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Perry, William B.

"Our Pilots in the Air"


"Get down, boy!" he adjured. "You ain't strong enough. Get down!
I've got a stiff job just ahead. Give me time and room."
Whether Stanley understood or not Blaine was not certain. But just
then the stricken man crumpled back again into his former nest at the
bottom of the manhole. A slow groan came up.
"Poor chap! He's in misery, no doubt. But I've just got to try this
job --"
Just then the Archies began to cut loose, but Blaine went to
zigzagging, at the same time increasing his speed, swooping still lower
-- lower. At last directly over the front train, with machine guns,
Archies, and rifles peppering away at him, he let go with one side of
his bomb rack. With the sound of the resultant explosion he wheeled
and let go the other.
Both racks landed directly upon the leading train loaded, as Blaine
suspected, with all sorts of ammunition.
Instantly he pressed the upward controls and his machine darted on
towards the rear just in time to escape the tremendous blaze and roar
as that string of loaded cars began to explode one after another. The
noise, flames and confusion were indescribable. Regardless of the
still up flying shrapnel and shot, the daring man turned loose the
controls and instantly whipped into place another rack or two of bombs.
By this time he was directly in the path and, right over the long troop
train already slowing down to avoid collision with the exploding
ammunition train.


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