The Boy Scouts of the Flying Squadron Part 10

Even this little act convinced the observant lieutenant that his first conception of Hugh's character had been a true one. He realized just why that boy had been chosen to serve as leader of his patrol, and in the absence of both scout master and a.s.sistant, had more than once been given full charge of the entire troop.

It was certainly a most exhilarating sensation to Hugh when he felt the big war aeroplane start away from solid ground and begin to climb upward. Looking down, he could see how fast they were really going.

Why, it seemed as though the earth could no longer be counted his abiding place, but that he must be headed for the planet Mars, or perhaps the moon.

The higher up they went, the more delightful the sensation became. Hugh soon became used to the novel feeling, so that he could enjoy looking down upon the country over which they were pa.s.sing.

It was an experience that far excelled anything he had ever gone through before. He told the pilot that he did not wonder men found it hard to leave such a fascinating if dangerous business, when once they had started to follow it.

"There is an old saying about politicians," remarked the lieutenant, "to the effect that few die and none resign. That can never be said about aviators, because, while none of them ever give it up for good, the fatalities have been very numerous. But when that stability device which your friend believes he has invented, but which he may have read about somewhere and unconsciously copied, comes into general use, we hope the deaths will become much less frequent. I am using a stability device right now on this monoplane. It was installed by the firm that patented it. You can see how it acts automatically to steady the machine, no matter how we move about.

And I am almost as safe up in a squally wind as on a calm day."

He took Hugh much higher than he had the others, as the barograph that was within seeing distance from their seat told the boy, who had learned how to read its figures.

Half an hour later they came back toward the field again, and descended to lower currents. The picture Hugh gazed upon as he looked down would never be forgotten. He could see for miles and miles in every direction; and how different the country looked from anything he had ever imagined!

All at once Hugh made a discovery.

"I am almost certain I saw two men hide themselves in that patch of bushes ahead there," he hastily told the pilot; "and it seemed to me that they must be the pair of spies who have been giving you so much trouble. They were creeping toward the camp as if they meant to try and steal in the back way."

The lieutenant laughed as though pleased.

"Good for you, Hugh," he remarked. "Those sharp eyes of yours let nothing escape. Now we'll just circle around a bit and give those precious foreigners the scare of their lives. I happen to have a supply of small experimental bombs along, which are heavy enough to frighten them into believing one of the new explosives may follow, after we have the range. Watch out for some fun, my son!"

CHAPTER XI

GOOD-BY TO THE FOREIGN SPIES

When Hugh saw the air pilot reach back and take a small black object from a box attached to the body of the monoplane close to the gasoline tank, he knew that those skulkers below were in for a lively time of it.

Undoubtedly they had been creeping toward the rear of the camp with the hope either of picking up valuable information, or finding a chance to make way with precious plans connected with this latest war airs.h.i.+p which Uncle Sam was trying out, and which possessed features far in advance of anything known abroad.

At a certain second, when he judged that he could drop the bomb very close to where the couple were secreted, the lieutenant hastened to do this. Almost immediately afterwards he caused the monoplane to make a curve, so that they would be in shape to circle around that particular spot and repeat the bombardment as long as the supply of missiles held out.

Twisting his head so that he could watch the result, Hugh's gaze followed the descending bomb until it struck the ground. Instantly there was a pretty loud racket and the dirt flew, although this missile undoubtedly contained but a small portion of the new and terrible explosive, being intended only for experimental purposes in the way of gauging distances correctly.

The two spies instantly sprang into view and started to dash madly away. They undoubtedly labored under the impression that once the range had been properly found, one of those fearful projectiles would be dropped down on them. No doubt they had before now examined the great hole in the earth showing where aviators had dropped one of the larger bombs, and knew what to expect in case such a missile fell anywhere near them.

"You've given them a bad scare already, sir!" remarked Hugh, greatly enjoying the experience, although it made him think of a fable in one of his earlier books concerning the sport of stoning that was "fun for the boy but death to the frogs."

"That is only a beginning," declared the lieutenant. "This monoplane is so well constructed that we can hover over them, no matter what they do, just as a hawk shadows a rabbit."

Indeed, the entire performance did remind Hugh of occasions when he had watched a red-tailed hawk chasing a frightened bunny, now slowing up on quivering pinions, then making numerous pretended lunges in order to frighten the quarry still more, and finally ending the pursuit by a well-directed swoop that gave the bird of prey its fine dinner.

The two men were bewildered as well as alarmed. Another bomb exploded close behind them, and started them off on a new tack.

Run which way they might, it seemed as though that terrible enemy in the air kept hovering above them, sending a little black object shooting earthward every half dozen seconds, to be followed by a sudden crash, many times magnified in their excited imaginations.

Once the taller man started to fire his automatic revolver upwards, as though in sheer desperation he hoped to cause the air pilot to give over the chase. The reports sounded like the detonation of toy fire-crackers to Hugh; and if the bullets came as far as the monoplane, he heard nothing that sounded like their pa.s.sing.

Dodging this way and that as though almost panic-stricken, the spies finally betook themselves into the sheltering forest. Before they could hide under the branches of the oaks, the tall man was seen to stumble at the top of a rather steep declivity and roll all the way to the bottom, as though he might be a barrel that some mischievous lad had started downhill for the fun of seeing it jump.

