a was in, the whole savage war--everything,
faded from his mind.

But to right and left of that cot stretched others--empty. The brave
squadron Lance had led into the blue sky that morning now lay charred
skeletons around the flame-throwers that had struck them down.

And in a dozen other aircraft bases behind the hard pressed lines were
other empty cots. Time and time again the Slav planes shot down two to
the Americans' one; time and time again the treacherous
disintegrating flames--the weapon which baffled America's
scientists--had struck down whole squadrons that had been lured into
traps, even as Lance's had been lured.

And even the Slav forces pushed forward....

PART II

"You're wanted by Colonel Douglas, sir."

Lance felt a hand jarring his shoulder; he turned sleepily over,
yawned, and stared up into the dark, full-cheeked face of Ranth, the
orderly.

"Huh?"

"Colonel Douglas wants you," repeated Ranth. "It's five o'clock, sir."

Wearily Lance pulled on his boots and adjusted the military belt. The
night was hot and sticky; somewhere, miles to the rear of the base,
the batteries of long-distance guns were beginning their nightly
serenade. Lance followed the orderly's broad, chunky back to the
colonel's office.

The colonel gazed up with tired eyes from the welter of maps on his
desk.

"Lance," he said, "I'm changing the routine of the night patrol. A
fresh batch of youngsters came in this afternoon to fill the empty
files; two dozen new planes arrived by transport, too. I'm sending ten
of them over for the night patrol; Stephens will take your place. I've
got another errand for you--and Praed."

Lance was conscious that Ranth was standing quietly behind the
colonel's chair. Douglas ordered him to attend to some errand and the
orderly left.

"I had an interview with Praed," the colonel went on. "I didn't
exactly accuse him of anything definite, but I think I threw a bit of
a scare into him. To-night we'll give him the acid test.

"You and he will fly over to-night to investigate Hill 333. There have
been rumors that the Slavs are massing there, and we want positive
information. There's sure to be a fight. Watch Praed carefully. If he
steers clear of any scrapping, well have enough to court-martial him
on. Understand?"

Lance nodded.

"Right. It's a dangerous errand, Lance, but I'm confident you'll come
through, as always. There's no one else who could handle the job. God,
man, you're g