John
saw the men in it very clearly. He could even discern the German cast of
countenance where all except the one at the wheel that controlled the
two rudders had thrown back their hoods and taken off their glasses.
The three carried rifles which they held ready for use, in case they
detected an enemy.

Whirling around like a vast primeval bird of prey the biplane began to
rise, as if disappointed of a victim, and winding upward was soon above
the trees. Then John heard the rapid crackle of rifles.

"Shooting at our flag again!" he exclaimed.

But the whizz of a bullet that buried itself in the earth near him told
him better.

"It isn't possible that they've seen us!" he exclaimed.

"No," said Weber, "they're merely peppering the woods and vines in the
hope that they'll hit a concealed enemy, if such there should be."

"That being the case," said John, "I'm going to make my body as small as
possible, and push myself into the ground if I can."

He lay very close, but the rifle fire quickly passed to other portions
of the wood, and then died away entirely. John straightened himself out
and saw the biplane becoming smaller, as it flew off in the direction
whence it had come.

"I hope you'll come to no good," he said, shaking his fist at the
disappearing plane. "You've scared me half to death with your shots, and
I hope that both your rudders will get out of gear and stay out of gear!
I hope that the wheel controlling them will be smashed up! I hope that
the top plane will crash into the bottom one! I hope that a French shell
will shoot your tail off! And I hope that you'll tumble to the earth and
lie there, nothing but a heap of rotting wood and rusty old metal!"

"Well done, Mr. Scott!" said Weber. "That was quite a curse, but I think
it will take something more solid to disable the biplane."

"I think so too, but I've relieved my feelings, and after a man has done
so he can work a lot better. What are we to look for now, Weber? We
don't seem to have success in attracting anything but Germans. If Lannes
is coming at all, as you think he will, he'll get a pretty late ticket
of admission to our reserved section of the air."

"You must remember that the sky above us is a pretty large place, and at
any rate we're a drawing power. We're always pulling something out of
the ether."

"And our biggest catch is coming now! Look, Weber, look I If that isn't
one of Herr Zeppelin's railroad trains of the air then I'll e