Brother Enemies by Frank Blighton Read online

  All-Story Weekly, February 17, 1917

  T a distance of ten yards from the

  was actuated rather more by a mechanical

  cunningly contrived artificial copse of

  sense of performing his duty with that

  A shrubs where Sub-Lieutenant thoroughness which is so essential a part of Schneider was crouching, no one would have

  the Teutonic character than he was actuated by

  dreamed of the presence of a human being.

  the expectation of seeing any possible enemy

  Two hundred yards in the rear of the little knot aircraft, when, for the twentieth time that

  of boughs, the neutral tints of the hangar roofs morning, he applied his eye to the lens of the

  blended into the landscape where they were

  powerful binocular mounted on the quadrant

  erected, with similar elusiveness. The science

  of the antiaircraft gun where he was stooping,

  of protective coloration, from the ground or

  and swept the sun-drenched vistas of

  from the air had been so carefully worked out

  westward space between them and the

  that, although the forty hangars were trenches.

  undeniably existent, no enemy aviator could

  A

  marvelous

  mechanism—that

  have been sure of their precise whereabouts,

  binocular; dragging distance into the

  save from information other than derived by a

  foreground as relentlessly as gravitation

  vagrant downward glimpse from a machine

  dragged a disabled aeroplane earthward;

  speeding over the spot.

  magnifying, with magical distinctness, the

  So, at least, Sub-Lieutenant Schneider

  details of aircraft on a clear day so that the

  flattered himself.

  markings, the types of construction, and, in

  How, in fact, could it well be some instances, the number of occupants were otherwise?

  all disclosed.

  Had not his colonel, after many

  But the marvel did not end with the

  painstaking experiments, confirmed the binocular—it merely began there; and selection of the final colors? And was not his

  continued, with that nefarious sureness which

  superior officer. Colonel Frederick Imman, in

  all things must possess to be worthy of

  command of the base as well as of the entire

  reliance in this, the hour of the Fatherland’s

  squadrille of aircraft in the Meuse sector?

  need.

  Sub-Lieutenant Schneider, therefore,

  With the exception of one minute

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  section of the far-flung horizon to the west,

  its great distance from the watcher—yet,

  there was absolutely nothing in sight. There, a nevertheless, it was moving; crossing the

  score of miles from the crouching watcher,

  minute squares into which the field of vision

  puffs of dun-colored vapor, shot through with

  was divided, with mathematical exactness.

  occasional streaks of golden cream,

  Schneider removed his head from the

  continually appeared with a certain marked

  eye-piece and scanned the spot with his naked

  regularity; burst into bloom like a head of

  eye. He could scarcely be sure, for several

  cauliflower, hovered intermittently and minutes, that he had not been the victim of an dispersed lazily—as if loath to depart.

  illusion; then, out of the heart of the sky he

  Somewhere around and in this sector

  could faintly perceive that dot.

  were many German battle-planes, directing

  Instantly, he again applied his eye to

  the monotonous but unceasing and frightfully

  the instrument.

  destructive “drumfire” of the artillery engaged Yes, it was true. It was an aeroplane.

  in shattering the outer fortresses of Verdun.

  Yet, the longer he peered, the more

  But the binocular through which he

  Sub-Lieutenant Schneider was perplexed. The

  was peering was not intended to penetrate that

  aircraft was at such a height that it would be

  gruesome, turgid mass; nor was it any part of

  impossible for its occupant to discern the

  the duty of Sub-Lieutenant Schneider to slightest variation in the landscape over which discern the fate of the airmen either on scout

  he was flying; certainly at that great elevation at that point, or those engaged in driving back the pools of water on such a brilliant,

  their opponents who were searching the cloudless day would turn into mirrors shooting German lines for the information through back the shimmer of the sun in shafts of such which alone an intelligent defense of the intensity that they would all but blind the mighty fortress was possible.

  pilot; certainly, also, no road could be seen; no The sub-lieutenant’s duty was merely

  column of troops or convoy of supplies spied

  to protect the base of the aeroplanes of the

  out and dispersed by well-directed showers of

  Fatherland from any too inquisitive, predatory

  arrows or bombs.

  airman, who might, through skill or strategy,

  Besides, the fellow, whoever he was,

  evade the scouts already aloft, and possibly do was alone; a peculiar—nay, almost a

  permanent mischief by bombing the disquieting—circumstance; for he was not apparently innocuous open space wherein the

  returning toward the spot, where Schneider

  German hangars hovered like brooding hens,

  was now eying him with growing malignancy,

  waiting the return of their errant chickens.

  by any of the routes which their own aircraft

  Then, overhead, so high that at first

  used.

