! boom!

Other crashing sounds announced that the enemy machines were busily at
work. Each pilot pictured the entire camp under bombardment, with the
utmost disaster overtaking the airplanes upon which General Petain was
depending so much to serve as the "eyes" of his brave army.

There was a general and maddened rush. Every one wanted to get to the
camp in the briefest possible space of time. There was no chance for the
actors to change their clothes. They were glad enough of an opportunity
to snatch up a heavy fur-lined coat, either their own or some other
person's. With this to hide their ludicrous attire, and also give some
needed warmth once they went aloft, they hastened to find a waiting car,
which, when loaded to its capacity, would be sent like mad along the
road to the aviation field.

It was one of the most amazing sights imaginable, to see those pilots,
many of whom were world famous, thus garbed. It looked as though some
asylum of freaks had opened its doors and allowed the inmates to escape
to the highways and byways.

Only one thought possessed them all, which was to get to the hangars in
the shortest possible time. When they arrived each anticipated seeking
his particular plane. If that chanced to be out of commission, then
commandeering any other, it mattered little whose, so long as they were
able to go up, and give battle to the audacious Teuton pilots who had
raided their camp at Bar-le-Duc.

"We've got to save our machines!" cried Tom. "Come on!"

"Right you are!" responded Jack.

Tom and Jack were with the rest who found some way to crowd aboard one
of the waiting cars that were seized upon to carry the pilots to the
field. As they went booming furiously along the road they could still
hear those frightful explosions ahead, each one accompanied by a flash
as of lightning. The reports were almost deafening.

Eager eyes were turned aloft. The moon shone, but it was difficult to
make out so small an object as an airplane at a height of a mile or more
without the use of searchlights, and even these were not very efficient
on such a night.

Still, some of the pilots believed they could see several enemy planes
swooping over at a lower level, possibly, they thought, on the lookout
for the procession of cars bearing the aroused Allied aviators to the
hangars.

Bang!

A bomb fell not fifty feet away from the car in which the two chums were
seated. One of their companions received a trifling w