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 of Bane's fleet moved to westward. The squadron mustered six machines, since Kinvarra and I had left it.

Three of the planes were piloted by men; three by automatons; or rather, two by wood figures and the third by Pete, held helpless as any effigy. No one had sent him, in a napkin, the key to the lock on his wrists.

The six machines were flying in pairs, in strange formation for combat—if you did not know their plan for the fight. They flew in fore-and-aft alignment, by pairs—in front a radio-controlled plane, in the rear the pilot. They flew fast and straight for the navy planes, offering frontal attack; and fast and straight, the six planes from the shore flew to accept it.

They had good view now of the sinking ship and of the little boats about it; they could see the bombers in the air above it; and they meant to waste no minute in manœuvering. If these pirate planes offered frontal attack, the navy would meet them. Plane would single out plane for duel direct to shoot down