Page:Astounding Stories of Super-Science 1931-02 Vol 5 Iss 2.djvu/29

Rh Francisco Lance squirmed round in his seat, reached back into the fuselage, and pressed rapidly the studs on the Single beacon. A high whining noise pierced instantly through the plane. And up stabbed the beacon, invisible, deadly—up, up, up to a thin realm miles above, where it flashed into an awesome squadron of terrible shells of steel!

Shells that, a second later, wavered, staggered, and plunged earthward!

And Lance tensed in his seat. From above, he caught a tiny whistling noise —a whistling that hurtled into a ter- rific shriek—that roared ever closer.

“Carry on!” he muttered. “Carry on!”

The words froze on his lips, for the world was suddenly consumed, it seemed, by flame and splitting, bellow- ing thunder.

HE American guns spoke.

From every airdrome long flights of scouts and bombers and transport planes roared upward.

In the front trenches the troops, still somewhat dazed by the earth- shaking explosion that had just tum- bled from the far horizon—a horizon still lit by leaping tongues of awful flame—poured over the top, gas-masks on, repeaters and portable machine- guns at the ready, with a fierce cry on their lips.

Before that avenging attack the Slavs, their very spine broken, bewild- ered and confused, already turning in panic, could not stand.

America swept to the Pacific, and left death in her wake. And when she came to San Francisco, not even the sternest fighting men, still hot from battle, could repress a shudder, so aw- ful was the devastation.

The Slav invasion was over!

N the rebuilt city of San Francisco there is a statue that stands proud- ly before the magnificent, gleaming city hall.

It represents two slim, straight- standing figures, clad in the uniform of the American Air Force. Their out- stretched arms support a tiny one- seater Goshawk fighting plane.

Below, as you know, there is a plaque. Men touch their hats as they walk by it; flowers are always fresh at its base. On the plaque are the words:

To The Everlasting

Memory Of

Captain Basil Hay, A.A.F.

Captain Derek Lance, A.A.F.

Who, In The War Of 1938, Gave Their Lives In ‘Destroying And Devastating San Francisco That San Francisco And America Might Live

Everyone Is Invited

To ‘*‘Come Over in

‘THE READERS’ CORNER’!”