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diff --git a/old/51581-0.txt b/old/51581-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a87395c..0000000 --- a/old/51581-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4551 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Way of the Air, by Edgar C. Middleton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Way of the Air - A Description of Modern Aviation - -Author: Edgar C. Middleton - -Release Date: March 28, 2016 [EBook #51581] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WAY OF THE AIR *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - - THE WAY OF THE AIR - - - - - THE WAY - OF THE AIR - - A DESCRIPTION OF MODERN AVIATION - - BY - - EDGAR C. MIDDLETON - (“AN AIR PILOT”) - LATE FLIGHT SUB-LIEUT., R.N.; AUTHOR OF “AIRCRAFT” - - - [Illustration] - - - NEW YORK - FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - - - - - _Copyright, 1917, by_ - FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY - - - _All rights reserved including that of translation - into foreign languages_ - - - - - Dedication - - TO THE MEMORY OF FRIENDS - WHO HAVE FALLEN IN THE GREAT FIGHT - - Captain ADRIAN LIDDELL, V.C., R.F.C. - Flight Sub-Lieut. R. A. J. WARNEFORD, V.C., R.N. - Flight Lieut. ROSHER, R.N. - Flight Lieut. TALBOT, R.N. - Flight Lieut. GRAHAM, R.N. - Flight Commander BEARD, R.N. - Captain BASIL HALLAM RADFORD, R.F.C. - AND - Second-Lieut. ARTHUR FISHER, R.F.C. - - “WHO FOUND GLORY ONLY BECAUSE - GLORY LAY IN THE PLAIN PATH OF DUTY” - - THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED - - - - -AUTHOR’S NOTE - - -The idea of this little book is to give as clear and graphic a -description of modern aviation as circumstances will permit; of the -new, heroic race of men to which Flying has given birth; of the -conditions under, and the elements in, which their work is carried -out, and the difficulties and dangers they have to encounter. Flying -is essentially a profession for the younger generation. The strain -is too great for men of more mature years. To withstand such strain -requires all the vigor, the recklessness, the iron nerve of youth. It -is a profession that offers an irresistible appeal to healthy-minded, -sport-loving youth, to whom adventure is the nectar of existence. - -The writer’s chief endeavor in the opening chapters has been to help -the young man who wishes to adopt “Flying” as a profession. Part II -of the book is composed of a collection of incidents taken from the -diary of an air pilot on Active Service somewhere in the North of -France. They are given in their original form. I also wish to thank -the editors of the _Daily Mail_, _Daily Express_, _Daily Chronicle_, -_Evening News_, and _Boys’ Friend_ for their courtesy in permitting me -to use, in a few instances, material embodied in articles appearing in -their journals. - - E. C. M. - - _London, 1917._ - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAP. PAGE - - PART I - THE SERVICE AIRMAN IN THE MAKING - - AUTHOR’S NOTE vii - INTRODUCTION 3 - I. JOINING THE SERVICE 10 - II. THE AIRMAN’S FIRST DAYS 17 - III. THE INITIAL FLIGHT 23 - IV. THE PERILS OF THE AIR 28 - V. THE SPIRIT OF THE AIR 34 - VI. SEAPLANES 40 - VII. A ZEPPELIN CHASE 48 - VIII. THE COMPLETE AIRMAN 53 - - - PART II - ON ACTIVE SERVICE - - IX. BEHIND THE FIRING LINE 61 - X. THE FIRST TRIP ACROSS THE LINE 66 - XI. SOME ANECDOTES 74 - XII. SPORT EXTRAORDINARY 81 - XIII. A BALLOON-TRIP BY NIGHT 85 - XIV. THE BATTLE OF THE WOOD 92 - XV. A TIGHT CORNER 97 - XVI. AN AIR FIGHT WITH A HUN 108 - XVII. A GREAT RAID 114 - XVIII. A DAY-DREAM 123 - XIX. A MID-AIR BATTLE 127 - XX. A BATTLE FROM ABOVE 132 - XXI. A TRUE STORY OF THE WAR 136 - XXII. HEROISM IN THE AIR 144 - - - PART III - OTHER CRAFT AND THE FUTURE - - XXIII. THE EVOLUTION OF THE AIRSHIP 151 - XXIV. LAWS OF THE AIR 161 - XXV. AERIAL COMBAT 166 - XXVI. THE AIR--THE WAR--AND THE FUTURE 170 - - - - -PART I - -THE SERVICE AIRMAN IN THE MAKING - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -In writing of modern aviation it is to be regretted that the sport or -science, call it what you will, was developed more in two years by the -war than would have been possible in twenty-two years under normal -conditions. Prior to 1914 we did not look upon aircraft and aviation -with the degree of interest that their useful qualities warranted. -Instead we were apt to regard them rather in the manner of a sporting -spectacle, in much the same light as a football match, or a boxing -entertainment, or as the _pièce de résistance_ of the showmen; thus -aircraft, the greatest and most potential discovery of all the ages, -had to prove their worth in the maiming of humanity and the destruction -of property. - -Quietly and unobtrusively they were introduced into the plans of war; -it must be admitted greatly despised and with a strong feeling of -repugnance. Gradually--so gradually as almost to be unnoticed--they -began to prove their worth. - -From the very first days of the war it began to be realized that we -must have aircraft. Our large Navy was in desperate need of seaplanes -to hunt the enemy warships from their lairs and his merchantmen from -the seas. In the same way our tiny Army required aeroplanes, but for a -somewhat different reason: to be prepared against all enemy surprises, -which in those desperate days of early 1914 would have been fatal. - -As the war developed, the various belligerents began to settle down, -to restore order from the chaos, and to prepare for a long and arduous -campaign. Then the cry came for aircraft, more and more aircraft. In -England the great engineering shops and factories were peremptorily -ordered by the Government to abandon their work and to construct -aeroplanes as fast as they were able. Meanwhile the enemy, who had -long been prepared, began to obtain an overwhelming mastery of the -air--it will always remain a mystery why he did not use his aircraft -to better effect at Mons and the Marne. After four and six months, -fresh craft came out from England, and it was then the enemy, in -his turn, was driven from the air. For some time we were allowed to -retain that mastery, then the enemy came along with a rush with the -new and powerful Albatross and Aviatik, and again we retired into the -background for a time. Meanwhile, aeroplane factories were springing up -all over the country, and the production of machines was going up by -leaps and bounds;--undeniable proof this of the value such craft were -to the military commanders. Thus the mad race went on. Fast, graceful, -single-seater scouts, slower and larger reconnaissance craft; huge, -powerful-engined battle-planes made their appearance in quantities -hitherto undreamt of, and were dispatched in never-ending stream across -the Channel, there to play their part in the war. - -Dipping into the past, it may be said that by 1784 flight by balloon -was well under way, and that year a woman--Madame Thible--made a -trip in the presence of King Gustavus III of Sweden, that lasted -three-quarters of an hour. She reached an altitude of 9000 feet. The -following year the first cross-channel trip was made by Blanchard, -with an American doctor named Jefferies for passenger, together with -a supply of provisions and ballast. This weighed the balloon down to -so great an extent that she almost sank into the sea a few moments -after starting. Ballast was thrown overboard and she rose, only to sink -down again. Hurriedly more ballast was dropped, but it had no effect, -and was followed by everything on which the aeronauts could lay their -hands, including provisions, books and a mass of correspondence. At -last the French coast loomed into view, but the balloon was now sinking -rapidly. The wings were thrown overboard, but that had no effect. -The aeronauts commenced to strip themselves of their clothing. Then -Jefferies proposed to jump over the side into the water, and was about -to do so, when the balloon rose suddenly into the air, and they landed -on the hills behind Calais. - -Aircraft played a great part in the Franco-Prussian war, and during the -siege of Paris alone as many as 66 balloons left the stricken city, -carrying 60 pilots, 102 passengers, 409 carrier pigeons, 9 tons of -letters and telegrams, and 6 dogs. Five of the dogs were sent back to -Paris, but were lost and never heard of again, while 57 of the carrier -pigeons carried 100,000 messages. Of the 66 balloons 58 got through, 5 -fell into German hands, and 2 into the sea. - -Among the more historical trips is that of Gaston Tissandier, who went -over the German lines, and dropped 10,000 copies of a proclamation -addressed to the soldiers, asking for peace, yet declaring that France -would fight to the bitter end. - -In South Africa an observation balloon was in use at Ladysmith for -twenty-nine days, doing extremely useful work in spotting the Boer -artillery. The pilot of an observation balloon reported the enemy’s -position on Spionkop to be impregnable, and, at Paardeberg, another -disclosed the precise position of Cronje’s force and directed our -artillery fire thereon. - -Of all the Great Powers, Italy is more responsible, perhaps, than any -other for the evolution of aircraft. From the sixteenth century the -most accomplished Italian scientists have given their attention to the -solving of the riddle of the air. Such names as Leonardo da Vinci and -Fausto Varanzio stand out prominently in the history of aviation; and -to-day the Italian rigid airships are the best in the world. It was, -however, mainly due to the efforts of two Frenchmen that prominence -was first given to aircraft. Joseph and Stephen Montgolfier were the -sons of a rich paper-maker of Annoney, and the story goes that, while -rowing, Stephen’s silk coat fell overboard into the water. When drying -the coat it was noticed that the hot air tended to make it rise, and -the upshot of the affair was the Montgolfier balloon. Since those -days France has devoted herself almost entirely to the development of -aeroplanes, which are second only to those of German manufacture. To -the latter power honor, however unwilling, must be given as regards -aircraft. On the outbreak of war her aeroplanes were the finest in -the world, and her Zeppelins were beyond comparison. Great Britain -possessed an advantageous lead in the matter of aeroplanes. - -The development of aviation in this country was mainly due to the -untiring efforts of the Royal Aero Club affiliated to the Fédération -Aéronique International; and the splendid encouragement of the -proprietors of the _Daily Mail_, who generously put aside an aggregate -sum of £37,000 towards prize-money for aeronautical events. The -Fédération Aéronique had already branches in America, Argentine, -Austria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, -Italy, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. In England -the R.A.C. controlled every matter connected with aviation, such as -the arranging and governing of competitions, the granting of pilots’ -certificates, and the ruling of the air. Up to August, 1914, they had -already granted 926 certificates, of which 863 were aeroplane, 24 -airship and 39 aeronaut (balloon). The first of their competitions for -the Britannia Challenge Trophy was carried off by Captain C. A. N. -Longcroft, R.F.C., in 1913 with a flight from Montrose to Farnborough -via Portsmouth, a distance in a direct line of 445 miles. It was the -R.A.C. that arranged the _Daily Mail_ competitions, several of which -have yet to be carried out, including the £10,000 Cross-Atlantic (by -aeroplane). The _Daily Mail_ International Cross-country flight for -£1,000 was won by Louis Blériot, July 25, 1909: it is needless to -remark that this flight has now become an everyday occurrence. The -£10,000 London to Manchester flight was awarded to Louis Paulhan -(France). The second £10,000 circuit of Britain of 1010 miles was -carried off by André Beaumont; and J. T. C. Brabazon was successful -in the National _Daily Mail_ £1000 for a flight of one mile in an All -British machine. - -The highest altitude that had been reached in Great Britain was 14,920 -feet; the greatest distance flown 287 miles; and the longest duration 8 -hours 23 minutes. - -Whether we were prepared for the war is a matter for too extensive a -discussion for this little book, but the fact remains that the number -of firms engaged in the manufacturing of aeroplanes could be counted on -both hands, and that we were without a useful and reliable engine of -British construction. - - - - -CHAPTER I - -JOINING THE SERVICE - - -The Air Service is young, very young; it is like an overgrown -schoolboy, strong, healthy and full of life, but lacking just that -sense of proportion that distinguishes the schoolboy from the man. It -is wise, for it is endowed with the wisdom of initiative, courage and -resource. Turned loose into an entirely novel and little understood -element, it has had to create its own methods of procedure, its own -ideals, its own traditions. Reference to the policies and the formulas -of past generations are impossible, for there are none! - -The main principles of aerial warfare are entirely new; in every -combat, and in every raid, some precedent is established, some new -form or theory of attack is set up. To the airman every day is alike. -In times of peace he risks his neck as much as he does in time of war, -save that engaged in the latter he has the additional unpleasantness -of shell fire. He willingly gives all, but asks for nothing. He is the -knight-errant of the twentieth century. - -In days of the past, it was the cavalryman, wounded and galloping -across country, with a hundred foemen hard at his heels, who first -brought news of the enemy to the general in command. His was a pleasant -occupation, that smacked largely of daring and romance. He stood an -excellent chance of getting a bullet through his lungs, or of being -clapped into an enemy prison. To-day there comes flying across the -heavens a resolute young hero, in a few feet of wood and fabric, -throwing defiance to shot and shell alike, suspended