unhurt, rose suddenly, swooping in long circles to higher and yet
higher altitudes. The first flushes of dawn were breaking. In the air
two observation planes flying over the Allied front were signaling to
the German batteries in the rear, from which came the barrage
protecting their infantry from Allied advances. At once they knew what
to do.

Both drove on through the hostile fire and bore down upon these
observation biplanes. Observation planes are not good fighters. In
less than a minute after rising those two fighting planes had chased
the larger, slower machines off the ground.

But what was Blaine's surprise to see Bangs, not a hundred yards away,
making bold signals strange code to the Germans back in the rear. Lafe
himself could not read them. What did it mean? For an instant there
flashed to him a suspicion that Bangs from Montana might not be just
plain American.

"I won't think such a thing!" thought Lafe. "What is he up to?"

Then he saw that the enemy barrage was falling further back, just about
where the recovering infantry was resuming its advance, after the short
shock occasioned by the two raiding triplanes that had suddenly gone
aloft.

"Were the Allies in their turn assaulting the Boches? What could it
mean? In another brief interval Blaine found out, when sudden
demoralization set in at once. Without apparent cause the Boches, now
nearly upon the first Allied trenches, found that they were the center
of a bombardment from the rear. What did that mean? The fire was