Show J V r El f l lw w KV M 1 x V by P special with tb the right II C In Great Britain 1 t lp Syndicate Ie t 1 Canada ami t nil Australia I A All II rr r cne I for tor by the tbt A A. A ke Ht Copy Copy- I Frine D Holland HolisM Italy Spain Russia 1919 by Edward V V. All 11 I ami irni the Sean countries Continued from CHAPTER Frank Luke Strafes His Last Balloon BaBoon R side could afford aCCord to leave leava N NEITHER its tines lines undefended by ob observation observation Cr a tion lion balloons for Cor a longer period than was wag necessary for replacements Our onslaught of or the early carly morning had do- do stroy d so 80 many mony o oC of the tile Huns' Huns however that th It was quite impossible I ICor for Cor or them to pet get new balloons up at all j jonce once along their entire sector I That same flame afternoon I flew along alone their lines JInes to sec ace what progress the they were wro making In replacements ot or their observation atlon posts POts The only balloon I could discover In our section was as ono which v lifted its head Just behind the tho town of SI r sur use I mado made a note of or Its position and decided to tr try to bring It Il down carl early next morning Accordingly ly I J was up again al at the tho same hour the following da day and again found Cound the sk sky promised clear weather Leaving ln tho tim field at ut Ci O 1 a again aln took tooka a course over o Verdun In order to pick pickup up tho the river rl there and follow Cullo it as a guide On Oti this occasion I caught a grand grandview grandview view of no rio mans man's land as seen from tram the theair theair theall air all by night It was not yet ct daylight when I 1 reach reached d the tue lines and nd there thero I caught a Jon longitudinal view of oC the span of ground round that separated the two op opposing 01 0 posing armies For or upon both sides of or orthis this span of or ground a R horizontal line I of flashes could be eon seen 1 Issuing from front the mouths of rival guns KUns The German batteries were wc-ro drawn up along 1011 their front scarcely R n. mile back of or their line And on ott our side a vastly more crowded line of ot na flashes hes Indicated the tho overwhelming superiority In numbers of oC guns tuns that the American artillerymen artillery artillery- men were using to belabor the tho already vanquished Huns So far as my eye cc could reach this dark space la lay outlined outlined out out- lined between the tile two lines JInes of oC living ln i fire It was as a most spectacular sight I followed down Its course for Cor a few Cew miles then turned again s to the tile north I n I rIt 1 u nu U LV luDO I Cf Yank Honker to So Worry orry orr After Arter ten minutes minutes' flight into Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- many I realized I had crossed the river rl before I J began to turn north and that thal I must be some distance Inside the enemy's lines I dropped down still lower as 15 I saw the outlines of a town In front of or me rae and circling above e It I discovered ere that I 1 had penetrated some twenty five miles mites inside and was now over o the thc village of Stenay I J had overshot o SI r by about twenty miles mile I I 1 lost no time In iii heading about T t w up u tie tle I first lr t struck west and find followed thU course until I had the tho Mouse river again all under m my nose Then turning up tho the river I flew Just above tho thorand road rand which follows aJon along Its banks It was now no getting light II-ht enough h to distinguish objects on the tho ground be beI be- be I low 0 v. v This Mouse eulle river highway Is a lo el lovely drive to take tuko in III the daytime for It passes through h a fertile and picturesque picturesque esque countr country The little elt city of or Dun- Dun MUr- MUr sur-Meuse sur euse stands out on a small cliff which Juts Into a bend of oC the river making makinI a a. most moot charming picture of what a medieval medle town should look like 1 passe passed directly down Main stroet over o Dun sur and again picked up tho the broad hl highway hwa that clung to the he bank of the river rl Occasional ve vehicles c 0 hicle were now abroad below me Day had broken and tho the Huns HunH were up and read ready for work T y iv L u 10 0 me mo n l J 1 ml nt as well fly I a bit lower and nd entertain the passing Huns with a little bullet bullet- do dodging as wo 0 met mel each cacti other My 1 mornings morning's work was spoiled ana anyway It was becoming too late to take on onH onIt H It balloon now Perhaps I ml might ht meet meeta a general In his automobile and find It would bo be fun un to see sec him Jump for Cor tho time ditch and throw himself down doWil on his is face at the tho bottom If It I was fortunate fortunato fortunato for for- enough h to get him that would surel surely bo be helping along tho ho war war Fires rift PUt Shot Shob nt at Ahead head of oC me rUe I 1 1 saw sa a truck moving moving rno- rno In ing slowly lr In tho ho samo same direction I was going Hero Here goes for Cor tho Ito first one I J salt said to m myself I 1 tipped Upped down tho the nose of or m my machine and re reached ched for tor formy formy tormy my trl triggers s As my nose went down something appeared over m my top wing which took aWn away m my breath for an art Instant There l In my path was a l huge huS- one enemy my observation balloon It was swaying 5 In tho tio breeze and tho tIme cable which held It to earth carth ran straight down until Jt It reached tho ho moving o uck tr ahead of me nic Then It became clear as daylight to me mc The Huns were cere towing a new balloon up tho the road rond to Its position for or observation I j Tho They hud had just received a replacement from tho Ito supply station of oC sur Dun-sur- and after aCter filling it with gas bUS were now getting It forward a 1 rapIdly rap rap- Idly as pos possible It was vas Just tho the tarbet target target tar tar- get bet I had been searching for Forgetting tho time truck and cr crow w. w I J flattened out hu Instantly and began n firing firing fir fir- ing at al time the swaying monster In So clone to It had I conic come before I saw It that I 1 had only time limo to fire a burst of ot flU fifty shots when I w wa forced to make a a. vertical Ius e to avoid crashing through It I was then lien but hut four foul or five I hundred feet above gre ground u n d. d Just as I r began the tle virago virago- I heard the tat tnt of oC a machine gun Iun gunfire gunfire fire from the truck on the road be beneath beneath boncath bo- bo neath me And mingled with this drum drumfire drumfire fire lire I heard the sound of oC an explosion slon sion In tho the o Just behind mj my ear Ono One of ot their e explosive c bullets had come como e very close chose to m my ray head ant and had exploded against a longeron o or wire In the tall tail of the aeroplane There was Wag nothing I could do about abou that however except pt to tl fly along llong as steadily as ns possible until I reached rc a place of or Iafet and could mat make e en an n nIn In Investigation of oC the damage e received I cleared the side of oC tc tLc gas bag baS am and then lien as I J passed I 1 turned and looked behind me mc G Gnu Gis line Bog nur mb Info Flame llames II The Thc enemy balloon was Just at the point of or exploding and the thc observer r had already leaped aped from Crom his lila basket and was vas still dropping through al air with his parachute not yet ct opened It was a aIr Ir very short distance to Mother Earth and sometimes a parachute needs two to or three hundred feet Ceet falIn fail fal nIl In which to open fully and che check k the swiftness of or the falling failing bod body I wondered wondered won won- dered whether r this poor chap had hac hadan an any chance for tor his life 1110 In that short shor distance and Just what bones ho he wa was as likely to br brak ak when he ho landed And then hell came a great reat burst of oC fire tire a athe althe an al anthe the whole hole Interior of oC th the big bij balloon b became suddenly ignited I couldn't couldn resist one hout of oC exultation at th the magnificent display of oC fireworks I had hac thus set oft off hoping meantime that tha its dull glare would reach the tho eyes eye of oC some of oC our own ol balloon observers observer across the lines who would thus b bIn be beIn ii In a L position to give e me Inc the thc confirma confirma- lion ion of oC my lily eleventh elc victor victory |