The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-08-25
IL The non-commissioned officer
: turned towards him with automatic

( The non-commissioned officer
turned towards him with automatic
politness.
'The village lies a mile or so to
of a river Herr Leutnant,
the name of which I cannot at the
moment recall. But it's about twenty
five miles inland. and due eastward
of the isle of Sylt The factories are
about five miles from the village, 1
understand.
"Good!" said Henshaw, with a nod
of thanks. His tone did not quaver,
nor did his face betray a sign, though
his heart was pounding against his
ribs. The fruit had fallen to him
at the very first time of asking. 1t
seemed too easy; the simplicity of the
thing was uncanny.
The non-commissioned officer re-
tired to his cards. The Lieutenant,
having finished his soup, lit a cigar
cite. Henshaw glanced at his wrist
watch and affected a start of sur
81 must be going" he said.
The Lieutenant was disappointed;
there were still hours to kill before
dawn He pressed He,assi&w to stay
a, little longer, but the latter was OBJ
durate. His superior officer at Bit
tenfeld would, he said, begin to dis
patch relief cars in all directions, I'M
less he got back soon. So he paid
his, bill, tipped the pale waiter. and
he land the Lieutenant found them
selves again in the night air.
They had not gone ten PAGES, and
were still in the light from the res
taurant windows, when Henshaw
saw, away across the aerodrome near
the entrance of one of the sheds, a
lamp waving oddly, as though
in the form of a signal. There came
also warning hail on the still air.
In an instant he guessed what had
happened. Someone had been on the
telephone to BittenfeId. He would be
detained pending inquiries, and then
the game would be up. He must
seize the last opportunity for getting
clear away.
Reluctantly-for the young man
really behaved most accommodate
1y-Henshaw dropped his cigarette
and swung round on the Lieutenant.
The light from the window shone
sideways on the young officers face.
Henshaw's arm shot out from the
shoulder. His fist, placed with sci
entific accuracy, struck ,the Lieuten-
ant like a sledge-hamn1Er on a point
just below the chin. The officer 8
legs seemed to melt under him. With
out cry, or an effort to save him
self, he pitched over backwards and
lay inert.
Henshaw, filling his lungs with
air, sped across the aerodrome to-
wards his machine.
'Confound those men on guard"
he said, fumbling in his pockets for
his two automatics. AS he did SO,
the searchlight woke into life again.
1t f1ickered here and there, but fail
ed to pick out his quickly moving fl
cure. And the machine was not far
off.
The two men on guard beside the
bip1ane. did not know what to do
when Henshaw hove in sight at a
run. Yet they knew something was
wrong. One of them starting for
ward irresolutely to meet the air.
man. called in a harsh voice for him
to stop. Henshaw did not speak; he
hardly checked himself in his run.
But when his automatic pistol had
spoken twice, the soldier turned hall
round clumsily; then he fell on his
face.s The other man, with sudden
shout of enraged comprehension
whipped up his rifle towards the
shoulder. But Henshaw had the adj
vantage of several seconds. One
two-three-fourI AS fast as he
could operate it, the automatic sent
out its messengers of death The sol
der staggered, reeled against the
| lower nainplane Of the biplane, and
then subsidized under 1t with a groan
Henshaw leapt into his seat; and
| in the same moment the searcnTignt
which had been sweeping the aero
| drome wildly, suddenly picked on,
his bip1ane. Q
"Confound It'll" said Henshaw, out
| of breath from his run across the
aerodrome.
| An instant later, thanks to the
self-starter his. engine had broker
into it's muttering roar, and the bi.
plane began to move forward acros.
the ground. Above the din of the
engine, Henshaw could hear the
| sounds like the cracking of sticks il
a newly-lit fire. CHANGING sideway.
4 he saw a series of pin-point flashe.
leap into life near the sheds.
.Machine-guns,'' he muttered.
4 f AS he turned back his head to lool
at the instruments on his dashboard
there came a pain along his fore
head as though someone had passed
| a. red-hot iron very quickly across
| it. He jerked his head instinctively
a rush of blood, which poured dowl
his face from the wound hel had jus
received.
The aeroplane was now rushing
across the ground at high speed, fol
4 lowed by the beam of the searchlight
Henshaw, more by instanct than de
sign, being only partially in com
mand of his senses, drew back hi
Elevator, and took the machine from