was the lieutenant, playing a
Browning machine gun on the line of attackers. When there were no more
of them on their feet, he turned his gun on the trucks. Panic seized the
Russians and they made a rush for their truck. Their leader leaped among
them, yelling furiously. They paused and turned to the projector tube.
Slowly they swung it around. The lieutenant's gun ceased firing.

As the Russians rushed the now silent gun, Dr. Bird stepped to the gun
on the knoll. He trained it and pressed the trigger. A rattle of fire
came from it and two of the rushing figures fell. The attack paused for
an instant. McCready had risen to his feet and was running up the ravine
with his gun under his arm.

"Good head!" cried Dr. Bird, "Clever work! Watch the fun now."

He ceased firing his gun. The Russians wavered and then rushed the point
from which McCready had fired. The lieutenant allowed them to get to
within a short distance and then crumpled the attack with another burst
of fire from the flank. With cries of alarm, the Russians turned and
fled toward their trucks. McCready ran along the ravine until he was
within fifty yards of the standing machines. As the Russians approached,
one of them stepped to the truck crank. McCready's pistol spoke and he
dropped. A second shared his fate. With cries of despair, the Russians
climbed into the remaining truck whose motor was running. Rapidly it
drove away across the plain. McCready rose from the ravine and ran
toward the standing truck. He started the motor and headed for the
knoll.

"He's got a truck," cried Carnes. "We can get away in it."

"Where to?" demanded Dr. Bird. "Archangel is between us and the
_Denver_."

The truck came up.

"Come on, Doctor," cried McCready. "Hurry up. We'll take the battery out
of this truck and get our plane going."

"Oh, clever!" cried Dr. Bird admiringly. "Load that gun while I get
Feodrovna, Carnesy. We'll get away safely yet."

* * * * *

The truck rolled up to the plane and stopped. While Carnes transferred
the prisoner and the guns to the plane, the lieutenant and Dr. Bird
ripped up the floor boards of the truck and exposed the battery. It was
a matter of moments to detach it and carry it to the plane. It would not
fit in place but they anchored it in place with wire.

"You'd better hurry," cried Carnes. "Here come a couple more trucks over
the plain."

"That'll do, Doctor," said McCready. "Get on the prop