Show Che Cb JI rial r rIBy By IBy Capt Guy GuyD D. D Smith I of the British Royal Air Forces Force Copyright by Capt Guy D. D Smith I I CHAPTER R for tor the Continued From Yesterday Until our advent no airplane had ever flown over Yemen The native Inhabitants ignorant i and superstitious beyond belief are to this da day in deadly fear tear of ot the tho flying fIring machines and like their kind farther north re- re re reI refuse fuso fuse to believe that human beings go up in them We Ro c had to contend with this spirit not only on the part of oC the hordes arrayed against us us but bul those arra arrayed d with us However Howe the Turks the really clement o of the enemy emi were not afflicted with an any such awe nwe of or us They wasted no notime time timo In vain aln wonder or fruitless prayers to Allah but opened heavy y fire upon us the In Instant Instant instant In- In stant wo we took to the air all ll By bribing or frightening sheiks the Turks had kept many tribes from Crom joining th the forces of tho the Sherlf Sherif of ol Mecca I was detailed for or the first Cli flight ht over this country with orders to bombs but to make mako thorough reconnaissance and ancl then return We Ve flew law over the fortified mountain of ot el cl and circled around ita it ita a few Cew times tunes m my observer taking numerous numerous numerous nu nu- photographs and copious notes The Tho Turks exploded n a few shells around us us but no none no came carno close enough h to cause us any uneasiness We e wont went about twenty miles Inland passing over a a. village cry every mile or two TURKS GJ G READY nY FOIL OR lUG BIG ATTACK All It was plain that preparations were making for an nn offensive on tho the part of ot the Turks Turk every village near tho the mountain being crowded with troops camels horses and mcl all their menta Tremendous activity was everywhere visible Our p passing ln overhead overhead overhead over over- head stirred up great s excitement Little lc dots of Ie people rushed to and fro seeking seekIng seeking seek seek- ing cover and anticipating a bombing On our return trip the they had evidently e pulled themselves together somewhat for tor we encountered a 1 lot of or Inconsequential Inconsequential rifle fire Returning to the ship Just sunset we made mado our report Preparations were at once begun un for nil till the tho machines to set out against them for Cor fora a a. grand old strafe We 0 loaded our machines with as many bombs as al they could C carry ai and d also a big supply o of machine gun ammunition Then rhen we Re Reset set SPot out in rapid succession six machines machines ma ma- chines with Instructions to do as much ma cI damage e as possible in the re- re re remaining hour or t two t 0 of or daylight ht The first two machines to arrive arrhe near the Turkish encampment were heavily shelled The Tho observer In one of or them had a n narrow escape Ho lie was well up In the fuselage making ready for tor the attack when whets a piece of shrapnel struck viciously against the sent seat ho holiad had Just vacated It tor tore out a section section sec sec- tion of the scat cat but luckily did no vital damage and the boys bors were able ablo to carr carry on with the rest of or us After A these two machines had dropped dropped drop drop- ped their bombs tho the Turks quit firing tiring with their bl big guns uns having apparent apparent- apparently l ly been ordered to take cover in r trenches and dugouts l Desultory rifle and machine gun un fire tire was wan our only opposition following tho the first fifteen minute minutes My Iy machine was the third to arrive e on the scene My 1 observer and I had Instructions to attack tho the Turkish Ad Advanced headquarters about about a n half mile north of ot the mountain 1 We e e came am down lown to o about 1500 feet feel and made mad s several runs rung over the tho target to get gel the tho proper prIer line inc Several bombs hit in the tho neighborhood neighborhood neigh neigh- h- h o of the tower On our third trip tho the observer cr leaned over Oer and md slapped Mapped me on the back shouting at athe atthe atthe the he top tOI of ot his hia voice to make himself heard beard above C tho the roar of or h the engine That last ono one was a L dandy eland It hit the tower fair fall and square It had indeed for he had taken a photograph at tho the Instant of or explosion which when developed showed tho the tower enveloped in the bombs bomb's smoke ATTACKING ATT G S FROM meal I IN AIR AUl Having dropped our bombs wo we 0 came down ver very low ant and turned our machine gun un upon the trenches We e had to face taco their fire tire but the Turks Tunics were so plainly In n a panic wo did not fear it greatly and had tho the satisfaction of or seeing them climb from tho the trenches and scatter atter in many directions By Ily this time timo it was getting quite quito dark the sun having set about An n hour be before before be- be fore tore but we still kept circling as our raid had been so 50 rul none of ot us liked to leave le l. e When eventually eventually even even- we wo did turn back toward the lie ship it was so dark we could plainly sec see the blaze blazo from rom the tho exhaust r cf cr