shot, Dave. I'll place all my bets on you hereafter!"

"But the other fellow is hot after us!" was Jack's announcement.

"Where are they? And what are they doing?" asked Ned.

"They're coming up fast from the left," said Jack. "I think they're
trying to get over us so as to drop a bomb or so."

"I wish we didn't have these two prisoners with us!" Ned said, as he
urged the Eagle to her best paces. "It takes a lot of power to keep up
at this altitude when we're carrying so much weight."

"We'll make out all right," responded Jack, encouragingly. "We can
take them along with us and when get across the French lines we'll just
dump them down as prisoners of war and let them be exchanged."

"That would be a pretty good scheme," commented Harry. "The only thing
I can see to interfere with it is that fellow on our left."

"He won't be able to do much when Dave gets in his work with the rifle
again," cried Jimmie, admiringly. "Dave's the boy!"

"That was a lucky shot, though," protested Dave. "Don't expect every
one to do as much execution as that one did."

"We'll have to take a chance, that's all!" urged Jimmie. "We won't let
a little thing like that keep us from trying to make a landing."

"Perhaps not," went on Harry, "but at the same time it is a possibility
and must be considered. Besides," he added, "we're not free from that
fellow over here on our left yet. He's rising."

"Is he going over us?" asked Ned, anxiously. "I can't get much more
speed out of this craft the way we're loaded."

"Yes," replied Harry, training his glasses aloft. "He is trying to
pass above us. Perhaps he'll drop a bomb on us."

"That's exactly what he's trying to do!" declared Jack. "What can we
do to prevent him? Dave, how about another shot?"

"I'll try," answered the boy, "but I'm not sure. There's considerable
vibration here, you know, and I haven't a rest."

Presently he saw that unless he fired soon the other would be out of
reach, and taking a chance discharged the rifle. As he had
anticipated, the bullet went wild and resulted in no damage. Before he
could reload and again take aim the other had passed to a point where
the upper planes of the Eagle shut off his view.

"Now they'll be able to bombard us to their own pleasure!" declared
Jimmie. "Gee, I wish I could climb up above this top plane and take a
little crack at them myself! Can't I get up there?"

"None of that, Jimmie!" ordered Ned. "We have