?" asked Tom, after the air service boys had been
moving along for a brief time, often so close to the top of the ridge
that they could make out the character of the trees growing there.

"Not a thing, Tom. I hope now we haven't made a wrong play, and all this
while kept running away from the place."

"No danger of that," and Tom's confident way of saying this gave Jack
considerable peace of mind. "There's the river, and we can easily see
which way it runs, and this is the left bank all right. We ought to
strike that break any minute now. The Lorrainer told me it lay just on
the other side of the gap."

"And it seems that some small stream comes through the ridge by way of
that valley and joins the Meuse there, you said. But if we don't make a
rise pretty soon I'm afraid our goose will be cooked. That little amount
of petrol left isn't going to last much longer."

"Hold your horses, and don't cross a bridge before you come to it. Right
now I believe I can see something ahead that looks like a dip in the
ridge. The chances are it's going to be that gap the man told about."

On hearing this news Jack strained his eyesight more than ever, and soon
gave tongue again. No need of using his novel little wireless outfit
when the engine was purring so softly and the propellers were revolving
just fast enough to keep the plane moving slowly.

"As usual, you're right about that dip. It's there sure enough; and
already I more than half believe I can make out something perched on the
ridge beyond that's likely to be our chateau."

"Then we've got to be on the lookout for a landing-place," announced the
pilot. "It would hardly do to run smack up close to the place. Some of
them might happen to be awake, and the sound of our machine would bring
them out to investigate. We're taking enough chances as it is, without
that."

So he went still lower, just creeping along as it were, and both of them
eagerly watched for an open spot.

Tom even circled so as to come down near the low ground at the foot of
the ridge. No doubt they would have a far better chance to run across a
landing-place there than where the ground was rocky and more
precipitous. They had also to bear in mind that it would be necessary to
make an ascent later on, if all went well; which must require a certain
amount of ground level enough to make the preliminary run.

After all it was Jack who made the discovery, Tom's attention being in
part taken up with the re