  Schneider assured himself that a fleck of dust

  Again he adjusted the eye-piece to

  must have settled on the opposite end of his

  accommodate his vision to the swiftly

  telescope, appeared a black dot. Almost at

  lessening distance.

  once, however, he knew that it was not a fleck

  Next instant he bellowed a hoarse

  of dust, but an aeroplane flying at a prodigious command.

  elevation. He knew it, because, had it been

  The ground beneath and around him

  merely a fleck of dust, it would have revealed

  regurgitated men. Toward them Schneider

  itself on only one of the two lenses through

  flung barbed commands, without taking his

  which he was peering; also, it would have

  eyes from the lenses. One of them hastily

  remained stationary; whereas, this particular

  swung back a lever. There was an instant of

  speck was moving—slowly, apparently, due to

  premonitory quivering, then, smoothly,

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  swiftly, and silently—save for the snakelike

  One of these images projected the

  hiss of escaping air below the officer’s feet—

  aeroplane right side up. precisely as it

  the gun-platform rose some six feet from its

  ap
peared to the naked eye; the other projected

  place of concealment; the muzzle of the it as upside down; and the instant those two formidable weapon gently nuzzled aside the

  images superimposed over each other, making

  protective foliage with which it was draped,

  one composite image, that instant the latch

  and gaped upward at an angle of some fifty

  controlling the firing-pin would be released,

  degrees.

  and the death-freighted shrapnel projectile

  There it paused, like the throat of a

  would be launched with terrific velocity to an

  bird waiting a worm from its mother. Came

  elevation of at least eight thousand feet,

  another command, and it shifted a trifle to the exploding directly under or a little in advance north.

  of the on-coming aviator.

  Again a pregnant pause.

  Already the free hand of the sub-

  The officer was now methodically lieutenant was lifted to signal to fire.

  adjusting two large brass screws, by means of

  When it dropped, it would be the

  which he kept his binocular focused upon the

  precursor of the fall of that oncoming biplane, now plainly discernible aircraft.

  as surely as the shell left the gun. For the

  And, with each motion, however insouciant chap above was now clearly visible slight, the muzzle of the gun shifted to to even the naked eye; and the spyglass correspond, synchronizing faultlessly the revealed, with unmistakable certainty, the movement of the spyglass.

  hated twin circles, cue within the other,

  Well, indeed, had Sub-Lieutenant painted on the under side of each wing, Schneider reason to smile, contemptuously;

  proclaiming the machine to be one employed

  for, with every adjustment of the two screws

  by the Allied Powers, and his fate was sealed.

  which he operated, the more nefariously sure

  Next instant the shell left the gun.

  became the inevitable fate of the intrepid

  And, following the instant of its

  individual who thus recklessly challenged that

  explosion, far, far aloft, the biplane came

  combination of science and resourcefulness at

  hurtling earthward in a dizzying, sickening,

  the command of the concealed watcher.

  headlong dive, almost but not quite straight

  “Another half-mile,” muttered

  downward toward the mouth of the gun whose

  Schneider to the eye-piece, “and he will be

  shell had been speeded upward to achieve this

  within range.” And. again, as before, very purpose.

  sedulously watching the approaching aviator

  Again Sub-Lieutenant Schneider,

  through the twin-barrels of his telescope, he

  swiftly twisting the screws of his glass,

  twisted the screws, while he voiced another

  brought the diving aeroplane into the field of

  command in an all but inaudible tone.

  his vision.

  Even the men below him who slid the

  Being thus engaged, he did not notice

  vicious, gleaming projectile into the breech of the sturdy, erect figure at the side of the gun the antiaircraft gun, felt a momentary qualm

  platform, in field gray uniform, on whose

  of pity for the daring man aloft, riding into the collar shone the insignia of his rank as

  jaws of a certain death.

  colonel, and on whose breast gleamed the iron

  They could see, in their mind’s eye,

  cross won in another war: else discipline

  the same as their commander could see in

  would have stifled the involuntary

  actuality, the twin images which that superb

  exclamation which burst from the watcher’s

  binocular disclosed.

  lips:

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  “Mein Gott! It is Herr Rockwood, could be no respite. Already the second shell himself! ”

  was in place, the breech locked, the wicked

  At the sound of his voice the gun-crew

  blue eyes of the sub-lieutenant were glued to

  grouped around the mechanism stiffened into

  the orifice of his binocular, waiting until the rigidity, standing with averted eyes, as the

  twin images grew yet a little smaller, ere he

  biplane, now diving with an incredible speed

  annihilated the reckless airman whom surely a

  earthward, swept down upon them.

  miracle had preserved before.

