The Project Gutenberg EBook of Battling the Clouds, by Captain Frank Cobb

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Title: Battling the Clouds
or, For a Comrade's Honor

Author: Captain Frank Cobb

Release Date: April 27, 2009 [EBook #28625]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: Battling the Clouds

Aeroplane Boys Series]

[Illustration: "Stop!" cried Ernest. "Stop, Bill! What does this
mean?"]

_AEROPLANE BOYS SERIES VOLUME 1_

BATTLING THE CLOUDS

OR

FOR A COMRADE'S HONOR

BY

CAPTAIN FRANK COBB

[Illustration]

THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO AKRON, OHIO NEW YORK

Copyright, 1921, by
THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY

[Illustration]

AEROPLANE BOYS SERIES

1 BATTLING THE CLOUDS,
OR, FOR A COMRADE'S HONOR

2 AN AVIATOR'S LUCK,
OR, THE CAMP KNOX PLOT

3 DANGEROUS DEEDS,
OR, THE FLIGHT IN THE DIRIGIBLE

BATTLING THE CLOUDS

CHAPTER I

The vast aviation field at Fort Sill quivered in the grilling heat of
mid-July. The beautiful road stretching through the Post looked smooth
as a white silk ribbon in the blazing sun. The row of tall hangars
glistened with fresh white paint. On the screened porches of the
officers' quarters, at the mess, and at the huts men in uniform talked
and laughed as though their profession was the simplest and safest in
the world.

Around the Post as far as the eye could reach the sun-baked prairies
stretched, their sparse grasses burned to a cindery brown. From the
distant ranges came the faint report of guns. The daily practice was
going on. Once in a while against the sky a row of caissons showed up,
small and clear cut.

Overhead sounded the continual droning of airplanes manoeuvering, now
rising, now circling, now reaching the field safely, where they turned
and came gaily hopping along the ground toward the hangars, like huge
dragonflies. And when they finally teetered to a standstill, what
splendid young figures leaped