demands of a man the very best
there is in him, brawn and brain."

The hour was late before the boys knew the evening had passed, and
they were most cordial in their invitation to Will Corwin to come and
pay them another call. Will said he would do so when he could, but
that next visit was to be long deferred.

Less than a fortnight later Will took part in a gallant fight against
three machines that had attacked him far within the German territory.

He accounted for one, crippled another, and outsped the third---but
when he landed his machine in his home airdrome he settled back
quietly in the driving seat as the machine came to rest. When his
mechanics reached him he was unconscious!

Examination showed that Will had been hit by a machine-gun bullet,
that had lodged in his shoulder. In spite of his wound, which was
increasingly painful and made him fight hard to retain consciousness
until he got home with his plane, he made a fine nose-dive that gave
him a clear road to his own lines, and managed to dodge cleverly
once on his way back when the German Archies began to place shells
unpleasantly close.

Will was given much credit for his pluck and tenacity, was recommended
for a special decoration, and was packed off to a hospital to recover
from his wound, which fortunately gave the doctors little worry,
though it put Will on his back for a long time.

CHAPTER IX

IN THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY

Dicky Mann became more interested in the study of maps and their
making than he would have thought it possible. When he came sufficiently
closely in touch with the intricate system by which the air-photograph
and accurate map of every point behind the enemy line is carefully
tabulated and filed away for reference, he developed a keenness for
the work which made him a valuable member of the organization.

The Brighton boys found, as time went on, that they had, quite
frequently, some spare hours in which they could do as they wished.
Soon after their arrival in France they had envied Bob Haines his
knowledge of the French language, which, while rudimentary, was
sufficient to enable him to make himself understood at times when
the boys were quite at sea as to what he was trying to say to the
French people to whom he was talking.

No sooner had the boys noticed that Bob had a decided advantage over
the rest of them on this score, than they set about to catch up with
him. But Bob was equally set on keeping the lead