FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73  
74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   >>  
The carrier held her course well west of the line of destroyers. The cruisers were pouring broadsides across the lashed water, and the destroyers, like bull pups, were pounding away, holding station splendidly, trying to reach the enemy. One got a hit squarely on its foredeck and rolled half around, wallowing in the trough. A sheet of flame spurted from a gun turret and rolled over the deck. For a moment the little ship staggered on, then exploded. "The poor fellers," grated O'Malley. Stan said nothing but he felt cold all over. He looked down at the carrier and saw torpedo bombers sliding off her deck like little swallows. O'Malley's voice chopped off his thoughts. "'Tis a pocket battle wagon we get, no less," he almost crooned. "Thick weather down there," Stan warned. The muck of anti-aircraft fire made the stratum above the sea look as though it was on fire. The smoke was stabbed by blossoming shells hurling ragged pieces of iron in every direction. There was a swarm of Messerschmitts and Stukas and Heinkels all messed up with a crisscross of darting, thrusting Hurricanes, Spitfires and Defiants. The Hampdens were not having any better luck in getting through to their objectives than were the Stukas. "We better set the firecrackers off or we'll miss one foin scrap," O'Malley called. He nosed the Hawk down and sent her into a screaming dive. The little boats that Stan knew were pocket battleships began to grow in size, and the muck swarmed up closer to them with Hades breaking loose around their ears. None of the Messerschmitts tried to stop them. The Jerries thought the odd plane was just another crazy fighter who didn't know where he was going. The cockpit shuddered and the instruments on the board seemed to dance. "Set your wing flaps!" Stan screamed. "Set your flaps!" The Hawk began to steady as O'Malley remembered the flaps and applied them. Holding a plumb line at 350 miles per hour, she dropped upon the battle wagon below. Stan could see the deck of the ship coming up toward them as though a mighty hand were lifting it. The wind screamed above the din of exploding shells. The gunners on board the battleship were taking notice and frantically trying to swing guns to bear upon the plummeting Hawk. Stan caught his breath and held it. This was exhilarating, almost glorious. He didn't think about the danger of meeting a bursting shell, all he thought about was the drop and the mighty surge of
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73  
74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   >>  



Top keywords:

Malley

 

Messerschmitts

 

Stukas

 

destroyers

 

screamed

 

shells

 

thought

 

mighty

 

battle

 

carrier


pocket

 

rolled

 
Jerries
 

closer

 

called

 
screaming
 

firecrackers

 

breaking

 

swarmed

 
battleships

coming

 

lifting

 

dropped

 

exhilarating

 
frantically
 

notice

 

plummeting

 
taking
 

caught

 

exploding


breath

 

gunners

 
battleship
 

instruments

 

shuddered

 

cockpit

 

fighter

 
bursting
 
Holding
 

glorious


applied

 

meeting

 

danger

 

steady

 

remembered

 

direction

 

turret

 
moment
 

staggered

 

spurted