ss home his point.

"It's the best bet we could possibly have!" he argued. "Gee, in that
ship we could be behind the Allied defenses in no time. I say let's try
it, anyway. Gee whiz, Freddy, we might be stuck here for months. There's
no telling what we might run into. What do you say? Are you game to try
it with me?"

The English youth was already smiling and nodding his head.

"Right you are, Dave, I'm game," he said quietly. "Anything's better
than just sitting here. And between us we ought to make a go of it.
Right-o, Dave, if you like."

"That's the stuff!" Dave said and slapped him on the back. "They're all
inside the farm house now, and if we keep back of that field wall,
there, we can get right up close without being seen. When I give you the
sign, run like the dickens for the ship. Gee! We've got to make it,
Freddy. _We've just got to!_"

The two boys looked at each other, nodded, and then started crawling out
from under the bushes on all fours.

CHAPTER TEN

_Trapped In War Skies!_

Hugging the ground at the extreme end of the field wall, Dave and Freddy
stared at the German plane not thirty yards away. The idling propeller
filled the air with a purring sound that struck right to their hearts
and sent the blood surging through their veins in wild excitement. The
feeling of fatigue and body weariness had completely fled them, now. The
thrill of the dangerous adventure ahead filled them with a renewed sense
of strength, and fired them with grim determination.

Dave slowly rose up onto one knee like a track star on his mark at the
starting line. He cast a quick glance back over his shoulder at Freddy,
and nodded.

"Now!" he whispered sharply, and went streaking around the end of the
field wall.

He reached the plane a dozen steps ahead of the English boy, and
practically leaped into the pilot's cockpit forward. No sooner was he
seated and snapping the safety belt buckle than Freddy was scrambling
into the observer's cockpit.

"I'm in!" he heard the English youth sing out.

Shooting out a foot Dave kicked off the wheel brake release. Then he
grabbed hold of the "Dep" wheel control stick with his right hand and
reached for the throttle with his left and gingerly eased it forward.
The B.M.W. engine instantly started to roar up in a song of power. Dave
opened the throttle more and pushed the Dep stick forward to get the
tail up as the Arado started forward.

"Hurry up, Dave!" came Freddy's w