by E. J. Craine
CHAPTER XV
THE LONG FLIGHT BEGUN
Major Denning was greatly astonished when Lieutenant Beverly made soastounding an assertion.
"Well, I wouldn't put anything past you Yankees," he presently remarked,with a dry chuckle. "But this is something of a Herculean task you'replanning, Colin. A flight of over three thousand miles is a greaterundertaking than any plane has so far been able to carry through. And ifyou should meet with trouble, the jig is up with you all!"
"We understand what we're up against, I assure you," Tom replied. "Theplan is entirely Lieutenant Beverly's, sir. Sergeant Parmly has reason toget home before the _La Bretagne_ reaches New York harbor, and she'salready three days out. Learning this, our good friend here made athrilling proposition, which we eagerly accepted. That's the story in anutshell, Major Denning."
"I must say I admire your nerve, that's all," exploded the other,shaking hands with all of them. "Just the type of chap I'd like to tie upwith. My word! if I could get leave, and there was room for one moreaboard the big bomber, I'd beg of you to take me in. But I wish you everyluck in the wide world. My word, fancy the nerve of it!"
"We must remember not to speak a word so that any of the men can guesswhat our real destination is," Beverly cautioned, as they continued alongthe path. "Only my right-hand agent here knows the truth, and he means tokeep it dark."
"But they must suspect something unusual," suggested Tom.
"It's hinted that we are aiming at Berlin, don't you know?" pursued thelieutenant, chuckling. "But believe me, the game is a bigger one thanjust that little jaunt, far bigger in fact."
Presently they came to the shore where the stout hangar was found, partlyhidden under the branches of low trees and shrubbery. Before them lay thesandy stretch of beach hard as a dancing floor, and well fitted to betheir "jumping off" place.
Tom bent down to feel it, after the manner of an experienced air pilot.
"Couldn't be bettered much, could it, Tom?" demanded Lieutenant Beverlyconfidently.
"I should say not!" was the quick response.
Jack was feeling quite joyous since the outlook for starting on theanticipated flight had become so bright. At the same time he told himselfhe would not entirely lose that tense sensation around the region of hisheart until they were actually off.
Around the hangar they found a cordon of several armed men; a fact whichcaused Tom to remember that they shortly before had heard the report offirearms, and as yet had failed to learn the cause. Then again there wasthat explosion down the coast. He turned to Lieutenant Beverly for anexplanation.
"We too heard the sound of an explosion," Beverly told him in reply. "Itcame from further down the shore. There's some sort of British airdromein that quarter, I'm informed; and possibly they had an accident there.As for the shooting, that's easily explained. My men were the cause."
"Spies hanging around, probably?" hazarded the major, in disgust. "We'vebeen bothered with the slick beasts right along--shot several, but eventhat didn't keep the coast clear."
"There have been skulkers around for some time," continued thelieutenant. "Baxter tells me he'd warned them off until he grew tired,and threatened that the next one who was caught trying to peep would befired upon. So to-night when a sentry reported suspicious movements inthe brush we sent in a few shots, more to give them a scare than to doany damage."
"Have they tried to injure your plane, Colin?" asked the major.
"I understand that once my men discovered a fire had been started in amysterious way, which they succeeded in putting out. Only for prompt workit would have at least disabled the bomber so that its usefulness for thepresent would be nil."
"The ways of those German spies are past finding out," complained MajorDenning. "They seem to take a page from Indian tactics, and resort to allspecies of savage warfare. It wouldn't surprise me if you found they hadshot an arrow with a blazing wad of saturated cotton fastened to itshead, and used your hangar as a target. History tells us your redskinsused to do something like that in the days of the early colonies."
Shortly afterwards the monster bombing plane was wheeled out of itshangar, and became an object of vast interest to the two AirService Boys.
Tom and Jack were of course familiar with its working, but needed a fewhints from Lieutenant Beverly with respect to certain new features thatit possessed.
"What do you think of it, boys?" was the natural question asked by theintrepid flight commander, who of course meant to do his share of thehandling of the giant plane during its long flight.
"A jim-dandy! That's what!" exclaimed the delighted Jack, almost awed bythe tremendous size of the up-to-date machine, with its wonderful expanseof planes and its monster body in which the vast amount of stores, aswell as surplus gasoline, could be stowed.
"I'm confident we'll have more than a fighting chance to reach theobjective we have in view," Tom in his turn remarked; and even though themen standing near must have heard what he said they could not possiblysuspect the truth that lay back of his words.
"Everything has been looked after, and right now there's not a singleitem lacking," Lieutenant Beverly assured them. "Mention what you please,and I defy you to find I've overlooked it. I notice that you have broughtyour glasses along, Jack. I have a fine pair with me, but we candoubtless use both."
"And on my part," added Tom, "I thought it wise to carry a few smallknickknacks that I've become attached to. They ought to share myfortunes. If I cash in, my reliable old compass here, for instance,wouldn't be valued highly by any one else; but it's saved my life morethan a few times."
"And may again," said Jack softly; "for those fogs are simply dreadful,if half that's said about them turns out to be true."
Tom was stooping down and feeling the firm sandy beach.
"A splendid place to make our start, Lieutenant," he remarked.
"I selected it with that idea in view," explained the other. "Besides, ina long trip, like the run to Berlin, this would be as desirable a stationas any. What do you think of the plane, Tom?"
"As well as I can see it, I am satisfied it will be all you told us," Tomanswered him, while Jack added:
"Same here."
Certainly, as seen spread out on the almost level stretch of hard sandthe monster bombing plane did have a powerful appearance that mustfavorably impress any experienced pilot. Tom and Jack had noted severalthings about it calculated to inspire confidence. They were takingtremendous risks, of course, but then that was nothing novel in theirlives as aviators.
"Is there anything to delay us further?" asked Jack naively, feelingthat even minutes might count when the issue was so plainly outlined.
"I do not know of the slightest reason," admitted Lieutenant Beverly,moving toward the bombing plane and followed by his two comrades. "Andthat being the case, let's get aboard. Anything like a written messageyou would like to leave behind, to be sent in case we are never heardfrom again, boys? You can give it to my cousin, the major here, who willattend to it."
Both Tom and Jack had thought of this long before, and each had prepareda simple statement which would explain their fate in case they met withdisaster on the flight. These sealed and directed envelopes they nowhanded to Major Denning.
"Depend on me to hold them until all doubt is past," he told them, as hewarmly pressed a hand of each.
Then Lieutenant Beverly gave the word to his men, and immediately the humof the giant motors announced that they were off on their amazing trip tospan the Atlantic, as it had never been done before, by way of the air!