“But, sir! You are a key figure! A hundred planes, hundreds of men operate at your direction! There’s time enough to get back and send out a patrol!” “We’re taking no chances!” the Commander snapped. “No single man is too important. If I were unwilling to risk going with you in a flight of this nature, I should not be worthy of commanding a bomber, let alone all the planes of a carrier.” “How’s this gun I have here?” he asked in a casual tone. “It’s first-class, sir. The same type of gun we use in our own planes, and in top condition.” “And your gun?” asked the Commander. “There are two fifty-millimeter guns in fixed position. Having no propeller simplifies things, sir. I’ve never fought in this plane, sir, but I think we shall take them.” “Even if we can’t shoot the beggars down,” the Commander laughed, “the wail of this plane should frighten them to death.” After that they howled on through the night. Twice Jack silenced his motor. Each time the rumble was louder. “We’re on the right track,” was the Commander’s comment. The third time, Jack said, “Very close, sir.” “Above or beneath us?” “Beneath, I believe, sir,” Jack answered. “Good! We’ll run right above them. Then we’ll swing about and down, so we can get them in the light of the moon.” Jack was following instructions and was, he thought, just about over the snooper, when a strange thing happened. A dim light shot squarely across his path. “Did you see that, sir?” he exclaimed. “See what?” “A light! It crossed my path!” “Strange!” was the answer. Yes, Jack thought it strange. Instinctively he banked hard to follow the light, but already it was circling. “Coming back!” His heart skipped a beat. He felt for his gun grip. Automatically charting the course of that mystery plane whose light had blinked out, Jack cut a slow circle. Suddenly, as his eyes caught a shadow, he let out a burst of fire from both guns, counted three, then fired again. All of a sudden the sky was alight. The thing before him—a Zero, he believed—had blown up. “Those snoopers carry fighter protection now, sir,” he said. “How could they?” The Commander was amazed. Then, “Probably have a carrier not too far away. Maybe others. We must keep a sharp lookout. But we must have the big snooper all the same.” “Yes, sir, we must.” Jack started jockeying for a position that would give him a picture of the snooper against the moon. “There!” he murmured. “No, now!” And then again, “Now! There he is! I’ll climb up to give it to him in the tail, then I’ll bank sharply right. Perhaps you’ll get a whack at him, sir.” He lost the big flying boat once more, then, suddenly, there they were, right upon the enemy. Once again his twin guns roared. He banked sharply to catch the rattle of the Commander’s gun. He caught something more. From behind came the rattle of a Zero’s weapon. “Another fighter!” he groaned. Putting his plane into a steep dive, Jack dropped a thousand feet—then swinging, started to climb.