ill
you have a look, Lord James?"

Lord James Ivor, taking back his own glasses, studied the two
approaching planes.

"The small one looks like your friend's plane," he said, "and the other,
although much bigger, has only one man in it too. But they fly along
like twins. We'll soon know all about them because they're coming
straight to us. They're descending now into this field."

The _Arrow_ slanted gently to the earth and the larger machine descended
near by. Lannes stepped out of one, and an older man, whom John
recognized as the aviator Caumartin, alighted from the other.

"My friends," said Lannes, cheerily, "here we are again. You see I've
brought with me a friend, Monsieur Caumartin, a brave man, and a great
aviator."

He paused to introduce Caumartin to Wharton and the Englishmen, and then
went on:

"This flying machine in which our friend Caumartin comes is not so swift
and so graceful as the _Arrow_--few aeroplanes are--but it is strong and
it has the capacity. It is what you might call an excursion steamer of
the air. It can take several people and our good Caumartin has come in
it for Lieutenant Wharton and Lieutenant Carstairs. So! he has an order
for them written by the brave Captain Colton of the Strangers. Produce
the order, Monsieur Caumartin."

The aviator took a note from a pocket in his jacket and handed it to
Lord James Ivor, who announced that it was in truth such an order.

"You're to be delivered to the Strangers F.O.B.," said John.

"What's F.O.B.?" exclaimed Carstairs.

"It's a shipping term of my country," replied John. "It means Free on
Board, and you'll arrive among the Strangers without charge."

"But," said Carstairs, looking dubiously at the big, ugly machine,
"automobiles are my specialty!"

"And the wireless is mine!" said Wharton in the same doubting tone.

"Oh, it's easy," said John lightly. "Easiest thing in the world. You
have nothing to do but sit still and look calm and wise. If you're
attacked by a Zeppelin, throw bombs--no doubt Caumartin has them on
board--but if a flock of Taubes assail you use your automatics. I
congratulate you both on making your first flight under such auspices,
with two armies of a million men each, more or less, looking at you, and
with the chance to dodge the shells from four or five thousand cannon."

"Your trouble, Scott, is talking too much," said Wharton, "because you
went up in the air when you had no other way to go, you think you