bout his motor
bein' cranky. And it's all jake. She takes gas like a race horse takes
rein."

"Yeah," growled a mechanic by the name of Flynn, who by nature and
nationality stood ready to defend anyone bearing the name of McGee, "a
lot you know about those little teapots in them Camels. You was trained
on Jennies and--and Fords! What you know about a Clerget engine could be
written on the back of a postage stamp. Say, do you know why he took her
off so gentle? Well, I'll spread light in dark places, brother. He took
off slow because he _knew_ you didn't know nothin', see?"

"Say, listen--"

The quarrel went on, despite the fact that the two pilots constituting
the meatless bone of contention were rapidly becoming specks in the sky
to the northwest.

At five thousand feet McGee leveled off and swung slightly west. He
looked back and up. Larkin was five hundred feet above him and somewhat
behind, but at McGee's signal he dived down, taking up a position on the
left. In this manner they could point out objects below and engage in
the sign language which they had perfected through many hours spent in
the air together.

As they flew along McGee felt his spirits mounting. It was a good world
to live in and life was made especially sweet and interesting by the
soft unfolding greens of a land brought to bud and blossom by April's
sun and showers. In the beautiful panorama below there was nothing to
indicate that a few miles to the eastward mighty armies were striving
over a tortured strip of blasted land that for years to come would lie
fruitless and barren. Here all was peace, with never a hint--yes, far
below on the white ribbon of roadway a long, dark python was slowly
dragging itself forward. It was a familiar sight to Larkin and
McGee--troops moving up to the theatre of war. And over on another road
a long procession of humpbacked brown toads were plodding eastward.
Motor lorries, carrying munitions and supplies. Strange monsters, these,
to be coming from the green fields and woods of a seeming peaceful
countryside. Forward, ever forward they made their way. Never, it seemed
to McGee, had he seen roads choked with returning men and munitions. Was
the maw of the monster there to the eastward bottomless and insatiable?
Where were the roads that led men back to the land of living, green
things?

As they passed over a town, McGee saw Larkin point down. On the
outskirts of the village a great cross in a circlet of green