Meantime the pursuing planes, both Fokker scouting machines, drew still nearer and began to use their machine guns. The b.a.l.l.s pattered all about; but as yet neither he nor his plane was. .h.i.t. He was zigzagging, mounting, spiraling, but all in a much slower fashion than he had been used to do with this same plane before.
"What"s the use?" he groaned. "I can"t get back at them, even if I am running away. It"s got to come. What"s the odds? I"ll turn and give them one good try for their game, anyhow."
He was already turning in his lame evolutions when something like a big shadow darkened the air for an instant overhead. It pa.s.sed. Then back came the shadow again, and a voice was megaphoning, not from below or in the rear but from right overhead. It said:
"Hey, you, Orry! You"re crippled! I can see that. But why don"t you come up higher? Get a move on!"
Erwin knew that voice. It was like a trumpet call to the lad.
Fiercely be seized his own megaphone and shouted back, while with one hand and his feet he kept his own flier still going.
"Yes? I"m crippled but all right. I can"t rise except slowly. Better go while the going"s good! Too many Archies below!"
While Orris was shouting, another shadow pa.s.sed overhead. It was Buck Bangs in his Nieuport. For hours they had been scouring the eastern air-zone in a vain search for Erwin, when the sudden roaring of the Archies turned them in this direction. While Orris was turning, trying also to rise, he saw as he faced to the rear that two planes instead of one were now charging the enemy. These had for a minute or more been directing their machine gun fire upon the new arrivals. Erwin had heard the noise of them, and wondered why he was not hit again. This was the reason.
"Great boys, they are," he said to himself.
"But I hope looking for me has not led them where we all don"t want to go," meaning the prison camps of the Huns, from which had oozed stories of starvation and cruelty that were more than bad enough.
"Considering how I"m fixed, I"ll lay low down here and watch my chance to help. That other chap must be Bangs. Well, those two have got nerve anyhow!"
CHAPTER XIII
AT THE RUINED CHATEAU
Having found the man they were searching for and in so perilous a situation, neither Blaine nor Bangs wasted time. If Erwin was crippled, so much the greater reason for them to relieve him. Only by direct attack could this be accomplished, if at all. Though the Archies were now roaring more than ever, Blaine and his observer, both machine guns pointed f or instant action, started straight at the pursuing planes. Buck was with him at a convenient distance.
Instantly the rattle of their guns pattered out in the air as a fusillade of bullets was showered at the foe.
The determined maneuvers of the new arrivals evidently daunted the Huns. One of them immediately turned tail. The other tried to do so but was intercepted by Blaine who, making an absolutely nervy side-loop, came up under the Fokker and began again discharging a deadly rain of bullets.
But one source of refuge was left the German. Up, up he climbed.
Being cut off from retreat towards his own lines, he struck straight across towards No-Man"s-Land with the big biplane full pursuit and still firing.
Meantime Bangs took after the other, bringing it down under a detached fire from the Archies who were naturally more cautious now in firing, owing to the fear of hitting one of their own planes. Still they found chances to pepper the little Nieuport in which Bangs was darting to and fro like a hawk after a chicken. But before the Fokker was sent down, Buck knew that his own wings were seriously perforated. As yet his fuselage and tank, his engine and machinery were unhurt.
Without waiting to note the fate of his opponent, Bangs turned nimbly and struck out westward, following the crippled scout wherein was the man they had set out to find and rescue.
"I"ll stick by Orry," was Buck"s conclusion. "I guess Blaine and Stanley can take care of that other chap. I wonder where the rest of the Huns are. We are in the rear lines and there should be more Fokkers or Taubes around."
This query was soon answered. Ranging alongside Erwin, but not too near, Buck megaphoned as follows:
"How you getting on anyhow? Had a h.e.l.l of a time findin" you. Didn"t find you any too soon, eh?"
Erwin"s replies were unimportant except that he was so crippled that he must get back to the base, or at least alight somewhere soon or he, would not be able to fly at all.
"Bent piston rods," he also phoned. "And I"m afraid my main propeller shaft has gone wrong somehow."
"All right," returned Bangs. "I"ll stick with you. Hullo! What"s the matter with Blaine and his man?"
At this juncture the big biplane that had been pursuing the Fokker suddenly ducked, dove far beneath his adversary and came up on the opposing side, at the same time peppering the Hun with machine gun explosive bullets.
The Fokker almost stopped and appeared to tremble. Both Bangs and Erwin saw that some serious internal injury had occurred. The German was furiously at work within his manhole, leaving the plane much to its own devices.
