ahl." He handed it to the youth, who tore open the envelope.

They crowded about him and read it over his shoulder:

"THIS IS THE FIRST WARNING
OF THE AVENGER. SHAKE
IN YEER SHOES. TREMBLE!
Surround ye'sel' with guards and walls
And hide behind the cannon balls,
And dig ye'sel' into the earth.
Ye'll yet regret yeer day of birth.
For Tam the Scoot is on yeer track
And soon yeer dome will start to crack!"

It was signed with a skull and cross-bones.

The young man looked bewildered from one to the other. Every face was
straight.

"What--what is this?" he stammered; "is it not absurd? Is it not
frivolous, Herr Captain?"

He laughed his high, shrill little laugh, but nobody uttered a sound.

"This is serious, of course, von Mahl," said Zeiglemann soberly.
"Although this is your private quarrel, the squadron will do its best to
save you."

"But, but this is stupid foolishness," said von Mahl as he savagely tore
the note into little pieces and flung them down. "I will go after this
fellow and kill him. I will deal with this Herr Tam."

"You will do as you wish, Herr von Mahl, but first you shall pick up
those pieces of paper, for it is my order that the aerodrome shall be
kept clean."

Tam swooped back to his headquarters in time for breakfast and made his
report.

"The next time you do tricks over Roulers they'll be waiting for you,
Tam," said Blackie with a shake of his head. "I shouldn't strain that
warning stunt of yours."

"Sir-r," said Tam, "A've no intention of riskin' government property."

"I'm not thinking of the machine, but of you."

"A' was thinkin' the same way," said Tam coolly. "'Twould be a national
calamity. A' doot but even the _Scotsman_ would be thrown into
mournin'--'Intelligence reaches us,' says our great contempor'y, 'from
the Western Front which will bring sorrow to nearly every Scottish home
reached by our widely sairculated journal, an' even to others. Tam the
Scoot, the intreepid airman, has gone west. The wee hero tackled
single-handed thairty-five enemy 'busses, to wit, Mr. MacBissing's
saircus, an' fell, a victim to his own indomitable fury an' hot temper,
after destroyin' thairty-one of the enemy. Glascae papers (if there are
any) please copy.'"

That Blackie's fears were well founded was proved later in the morning.
Tam found the way to Roulers barred by an Archie barrage which it would
have been folly to challenge. He turn