"It appeared that the Allies from over our way had gotten to raiding behind the lines, not knowing we were here, of course. Otherwise they would not have begun, for the Baron is highly respected among the Belgians and other Allies Why not? He is one of their King Albert"s main leaders. Well, after that we simply had a terrible time. First one side, then the other would either fight overhead, or pa.s.s to and fro, dropping bombs here and there. Oh, it was terrible!"
"Poor child!" This from Brenda. "She no harm no one; but dem Boche, he no care what he do or where he do it. Ally not know either."
"Well, we have been here ever since. Now you have come, perhaps we may somehow find a way to get out."
Here Stanley suddenly entered, looking strangely resolved. Above, the explosive noises had gradually died out. Looking at Blaine, he said:
"Lafe, I have fixed up that German"s Fokker All it needs is more gasoline and there"s still some in your tank and Orry"s. If you don"t care, I"ll fly that Fokker over our lines before morning and manage to bring some help. Neither of you are strong enough to go and I understand Fokkers pretty well. What say?"
"That won"t do at all," exclaimed Erwin, making another violent effort not only to stand but to walk. All at once he tottered and would have fallen, but Brenda caught him, placing him back on the cot.
"That"ll do for you, Orris," began Blaine. "Shucks! I feel quite pert. Just you watch me!"
But it turned out that Blaine was, if anything, weaker than his friend, and silence gave consent to his first proposal. Even Miss Daskam a.s.sented, adding: "I hope when you do return with help, sir, that it will be sufficient to enable Brenda and me to accompany you."
For the first time Stanley seemed to catch the wistfulness in her eyes and tone. He impulsively took her hand, saying:
"Believe me, Miss Aida -- Daskam, I mean," (She had already whispered to him her full name), "if any of us gets back out of this mess, you may be sure you will be among them --"
"And Brenda, too?"
"Brenda, too! If I know anything of our folks back at the aerodrome, we will have plenty of help."
In another minute he was gone. Brenda went with him to help about the gasoline, and in an short time, under her pilotage, he reached an open spot where he could rise.
They heard the whirring of his wings; he was gone.
CHAPTER XIV
TWO PERILOUS NIGHT TRIPS
It may be said that, once up in the air, Stanley lost no time in heading into the west-southwest. He knew the way, and though it was yet hardly midnight, he divined the safest way for him to make the familiar aerodrome was to get there as soon as possible, regardless of consequences. The night, though foggy, was sufficiently starlight to aid in his sense of direction. It was hardly likely that there would be further bombing raids that night, but one was never certain what the Boches might attempt. Witness their recent raid upon the old chateau, although they might know that planes had recently landed there.
After the North Sea Wind fog, a general calm had settled down upon that death-scarred region. Over the front and about No-Man"s-Land an occasional flare or star-sh.e.l.l would go up. One of these came unusually close to the swiftly moving Fokker. Immediately after that came bombing from Archies stationed along the enemy front. Among these some, either accidentally or by design, sent bursting shrapnel all around him. He heard the wings being struck repeatedly but, knowing his great speed, he hoped to be out of range almost at once.
With the sound of big guns the whole front was lighted up here and there with flares and starsh.e.l.ls, many being sent up from sh.e.l.l holes concealed from all but their own side.
More than that; for Stanley, leaning far over to scan the earth below, suddenly saw men rushing some kind of a gun up a steep incline. Where was that? It could not be the Appincourte Bluff, for that was now in our hands. But he recalled another elevation near the small stream behind.
"Can it be the Boches have tunneled to that former another advancing post?"
Further thought was interrupted by a brilliant flash and a dull report just underneath. At the same time he felt sharp stings pierce his arms now stretched outside the fuselage as he leaned over. Something like a needle seemed to pierce his brain. In the same instant he was aware that in his eagerness to reach the base quickly, he had permitted his plane to approach the earth a great deal nearer than before.
He was tilting his rudder upward, while feeling at once that he was about all in. But feverishly he gripped wheel and controls, more with feet than hands, for he was growing more helpless each pa.s.sing second.
The flashings below had shattered into many small scintillations as they shot upward, while something sharp and metallic was rattling among his planes.
But he was mounting, he knew that. Dizzily, he managed mechanically to turn the plane towards where he knew the broad aerodrome was situated.