  Over the features of Colonel Frederick

  Then, abruptly, at his feet came a quiet

  Imman passed an involuntary spasm of pain:

  command in tones he well knew:

  next instant he was again the cold, calm,

  “Sub-Lieutenant Schneider, you will

  emotionless, and severe commander.

  not fire again at Aviator Rockwood. You will,

  The aeroplane was within five hundred

  instead, by wireless, give him safe conduct

  feet of them now, but, oddly enough, at the

  back to his own lines.”

  very instant it should have come crashing

  Mechanically the subordinate saluted.

  clown to earth, the pilot whipped one arm over

  Inwardly, he told himself Colonel

  the edge of the fuselage—something hurtled

  Imman had gone mad.

  downward through the flawless air of the

  Then he flashed a swift, sidewise

  summer morning—and then, to their amazed

  glance toward his superior, who was standing,

  ears came the renewed and defiant roar of the

  with bared head, gazing after the fast

  powerful motor.

  disappearing aeroplane—the pilot of which

  Before the first sporadic sputter had

  was triply hated.

  grown into the thrumming volley that showed

  Hated, first, because he was their

  engine unimpaired and pilot uninjured, the

  enemy.

  thing he had thrown downward was eddying

  Hated, again, because he was a

  toward the feet of no less an individual than

  volunteer aviator, from America.

  Colonel Imman himself; while the members of

  Hated most of all by Schneider and his

  the antiaircraft gun-crew, like frightened men, and more intensely than any other rabbits, flung themselves into their burrows as aviator flying for the Allied arms, because he

  one man, all save the commander of the base

  had shot down no less than a dozen of their

  and the softly cursing officer, who was again

  own airmen—this blood-glutted American

  twisting the screws frantically that controlled who had wantonly crossed the seas to help to

  his gun’s mechanism.

  crush the Fatherland they were sworn to

  As unerringly as a pointer indicates the

  defend to the death!

  covey of birds for his master, so, with fairly

  “Yes, he must be quite mad!” muttered

  frantic swiftness the gun again revolved in a

  the sub-lieutenant to himself, walking away,

  semicircle until it pointed eastward at the before the crackle of the wireless key, fleeing aeroplane, and again the bellowed conveying the mystifying order to all the command of the sub-lieutenant brought the

  German arms, broke out of the adjoining

  gun-crew back to their duty.

  shrubs next to that where the antiaircraft gun

  The
aeroplane, like a fleeing vulture,

  was concealed.

  was now darting in abrupt angles, this way

  He glanced again covertly toward his

  and that, but rising constantly. Its pilot had

  chief.

  hurdled the concealed gun emplacement like a

  Colonel Imman, his head still bared,

  thoroughbred taking a barrier only a second

  was bending over toward the ground. Then he

  before. But, for him now, of a surety, there

  stood erect again, replaced his cap, and

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  5

  walked swiftly toward the rear of the group of

  Sixteen of these young airmen had

  half-invisible hangars, glancing neither to the gathered around him to receive the hurried

  right nor the left.

  orders which he gave to them in person;

  Toward a slight, new-made mound he

  among them his own son, Flight-Lieutenant

  walked, a score of yards behind the hangars;

  Imman, who would nominally command the

  then paused and gazed down at it with squad, on the desperate and hazardous mission brooding, misty eyes.

  which the corps commander unfolded with

  After a short space he raised his head

  precise, terse instructions.

  and glanced around.

  The element of time was so pressing

  Aviator Rockwood, now a tiny fleck of

  that scarcely six minutes elapsed between

  gray-black against the flawless ambient, was

  their assembling and the moment when they

  winging his path back toward his own lines—

  were scurrying toward their respective

  this time at a much lower elevation than hangars.

  before.

  Eleven machines were run out of the

  neutral-colored hangars an hour before dawn;

  Colonel Imman’s enigmatic order to spare the

  six of which were amazingly swift Fokkers,