Air Service Boys Flying for Victory; Or, Bombing the Last German Stronghold
of the border, and who knew all about General von Berthold. Yes, and the
Anstey family as well. From him I learned that Gerald Anstey was the
name of Jeanne's and Helena's father. He was English, of course, and
married into that Lorraine family."
"Dead, I suppose?" asked Tom.
"It has been believed so for four years now," replied Jack. "Anstey
tried to leave the country in order to join the British regiment to
which he belonged, but was followed by the Guards, and they say shot
down like a dog. Anyway he's never been heard from in all these years."
"And is the general really the man who took Helene away?" Tom demanded.
"No question about it. This man told me he was connected with the family
Mrs. Anstey sprang from. Better still, Tom, this same Lorrainer was at
the old chateau just a few days ago, sent there on duty because of his
being from the same section of country as von Berthold, he says. And,
Tom, he saw Helene!"
"You're getting closer and closer all the time, Jack, let me tell you.
If you didn't give him a clue to make him say that, it's very
important."
"Oh, I was careful not to let him know why I was interested in von
Berthold. When he happened to say he had seen a child there that he
could remember having noticed at the Anstey home of course I pumped him,
and led him along until he declared that he felt certain it was either
Jeanne or Helene."
"I'm glad that point is settled," Tom admitted. "After this we can know
what ground we stand on, if ever we find a chance to make a call as
uninvited guests on General von Berthold."
"Speed the day!" said Jack. "The sooner it comes the better I'll be
pleased. Nellie told me that she hears from Jeanne every few days, for
the ambulances pass the door of the little half-demolished house where
she has found a temporary home before going to Paris; and the drivers
carry notes for Nellie, stopping for answers on the return trip."
"I can easily understand that!" Tom exclaimed eagerly, unconsciously
giving himself away. "For who could resist Nellie's sweet smile?
Certainly no warm-hearted Yankee ambulance driver with a girl back home
who is often in his thoughts. Some fellows would wade through fire and
water for a smile from Nellie."
"That's right, too, Tom," admitted Jack promptly. "And they'd feel well
repaid for doing it too. I know one who doesn't hesitate to say so. But
see here, I'm going to propose something to you, old fellow."
"I can give a pretty shrewd guess what it is. You carry your secrets in
your face, Jack. Nothing of the cunning conspirator about you, for a
fact. You're going to suggest that we plan some sort of a campaign, by
means of which we can pay a flying visit to this old chateau and
surprise the famous general, perhaps relieve him of the voluntary charge
he's taken on his shoulders by carrying Helene away with us."
"You hit the bull's-eye the first shot, Tom. That is just what I had in
mind. Please don't try to throw cold water on my hopes by saying it
can't be done."
"Make your mind easy on that score, Jack. I'm just as eager as you can
be to drop in on the general and bring Helene back to her twin sister."
"I'm right glad to hear you say that. Fact is, I ought to be ashamed to
suspect for a single second that you'd decline to back me up. Now the
only question that's left is to set the time."
"That may have to be settled by circumstances just now beyond our
control," Tom told him, very seriously.
Jack seeing him look around so carefully sensed something of importance.
"See here, what ails you, Tom? You've got something held back, I just
know. Is that fair to me, your old chum? I've been told there was an
extra big event in the air, but no one seemed able to get a line on it.
Those who did know kept it a dead secret. Are you one of them? And won't
you put me wise, Tom?"
"I've kept it a secret for two days, until I'm ready to burst," admitted
Tom, with a sigh of relief. "Just a bit ago I received permission to
mention it to you, as the observer who was to accompany me is out of the
running, and they gave me my choice of another. Of course I took you,
Jack."
"It's well you did, because I'd never have forgiven you if you'd gone
back on your old pal," Jack replied, nodding his head. "Now tell me what
it's all about. Are we going to blast the Kaiser out of his throne?"
"It amounts to about that, I'd say, Jack. Listen. The High Command have
laid out a scheme to knock the last prop out from under Fritz. There's a
certain stronghold they're banking on as a bulwark of safety in case we
do succeed in breaking through here. Get that, Jack?"
"Yes, spin away, Tom."
"All right. Well, they've been getting all kinds of secret information
about this particular spot, and it's on the map to knock it sky-high!"
"Bomb it, you mean, of course?"
"We've got a new kind of bomb, it seems, said to be three times as
powerful in its effects as the best the Huns handle. Our leaders are
anxious that it should be tried out against this stronghold that the
Boche seems to think is going to hold Pershing's boys up for ever so
long."
"Great stunt! And say, I'm mighty glad you got a chance to pull me into
the game, Tom. Never forget it, I tell you."
"Don't mention it, Jack. I'll be three times as happy with you beside
me, than if I had to have another alongside. But that isn't quite all,
boy."
"What, even more coming?" gasped the delighted Jack.
"It seems that rumors have reached us that Ludendorff has his present
headquarters in a chateau among the hills that can be easily reached by
the bombing plane squadron on their way to the main objective. Yes, and
would you believe it, they even suspect that the Old Fox of the Hills,
Von Hindenburg himself, is there right now, in consultation with his
chief general. Think of a double killing, Jack, will you?"
