Everywhere the Huns had been held. In certain sectors3 their line was cracking badly. There were evidences of a retreat on a large scale. Demoralization was sapping their ranks like a canker, while the morale4 of the Allies, never low in spite of reverses, was again on the rise. At the same time Fritz still had a certain amount of kick left in him. He might strive to stave off disaster by rallying the best of his badly-shaken troops and attempt another break through, in the hope that if the operation were successful he might be able to effect a possible peace by negotiation5.
It was therefore necessary to keep a vigilant6 watch upon the Germans' back-areas, to observe any great concentration of troops or material, and to continue harassing7 his lines of communication; and the only way to do this was by means of that juvenile8 but virile9 branch of the service, the R.A.F.
That day machines were up in hundreds. The sky seemed stiff with biplanes and monoplanes, all bearing the distinctive10 red, white, and blue circles. Each machine had a definite object in view—a set task to perform.
On the other hand the Boche was chary11 of going aloft. Not a single black-cross machine crossed our lines. Even the famous Hun circuses kept well away from the scene, since Fritz recognized the Allied12 superiority in the air, and rarely, if ever, tried conclusions with superior numbers. Therein lies the difference. British and French airmen are sportsmen, ready to rush in whenever an opportunity offers, and scorning to decline a combat against heavy odds13; German flyers are almost invariably cold-blooded, scientific men who calculate their chances deliberately14 before venturing to meet their aerial foes15.
Keeping Kaye's 'bus in full view, for both airmen were bound for practically the same destination, Derek flew all out, passing over the German lines at less than two thousand feet. Not an Archibald greeted his appearance. Fritz was getting tired of being strafed, and was beginning to find that it paid better to lie doggo than to invite a few bombs or a hail of machine-gun fire from passing aeroplanes.
Steering16 partly by compass, and correcting his course by observation of prominent landmarks17, Derek held on. Other 'buses passed and repassed—bombers, chasers, and reconnaissance machines—some of the pilots waving a greeting to the squat18, businesslike EG 19.
It was a bright, sunny day, although here and there dark clouds drifted slowly across the sun. The ground beneath was honeycombed with shell-craters, and dotted with mounds20 that at one time, not so very long ago, were prosperous villages. A canal, almost dry owing to the destruction of the locks, cut the landscape in an unswerving straight line, while a network of railways, most of them constructed immediately after the big German offensive, spread like a gigantic cobweb as far as the eye could see.
There was plenty of smoke, for it was now the Huns' turn to set fire to their own ammunition21-dumps, while at frequent intervals22 long-distance naval23 guns would drop their gigantic projectiles24, that burst in a mighty25 cloud of black and orange-tinted smoke.
Viewed from the air, the scene of the mighty battle was tame. Distance hid the hideous26 and ghastly details, while in the pure atmosphere the indescribable but distinctive stenches from the field of carnage were not perceptible. If distance did not exactly lend enchantment27 to the view it certainly threw a kindly28 veil over most of its shortcomings.
Half an hour passed. Kaye's 'bus was still in sight. If anything, Derek was gaining on her, but in the air five minutes' start is a long one. The two biplanes were now practically alone, although a flight was visible at a great distance to the south-east.
The objective, Les Jumeaux junction, was now in sight, like a four-pointed star; for all around the converging29 railway lines were sheds and huts that were not in existence three months previously30. That the spot was protected by anti-air-craft guns there could be little doubt, while Derek could see a huge sausage-balloon being rapidly hauled down—a sign that Fritz was aware of the approach of British 'planes.
Suddenly Kaye swerved31 from his course and held on in a southerly direction.
"Wonder what's happened to the old bean?" thought Derek. "He was making straight for the jolly old place, and now he's wandering off the track."
Fifteen seconds later Derek solved the mystery, for, approaching the British biplane, was a small monoplane of unmistakably Hun construction—one of the admitted failures of the German Air Service.
The Hun hesitated, banking32 and circling as if doubtful whether to meet the British craft or to seek safety in flight, while Kaye, all out, bore down to the attack.
"Kaye'll mop him up in a brace33 of shakes," declared Derek, as he too swung round. "I'll stand by and see the scrap34."
Then, seized by an inspiration, he added, "Supposing Fritz has a card up his sleeve?"
Just then the German spun35 round on one wingtip and began to fly from his antagonist36. Kaye's biplane was then about four hundred yards away from, and considerably37 higher than, the monoplane, and manoeuvring in order to pump a trayful of ammunition into the other's tail.
"Juggins!" ejaculated Derek; "he's let himself into a pretty hole. Properly tricked."
For out of a rift19 in the clouds, through which the brilliant sunshine poured dazzlingly, three large Hun triplanes swooped38. It was an old trick, but Kaye looked like falling a victim to the ruse39. His whole attention centred upon the monoplane, which was merely a decoy, he was quite ignorant of the presence of three machines that were waiting to pounce40 down upon the swallower of the aerial bait.
Derek began to climb, at the same time changing direction in an attempt to intercept41 the trio of Huns. Without a doubt they had spotted42 him, but contemptuous of the almost insignificant43 EG 19 they held on, with the evident intention of first strafing the pursuer of the decoy, and then "mopping up" the second British machine.
Suddenly the decoy, finding that Kaye was perilously44 close to his tail-plane, dived vertically45. Kaye promptly46 followed suit, while the triplanes, owing to their dead-weight, hesitated to imitate the dangerous stunt47.
