of having been struck in the
head by a passing bullet. Dashing his sleeve across his eyes he shut his
jaws still tighter together, and continued to play his gun as the
opportunity arose.

They were coming to closer quarters, and the issue of the battle, however
dreadful the result, could not be much longer delayed, Jack knew.

Then it happened, coming like a flash of lightning from the storm cloud!

CHAPTER VIII

BOMBING THE BRIDGE

"Tom, we've done it!" Jack shrieked, when he saw the enemy Gotha plane
take a sudden significant dip and flutter downward like a stricken bird.

Evidently a shot more fortunate than any that had preceded it had
struck a vital part of the rival craft, putting the motor suddenly out
of repair.

When he felt his plane begin to crumple up under him the Hun pilot had
commenced to strive frantically to recover control. Jack, horror-stricken
by what was happening, leaned over and watched his struggle, which he
knew was well nigh hopeless from the beginning.

Still the German ace made a valiant effort to avoid his fate. He could be
seen working madly to keep from overturning, but apparently his hour had
struck, for the last Jack saw of the beaten Gotha it was turning
topsy-turvy, falling like a shooting star attracted to the earth by the
law of gravitation.

That affair being over, Jack, breathing hard, now allowed himself to pay
some attention to what was going on in other quarters. At the same time
he proceeded to introduce a fresh belt of cartridges into the hungry maw
of the machine gun, in case they were forced into another engagement.

Above them the battle still raged, though of course Jack could not decide
which side might be getting the better of it. His interest focused
chiefly on the bombing machines, which he found were now far away, moving
along in erratic courses as their pilots strove to get in exact position
for a successful blowing up of the bridge.

Jack could count only three of them. Unless the fourth had wandered far
afield it looked as though disaster had overtaken its crew. No matter,
even such a catastrophe must not deter those remaining from seeking by
every means in their power to reach their objective.

Even as he stared downward Jack saw another of those brilliant flashes
that proclaimed the bursting of a bomb. He felt a sense of chagrin steal
over him, because so far no explosive seemed to have succeeded in
attaining the great end sought. The bridge