by Gordon Bates
CHAPTER XXI
UP ABOVE THE CLOUDS
"Good-bye, fellows. If I shouldn't come back--well, you know what todo about writing the folks. I'll be back all right enough, though. I'mjust as sure as anything of that."
Seated beside Voissard in a gray French racer, Jimmy Blaise leanedout for a last word and handclasp with his three bunkies. It was asolemn-faced trio who stood beside the long, low car. Jimmy's Brotherswere trying to be glad because Jimmy himself was so excitedly happy. Itwas hard work. They felt as though they were looking their last at goodold Blazes.
The final good-byes said, the racer, driven by Voissard, shot downthe road, started on what was to prove a most amazing trip for JimmyBlaise. It was three o'clock in the afternoon and the two men werebound for a French escadrille, not far behind the American sector ofthe firing lines. Jimmy Blaise was presently to go out with Voissardover the German lines. This was the extent of his knowledge regardingthe expedition. Cousin Emile had offered not a word more than wasabsolutely necessary in breaking the news to Jimmy and his bunkies.
As the racer left the village behind and struck a country road,Voissard broke the silence which had fallen between them since thestart.
"Thus far I have imparted to you nothing of to-night's detail. Youmust understand that I have been granted a great privilege in beingallowed your company to-night, _mon cher ami_. It is the first favor Ihave ever asked of France. _Voila!_ You are here. Some distance behindthe Boche lines a long ammunition and supply train is making its wayto the German front. I am to lead an air squadron against it. It willbe a bombing raid and very dangerous. We shall start at three o'clockto-morrow morning. The supply train, according to our calculations,will be at a certain point to-morrow morning at four o'clock. It isthen that we shall attack. The craft that I shall use will be a Voisin.In it will be only you, my bombardier and myself. Unless an unexpectedemergency should arise you will have little to do save be my honoredguest. It will be for you the interesting experience, _n'est ce pas_?"
"I should rather say so!" Jimmy drew a sharp breath. "It's thebulliest thing that ever happened to me. I can't begin to find words tothank you, sir."
"You need not try. I understand; _tres bien_," Voissard assured, asmile touching his firm mouth.
With this he dropped the subject of the night's work and directed theconversation toward more impersonal topics.
Outside the village, Jimmy was amazed at the activities of theAllied war machine. All along the way they encountered numbers ofmotor-lorries, trucks and ambulances traveling over the roads in steadystreams. Huge tractors puffed and snorted along in advance of stringsof farm wagons. Occasionally a racer, carrying staff officers, shotby them. Once they passed a company of French soldiers on the marchfrom one battle section to another. Frequently motorcycles ridden bydespatch men chugged by them. In the fields peasant women and childrencould be seen preparing the ground for spring planting. It was a variedand interesting panorama that Jimmy gazed upon, wide-eyed and curious.
Arrived at the escadrille, a new world of wonder was opened to him. Hesaw rows and rows of hangars, housing countless Allied fighting birds.
Though Voissard did not belong to this particular escadrille, hewas very much at home there. On the way to the headquarters of theescadrille commander, the Flying Terror was greeted with admiringrespect by all whom they chanced to encounter. Everyone appeared toknow him, though he ruefully confessed to Jimmy that he could notrecall the faces of many of the aviators who claimed his acquaintance.
As the guest of Cousin Emile, Jimmy became also the guest of theescadrille commander. It was almost unbelievable, he thought, that anordinary Sammy like himself should be eating luncheon with two suchgreat men. Luncheon over, he was taken on a tour about the aviationfield and saw new sights to marvel at. Standing somewhat in awe ofthe commander, a very tall Frenchman with a somewhat austere face,he soon became quite at his ease. Despite his severe expression,"_Mon Captaine_," as Voissard affectionately addressed the commander,was a very human sort of person and treated him with the benevolentfriendliness which an older man often displays toward a youngster.
Enjoying himself hugely, Jimmy longed, nevertheless, for the greatmoment to arrive when he should take his first trip through the clouds.At eight o'clock Voissard and himself both lay down for a few hours'rest before the start. Jimmy was too thoroughly wide awake even to dozeoff briefly. Now and then, by the faint rays of the night light burningin the room, he consulted his wrist watch. Would two o'clock nevercome?
Two o'clock, though slow in coming, finally came. Provided by Voissardwith the close-fitting head-gear and heavy fur-lined coat of theaviator, the two made their way across the aviation field to the hangarin which the Voisin reposed that Voissard was to fly that night. Theyfound there the bombardier, a slim, alert Frenchman with piercing blackeyes. Jimmy grinned in the dark to hear Cousin Emile address the man asGaston. The name brought humorous recollection of Bob's goat.
Watching Voissard by the flaring light in the hangar, Jimmy observedthe workmanlike manner in which the aviator examined his airplane. Hetested every point of it, giving the engine a most minute going over.
Meanwhile Gaston was equally busy attending to his own part of thework. He tested the bomb carrier and counted his stock of percussioncaps for the bombs. He went over the machine gun, set the clock in thefront of the machine to the exact second, tested the altimeter and sawthat the compass was correctly hung.
Eleven other bombing planes besides Voissard's were to take part in theexpedition. His was the only plane to carry an extra man. The otherseach had only a pilot and bombardier. Besides the twelve, five lighter,swifter planes, Nieuports all, were to go along as a guard to warn thebombers of the approach of hostile aircraft and to give battle shouldthe heavier planes be obliged to retreat.
To Jimmy it was indeed thrilling to watch plane after plane line upat the end of the field for the start. In the flaring glow cast bypowerful lights set at each corner of the field, he could plainly seethe faces of the pilots and the bombardiers. They were laughing andtalking among themselves, unconcerned by the danger of the detail aheadof them.
