in the
earth. It looked in its destruction a sinister and misshapen monster.
The machine gun, broken beyond repair, lay beside it. They knew that two
other shattered objects were somewhere near in the bushes, but they
would not look for them.

"A great victory for the besieged," said Wharton, "but it leaves us
still besieged."

"However the aspect of the field of battle is changing," said John.

"In what way?"

"The twilight is coming and the sky is our foe's field of battle."

The increase in their own chances became apparent at once. The obscurity
of night would be like a blanket between them and the flying men, and
its promise now was for speedy arrival. The glory of the sun had faded
already in the east, and the sky was becoming gray toward the zenith.

"If that flock expects to achieve anything against us," said John, "they
must set about it pretty soon. In an hour they will have to come close
to the ground to see us, and I fancy we can then leave the grove."

"Yes," said Wharton, "it's up to them now. We can stand here waiting for
them until the darkness comes. Now, they've begun to act!"

A bomb burst, but the obscuring twilight was so deceptive that it fell
entirely outside the wood and exploded harmless in a field.

"Poor work," said Carstairs.

"As I told you it's exceedingly hard to be accurate, dropping bombs from
a height," said John, "and the twilight makes it much more so."

Nevertheless the aeroplanes made a desperate trial, throwing at least a
half dozen more bombs, some of which fell in the wood, but not near the
three defenders, although the last horse fell a victim, being fairly
blown to pieces.

Meanwhile the sun sank behind the earth's rim, and, to the great joy of
the three, clouds again rolled along the horizon, showing that they
would have a dark night, a vital fact to them. In their eagerness to
strike while it was yet time the aeroplanes hovered very low, almost
brushing the tops of the trees, exposing themselves to the fire of the
three who after spending eighteen or twenty cartridges on them moved
quickly to another part of the wood, lest an answering bomb should find
them.

They did not know whether they had slain any one, but two of the planes
flew away in slanting and jerky fashion like birds on crippled wings.
The others remained over the grove, but rose to a much greater height.

"That was the last attack and we repelled it," said Carstairs, feeling
the flush of victory