Germans were flying in all directions, plainly
visible in the light of the blazing gasoline, the real success of
Frank's plan hung in the balance. But then what he had calculated
happened. The flame ran through the lines of hose. And a moment later
two great shafts of flame marked the spread of the fire to the helpless
monsters of the air. There was no chance to save them. Indeed, even the
Germans had no other thought than to save their own lives. Their raid,
whatever its ultimate object, was ruined and two vessels of the great
air fleet of the Kaiser were destroyed.

For a moment after the final catastrophe the two scouts stayed, caught
by the wonder and the magnificence of the ruin they had wrought. But
then Frank cried out,

"Come on! We haven't a moment to lose! They'll know that that was no
accident! Some came running this way. They'll find the wires! And then
they'll know. The wires will bring them here. Hurry!"

They began running desperately toward the automobile.

CHAPTER XVII

THE ESCAPE

Their one chance of escape, as they both realized fully, was to get back
to their automobile before the Germans recovered themselves sufficiently
to begin searching for those who had brought such swift and terrible
disaster upon their enterprise. And so they made no effort to move
quietly or secretly now. To do so would have meant delay and delay was
what they could not afford. The distance seemed far greater than when
they had first traversed it. It seemed that they would never pass the
house which the Germans had used as a base. But finally they reached it.
And as they did so a door burst open, and they saw a light within.

A man, with the cap of a German officer, though otherwise he wore
civilian clothes, came rushing out, tugging at his pistol. He had heard
them running. By some bad chance, then, there had been a man--a
German--left in the inn!

"Stop!" he cried, furiously.

But they kept on running. He could not see them, dazzled as he was by
coming from the lighted house into the deep darkness of the road. But he
was in front of them, and they slowed up, instinctively, though they
still ran. And then they came into the light of the door. He started
back.

"Kinder!" he cried. "Children!"

It was the exclamation of the Uhlan who had stopped them in the
afternoon. But now it was uttered in a vastly different tone. The German
was beside himself with rage. Perhaps he had had some heavy share of
respons