He threw an
arm over Orry's shoulder, and drew him along to the door of the Aero
Club.
"Been in here?" he asked. "It is great! They asking 'bout you the day
we left. Heard about Cheval?"
Orris, not feeling like talking, shook his head, vouchsafing:
"Nothing only that he went along with your squadron at the last
minute."
"Poor chap! He won't raid with us again. He went down near Essen.
There was where we were to unload most of our bombs. But Archie got
him. Down he went -" Blaine's eyes grew moist at the memory.
Erwin understood. "Nothing more?" he ventured.
"Nary thing, except that we gave the Krupp works hell for about fifteen
or twenty minutes. You should have seen the explosions."
"That part was good. Say, Blaine," Orris, was looking, thoughtful,
"has it ever struck you how terribly uncertain a thing life is --"
"Oh, rats!" Blaine shook his smaller companion as they neared the club
door. "Stow that sort of talk and thought! Don't do you a bit of good
or those that hear you. See?"
"Still, since my last flight with you, these thing will run across my
mind. What is up now ? You in on anything yet?"
"I've heard -- but don't whisper a word -- that we're on for a job of
sausage driving next. Nothing sure, though."
Sausages is the slang term for gas observation balloons which go up at
certain points and observe the enemy's positions or maneuvers before
and during battle on the earth below.
Pages:
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51