en Tom announced himself satisfied night had settled on the land.
Dunkirk had for long been annoyed by the fire of a long-range
monster gun, shells dropping into the city at stated intervals for
weeks at a time.

So, too, hostile airplanes had hovered over the Channel port, trying to
make it unpleasant for the British Tommies in camp near by. But since
Marshal Foch opened operations on a large scale, together with the
furious drive of General Pershing's army, this had altogether ceased.

Major Denning had a car at their disposal.

"It will take us to a place where we can leave the road and follow a
path to the beach," he told them. "Beverly has quite a force of men
there looking after things, which fact makes me hope nothing could have
happened to injure or destroy that wonderful bomber. But we've been
pestered to death with Hun bounders playing spy, and I'd put nothing
past them."

They set out, and were soon on the way. Major Denning had a man at the
wheel, evidently his chauffeur, for he was a British private. He knew the
road, and managed to steer clear of the obstructions that continually
cropped up.

"Seems to me those Hun pilots must have dropped most of their bombs out
this way, instead of hitting the town or the camps," Tom suggested, as
they dodged to and fro, and often suffered severe bouncings.

"No man-power to make any road repairs, in the bargain," explained the
officer. "Since the drive has been on we are sending every British
battalion we can muster forward. These things can wait until the German
is licked, which we all believe is coming shortly, with Marshall Haig and
General Pershing and General Petain on the job."

"Wow! what's that mean?" cried Jack, half jumping up as the sound of
several shots not far away came distinctly to their ears.

"Did those shots seem to be over yonder to the right?" asked the major.

"So far as I was able to judge that's where they came from," Tom replied.
"Does the hangar lie in that quarter, sir?"

"Just what it does! There's certainly something strange going on around
there to-night. But we'll quickly learn for ourselves, because the spot
where we leave the road is just ahead of us."

Jack was the first out; indeed the car had not wholly come to a stand
before he made a flying jump. Leaving the chauffeur to watch the car, the
major soon found the trail. He carried a small hand electric torch with
him, a vest-pocket size, but at least with a ray sufficiently