position, threw up his hands, fell backward and out of the
plane. A thrill of horror shot through John, and he shut his eyes a
moment to keep from seeing that falling body.

"What has happened?" asked Lannes, who had not looked around.

"Wharton has shot the man at the machine gun clean out of the aeroplane.
He must be falling yet."

"Ghastly, but necessary. Has anybody taken the slain man's place?"

"Yes, another has sprung to the gun! But he's gone! Wharton has shot him
too! He's fallen on the floor of the car, and he lies quite still."

"Your friend is indeed a sharpshooter. How many men are left in the
plane?"

"Only one! No, good God, there's none! Wharton has shot the third man
also, and now the machine goes whirling and falling through space!"

"I said that friend of yours must be a sharpshooter," said Lannes, in a
tone of awe, "but he must be more! He must be the king of all riflemen.
It's evident that the _Omnibus_ knows how to defend herself. I'll swing
in a little, and you can take a shot or two."

John fired once, without hitting anything but the air, which made no
complaint, but the battle was over. Horrified by the fate that had
overtaken their comrades and seeing help for their enemy at hand the
Taubes withdrew.

The _Arrow_ and the _Omnibus_ flew on toward the French lines, whence
other machines were coming to meet them.

CHAPTER XI

THE CONTINUING BATTLE

The _Arrow_ bore in toward the _Omnibus_. Wharton had put his rifle
aside and was staring downward as if he would see the wreck that he had
made. Lannes called to him loudly:

"You've saved us all!"

Wharton looked rather white, but he shouted back:

"I had no other choice."

The French aeroplanes were around them now, their motors drumming
steadily and the aviators shouting congratulations to Lannes and
Caumartin, whom they knew well. It was a friendly group, full of pride
and exultation, and the _Arrow_ and the _Omnibus_ had a triumphant
escort. Soon they were directly over the French, and then they began
their descent. As usual, when they reached the army they made it amid
cheers, and the first man who greeted John was short and young but with
a face of pride.

"You have come back to us out of the air, Monsieur Scott," he said, "and
I salute you."

It was Pierre Louis Bougainville, made a colonel already for
extraordinary, almost unprecedented, valor and ability in so young a
man. John recognized his rank by his unifo