Some seven of the little bombs had been used by the time both men vanished into the shelter of the woods a mile or so away from camp.

The Lieutenant was laughing heartily as though he had enjoyed the diversion greatly.

"I imagine that will settle them, all right, Hugh," he remarked, as he once more turned the aeroplane back toward home.

At the same time he mounted higher for the final volplane downward.

Since the other boys had enjoyed this novel sensation, it would be too bad if the patrol leader did not have the same chance to experience it.

"Do you think after that bombardment that they'll be apt to clear out and give over trying to learn what Uncle Sam is up to?" Hugh asked.

"That is my impression," replied the other. "All they can have learned is that we have a new explosive that excels all known destructive forces as five to one; and that our latest model of a war aeroplane bids fair to eclipse anything known in foreign parts. After all is said and done, son, you can trust the inventive ability of the Yankee to see anything done by others and go them one better. That is because we are the melting pot for all nations, and rewards for genius are so much greater here than abroad, that it spurs us all on to achieve wonderful things. It's a great privilege, Hugh, just to know that you are a nativeborn American.

Never forget to be thankful for it."

Apparently this daring aeronaut was intensely patriotic. Hugh felt drawn toward him more than ever on this account, because he had his own ideas on this subject, and they coincided with those of Lieutenant Fosd.i.c.k.

That volplane, started from a much higher alt.i.tude than either Bud or Ralph had reached, would never be forgotten by the patrol leader.

His breath seemed actually to be taken away as he felt himself shooting toward the earth, which, in fact, appeared to be rising swiftly to meet him. That is the sensation that a novice always feels under the circ.u.mstances. But at the proper second, the pilot s.h.i.+fted his rudder and the planes took on a new position that instantly stayed their downward plunge. This caused the monoplane to sail along gently, parallel with the field, to which it descended immediately afterwards in safety.

Of course the other scouts wondered what all that racket meant, although Ralph had guessed something close to the truth. They started to ask questions at such a rate that Hugh laughingly cried for quarter.

"Here, hold up a little," he interrupted, "and I'll tell you all about it. You see we happened to discover those two sneaking spies in the bushes, and the Lieutenant said it would be a fine chance to give them such a scare that they'd be only too glad to skip out and let things go for keeps. He had a lot of small experimental bombs along, and every time one dropped near where they were trying to hide, you'd have nearly taken a fit laughing to see how they skipped out and ran like mad."

"Guess they thought you'd drop one of the big ones after you got the range," suggested Ralph.

"That was what was scaring them," Hugh agreed. "And after seeing what had happened when one of those exploded, you could hardly blame them for being panic-stricken. They were a mile away when last seen, and I reckon they're still on the full run. Lieutenant Fosd.i.c.k says he doesn't think either of them will ever have the nerve to come back again."

"Huh! good riddance of bad rubbish," grunted Bud. "I'd give something to see how they make out with the figuring I did on that paper they hooked from our shanty. They couldn't make head or tail of it in a year; so they are not likely to steal the idea of my wonderful stability device, which is luck enough for me for one day."

Hugh gave Ralph a suggestive look, as though begging him not to say anything just then to hurt poor Bud's dream of fame. Later on, when they were back home again, they could break the sad news to him gently, as the officer had suggested. What was the use of spoiling his pleasure for that glorious day? They might never have another chance to be with the brave fellows of Uncle Sam's Flying Squadron; so it was just as well to make the most of their opportunity while it lasted.

The Lieutenant tried to coax them to stay longer, but Hugh knew they must be on their way home shortly after noon, much as he wanted to remain. Their folks might be anxious if they did not show up some time that evening; and the next day would be Sunday, which was pretty strictly observed in their home town.

The balance of their stay in the experimental camp was pa.s.sed in trying to learn all they possibly could about things connected with aviation.

"Those who observe the trend of events closely," Lieutenant Green told them, as he only too gladly showed them many clever devices calculated to increase the efficiency of aeroplanes when in action, "are firmly convinced that should we ever get embroiled in a war with any first-cla.s.s power, which we all hope will never happen, aeroplanes are bound to occupy a very important place in the field."

"But I'm sure I read lately that there has been talk of limiting the activities of air craft in war times?" Hugh questioned.

"Yes, and already it has been settled that bombs shall not be dropped into besieged cities where civilians may be killed, but only into forts and on war vessels," the army officer told them. "But, after all, that is only a small fraction of the uses to which a war aeroplane may be put. For scouting and learning the movements of troops, it is a wonder. No matter how skilful a general may be, his plans are all apt to go amiss if the quick movements of his forces are discovered by the airman from a mile above. The aviator may be well out of reach of any missiles modern guns can throw upward, but with his gla.s.ses he can watch every movement and signal the news to headquarters."

The scouts were astonished to hear all this.

"Where would the genius of a Napoleon have been," remarked Lieutenant Fosd.i.c.k in turn, "if aeroplanes had been in common use as far back as Waterloo? You may remember that the secret of his great success in battle was the mobility of his troops. He would divide his army and hurl a part of it so as to strike the enemy unexpectedly on the flank, timing his own frontal attack so as to complete the confusion. Well, if the enemy had known what was coming they could easily have whipped the divided force of the great French leader in detail. The coming of man's mastery over the air will cause new and strange happenings in case of war. By degrees, fighting will become so terrible that all nations must unite in a bond to keep the peace forever."