f cur motor and when we se fired Ired the hc machine gun tho the spurts of ot flame name from tho barrel barrel barrel bar bar- rel were plainly visible Fortunately It was a clear moonlight moonlight moon moon- light nl night ht so o that when wo reached the ship it was waN an ens easy casy matter maller to land From that time on we made mado bombing bombIng bomb- bomb Ing Ins flights nights every evening c In that part of or tho the tropics the weather is 18 intensely In Intensely intensely in- in tensely hot In the middle of or the the- day clay heat waves coming off orr tho the desert making malting malt malt- ing tho the air so 80 bumpy Lumpy that flying Is is extremely difficult For that reason rouson j I jc we c had to do our work in n the tho comparative comparative com corn cool of oC the sundown period Wo We c had one little kid with us who couldn't have been moro more than 17 11 years old and looked about II it 11 and who had his first fighting experience at nt this tills time lie was with us for tor wireless work In the airplanes We Yo joked jok d with him often about his Iris size tolling h him ho he was so 80 small wo we were afraid ho ml might ht fall all through a hole In n tho the fuselage e. e Ho lIe was a I keen little fellow and so no o anxious to do some bomb dropping that one ono o of the pilots finally took him for tor a flight ht over the Ihu Turkish trenches He dropped a it number o of eggs s and then took charge chargo of ot the tho machine gun sun He Ho nearl nearly fell out in his eagerness to todo todo todo do as ns much damage as possible standIng stand stand- Ing In up in tho the fuselage and keeping up UJ hi his fire tire steadily until he had exhausted his ammunition supply That boys boy's spirit was as as the spirit that prevailed pre In the whole flying corps If It ever there was a thought of ot personal dan danger er nobody put nobody put It into words word I 1 know I 1 rarely thought n of any risk I 1 might be running when I did I shamed myself m out of or it by b looking at the theother theother theother other fellows and reminding myself that I was doing no moro more than thc they RAIDS HAlOS O CAMPS C. n n TROOPS TROOPS- Our attacks on tho the Turks included a serIes of or raids raid on their headquarters and camps at nt different points from twenty to thirty miles Inland Th These so raids if Ie they did nothing else of or much consequence struck terror into tho hearts heart l of ot tho the Arabs and six tribes previously allied with the Turks de deserted do- do sorted and ancl came over to the tho support of oe tho the sl One of or th these lC tribes marched march march- ed rort forty miles over the tho desert sands and surrendered un unconditionally to tho tiro king of ot the si at tho the city of Midi Our interpreter related to us liS that one of or our machines had flown o over or r a tribe tr-bl undecided as to allying alling itself I with the l or tho the Turks Thoroughly terrified b by the appearance of or the tho airplane they thy throw down clown their rifles raised their hands In supplication tion and prayed Please dont don't drop anything on us us' us Wo We arc are friends of ot the We Yc hato hate I tho the Turks Tunics they they are our enemies I As no bombs were dropped they evidently evidently evi evi- dently believed their prayer had been heard and answered ln and the they forthwith forthwith forthwith forth forth- with marched to join tho the forces force Wo 0 had been on the tho campaign for tor many da days s 's when word came that the Kin King of or the wished ti to see sep an nn airplane The kin king is powerful all In Inthe Inthe Inthe the most expressive e of our American American- ese esc What he is not ain aint t. t He Ile has among the natives the reputation o 0 of be beIn being being be- be In ing er very cry religious It would bo bl an offense for such a a. holy hol holman man to look upon th the face tace of an infidel so 0 that ho he had never nc permitted a n. Christian to be brought into his presence until the Christian lIan had been properly veiled Howe cr in the erl crisis ls of or war he was willing to put a aside some o of his re religious religious re- re scruples and expressed a desire to welcome a flying man even though the flying man were a Christian so solon long lon lonaM as aM he remained In the air I later Inter however he grew even moro more liberal in his views and mot met us personally SHOWING THIS SlIt t H Far and wi wide c ho sent an order summonIng summoning summoning sum sum- moning tho the sheiks or tribe chiefs to come to his city of or Midi as us ho he had something to show them The Tho king is as wise as ns Solomon Ho Ito realized Turk Influence was wa such that man many of or orthe the tribes were wavering in allegiance and If H he could show the tho sheiks the strange e birds that had come to help holp him it mi might ht strengthen his hit hold on them and perhaps put a little more jazz into their efforts in his Ills behalf My Iy observer and I were picked to topa pa pay the visit to the king Before starting we prepared a mes message o to drop upon the town It was addre addressed sed to tho the Kin King of or the and re reAu With tho the compliments of the tho