CHAPTER XXII
OVER THE RHINE
It was a battle of the air and on the ground at the same time. Fromabove the French, American and British airmen were dropping tons ofexplosives on the emplacements of the big guns and on the railway spursthat brought them to the firing points. It might seem an easy matter foran airship flying over a place to drop an explosive bomb on it anddestroy it. But, on the contrary, it is very difficult.
The bombing plane must be constantly on the move, and it takes a prettygood eye to calculate the distance from a great height sufficiently wellto make a direct hit.
But a certain percentage of the bombs find their mark, and they did inthis case. Tom and Jack, as well as the other scouts, looking down fromtheir planes, saw fountains of brown earth being tossed into the air asthe French bombs exploded. At the same time the photographers in theother planes were making pictures of the guns and their location.
They were hindered in this not only by the shooting of the Germans frombelow, who were working their anti-aircraft guns to their capacity, butby screens of smoke clouds, which were emitted by a special apparatus tohide the big guns. At the same time other cannons were being fired todisguise the sound from the immense long-range weapon, but this was oflittle effect, now that the location had been discovered.
Meanwhile a score or more of the Hun planes appeared in the air. Theyhad taken flight as soon as their pilots saw the squadron of enemymachines approaching, and were eager, this time, to give battle.
"Our work's being cut out for us," murmured Tom, as he steered hismachine to engage a German who seemed eager for the fray. Tom sent aspray of bullets at his enemy, and was fired at in turn. He knew hiscraft had been hit several times, but he did not think it was seriouslydamaged.
Jack, too, as he could tell by a quick glance, was also engaged with aGerman, but Tom had no time then to bestow on mere observation. Hisantagonist was a desperate Hun, bent on the utter destruction of Tom'smachine. They came to closer quarters.
Down below the fighting was growing more furious. It was in the form ofan artillery duel. For now the French observation machines werewirelessing back the range, and French shells were falling very near thebig guns.
The heavy guns, in modern warfare, are placed miles away from theobjects they wish to hit, and the only way to know where the targets areis by aeroplane observation. When the guns are ready to fire one of theartillery control planes goes up over the enemy's territory. Of courseit is the object of the enemy to drive it away if possible.
But, hovering in the air, the observer in the double-motored machinenotes the effect of the first shot from his side's cannon. If it goesbeyond the mark he so signals by wireless. If it falls short he sendsanother signal. Thus the range is corrected, and finally he sees thatthe big shells are landing just where they are needed to destroy abattery, or whatever is the object aimed at. The observation complete,the machine goes back over its own lines--if the Germans let it.
This sort of work was going on below them while Tom, Jack and the othersin the Nieuports were engaging in mortal combat with the Hun fliers.Some of the heavy French shells fell beyond the emplacements of the bigguns, and others were short. The observers quickly made corrections bywireless for the gunners. Tom Raymond, after a desperate swoop at hisantagonist, sent him down in flames, and then, seeking another toengage, at the same time wondering how Jack had fared, the young aviatorlooked down and saw one of the largest of the French shells falldirectly at the side of the foremost of the three German giant cannons.
There was a terrific explosion. Of course, Tom could not hear it becauseof his height and the noise his motor was making, but he could see whathappened. A great breach was made in the long barrel of the German gun,and its emplacement was wrecked, while the men who had been swarmingabout the place like ants seemed to melt into the earth. They wereblotted out.
"One gone!" exclaimed Tom grimly. And then he noted that the other twoguns had been withdrawn beneath the camouflage. They were no longer insight, and hitting them was a question of chance.
Still the French batteries kept up their fire, hoping to make anotherhit, but it would be a matter of mere luck now, for the guns were out ofobservation.
The airmen observers, however, still had a general idea of where thesuper-weapons were, and the French gunners continued to send over a rainof shells, while the bombing machines, save one that had been destroyedby the German fire, kept dropping high explosives in the neighborhood.
"The place will be badly chewed up, at any rate," mused Tom.
He glanced in the direction where he had last seen Jack, and to hishorror saw his chum's machine start downward in a spinning nose dive.
"I wonder if they've got him, or if he's doing that to fool 'em,"thought Tom. As he was temporarily free from attack at that instant hestarted toward his friend. Hovering over him, and spraying bullets atJack, was a German machine, and Tom realized that this fighter mighthave injured, or even killed, Jack.
"Well, I'll settle your hash, anyhow!" grimly muttered the young birdmanto himself. He sailed straight for the Hun, who had not yet seen him,and then Tom opened fire. It was too late for the German to turn toengage his second antagonist, and Tom saw the look of hopelessness onhis face as the bullets crashed into his machine, sending it down awreck.
"So much for poor old Jack!" cried Tom.
They were well over the German lines now, and the fight was goingagainst the French. That is, they were being outnumbered by the Hunplanes, which were numerous in the air. But the French had accomplishedtheir desperate mission. One of the German guns was out of commission,and perhaps others, while the location had been made "considerablyunhealthy," as Boughton expressed it afterward.
It was time for the French to retire, and those of their machines thatwere able prepared to do this. But Tom was going to see first whathappened to Jack before he returned to his lines.
"He may be spinning down, intending to get out of a bad scrape that way,and then straighten for a flight toward home," mused Tom. "Or he maybe--"
But he did not finish the sentence.
There was but one way for Tom to be near Jack when the latter landed--ifsuch was to be his fate--and to give him help, provided he was alive.And that was for Tom himself to go down in a spinning nose dive, whichis the speediest method by which a plane can descend. But there is greatdanger that the terrific speed may tear the wings from the machine.
