by E. J. Craine
CHAPTER XII. A PERFECT SHOT
The plane in which Tom and Jack had gone aloft to make observationswhich, it was hoped, would result in the discovery of the hiddenbattery, was a special machine. While very powerful and swift andequipped for air-fighting, it was also one that had been used by one ofthe French photographers and his pilot. The photographer, was a daringman, and had, not long before, gone to his death in fighting threeHun planes. But he had peculiar ideas regarding his car, and under hisorders it had been fitted with a glass floor in the two cockpits, orwhat corresponded to them.
Thus he and his pilot could look down and observe the nature of theenemy country over which they were traveling without having to leanover, not always a safe act where anti-aircraft guns below are shootingup shrapnel.
So as Torn and Jack flew on and on, over the enemy's first andsucceeding line trenches, they looked down through the glass windows inthe plane to make their observations. There was a camera attached tothe plane, and though they could each make use of it, but they were notskilled in this work.
It was impossible for them to talk to one another now, as Jack had themotor going almost full speed, and the noise it made was deafening, orit would have been except for the warm, fur hoods that covered the earsof the fliers. They were warmly dressed for they did not know how highthey might ascend, and it is always cold up above, no matter how hot itis on the earth.
Up and up they climbed, and then they flew on and over the enemy lines,keeping close lookout for anything unusual below that would indicatethe presence of the battery. Behind them, and off to one side, a fierceaerial battle was going on.
Tom and Jack were eager to get into this and do their share. But theyhad orders to make their observations, and they dared not 'refuse. Theycould tell by looking back every now and then that the affair was goingwell for the Allies, including some of the American airmen, even if theHuns outnumbered them.
Back and forth over the German lines swept the glass-bottomed Spad, andat a certain point Tom, who was looking down, uttered an exclamation. Ofcourse Jack could not hear, but he could feel the punch in the back hischum administered a moment later.
Jack turned his head, and saw his chum eagerly pointing downward. Amoment later he motioned over his left shoulder, pointing backward, asthough they had just passed over something which would warrant a secondinspection.
Jack swung the machine about in a big circle, banking sharply, and then,as he passed over the ground covered a little while before, he, too,looked down, and with sharper glance than he had used at first.
What he saw was the ruins of a small French chateau. It had been underheavy fire from the Allied guns, for it had sheltered a German machinegun nest, and some accurate shooting on the part of the American gunnershad demolished it a day or so before.
But what attracted the attention of Tom and Jack was that whereas thechateau before the bombardment had stood on a little hill without atree near it, now there was a miniature forest surrounding it. It wasas though trees and bushes had sprung up in the night. As soon as hehad seen this, Jack turned to Tom, nodded comprehendingly, and at oncestarted back over the American lines. They had no easy time reachingthem, for by this time the fleet of Hun planes had been defeated by theAllies, and had turned tail to run for safety--that is what were left ofthem, several having been shot down, and at no small cost to the French,English and American forces.
But the defeat of their airmen seemed to anger the Germans, and theyopened up with their antiaircraft batteries on the machine in which Tomand Jack were flying homeward. "Woolly bears" and "flaming onions," aswell as shrapnel, was used against them, and they were in considerabledanger. Jack had to "zoom" several times to get out of reach of theshells.
They finally reached their aerodrome, however, and as soon as they hadlanded and their plane was taken in charge by the mechanics the two ladshurried to the commanding officer.
"Well?" he asked sharply, as they saluted. "Did you discover anything?"
"I think so, sir," returned Tom, for Jack had told his chum to dothe talking, since the discovery was his. "You remember, sir, the oldchateau we put out of business the other day?"
"Yes, I recall it. What about it?"
"This: It seems suddenly to have grown a wooded park around it, andthe trees and bushes don't seem to be as fresh as natural ones ought tolook."
"You mean they camouflaged the ruins, and have put another battery inthe old, chateau?"
"I think so, sir. It wouldn't do any harm to drop a few shells there.If it's still a ruin the worst will be that we've wasted a littleammunition and may start the German guns up. And if it is what we thinkit is, we may blow up the battery."
The commander thought for a moment.
"I'll try it!" he suddenly said. "It's worth all it will cost."
He called an orderly and issued his instructions. Tom and Jack had notyet been dismissed, and now the commanding officer turned to them andsaid:
"Since you boys were sharp enough to discover this, I'll let you have afront seat at the show which will start soon. Go up and do contact work.Let the gunners know when they make a hit."
The air service boys could not have wished for anything better.
"Once more for our bus!" exclaimed Jack delightedly, when they wereoutside.
Their Spad had been refilled with gasoline, or "petrol," as it is calledon the other side, and oil had been put in, while the machine guns hadbeen looked to.
"You seem to have spotted it all right, Tom," went on Jack, just asthey were about to start, for word came that the American batteries wereready.
"Yes, I was looking down through the glass, and when I saw the oldchateau it struck me that it had suddenly grown a beard. I rememberedit before, as being on a bare hill. I thought it was funny, and that Imight be mistaken. But when you agreed with me I knew I was right."
"Oh, the Huns have brought up trees and bushes to disguise the place allright," declared, Jack. "The only question is whether or not the batteryis hidden there."
But there was not long a question about that. Their machine was equippedwith wireless to signal back the result of the shots, and Jack andTom were soon in position. From the maps used when they had previouslyshelled the place to drive out the German gunners, the Americanartillery forces knew just about where to plant the shells.
There was a burst of fire from the designated battery. Up aloft Jack andTom watched the shell fall. It was a trifle over, and a correction wassignaled back.
A moment later the second shell--a big one sailed over the German firstlines, and fell directly on the chateau partly hidden in the woods.
There was a burst of smoke, and with it mingled clouds of dust andflying particles. Faintly to Tom and Jack, above the noise of theirmotor, came the sound of a terrific explosion.
There had been a direct hit on the old ruins, as was proved by the factthat not only was the German battery put out of commission, but a greatquantity of ammunition hidden in the trees and bushes was blown up, andwith it a considerable number of Germans.
And that it was a place well garrisoned was evident to the air serviceboys as they saw a few Huns, who were not killed by the shell andresultant explosion of the ammunition dump, running away from the placeof destruction.
"That was it all right," said Jack, as he and Tom landed back of theirown lines.
"Yes, and it couldn't have been hit better. I hope that was the batterythey wanted put out of business."
And it was, for no more shells came from that vicinity of the Hunpositions for a long time. The aeroplane observations had given the veryinformation needed, and Tom and Jack were congratulated, not only bytheir comrades, but by the commanding officer himself, which counted fora great deal.