So patent was this that Buck, who was nearest, shot upward and let drive at the Hun from below. But instead of giving heed to this new attack, the Hun now recovered, shot off to the right and began climbing rapidly. Bangs, in accord with his resolve to stick to Erwin, did not follow, but Blaine did, at the same time megaphoning to both Buck and Orris as follows:
"I"ve been up higher than you fellows. There"s a number of planes off in the sou"west. Gettin" so dark could hardly tell "em apart. Better stick together and watch out!"
Though the Archies were now quite out of range, night was so near at hand that this seemed good policy. Blaine now added:
"I"m goin" to give that Fokker another round. Be back with you in a minute." Then on he went after the German.
What ensued was rather puzzling to both Bangs and Erwin. Blaine was now evidently faster than the German, whose machine had apparently sustained some internal injury. They saw the biplane close in on the Hun amid a rapid fire of bullets from each at the other.
All at once the Hun began sidling irregularly towards the earth. By this time both the others, having risen somewhat, caught glimpses through their field gla.s.ses of a number of nearing planes winging from the west. Below, as far as could be seen, stretched No-Man"s-Land.
Behind was a growing blackness that denoted approaching night. To both Bangs" and Erwin"s astonishment, the biplane, instead of returning, was pointing downward after the crippled Fokker.
Then from the north whirled a sea-fog that presently enveloped all, obliterating what remained of light, hiding even Blaine and the adversary he had pursued. It was strange, mysterious.
Erwin, who was lower than the others, here saw the crumbling walls and towers of what had once been an old baronial chateau. Near this the biplane had landed. No sign just then of the Fokker, though that must have descended also, for the machine or the man in it was undoubtedly injured. Erwin grabbed his megaphone, shouting up at Buck hovering near, "I"m going down. Blaine"s already landed. Come on!"
But for some reason Bangs declined. Being higher up, he had detected signs of those other planes invisible to those below.
"Go on down," he shouted. "I want to do a little scouting." And off he flew, determined all at once to find out who and what might be approaching. But his purpose was defeated by the onrush of the fog, that thickened still more, while those landed below were equally invisible to Buck.
However having a general idea as to the direction best for him to take, he turned that way after recklessly feeling out in vain for further sight of the approaching squadron. Here we will leave him for the present.
When Erwin at last brought his plane down beside the half ruined chateau, he found both Stanley and Blaine stooping over a prostrate form soon identified as that of the German aviator. Near by was the Fokker, somewhat disabled, but not in such bad condition. The man himself had just expired.
"What do you think that chap asked us to do," said Blaine, regarding the dead man solemnly. "It sort of mellowed me towards him, after His father and mother live in Chicago, worked for some meat packers, and his dad is making some money there. When he found that the bullets that had hit him as well as his machine weren"t goin" to let him live much longer, he asked if either of us got back to our lines, to write tell his mother. He gave me the name and I put it down in my pocket pad book. He talked in good English and altogether seemed quite like some of our home folks. He got into aviation over here and liked it.
But he"s out of all that now and to make him feel better both Stan and I promised to do as he wished.
"He said his machine was all right; and if anything was the matter with ours we might fix up his and make a get-away. Course there ain"t nothin" much the matter with mine, though yours may be crippled -- hullo! What"s that?"
The loud report of an exploding bomb sounded as it fell not far away.
Instantly they scattered for such shelter as was obtainable. Other bombs fell and for a few minutes the scene was indescribable. They saw from the shelter both their own machines shattered too badly for further immediate use, though the Fokker remained untouched, it being some distance off and partially under the protecting shadow of a half ruined arch of the chateau that overhung the main approach.
Also they heard the whirring swish of the pa.s.sing squadron as it circled over the buildings. It afterwards appeared that the chateau owner was for some reason specially obnoxious to the Germans in Belgium. At last the bombing apparently ceased, but even this was deceptive. Both Blaine and Erwin, followed at a little distance by Stanley, ran out to look into the damage done to their machines. In the darkness this was slow work. A fire was lighted, and while still examining the wrecks another whirring overhead sounded.
Stanley discreetly dodged under another projecting abutment, when down dropped another bomb, probably thrown at a venture from some scattering member of the squad that had just pa.s.sed. From his shelter Stanley was horrified to see both Blaine and Erwin, who were near the fire, thrown violently down as the bomb burst appallingly near where they were crouched. They; did not rise again.
Without waiting to see if other bombs might fall, the observer ran forward in great perturbation. Both aviators lay apparently senseless.
From Blaine"s head blood was flowing from a flesh wound somewhere up under his thick mop of short curly hair. His pulse, however, was beating lively.
As for Erwin, no visible wounds were apparent, yet he lay there deathly pale while some of his clothing had been torn by fragments of the exploding bomb.
Of Buck Bangs there was no sign.