But suddenly the glowing light enveloped them in its full blaze.Dazzlingly it showed them in its rays. It was the most peculiarsensation Jack had ever experienced. It was like being stood up againsta wall with a fiery sabre pressed to your breast.
With a quick movement of the wheel, de Garros sent the aeroplane out ofrange of the revealing light. The next moment came a sharp crackle andsomething screamed through the air.
"Missed!" exclaimed the aviator with satisfaction.
Again the questioning finger pointed its interrogating tip hither andyon across the night sky. Others from below now joined it in its quest.
The firing from above, and the sight of the searchlight had been rightlyguessed by the Germans encamped below. They knew that a hostile aircraftwas above them and were helping in the search for it.
A sharp exclamation broke from the Frenchman. He bent and fumbled withsome contrivance on the floor of the aeroplane.
There was a sharp click.
"What have you done?" asked Jack.
"I have released zee bomb."
"The dickens!"
"Watch! Now you see!"
Fascinated, even in the midst of the awful danger they were facing highabove the earth in the upper air, Jack leaned over and stared at abattery of searchlights sending out fan-shaped rays on every side.
He guessed this was the objective of de Garros' bombs. He was right.
As he gazed there was what looked like the sudden opening of a flamingfire below, and the searchlights went out as if a giant had snuffed amonstrous candle.
Then came the report, booming upward through the air.
"Aha! Zere are some Germans below zere who will not do zee mischiefmore!" exclaimed the Frenchman with vicious satisfaction.
But his congratulations to himself were premature.
Again the light of the Zeppelin enveloped them. The glare seemed like awarm bath of all-revealing light. There was a flash and then the shriekof a projectile as the aeroplane dipped under the glow of the light.Then came the boom of the report.
"Zey ought to learn to shoot," muttered de Garros.
"Thank heaven they can do no better than they are," rejoined Jack.
"Now we show zem zee clean pair of heels and run away," said de Garros.
"I'm glad to hear that. I couldn't stand much more of this," thoughtJack.
"If I was alone, or had an officer wiz me, we go above zat Zeppelin highin zee air and blow him up," announced de Garros cheerfully, after aminute or two. "Ah! zey get us again. _Peste!_"
The whine of a machine gun sounded as the searchlight of the pursuingZeppelin again enveloped the bold little aeroplane. Her great bulk, bigas a steamship, was rushed at top speed through the air. They couldcatch the roar of her four motors being driven at top speed.
De Garros had dropped again, and thanks to his skill, the aeroplane wasstill unhit, although the projectiles from the quick firer had comeclose enough for the occupants of the monoplane to hear their whine.
"We beat zem out!" exclaimed the Frenchman.
"Then we are faster than they are."
"Oh, very much."
"Well, we can't be too fast for me," muttered Jack. "I----"
"_Sacre!_"
The searchlight had again caught them, and again there had come reportsfrom her underbody. This time the sharp crackle of rifles.
"Are you hurt?" cried Jack, as the Frenchman gave a sharp exclamationrecorded above.
"Malediction, yes. Zey nick my hand. Eet is not bad. But worse zey hitzee motor I think."
The smooth-running machine was no longer firing regularly. Its speed haddecreased.
"What are you going to do now?" cried Jack. "We'll be mowed down bythose machine guns if we slow up."
"We must come down."
"But the Germans?"
"There are no campfires below us now."
"But can you make a good landing?"
The Frenchman shrugged his shoulders.
"_Parbleu!_ If I cannot zen all our troubles are over, _mon ami_."
The aeroplane began to descend, slowly at first and then faster. Thedark earth sky-rocketed up at them from below.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
A MYSTERIOUS CAPTURE
But the disaster de Garros had feared more than admitted did not happen.Between two patches of wood lay an open field, readily distinguishedeven in the dark by its lighter color. In the stubble of a mown crop theaeroplane alighted, not without a considerable jolt to its occupants.
Their main anxiety now was the great Zeppelin they could hear, but notsee, above them. Jack trusted they were equally invisible and that thesearchlight would not reveal them, for high explosive bombs in a deadlyrain from above would certainly follow.
De Garros, while wringing his wounded hand with pain, was helped out ofthe machine by Jack.
"Malediction, and I not get zee chance to fire on zat _chien_ of aZeppelin," lamented the Frenchman. "Some day I pay zem back."
"Is your hand badly hurt?" asked Jack anxiously.
"I do not know and we dare not yet use zee electric torch I 'ave on zeemachine."
"Why not?"
"It would show zee Zeppelin where we 'ide."
"Then you don't think they guess that we have descended?"
"No, if they had zey would search zee ground wiz zeir light."
"That's so."
"But now they are point eet 'ere, zere, all over zee sky. If zey no findus zey think zat we are keel and zey go away."
Jack shuddered at the narrow escape they had from this being madeliterally true.
For a long time, or so it seemed to the anxious watchers below, theZeppelin soared above them, her searchlight swinging in every direction.But at last the noise of her engines grew dimmer and the light vanished.
