French and British machines?"
"Well, it looks like it," returned Jack. "We'll keep quiet and let theother fellows do the talking."
A French officer now approached the pilot of the first aircraft.
"We heard the firing aloft a moment ago," he said. "Did you encounterthe enemy?"
"We were pursued all the way from the German lines," was the reply.
"Anyone hit?"
"I think not, though I believe we accounted for one or two of theenemy."
"Good. Will you fly again tonight?"
"Yes; but not before midnight."
The French officer withdrew.
At this one of the aviators raised a hand and the others gathered abouthim, Frank and Jack with them. All wore khaki clothing and theirfeatures were concealed by heavy goggles.
"Careful," whispered the aviator. "A false move and we are discovered.Spread out now and see what you can learn. Gather here at midnight."
He waved a hand and the Germans, for such Jack and Frank now knew themto be, separated. When the two lads were alone a moment later, Jacksaid:
"Well, this is what I call a piece of nervy business. What shall we do?Inform the French commander immediately?"
"No. I have a better plan that that. They can hardly work any mischieftonight. What information they learn will avail them naught for we canwarn the French commander later. We must find out what they are up to.We'll stick close and follow them back to the German lines, ifnecessary."
"Good, then! Guess we had better do a little skirmishing about. It willkeep suspicion from us should we be watched."
"All right," said Frank. "Come on."