thousands of feet -up between heaven and earth, peering from that swaying aeroplane at the -panorama of the earth beneath. - -This is the age of science and invention. War on and over the earth, on -and under the sea. For many years we have steadily been putting behind -us the barbarities of our forbears, we have become more civilized, and, -though more civilized, more barbarous. This is no paradox; science has -made great and wonderful strides, but science has been more devilishly -ingenious than any torture of Spanish Inquisition days. - -The airmen who pilot their frail craft over hill and valley, sea and -land, across cloud and through fog and mist, are the privateers of -modern times; but for them there can be no capture, no quarter: only -victory or a thousand feet drop to the cruel earth below. Through their -young veins must flow the blood of a Drake, of a Philip Sidney, of a -Nelson. Theirs must be the courage of a conqueror, the heart of a lion, -the nerve of a colossus. - -No bounded ocean is their sea, but the infinity of space. The ship’s -compass is their best friend; for they maneuver their craft like a ship -at sea. Wind and weather affect them as they would a mariner. For rock, -shoal, sandbank and channel there are the high hills, the tall factory -stack, the church steeple, and the deep valley. Landmarks there are, -but always below, not on either side. Railways, roads, rivers, fields, -woods and hills form the color scheme of the surface of the earth, by -which the air pilot steers a course. - -This, the youngest and most important Service, is essentially one _for_ -the young man and _of_ the young man: a Service the future of which is -being steadily built up by the “muddied oafs and flanneled fools” of -the playing-fields of the public schools of Great Britain. - -Immediately after leaving school is the most perplexing period in a -boy’s life. Not only for the boy himself, but for his parents, for then -has to be considered his future career. What is the boy capable of? -What are his own personal wishes? What profession is he best adapted -for physically? It is indeed a momentous question. - -It is worse than useless for the boy fond of good, wholesome, -out-of-door exercises and games to be put into an office or to study -for the Bar, or to mope his young life away pen-driving. And, on -the other hand, it is a positive torture for the youth with distinct -literary taste, or love of things scholastic, to take up a Commission -in one of the Services, or to go in for farming or a similar profession. - -Taking everything into consideration, at least eighty per cent. of -boys may be grouped into the former class--that is to say, they wish -to adopt a healthy, open-air profession; and for this type of youth -nothing can be better, and nothing can offer greater inducements, than -the profession of the airman. It is a calling that appeals irresistibly -to a boy’s heart. - -The best possible training for the pilot of the air are outdoor sports -and games. Football, which teaches the boy to keep his head in all -emergencies, to keep his feelings always well under control, and to -learn to obey implicitly the discipline of the referee’s whistle will -prove invaluable to him when learning to fly, when he will be subject -to every kind and manner of unexpected and sudden mishap and accident. - -Cricket will teach him patience, judgment--so invaluable when landing -an aeroplane (which, incidentally, is by far the most difficult feat to -accomplish in flying)--and a steady eye. - -Swimming and running will develop those muscles of the back and thigh -which are used extensively in the pilotage of the aeroplanes. - -Again, the sensation of a horse jumping a hedge is exactly similar to -that of an aeroplane just getting off from the ground. With ski-ing, -on the other hand, there is the feeling--and, in fact, the action--of -plunging desperately into what, at the first attempt, appears to be an -interminable and awful space. This is exactly the feeling experienced -by the novice in his first trip up aloft. There is a strong similarity -to ski-ing at the moment that the nose of the machine is suddenly put -down, and she commences to sink rapidly towards the earth. - -The next matter to be taken into consideration is that of physical -peculiarities. The would-be pilot must be neither too tall nor too -short. This is essentially a matter to do with the steering of the -aeroplane. If he is too tall, he will find himself very cramped in the -confined space between the pilot-seat and the rudder-bar. If he is too -short he will discover that his legs will not be long enough to reach -that all-important adjunct. - -Again with regard to weight, for preference he should be on the light -side. There is not very much room in an aeroplane, and, for reasons -with which we will deal, the machine is only capable of lifting up to a -certain weight. - -Take into consideration that an aeroplane is often required to take -up two passengers, not to mention bombs, grenades, spare petrol and a -machine-gun; every extra pound of weight is of the utmost importance. - -His stomach must be strong, for with a weak stomach he will be liable -to air-sickness. - -Further, he must be possessed of good health. He must not suffer from -heart trouble. It has been proved by several very eminent doctors -that the rise and the descent through the various altitudes of the -atmosphere effect the heart greatly. - -Again, he must have good eyesight. This is imperative, for the best -part of his work will take place at an altitude of ten thousand feet -above the earth. The best age for an air pilot is between nineteen and -twenty-four. - -The life of a pilot--that is to say, his flying life--varies from three -to five years; I may say eighteen months under war conditions. Never -more. The great strain on the nerves, although not felt at the time, -begins to make itself apparent after two years of flying; then the -pilot discovers that he is no longer so keen on going up as he was, -that he gets “cold feet” more frequently than he was wont to do in the -early days, that he has no longer the nerve to do the little tricks, -upon the performance of which he formerly prided himself. - -A good air-pilot must be born so, he cannot be made. After years of -experience a man may become expert in trick flying, landing, getting -off, etc.; but, however long and however diligently he may strive, he -can never become the equal of the natural pilot. - -Before applying for a Commission in either Service the aspirant to -flying honors must first decide which of the two branches he wishes to -take up. The two branches, by the way, are pilotage and observation. -The difference between the two I will here briefly endeavor to explain. - -The pilot is concerned with the flying of the machine, the care of the -engine, spare parts, etc., and is responsible for the general condition -of the craft; also to see that it is properly tested before each flight. - -On the other hand, the observer has a great many subjects to learn. He -must be at one and the same time wireless expert, gunner, rifle-shot, -artist, photographer and map-maker. He must know something about heavy -artillery. - -The observer in the Royal Flying Corps is given equal rank to the -pilot, but can only wear a half-wing on his tunic where the pilot has -full wings. - -In the Royal Naval Air Service observers are permitted to wear the bird -on their sleeve immediately on joining. However, they are of different -rank from the pilot, being either lieutenants or sub-lieutenants, Royal -Naval Volunteer Reserve. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE AIRMAN’S FIRST DAYS - - -The appointment to a commission in one of the flying services can be -either temporary or permanent. The former holds good until the end -of the war, the latter for as long as the would-be airman wishes to -retain it. For a period of from four to six months he must undergo a -probationary course; if after that time he has served satisfactorily he -will be confirmed in his rank. - -Upon first joining up he will receive a uniform allowance of £20, and -at the confirmation a further £20. These amounts should easily cover -his requirements and enable him to buy a complete flying outfit. During -the probationary period he will receive 14_s._ a day in pay; when he -is confirmed in rank, 18_s._ a day in the Royal Naval Air Service, and -20_s._ per day in the Royal Flying Corps. - -Service etiquette plays a prominent part in the matter of uniform. In -the military wing he will be expected to wear the button-over tunic -and forage cap of the Flying Corps, with breeches and long brown -field-boots. - -In the R.N.A.S. the matter of dress is a more difficult and more -delicate one. In the first place, with regard to the cap, there are -four entirely separate badges in the Naval Service: they are (1) the -big silver anchor and the gold crown of the regular Navy; (2) the -smaller replica of the Royal Naval Reserve; and of the Royal Naval -Volunteer Reserve, to which latter branch the aeroplane observer always -belongs; and lastly the silver bird of the R.N.A.S., worn only by -pilots. - -In hosiery the naval flying man must confine his taste to plain white -shirts with collars to match; black ties, and socks of the plain black -variety. His shoes must be unadorned of toecap, and it is a cardinal -sin to leave the buttons of his jacket undone, if he reveal as much as -a button of the waistcoat beneath. - -There is an amusing story told concerning a famous English airman who -has since resigned from the R.N.A.S. On the occasion of his appointment -to the Service he had to visit a certain big man at the Admiralty, and -arrived there in the brass hat of a full-blown naval commander, with -a black-and-white striped tie, in which there coyly reposed a large -diamond pin. - -When the interview was over the big man called him back. - -“You’ve forgotten something.” - -“What is it, sir?” the airman inquired. - -“Your pink shirt and your purple socks,” was the reply. - -Another new hand--an Australian--presented himself to the astonished -and apoplectic commanding officer of his first station wearing a blue -monkey-jacket, white flannel trousers, green socks, and brown shoes. - -Luckily he was a good-tempered youth, or he would never have been able -to live down the subsequent ragging he got from all the other members -of his mess. - -Flying-clothes must be the warmest procurable: a black or brown leather -coat lined with lamb’s wool, with trousers to match. Good flying-coats -cost from three to five guineas, and the trousers range from a guinea -to thirty shillings in price. - -A khaki balaclava helmet, a wool-lined aviation cap fitting closely -round the skull, and costing approximately half-a-guinea. A pair of -triplex glass goggles, price 12_s._ 6_d._--cheaper ones of ordinary -glass can be obtained as cheap as 3_s._ 6_d._--but it is always -advisable to get triplex, as in the event of a smash-up ordinary glass -would splinter, fly into the eyes and possibly blind one for life. - -A good pair of leather gauntlets, large enough in size to permit the -wearing of a warmer pair of woolen gloves beneath, and a gray sweater -to wear underneath the leather coat are all that are required, bringing -the total cost to about £6. - -As in other professions and walks in life, a certain slang has sprung -into being in flying circles, and this the new hand will discover will -take him a considerable time to pick up--at least, with any degree of -satisfaction or success. - -First he will discover that a “quirk” or a “hun” is no less a person -than a youngster who aspires to flying honors, and who has not yet -taken his ticket. Even the aeroplanes themselves have nicknames, as the -“Bristol Bullet,” so called because of its peculiar shape. - -Airships and balloons are always referred to--and somewhat -contemptuously, it must be admitted--by aeroplane pilots as “gasbags.” -The small, silver-colored airships that are to be seen occasionally -floating over a certain western suburb of London are known in the -Service as “Babies,” on account of their diminutive size; on the other -hand as “Blimps,” and again as “S.S.’s”--submarine seekers--that being -their principal duty when on active service. - -Various parts of the machine have their own particular nickname, as the -“fuselage,” or body which contains the engine, pilot and observer’s -seats, and the petrol tanks. That wonderful control lever which is -placed immediately before the pilot’s seat in the fuselage, and which -maneuvers the machine both upwards and downwards, and to the left -and to the right, or, in the terms used by R.N.A.S., to port and to -starboard, is known as the “joy-stick.” No self-respecting pilot will -ever refer to a trip in the air as such, but rather as a “joy-ride.” A -bomb-dropping expedition or a raid he speaks of as a “stunt.” - -To “nose-dive” is for the front portion of the machine to plunge -suddenly downwards at an angle of approximately ninety degrees with -the earth. To “pancake,” the aeroplane must fall flat to the earth. It -is possible sometimes to recover from a “nose-dive,” but never from -a “pancake.” Sometimes in banking--turning in mid-air--a pilot will -overdo the angle at which he turns; the result is that the machine -commences to rotate, and whirls round like a humming-top; this, again, -invariably develops into a “nose-dive,” and is known as a “spin.” - -The majority of pilots, when first starting off, run their machines -some distance across the aerodrome, then rise gradually at an angle of -about fifteen degrees with the earth; others, on the other hand, prefer -to run their machine a considerably greater distance across the ground, -and, thus attaining a much greater speed, to rise almost vertically -for about two hundred feet, then to flatten out and bring the machine -level: this trick is known as “zumming.” - -To “switchback” is to fly up and down, up and down, as the name implies. - -Immediately after leaving the ground the aeroplane invariably commences -to plunge and to dive like a ship in a stormy sea--this is when it -enters a patch of rarefied air known as a “bump”; this latter often -causes the machine to drop suddenly, and drops of as much as two -hundred feet at a time have been recorded. - -No airman is capable of talking through his hat--at least, not -literally, for he does not possess such a thing, that article of his -attire always being referred to as a “gadget.” - -To have “cold feet” in the air is to have a bad attack of nerves or -funk. One day at Hendon, before the war, a well-meaning but somewhat -dense journalist attached to a big London daily was told Hamel was -suffering from “cold feet.” - -Imagining that “cold feet” meant some ailment of the feet, like -chilblains, and solicitous for his welfare, this enterprising -individual approached the famous airman immediately after his descent -from a trip up above. - -“Excuse me asking, but is it true that you suffer from cold feet, Mr. -Hamel?” he asked. - -Hamel’s reply is not recorded. