Bullets were still flying thick and fast, but the range was too great now for accurate shooting.  Still, there was always the chance that one of the leaden messengers would hit Hal and end disastrously the career of the flying machine.

Without even checking the speed of the auto, Hal called to Chester: 

“The chauffeur is badly wounded.  Pull him into the rear of the car!”

“Slow down!” came the answer.  “We can’t pull him from beneath you while going at this terrific speed.”

“Slow down nothing!” shouted Hal.  “We don’t want to be captured after this.  You’ll have to pull him out!”

It was no small task, this driving a flying automobile, while a man in whose lap he was almost sitting was being pulled from under him by hands from behind.

Once Hal lost his balance.  Throwing out one hand, he grasped the side of the car, and that alone saved him and his friends, too, for that matter.

The car swerved to one side of the road, and just at that instant a sharp curve came into view.

With a desperate effort Hal regained his balance, steadied the machine, and, without even trying to slacken his speed, took the curve on two wheels.

“Whew!” he muttered to himself.  “That was a close shave!”

By this time the body of the chauffeur had been pulled into the back of the car, and Hal slid into his seat.

“Are you all right?” came Chester’s voice from the rear.

“All right now,” replied Hal.

“You can slow down a bit,” shouted Lieutenant Anderson.  “We are out of range.  We are safe enough now.”

“We are safe from bullets, but we are not safe from pursuit,” Hal called back.  “Do I keep to this road?”

“Yes,” came the reply, “if you don’t run into a ditch or a telegraph pole.”

“Oh, I’ll run it, all right; and I’ll run it on the road, too,” Hal answered grimly.  “I’ve made a record on a worse road than this.”

“Is the chauffeur badly hurt?” he called back after a few minutes.

“No, I don’t think so,” replied the French captain’s voice.  “Just a scalp wound.  He has lost a lot of blood, and is still unconscious, but I think he will come around all right presently.”

Hal settled back in his seat and gave his entire attention to the road ahead.

The big car flashed through several small towns, and the dim lights in the homes looked like a string of brilliant spots, so swiftly did they go by.  For almost half an hour the terrific speed was continued, and then, at a shouted command from Lieutenant Anderson, Hal slowed down.

“We should be nearing Angermunde by this time,” the lieutenant explained, “and it will never do to go through there at this speed.”

“Do you suppose our would-be captors have communicated with the authorities at Angermunde?” asked the Frenchman.

“I would not be surprised,” replied the lieutenant; “but we must risk it.  One thing I am sure of, however, is that our pursuers are not far behind.  They will never rest till we are caught.  And, for that reason, we cannot afford to waste much time.”