Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal Part 21

"He's going to land near here," whispered Jimmie, grasping Dave's arm in his excitement. "We'll soon see who and what he is."

The boy's prediction was correct. For a short time the aviator circled about the station, evidently searching for a suitable place in which to make a landing. In another moment it was seen clearly that he intended to land as near the station as possible.

Of all the observers none was more interested than the two Boy Scouts so strangely thrown into the company of this train load of fighting men and their emperor. Jimmie was the first to discover the pilot's intentions. Grasping Dave's arm, he dragged the other a short distance away from the spot, to be clear of the descending plane.

A switch engine was bringing up a coach to attach it to the rear of the train. The coach was evidently intended for the use of the Kaiser, for it was stopped exactly opposite the little party surrounding him.

At a signal from the man whom the whole German army wors.h.i.+pped the engine moved the coach a short distance down the track while the emperor and his staff gave their attention to the daring aviator.

"Geewhillikins!" exclaimed Jimmie breathlessly. "Those fellows better look out a little or they'll get run over!"

It truly appeared as if this contingency were about to occur, for the soldiers made no attempt to clear the tiny parade ground. Instead they waited for the approach of the speeding plane.

In another moment the machine was upon the ground and running along upon its wheels. Many willing hands grasped portions of the framework and a.s.sisted in bringing the machine to a halt.

Before the task of stopping the aeroplane was fairly accomplished the pilot had leaped from his seat. He approached the group of officers about the Kaiser with rather unsteady steps and gravely saluted.

The salute was returned by the entire party, who then stood at attention. From the center of the party the Kaiser stepped forward.

A few short, brisk sentences were exchanged between the Kaiser and the stranger who had descended so precipitately from the sky.

"Gee!" exclaimed Jimmie in disgust. "They're talking German, and I can't understand it at all! What rotten luck!"

"Hus.h.!.+" responded Dave. "I'm getting a word now and again. Perhaps I can make out what it is the chap is reporting."

"If you can understand that awful bunch of noises they call a language you're going some!" declared Jimmie, half to himself.

"Just a moment now," said Dave. "He's unburdening himself of a long talk about the movement of some troops, I take it. Now he is saying,"

the boy went on, "that he has seen or some one has seen a strange aeroplane near here. It is supposed to be one of the French machines that has somehow got past the lines and is scouting."

"Let him report that stuff all he wants to," was Jimmie's comment in an uninterested manner. "We should worry a lot about that!"

"But suppose it is the Eagle he has sighted?"

"Ah!" was the lad's quick e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n. "It can't be the Eagle."

"Why not?" asked Dave. "Isn't it entirely possible?"

"Well, come to think of it, you are right. It might be the Eagle he has seen and is reporting. What can we do to stop him if he should take a soldier or two with him now and start out to plug the little old Eagle and her crew full of bullet holes?"

"I can't imagine, you know," was Dave's puzzled reply, "unless we prevent his getting away at all. I don't see how that is to be done.'"

A sudden resolve came to the red-headed lad as he pondered over the situation. Glancing quickly about to observe whether the two were under surveillance, he drew from his pocket several small objects.

"Stay just about here, Dave," he said. "I'm going over to the machine and see what I can do to fix it so they can't run very well. If I'm successful it may mean that we can save the boys on the Eagle. If I'm caught at it I'll take part in a little shooting-fest myself, and I'll act the part of the shootee. Keep your eyes peeled, and if anyone comes this way put me wise by whistling."

"Don't try anything rash, now," was Dave's remark at this statement.

"If they catch you doing tricks to their machine it'll go hard."

"I'm going to take a long chance," Jimmie answered, with the peculiar setting of his jaws that his comrades had learned so well to understand meant a resolve that nothing could swerve. "Keep your eyes open."

"But, I say," was Dave's further objection, "it won't do any good to drain his gasoline. There's likely a supply right here and he can reload in a few minutes. Use all your caution, Jimmie!"

"All right, I'll use all my caution and something else," was the answer as the lad moved slowly toward the aeroplane, as if to casually examine the rigging out of a boy's natural curiosity.

For some moments Dave stood fairly torn by his emotions. He was fearful that Jimmie would be discovered meddling with the mechanism and that the consequences of such discovery would be dire.

Glancing alertly from side to side, the lad stood at his post in a fever of excitement. He strove to keep his hands from trembling. His knees seemed scarcely able to support the weight of his body.

Presently the group of officers about the Kaiser seemed to have questioned the aviator to their complete satisfaction, for several turned and walked down the track toward the coach waiting for the use of the Kaiser. Others walked briskly away across the parade ground, while the aviator himself and the Kaiser walked together along the track toward the aeroplane that had brought the man to earth.

Dave was about to signal Jimmie that danger was near, when he saw that the lad was coming back. So interested were the aviator and his auditor in the conversation that was going on that they apparently did not notice the boy leaving the vicinity of the machine.

Jimmie joined Dave with an air of extreme boredness.

"What did you do, Jimmie?" asked Dave breathlessly.

"I fixed his clock, all right!" was the answer. Jimmie pointed to one of the electric lights swinging from a pole not far away.

"See that electric light?" he asked. "Well, that's the greatest invention of man. Without it the whole world would lose lots of time."

"What has that to do with the aeroplane?" asked Dave wonderingly.

"Nothing. I just wanted to get your mind off the subject. You're trembling like a leaf," answered Jimmie. "If they see you it'll be a dead give-away. Can't you stop shaking so? What's the matter?"

"I'm going to stop. I was just thinking about what would happen to you if they saw you at the machine. I'm all right now."

"You'd better be. If they start any questions, just remember that you never saw an aeroplane nor a Boy Scout in your life."

"There he is now," said Dave, pointing toward the machine.

"He's going to try to make a start," said Jimmie. "But for goodness'

sake," the boy went on, "get your mind off it. Look away."

By this time the aviator had reached the machine and was preparing for another flight. Willing hands had been stretched forth from the crowd of soldiers who had but a moment before ignored the machine entirely, and the plane was turned about and headed away from the station.

A preliminary explosion or two from the motors announced to all that the aviator intended leaving the place. Other explosions rapidly succeeded the first. Then came a silence. The aviator was examining his machine, evidently seeking for the cause of some trouble.

The exhausts of his motor had been regular, but something had gone wrong, and he was trying to locate the difficulty.

Presently he again started the engine in an effort to warm it up.

Becoming impatient at his failure to readily locate the cause of the uneven running of his motor, the aviator turned on full power.

For an instant the clatter of the motor drowned all other sounds.

Throughout the roar of the exhaust the sharp ears of the two boys could discover a strange vibration that told of trouble.

Before they could again turn to examine the aeroplane that had been wheeled along the ground for some distance, there came a crash, followed by a rending, tearing sound. Then all was still again.

As Jimmie and Dave turned they saw the aeroplane lying a wreck, torn by its own propellers.