one, however, and without his official
knowledge or sanction, since it was not strictly a military matter.

And so Tom and Jack were furnished with the best and speediest machine
in their former camp, and one bright day, following a hard air battle
in which the Huns were worsted, they set out to drop the letters and
packages over the prison camp where Harry Leroy was held.

"Well, how do you feel about it?" asked Jack, as he and his chum stepped
into their trim machine.

"Not at all afraid, if that's what you mean."

"No. And you know I didn't. I mean do you think we'll pull it off?"

"I have a sneaking suspicion that we shall."

"And so have I. It's a desperate chance, but it may succeed. Only if it
does, and we get Harry's hopes raised for a rescue, how are we going to
pull that off?"

"That's another story," remarked Tom. "Another story."

They mounted into the clear, bright air, and proceeded toward the German
lines. Would they reach their objective, or would they be shot down, to
be either killed or made prisoners themselves? Those were questions they
could not answer. But they hoped for the best.

CHAPTER XV. BADLY HIT

Before undertaking their kindly though dangerous mission, Tom and Jack
had carefully studied it from all angles. At first Jack had been frankly
skeptical, and he said as much to his chum.

"You'll never get over the place where Harry is held a prisoner,"
declared Jack. "And, if you do, and start to dropping packages, they'll
never land within a mile of the place you intend, and Harry'll have the
joy of seeing some fat German eat his chocolate cake."

"Well, maybe," Tom had agreed, "But I'm going to try."

To this end they had secured the best map possible of the ground in and
around the prison camp. Its location they knew from the dropped glove of
the aviator, which contained a note telling about Leroy.

It was not uncommon for Germany to disclose to her enemies the names
of prisons where certain of the Allies were confined, and this was also
done by England and France. The prison camps were located far enough
behind the defense lines to make it impossible for them to be reached
in the course of ordinary fighting.

Then, too, the airmen of Germany seemed a step above her other fighters
in that they were more chivalrous. So Tom and Jack felt reasonably
certain as to Leroy's whereabouts. Of course it was possible that he had
been moved since the note was written, bu