Show fill Q r C B GENER ARED ITE ID THE STORY SO FAR FAB intelligence officer dennings warning that foreign troops were poised in tor for an attack on the united states closed caused grave rave concern in army headquarters but bat the people branded the statement rl as war mongering four large lareu southern cities were suddenly attacked from CHAPTER VIII continued As bolls eye went back into the air his mind was lifted sudden S ly out of the depths of black despair by a joyous miracle of develop merit those new planes were clos ing in and he made out by the shape of wings and fuselage that they were not van hassek planes f bolls hand flashed out his field 1 glasses he glued them to the skies from under the wings of those in rushing squadrons flashed the glorious legend U S army american planes plummeted down van hassels Has hornets now were droning about in a lufberry circle awaiting the developments of attack in a twinkling the american bird men projected an audacious assault planes circled dove rolled darted in the throes of combat A plane came whistling down bolls jaw tightened as he saw the first casualty was an american plane but quickly two of van hassek hassels Has bird men came tumbling out of the sky if the van hassek pilots had stalled for reinforcements they now decided upon precipitate flight against superior number another van hassek plane went down in a minute the cloud of darting falcons passed into the distance behind A noon sun was burning the baked hills and swales when bolls survivors rolled in on a second division outpost south of kirk bolls cheek caked in blood was throbbing with pain his right arm hung stiff and useless at his side he climbed from the truck and stolidly checked his command as it came through the outpost forty two moaned in the r throes of wounds twenty nine had been left dead along the crimson road from laredo the outpost commander came hurrying up sorry to report in with my command shot to pieces like this colonel boll reported in grim dejection but the only choice was capture wheres the hospital sir my wounded must have care at once elevenths men are being evacuated to san antonio captain the outpost commander advised colonel denn was killed total casualties casual over three hundred men but maybe not too bad when you consider our border cavalry was all gobbled up the twelfth and fifth are still fighting it out but they any more chance than custer had from all reconnaissance reports well be attacked in force here before many hours pass all r right boll get rolling CHAPTER IX in washington captain benning spent a sleepless nightmare of a night on the assignment from flag will of observing panic stricken streets daybreak and exhaustion restored some degree of reason people moved about now as if stunned but from time to time looking fearfully into the skies or straining at every word ol of radio loudspeakers that had been put in service on principal streets traffic jams finally had been reduced steady streams of cabs and cars were pouring out of the city on all roads thousands flocked about the railway station clamoring for standing space on any train that led away from washington extra editions of newspapers burst into the streets at frequent intervals texas invaded extras massed black headlines over meager dispatches from san antonio van hassek was moving north in three columns american infantry and cavalry were fighting him at the rio grande american second division was moving south to repel the invasion another extra dashed out washington sale safe benning read eagerly it had been as Flag will guessed the night raiders had planted a refueling field back of the tennessee river southwest from nashville the thing had been camouflaged as a new airways enterprise had even been fostered by ambitious and unsuspecting chambers of commerce when the bombers and their convoys of fighting craft had put down to fill their tanks after bombing washington a few mounted machine guns had kept curious natives away the aircraft had taken all personnel off at resuming their flight back to mexico another raid on washington would be possible impossible im unless attack could be launched from the sea that subdued hum of relentless activity filled the munitions building B uil ding faces were lined and gray from strain and fatigue but eyes burned from smudged sockets with stern resolution the nights panic had swept the w whole hole country in the midwest there had been incredulity at first the whole thing r seemed too able invasions bomber raids were wen an intangible atrocity occurring to t distant peoples and recorded in dis I 1 patches those inexplicable matroci installment NINE the air lr washington was bombed and the president killed general brill commander corni of 0 the army in texas reported to general hague at washington that he was opposed by greatly superior forces general hague told him to resist the advance at an all costs brill ordered captain boll to lead the bilth V U S ties belonged to the black pages of shanghai canton and madrid already the hue and cry was rising west of the alleghenies sharp on the heels of the first hysterical waves of fear what of the army why had our armed forces been caught napping why the raiders been detected and shot down the first reports of mobilization of army and national guard were pouring in mobilization was less than one fourth complete the regular army was ready to entrain for concentration points from its far flung network of small garrisons whose location had been dictated by chambers of commerce and congressmen rather than by the necessities of military training in the vital team play of larger units plans were being laid for a call for volunteers that would have to wait action by congress congre Ss but congress could be depended upon now to go the limit A draft army of a million men would come next As for modem equipment that aou would id have to wait there would be no such thing as buying it in france and england even in canada as at the time of the world war A year or two years might elapse ela I 1 apse before industrial mobilization the count rys own resources could |