"Zey go away disgoost," said de Garros, shrugging his shoulders. "Now wesee what are zee chances of patching up my hand and getting zee enginegoing again."
The electric light, carried to locate engine trouble at night, wasswitched on and brought out by its long wires over the side of thecraft. Then began an anxious examination of the aviator's hand.
It proved that the tip of his thumb, where it had laid on the edge ofthe wheel, had been badly nicked by a bullet, but luckily it was theleft member.
"If zee engine ees capable of being fixed I can drive wiz my righthand," declared the aviator. "Thank the _bon Dieu_ that it was not zeesteering wheel zat was struck."
With the first aid kit, carried by all soldiers in the field, they soondressed and bound the injured member, and then came the examination ofthe engine, an investigation on which much depended. If it proved tohave been too badly damaged to be repaired, they would not stand muchchance for escape in a country so overrun with German troops. For allthey knew some might be camped not far off. But they had to take theirchance of that.
"_Ciel_, we are in zee luck!" exclaimed de Garros, after a briefexamination, "the _chiens_ only smashed a spark plug. I soon fix 'im andzen once more we start."
The repair kit contained the necessary plug, which he quickly replaced.Then the journey through the night, which had already proved soeventful, was renewed. But now Jack felt a fresh alarm. How would theybe able to tell at Louvain that it was a French and not a Germanaeroplane hovering above them.
He put the question to de Garros.
"Zat is easy. I 'ave on zee side of zee machine a set of four electriclights. Two are red, one is green, one is white. Zat is zee secret nightsignal of zee French machines."
"But suppose the Germans should find out your code?" asked Jack.
"Eet is changed every night. Sometimes two green, one white, onered--many combinations are possible."
"By Jove, I never thought of that!" exclaimed Jack, struck by thesimplicity of the idea, and relieved at the thought that there would beno danger of being attacked by mistake.
Half an hour later they landed at a sort of fair ground in Louvain afteranswering
all challenges satisfactorily. The Germans were not yet at thegate of the city. But they were near at hand and the place was wrappedin darkness. However, on account of de Garros' rank, they obtained anescort to the hotel.
Tired from the excitement and nervous strain, Jack went to bed, sighingwith relief at the thought that all was so promising.
In about an hour or so he awakened from a deep sleep. The night wassultry, and there was a strange calmness in the atmosphere seeminglyweighed with grave and impending events.
Jack could not resist an impulse to leave his room and wander out intothe deserted streets of Louvain.
He had not taken a dozen steps when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder.Before he could turn to see his assailant, he was whisked from theground and swept onward to a great height.
Still dead silence reigned.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
THE MIGHT OF MILITARISM.
It was some time later that Jack began to realize that he was a prisonerand borne on a giant aeroplane.
How did he get there?
Try as he would he could not answer that question. He gazed about him.Away in the distance he could distinguish small specks of light, which,were they not moving so rapidly about space, he would have mistaken forstars.
Below searchlights swept the horizon. Here and there were theglimmerings of fast dying out camp-fires. Suddenly a faint streamer ofred light shot high into the air, held steadily for a moment, and thenbroke into a million colored globules.
"A signal," thought Jack. "I wonder if it will be answered."
He then became aware of a movement on the part of the air pilot. Tillthat moment he had not noticed the least sign of life from the wheelman. Now there came a soft _blob_ and a red light shot into the air.
Almost instantly there again was darkness.
"By Jove!" whispered Jack to himself, amazedly. "This certainly ismarvelously fast work!"
There was no repetition of the signals.
For a while Jack was content to gaze about him in idle wonder. He seemedindifferent to his plight. He drank in the scenes about him, gazedinterestedly at other air-craft that passed them, and watched the skybegin to turn a dull slate color. It was the dawn of another day ofcarnage.
Others, too, were on the watch for these faint signs of day. Fromsomewhere came the long, awful boom of a huge cannon.
Jack tried to get up, but fell back to his former position. He only thenrealized that he was chained to his seat. He had a certain amount offreedom, but beyond that he was a prisoner, helpless.
"Well," mused Jack upon this discovery, "even if my hands and feet werefree, I could not escape from this height. We must land some time, andthen I'll have more need to use them."
So Jack settled back to watch developments. Now everything was astir. Afaint murmur was wafted to him on the morning breeze.
He could see the soldiers moving about, the great cannons and howitzersbeginning to lumber onward, the column of Uhlans already in saddle, andthe hundreds of air-craft rising to greet the early sun's rays.
"It's wonderful!" whispered Jack, fascinated. "Yes, wonderful, but howterrible! This whole array is primed to create nothing but havoc,sorrow, destruction, and death! Gee, but I'm glad the good old UnitedStates has no need for such military organization!"
Another sound came to his ears, and cut short his thoughts of America.In an astonishingly brief time, the Army of the Invasion had completedits formations and was on the march, the rank and file, alldeep-throated men, singing _Das Fatherland_.
