The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-08-25
The Spy Of the Air
A Thrilling Drama That Was Enacted
ia the Stiffness of the Might
by GLAUDE-GRAHAM WHITE



he saw them coming nearer and
nearer. Then at last, so far as he
could judge, came the crucial mo-
ment He brought up the front of
his machine and "flattened out" If
his judgment of distance had been
right, all would be we'll; if not he
might descend so heavily as to crush
one or both Of his running wheels
and perhaps break a strut as WELL
He waited for a long-drawn mo-
r'ent, the ground Immediately below
him he could no longer see. TnCn,
came the impact 1t was by no means
light. In the daytime such a descent
would have been considered clumsy
But Henshaw sighed with relief. He.
could tell from the way the ma
chine moved across the ground that,
no damage had, been done, and that
his craft would be in trim for qu. tx
ascent.
The German Lieutenant who was
in charge of the aerodrome was very
tored that night, and it was his non,
commissioned officer, man dull
witted but conscientious, who had
called his. attention to the signal
re ckets aloft. Whereupon the Lieu
tenant. pleased at any break in the
nnonotony of his night watch SUPER
intended personally the lighting of
the ground lights; after which he
walked over with his men to the
1lace where the descending machine
had come to rest-a spot indicated
quickly by the beam Of the search
light.
Henshaw, springing from r. rt
had thrown off his thick outer cloth
ing1so as to be free to run at his
best speed. should he need to get
back quickly at his machine. And into.
each Of the side pockets of his coat
he had slipped an automatic pistol.
The hight borne by the non-com-
missioned officer revealed Henshaw
standing by his machine machine
that declared it's German origin
plainly. And Henshaw was. quick,
vet not, too quick, to give favor
able impression. He addressed the
Lieutenant punctiliously. Then, while
diving in his pockets for his forged
identification papers. he embarked in
a tone of assumed annoyance on an
account of the speed of his machine
which he gave his hearers to under
stand had practically run away with
him-and also cursed the folly OF
superior officers at Bittenfeld.j who
Insisted on their pilots practising.
with such fast, craft, the troublesome
art of night flying.
IT'S lucky" he confessed, while
the Lieutenant looked perfunctorily
over. his papers, .'that one can see
from. such a distance the lights of
Berlin. Otherwise I should have been
wandering about till my petrol gave
out, and then it would have been a
crash on landing"
The Lieutenant NODDED sympatheti-
cal1y. The incident was helping to
pass the time.
What >wil1 you do?' he asked.
.'shall we telephone Bittenfeld ?''
tits unnecessary" said Henshaw
in his perfect German. I'm cold
and hungry. I propose to have a plate
OF soup in your all-night restaurant.
Then, getting my compass course ac-
curately, I shall start out again and
be at Bittenfeld before they think of
making inquiry. So please don't put
yourself to any Inconvenience. Per-
haps you would care to join me in
the restaurant? This night work is
cherries"
| The lieutenant frightened visibly;
the idea was excellent. With word
| to his non-commissioned officer. and
| leaving two men to guard the aero
plane--an arrangement which Hen
shaw thought, might, under certain
circumstances, prove very inconven-
ient-the Lieutenant walked off
with him to where light showed dis
creetly from the windows of the
aerodrome restaurant.
| The on-tommissioned officer
1 grunted as he saw the two walk
away. Here was his officer prepar-
10 dr;,, b. y, -
1 go back into the entrance Of daugh-
ty shed. He decided he would fill
in the interval, before the Areappear-
ance of the twoSfrom the restaurant
by himself putting through a. tele-
phone .-call to Bittenfeld and report
ing to- the guard there the arrival at
JohannisthaH Of their straying ma
chine. In doing SO he was acting &C
cording to the regulations, and. as
has been said, he was a conscientious
4 man. p
Meanwhile the Lieutenant and his
companion had entered the restau-
rant. There were only a few men sit
ting about the big room. Henshaw
saw they were petty officers belong
ing to the ground Organization of the
aerodrome.
! Henshaw and the Lieutenant sat
down at a little table, and HenshaN
began to talk skilfufly round his sub
ject. He did not want to waste time
Every minute meant risk for him, he
knew.
He soon found that his compan:
ion was an enthusiastic mo-erist. Sc
he enlarged at once on an account
of his own motoring exploits, and
themes passed on to discuss lons
drives. This gave him the chanc.
to introduce casually the informa.
ton that. a great friend of his, al
engineer, had recently entered tn.
aircraft service, after a period spen
with the motor transportation on tn,
!, western front.
u When I get leave I'm going tt
drive out to see this fellow" he ex
planned. But I find I've mislait
somehow the last letter he sent me
He's been moved up into Schleswis
somewhere, I know-that that new
station where they're building Sc
many of the twin-engined battle
planes. I've a rough idea how t.
get there, and that's ALL"
The Lieutenant, who was drinking
, his soup with relish, fell very read
lily into the trap. He called an or
der across the cafe, and one of TIN
non-commissioned officers left hi
game of cards and, coming forward