Even the novelty of flying the newest rocket-ship in the service had
worn off. Besides, he had patrolled his route, and he told himself
that the "Infant" needed a rest.

The "Infant," better known on the records of the A. F. F. as Morgan,
David E., Lookout, Station 39-G, was sleeping soundly on the elevating
table where a map of the district was mounted under glass. His
cherubic face was pink and white, more suggestive of the age of three
than of twenty-three. And O'Rourke, glancing at him protectingly, hung
up a paper to keep the sunlight from striking the young man's face.

The Infant had been Danny's special charge from the day he entered the
service, and now, except for the Chief and some other officials, only
Danny knew that the Infant was there to teach and not to learn. For
behind those eyes that might have been taken from one of Rafael's
cherubim lay a brain that Danny had learned to respect.

"Fifteen minutes more. I'm givin' you," he said inaudibly; "then I'll
be on my way, and you'll do your own squintin' and peekin'." But the
Infant's fifteen minutes were cut to that many seconds--

Danny had been looking toward the south before he had turned to gaze
at the Infant: his eyes came back to the same point to take up their
reconnaissance. But now, where clear sky had made a blue back-drop for
rugged peaks, was a line of black. And the line, while Danny watched
in disbelief, moved like a smoky serpent: its head stretched out and
out while from behind it there came the ominous line of black.

* * * * *

All this happened in a matter of seconds, and the moving head ceased
at last to move; the line no longer grew. But, where it had been at
first a thin mark of black, it changed now to billowing gray.

It was fifty miles away at least; but it showed clear and sharp. And
the first gray had hardly bloomed from its black beginning before the
long arm of Danny O'Rourke had swept the sleeping Infant to the floor,
while, with the other hand, he swung an instrument of telescopic
sights upon distant smoke.

He set it in careful focus--took a reading for distance--another for
direction--and while he was doing it he was vaguely conscious of one
single sharp flash in the sky above that far-off cloud. In his
range-finder it showed once, like a glittering star; then it vanished,
but the trained eye of O'Rourke observed its passage like a ray of
light overhead.

The pink-faced youngster on