“I’ve been watching that chap trying to hit that magazine for some time,” he called out. “He seems to be in hard luck, and now he’s going down like the other one did to tackle the thing at closer quarters. I only hope he gets through as well as the first one did.”
“Yes, there hasn’t been a single accident worth mentioning so far,” declared Pudge. “I’d hate to see him dropped like a stone. Rafts and rattlesnakes, but listen to the row they’re keeping up. They just seem to know what he’s trying to do. Look at them running away from that magazine like rats deserting a sinking ship.”
Swooping down, the Allies’ aviator was seen to head almost directly over the object of his particular attention. Calmly he measured the distance with his practiced eye, while the pilot slowed the seaplane down to a moderate speed.
The magazine was seen to fly to a million pieces, while up rose a vast cloud of smoke.—Page [217].
They were in a perfect storm of bursting shrapnel, and at times the smoke fairly concealed the moving machine. Once Pudge gave a low cry of dismay, for he thought he had seen the seaplane plunging earthward a wreck, when there would be no question about the fate of its venturesome occupants.
Then he took fresh heart as a puff of air blew the white and gray smoke aside, and it was discovered that the aëroplane was still afloat.
“Oh! why doesn’t he do it?” cried Pudge. “It seems as if my heart would climb up in my throat, I’m that worried. Throw now! There, he’s going to do it, boys, don’t you see? I wonder if that shot will be any better——”
Pudge did not finish his sentence, for just then there was a frightful roaring sound. The magazine was seen to fly to a million pieces, while up rose a vast cloud of smoke. The atmosphere was made to fairly quake under the tremendous concussion, so that Pudge clutched hold of Billy, who was alongside, as though he actually feared they would be overturned and hurled into space.
Frank’s heart also seemed to stand still, but it was not on account of any fear for himself. When through the rising billow of black smoke he saw that the daring author of this last blow at the invader’s army was apparently uninjured, Frank breathed freely again.