Jack went through a pantomime that indicated his abounding joy over the
prospect of cutting off the responsible heads of the enemy at a single
blow.
"This sounds good to me," he said. "And now, Tom, what has it all to do
with the prospect of our paying that visit to Jeanne's uncle, and
forcing him to give up little Helene? Tell me that!"
CHAPTER XIV
SELECTED FOR SPECIAL DUTY
"REMEMBER," Tom said again very solemnly, "this is a dead secret, Jack."
"Not a whisper will get away from me, I give you my word on that,"
hastily replied the other. "And my word is as good as my bond, any day."
"So it is. I only cautioned you as I did because the same secrecy was
impressed on me at the time I was taken into the matter. That was why I
couldn't give even you a hint. But it's all right now. As to your
question, Jack, it might happen that we would get separated from the
rest of the bunch on the return journey, and, if so, why, you see, we
could take a little spin around the district where that other chateau
lies."
"Yes," added Jack thoughtfully, but with a gleam in his eye, "accidents
are apt to happen in even the best regulated families; and it isn't very
strange for aviators to get a little mixed in their bearings."
"Especially," Tom went on to say without the ghost of a smile, "when on
a night-bombing expedition; for a thousand things are apt to come up,
all calculated to bother the best of pilots, and throw him out of his
reckoning."
"Why, we've been through that mill more than a few times, you remember,
Tom. I could mention at least three occasions when we couldn't tell
where we were and had to go it blind for a time. Fortunately, we got
home all right where some fellows might have been less lucky."
"Well, that's all I'm going to tell you now, for the reason that it's
the extent of my own information," Tom wound up with. "And since the
hour is growing pretty late I reckon two tired fellows I know had better
be getting over to their bunks."
"One thing more, Tom," urged the other.
"All right, but hurry along, for I saw Bessie looking this way as if she
had something to say; and you interrupted our conversation in a very
interesting part."
Jack grinned, and said:
"It will stay interrupted, too, for I am going to have the last word
with Bessie. But I was wondering whether the officers would want us to
work to-morrow, and keep up this flying for victory business, as the
boys have taken to calling the work we're doing here over the Argonne
these days?"
"Oh! How careless of me to forget to tell you about that! No, all of
those who have been selected for this enterprise are to get a holiday
to-morrow, so they can be fresh for the night work. We're to lie around,
take things easy, eat doughnuts as fast as the Salvation Army girls can
fry them, and get in trim for strenuous work."
Jack sighed.
"Suits me all right," he admitted. "Haven't had much vacation for three
weeks or so now, and it gets a bit monotonous buzzing over those
treetops, asking Fritz to pop away at you so as to coax him to betray
his warm nest down below, and then making signs to our boys so as to
locate it for them."
"All of us who haven't been piloting bombing planes will feel about the
same way, Jack. I know a day off is going to make me feel fresh and
dandy.
"Besides," went on Tom, as if incidentally, "there's a fellow over at
the hospital that I'm interested in. His name is Fred Lincoln, and he
was hurt yesterday in one of the skirmishes in the woods. I couldn't
find out how bad his wounds were, but he was having me take some letters
of his only three days ago, telling me then he had a queer feeling he
was going to get his before long, and asking me to send them home for
him if it happened."
"I remember Fred," said Jack, looking sorry to hear the news. "He's a
fine boy at that. He was married only a week before the draft took him.
Said the war had nothing to do with his getting spliced, as they had
been engaged for two years. I hope he comes through. Remember me to him;
and also to his nurse--if she happens to be named Nellie."
"Sure. Are you off to bed now?" as the other turned away.
"In five minutes or so, after I've spoken to Bessie," came the answer.
Jack was as good as his word, and the two chums were soon preparing for
another night's sound sleep, hoping they would not be aroused by any
disturbance, such as had occurred on that other night.
In this at least they were lucky. The Germans had evidently suffered so
severely on account of that other raid they did not care to repeat it.
So the night passed altogether in peaceful fashion; that is, for such
times of warfare, where hundreds of thousands of fighting men, backed by
unlimited batteries and monster guns, were daily grappling in what was
destined to go down in history as the most extraordinary, as well as the
most protracted, engagement of the entire war.
The boys were up early, and Harry Leroy seemed surprised when told that
the two air service boys did not expect to fly that day.
"Something's up, I warrant," he told them bluntly, "and you're bound to
keep a tight upperlip about it. All right, I wouldn't ask you to whisper
just one word to me; only I feel sore because they have left me out of
the game. But I never was lucky in drawing prizes. I'll go out and vent
my spleen on some Fritz who happens to get in my way."
When the airmen trailed in toward noon on that October day, first,
rumors reached Tom and Jack, and then came the plain story connected
with Harry's extraordinary conduct on that wonderful morning.
Other pilots said the boy seemed to be possessed of a spirit such as
they had never known him to show before. He hunted out the Boche
wherever he could find him, forced him to give battle, and then simply
played with him, no matter if he chanced to be one of the best-known
German aces.
Two he had sent down in flames, for which he would receive due credit;