All preparations were at last complete and with cavalry beneath and aeroplanes above, the American strategists planned a dash across the Japanese territory with the belief that the outlying lines of artillery would bring to earth those that succeeded in getting into the air.

* * *

One evening at the hour of twilight, messengers passed rapidly among the Japanese distributing maps and orders to prepare for flight.

Late that night, their possessions made ready for flight, Komoru and Ethel sat with Professor and Madame Oshima beneath the latter’s plane.

“Our scouts have come to the conclusion,” said Oshima, “that a cavalry attack is to be expected in the early morning.  So our plan is for a signal plane to rise at two o’clock directly over the center of our territory.  It will carry a bright yellow light.  Beginning with the outlying groups our forces are to fly toward the light, rising as they go.  Attaining an altitude of two miles they are thence to fly due north as our maps show.  We will suffer some loss, but two miles high and at night I guess American gunners will not inflict great damage.”

Ethel shuddered.

“Do you think the American aviators will follow us?” asked Komoru.

“That depends,” replied the older man, “upon the reception we give them; we have them outnumbered.”

“They carry men gunners,” said Madame Oshima.

“So,” said the Professor, “but shooting from an aeroplane depends not so much upon the gunner as upon the steersman.  Their planes wabble, the metal frame work is too stiff, it doesn’t yield to the air pressure.”

Along such lines the conversation continued for an hour or so.  Neither the men nor Madame Oshima seemed the least bit excited over the prospects; but Ethel, striving to keep up external appearances, was inwardly torn with warring emotions.

Making an excuse of wishing to look for something among her luggage, the girl finally escaped and walked quickly toward the other plane.  But instead of stopping, she passed by and continued down between the rows of cotton, avoiding as much as possible the lights that dotted the field about her.

“Oh, God!” she repeated under her breath; “Oh, God!  I can’t go!  I won’t go!”

For some time she walked on briskly trying to calm her feverish mind and reason out a sane course of procedure.

She was passing thus where the lights of two planes glowed fifty meters at either side, when she stumbled heavily over some dark object between the cotton rows.  She turned to see what it was; and, bending forward, discerned in the starlight the body of a man.  She started to run; then, fearing pursuit the more, checked her speed.  As she did so some one grasped her arm and a heavy hand was clapped over her mouth.

“Keep quiet,” commanded her captor hoarsely.  In another instant he had bent her back over his knee and thrown her—­or rather dropped her for she did not resist—­upon the soft earth beneath.