seen him,
and then Tom opened fire. It was too late for the German to turn to
engage his second antagonist, and Tom saw the look of hopelessness on
his face as the bullets crashed into his machine, sending it down a
wreck.

"So much for poor old Jack!" cried Tom.

They were well over the German lines now, and the fight was going
against the French. That is, they were being outnumbered by the Hun
planes, which were numerous in the air. But the French had accomplished
their desperate mission. One of the German guns was out of commission,
and perhaps others, while the location had been made "considerably
unhealthy," as Boughton expressed it afterward.

It was time for the French to retire, and those of their machines that
were able prepared to do this. But Tom was going to see first what
happened to Jack before he returned to his lines.

"He may be spinning down, intending to get out of a bad scrape that way,
and then straighten for a flight toward home," mused Tom. "Or he may
be--"

But he did not finish the sentence.

There was but one way for Tom to be near Jack when the latter landed--if
such was to be his fate--and to give him help, provided he was alive.
And that was for Tom himself to go down in a spinning nose dive, which
is the speediest method by which a plane can descend. But there is great
danger that the terrific speed may tear the wings from the machine.

"I'm going to risk it, though," decided Tom.

Down and down he spun, and as he looked; he became aware, to his joy,
that Jack had his machine under some control.

"He isn't dead yet, by any means," thought Tom. "But he may be hurt. I
wonder if he can make a good landing? If he does it will be inside the
German lines, though, and then--"

But Tom never faltered. He must rescue his chum, or attempt to, at all
hazards.

Down went both machines, Jack's in the lead, and then, to his joy, Tom
saw his friend bring the machine on a level keel again and prepare to
make a landing. This was in a rather lonely spot, but already, in the
distance, as Tom could note from his elevated position, Germans were
hurrying toward the place, ready to capture the French machine.

"If he's alive I'll save him!" declared Tom. "My machine will carry
double in a pinch, but he'll have to ride on the engine hood."

Tom was going to take a desperate chance, but one that has been
duplicated and equalled more than once in the present war. He was going
to descend as near Jac