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE INITIAL FLIGHT - - -Once in the Service, the R.N.A.S. man may be selected for one of three -branches of flying, namely, seaplane, aeroplane--which, incidentally, -is far preferable to any other branch, and holds forth more opportunities -of active service--and kite balloon, probably the safest and most -comfortable job of the war, but dull--deadly dull. - -For the sake of those of my readers who do not know of the captive -kite-balloon, I will here briefly explain. It is a queer sausage-shaped -craft, that is tethered to a steam-winch on the ground somewhere -beneath it by means of a stout steel cable. Usually situated some five -or six miles behind the firing-line, the basket of the balloon will -only hold two observers at one time. It is connected to the big guns by -telephone, and is useful for the direction of artillery fire, which it -does by telling the men at the guns whether their shells are falling -over, under, or to the left or right of the target that they are aiming -at. - -The first day in the life of the “new hand” at the Service school is -not always the pleasantest of memories. He discovers that, from a man -of parts, he has suddenly been converted into a very junior sub, and is -at the beck and call of every member of the mess, with as much or more -gold braid on the sleeve of their uniform. - -For the first few days he is allowed to wander round at his own sweet -will, in order to get the hang of things. To him the matter of greatest -importance are the machines, for very often he has never even seen an -aeroplane at close quarters, and should he be foolish enough to ask -absurd questions, he will always find some one ready with a fitting -answer. - -He will be told wondrous stories of the time the machines will remain -in the air, the breakneck speed at which they will travel, and of the -enormous height to which they will climb. - -The next most important thing to the actual flying is a thorough -knowledge of wireless telegraphy, for without a wireless instrument -on board an aeroplane is little better than useless to the army in -the field; and, having got the wireless set on board, the pilot or -the observer--whosesoever duty it is--must be able to send messages, -clearly and distinctly, on the Morse key. - -A good tip to the youngster thinking of taking up flying for a -profession is to buy a copy of the Morse code, and learn it off by -heart. Then to get a “buzzer” or a Morse key (both of which can be -obtained for the sum of 5_s._ 6_d._), and to teach himself to read by -sound. - -In Service circles the dot and the dash of the Morse code are known -as “iddy” and “umpty,” respectively. It is a simple matter to learn -to send and to receive wireless signals; but to know how to erect and -dismantle a wireless set, and to have a sound knowledge of the theory -and the working of the thing, and to be able to take to pieces or to -repair at a moment’s notice, any portion of the instrument that may get -out of order, is a more difficult matter. - -That requires several months to acquire, but the “Quirk” will be given -a useful, though somewhat “short,” course under an expert wireless -operator before he is expected to know these things. - -At last the great day arrives when he goes for his first trip up aloft. -After donning a leather coat, and trousers to match, a skull cap and -goggles, he is ready for the fray, and sits himself gingerly beside -what at the first seems to him to be a particularly violent and a -particularly ill-disposed individual with a simple wonderful flow of -language, an instructor in a “box-kite.” Then the engine is set going. - -The instructor bawls some remark into his ear, which, for the life -of him, he cannot catch. A long and rapid journey across the bumpy -ground, a weird sensation of rising into space and he is up in the air -at last. Then the machine gets into the “bumps”; she dips, and drops, -and sways, first to one side and then to the other, until the poor -unfortunate individual begins to wonder if he will ever get safely to -the ground again. - -There is a pandemonium of noise. The wind rushes by his face at an -alarming rate. He feels himself perspiring all over, and particularly -in the palms of his hands. He grips the nearest available object, as a -drowning man would clutch at a straw. With every fresh plunge and dip -he increases that grip. - -The instructor shouts at him at the top of his voice, but he hears -nothing; only the racing engine and the whistle of the wind. And then -for the first time he ventures to look over the side. Could that -curiously-scattered collection of pigmy buildings, long, ribbon-like -roads, and distant, narrow, gleaming line of railway line be the earth? - -He decides that it is, and is at last beginning to feel comfortable, -when the machine begins to heel over violently; it is the worst shock -that he has yet had. He grips with both hands as tight as he is able, -shuts his eyes, and waits for the worst. By the time his eyes are open -again the machine--by what seems to him to have been a miracle--has -righted itself and is flying smoothly through the air. Never before -has the world appeared so beautiful nor so diminutive in size. - -For another five minutes or so the instructor flies to and fro above -the aerodrome, then down goes the machine, much to the astonishment and -alarm of the bewildered “quirk,” who suddenly finds the earth rushing -up to meet him. How he fears that moment when a landing must be made, -and how relieved he feels when he realizes there is nothing in it in -the least degree terrifying. - -Very gently the aeroplane skims on to the landing-ground, like a -seagull lighting in the crest of a wave, and all is over; he is safe -back again on Mother Earth. Silent and subdued, he clambers out of the -aeroplane. How did he enjoy it? “Very much indeed,” he answers in a -husky whisper, and the instructor turns his head away and smiles. He -has taken “quirks” up before. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE PERILS OF THE AIR - - -For the first few trips up aloft the beginner is always accompanied -by an instructor. First he is taken up as a passenger, and his -only duty is to sit in the observer’s seat and do nothing. Then -gradually he is allowed to fly the machine himself. This he does in a -double-control--that is to say, an aeroplane with two sets of controls, -one of which the instructor makes use of and the other is in his own -hands. - -He is taught that every movement of the control must be slow and gentle, -otherwise the machine is sure to lose its stability--balance--and go -crashing to the ground below; that an inch too much with the rudder-bar -will invariably mean a “spin,” or a too jerky movement on the -control-bar a “pancake” or a “nose-dive.” - -Getting off from the ground is a comparatively simple matter; but the -moment of first entering the air is the most dangerous and trying of -all. Should the engine fail, the chances are a hundred to one that the -machine will crash into a hedge, or a tree, or land in a valley. The -“bumps” are most frequent over houses and buildings, and particularly -so on a dull morning, when the sun is breaking through the clouds, -which send the craft plunging and tossing in all directions. This is -the test that will show if a man is a good pilot or no. - -Once clear of the “bumps,” the first thing to be done is to get -“height.” With a ship at sea the safest sailing is in mid-ocean, far -from the land. In a similar manner, the greater the altitude the safer -is the flying. - -When near the ground, the air-pilot has very little choice in -landing-places and very little time to prepare for a landing. The -higher up he is, the greater range of country he has to choose from, -and the more time he has to regain control of his machine. - -At a rough estimate, one may say that at a height of 500 feet he has -only an area of a square half-mile to land in; at 1000 a mile; 2000 -two miles; 5000 five miles; 10,000 ten miles, and so forth. Some few -months ago a pilot at Brooklands flew up to a height of about 15,000 -feet, shut his engine dead off, and glided down into Hendon aerodrome a -distance of just over twenty miles. - -Having got clear of the “bumps,” the next danger is the clouds, which -have a very strange effect on the stability of the craft. They should -always be avoided when possible. Fog is a very terrible element to -encounter in mid-air, and the sensation of being fog-bound is the worst -that the human brain can conceive. Nothing in sight, with the blinding -fog on either side, and not knowing any moment that he will not be -colliding with some high points of the earth, the air-pilot positively -dreads the fog. - -The writer remembers well the case of an airman fog-bound last winter -at an aerodrome near London. For two hours he was flying up and down, -up and down, over the aerodrome, without being able to find it. The -spectators on the ground could hear the hum of his engine distinctly, -but could not see him, and neither could he see them. Eventually, with -the aid of landing-flares and Verey’s lights, he was able to land; but -for weeks afterwards was a nervous wreck, and could not fly again for -nearly a month. - -After several trips with the instructor, and having satisfied that -individual that he has gained sufficient knowledge of flying, the -“quirk” is allowed to take up a machine by himself. - -At first he flies it up and down, over the aerodrome, then gradually -gets on to left and right hand turns, and then to landing the machine. - -Now, landing is the most difficult feat of all in flying; it requires -both good judgment and good nerves. Before landing the pilot must -discover the direction of the prevailing wind. This he can do by -watching the smoke of a high chimney, or of the locomotive of a railway -train. Having discovered the direction of the wind, he must land dead -against it, otherwise the machine will be caught in a sudden gust and -toppled over. - -For a day or two he will be kept on “landing” practice, and then he -will be allowed to try for the Royal Aero Club aeroplane certificate. -The tests and conditions for this are as follows: The candidate must -be over eighteen years of age, and of British nationality; he must -accomplish the three following tests, each being a separate flight-- - -_A and B._--Two distance flights, consisting of at least five -kilometres (three miles, 185 yards) each in a closed circuit. - -_C._--One altitude flight, during which a height of at least 100 metres -(328 feet) above the point of departure must be attained, the descent -to be made from that height with the motor cut off. The landing must -be made in view of the observers, without re-starting the motor. The -candidate must be alone in the aircraft during the three tests. - -Starting from and alighting on the water is only permitted in one of -the tests, A and B. The course on which the aviator accomplishes tests -A and B must be marked out by two posts or buoys, situated not more -than 500 metres (547 yards) apart. The turns round the posts or buoys -must be made alternately to the right and to the left, so that the -flight will consist of an uninterrupted series of figures of 8. - -The distance flown shall be reckoned as if in a straight line between -the two posts or buoys. The alighting after the two distance flights -in tests A and B shall be made (_a_) by stopping the motor at or -before the moment of touching the ground or water; (_b_) by bringing -the aircraft to rest not more than 50 metres (164 feet) from a point -indicated previously by the candidate. - -The decision of the committee of the Royal Aero Club in all matters -connected with the test is final, and without appeal. - -The certificate itself, which is a handsome, leather-bound affair, -in the shape of a pocket-book, can be obtained by sending along the -certificate of the flights accomplished, together with £1 1_s._, a -photograph of the applicant, particulars as to birth, etc., to the -Secretary, Royal Aero Club, 166 Piccadilly, London, W. - -His “ticket” having been obtained, the “quirk”--who, incidentally, is -now a “quirk” no longer--is given a little more practice in flying slow -machines, in order to gain confidence, and is then sent on to his first -war station to learn to fly the faster battle-planes and war machines, -and at the same time is confirmed in his rank. - -Even now his flying education is by no means finished. After learning -to fly the faster machines, he will be put through a course of -bomb-dropping. After that a spell of cross-country work will occupy his -time; learning to fly from above by the position of landmarks, roads, -rivers, railways, etc. - -After this he learns to steer a course by compass, gets practice in -machine-gun firing and dissembling while in mid-air, and then he is -ready at last for the great adventure across the water. One fine -morning he will set out on a brand-new war-machine for somewhere in the -north of France. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE SPIRIT OF THE AIR - - -The great war has brought in its trail horrors innumerable, but, as if -in compensation, has brought to light all that is best in our men. - -The heroism and courage of the airmen were without precedent, but -none the less admirable. Those stripling pilots of the air that flew -undaunted over shell-fire in all weathers and at all times have opened -up a chapter in our history that nothing can rival. - -Who can define the psychology of these young men who can meet death as -an old acquaintance and pass him, mocking, by--who laugh at fear, and -make a jest of danger? Is it that they are without nerve entirely, or -is it rather a pose, a lovable bravado that hides their true feelings? -Is it that they are rather less devoid of fear than their brothers -in the trenches? Hardly. We have known them, you and I, reader, in -the last few years, but under a different guise--as happy, laughing -schoolboys, as young men plunging into life, the “flanneled fools and -muddied oafs” of Britain, and suddenly they have become men, ready -and eager to share a man’s burdens and responsibilities, yet no whit -altered; but deadly in earnest when there is work to be done on the -other side. - -Undoubtedly the air does affect a man to a degree, and endows him with -that strange malady, flying temperament, that makes him reckless, and, -to a certain extent, headstrong; occasionally to get out of hand, and -to find rules and discipline chafing and irksome. But then the air -has a call of its own that few can resist; that runs through a man’s -veins like flame, and whispers courage and defiance into his ear, that -invites his sympathy, his love, his esteem. But the air is a fickle -mistress, and woe betide he who dares to slight her or make free at her -expense; he must pay the penalty, and that penalty is--death. - -Every known sensation is experienced in flying: joy--the joy of youth -astride the dull old world, accomplishing what previous generations -dared not to attempt; excitement, to feel the cool air brushing one’s -cheek, and whistling past one’s ears; fear, danger, hope and despair; -all are crowded into this one brief hour of life. - -Day after day, in all kinds of weather, the airman must go up, for the -battle seldom slackens and never pauses on the earth beneath. One day -reconnoitering--that is, making a long flight over the enemy’s country -under a continual bombardment from the Hun anti-aircraft guns, noting -any fresh movements of enemy troops, gun emplacements, headquarters, -supply depots, ammunition columns, or any unusual activity on his roads -or railways. Another day taking part in a bombing raid on some distant -military center, or perhaps out fighting enemy aircraft; but always -taking his life in his hands, and never knowing each morning as he sets -out whether he will return again. - -It is the proud and honest boast of the British Air Services that they -never advertise; and what we lack in that respect, our enemy make up -for. We have our Immelmanns and our Boelkes, but their identities are -hidden under the simple pseudonyms of Lieutenant X---- and Lieutenant -Y----. They perform their daring feats, not for their own vainglory, -not for the sake of decorations, but from keen sense of duty, love of -their work, and for the further honor of the famous corps of which they -are units. It is this policy of eternal silence that has so completely -shattered the moral of the German airmen in Flanders, and driven them -almost entirely from the air. - -In many ways the air is own cousin to the sea, for there is a chivalry -of the sea which has been a tradition for tens of centuries: a -freemasonry of good feeling and sportsmanship among those who have -their business in great waters. - -The chivalry of the air is none the less real because it has no -traditions to fall back upon. Nature herself has made the man of the -sea and the man of the air sportsmen alike; has given them an instinct -for “doing the right thing.” - -The Air Service has, in addition, a quality exclusively its own; I -mean its youth. It is just like a healthy schoolboy, intensely alive, -active, happy-go-lucky, yet ingenious enough where matters of technic -are concerned, and always eager to be out for adventure. - -But it is just these tremendous dangers which are the breath of life to -this splendid schoolboy (even in age he is often little more). There -is a sporting touch in this ceaseless duel with fate, in this juggling -with life and death. That touch is transmitted to the less figurative -duels when there is a tussle in mid-air with a flying Hun, when it is -his life or yours. - -On second thought I withdraw that word Hun in relation to the German -airman; I continue to apply it with all the vehemence I can muster to -the crews of a baby-killer Zeppelin, but one’s adversary in Albatross -or Halberstadt is an adversary worthy of the name. Here, almost alone -in all phases of modern warfare, remains the personal touch. Up there -in the awful solitude of space two human beings pit their brains and -courage one against the other, with death each moment before the eyes -of both. It is a strange turn of things that the latest development of -modern science has brought about a revival of medieval chivalry, the -single combat. - -I have mentioned the freemasonry of the air. Any airman who has seen -any fighting could give you countless instances of it. Your German -airman treats you as an honorable foe, and you treat him as one. That -constantly recurring phrase, “An aeroplane was forced to descend and -its two occupants taken prisoners,” means that those prisoners, whether -Germans or English, were treated honorably, even ceremoniously. A -wounded aviator landing in the enemy’s lines is lifted from his seat -with every care, and is almost invariably saluted. I have known on -five separate occasions airmen fly over the enemy simply to drop the -personal belongings and effects of the men whom, in a terrific mid-air -struggle, they have succeeded in sending crashing to earth and death. -German airmen have done the same, and seen to it that his comrades -should receive the cigarette case or bundle of personal papers of a -fallen foe. - -One of the most dramatic incidents of this drab war was the dropping -of a wreath from an English aeroplane in honor of the dead hero of the -German Air Service, Immelmann. - -An airman likes an opponent worthy of his mettle; he likes even chances -and the prospect of a good fight. I shall always remember the disgust -at a certain war aerodrome recently. The approach of a Zepp had been -reported, and all was excitement. Aeroplanes were dragged from their -hangars, and off they went at lightning speed. Soon the return. Disgust -was on every one’s face. “We thought there was going to be some real -fun,” was the general grumble. “Zepp? Not a bit of it; only a sausage -balloon.” - -Danger the airman shares with the soldier in the trenches. Many a tale -could be told of the awful deaths, of roasting when the machine catches -fire, of hours of agony with a shattered leg or arm when, at all costs, -the machine must be piloted to safety and a life (that of the observer) -saved. But such things are the lot of most men who fight. It is the -cheery sportsmanship, the good fellowship, the national instinct to -fight and behave like a gentleman, that have become characteristics of -airmen of all nations, which I have tried to emphasize. - -Such is “playing the game” in the Air Service. Often it is a cheery -life, but it is always a trying one. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -SEAPLANES - - -The seaplane, as its name implies, is used solely for flying over -tracts of water. It is identical in shape with the aeroplane, but with -minor variations. It is considerably heavier than the aeroplane in -weight, and is more of the formation of the boat, though following the -same “streamline” principles as the aeroplane. - -The engine-power varies from 70 to 150 horse-power, but the machine -is much slower in transit and in climbing even than several of the -lesser horse-power land machines. The fuselage, or body, is like -a flat-bottomed boat, in the bows of which are the engine and the -propeller. Immediately in the rear of the engine are the pilot’s and -observer’s seats, side by side, and not, as in the aeroplane, the one -behind the other. Again, in place of the wheels of the landing chassis -of the aeroplane are two boat-shaped floats; these are hollow in -formation, very heavy, and extremely fragile. When landing the seaplane -on a rough sea, the part of the machine most liable to break up is the -float. - -With regard to the actual flying of the craft, where a mere touch of -the control is capable of maneuvering the aeroplane up from the ground, -it requires the grip of a Sandow’s developer to lift a heavy seaplane -off the surface of the sea. Similarly, while maneuvering in the air, -the movements must always be of the gentlest nature, considerable -muscular force is required to bank (turn) and climb the seaplane. - -Landing is the most difficult and delicate maneuver in flying; it -is a tricky performance to land an aeroplane, but it is doubly so -to land a seaplane. Should the surface of the sea be the least bit -choppy or rough, there is a grave risk of the floats breaking open, -and the machine turning turtle, or diving down through the sea and -precipitating the pilot to a watery grave. - - -WORK OF THE SEAPLANE - -The work of the seaplane may be placed in two categories: first, work -from the shore, when a landing-station, bordering on the sea, is used -as a base; and, secondly, flying at sea, when the craft is taken out -on board a parent vessel, and flights are commenced from the middle -of the ocean. With regard to the former, the work is for the most -part of a defensive nature, as that of driving off invading enemy -craft, and patroling the coasts for enemy submarines. The work at sea -is principally scouting for fleets, for a seaplane observer, at an -altitude of 5000 feet, has a range of view ten times greater than the -look-out man of any battleship or cruiser. - -In this latter case, flights are usually terminated and commenced from -the sea surface, alongside the parent ship; and when the craft are no -longer in use they are lifted on board by means of a large crane and -stowed away on a specially constructed deck. - -From the point of view of interest, aeroplane work is preferable to -that of the seaplane. Nothing more boring and dreary can be imagined -than a long flight over an interminable stretch of blue water; the -aeroplane pilot does, at least, have an everchanging contour of hills -and valleys, rivers and woods, towns and villages beneath him, whereas -the seaplane man’s view is confined to sea, sky and horizon, with -perhaps an occasional passing ship. - -One seaplane pilot of my acquaintance, in order to relieve the -monotony, always took his dog, a staid and wise-looking Scotch terrier, -with him. That dog can lay claim to holding the record among dogs of -the world, for he has now flown considerably over 2000 miles. His -method of aviation is peculiarly his own, for, once the machine has -started and got under way, he curls himself up in the body of the -fuselage and goes into a sound sleep, from which he does not wake until -the engine stops again. - -Seaplane flying in these days is beset with dangers of many kinds. - -As an example, I will attempt to portray the average day’s work of a -seaplane pilot on active service, somewhere in the North Sea. - -A scene of unusual activity is revealed by the breaking dawn, lat. “X,” -long. “Y.” The sea is calm, the rising sun giving it that peculiar -grayish-green tint, over which the early morning mist hangs like a -pall. Through the mist can be seen the hazy, blurred outlines of the -Fleet: squat, lumpy monitors, slim and graceful cruisers, sharp-nosed -destroyers, submarines that hang, as it were, on to the surface of the -water. Great towering battleships, dignified and stately, look down -upon the smaller fry with apparent disdain. Far in the rear there is -what at first appears to be an ordinary smug-funneled tramp steamer; -but a glimpse of the huge crane and queer, elongated shapes along her -decks reveals the seaplane carrier. - -Four o’clock in the morning. Though it is summer, the weather is cold -and raw, the chilly breeze bites knife-like through one’s clothes, -fingers are all thumbs--rather a disillusion of the joys of flying. -The engine stops, and coughs and splutters as if in protest at this -extraordinary behavior. Compass, maps, instruments are missing; the -petrol tanks are unfilled, or the oil has been forgotten. - -At last, creaking and groaning, the crane is lowered, and fixed to the -craft. A few hoarse commands, and she is swung off the deck and dropped -gently on to the sea, and off she goes, bound on a reconnaissance trip -or target-registering. First taxi-ing far across the open sea, clear of -the Fleet. What a delightful sensation this is, skimming the water like -a seagull, dipping and bowing gracefully; but it is quite another story -when the sea is rough, and the swell threatens every moment to break up -the floats and submerge the craft. At last up into the air, 200, 300, -500, 1000 feet, circling round the now, seemingly, stationary Fleet; -how still and quiet they appear down below there! - -The seaplane is usually a much slower craft to climb than the -aeroplane, and some time elapses before a decent altitude is reached. -The observer busies himself plotting out the course, testing the -wireless gear, and preparing his report. - -Scouting is the object of the flight, and scouting implies, for the -most part, keeping a weather eye open for suspicious craft, enemy -battleships, cruisers, destroyers and enemy submarines, the latter -more easily distinguishable from a height, when the bed of the sea in -the more shallow portions can be read like an open book, sandbanks -standing out most prominently from the surrounding azure blue. - -Target-registering, on the other hand, consists of following, or rather -attempting to follow, a damnably perverse raft, on which a