For a good two thousand feet the Hun monoplane dropped like a plummet48, with its engine all out and a long trail of vapour from its noisy exhaust. Then the Hun began a loop that finished him. Making too sharp a curve, the monoplane burst two of the most important tension-wires, and the next instant the wings folded like those of a resting butterfly.
Kaye, finding his antagonist crashing, flattened49 out, and, as he did so, became aware of the presence of the three triplanes and of his chum flying at full speed to intercept them.
Without hesitation50 Kaye joined in the fray51. There was no loss of time, for the combatants were approaching an aggregate52 speed of well over two hundred and twenty miles an hour.
A mutual53 exchange of machine-gun fire produced no visible result, although several tracer-bullets passed perilously close to Kaye's 'bus. Then, banking steeply, the triplanes again endeavoured to close.
It was Derek's opportunity, and he seized it. Broadside on to two of the Huns, he let fly with his machine-gun. Down went one of the triplanes in flames, while the second, considerably damaged, rocked violently until the pilot succeeded in getting the machine again under control.
Fitting a fresh drum of ammunition, Derek again manoeuvred to renew the attack. As he swung round he saw, to his consternation54, that Kaye's 'bus was falling, while long-drawn tongues of flame showed that his chum's machine was not only shot down, but that it was shot down in flames.
Filled with a blind rage, and eager to avenge55 his comrade, Derek dived steeply upon the triplane that had sent Kaye's 'bus on its headlong flight.
The German machine-gunner at the after gun was pumping in lead as fast as he could. Bullets, many of them of the tracer pattern, whizzed and screeched56 past the little British machine. A tension-wire snapped like a harp-string, one end cutting through Derek's flying-helmet and drawing blood from his forehead. He was dimly conscious of jagged rips in his leather coat, of rents in the planes, and particularly of a bullet cutting a deep groove57 in the three-ply decking of the fuselage. Then, just at the critical moment, the gun jammed badly.
Desperately58 Derek strove to rectify59 the defect, the 'bus meanwhile steering itself. Once he glanced up to see where his antagonist was. The triplane had vanished. Struck in a vital part a few seconds before the jamming of the British aeroplane's gun, the Hun was falling absolutely out of control.
To change over the two automatic-guns was a matter of a few moments; then, again fit for action, the biplane made towards the remaining Hun. The triplane, however, had had enough. With her powerful engines all out she incontinently fled from her much smaller antagonist.
Leaning over the side of the fuselage Derek looked earthwards. The ground was well-wooded, and apparently60 flat, although the pilot knew the deceptive61 aspect of undulating land when viewed from a height. Two columns of smoke, trending towards the west, marked the spots where the British and the Hun machines had descended62 in flames.
Vol-planing spirally, Derek kept a sharp look-out for signs of enemy occupation. He saw none. No Boches sent their obnoxious63 shrapnel-shells screeching64 through the air; no field-grey patrols opened fire with their rifles and machine-guns upon the now low-flying biplane. There were no signs of the civilian65 population. Thirty miles behind the battle-line Derek had struck a desolate66 and deserted67 patch of what had been, and was soon to be again, the soil of La Belle68 France.
The British and German machines had crashed within four hundred yards of each other. Which was which Daventry could not determine, for already the huge triplane and its small antagonist were little more than heaps of fiercely-burning debris69.
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1
junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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2
avowed
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| adj.公开声明的，承认的v.公开声明，承认( avow的过去式和过去分词) | |
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3
sectors
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| n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形 | |
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4
morale
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| n.道德准则，士气，斗志 | |
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5
negotiation
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| n.谈判，协商 | |
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6
vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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7
harassing
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| v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人） | |
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8
juvenile
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| n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的 | |
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9
virile
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| adj.男性的；有男性生殖力的；有男子气概的；强有力的 | |
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10
distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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11
chary
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| adj.谨慎的，细心的 | |
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12
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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13
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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14
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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15
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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16
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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17
landmarks
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| n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址） | |
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18
squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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19
rift
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| n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入 | |
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20
mounds
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| 土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆 | |
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21
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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22
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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23
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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24
projectiles
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| n.抛射体( projectile的名词复数 )；（炮弹、子弹等）射弹，（火箭等）自动推进的武器 | |
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25
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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26
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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27
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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28
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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29
converging
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| adj.收敛[缩]的，会聚的，趋同的v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的现在分词 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集 | |
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30
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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31
swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
banking
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| n.银行业，银行学，金融业 | |
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33
brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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34
scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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35
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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36
antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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37
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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38
swooped
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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40
pounce
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| n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意 | |
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41
intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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42
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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43
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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44
perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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45
vertically
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| adv.垂直地 | |
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46
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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47
stunt
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| n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长 | |
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48
plummet
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| vi.(价格、水平等)骤然下跌；n.铅坠；重压物 | |
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49
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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50
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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51
fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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52
aggregate
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| adj.总计的，集合的；n.总数；v.合计；集合 | |
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53
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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54
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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55
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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56
screeched
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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57
groove
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| n.沟，槽；凹线，（刻出的）线条，习惯 | |
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58
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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59
rectify
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| v.订正，矫正，改正 | |
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60
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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61
deceptive
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| adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的 | |
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62
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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63
obnoxious
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| adj.极恼人的，讨人厌的，可憎的 | |
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64
screeching
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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65
civilian
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| adj.平民的，民用的，民众的 | |
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66
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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67
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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68
belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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69
debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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