"I'm going to risk it, though," decided Tom.
Down and down he spun, and as he looked; he became aware, to his joy,that Jack had his machine under some control.
"He isn't dead yet, by any means," thought Tom. "But he may be hurt. Iwonder if he can make a good landing? If he does it will be inside theGerman lines, though, and then--"
But Tom never faltered. He must rescue his chum, or attempt to, at allhazards.
Down went both machines, Jack's in the lead, and then, to his joy, Tomsaw his friend bring the machine on a level keel again and prepare tomake a landing. This was in a rather lonely spot, but already, in thedistance, as Tom could note from his elevated position, Germans werehurrying toward the place, ready to capture the French machine.
"If he's alive I'll save him!" declared Tom. "My machine will carrydouble in a pinch, but he'll have to ride on the engine hood."
Tom was going to take a desperate chance, but one that has beenduplicated and equalled more than once in the present war. He was goingto descend as near Jack's wrecked machine as he could, pick up his chum,and trust to luck to getting off again before the Germans could arrive.
That Jack was once more master of his craft became evident to hisfriend. For the Nieuport was slowing down and Jack was making ready foras good a landing as possible under the circumstances. It was plain,however, that his machine was damaged in some way, or he would have goneon flying toward his own lines.
Tom saw his chum drop to the ground, and then saw him quickly climb outof his seat, loosing the strap that held him in. By thi
s time otherGerman planes were swooping toward the place, and a squad of cavalry wasalso galloping toward it.
"I'll beat you, though!" cried Tom fiercely.
He throttled down his engine, intending to give it just enough gas tokeep it going, for he would have no one to start it for him if the motorstalled. He calculated that he could taxi the craft across the groundslowly enough for Jack to jump on and then he could get away, savingboth of them.
Jack understood the plan at once. He waved his hand to Tom to show thathe would be ready, and Tom felt a joy in his heart as he realized thathis chum was uninjured.
Down to the ground went Tom, and he guided his machine toward Jack,standing beside his own damaged craft, waiting. Suddenly there was asharp report, and Tom saw Jack's machine burst into flames.
"He fired into the gasolene tank!" thought Tom. "That's the boy! Heisn't going to let the Huns get his machine and the maps andinstruments. Good!"
Jack leaped back from the blaze that suddenly enveloped his aeroplaneand then ran toward Tom's machine. As he leaped upon the engine hood,which he could do with little more risk than boarding a swiftly movingtrolley car, there was a burst of rifle fire from the cavalry, some ofwhich had reached the scene.
Jack gave a gasping cry, and fell limp. He almost slipped from the motorhood, but with one hand Tom quickly fastened his companion's life beltto the support and then, knowing Jack could not fall off, opened hisengine wide.
Across the ground the double-loaded craft careened, while the cavalryopened fire.
"If they hit me now, it's all up with both of us!" thought Tomdesperately.
But though the bullets splattered all around him, and some hit themachine, neither he nor Jack was struck again, nor was any vital part ofthe machinery damaged. Poor Jack, though, seemed lifeless, and Tomfeared he had arrived the fraction of a minute too late.
Then up rose Tom's plane, up and up, the powerful engine doing its best,though the machine was carrying double weight. But the Nieuports aremechanical wonders, and once the craft was free of the earth it beganclimbing. Fortunately there were no swift German machines near enough togive effective chase, though some of the heavier bi-motored craft openedfire, as did the cavalry from below, as well as some of theanti-aircraft guns.
But Tom, keeping on full speed, soon climbed up out of danger, and thenswung around for a flight toward his own lines. He could see, ahead ofhim, the fleet of French planes, going back after the raid on the bigguns. Tom's plane was the rearmost one.
Then he knew that he was safe! But he feared for Jack!
One after another, such as were left of the raiding party landed. Theircomrades crowded around them, congratulating them with bubbling words ofjoy. Yet there was sorrow for those that did not return.
"Is he dead?" asked Tom, as orderlies quickly unstrapped Jack, andprepared to carry him to the hospital. "Is he dead?"
"Alive, but badly wounded," said a surgeon, who made a hastyexamination.
And then all seemed to become dark to Tom Raymond.
"Well, Jack, old man, how do you feel?"
"Oh, pretty good! How's yourself?"
"Better, now that they've let me in to see you."
"You got the big guns, I understand."
"You mean _you_ did, too. It was as much your doings as mine. Yes, wesprayed 'em good and proper. They won't fire on Paris again right away,but I suppose they'll not give up the trick, once they have learned it.But we have their number all right. Now you want to hurry up and getwell."
Jack was in the hospital recovering from several bullet wounds. They hadnot been as dangerous as at first feared, but they were bad enough. Tomhad come to see him and give some of the details of the great raid,which Jack had been unable to hear because of weakness. Now he wasconvalescing.
"What's the idea of hurry?" asked Jack. "Are we going after more bigcannon?"
"No, this is a different stunt now. We're going over the Rhine."
"Over the Rhine?" and Jack sat up in bed.
"Monsieur--I must beg--please do not excite him!" exclaimed a prettynurse, hurrying up. "The doctor said he must keep quiet."
"But I want to hear about this," insisted Jack. "Over the Rhine! Say,that'll be great! Carrying the war into the enemy's country for fair!"
"I'll tell you a little later," promised Tom, moving away in obedienceto an entreaty from the nurse.