Now the aft gun spoke. From every vessel of the protecting fleet came answering shots as they belched their fury at the armada of the air. The dull gray of the night sky was lighted at intervals by the bursting of shells as the German air fleet soared forward over the allied naval fleet. Observers were hurling bombs from above and they were splashing into the sea on every side. One of them striking the hull of the _Dewey_ would blow the ship into atoms! "Keep it up, boys! Make every shot count!" sang out Commander McClure. Mike Mowrey was growling because he was unable to make a hit. "Let's get one of 'em---just one of 'em!" he bellowed in rage. One of the winged fleet was circling almost overhead at this moment and seemed tantalizing near. With a twist of the wheel Mowrey swung the muzzle of his gun up a couple of inches and gave the signal again to fire. Following the shot for a moment the frenzied gunner was elated to note that the machine just above sagged suddenly to one side. Like a bird with a broken pinion it swerved drunkenly in its course and began slowly to come down. Sustaining wires had been cut by the shell fire from the _Dewey_ and the airplane was out of commission. "Guess that fellow is done for," said Mowrey. It was soon evident that the machine was badly crippled, for it came on downward like a feather floating in the still air. Only a few minutes elapsed until it had settled on the water. "Hydro-aeroplane," announced Commander McClure as he stood in the conning tower observing the wounded airship. The other planes were engaged over the remainder of the allied fleet and the _Dewey_ was free to take care of the craft in front of it. There was now a chance that the American submarine might move alongside and take prisoner the German birdmen in the damaged machine. The ship's course was altered toward the floating plane and the _Dewey_ crept up on her foe. "Train your forward gun right on that fellow; he is apt to shoot unless both pilot and observer are injured," cautioned McClure. And that was just what happened, for the words had hardly escaped the lips of the Yankee skipper before a gun rang out from under the canvas wings of the airplane and a shell came whizzing over the _Dewey_. "There's another machine almost directly overhead," bawled Mowrey, as he spied a second flying craft near at hand. Having witnessed the fall of the crippled airship, another member of the attacking squadron had put back to the rescue. As it soared now within range of the American submarine a bomb came splashing into the water not two hundred feet away.