the roofs of houses, and masked, so that they
wouldn't be seen except from overhead. They'd be in certain fixed
positions, and the men on the Zeppelins would be able to calculate their
aim, and drop their bombs so many degrees to the left or the right of the
red marking lights."

"But we've got aeroplanes flying about, haven't we?" said Jack. "Wouldn't
they see those lights and wonder about them?"

"Yes, if they were showing all the time. But you can depend on it that
these Germans have provided for all that. They will have arranged for the
Zeppelin to be above the positions, as near as they can guess them, at
certain times--and the lights will only be shown at those times, and then
only for a few seconds. Even if someone else sees them, you see, there
won't be time to do anything."

"You must be right, Harry!" said Jack, nervously. "There's no other way to
explain that message. How are we going to stop them?"

"I don't know yet, but we'll have to work out some way of doing it. It
would be terrible for us to know what had been planned and still not be
able to stop them! I wish I knew where Graves was. I'd like--"

He stopped, thinking hard.

"What good would that do?"

"Oh, I don't want him--not just now. But I don't want him to see me just at
present. I want to know where he is so that I can avoid him."

"Suppose I scout into Bray?" suggested Jack. "I can find out something that
might be useful, perhaps. If any of them from Bray Park have come into the
village to-day I'll hear about it."

"That's a good idea. Suppose you do that, Jack. I don't know just what I'll
do yet. But if I go away from here before you come back, Dick will stay.
I've got to think--there must be some way to beat them!"

CHAPTER XVII

A CAPTURE FROM THE SKIES

Jack went off to see what he could discover, and Harry, left behind with
Dick, racked his brain for some means of blocking the plan he was so sure
the Germans had made. He was furious at Graves, who had discredited him
with Colonel Throckmorton, as he believed. He minded the personal
unpleasantness involved far less than the thought that his usefulness was
blocked, for he felt that no information he might bring would be received
now.

As he looked around it seemed incredible that such things as he was trying
to prevent could even be imagined. After the early rain, the day had
cleared up warm and lovely, and it was now that most perfect of things, a
beautiful summer day