Page:Air Service Boys Flying for France.djvu/191

186 cold. In the nights particularly a blaze was acceptable to such of the fighting men as had to remain out of the trenches and back of the lines.

Tom could also see colored lights, which he guessed were rockets. The Germans were sending up signals. He wondered if their starting out was known, or suspected, and whether some sort of bombardment was in store for the raiders as they passed over the Teuton front.

After the recent raid that was said to have been so very successful it seemed reasonable to believe that the German High Command would expect a repetition while the moon still gave a favorable light.

Tom quickly learned that his guess had been a good one. From below came a jumble of sounds faintly heard, along with the regular pulsations of his powerful motor. Then just under them shrapnel began to burst in great quantities. But the French knew just how high the enemy anti-aircraft guns were capable of sending their missiles, for seldom did a shell come dangerously close to the raiding machines.

They were just out of range, and that peril seemed to be put at rest. Presently, from the indications, they knew they were beyond the