Still going at maximum speed, and now on a straight line toward the American side, without seeking a further height, the Taube several times wavered, and, a moment later, almost turned over.

But the pilot righted her, and even as the pursuers began gaining, and still kept up an incessant fire, he pointed her nose downward toward the American lines.

Four American planes sailed off and upward to meet the oncoming German air armada. But from the ground it could be seen that the man in the observer's place in the Taube was making desperate signals.

The American planes maneuvered in such a way as to encircle the Taube, and yet at close enough range to examine her without particular menace to themselves. There were several seconds of criss-crossing and rising and descending, and then as a unit the American planes left the Taube and started after the German craft, which had hesitated, as though uncertain what further course to follow.

Several volleys of shots were exchanged, and the other German planes turned back toward their own lines. The Taube continued on its wavering, crippled, downward course toward the allied lines.

"Looks as though a couple of our men had been reconnoitering the German lines in one of their own make of machines," said Lieutenant Mackinson, as the Taube came within a hundred yards of the ground and righted herself for a landing.

There was a general rush toward it as it hit the ground. Of its own momentum it rolled to within a two minutes' run of where the lieutenant and the others had been standing. In another instant it was entirely surrounded by a crowd of curious American soldiers.

But if they were surprised at seeing seated therein two men in the uniforms of the United States army, their feelings hardly compared with those of Lieutenant Mackinson, Joe, Slim and Frank Hoskins, as they recognized, stepping out of the Taube, Jerry and the observation officer with whom he had occupied the stationary balloon practically all of that day.

"Who are you?" "What happened?" "Where have you been?" and a score of similar questions were fired at them by the other soldiers as Jerry shook hands with his friends, and the officer smilingly made away to file his report.

"Well, to put it briefly," Jerry said, in answer to the general demands for information, "we were anch.o.r.ed off there most of the day in an observation balloon. Late in the afternoon a sh.e.l.l cut our cable, and almost before we knew it we had been carried behind the German lines.

"The fight was still commanding the attention of almost everyone, and after descending a little by permitting some of the gas to escape, we jumped over the side of the basket and came down on our parachutes. I landed in a deserted barnyard, and the officer hit the earth only a short distance away.

"While we were hiding there, debating just what we should do, along comes a Taube, and its pilot decides to make a landing almost at that same place. Well, the officer being a pretty good pilot, we decided to have that machine. We got it, and I guess that pilot's head aches yet where I plumped him with the b.u.t.t of my gun when he wasn't expecting anything of the kind.

"But some other German aviators saw the affair, apparently recognized our uniforms, and hardly gave us time to make a decent start.

"Say," Jerry concluded, "they certainly did pebble us with machine-gun bullets! I saw two bounce off the propeller, and one broke a wire on the left wing, making us flap around rather uncertainly for a few minutes.

It was a great race, though, and we considered our greatest danger lay in landing on this side. We knew it would be recognized for a German plane, and we were afraid we'd be fired on before we could make our ident.i.ty known."

Led by the lieutenant and Jerry, the party tramped back to where, shortly, mess was to be served.

"That air certainly does give a fellow an appet.i.te," said Jerry, as he splashed more of the clear cold water over his face.

An orderly stepped up to Lieutenant Mackinson and handed him a large, officially stamped envelope. As he tore it open and read the brief note within, a pleased smile spread over his face. From the same envelope he extracted three smaller ones. He handed one to each of the lads who had accompanied him over on the _Everett_, according to the way they were addressed.

Opening them, the boys could hardly suppress their jubilation. Stripped of their official verbiage, the letters informed the young men that each of them was made a corporal, Joe for valorous service in saving the lives of "three Americans entombed in a cave; Slim for heroism and presence of mind in saving and bringing back to the lines an American soldier," and Jerry "for coolness and courage, and for the information gathered behind the enemy's lines."

CHAPTER XVI

A TIGHT PLACE

Major Jones was paying his compliments in a very brusque, business-like, but kindly way. Before him, standing at attention, Lieutenant Mackinson and Corporals Joe Harned, Jerry Macklin and Slim Goodwin were awaiting important orders.

"The manner in which all of you have performed your duties in the past has won you the esteem and confidence of your commanding officers,"

Major Jones said.

"Your striking services not only have led to promotion, but to another important trust, upon which much may depend. Through the mountains to the east of us a company of engineers is cutting a rough road. They work under great handicaps and frequently are hara.s.sed by enemy detachments.

But they are making progress.

"This road is being cut for the purpose of permitting the pa.s.sage of a wireless tractor, of which you men are to be in charge. Through a part of that section an old telegraph line still remains, but it does not connect in a direction to meet our requirements.

