The Boy Allies in Great Peril Part 50

Swerving suddenly again, Hal, who was in the lead, stopped short, and uttered a cry of pure dismay. The way ahead was blocked. There seemed no way out; and then Chester cried:

"An aeroplane hangar!"

It was true. Fortune had guided their footsteps to possibly the only place in the whole Austrian camp where there was a chance of escape.

Hal wasted no time. Rapidly he mounted the hangar, the others following him closely. The lad uttered a short prayer as he climbed and then gave a great sigh of relief. He had feared there would be no air craft there, but, and Hal cried his relief aloud, there was.

He glanced at the machine quickly and uttered another cry of joy as he made out that the craft was exceptionally large, capable of seating at least ten men, and the additional fact that it was a self starter.

"Climb in quick!" he shouted, leaping into the pilot's seat and taking the wheel.

The others followed this command with all despatch, and Chester took his place at the motor.

"Let 'er go, Chester!" shouted Hal.

There came a faint buzz at first, followed by a louder noise as the motor began to whir; there was the sound of the whizzing propellers, and the machine shot from the hangar with a lurch.

And at the same moment there came from all sides volleys of rifle and pistol shots. Chester felt a sharp tinge in his left arm, and Hal felt the breeze of a bullet as it flew by his ear. Colonel Anderson was untouched, but Stubbs sent up a howl of anguish.

"I'm shot!" he cried and started to his feet.

The machine rocked crazily as he attempted to rise and Colonel Anderson reached quickly up and seized him by the arm.

"Sit down, you fool!" he commanded. "Do you want to spill us all out?"

Hal threw over the elevating lever and the huge air craft soared into the sky. And not until they had reached an alt.i.tude of a thousand feet did Hal straighten the machine out for a level flight.

Then he slowed down a moment to take stock of injuries.

"Hit, Colonel Anderson?" he asked.

"No," was the reply.

"You, Chester?"

"Scratch, I guess," answered Chester. "Bullet touched me on the arm.

Doesn't amount to much."

"Stubbs?" queried Hal.

"I'm killed!" exclaimed the little man, and there was the trace of a quaver in his voice. "Shot through the heart."

"Nonsense!" exclaimed Hal. "If you had been shot through the heart you wouldn't be talking about it now."

"But I was," protested Stubbs.

"Look him over, Colonel Anderson," instructed Hal. "If it's as bad as all that, throw him out. We can't be bothered with excess now."

"No! No! I'm all right!" declared Stubbs, drawing away as Colonel Anderson extended an exploring hand. "I don't think the bullet touched me."

"All right then," declared Hal, smiling to himself, for his ruse had worked. "We'll go ahead then."

"Which way?" demanded Chester.

"Back to the Italian lines; and it behooves us to hurry. There will be a squadron of the enemy after us in a minute."

"Right," declared Chester briefly.

But, much as they would have liked it, they were not to get back within the heart of the Italian army for many a long day; and strenuous times were to befall them before they again saw their mothers, and Uncle John, who was to put in many weary days searching for them.

As Hal headed the huge machine southward, a blinding glare caught his eyes. It cut off his view entirely, and only for the lad's quick wit, might have ended the lives of all.

But the moment the light blinded him Hal acted. He knew in an instant from whence it came, and he swerved to the right so quickly as almost to upset the plane; but it was in time to avoid the forward sweep of an enemy plane.

"Wow!" cried Stubbs. "Don't throw me out!"

"Keep quiet," ordered Hal, when he had slowed down a bit, so as to ease his dazzled eyes and gain his bearings.

"What was the matter?" demanded Chester.

"Matter?" echoed Hal. "You mean to tell me you didn't see that other airship flash by?"

"I didn't," replied Chester.

"Well, I did," declared Hal. "We'll have to get away from here pretty quick. There'll be more of them along in a minute."

He threw over the elevating lever and the craft soared higher into the heavens. And again Hal turned south.

Once more he caught the flash of a hostile craft in time to avoid being run down. Again and again it happened. And at last Hal said:

"Evidently there is no use trying to get back that way. They must be on the lookout for us. What shall we do?"

"Whatever you say," replied Chester.

"We'll take a vote on it," Hal decided. "I'll make my suggestion first."

"All right," was the reply.

"Then I'll suggest that we head in some other direction and keep going until we have pa.s.sed out of the enemy's territory."

"Which way?" asked Colonel Anderson.

Hal considered a few minutes before replying.

"Well," he said finally, "I should say east."

"What!" exclaimed Chester. "Right into the heart of Austria?"