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 dived, zooming past a three-seater and next a single-seater.

I had only a flash of the face of the pilot but I knew it was she—she in a single seater! It meant—it must mean that Bane had brought her along as he had Pete and me.

I flew beyond the formation over the sinking ship and contours of other airplanes confronted me—contours familiar, contours of my comrades, navy contours! They were single-seater biplanes like my own and Pete's of three days ago in which we had flown to sea; but this was a combat patrol armed with machine-guns and arriving ready to fight.

They were only six; but it was clear that they flew with some realization of what was happening here. In attacking formation, they came; and I banked about, as I saw them.

Kinvarra, on my tail, fired through my wings; he made a pepper-pot top of the metal beside me. I could not get him in front of me but I pointed at and trained my machine-gun upon the two-seater; and fired. Then, at three angles we flew away from each other.

Overhead, the pursuit and combat planes