be seen hanging in the air
like a large bubble.

It went up in a slanting direction, and then, after describing several
uncertain curves, steered straight for the enemy's balloon, which also
began to rise at once.

Hundreds of thousands of eyes were following the course of those two
little yellow dots up in the clear, early morning air, as the mountain
edges began to be tipped with pink. The Japanese air-ship had reached a
position a little to one side of that occupied by the 28th Regiment,
when a tiny black speck was seen to leave it and to gain in size as it
fell with increasing velocity. When it reached the ground a vivid red
flame shot up. Tremendous clouds of smoke followed, mixed with dark
objects, and the distant mountains resounded with loud peals of thunder
which died away amid the angry rumblings in the gorges.

"That was a big bomb," said the captain, "and it seems to have done
considerable mischief."

Now a little puff of white smoke issued from the American air-ship and
ten seconds later an explosive body of some sort burst against a wall of
rock.

"If they keep on like that they'll only hit our own men," said the
lieutenant.

"The Jap is ascending," cried some one, and again all the field-glasses
were directed towards the two ships.

Now both were seen to rise.

"The Japs are throwing down everything they've got in the way of
explosives," cried the captain. A whole row of black spots came rushing
down and again came the thunder caused by the bursting of several bombs
one after the other.

The Jap went up rapidly and then crossed the path of the American
balloon about two hundred yards above it.

Suddenly the yellow envelope of the American air-ship burst into flames,
lost its shape and shrunk together, and the ship fell rapidly among the
valleys to the left, looking like the skeleton of an umbrella that has
been out in a gale of wind.

"All over," said the lieutenant with a sigh. "What a shame! We might
just as well have done that ourselves."

High up in the blue ether hovered the Japanese air-ship; then it
described a curve to the left, went straight ahead and then seemed
suddenly to be swallowed up in the morning light. But soon it appeared
again as a gray speck against the clear blue sky, and turning to the
right once more, got bigger and bigger, came nearer, and finally steered
back straight for the Blue Mountains. And then the thunder of cannon was
heard from the right.

*