Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1914-01-16
CHAPTER XIII.


The Second Victory.
1t was the Tuesday before Thanks
giving day.
No one would have thought that
the sunshiny, clear sky would soon be
the fielu of the first aerial encounter.
Napoleon took leave of his wife and
mother, assuring them that as soon
as. he had finished his task he would
hurry back to them. After another
embrace from Astra he assembled to
the roof Of the Crystal Palace and
stepped into the Eagle. He was alone.
He floated slowly toward the east.
His preparations were complete.
Jerome Whistler had marshaled all
the men together and they had taken
the aerodromones from the island.
The busy little place was as silent as
the grave this Tuesday morning.
Napoleon rose high In the air and
connected his graph with young Sui.
livan who, with his three helpers, had
been patrolling the Pacific Ocean all
| night Young Sullivan told him that
they had sighted four blue-flagged
aerodromones headed for America an
hour before. They were grouped to-
gether and carried large, heavy OBJ
ject.
Napoleon told Sullivan to stop them
and make them drop the object into
the ocean. II they refused to obey
Sullivan was ordered to use his judg-
ment in his treatment of them, but
they were not to be permitted near
the coast. Young Sullivan bowed and
the connection was broken.
The young man was using the Hawk,
the machine Santos Duprel had used.
He went straight forward to meet the
four strange aerodromones that were
approaching slowly, being handicapped
by the tremendous weight they we're
carrying. He signaled for his three
men to come to his assistance. They
answered from the north and south
and he knew that they would hasten
to him. He sped onward. meeting the
four strange aerodromones. They had
slackened their pace and the foremost
answered Sullivan's Hello"
What do you want?" he asked in
German, through the speaking tube.
81 want you to drop that balloon
that you are carrying into the ocean
right here!" replied Sullivan. decid.
edly, in the same language.
We'll drop 1t in good time. my
friend"
When the four aerodromones re-
fused to stop their fight toward CT.
ryne. Sullivan made a dart forward
and upward and those in the bur
dened crafts, knowing the Significance
OF that upward dart, rose also.
"Will you drop that?" shouted Sui.
livan.
The answer was a hail of bullets.
Sullivan was surprised to see that
they bored into the protecting shell
Of his machine. They did not entirely
penetrate the cirynith. THAT is some.
thing new" thought he. After the
return to Ciryne he examined those
bullets and found each tipped with
diamond chips.
He saw, in the distance, two other
aerodromones coming in answer to his
call for assistance.
| The four hostile aerodromones con
tinued their fire, and finally Sullivan
pulled the lever that discharged the
collected lightning. 1t struck the metal
shell Of the bomb and the next second
an explosion came that sent the flock
Of machines high up into the air. Sui
livan's 'dromone, being to one side
did not suffer the shock that the 9th
ers had, and he succeeded in spread
ing the wings and checking the up
ward flight
The nature Of cirynith was such that
the aerodromones escaped without
much damage. but had the explosive
found greater resistance than air
there would have been great havoc
among the machines.
The awful shock in the air was felt
by Napoleon, who was circling above
Madeira. He knew what had hap
pened, as his aerial instruments told
him that the disturbance had been In
the air and not on the earth's surface
Ciryne was safe. He had been walt
ing for Rositta, but now, fearing that
her feet had been diverted to another
course, he hastened to meet her.
Just as he sighted the Spanish coast
he saw, spread out in great crescent
seventeen birds. He recognized the
Princess" as the glittering bird in the
center. leading. His powerful tsle