large target -is lashed, at which the heavy guns of the Fleet are firing from a -distance of from fifteen to twenty miles, and the observer wirelessing -back the results of their attempts, also entering the same in his -report. - -To the uninitiated this report would at first sight appear slightly -less understandable than a Chinese love letter or a Greek play. It -is divided into columns; first there is the time of the entry, next -the height at which the machine was flying, the approximate position, -and, last, the nature of the observation. For example: 11.55 a.m. 6000 -feet. Lat. 90, long. 70:6. Large two-funneled steamers, apparently -merchantmen, observed proceeding in a south-westerly direction. - -If the matter is of an urgent nature it is sent back to the Fleet -immediately by wireless, surely the most valuable asset to aviation -that exists, and without which aerial scouting and reconnaissance work -would be almost useless. The apparatus is light and extremely compact, -consisting of one or two Morse keys and an aerial. The range of -action--that is to say, the distance that a message can be either sent -or received--is not very great, but such as it is, is invaluable. In a -word, wireless in the Navy is as near perfection as it is possible for -a new science to be. - -The observer makes a sudden movement with his hand in a south-westerly -direction. Far down on the distant horizon is the long black -sleuth-like form of an enemy destroyer. The wireless is soon busy -ticking the gladsome news to the Fleet, now far in the rear. More and -yet more black shapes appear, and then our own destroyers come up, -dashing through the sea, at well over thirty knots an hour, leaving -a line of churning white foam in their track. The enemy catch sight -of them and then turn north at full pelt, our own in hot pursuit, -until for fear of floating mines--it is a favorite trick of the Hun -sportsman, when pursued to drop mines behind him, in the hope that they -will strike the enemy ships--our own destroyers come back crestfallen -and downhearted. - -_En passant_ it may be said that a seaplane battle is very similar -to a fight between two aeroplanes, though usually more slowly fought -out, and hence longer in duration. Such feats as “looping” or sudden -nose-dives are generally impossible. - -The morning’s work is now completed, the recall signal is received via -the wireless, and the great bird turns for home, not, however, without -sighting several merchantmen and something which appears to be the -periscope of a German submarine, but which, however, proves on closer -inspection to be floating wreckage. - -The British Fleet comes nearer into view, first the different shapes -and sizes of the varying craft, then the funnels, then the masts, the -rigging and the crew aboard. Throttling down his engine, the pilot -sinks gradually lower and lower, and lands on the smooth surface of -the water--strange to say a more difficult and more tricky feat than -to come down on the solid earth for reasons too numerous to mention in -this short chapter. - -Another long “taxi” across the water to the side of the seaplane -carrier, the creaking crane comes sliding out again, is fixed to the -craft, which is hauled aboard, and stowed away until further required. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -A ZEPPELIN CHASE - - -“X or Y airships participated in the attack on Great Britain last -night; Z raiders were brought down.” Hard official words these, that, -read in the cold black and white of print, fail entirely to bring to -the reader’s mind a true sense of the danger and the nerve-racking -conditions under which this novel form of warfare is fought out. - -Let us imagine, if we can, the difficulties the aeroplane pilot -has to face. It is dark--pitch dark--sky and earth are alike -indistinguishable. Flying at the best of times contains a more than -comfortable element of danger, and in the darkness this danger is -accentuated. The darkness deprives the air pilot of all sense of -direction and of locality, greatly hampers him in the maneuvering of -his craft, and renders unpleasantly possible a collision with another -aeroplane on similar errand bent. - -Starting out, there are a hundred and one small details to be attended -to, as the testing of the engine, the trying of elevators and ailerons, -and the examination of the petrol and oil tanks, in order to ascertain -if there is a sufficiency of both to last a two or three hour trip. -All this to be performed in the dark, with the engine screeching -loud, so that a man may not hear a word, and the attendant mechanics -indistinguishable in the gloom. - -Fortunately for the pilot, a small dry-cell electric lighting set is -installed in the body of every machine, and by this means the pilot is -able to distinguish his instruments--a most necessary adjunct to safe -flying--the altimeter, which records the height, “revmeter,” which -indicates the speed of the engine and the compass, more necessary than -any other instrument for night flying. - -Getting off from the ground is by no means a pleasant sensation. There -are hangars, high roofs, and chimney-stacks waiting to be collided -with, patches of thin and rarefied air, which will bump the machine -down as much as thirty feet at a time; the ever present danger of -engine failure, necessitating a descent to the darkened earth beneath, -always so full of death-traps for the airman and his craft. - -Clear of the earth, at about 1000 feet, there are, here and there, -faint patches of light of dark gray and the subdued reddish glow of -the distant metropolis; the locomotive of a passing passenger train, -bright as a searchlight for a brief moment, then passing away into -the outer darkness. Higher and yet higher; and the sensation! The -mind of a Jules Verne or of an H. G. Wells could not imagine a feeling -more eerie, more strange than this. Noise and darkness, the incessant -deafening purr of the engine, the pitch blackness on all sides, -relieved by the one tiny light inside the fuselage, as welcome and -cheery to the airman as a distant lighthouse to a sailor in a storm. - -Then the searchlights begin to blaze, creeping up across the sky in -ribbons of shining brightness. One plays for a moment on the machine, -the pilot is almost blinded before it passes on its strange search -across the heavens. But a stringent search reveals--nothing! For -an encounter with the raiding airship is not at all probable at an -altitude of below 6000 ft., and from that height up to 15,000 ft.; the -only likely encounter is with the observation car of a Zepp. This car -is usually suspended hundreds of feet beneath the mother-craft by means -of a stout aluminum cable or cables, is about 7 ft. by 5 ft., composed -entirely of aluminum, and contains sufficient space for one observer, -who is in telephonic communication with the commander. - -At last the pilot of the aeroplane has an instinctive feeling that a -Zeppelin is somewhere near him. He cannot hear because of the noise -of his own engine, and he cannot see because of the intensity of the -darkness all around him. - -The combat between the aeroplane and the Zeppelin might be compared -to that between the British destroyers and the German Dreadnoughts in -the recent Jutland battle. Dashing in with great rapidity and skill, -the tiny one-gunned aeroplane fires its broadside, then makes off as -fast as possible to get out of range of the comparatively heavy-armed -airship. From thence onwards it develops into a fight for the upper -position, for once above the Zeppelin the aeroplane pilot can use his -bombs, which are considerably more effective than a machine-gun, and -the broad back of the gasbag offers a target which can hardly be missed. - -In maneuvering, the aeroplane has the great advantage of being -remarkably quick, both in turning, climbing, and coming down, whereas -the Zeppelin again is a slow and clumsy beast at the best of times. The -Zeppelin is very susceptible to flame and explosion of any kind; the -gas in the envelope, a mixture of hydrogen and air, forms an extremely -explosive mixture. The aeroplane, owing to the fabric of which it is -composed, and the petrol needed for propulsion, is to a certain degree -inflammable, but not nearly to the same extent as the airship. On the -other hand, the airship possesses a distinct advantage in that it is -able to shut off its engines, and to hover, which it is impossible for -an aeroplane to do. - -Again, in the matter of speed in a forward direction, and, for that -matter, backwards also--for the Zeppelin engines are reversible--the -aeroplane holds the palm with an average speed of sixty miles per hour, -while that of the airship is only fifty. - -The combat finished, the aeroplane pilot has yet to make a landing, -surely the most dangerous and tricky maneuver of the whole flight. -The difficulties and dangers thus encountered are too obvious to need -explanation further than to say that the landing has to be effected in -the dark, with only a blinding, dazzling, electric ground-light for -guidance. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE COMPLETE AIRMAN - - -The British Air Service is now a great army, 80 per cent. of whom, -before the war, had never even seen an aeroplane, much less been up -in one,--bank clerks, young merchants, undergrads, doctors, lawyers, -journalists, all endowed with two sterling qualities required by the -pilot of the air, courage and level-headedness. And how has this great -miracle been accomplished? August 1914, found us lamentably short of -both _personnel_ and material, but what little there was of the very -best. The already experienced pilots set to work with a will upon -the more than generous quantity of raw material that came to hand. -Within a few months their influence made itself felt. They taught the -“quirk”--the airman’s pet name for the novice--in their own simple and -undemonstrative manner, that the air is to be respected, but never -feared, the aeroplane treated as a being of life and animation, with -quaint humors peculiarly its own, and not as a lifeless mass of metal -and woodwork. Within six months the number of fully trained British -pilots had trebled itself; within one year the number had grown beyond -all proportion, and still it goes on. - -The usual method of training a new hand is to get him used to the -air, which, though apparently harmless and void, is as tricky and -treacherous as the sea. The beginner is taken up for several flights -as a passenger. In the initial flight the pilot will perform the most -daring maneuvers and precipitate turns, watching his passenger closely -the whole time for any signs of nervousness or fear. It is a most -trying ordeal that first trip up aloft, and the bravest hearts have -been known to quail. - - -FIRST FLIGHT ORDEALS - -Recently there was a case at a large school of a Major of marines, -concerning whose courage there could be not the slightest doubt, and -who possessed, among other decorations, the much coveted D.S.O. After -a first trip above, the Major remained in his seat of the landed -aeroplane for fully a quarter of an hour, ashen of countenance, and -too terrified to speak. It was not cowardice, but simply that he was -temperamentally unsuited. At length, when he had composed himself -sufficiently to clamber out, he vowed that never again would he go up -in an aeroplane. - -Following the first flights there are numerous trips in dual-control -machines, that is to say, with the ordinary pilot’s control-stick -and steering-bar duplicated, and both couples working under the same -control. Thus, gradually, the “quirk” becomes used to the handling -of the craft and accustomed to the sudden drop in an air bank, or -to an outward slip in a gust of wind, until eventually, without his -knowledge, the instructor allows him to fly the machine himself. - -Sufficient progress made, he is allowed to make flights alone, and -when he has learnt to bank left and right, and land the machine in a -safe and seemly manner, permission is given him to attempt the Royal -Aero Club’s certificate; for which an altitude flight, a distance -flight, and a landing on a given spot are the only tests that are -necessary. This, let it be said, is but the starting-point of the -flying education. Flying fast machines, wireless operating, machine-gun -firing, bomb-dropping, navigation and map-reading are still to be -mastered. Only one who has been in the air and seen that queer panorama -of jumbled green, gray and blue, stretching away for miles on either -hand behind him, can appreciate the difficulties of an air pilot -endeavoring to make a true course from a mist-bound earth; or when -one’s hands are frozen to the bone, and the ice-cold wind whistles by -one’s ears, the extreme difficulty of maneuvering the control-stick -and working the machine-gun at one and the same time. - - -RECONNAISSANCE AND NIGHT FLYING - -This much for daylight flying, but what of the night when sky and earth -are alike indistinguishable? Truly night flying is a science unto -itself which needs more than the average amount of courage. However, -nightwork is given to only the most experienced pilots. - -With active service flying again, we enter into a new phase of which -reconnaissance work occupies at least eighty per cent. of the time. -Simply put, reconnaissance means flying over the other fellow’s lines -to see what he is about, if he is massing troops at a certain point, or -digging in new gun emplacements, or if there is any unusual activity on -the highways and railways immediately behind his firing line. It is a -difficult matter to differentiate between infantry and cavalry on the -march; to distinguish a cleverly hidden gun emplacement, or to tell the -difference between an ammunition and a supply depot. - -Bomb-dropping is a practice that requires the patience of a Job, good -judgment, and a calm day--that is, if it is required to attain any -degree of accuracy. Last, but not least, there is the matter of aerial -combat, which, however, covers too wide a field for discussion in this -short