Bob needed no flare to tell him that he had discovered the brown craft—its action was indication enough! The pilot dived, and then went into a barrel-roll, dangerous at a low altitude, Bob thought.
The “stunt” enabled the ship to get to one side and out of his line of flight if he dived for it.
Clearly this showed that the unseen pilot feared to be attacked, driven down.
But Bob had no such intention, he merely followed as the small, brown craft, speedy and capable, went fleetly through the night.
Bob, easing his throttle a little more open, as he got the line of flight, held his elevation and his level position; he did not try to overtake the other, he wanted to see where he went—nothing more!
So the flight held, one about five hundred feet up, the other easily as high again. The speed was almost identical, the ships were well matched.
But the other man had some tricks up his wings, in a way of speaking!
He began to climb. Bob, fearing to be over-reached, climbed also. Higher, higher they both went, Bob still atop the other, for he had as much power, as well angled wings, as clever a ship as his adversary.
But the battle of elevation was short. At fifteen hundred feet the brown ‘plane went into a wingover, and to Bob’s dismay it was, by that maneuver, in a reverse direction to the flight of his own, and he dared do no maneuvering, no stunting, at night and alone!
Before he could swing in the easy circle which his inexperience compelled him to use, the other pilot was almost out of sight. He climbed, and thus Bob gained, but he saw that his pursuit was futile.