"Good God!" gasped Jack. "They are going to their death with a song ontheir lips!"
From somewhere in front of these columns came a roar of cannon. The airwas filled with shrill, piercing shrieks as tons upon tons of metal,charged with fearful destructive powers, tried to stem the human flood.
For a few minutes the smoke and steam hid the dreadful spectacle fromJack. He gazed intently below him, anxious to see the victor of thisclash.
Of course, it must not be forgotten that the human waves of men weresupported by great artillery fire on their own side. Unaided entirelythese men would have been annihilated miles before the fortresses.
The ranks were on the double run now. Their bayonets glistened in thedull sunlight. On, on, ever on, they went, keeping perfect stride, neverfaltering.
Jack could not tear his eyes from the sight.
Even while storming the redoubt, the ranks held firm. Another sheet offlame checked them for a moment. They tried to recover, and somehowcouldn't. Again came that destructive, raking fire. The lines faltered.
Jack trembled from excitement. Was this magnificent effort to fail? Hewas not thinking of them as Germans. He was only aware of brave,dauntless men trying to best steel and explosives.
Again came a sheet of flame.
The ranks actually seemed to fall back.
Then once more, from the rear, rose the deep notes of _Das Fatherland_.It stiffened the thinned ranks. They rushed forward, the fierce cry ofvictory mingling with the strains of their national anthem.
"That was great!" cried Jack. "My sympathies are not very strongly withthe Germans, but I'm bound to give credit where credit is due. Well,what now----?"
Jack became aware that the machine on which he was a prisoner was goingto make a landing. Silently, swiftly, the winged mechanism was guidedtoward earth behind the German lines.
Jack smiled with satisfaction.
"I'll have a chance to stretch my legs," he said. "As long as Radwig isdead, I have not so much to fear. I wonder what they want of me?"
CHAPTER XXXVIII
MILITARY CROSS-EXAMINATION
The machine came to a stop. The pilot never moved from his seat.Instead, he motioned to a soldier to come to him. Evidently a few wordswere exchanged.
A sharp command was issued.
Two soldiers came up to Jack. He held up his hands to show that he waschained. One of the soldiers leaned forward, and pressed a button at theside of the car. The chains fell from Jack.
Without comment the two soldiers seized Jack and flanked him. A detailof six additional men fell in step, a petty officer wheeled about,--amovement that acted as a signal for the soldiers to march.
A five-minute walk brought them to a small cottage. Here they halted.Jack was blindfolded. When the bandage was removed, he found himselffacing an elderly man seated at a desk. Jack could not make out hisfeatures, as they were hidden in a gray mask.
"_Sprechen sie Deutsch?_" he was asked.
Jack understood the question, and replied:
"No."
"What is your nationality?" came the question in English.
"American."
"What part of America?"
"New York."
"Your occupation?"
"Wireless operator."
"For your government?"
"No, for the Transatlantic Shipping Combine."
There followed a short pause. Jack was wondering what next to expect.The questions had been brief and propounded in a crisp, commanding way.There was no leeway for equivocation.
"Do you tell the truth?"
"I do," replied Jack quietly.
"Why do you tell the truth?"
"Because I believe in it," said Jack simply.
"Under what circumstances did you first meet Herr Radwig?"
Jack, greatly surprised, hesitated. Would it be wise to tell everything?How under the sun did this man in the gray mask know so much?
"Remember, the truth."
Jack thought quickly. The question implied that this officer had someknowledge of his dealings with Radwig. Possibly, also, the officer wasabout to test the value of his declaration that he told the truth. SoJack figured. But was this not an amazing illustration of the wonderfulefficiency and thoroughness of the German Secret Service.
"Speak!" came the imperative command.
"Very well," replied Jack calmly. "It
was on the _KronprinzessinEmilie_. It seemed that we were about to be dashed to pieces on floatingicebergs. Some shrieked:
"'The _Titanic_!'
"'The boats!' shouted a man. He violently pushed two women aside, wedgedin the panic-stricken throng. I stood at the head of the companion way.The man told me to get out of the way. I tried to calm the people. Butthis man seemed to have lost his reason. He rushed at me, trying tostrike me. I was too quick for him. I struck first. He staggered back,subdued. It was only later that I learned this man's name."
"And then--how and when did you meet Herr Radwig?"
So Jack had to relate incident after incident. Always, at the end of arecital, came the same question, asked in the same matter-of-fact toneof voice:
"And then--when and where did you meet Herr Radwig?"
Everything must have its end. At last Jack had modestly related everyepisode with which the reader has been made acquainted. The even tone ofhis questioner, his piercing eyes, and the unbroken silence wasbeginning to weary Jack. He felt that he could hardly keep his witsabout him.
Evidently the German officer noticed these signs and was patientlywaiting for them. He leaned forward, and the steady monotone now gaveplace to a rasping, menacing gruffness.
"Who are you?" he suddenly snapped.
"An American," came the tired reply.
"An American!" jeered the officer.