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Show riii.iiiiMMHMMnimi..l j The Airman's I Story i ! j By Frank Filson I I Cop right, 1818. by W. O. Chapman.) "You will fly to Sarcy," said my fn-eral, fn-eral, "and deliver this plan of our dispositions dis-positions to General Dufour, In command com-mand ot the advanced posts thoro." I stared at my general In amazement. amaze-ment. How did he suppose that I could fly tho hundred miles to Sarcy, across the npox of the enemy's linos, when his Fokkers had command of tho air? However, It Is not for a French soldier to submit 'advice. I took tho precious plan and made my way to my monoplano, .which, like a great bird, lay with , outstrotched wings ready for me. I had no observer. Thero was nothing noth-ing to observe and my flight was not for observation. In a few minutes I had climbed to a height ot a thousand foot and was making my way steadily along tho front, a little lnaldo our linos. All went well so long as I, continued along tho straight lino ot tho army. You know It runs for thltty miles straight as a dlo, then It bends suddenly sud-denly Inward, where tho enemy hava their salient. It was this salient that I had to cross. I reached It and amended another thousand feet. Then I saw a puff of cotton wool appear beside me and sink slowly to earth. The anti-aircraft guns wero at me already. I mounted to three thousand. Now, from the far-flung lines of the enomy below, little rising dots lndl- I Mounted to Three Thousand. cated tho advent of tho hostllo machines, ma-chines, tho dreaded Fokkors. Light and swift, I know that thoytoUld out distance mo. uut I mauo my course at top speed, whllo all about mo tho shrapnel burst In Ilttlo clouds. One bullot burlod Itsolt In my band. I tossed It from mo. And then the shrapnol ceased, for tho enemy machines ma-chines were neartng me. Thore wero five of them. Thoy wero flying parallel with my course. Two of thorn rangod themselves alongsldo; or, rather what passes tor alongside a distance ot five hundred yards. I heard tho drilling maxim open as one ot them turned bow on toward mo, firing fir-ing through her ruddor. I rose and tho bullets pasBod harmlessly beneath mo. At tho samo time I answered with my rlflo. I could distinctly seo the pilot's body as he bent forward In his seat. I fired and ho pitched forward hoadlong. Tho machlno stopped doad In tho air as ho took his hand from tho lovers, turned over and droppod llko a stono. So now thero wero tour of. them. Thoy circled about mo llko great birds of prey. I roso. I roso until I was a thousand foot overhead and swooped Ilka an osproy. As I swoopod I flrod ten rounds from my rlflo. Ily good for-tuno for-tuno I riddled tho motor of tho machlno ma-chlno that I was attacking. It caught fire and fell to earth in a blaze ot flamo. So that loft three. Thoy flew alongside, tiling steadily. The bullots escaped mo by a mlraclo. My motor must havo boon plorced, for a steady drip, drip ot oil pattered Into the chassis. Howovor, at this moment, mo-ment, when all seomod lost, ono of the enomy machines doveloped some fault with her steering gear and went gracefully to oarth, leaving mo only two antagonists. Then, ta my astonlshmont, after circling cir-cling about each other, I heard, abovo tho sound niado by my leaking motor, ono ot tho ntrmon bid tho other lcavo him to mo. Tho other oboyod. Of my flvo antagonists only ono remalnod. It was tho machlno of tho redoubtable redoubt-able Lieutenant Hansen, I know that by tho red flag with tho skull which It was his prlvllego to carry. Ho cams so near to mo that I could soo him salute mo. Then, with an Ironical cry, ho let loose a volloy from his maxim. I answered with my rlflo. I did not injure him. Ho roso, following mo. Wo dodged and voored and played about each other. Then ho dived In a straight swoop, coming so near mo In hlfl calculated drop that I tolt sure ho would crash into iao and scud tho mo- j chines crashing to oarth. And then ho aimed point blank at mo with hU revolver. The ball went through my leg. I swayed in tho seat; but the next mi-ment mi-ment ho was far in the distance, returning re-turning to continue, his battle. , Haiiscn, the most chivalrous of enemies, ene-mies, had chosen to encountor mo upon equal torms. Ho had no aid with him; hence ho had nothing but a rovolvor with which to fight. I dropped my rlflo and drow mine. As ho passed mo wo blazed at each other. Tho bullets bul-lets went wild. Again wo drow apart. And now I had almost crossed the apex and was nearlng Sarcy. I knew, from tho distant end In the long lino ot the intronchmonts, and from tho shining river, that my course was almost al-most at an end. Hansen know, too, that his last chanco had come. He flew straight for me; I evaded him by a hair's breadth, and I realized to my horror that he had determined to ram mo in air and bring both our machines to earth rather than lot me escape him. I flew madly toward my goal. Hanson, Han-son, In his light Fokker, was clearly my superior In maneuvering. He could bldo his time. Ho dropped llko an arrow. I twisted and turned in vain. I saw the machlno approaching me, gave him my last shot and flung tho revolver into bis tace. Next Instant In-stant he was upon mo. The crash was fearful. The machines ma-chines soomed locked together in air. For an instant' I had a view of the ironic face ot Hansen; the next minute min-ute we wore falling to earth together. Somehow we became disentangled. Above the noise of the raging battle below I heard tho halting thump of my motor. The sound was like music In 'my ears. By great good fortune I was falling right side up. How I contrived It I do not know, but I rltfhtod the machine, ma-chine, steadied her and volplaned downward, to land behind our advanced ad-vanced lines and, by a strange chance, before the tent of General Dufour himself. him-self. Then, as they helped me out of the wrecked machine, I became conscious of another aeroplane upon tho ground. It was the Fokker ot Hansen, smashed to pieces. Hansen himself but I draw a veil over that. He was a brave antagonist and It was an honor to have met him. I'saluted General Dufour and handed htm the roll ot plans. Ho took it and looked at mo in astonishment. "You flew across the salient of the enemy's lines?" he asked in incredulity. incredu-lity. "Yes, my general," I returned modestly. mod-estly. "And fought off Ave aeroplanes, of which I havo brought one back as a trophy." "You fool!" he burst out angrily. "Did you not know that theso plans were meant to bo found when your aoroplano fell In tho enemy's lines? And you, imbecile, why are you not doad?" "I can obllgo you, my general," I answered an-swered weakly, looking downcast. And yet it was war, and what Is one man's life In war? Then I must havo toppled over, for suddenly, out of a fog, I saw tho general's gen-eral's oyes fixed upon my faco. "You havo dono bravely," ho said, with that tone that goes straight to a Frenchman's heart, Ho handed me tho roll. "It is useless," ho said. "Out after tho war you can frame it as a memorial," |
