general to whose attention Tam's act of
genius had been brought, "how did your man know it was the gun?"

"You see, sir," said Blackie, "Tam got to know that Fritz believed his
machine was armored, and he thought they would be keen to see the armor,
and so he took up a plate of tin and dropped it. What was more natural
than that they should retrieve the armor and take it to the experts for
examination? Tam waited till he saw the sunlight reflected on the tin
near one of the guns--knew that he had found his objective--and dropped
for it!"

"An exceedingly ingenious idea!" said the brigadier.

This message Blackie conveyed to his subordinate.

"A'm no' puffed-up aboot it," said Tam. "'Twas a great waste o' good
tin."

CHAPTER VI

THE LAW-BREAKER AND FRIGHTFULNESS

It is an unwritten law of all flying services that when an enemy machine
bursts into flames in the course of an aerial combat the aggressor who
has brought the catastrophe should leave well enough alone and allow his
stricken enemy to fall unmolested.

Lieutenant Callendar, returning from a great and enjoyable strafe, was
met by three fast scouts of the Imperial German Flying Service. He shot
down one, when his gun was jammed. He banked over and dived to avoid the
attentions of the foremost of his adversaries, but was hit by a chance
bullet, his petrol tank was pierced and he suddenly found himself in the
midst of noisy flames which said _"Hoo-oo-oo!"_

As he fell, to his amazement and wrath, one of his adversaries dropped
after him, his machine-gun going like a rattle. High above the
combatants a fourth and fifth machine, the one British and the other a
unit of the American squadron, were tearing down-skies. The pursuing
plane saw his danger, banked round and sped for home, his companion
being already on the way.

"Ye're no gentleman," said Tam grimly, "an' A'm goin' to strafe ye!"

Fortunately for the flying breaker of air-laws, von Bissing's circus was
performing stately measures in the heavens and as von Bissing's circus
consisted of ten very fast flying-machines, Tam decided that this was
not the moment for vengeance and came round on a hairpin turn just as
von Bissing signaled, "Attack!"

Tam got back to the aerodrome to discover that Callendar, somewhat burnt
but immensely cheerful, was holding an indignation meeting, the subject
under discussion being "The Game and How It Should Be Played."

"The brute knew jolly well I was crashi