chapter. - -Thus, in the complete air-pilot, we have a blend of gunner, wireless -expert, map-reader, amateur detective, and aviator. - - - - -PART II - -ON ACTIVE SERVICE - - -(Part II contains a series of incidents and adventures taken from the -note-book of a British air pilot, stationed somewhere in the north of -France, and are given in their original diary form.) - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -BEHIND THE FIRING LINE - - - _Somewhere in France, - Friday._ - -Tucked away in a corner of an unused Flanders roadway, a long straggled -line of irregular shaped huts and sheds surrounding a wide open meadow -land, several acres in extent, is the aerodrome I have in mind. - -On either side are the long gaunt avenues of trees and in rear of them, -bare and low-lying arable lands. - -No one can claim for it that it is a beauty spot. But it is comfortable, -and above all one is able to obtain a bath there. - -On the right are the officers’ quarters: three long, low, wooden huts. -Within, a passage runs along the center of the hut; and on either side -of it are the various cabins, each about six feet square, and providing -just sufficient space for a camp-bed, washstand and chair. - -A stove is at either end for warming purposes; and one bath is allotted -to each hut. - -The mess-room is contained in a similar building across the way. The -furniture is not such that one would meet with, say at the Ritz or the -Savoy; but it serves its purpose. Three plain deal tables, each covered -with a spotless cloth. A dozen or so stiff-back wooden chairs, and one -solitary easy-chair. The competition for the latter is enormous. - -The general atmosphere of the place is cheery to a degree. Every member -of the mess is full of good humor, quips and jests. Sub chaffs captain -and captain chaffs sub, the while they attack plain wholesome fare with -an unstinted vigor. - -After dinner in the evening, an impromptu concert is started. One, an -obliging musician, renders an excellent violin solo. He is followed by -a gentleman of poor voice. The station orchestra, in which the penny -tin whistle is the most prominent instrument, plays delightfully and -harmoniously with the possible exception of one member in the extreme -rear, who, having previously had some bread-crumbs gently deposited -down his neck by an admiring colleague, finds some difficulty in -reaching the correct notes. It is, of course, the star-turn of the -evening. - -There are good card-games to be had, when off duty. Also a gramophone -and two pianos. The gramophone usually will not work. Ludo is the rage -to-day. Badminton, writing letters home, and visiting the neighboring -town about complete the leisure time. There is, however, really not -very much to do in the town, except to sit in the cafés, drink bad -coffee, and try to talk French to the girls. - -Any number and variety of pets and mascots are there. Cats and kittens, -dogs of all breeds. A few hunters, with which some excellent rides -across the sand-dunes can be obtained. A goat that wanders around the -aerodrome risking life a dozen times daily from aeroplanes getting off -and landing. And a parrot with a perfectly wonderful vocabulary of -oaths. - -Thus far we have been shown only the lighter side of the life. Now we -come to the more serious work of flying across the lines. The strain -on the nerves is so great that a pilot is only detailed for duty every -other day. The work is distributed among the various squadrons and -flights. One is responsible for reconnaissance work; a morning and an -afternoon patrol along the coast for submarines, or a trip inland to -have a look at a new gun emplacement, or to report on a new movement -of the enemy’s troops. Another, the fighting squadron, is responsible -for the bombing raids, for the battle flights, for convoying the -reconnaissance machines, and for meeting enemy air attacks. - -To the headquarters flight is allotted the photography, and any special -and confidential job that may crop up. - -Naturally there is the pick of all the machines, equipped with all the -latest improvements and inventions. - -One peculiarity concerning atmospheric conditions on the other side -is, that either the weather is too misty for flying, or on the other -hand, it is so remarkably clear, that it is possible to view the land -from twice the altitude that it would be under similar circumstances in -England. For the first two hours after sunrise there is invariably a -heavy ground mist, and very little takes place save when an expedition -is setting out for some distant spot, necessitating an early start. The -late morning and the late afternoon are the most favorable times for -flying purposes. - -Almost the whole of the Flanders country is intersected by waterways -and canals. This is of extreme value to the air pilot, and aids him -greatly in the matter of navigation. Railway systems there are in -plenty, mostly following an east or west direction. - -The junctions of these railway lines are the nerve centers of the -German Army in the field; they control entirely the supplies of -reinforcements, ammunition, and supplies to the firing line. It is -for this reason that so many of our own air raids have been made on -Bruges, Courtrai, Roubaix, Lille, Tournai, and Douai. Each of these -towns mentioned contains an important railway junction. - -The large majority of the Belgian towns in the enemy country, -immediately behind the firing line, have been totally deserted by their -inhabitants and the soldiers alike; it is not considered either safe or -desirable to remain within the area of a conspicuous landmark, of which -the enemy artillery can obtain an exact bearing with the utmost ease. -Added to this, frequent allied air-raids, and the accurate firing of -the Allied artillery have reduced them to untenable masses of fallen -masonry. - -A point regarding aerial photography is worthy of note; if the surface -of the earth has been disturbed in any way within two days previous to -the photo being taken, that is, disturbed by the explosion of a shell, -or a new path across a field made by the tramp of many feet, such -disturbance will always show up prominently on the camera negative. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE FIRST TRIP ACROSS THE LINE - - - _Somewhere in France, - Monday._ - -A most important entry in my little diary, this, the day of my first -trip across the “lines.” - -And here in the privacy of my thoughts and of my pen let it be said -that at first I was troubled with qualms of fear--qualms that I had -experienced in the previous life after a stormy Channel crossing, or -prior to a visit to my dentist. - -As I stood there on the dreary, wind-swept aerodrome in the chilly rays -of the early morning sun, forebodings filled my mind. Visions of an -awful death in mid-air, and a yet more awful vision of a downward rush -of thousands of feet to the ground below. Comforting myself with the -reflections that, after all, out of the large number of machines that -must daily cross the lines the proportion of those reported missing was -extremely small, I was roused from my pessimistic thoughts by the voice -of the pilot, who was already in his seat enjoying the luxury of the -last few puffs at his “gasper” (cigarette) before testing the engine. - -He invited me cordially to “hop in,” and once in to strap myself in -securely. With his calm matter-of-fact air, which, incidentally cheered -me up considerably, one would have thought that we were about to start -for a motor run through Piccadilly and the Park rather than, as he so -picturesquely styled it, “to play the part of a clay pigeon atop of a -firework show.” - -Three heavy-eyed mechanics now appeared upon the scene, and, after -having been slanged roundly for their late arrival by our cheery Jehu, -the engine was started with an alarming whirr. A few preliminaries and -she got well away. - -For a few moments we circled round the neighborhood of the aerodrome, -to gain height. Then in the first contact with the icy-cold morning -breeze I felt thankful that I had taken the sound advice of clothing -myself well. I must have looked for all the world like an Eskimo or an -Arctic explorer in my wool-lined leather coat and overall trousers, a -knitted Balaclava hat or helmet, and over that again a skull-cap, the -whole tied down tightly beneath my chin. A huge woolen muffler round -my neck and a pair of unsightly goggles completed the picture. I had -treated my hands and face with a generous dose of vaseline, which I -had been assured would keep out the cold, and which advice I now -gratefully acknowledge to be correct. - -As we mount higher my perspective extends, and out of the gray mists -and the dark shadows land and sea begin to assume their natural form -and color. On the former there are now signs of movement; along the -roads crawl the ant-like procession of ammunition columns back from -their nightly trip to the firing lines. A steaming “Puffing Billy” -slowly drags along on a limber, a “grandmother” (naval 15-inch gun) -blocking up the whole roadway, which must cause considerable annoyance -to the long string of cars and motorbike dispatch riders held up in the -rear. - -On the roadside, by a wood, a company of infantry are falling in for -early parade; they look up at us in a half interested sort of way. Some -wave their hats and rifles at us. I wave my hand in reply, but know -they cannot see us. We keep on climbing steadily. Out at sea are two -French torpedo-boats making up the coast towards ----, and a few small -trawlers sailing off in the direction of England. Happy thought! - -Every moment we are getting nearer to the dreaded area. In the far -distance I can see the red flashes of the rifles, the smoke clouds of -the heavy guns, and the long gray lines of winding trenches. I look at -my map, to discover that we are passing over a junction of two main -roads, one of which is crossed by a railway, while beneath the other -runs a narrow stream. It is ----. - -Five miles to the firing line. With my glasses I can already pick out -several of our own field-artillery emplacements, and a moving up of -reinforcements from the rear--I would surmise about two battalions of -infantry. I time the observation on my report sheet; also I discover -from my wrist compass--my most prized and valued possession--that we -are going too much to the north-west and tell the pilot so by means of -a written message. - -Course changed! What are Headquarters orders for the flight? A -reconnaissance over ----, I puzzle out as well as my now fevered brain -will allow me, whether reconnaissance will be tactical or strategical, -and again whether “line” or “area.” For the benefit of those who may -perhaps read my diary I will here endeavor to explain the fine points -which divide the two. The former reconnaissance necessitates flying -and observing along a line between two given points on the map, these -points having already been marked in before leaving the ground. Area -reconnaissance, on the other hand, comprises observation of a whole -area or district. To do this successfully it is necessary to fly -backward and forward several times, thus adding greater risk to the -adventure, and taking a great deal longer time to accomplish. Hence -they are not undertaken very far away from our own lines, and then -only if particular information is required. - -Thus far the weather had rendered the trip ideal. But it would be an -entirely different matter, I surmised, when we came within reach of the -enemy anti-aircraft guns. Already they were getting uncomfortably near. -Should we have an easy passage across or should we have to climb up for -our lives above the bursting “Archies”? - -We were not left long in doubt. Their men must have been up particularly -early that morning, for the very first shot came within an ace of -blighting two young and promising careers. There was a loud report on -the ground below, the familiar “sing” of an approaching shell, which at -first interests one, but which in the course of time one gets to dread. -Then it seemed for the moment that the whole machine had been blown to -atoms. But no! We started to climb hurriedly. - -“High explosive,” the pilot bawled in my ear. “Going up higher.” - -For the next three minutes my feelings were the reverse of pleasant, -and I fervently hoped that other observers did not suffer in the same -way. Shells burst above, below, to the right, to the left, and all -round us; but never near enough to do us any serious harm, though the -bullets of one shrapnel shell certainly did rattle against the wings, -piercing them with minute holes in several places, and I felt very -thankful for the uncomfortable sandbag on which I sat, which protected -me from bursting shells beneath. - -As we climbed to a higher altitude the Huns ceased their attentions, -and we very soon arrived over the scene of our “line.” My bad attack -of “cold feet” now having passed over, I set myself to think seriously -upon the precepts drummed into my thick head by the instructor at the -training school. “The observer” he was wont to say, “should always try -to keep in touch with the military situation, and particularly in the -encounter battle, and discover the disposition of our own troops.” - -One point I could and did satisfy myself upon--this was no encounter -battle. So I ignored our own forces and kept my attention fixed upon -----. Nothing extraordinary met my eye. I saw a camp here and there, -and turned my glasses upon them and discovered that they were composed -of huts. Hurriedly I counted them, and noted the number in my report, -together with the altitude, 12,000 ft. Again the solemn advice of my -worthy instructor passed through my brain: “The eyes must constantly -turn to each likely spot, and each spot must be examined carefully with -the glasses if it offers anything useful for the observer’s report.” - -I examined each likely spot, and discovered to my delight a broad -grass meadow across which ran several pathways of very recent -construction. Footpaths, I argued to myself (and I may possibly