Page:Air Service Boys Flying for France.djvu/167

162 napping or unmindful of their duty. The Nieuports were doing "ceiling work," far up toward the clouds; and no sooner was an enemy seen making for one of the observation planes than down would swoop a number of these sentinels, barring his progress, and forcing him either to fight or drop back to earth again.

It chanced that Tom's first flight for France was not to pass without an additional thrill. This came along later in the day, when they had been at work for some hours.

The defending Nieuports were engaged in a fierce battle with a force of enemy pilots who kept them busy circling around the advanced observation plane, when suddenly Tom became aware of the fact that a Fokker machine had managed to rise from another part of the German front, and was about to attack them.

No doubt it was all a part of a cleverly-laid scheme. While those enemy pilots kept the defenders busily engaged this fighting machine hoped to steal up on the second observation plane, and shower pilot and attendant with lead, so as to put them out of business.

Tom shouted something at his companion, and then began the first real air battle in the experience of the American novice. The grizzled old veteran kept the nose of his big plane