The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-26

IL yOuE SIdDll1Cy QeV1co IS uaDle to get out of order at or above a height of 2,000 feet it could easily be fixed, I suppose, to break down at a much lower altitude"
 "Why, certainly" said the astonished lieutenant.
 "And what would be the resultT'
 "The plane would side slip and fall like stone"
 The lieutenant did not move. He ad- dressed himself seriously to the major.
 "You know what this means, sir?" he inquired.
 "Quite," said the major calmly. "The facts are very simple, Graham. No one is allowed even to go near that machine unless you or I accompany him. Therefore, if by some incon- ceivable chance a couple of Asiatic thieves sneak past our sentries, open the door of the shed, climb into the machine, start the engine and make test flight, it won't be our fault if they break their necks, will it?"
 The young officer was puzzled, but made no further protest.
 "Come with me- gentlemen" he said. "You are talking in riddles, but I guess I'll put rocks in the road for those enterprising thieves you speak of"
 He led the party to shed which stood well away from the main group of hangars. It was separated by a couple of hundred yards from high wooden fence, and the guide explain ed that not only must two visible sen tries be passed before any one could even approach the shed, but a corporal and three men were always on guard inside, while yet another sentry pa trolled the public road which lay on the other side of the boundary fence. While they walked, therefore, Man. ming reviewed the situation in detail The soldier listened with growing amazement.
 By love-" he said at last, "your sto- " fits in with something I heard in the mess the otffer evening. One of our fellows, Captain Randolph, is inter- ested in a big gun, and"-
 "Just so," interrupted Manning. q have no doubt you heard the truth, but we are forbidden even to talk of these things"
 The other shot shrewd undertook at him.
 Guess I'd better say no more," came the dry comment. "But if any Chink monkeys with this machine aft CT I'm through with 1t I'll do him more damage than even Captain Randolph's gun if fired at any reasonable range"
 So complete were the precautions adopted by the military authorities that each sentry had to be assured per sonally by Lieutenant Graham that the gentlemen in his company were authorized to pass, and the same proce- dure was adopted before the corporal in charge of the shed would open the door.
 Manning and Bronson examined the model aeroplane with curious eyes. It was monoplane of exceptional size and beautifully proportioned, the white curving wings bearing close resem- bfance to the pinions of hawk spread in full flight. But the vital spirit of the machine lay in gyroscope boxed in beneath the pilots seat and gov erned by a secondary battery, which, though supplied from the engine nev- ertheless stored enough electricity to operate a stabilizing device for half an hour or longer after the motive force was shut off.
 Lieutenant Graham was a quick worker. He simply opened small shutter in the floor of the machine, re- adjusted couple of screws and tested a sparkling plug.
 That's all right" he said cheerfully, closing the shutter again. I've re- duced the altitude from 2,000 to 300 feet. It isn't certain to act at 800, but | it's a sure thing at 600, as discov- cred nearly to my cost the other day. Luckily, having the principle at my f1n- gers ends, so to speak, was able to keep things going until planed down to denser atmosphere"
 "Is the device really practicableT' 1n- quired Bronson, who had zest for aviation and was only restrained from taking up the art seriously because of the financial interests which came un- der his control when his father died.
 "Oh, yes," came the emphatic assur- ance. At fifty feet in the air this ma chine will literally hover, and that is a great step in advance of all previous records. have thrownla a dummy bomb into an ordinary bucket, and I need hardly explain what that implies"
 Admiration for the graceful plane had to yield, however, to stern meas ures for dealing with Ali Singh. As it was impossible that United States sol diers should literally stand by and al- How the machine to be stolen under their very eyes, and as neither their chief nor Manning wished to subject the men to some unknown danger at the hands of Ali Singh and his confed- crates, one sentry was dismissed, while the corporal and his squad were in- structed to hide. The remaining sen tries, on each side of the fence, had to take their chance, since it would be equally absurd to leave the shed wholly unguarded, and any such circumstance would certainly arouse suspicion in the crafty mind of the higher one"
 There was a long and tedious wait for all parties. At last the throbbing
 of motor was heard on the outer roadway. Then, after a pause A dark