hing that ever
happened for the boys of America. If I had sons, they should everyone
of them join one of your troops as soon as they were old enough."

"We forgot to tell you, sir, about hearing those two men rushing
through the dense woods and thickets just after the explosion last
night. They seemed to act as if more or less frightened; and I
guessed that they may have had a narrow escape from being struck by
your bomb."

At that, the other burst into a laugh.

"That is a rich joke," he declared. "Possibly in the excitement of
the moment, after being knocked down by the shock, they may have
suspected that we knew of their presence and were trying to
encompass their destruction. But I am glad it happened that way.
Perhaps they may have more respect for Uncle Sam's Flying Squadron
after this, and fight shy of running their heads into trouble. I'll
have the guards at the camp doubled at night time, and any straggler
will be apt to find it pretty warm around there: I'd advise all
persons who have no business at our headquarters to give the camp a
wide berth, or something not down on the bills might happen, to their
surprise and consternation as well."

"If you haven't run across these men, sir," Hugh remarked, "of course
you could hardly say who they might be."

"I can give a pretty good guess, though," came the prompt reply. "We
have been dogged by a pair of spies on former occasions, the one a
short Jap, and the other, much taller, undoubtedly a German. Both of
them happen to be famous aviators in their own countries, which was
doubtless why they were sent out to discover what the Flying Squadron
was doing up here in secret."

"I suppose their main objects would be to learn the composition of
this latest thing in explosives, and to take note of your war aeroplane,
so as to steal the improvements," Hugh went on to say, being desirous
of learning all he could while the other was in this communicative
frame of mind.

"They would actually have to examine the flier before they could learn
what it represents to the army aviation corps; and we keep it closely
guarded all the time we are not in the air. So much of a secret are
several things connected with this monoplane, that I cannot mention
them, even to such patriotic chaps as you are."

"And we don't blame you, sir, surely we don't!" exclaimed Bud promptly.
"Us inventors have to be pretty careful how we let people see what
we've struck! Lots of ideas ha