"Hope they haven"t hit my tank," he maundered. "I -- I"ll get there --" But that was all he did say, for unconsciousness was coming fast.
At the same time he sensed somehow that the Fokker -- already well peppered by his own crowd on that same day -- was listing, sagging, so that at last he could hardly keep his seat.
"I -- I"m goin" -- goin"," he kept reiterating in his mind. "Goin" - go"n -- go --" He lapsed into complete unconsciousness, with his last sentient movement pressing the wheel and controls downward and towards the left, where he finally half fell, as we have seen before.
Byers and the orderly bore him quickly to the near-by dormitory, where many of the fliers were temporarily lodged. Senator Walsen and the girls followed, while some of the mechanics attended to the crippled Fokker.
In almost no time the surgeon on duty was there with two of the Red Cross nurses. Though unconscious, Stanley was restless, uneasy, evidently worrying. He muttered unintelligibly, tried to break forth more loudly, but for the present was unable to make any meaning clear to the others.
"What gets me," remarked Byers while watching the deft manipulations of the surgeon and the nurses, "is how he came here alone and in such a rig. Why, that Fokker must have been taken from Fritzy! Why didn"t he return in one of our own machines? Where are the others? I tell you, Senator, there is trouble afoot; I feel it in my bones!"
As may be imagined, both Andra and Avella were much concerned, though neither would admit it to the other or, for that matter, to any one else. Only once Andra, clinging to her sister, whispered timidly:
"Sup -- suppose this poor chap never does revive, Vella? How will we ever know?"
"We"ve got to know, Andra. Got to -- that"s all I can say!"
By these two whisperings aside each girl was conscious of betraying to the other some sign of that deep, sudden interest with which at least two of these dashing young aviators had inspired them. And they, the fair daughters of a United States Senator! Verily strange and surprising are the freaks of Cupid. But of this more later. The physician was still busy over the slowly reviving patient, when the watchful orderly hurried in to where the captain was watching and waiting.
"I thought I better go out and take a look, sir. While I was out at the observation there came some signal flares out of the nor"-nor"east.
I wasn"t certain, sir, so I waited. Along came another flash, adding our most private code signal. After that I dared not hesitate, nor had I time to run to you without answering. So I - so I --"
"So you answered, eh? Well, that"s all right. Did you show a flare, also in code?"
"You bet, sir! I think it"s one of our missing men that may have lost his way. Better come out with me. He"ll be landing next."
Without another word Byers accompanied the orderly out to a point near the observation post, and almost instantly they heard the whir of approaching wings, evidently spiraling down from greater heights.
"Give him a light lad." said Byers to the orderly. "He knows where we are, but in this black night he might hit some building or the fence.
Down on the gravel ran the a.s.sistant, followed by Byers, who saw the flare go up. In a minute a tattered triplane emerged into the light and made an easy landing not far from where the unconscious Stanley had previously been carried from his Fokker to the casual dormitory.
Almost before they reached it two of the night watch among the mechanics arrived and lifted out our old friend Buck Bangs from Idaho.
He was unconscious, the cause being a body bullet wound on the right side, the bullet being later found bedded in the back of the seat in his Nieuport.
The machine was riddled even worse than Stanley"s Fokker, but fortunately not in any vital parts, nor had the planes, though perforated like a sieve in many spots, been injured in any way to impair their vitality for the frames and joints were all right.
"Take him up to the Casual Dormitory boys," ordered Byers. "Careful!
We don"t know how badly he is hurt."
Up they bore him, leaving the machine where it stood. Into the dormitory he was carried and laid on a vacant bed near the now recovering Stanley. The latter had shown signs of resuscitation and now, as they bore in poor Buck, his head hanging helplessly, his limbs limp and unstrung, Stanley opened his eyes for the first time. They fell upon Buck, on whom the full light happened to shine brightly.
"Buck -- there"s Buck!" gasped the wounded observer. "Where"d he come from?"
At this instant Vella, happening to glance up, saw Buck"s pallid face as it rested on the arm of one of his supporters who was helping to place him on the ready cot. She gave a convulsive gasp, seized Andra by the arm and pushed forward, hardly sensible of where she was, but only that this youth from the State next to her own was apparently fatally stricken.