"
In another minute he was gone. Brenda went with him to help about the
gasoline, and in an short time, under her pilotage, he reached an open
spot where he could rise.
They heard the whirring of his wings; he was gone.
CHAPTER XIV
TWO PERILOUS NIGHT TRIPS
It may be said that, once up in the air, Stanley lost no time in
heading into the west-southwest. He knew the way, and though it was
yet hardly midnight, he divined the safest way for him to make the
familiar aerodrome was to get there as soon as possible, regardless of
consequences. The night, though foggy, was sufficiently starlight to
aid in his sense of direction. It was hardly likely that there would
be further bombing raids that night, but one was never certain what the
Boches might attempt. Witness their recent raid upon the old chateau,
although they might know that planes had recently landed there.
After the North Sea Wind fog, a general calm had settled down upon that
death-scarred region. Over the front and about No-Man's-Land an
occasional flare or star-shell would go up. One of these came
unusually close to the swiftly moving Fokker. Immediately after that
came bombing from Archies stationed along the enemy front. Among these
some, either accidentally or by design, sent bursting shrapnel all
around him. He heard the wings being struck repeatedly but, knowing
his great speed, he hoped to be out of range almost at once.
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