The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1911-12-15
CONTINUED
CHAPTER XIV.

trance of the latter. could see the
dim forms of the other aerOs silent
ly waiting in their places and no ligh
showing about them. The Eagle from
her position was the only one tina,
might be seen from the lodge. but
covered by the shadows of the tai
trees. the tops of many of which rose
above us. | was confident that we
would not be noticed as long as we
did not move.
Now we held consultation in whis
pers. Occasionally we caught glimpses
Of forms moving in the building. They
had taken no pains to close the shut
ters. and we could see three men who
passed at Irregular intervals before the
windows.
IF | knew which was the pirate
would direct you to shoot him down
from here" said the secretary, but
we might make "a mistake"
Suddenly Ethan Haight. who. in his
eagerness, had ventured to leave his
gun and approach us, touched me on
the arm.
There's the Chameleon. iootenant!"
he said. pointing.
1t was fact. Family visible in the
gloom. her form revealed by the light
from behind. the famous aero lay on
her cradle at the shore of the lake.
Ethan touched me again.
Say the word. lootenant. an l kin
send shell into her thet'll put her
out o. commission. Then how's he
goin' to git away?"
1t seemed a good idea, but felt
bound to consult Mr.. Grantham.
1T might be the best thing to do"
he said. IF you were sure of hitting
vital spot. But in the darkness I'm
doubtful Of that"
ITS resky shot. sir" put in Ethan.
"but If you'll let me try it I'll bet a
Connecticut cigar that the Chame
leon III not fly ag'in for awhile"
But Mr. Grantham shook his head.
"a letter way" he whispered
would he to drop silently down across
the lake and seize her where she lies"
.But they would see us approach"
Suppose they do. We could get
there ahead of them. and at signal
the other aeros would be upon them"
After little further whispering we
finally settled upon this plan against
my better judgment and greatly to the
disappointment Of Ethan Haight. who
went off grumbling. AS it turned out.
Ethan's idea was the best.
In dead silence | got the men all
ready for rush the moment we
should reach the side of the Chame-
leon, and then. rising little to clear
the shafts Of light from the windows,
we began cautiously to cross the lake.
We were about halfway across and
had dropped nearer the water and l
was congratulating myself on our
prospective success when a fash like
blue lightning came from the Chame-
leon. followed by the loud whish of
an electric gun. which blended with n
sharp splintering report as shell
struck the Eagle.
We were upset by the shock. and
the Eagle veered from her course, her
nose shooting up In the air. while one
Of her aeroplanes dipped and swept
the water like broken wing. In an
instant another shell came. which also
struck us. ripping up part Of the
deck and narrowly missing her mo-
tors
We were the surprised party and
surprised with vengeance. Payton.
as we afterward learned. always had
a crew aboard the Chameleon, and
even when they were In their "home
port" they did not altogether relax
their vigilance.
Luckily nobody aboard rs was hit,
but the damage done was sufficient to
render the Eagle virtually unmanage-
able.
The noise produced an immediate eff
feet upon the people in the lodge.
There were the sounds Of running to
and fro. doors were slammed. agonized
screams reached our ears, and in an
incredibly brief time we saw three
men dragging two women down the
short path from the building to the
Chameleon.
For Gods sake" cried the secretary.
do something quick! Payton is run
uing away with his prisoners"
But we were powerless to interfere,
the Eagle lowering and dipping like a
wounded bird over the lake and refus.
ing to answer her helm. We could not
even return the fire. for neither Of our
guns could be brought to bear, and II
they could have been we might have
killed the prisoners as they were car
ried aboard.
managed to signal the other aeros
to close in. I doubt II they noticed the
signals, but they endeavored to close
just the same. I saw the blue flashes
from two or three Of their guns as
they swept down over the trees to the
lake, but the shells exploded In the