CHAPTER X

THE DRAGONS OF THE AIR

About mid-morning the rain ceased, the fog rose, and was soon scattered
by a powerful sun. The beautiful country, fresh and green, reappeared.
It was the fair land of France again and John rejoiced. His uniform
dried fast upon him, and his spirits rose steadily. He saw the ruddy
glow return to the cheeks of his comrades, and the horses seemed to grow
stronger. The sky, washed by the rain, was a solid blue, and the air was
crisp with the wine of life.

"It's good to breathe and live!" exclaimed Wharton joyously.

"You Yankees talk too much," said Carstairs.

"And you English talk at the wrong time."

"Generally we let our deeds talk for us."

"Then you don't say much."

John laughed. The pleasant way in which they quarreled always amused
him.

"I promised not to take the side of either of you at any time," he said.
"You seem to be about evenly matched, and of course it wouldn't be fair
for me in such a case to help my countryman."

"Two to one against us are about the odds we English like," said
Carstairs.

"Boaster," said Wharton. "Position and army equal we could always whip
you, man for man."

"Boaster yourself. Whenever we didn't whip you you'd always say that the
position and arms were not equal."

"Stop long enough to look at those birds in the heavens," said John.

"Yes I see them," said Carstairs. "There are four but they're flying
very high."

"No, they're five," said Wharton. "There's one on the left detached from
the others."

"You're both wrong," said John, smiling from the depths of his superior
knowledge. "They're not birds at all."

"Then what under the sun can they be?"

"Aeroplanes. Flying machines."

"Well you ought to know your kind of carriage. You've been up in one of
them. Whose are they, I wonder?"

"I can't tell, they're so high, but I'd judge from the shape that
they're the German Taubes."

Carstairs and Wharton looked grave.

"They're far over French territory," said Carstairs.

"So they are," said John, "but you're likely to see them much farther."

"I should think that if they went on they'd meet the French flyers,"
said Wharton, "and then there'd be some lively scenes up in the shining
blue."

"They're ready to take the risks," said John. "I believe the Germans are
willing to dare anything in this war. They think the world is against
them and has resolved to crush them because the other nations are
jealous. Their m