CHAPTER XII
TEMPTATIONS
"Gee whiz!" exclaimed Harry excitedly, grasping a portion of the framework of the Eagle to assist in keeping his balance as the great plane shot skyward. "What's coming off here, anyhow?"
"What's the matter, Ned?" gasped Jack with equal astonishment.
Ned was too busy, however, just at that moment to give a suitable reply to the queries. The antics of the Eagle were occupying all his attention, and he made extreme efforts to prevent the craft and its freight from being dashed to an ignominious end in the midst of the camp of Germans who had succeeded in making a prisoner of Jimmie.
Instinctively the lad knew that something had happened to the boys beneath the machine, although at the moment he was unable to see just what calamity had befallen them.
With a great leap the Eagle soared away from the camp amidst the humming of bullets from the rifles of the angry Uhlans, who fired rapidly but without proper aim. Accustomed as they were to shooting at targets on a level with themselves, they found it an entirely different proposition to properly aim their weapons when their quarry was at some distance above the earth.
Several of the missiles, however, struck the fuselage and wings of the Eagle, causing considerable alarm. The boys were devoutly thankful that none of the leaden messengers struck a vital part.
"Whew!" breathed Harry as the Eagle drew away from the scene. "We didn't have much margin that time, I declare!"
"I guess that next time we go through a German camp we'll just hang an anchor out overboard and hook up everything we can as we pass," suggested Jack, peering back at the camp they had just left.