“Let 'em come!” exclaimed Tom. “It takes two sides to make a fight, and that's what we're here for.”
Hardly had the two air service boys finished their breakfast, than an orderly came to tell them the commanding officer wanted them to report to him. They hurried across the aviation ground, toward the headquarters building, noting on the way that there were signs of unusual activity among the newer members of the American air forces, as well as among the French and British veterans.
“Must be going to make a raid,” observed Jack.
“Something like that—yes,” assented Tom.
“Hope we're in on it, and the commanding officer doesn't have us take some huns up to show 'em what makes the wheels go around,” went on Jack. “Of course that's part of the game, but we've done our share.”
However, they need have felt no fear, for when they stood before the commanding officer, saluting, they quickly learned that they were to go on a special mission that day—in fact as soon as they could get ready.
“I want you two to see if you can discover a battery of small guns that have been playing havoc with our men,” he said, as he looked up from a table covered with maps. “They're located somewhere along this front, but they're so well camouflaged that no one has yet been able to discover them.
“I want you boys to see if you can turn the trick. The guns have killed a lot of our men, as well as the French and English. We've tried to rush the emplacement, but we can't get a line on where it is for it's well hidden. I asked permission of the British commanding general to send up two American scouts, and he mentioned you boys. Get your orders from the major, and good luck to you.”
“Do you want us to go together or separately?” asked Tom.
“Together—in a double plane. I might say that we are going to try a raid on a big scale over the enemy's lines, and you two will thus have a better chance to carry out your observations unmolested. The Hun planes will have their hands full attending to our fighters, and they may not attack a single plane off by itself. We'll try to draw them away from you.