The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-04-10
CHAPTER viii.
The Pursuit Of the Planes.

CHAPTER VIII.
The Pursuit Of the Planes.
-..aTch raised his eyes and an e1cla.
nation burst from his own lips as
well. Just rising from the nearby
range, where he had doubtless been
roosting as he watched, swinging wide
over the plain perhaps two miles dis,
rant and two thousand feet up, mar,
velously distinct in the tenuous noun
tain air, the Flying Man was floating
and soaring with occasional sweeps Of
his thin pinions. Alan had witnessed
his fight with the Inflated Putnam,
but North, now seeing him for the
first time, was fairly awed at the won;
derful poise and ease of the enemy's
flight For perhaps five seconds he
gazed at him in fascination az he con-
tinued to squeeze his companions arm
with an undiminished grip, then re;
leased his hold and gasped: !
Shade Of Darius Green! Now that's
what l call hying!"
He was speaking in fierce, harsh
whisper, already working frantically
at his engine. Don't you dare look
up-don't you dare make q move.
They will all see him In another min.
ute and then things will be turned up
side down. want to get away early
and avoid the rush. He sprang into
his seat and grasped his operating
gear. Make way, there" he roared
at the stragglers about Il am going
to start, and when do I'll be a cy-
clone on wheels. Make way, MAKE
WAY!" Like sheep charged by .
raging wolf, they scattered before the
great monoplane, and North, throwing
on the power, shot forward and sprang
lightly into the air like 4 bounded
rubber ball. With his propeller whir!:
ring at topmost speed he turned at
dizzy slant and a. = bee goes for
its hive 80 did he head onward and
upward for the marvel beyond that
foated 80 buoyantly in the limpid air.
Instantly wild tumult and hoarse
uproar burst forth. A hundred voices
beloved the discovery 1T once and in
half dozen seconds q score Of avia;
tors had leaped upon their seats with
fierce shouts Of warning to the fleeing
crowd. Monoplanes and biplanes
streaked the earth as they achieved
their momentum for the upward leap.
Twenty great propellers were ,whir-
ring, churning, roaring all at once.
Then rising in buzzing flight like a
covey of mammoth grouse, they went
whistling away in twos, threes and
clusters in the wake of North, whose
powerful Blue Dragon" was splitting
the air at nearly ninety miles an hour.
Belts and Fairfield, the last to rise,
collided before they had fairly left the
ground and came down with a crash
and a swapping of wires. themselves
receiving awkward tumbles, but
springing to their feet practically I'm.
hurt. Their machines, however. were
temporarily disabled, and calling down
maledictions upon their luck and each
others heads they could only stand
rooted to the spot like other men and
watch their companions In the mad
million.dollar chase, when but for q
little i'll fortune they would have been
close in their wake. The greatest op.
portunity of lifetime had gone a.
glimmering because someone in hia
frantic haste had blundered. Small
wonder that their rage was boundless.
And now once more the Flying Man
seemed to have made up his mind to
test them out en- masse as he had done
Putnam individually before he had
slain him. For a minute after North
had made his start the other remained
like spider suspended at the end of
his thread, floating practically mo.
tionless in the air, then as the cloud
Of other planes arose and with his
foremost foe more than half way to
him he became active. Throwing him!
self forward upon horizontal In much
the same position as though he was
about to swim in water, he gave a
mighty beat Of his wings. Like a
darling fish he leaped forward hun.
| uTCU ltCL, dAu SIol ing Ill HIknly
circle went. wEistling out over the
plain, his score of pursuers instantly
changing their course to tangent in
order to cut him off, And seeing that
they bid fair to do so the pursued one
Strengthened his course into direct
night, and with his face turned back:
ward over his shoulder led them
straight away. For the next mile tho
Blue Dragon and about half dozen Of
the fastest of the machines seemed to
be holding their own with him, while
the rest, unable to keep up the terrific
pace, gradually strung out behind Ike
kites long tan. Whittier he was
leading them none but himself could
guess, but - for the pursners they
cared little provided they could keep
him in sight. Whistler they ran the
race and fought DE fight over jagged
mountain tops q lsvsl ground made
bittle difference 70 these esasoned sail