“Then I kept my course fairly well, you’ll admit,” the pilot shouted at him, naturally feeling conscious of a little pride over his achievement.

Rapidly they pushed on with a slight change of course.  Jack kept using the glasses and reported his observations to the busily engaged pilot.

“It’ll be dusk, likely, when we land,” he observed at one time.  “But that doesn’t cut much figure, for we can easily find our way down to Beverly’s hangar on the coast.  He said it was only a few miles from town, and they’ll know at the aviation field, of course.”

“He gave us the name of a British officer who would post us,” added Tom.

After a bit they were passing over the outskirts of Dunkirk, and making for what appeared to be an aviation field, since they could see various hangars, and another plane was just settling ahead of them.

Ten minutes passed, and Jack was delighted to find that they had made a successful landing.  A number of French and British aviation men hastened to surround them, more than curious to know what strange chance had brought two Yankee fliers to Dunkirk.

Of course neither Tom nor Jack meant to afford them the least satisfaction.  They had certain business to transact, and after that was off their hands the great adventure loomed beyond.

Accordingly, their first act was to find the man to whom they had been referred by Lieutenant Beverly.

“We want to see Major Denning; can anybody direct us to him?” Tom asked.

“That happens to be my name,” remarked a red-faced officer on the outskirts of the crowd and who had just arrived.  “What can I do for you?”

“Lieutenant Colin Beverly of the American aviation corps referred us to you, Major,” said Tom.  “We have a message for you, after which we must deliver an official packet sent by our general to the command here and make arrangements to have our plane sent back to where we started from some hours ago, on the American fighting front.”

“I shall be pleased to give you any assistance in my power, gentlemen,” said the British major, being apparently a very agreeable and accommodating man indeed, as Beverly had informed them they would find him.

Stepping away from the crowd the Air Service Boys delivered their message, which was really a sort of prearranged password.

“Lieutenant Beverly is a cousin of mine, you know; which makes me more than anxious concerning him just now,” went on Major Denning, after these formalities had been gone through with.

“Why so, Major?” demanded Tom, while Jack looked worried.

Whereupon the red-faced major drew them still further to one side, and, lowering his heavy voice so as not to be overheard by others, went on to say: 

“I, as you know, know something about that wonderful big bomber he’s had sent over, and how he means to give Berlin a scare shortly.  I’ve even had the privilege of looking the monster over, and feeling a thrill at picturing how it would give the Huns a fright when it appeared over Berlin.  But you see its presence here is a secret, and known to but few of us.”