have -been wrong) are not made across fields for the mere pleasure of -constructing them. There is more in this than meets the eye. I signaled -to my companion and he quickly grasped the situation, and in long -sweeping circles, brought her down some 2000 ft. The lower we came the -more distinctly I could make out that some sort of emplacement was -being built up--the new emplacement for a 17-inch howitzer. I noted the -same. - -An excellent morning’s work. We turn to go home. But the enemy has not -appreciated our attentions and most unthoughtfully turns his guns upon -us. - -Then the fun begins. It was bad enough crossing the lines, but -child’s-play when compared with this; and besides we are two thousand -lower. A perfect inferno of “Archies.” We bank first to one side then -to the other; put her nose down for a moment or so, then climb for all -we are worth. - -But it is no good. We are hit! - -Down goes her nose, down and down. The air whistles past our ears. -The earth rushes up to meet us. The discs of the machine-gun topple -overboard, so steep has the angle become. ---- must have been hit. Yes! -there he is, all huddled up over the joy-stick (control-stick). I give -up all hope, when suddenly, the machine starts to right herself. I -look around, and find that the rush through the air must have brought -him to. He is manfully straining every nerve to get her out of the -nose-dive. By a superhuman effort he succeeds. We manage to get across -the lines unnoticed save by a few infantrymen, who fire futilely at us, -and land a bare hundred yards the other side of our own trenches. ---- -makes a beautiful landing, pulls her up dead, and promptly faints in -his seat. My first trip! - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -SOME ANECDOTES - - - _Somewhere in Belgium, - Thursday._ - -“The life of an airman is one of intense idleness interrupted by -moments of violent fear.” This remark, originating as it does from -a youthful member of the Senior Service describes, more aptly than -any other yet penned, the life of the airman under active service -conditions. Sometimes there will come a spell of fine weather, and he -is kept going hard at it from sunrise to sunset. At other times when -the weather is too bad for flying, he has nought else to do but sit -round the mess-fire and tell stories. - -The memory of those wet days! Men of all sorts and conditions -exchanging personal experiences: anecdotes of hair-raising escapes from -bursting shrapnel shells, thrilling fights with Air Huns, miraculous -evolutions in mid-air, and a thousand and one other subjects dear to -the heart of the airman. I will here endeavor to relate several of the -best stories that have so far come my way, but it is impossible to -tell more than five per cent. of them, for their name is Legion. - -The first story concerns a well-known aerodrome somewhere in Flanders. -The pilots of the station, when the weather was too bad for flying, -filled up their spare time by playing football; until one day a -wag amongst them suggested that a ball should be blown up as tight -as possible; taken up in an aeroplane and dropped on the German -lines. This suggestion was duly carried out and the first fine day -the ball was put aboard a machine going up the Belgian Coast for a -reconnaissance trip. Arrived over the town that had been decided upon, -it was dropped overboard, with quite accurate aim into the market -square. Seeing this dark awesome object falling through the air and -taking it for a bomb the Germans took to their heels. Landing on the -cobbled pave, it must have bounced nearly twenty feet into the air, -then gradually lower and lower, until at last it rolled into a ditch. -Then and only then did the Germans reappear, one fat soldier going over -to it and giving it a vicious kick. - -An instance of air _camaraderie_ was that of the Bosche who brought -Pégoud down after a fight in mid-air. Hearing that he had been killed, -and where he was to be buried, he came over and dropped a wreath on -the scene of his burial ground--a pretty compliment that was greatly -appreciated. - -The story concerning Captain M---- is the most striking of the war. -Poor fellow, he has since been killed. It happened one very misty -morning. M---- was on a reconnaissance trip. His engine failed and had -to come down a good ten miles behind their lines. However, he landed -safely, and had just burnt his machine, when he saw three dark figures -coming up out of the fog, and taking discretion to be the better part -of valor he fled, and hid himself in a ditch hard by. He was there for -the whole of a day and a night, and it has since been ascertained that -there were close on five thousand Bosches searching for him the whole -time. When he found the coast was clear, he crept out of the ditch, -and marched off boldly down the road until he met a friendly Belgian -peasant; from this chap he wheedled an old suit of clothes, and, thus -attired, walked on nearly to Lille. Here he acted somewhat foolishly. -He boarded a tramcar bound for the city, not knowing where to ask to -be put down. The car was full of Prussian officers. The man came for -his fare; and for a moment he was nonplussed. Then he had a brain-wave. -Remembering that every town in Belgium possesses a glorified market -square, he demanded _à la grande place, s’il vous plait_, and pulled -out a handful of silver coins to pay the man. Such a thing as a silver -coin had not been seen in Lille for months, ever since the Germans had -captured it in fact. Fortunately the Prussians were too much occupied -in their own conversation to take any notice of _ein schweinhund_ of -a Belgian peasant. Arrived in the city, luck again favored him, and -he obtained shelter in a garret for three weeks. Then the police grew -suspicious, and late one night he was forced to clear out hurriedly. -After leaving the city he had a terrible time. He tramped right across -Belgium, always at night, and every moment in fear of his life, feeding -on anything he could find, crusts and offal thrown to the pigs, and -stale bread thrown away by the German soldiers. Footsore, weary, hungry -and exhausted he at last arrived at the Dutch frontier. Here occurred -another agonizing wait. Again for a day and a night he lay hidden in a -ditch, until late that evening the sentry paused on his beat to light -his pipe. This was his opportunity. It was a moonlight night. He dashed -across the intervening space. The sentry fired three shots and missed -each time. He got across Holland, to a seaport town, stowed himself -aboard a fishing smack, got to England and reported himself to the -astonished officials at the War Office. - -This reminds me of a story told by a certain famous airman, a little -man with a great heart, on whose breast there are the flaring crimson -of the French Légion d’Honneur and the crimson and blue of the -Distinguished Service Order. I will give you his own words. “I went -over the lines with X---- for an observer. He’d never been over the -lines before and I must confess that I felt a wee bit shaky as to how -he would take it. Luckily we got across without a single shot being -fired at us--and then we met a Taube, coming right down wind at about -ninety miles, and at about our own level. I looked at X----, who for a -time, was too busy watching the other chap coming up to notice me, but -finally he turned and smiled, and I knew he was all right. ‘Got the -Lewis-gun ready?’ I bawled into his ear. He nodded, and then we cleared -the decks for action, so to speak. He put a fresh tray of ammunition -on the gun, and got two other trays ready by the side of him, while -I had a look at the bombs and grenades, and put the joy-stick about -a bit just to see that she was all right. The other chap still kept -on, and was only about a hundred yards off when X---- opened fire, -zipp-zipp-zipp-zipp, seventy-eight of the little beggars slick into the -middle of him. Gave him hell, I can tell you; at all events he didn’t -stick it long. Down went the nose of his machine, and he was very soon -about a thousand feet beneath us. I loosed off all my bombs, quick -as I could, missed every time, had a shot with a grenade and missed -again. I must confess I felt a wee bit flurried that morning--and -then X---- began. Never laughed so much in all my life. He laid his -hands on everything, his hat and his glasses--Government glasses, by -the way--and his revolver and spare cartridges. Thank God! There was -nothing of mine in the front there.” - -Not nearly so pleasant, however, was the experience of a certain -seaplane pilot, who when flying across the Channel from Belgium to -England was forced by engine trouble to come down on to the sea, in the -midst of our own mine-fields, very far removed from the track of all -shipping. Here he remained for eleven and a half hours, until sighted -by a torpedo-boat, which though unable to reach him herself, was able -to give warning ashore, so that a small motor-boat succeeded in finding -a way through the mines, rescued the pilot, but was forced to abandon -the machine. - -Another story concerning Pégoud. The Germans brought Pégoud down, when -flying one of the new French machines, that are supposed to have so -many wonderful new improvements aboard, and that they’re so secretive -about. He didn’t have time to burn it--and the Huns were very keen on -learning how the thing flew. So they tackled Pégoud on the subject. He -said he was perfectly willing to give them an exhibition himself, but -they didn’t care for the idea. “Yes, and when you get up there you’ll -fly away back to your own lines again.” “Very well,” he said; “send -two of your men up with revolvers and let them sit one on each side -of me, so that I won’t be able to get away.” To this they afterwards -agreed, and the first fine morning Pégoud, with the two men sitting -on each side of the fuselage, goes up about 10,000 feet. Then one of -the Huns began to get impatient. Said he: “I think we’d better go down -now.” “That’s all right,” Pégoud answered, “you’re going.” And with -that he put his joy-stick down. She went over a good clean loop, and -the Bosches went down quicker than they bargained for. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -SPORT EXTRAORDINARY - - - _Somewhere in the North of France, - Monday._ - -There is an undoubted fascination in being about at sunrise on a clear, -fine morning. And especially so when up in the air. - -Our day was of this variety. A day when a man’s heart yearns for a -moor, a dog, and a gun. For moor we had the long, flat, dreary sandhill -and marshes of the Belgian coast; a dog was not needed, and in fact -would have been in the way. - -And our gun was not of a type particularly well-known or approved of in -sporting circles--a “Lewis” machine-gun, fitted above with a tray of -forty-seven cartridges. - -Our quest was “wild ducks,” an idea as novel as it was entertaining, -originating with the padre of the station--a cheery individual, who -divided his attention between writing insufferably bad verse, and -collecting mess-subscriptions from irritated members. - -The sun rose over the sea, lighting the blue surface with a thousand -scintillating rays. The tents of the camps thousands of feet below -began to show up against the gray of the earth, and the red flashes -of the rifle volleys combined with the white cloud and roar of the -belching heavy-gun to complete our picture of the waking world. - -But we had not much time to pay attention to these matters, for our -minds and eyes were concentrated on the one subject. - -From what direction would they first appear? Would they come up to us, -or would we have to put “her” down to them? The sun was well up in the -sky, and signs of life and movement were beginning to make themselves -manifest “down there,” before several tiny black specks appeared on the -horizon coming up from the ground behind the marshes at Nieuport. - -We brought the aeroplane round, to get the birds between the sun and -ourselves, and with the wind at their backs, so as not to be aware of -our approach. However, they turned off seawards, and again we had to -change our course, until they seemed to be at too great a distance for -us ever to get them within gun range. The noise of the racing engine -must have reached them on this new tack, for we were now only half-head -on to the wind; but of this they took not the slightest notice, keeping -on their way a regular and well-ordered flock. - -As a matter of fact this could be explained by the reason that birds -in that neighborhood must have become so entirely used to the whirr -of a passing aeroplane, for as many as a score passed over this same -district every fine day. - -We now changed our tactics, and brought her round with the sun at our -backs, casting a shadow across the path of the moving flock, and a -small dull replica which moved in an alarming and amazing manner across -field and hedge, house and farm, beneath. - -At last we were getting up with them, and to signalize the happy event -the padre let off a dozen rounds, which went very far wide of the mark, -and only served to divide the flock into two portions, the larger of -which continued in a seaward direction. - -These we determined to follow, and coming down to 500 feet, opened the -engine “full out” to close on 100 miles an hour. - -Never before had one realized the wonderful speed which these birds can -keep up when on the wing. For with all our great speed we were yet far -behind, and every moment drawing nearer to the sea, across which at -this extremely low altitude we dare not venture. - -Thus it seemed as if we should have to return, defeated and discomforted, -to a scoffing, chaffing audience on the aerodrome, still visible some -five miles to the south-east. - -However, immediately before reaching the seashore our quarry turned -again, and this time along the coast. Then, banking her over to the -new direction, we found ourselves “down-wind” with an additional speed -at the back of us of 15 m.p.h., which soon began to tell. The padre -began to get unduly excited, and succeeded in giving a not unmusical -series of “zimms” on the gun; the cartridges falling spent and useless -on to the sand-dunes; there were no casualties. Undaunted, we kept -on, taking care this time to get nearer up. The enemy were beginning -to tire by this time, so putting in a fresh tray of ammunition, our -courageous marksman let fly, with excellent results, three of the -rearguard speeding headlong down to the earth. The pangs of a not -unnatural hunger now beginning to make themselves evident, and finding -ourselves some thirty miles from home, we turned her head for home and -there eventually arrived, happy and hungry, after having set a new -fashion in sporting and aviation circles, and discovered a new form of -amusement and speculation for the _blasé_ ones, who had deserted their -card-tables and cheap French novelettes to welcome us on our return. