"Lannes is coming," announced John. "He's four or five miles to the south and he's about a quarter of a mile up, but he has company. Will you have a look, Lord James?"
Lord James Ivor, taking back his own glasses, studied the two approaching planes.
"The small one looks like your friend's plane," he said, "and the other, although much bigger, has only one man in it too. But they fly along like twins. We'll soon know all about them because they're coming straight to us. They're descending now into this field."
The Arrow slanted gently to the earth and the larger machine descended near by. Lannes stepped out of one, and an older man, whom John recognized as the aviator Caumartin, alighted from the other.
"My friends," said Lannes, cheerily, "here we are again. You see I've brought with me a friend, Monsieur Caumartin, a brave man, and a great aviator."
He paused to introduce Caumartin to Wharton and the Englishmen, and then went on:
"This flying machine in which our friend Caumartin comes is not so swift and so graceful as the Arrow—few aeroplanes are—but it is strong and it has the capacity. It is what you might call an excursion steamer of the air. It can take several people and our good Caumartin has come in it for Lieutenant Wharton and Lieutenant Carstairs. So! he has an order for them written by the brave Captain Colton of the Strangers. Produce the order, Monsieur Caumartin."
The aviator took a note from a pocket in his jacket and handed it to Lord James Ivor, who announced that it was in truth such an order.
"You're to be delivered to the Strangers F.O.B.," said John.
"What's F.O.B.?" exclaimed Carstairs.