The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1916-01-27

uIHeu, his dttentlOH arrested Oy the
amiliar sound of an air craft motor
Look. your majesty" said he, turn.
ing and pointing.
A sudden exclamation came from
he lips of Cortislaw.
ut is from Gretzhoffen," he said.
Our own air craft are not modified.
| wonder who planned that raid. You
old me Count Frederick was killed
hat you saw it with your own eyes.
That cannot be. King Michael weak
is he is, never would be afoot-never
would he have had his air craft NOV
ing at this hour. They have been
above our city-it is a mercy if they
have not dropped bombs upon our
shipping"
Look" said Sachio. He indicated
now the course of the pursuing air
raft. which. far from following them
irectly, now swept aside in a great
tangent.
"They are bound also for the yacht"
said Sachio. 1T is not us, but yonder
BOAT they are pursuing. What does ii
is under water or above-they see us
low, if they have eyes. But now they
evade us and pursue the boat which
we pursue. What does it mean? And
Who is in commando"
Slow enough would even keen-witted
Count Sachio have been to guess the
zeal answer to his own question. 1t
vas his enemy who was in command
If this pursuing air craft-Count Fred
rick. not killed, but in full possession
If his powers once more
It had been Frederick's plan to
hasten across the neutral lands and
)ver Grahoffen itself in foray of
scouting and discovery. He wished to
see whether the forces of the enemy
would rally or whether they were to lie
utterly broken, accepting their defeat
And at the last instant, when he had
stepped into the seat of the air craft
he had been followed by one who
would not accept denial from him
the young American. Thus they had
swept across the broad plain, across
the city OF Grahoffen itself, and along
the water frOnt-and now far down
the great arm of the sea which thrust
Up from the south.
The aeroplane for time fell off
from the direct course held by the sub
marine. Ahead of the wind and driven
at top speed by its own tremendous
engines, it advanced in vast sweeps
~ Mt a n h,y
last.
Your majesty" said Count Sachio
at length, laying down the glasses
with which he had been examining the
ship of the air which passed above
them, II was wrong! At first thought
some leader of their aviation corps
had developed this raid today, but ii
is not so. l told you that Count Fred
erick was dead. My eyes must have
deceived me. 1t is he, yonder! He
himself is guiding this pursuit. With
him there is another-a woman, your
majesty! 1t is none less than the
young American, who has been the
most dangerous enemy we yet have
met They two-for what reason ! am
not informed-are aloft together. Their
purpose l can only guess"
The rage of Cortislaw now was such
as left him silent
"Your majesty" said Count Sachio
at last, 1T must be as your majesty
reasons. But it is by sinking yonder
craft, not by saving it, that he can
most hurt us. Yes, l am convinced,
yonder is the coin. How they know it
how they guess 1t, do not know.
More than once it would seem to me
that intuition rather than knowledge
has guided them in their plans. / say
that yonder coin is bewitched and al
ways fights for GretzhofYen and not
for u.s."
The chase went on, and now under
such curious relations as left the three
vessels of the surface. of the subsurf-
ace and of the air. drifting along, none
taking the offensive.
But though the giant air craft fol-
lowed close, seeming ever to hold the
yacht at its mercy. It made no Often
sive movement; 1t seemed rather to
shelter than to menace the fleeing
vessel which steamed on SO calamity.
And in the rear Of both, helpless, Inn
potent. with speed and naught but
speed at its disposal. came the sub
Of Cortislaw and his noble
man. Thus neither of the three could
Or would hurt another.
But Sachio's guess had been right
The governing influence in Gretzhof-
ZEN affairs scarce was so much rea-
ION as instinct, intuition-a wcman's
intuition. For he had been right-a
woman was aloft, yonder with the
,ilot of the air craft.
1T is a curious chase, mademoi. |,
'elle." said Count Frederick, turning
o the companion at his side anr |
peaking so that his voice could b.