There Forell pulled back. The Briston shot upward, losing speed rapidly. It barely cleared the topmost branches as he leveled it off. It mushed downward, and there came a drag on the under-carriage.
Suddenly Forell was leaning forward as if to help his ship onward. With all his natural genius for estimating flying speed and the capabilities of a plane he fought it—fought to keep it in the air. In his desperation it seemed to the older man, straining forward against his belt, that the Kink worked up speed and tore the ship from those clinging branches by his own strength.
It was free. For a moment, banking ever so slightly, Forell held it level to gather speed. Then, the Liberty roaring triumphantly, the Briston winged its way upward like some suddenly liberated bird.
Finley relaxed limply. Somehow he was very weary. He was glad everything was all right, and that one of the most brilliant young pilots in the service had got over the hump.
As they spiraled down above McCook he noticed that just about everybody on the line was looking at them. Forell, who hadn’t turned his head once, did not seem to notice the attention they were attracting. As the ship taxied to the line a considerable group of mechanics and flyers gathered to meet it, which was unusual, to say the least.
Forell did not run out his motor, but snapped the switches off without delay. He was on the ground almost as quickly as Finley himself.
“Where did you pick the shrubbery?” demanded Dick Redding, pointing at the wheels.
Finley’s eyes took in the sight. The wire wheels were stuffed with foliage from the branches that had escaped.
“Where did we get it?” repeated Forell loudly. “On a forced landing, that’s where!
“We came down in a little tiny field no bigger than a hangar, in Kentucky. When we fixed her up I took a look. Didn’t seem a chance to get out—not a chance. But I figured that we might do it by blocking the wheels and some other stuff, so I said, ‘What the ——? Either we do or we don’t!’ So I give her the gun, get the tail up, do a snake-dance down this little pasture lot with trees all around it.”