officers of officers of- of and men o of th the East Indies and Egypt Seaplane Squadron Sq We passed over Midi at a height ht of about 1000 feet Ceet T Turning to m my observer observer ob ob- server I 1 asked him to hand mo the tho message which wa was c carefully wrapped up and had hall a colored handkerchief tied to It as ns a l streamer He passed it to me but he lost Jost a Limo timo fumbling fumbling fum Cum bling in his pocket for Cor it H and as ns we were well over the middle of or tho the town i I feared we had lost our opportunity of dropping it with 11 proper roper dramatic effect However I took tho the chance slipping slipping slip slip- ping It through h a n. hole in tho the fuselage c li By the magic of or good food luck It landed squarely on oti top of ot the kings king's house FOOLING G A KING ICING WITHOUT WITH WITH- OUT ou 1 rE nl G TO 10 TOlie lIe He was ns pleased beyond words He lie probably pointed to the tho accuracy of ot my mr marksmanship to show how what we could accomplish with our bombs 1 never undeceived him but hut as ns a n matter mattero o of fact I didn't know leno which house was house was hl his and if It I 1 had known and ind had taken II aim film would probably have hao missed it b by a l. l wide wide margin A As the campaign n pro progressed wo we found ourselves up against the necessity necessity noces- noces sity ally of or making flights during the middle middle middle mid mid- dle of or the lay day la In order to co operate with the forces This fact made mado our work harder n as tho the air is much more bumpY n at that perl period of or the tho Ita day In this work ork the machines ro- ro re relieved lIev t each other so that a piano was In tho the air all from Crom dawn lawn till dark Wo Vo would tI fly low and bomb and machine machine- gun un tho the Turks keeping keeping- their guns huns silent si silent silent si- si lent while the Arabs attacked Tho Thu Turks Invariably silenced their guns uns when the tho airplanes were around fearIng fearing fear fear- Ing InS their position would bo be spotted b by bythe the smoke of or the discharge o and that they would at nt once on co be heavily bombed When a plane camo came in sight Night the they covered covered cov- cov ered up their guns suns with matting m and retired to their dugouts and trenches I IOne One Ono Sunday evening e about i o'clock clock I was sent over with a few bombs to drop on their gun Bun p positions as is lS they had be beep r keeping up a L steady stead I md and annoying fire tire fireAll fireAll All the tho information wo we had hall as 05 to 10 the positions had como come from the Arabs and ind so 80 we were going lar largely el on guesswork uess However II cr I J dropped a 1 one explodIng couple of oe bombs one big biS' ills Ing ng on what wo we had U figured as the therl right ight rl ht I location oca tI on Two days das later cl 8 Mustapha el of 1 the kings king's cousin came camo aboard md lull told us a n. story related by a L dc dc- sorter erter My bomb had dropped among a party part of or Turks killing two officers eighteen m men Inen n and three mules The man who brought the stor story had been close b by at the time and barely escaped death himself And that was why ho lie had deserted PROVING G THAT T lil KINGS GS 11 MAY A JJ HC RE rI GRATEFUL When at last the Turks had hatt been driven to retreat and the tho king of tho the was reigning with greater pow pow- power Jower Jow- Jow er than ever and ancI with no further need Hoed for tor our help we prepared to depart But first of oC all we wo had to attend a n farewell reception given us by the king himself Ho lie was an un old old looking fellow and he ho made us a a. speech in a resonant voice that oven OCIl thou though h we did not understand It It con con- the impression slon that he was WO grateful beyond words for tor our help heir and saddened b by our departure Tho The interpreter gave us one OtiC line from irom his address which I remember because ItIs K It KIs Is Illustrative of or the tho use of or simile which is said to abound In Arabian speech As H a n body is without Its It ts soul to so o shall shaH I be without m my seaplanes Sayed Mustapha u who ho had mingled lod with us constantly during our stay sta was more demonstrative even cn lIe He actually actually act act- shed tears tearH Ho IIo had given us usman man many presents of or sheep ve vegetables anI and fruits and had hall kept us constantly in fresh tresh meat When no wo thanked him h he replied l If I 1 had given shen you ou all tho the cattle and anti sheep in tho the Yemen it would not halt hair repay repa for or what you OU have ha done for tor us We e all of us had a sincere admira admiration tion for tor the old fellow tellow and the tho C. C O. O said to him Como to Eg- Eg Egypt Pt with Hh us We shall shaH be bo plen pleased ed to have ha you OU as our guest But he replied Now Is the time for tor My My- IY people need me for Cor we must now non get set rid of or tho the Turk once and forever We Ye steamed to the north and as IS far fit faras faras as uc we could sec see even een with tho the aid oC or our lasses glasses Sayed Mustapha stood upon the shore and anti watched ua us To Bo Be Continued Tomorrow |