ecause of the darkness, shattered every now and
then by pin-points of glittering light, like falling stars in the night
heavens. He--The thought dribbled away as a sense feeling returned to
his "absent" body. He suddenly realized that he was being picked up, or
rolled over on his back. The prickly pain left his face at once. In the
next instant he knew that his eyes were open, because he was conscious
of many shadows. The shadows moved, but no objects were clearly
outlined.

"Dave! Dave, old thing! Can you hear me?"

An arm was about his shoulders, and a hand was brushing his face. The
brushing seemed to remove every trace of the prickly pain. It also
seemed to cause the shadows to stop moving and gradually take on shape
and outline. He know he was looking at treetops outlined against a pale
grey sky that grew darker and darker as he looked at it. A head came
into view. He saw wide, fear-filled eyes and lips that moved but made no
sound, save dry sobs. Suddenly, as though a button had been pressed
inside his head, his sluggish brain started to speed up, and in a flash
complete consciousness returned. Memory too, came flooding back like
waters pouring through a broken dam.

"Freddy!" he heard himself gasp. "You--you okay, Freddy?"

The arm about his shoulders tightened, and Freddy's choking voice
answered, "Thank goodness, Dave! I thought--I could hardly feel your
heart beat. You can thank God for your helmet, and I for mine, too. Our
heads would have been caved in but for them. No, Dave! Don't try to sit
up. You got it worse than I, or maybe my head is harder."

"I'll feel better sitting up, Freddy," Dawson mumbled, and sat up in
spite of Farmer's plea for him to lie still.

For the first couple of seconds, though, it didn't help at all. The
throbbing pain doubled in intensity, and he thought his head was going
to fly off his shoulders. After the first couple of seconds the
throbbing pain died down, and he could feel new strength surging through
his body. It was then that he took a good look at Freddy Farmer, let out
a little startled cry, and impulsively reached out a hand.

"Jeepers, Freddy!" he gasped. "You look like you've been through a meat
grinder, and--Holy smokes! Look at me, will you? I look even worse. My
tunic's in ribbons, and--"

Dawson stopped talking and stared wide-eyed at young Farmer. The
English-born air ace returned his look and nodded slowly as he wet his
lips with his tongue.

"Quite, D