Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1916-07-05

meath them as it had been at the mo
ment when Vauquelin made the ap
\ palling discovery Of his bullet-punc'
tured sleeve.
But the monoplane was doggedly fol.
lowing suit; as the Parrot rose, so
did the Valkyr, II trace more slowly
and less readily.
Lanyard had read somewhere, or
heard 1t said that monoplanes were
poor climbers.
He told himself that, il this were
true, Vauquelin knew his business.
and from this reflection drew what
comfort he might.
And he was glad, very glad, of the
dark wind-veil that shrouded his face.
which he believed to show nothing
less than panic terror.
He was, in sober fact, quite rigid
With fright and horror. It were idle
70 argue that only unlikely chance
would wing one OF the bullets from
the valkyr to vital point-there
was the torn canvas overhead, there
was that hole through Vauquelin's
sleeve.
And then the Paragraph ON the strut
beside Lanyard disappeared as If by
magic. He was aware Of slight jar;
the framework of the biplane duiv-
cred as from heavy blow; something
that resembled handful of black
crumbs sprayed out into the air ahead
and vanished-and where the instru-.
ment had been nothing remained but
an iron clamp gripping the strut.
And even as any one OF these bull
lets might have proved fatal, their first
successor might incapacitate the avia-
tor, If it did not STAY him outright
In either case inevitably the result
would be death following fall from a
height, as recorded on the Paragraph
dial the instant before its destruction,
of over four thousand feet.
And they were still climbing.
Now the pursuer was losing some of
the advantage Of his superior speed;
the Parrot was perceptibly higher;
the Valkyr must needs mount In q
more sweeping curve. ~
None the less, Lanyard, peer1ng
down, saw still another tongue Of
fame spit out at him, and two bullet
holes appeared in the port wings Of
the biplane, one in the lower, one in
the upper spread OF canvas
White-lipped and trembling. the ad-
venturer began to work at the fasten.
ings Of his surtout. After moment
he plucked of one Of his gloves and
cast it impatiently from him. Asprawl,
It sailed down the wind like wound
ed sparrow. He caught VauQuelin's
eye upon him, quick with a curiosity
which changed to sudden CLEAN of
comprehension when Lanyard, thrust
ing his hand under the leather coat,
CROPPED for his side pocket and pro
duced an automatic pistol which Du-
croy, learning that he was unarmed,
had pressed upon him.
They were now perhaps a hundred
feet higher than the Valkyr, which
100 cOoAAA6 a NAoASOA Va q ul1C Ou W
starb0ard. Under the guidance of the
Frenchman the Parrot swooped round
.7iss narrow circle until it hung almost
Immediately above the other-a ma
neuver requiring. first and last, some
thing more than five minutes to effect.
Meanwhile Lanyard rebuttoned his
surtout and, clutching the pistol, tried
hard not to think. But already his
imagination was sick with the thought
Of what would ensue when the time
came for him to carry out his inten.
ton.
Vauquelin touched his arm with ur-
gent pressure; but Lanyard only shook
his head, gulped, and without looking,
the weapon to the aviator.
Bearing heavily against the chest.
band, he commanded the broad, white
spread OF the Valkyrs back and wings.
Invisible beneath these hung the mo-
tor and the drivers seat.
An instant more and he was aware
that Vauuuelin was bending forward