“Why, that must be one of those German Zeppelins we’ve read so much about!” exclaimed Jack, after taking a second look.
“A war dirigible, you mean, don’t you?” demanded Josh.
“Nothing else,” he was told. “I’ve seen pictures of them often, but never thought I’d set eyes on one. Yes, it’s a Zeppelin, all right, and heading due south, too.”
“What d’ye mean by saying that last?” asked Josh.
“Well, you remember what that officer said about the Serbians and Austrians on the Danube down below, where it acts as a boundary line, being ready to fight at the drop of the hat? Perhaps they’re already having it hot and heavy. Perhaps the word has been flashed over the wires for one of the Zeppelins to come down and get busy there.”
“What would they use it for, Jack?” questioned Buster, as all of them continued to watch the steady movement of the fast dirigible in the west.
“I believe the main thing for Zeppelins to do is to carry explosives and drop bombs from a great height on forts and barracks occupied by the enemy forces. But they can be also used for scouting and bringing back information of value. That may be what they want this one down along the Danube for.”
So fast was the dirigible going that in a quarter of an hour more it had passed beyond the range of their vision.
“Looks like things are going to happen right along over in old Europe these days,” remarked Josh.
“Yes, but we’ll know next to nothing about it all,” George went on to say; “for we can’t buy a paper, and even if we did none of us could read Magyar. This thing of knocking around in a foreign country may be all very good when there’s no war on, but there are times when you’d like to be able to buy an extra and learn all that’s happening.”