"Poor fellow," sighed Orris, beginning to spiral upward. "What a
deadly cruel thing war now is!"

Up, up he climbed, two of the enemy following, while Blaine was
engaging another, the last. The final view Erwin had of his bunkie the
two were engaged in a close duel, dipping, darting, flashing about each
other. Now came interchanging machine gun fire, with both gradually
following Erwin higher, higher, until the latter began to feel that the
thin air of these upper regions was getting on his nerves. A glance at
his own register showed eighteen thousand feet or thereabouts.

Still his adversaries climbed after him. Now and then a spurt of flame
and a spatter of bullets indicated that his own plane was being more or
less perforated. The lad became doubtful as to the wisdom of waiting
longer for his comrade. Evidently Blaine would fight on as long as his
ammunition lasted or until disabled himself. After all, two hostile
planes dropped and the third one brought home with its occupant was not
a bad conclusion for a night's bombing raid on the enemy trenches.

Here a sudden, fierce gust of wind from the north catching him unawares
half tilted his machine and then as he righted it sent him scurrying at
terrific speed southward. At the same time a black cloud, belching and
flaming thunder and lightning, swept down on him with almost the force
of a hurricane.





CHAPTER IV