"Reports received this morning indicate that by night the engineers will have put the road through to a selected point where you will have the least difficulty in concealing your tractor and its aerials. From your position there you will keep constant vigil, for you will be able to inform us long in advance of any effort of the Boches to come through that way.

"The road winds about the mountain side, and in some places is quite steep. But the ground is now hard and the motor will make the pull.

Good-by, and good luck to you."

An hour later, with Frank Hoskins, who was an experienced driver, at the wheel, they started for their destination in one of the big, high-powered trucks which not only carry a complete wireless equipment but also provide enough s.p.a.ce for sleeping quarters for half a dozen men.

As a matter of fact, these trucks are so designed that, if it is necessary, they can carry a crew of ten men, while by means of a special clutch and gear the engine is made to drive an alternator for generating the necessary electrical energy which, under the most adverse atmospheric conditions, will give a sending and receiving range of at least one hundred miles. In ideal weather the radius increases to as much as two hundred and fifty miles.

A powerful mechanism which in its operation resembles the opening of a giant pair of shears, raises the mast and umbrella-shaped antenna, and the average time in getting the apparatus ready for service is only about eight minutes.

The entire tractor, including crew, weighs close to five tons, and it can be easily imagined that its operation on a steep and treacherous mountain road was far from easy and anything but entirely safe.

With them the lads carried sufficient rations to last them five days, it being understood that their larder would be replenished at the necessary intervals.

They also took with them a radio pack-set, which is another wireless apparatus that can be carried about with little difficulty. This they had in the event of any unexpected emergency. The entire pack-set could be carried about in a suitcase, and after it was set up its current was generated by turning a crank by hand. Its range, under ordinary atmospheric conditions, was about twenty-five miles.

The first few miles of their journey were accomplished with little difficulty, but as they struck the uneven, newly-made road, their troubles began to increase. At times the jolts were so severe that it seemed they would shake the electrical apparatus loose from the tractor, while some of the inclines were so steep that, after attempting and failing to make them once, they had to go backward and then try again, with increased speed.

It was bitterly cold, and while Frank and whoever at the time sat beside him on the front seat kept reasonably warm, being directly behind the hard-working motor, the others frequently got out, to run along for a quarter or half a mile to limber up their stiffened joints and get their blood in circulation again.

One of their greatest difficulties came when, more than three-fourths the distance to their destination, and at one of the narrowest points along the road, they met the large truck bearing back toward camp the company of engineers.

The wireless tractor was chugging along under a heavy strain, but the other truck was coming down the steep grade under the compression of its engine, to accelerate the use of the brakes. And with the little warning they had, the two drivers brought their big machines to a stop less than ten feet apart.

It was impossible for the truck containing the engineers to back up. And the first widening in the road over which the wireless men had come was fully a quarter of a mile behind. There was no other course than for Frank to reverse, and, with a man on either side of the tractor in the rear, directing every slight turn of the wheel, to go back to that point.

Once the engine stalled, making the stability of the whole weight of the heavy tractor depend upon the brakes. Frank grabbed the emergency, and jammed it on with all his strength, but not before the machine had gained a momentum which made it a question for a few thrilling seconds whether or not the brakes would grip and hold it.

As they finally rounded the turn which gave them the brief s.p.a.ce of wider road, and the engineers' truck pa.s.sed by, the men waving each other a cheery farewell, the boys from Brighton gave a sigh of relief.

When they reached what they decided should be their destination, almost at the end of the road and in a dense bit of wooded section which would obscure them from enemy observers, they brought their tractor to a stop.

With pick and shovel they began building an earthen oven, in which they might cook their food, and from which they might keep reasonably comfortable, without being seen.

A light snow began to fall, and, mess over, the lads decided to retire for the night. Before doing so, however, they set up the mast and aerials and made the connection to the storage battery. It was agreed that they should sit up in two-hour shifts, to be ready to receive any message that possibly might come, but it was arranged that the other four should divide this duty, allowing Frank, who had driven the truck over the entire trip, a full night's sleep.

So the night pa.s.sed, with the lads taking turns at the lonely vigil. The snow continued, the wind increased almost to a gale, and the temperature dropped still lower.

Fully eight inches of snow lay upon the ground when gray daylight came and Slim, the last man on watch, awakened the others. The storm was diminishing, but still they could see only a few yards distant from the tractor.

"Guess I'll warm up chopping some wood," said Joe, as he took an axe and left the others still dressing.

In half an hour he had brought in enough to cook the breakfast and last half the day, and while Slim acted as cook, Jerry started out to fell more saplings.

Before noon the clouds broke, the sun came out, and its reflection from the pure white glistening snow was almost blinding.