"What's the matter with Finzer?" Buck was keenly concerned for he and Milt had been quite chummy. Blaine told him briefly all that had happened. "And you had to leave him back there? Well - well, it's war. Sure he was dead? By thunder! I'll get even yet with Hans -- Gawd willin'. The skunks!" All this and more while Lafe, now alert and busy, was getting out Finzer's tools. Presently the two were examining Buck's plane which they found was practically all right except for a big rent in two of the wings. With the appliances at land this did not take long, for both worked frantically, knowing that hostile planes from the neighboring front would soon be hovering near and also that the infantry was due either to reform the battle line or, if not, that reinforcements might pass at any time. In a very short while the job was done. To Blaine's surprise Buck began nimbly climbing back up the crater wall. "Where ye going?" he gently called, but only heard in reply: "In a minute -- in a minute!" But while Blaine was fuming, still getting things in readiness, Bangs slid back down the embankment, dragging a shabby gray army overcoat. Lafe looked disgusted. He snatched it, held it up, flashed his light over it, then cast it down, saying: "That's a Boche infantry coat -- officer's, I reckon. What do we want of that? Get into your place. I've turned your machine round." Both climbed in, Bangs stowing in his own machine the coat he had delayed both to secure, a said the while: "When those charging battalions went by, of their officers threw away his coat. They were on a double quick, to reinforce others that gone on before I came down. "Lucky they happened to have no planes. Otherwise I'd never pulled through. As it was she was a close squeeze. I slipped down, bagged the coat, and here she is. You needn't laugh, Sergeant. There's maps and papers inside. Might be wuth something to our side yet." "Bully for you, Bangs! I was wrong. Are you ready? Then follow me! We're going to stick round the Boche flanks a bit and who knows what we may run up against?" Without a bit of trouble Blaine's triplane glided upward after a short slide over the rough level of No-Man's-Land, and he was off. Buck attempted to follow but the machine skidded sideways, struck a slope and after a mute struggle with adverse conditions came to a standstill. Cursing to himself, Buck jumped out, forced his plane to a more stable level, then mounting to his seat again he put on all power to try to overtake his companion. But in that short interval Blaine had vanished in fog. "If this isn't bad luck, I don't know what is!" soliloquized Buck, as his Nieuport began to rise. "If I'd got off at first, I wouldn't 'a' lost Lafe. Well, I must do a trifle of scouting on my own hook. "