“Let us go and see,” returned Dave; and, having received the necessary permission, the young sergeant hurried off through the forest toward the burning airplane, taking a detail of eight young engineers with him.
CHAPTER VII
THE GERMAN AVIATOR
The smoke from the burning airplane was plainly visible over the tops of the trees, so that Dave and the detail of engineers under him had no difficulty in heading in the right direction.
But to get through that tangle of underbrush and over the jagged rocks was not easy, and consequently their progress was rather slow, even though they pushed along as vigorously as circumstances permitted.
“If that airman came down in his burning plane he has probably been burned up,” remarked Phil, as they hurried along.
“I hope not,” returned Dave. “I hope he escaped and we have the honor of capturing him.”
“It’s too bad the plane caught fire,” put in Roger. He knew that the rival air forces liked very much to capture an enemy plane intact, or nearly so. On such a plane they would often find maps and instruments, not to say anything of machine-guns.
At last they came in sight of the burning plane, which still blazed forth fiercely. It was caught in the branches of a low tree. Its gasoline tanks had burst and the inflammable fluid had run down over the tree trunk making of it a great torch.
As the engineers reached a little opening to one side of where the scout-plane and the tree were blazing fiercely, they heard a shrill cry in German for help.
“Look! Look!” burst from Phil’s lips, and he pointed with his hand as he spoke.