t was
his horror to see, still high up but dropping like a meteor, a fourth
enemy plane---a big Gotha! It came over him like a flash! The
Boches were at their game. While the three lower planes engaged his
attention, a watcher had sat aloft. The German plan, Parker had told
him, was to swoop down from a great height and catch the unwary
Allied flier unawares.

Stopping his engine, he side-slipped out of the path of the newcomer,
rolled over once or twice to befog the enemy as to his intentions,
and then sailed aside still further on one of his "upside-down stunts,"
which had caught the eye of the flight commander. He thus escaped
the swoop of the diving Gotha, and as the other three Germans turned
to the right to demolish him, he swung half round, righted himself,
and climbed for dear life. In very few minutes he was above them,
leading the chase, all three pressing after him, and spreading out
fan-wise slightly to ensure catching him if he again tried the maneuver
that had extricated him from the former trap.

For a few moments Jimmy felt a mite nervous as to how things were
coming out. Then it dawned on him that he was doing his part well if
he drew the enemy fighters after him and away from Parker. The fourth
of the Boche hunters might be after him still, back there behind him,
or it might be fighting Parker, wherever Parker might be. By a quick
glance back he could see the three pursuers. Their planes, too, were
climbing well. He straightened out to try a burst of level speed.
Examining his map and compass he saw he was not heading for home.
That was bad. He tried veering to the left a bit, but imagined that
the plane behind him on the left drew nearer.

Then Jimmy found himself. What was it Parker had said about the new
hunter-machines being splendid loopers? Why not try a loop? Would
the Boches get wise to the idea quickly? Perhaps not quickly enough.
If he did a big, fast loop, he might come right-side-up on the tail
of one or even two of his would-be destroyers, and if he could only
get that wicked little rapid-firer of his to bear he would lessen the
odds against him, of that he felt sure. In a very few seconds after
the idea had come to him he had decided to put it into practice.

The big wasp turned a beautiful arc, swiftly, neatly, as if it had
known the game and was eager to take part in it. No machine could
have performed a more perfect loop; and, as he had hoped, it brought
him in t