Air Stories — page 72: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AIR STORIES Roland while von Dortmusse switched off, Nobby examining the ’plane curiously meanwhile, since it was the first time he had seen one of this type at close quarters. ‘* Now listen,’’ he explained. ‘‘ We’ve got a particularly poisonous Staff Officer over at our aerodrome. This is, of course, treason and lése majesté amongst other things, but it’s true all the same.’’ And he gave his newly-found friend a brief resumé of the events which had led up to his request for the temporary loan of his trousers. 3 ‘‘You see, Dormouse, I’m _ dashed hungry—famished, in fact—and I was on my way to brekker when you set my *bus on fire. I really think you ought to lend ’em to me in the circs.’’ ‘*Hungry ?’’ smiled von Dortmusse reminiscently. ‘‘ Why, of course, you always were. Come; I have some chocolate. I will give it to you. Not good chocolate, you know. Too little sugar. Your blockade sees to that.’’ He dived into the ’plane’s tiny locker and they shared a slab of almost taste- less chocolate whilst they chatted. ‘¢ Well, what about the trousers ? ’’ insisted Nobby. ‘ Sicherlich nicht,’? the German shook his head decisively. ‘‘ ‘Nothing doing,’ as you would say. Ach; it brings back old times to talk English again. We will talk of something else—hein? ’’ ‘* Well, if you won’t lend ’em to me, you won’t. I hardly expected you to, anyway,’’ grinned Nobby, ingenuously, “but I'll tell you what you can do. How’s the time? ’’ He glanced at his wrist watch. ‘‘ Darn it; the thing’s stopped, and no wonder.’’ He held it to his ear and looked surprised. ‘‘ No it hasn’t. D’you mean to tell me it’s only about a quarter of an hour since we—er—tangled, as it were P ”’ ‘*¢Tangled’ is new to me, but I see what you mean. Yes; I should say that is right,’’ the German agreed. ‘¢ And now what is it you wish of me, my old friend, for I must go before some of your companions arrive.’’ kor a space of perhaps a couple of minutes or so, the two airmen—friends for a few years, then enemies by force of circumstances, and now allied again for a brief moment—hatched out a pretty little plot, with all the enjoyment of two schoolboys planning the bedevil- ment of an unpopular form-master. CHAPTER II A Colonel has Cold Knees UARTER of an hour later, a German aircraft, closely pursued yet never quite overtaken by a Camel with the British markings on wings and fuselage, fell apparently uncontrolled from a blue sky. The pilot of the British ’plane, observ- ing his antagonist to be falling out of control and, therefore, hors de combat, dis- continued the chase, but circled slowly at about two thousand feet, evidently to make sure that his victim crashed. Suddenly, when close to the ground, the German pilot contrived to get his machine under control and ‘‘ contour- chased ’’ across country in the direc- tion of a white and dusty road along which a grey touring car was travelling. Some four miles behind it was the aero- drome at Froiselles, which it had recently left. In the front seat was a soldier- chauffeur. In the rear, sat Colonel Blotten (p.s.c.). Presently, when the roar of an aero- plane engine, almost directly overhead, came to the ears of the occupants of the car, they seemed to sense that all was not well. | Looking up, they saw the German wing-markings ; looking down imme- diately afterwards, they saw _ several little spurts of dust in the road ahead of them. The car stopped very quickly at the urgent command of Colonel Blotten and its two occupants dived hurriedly for the nearest ditch. When the sound of the aircraft’s engine had died away to a whispering clatter and swish of valve gear and pro- peller, the two held a brief consultation, then clambered out of the ditch. As they were about to re-enter the car, Leutnant Count Eitel von Dortmusse strolled across 166 CoOmicloooks (C©