Soon pilots and bombardiers were seated in their planes, awaiting theword from the squadron commander who had come down to see them off.
Voissard's plane was to make the first ascent. Seated behind, in theplace usually occupied by the observer, Jimmy held his breath as thecommander sang out, "All ready!"
"Turn!" shouted Voissard to the mechanician standing beside the plane.
The man spun the propeller and jumped back out of the way. The enginetuned up and then--Jimmy felt the movement of the plane as it beganrolling along the field. It gathered speed, then began to rise. At lasthe knew what it meant to fly.
Higher and higher the plane rose. Far below Jimmy could see the lightsof the aviation field as mere pin points. Soon these became completelyobliterated. Looking back, Jimmy could make out the other planesstringing in a long succession behind them. Headed straight for theGerman lines, the Voisin suddenly plunged into a cloud bank and theflying squadron vanished from Jimmy's view.
At length, emerging from the clouds, he could see none of the squadron.He guessed that they were now going through the same bank that hadlately engulfed Voissard's plane. His first sensation of dizziness nowpast, he began to realize that it was very cold up there in the clouds.He was grateful for the warmth of his fur-lined coat. He calculatedthat they must be sweeping the skies at the rate of at least eightymiles an hour. He wished he might speak to Voissard or Gaston, but theroar of the engine was too great for that. Shouting his loudest hewould not be able to make himself heard. He wondered what had become ofthe squadron. Had they lost their companions so soon?
Keeping up an anxious watch, he saw at last plane after plane reappear.They had won free of the cloud bank. Presently he saw something else.Fifteen hundred feet below him, he could make out red, twisting linesof fire, accompanied by glaring, crimson flashes. He was over hisown lines. Tho
se flaming lines and vivid flashes proceeded from theAmerican guns.
Now the plane was beginning to soar higher. Voissard was getting safelyabove the up-climbing curve of the American shells. On they went. Theywere now crossing what looked like a dense black patch. Jimmy knew itto be No Man's Land. He could see it plainly, as, ever and again, astar shell rose and bathed it in a radiant, bluish-white light. It wasthe deadly, cruel land that had claimed poor Schnitz.
Soon the writhing lines of fire were again visible. They had crossed NoMan's Land and were over the German lines. Both sides were furiouslyat it. It was evident to him, even at that height, that Fritz wasgetting heavier punishment than he was inflicting. The air shock of theexplosion of American shells made the plane rock like a ship at sea.
With the German lines safely passed, the plane flew steadily onwardtoward its objective point. Engaged in keeping track of the squadron,Jimmy felt relieved when, one by one, they began to draw closer. Theywere gathering for the attack. He decided that it must be nearing fouro'clock. From then on he kept his eyes trained downward in an effort topick up a long, dark outline, which would be the supply train. Thoughit was still dark it was the gloom that precedes dawn's first faintlight. A few minutes and he should be able to see the earth below quiteplainly.
Presently Voissard began to spiral down. His example was followed bythe pilots of the other planes. With motors shut off the squadronvolplaned. Jimmy could now distinguish the thin black line. It appearedto be creeping very slowly. In the bomber's seat, Gaston was makingready to drop his bombs. As flight-captain, Voissard would give thesignal. In turn each machine would come to an even keel at a point set,drop its bombs and dart away. Voissard's machine would be the last togo. The whole performance would last hardly more than a minute.
As each plane did its work and scudded off, another took its place.Each bomber strove to land his bombs where they would do the most good.Peering downward with strained eyes, Jimmy saw and heard that whichfilled him with delirious joy. Amid continuous explosions and angrytongues of fire, the long black line appeared suddenly to completelydissolve, and disappear. Few of the bombs had missed their mark. Jimmycould well imagine the devastation attending that raid.
It was over now. Gaston had done his bit and Voissard was flying forhome. Directly behind him came the fighting Nieuports, ready to coverthe retreat of the bombing planes. They would be needed. Across therapidly coming dawn half a dozen German Aviatiks were hastening tothe fray. From below Boche antiaircraft guns were now pegging at thereturning bombing party.
The speed of the Aviatik being very great, five of them soon drew uponthe Nieuports and attacked them viciously. The first Aviatik to thescene swept straight over in pursuit of Voissard, opening fire upon theplane. Very trickily it kept behind and a little lower, thus making itimpossible for Gaston to pepper it with machine-gun bullets.
Voissard, however, had no intention of permitting the Aviatik thisliberty. By a clever ruse he caused his plane to dive sharply, asthough hit and disabled. Allowing it to careen wildly for an instant,he made a lightning drop in front of the German plane, then swept pastit like a flash. When he again brought it to an even keel it was underthe Boche plane and a little to its rear.
Gaston whooped with joy and turned the machine gun upon it. Incidentalwith this, one of the Nieuports came to the rescue. Under a heavyfusillade the Aviatik promptly took to her heels and sailed out ofdanger.
Again Voissard took up the homeward flight. The plane was still behindthe Boche lines when a well directed shell from a German Archie grazedit, causing it to pitch violently. The shock of the explosion, coupledwith the wild rocking, would have thrown Jimmy out of the plane hadhe not been securely strapped in. He saw Gaston clap a hand to hisbreast and crumple. Splinters flew from one of the struts. The planecontinued to stagger. It was dropping now. Yes, Voissard was still atthe controls, working like a madman to keep the plane under guidance.Still the rushing descent continued. Jimmy felt a queer giddiness sweepover him in long, sickening waves. This was the end.