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -A BALLOON-TRIP BY NIGHT - - -Imagine a great bare meadow-land, lonely, wind-swept, and dark with -inky blackness, out of which there plunges an occasional hurrying -figure, that misses one by inches and passes on with a muttered oath. -In the background, tall and sinister, two large gasometers. In the -center of the field a wide tarpaulin laid along the ground, and edged -by a circle of sand-bags, from the midst of which there rises a great -round shape, like a mammoth tomato. - -It is the balloon not yet fully inflated, fed by two curling rubber -tubes, that disappear in the direction of the gasworks. We are waiting, -waiting patiently until she fills. Blackened, distorted shapes, that -stand around in eerie circle, and at the sudden gruff command of a -hoarse voice that booms ever and anon out of the voids of darkness, -seize each a heavy sandbag and slowly and clumsily lower it mesh by -mesh in the netting that covers the balloon. - -At last she is filled. The car is attached below, as rapidly and -securely as the faint and flickering light of a stable lamp will allow -of. The crew tumble in, one on top of another. She is let up only to be -pulled down again with a nerve-racking bump. The gruff voice decides -that she is now ready to get off; there is a slight slackening of -ropes, an almost imperceptible lift, the figures on the ground recede -rapidly, grotesque shadows in the darkness, and the lights begin to -disappear one by one. - -We rise to a ticklish situation; there are tall trees, factory-chimneys, -and protruding roofs all waiting calm and invisible in the night, to be -crashed into and collided with. But all these obstacles we may miss if -we have only sufficient preparatory lift. We are all silent and cowed, -trying to make out each other’s faces. There is a sudden tearing sound. -The craft lurches like a drunken man and we are thrown a struggling -breathless mass into a corner. But the suspense is only momentary. By a -miracle of grace, she frees herself from the branches of a tree, and -soars rapidly heavenwards. - -Eagerly we watch the glimmering, winding streak of gray that is the -river, and our only visible landmark; apparently we are making off in a -north and west direction. Once out of the shelter of the houses and the -trees, the breeze is stiffish: in fact, considerably more so than was -expected. - -What is this sensation like? Dark to the left of us, dark to the -right of us, dark on top of us, and darker below us; in a frail -uncontrollable craft, that drifts aimlessly and helplessly before every -varying wind of the heavens. Unlike the aeroplane the passage is easy -and pleasant, free from noise and we know we are flying. North and -west, but the first change of the wind, and we will be bowling along -merrily in quite another direction. - -It is quiet, intensely quiet, no motion of any kind to be felt. But -where are we? Occasionally we discover a small patch of light that may -be a village, again a larger patch, evidently of a town. We watch the -altimeter with as much loving care, as a mother would her child, for it -is our sole deliverer from destruction. How it varies: now it is 8000 -feet, now 2500. If possible, we try to keep above the latter level. -The surface of the country is unfortunately not too level, and as the -altimeter registers height above sea and not land level, allowance must -be made. Ballast is ready to hand for emergency uses. - -At last the depressing silence is broken; one youth, wiser than his -years, has remembered to provide himself with food. It is handed round, -and over beef sandwiches we get communicative. It gives us fresh life -and inspires one of the party with a humorous turn of mind, to recite -with great vividness and vivacity all the alarming accidents that have -befallen night-balloonists, concluding with an impious hope, “that we -likewise may have some fun.” - -We get it! - -Happily, as we are wallowing in the throes of this most dismal -expectancy, the conversation is turned by an eager and heated -discussion between two younger members of the party, as to the merits -and demerits of their respective musical-comedy idols (female). The -argument grows in intensity. But we have neglected to watch the -altimeter. Out of the inky darkness below there rushes a volcano -of spark and flame. It is a railway-train speeding on through the -night. Sheepishly we discover that we are only 800 feet, and wonder -unpleasantly what might have been. - -On and on through the night. Now we are getting tired; there are -suggestions that we should land, but they are overruled. Coming down -again to 800 feet, we catch sight of a wide glimmering sheet of water. -Maps are seized in a hasty impulse to guess our whereabouts. The -argument grows heated, for similar stretches of water there are, alike -in Essex, Kent, Surrey, Middlesex and Berkshire: in fact, in every one -of the Home Counties, and for the matter of that in the Midlands, and -likewise in every county in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. - -The argument abates, our eyes grow weary and more weary. It seems a -life-time since we last saw the pleasant and undulating lines of the -earth. One or two heads are already nodding, when there is a sudden -shout of “the dawn.” Instantly all are wide awake. There sure enough, -are the first few streaks of gray creeping slowly across the eastern -sky; without even that, it would be an obvious matter, by reason of -that intense cold, which, in the air, always precedes the hour of -daybreak and freezes us to the bone. - -It would be an inadequate expression to say that dawn in the air is -beautiful. It is more than beautiful, it is wonderful. It is more than -wonderful, it is unusual; a view only to be enjoyed by the minority, -and that of the smallest. Gradually earth and sky begin to dissemble. -In tint the picture is white, black, gray, blue, crimson, golden, -purple, green and every other color--now like a painter’s canvas -smudged with regular irregularities, edged with red and gray, now an -animated panorama stirring with resuscitated life. The sun rises, a -ball of flame above the horizon, lighting up the rotund shape of the -balloon with an unearthly hue. - -We say nothing, but look and marvel; a word would be out of place in -this sacred and awesome stillness. Suddenly we are roused by a cry, -more, much more, alarming than the last. - -The sea! We are almost on top of it. In shimmering, level surface it -stretches on into obscurity. We are lost. We cannot avoid it, yet less -can we land thereon. One of the crew loses his head. He snatches the -thin red tape that hangs down from the envelope. There is a tearing, -rending sound. - -He has ripped the balloon at 2000 feet. Pious prayers and curses -intermingle. Down she sinks, with a great hole rent in her side--down -and down, faster and faster. Over go the bags of ballast, one after -another. Now all have been dropped. She slackens speed; but only -momentarily. Down she goes again, the upward current of air whistles -unpleasantly through the rigging. In a last feverish effort boots are -unlaced and hurled overboard, together with coats and every portable -object to hand. - -Too late. We hit the edge of a cliff; bounce back several feet into -the air, then sink down on to the beach below. Another crash, again we -are bundled and bounced about in the confined space of the car. The -sand gets in our ears and eyes and mouths. The balloon lies along the -sand a woebegotten shape, as flat as a pancake. When we eventually -sort ourselves out, we find luckily, that there is but one casualty: -a broken wrist, sustained by the foolish idiot that ripped! Just -retribution! - -And to end the adventure, a stolid British policeman, ponderous -official-looking note-book in hand, approaches and demands our names -and addresses, and asks if we are of British nationality! - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE BATTLE OF THE WOOD - - - _Flanders, - Wednesday._ - -Somewhere in the north of France there is a little wood. It is -about half a mile square in area, and stands immediately south of -a fine, broad highroad, along which there daily pass large bodies -of reinforcements, infantry and cavalry, and convoys bringing up -ammunition and supplies. The tall trees offer a welcome shade in the -hot weather, and it was the custom for passing troops to halt there -for a short time; and just at the spot the roadside was always well -littered with broken bottles. Needless to state, it was in German -territory. - -However, had it not been for that road, and for the fact that on this -certain day, when the road had been closed to all traffic, there were -certain mysterious movements of ponderous great wagons, suspiciously -like ammunition wagons, which halted in the shade of the wood, this -story would never have been written. - -The day was hot, and the work was heavy, and _mein herr captain_ paused -for a moment to curse his uncongenial task, and take a long draught -from his water bottle, of some liquor that certainly was not water. In -the midst thereof he let it fall with a curse of rage and surprise, for -there overhead, as if it had suddenly appeared from the clouds, was the -form of a British aeroplane. “Himmel,” he exclaimed, “all our trouble -wasted, they have our hiding spot discovered, and to-morrow morning -they bomb us--ach!” - -The worthy gentleman was not far out in his deduction, for the lynx-eye -of the observer in the aeroplane had carefully noted the exact -geographical position of that new ammunition park, before the machine -sped off homewards. But he was wrong to a certain extent; our Flying -Corps are no fools, and they realized that Mr. Bosche would soon expect -a return visit, and would be fully prepared therefor. This course was, -therefore, useless to them; it was essential that that ammunition park -must be destroyed, but in a manner and at a time the Germans least -expected, and this is how it was accomplished. - -Towards evening a light scouting machine sped swiftly away from a -certain British aerodrome, only a few miles behind the firing lines. -No untoward incident that, but it was particularly conspicuous from -the fact that the entire aerodrome had turned out to wish the trip -God-speed, to wish the pilot, a young second Lieutenant of the Canadian -Infantry, the best of luck, and to cram the fuselage of the machine -with spare ammunition, until she could barely “stagger” off the ground. -The objective was the ammunition park already mentioned. With long, -sweeping circles the scout soon cleared the area of the firing lines, -and arrived over the wood. - -Still nothing happened, the whole countryside was remarkably quiet for -a battle area. No anti-aircraft guns fired, no enemy aircraft came -humming round. Lower came the pilot to investigate. Still nothing -happened; he, on his part, now began to feel genuinely alarmed, unless -of course that confounded observer had been “seeing” things, a not -unknown failing with aeroplane observers. - -Meanwhile in the midst of the wood, the corpulent captain watched the -small speck carefully with his glasses, then rubbed his fat hands with -glee and expectation. The fool Englishman was falling beautifully -into his little trap. Involuntarily he glanced over his shoulder, -and there in a large clearing behind the wood, were ten great German -battle-planes, all ready to go up at a moment’s notice and with pilots -and observers standing by. - -By this time the British machine had come considerably lower, and was -well behind the wood, and into the German country. The captain gave a -sharp, guttural order. Immediately the noise of ten great propellers -smote the still air, and the squadron rose swiftly from the wood like a -covey of wild ducks. The hated Englishman was hopelessly trapped. - -And what of our man? Turning leisurely to make a last reconnaissance -of the wood, he found ten great German battle-planes between himself -and the lines. He cursed profusely at his own crass stupidity. He had -been warned, and he had thought fit to ignore the warning, and this was -the result. Anyway he would make a good fight for it. He fingered his -machine-gun cautiously. Yes, everything was ready to hand. He set his -teeth, opened his engine “full out” and began to climb rapidly. - -The Germans also climbed, and within a very short space of time he -found himself hemmed in on all sides, with lead flying at him from all -points, and at all angles. Anyhow, he determined to have a good run -for his life, and singling out two Germans immediately beneath him, -he dived rapidly. As he did so, he was hit by shrapnel; for a short -space of time he was unconscious, then again regaining control of his -machine, began to use his machine-gun to good effect. - -First one German he drove to the ground, then another, and then a -third. His blood was up now, and he turned round for further victims, -but the Huns had had sufficient for one day, and were scuttling off -to peace and safety. He turned homewards, and his wound was becoming -agonizing, as a bombing squadron of our own machines passed by. - -Very soon there arose from the wood violent explosions and blinding -sheets of flame, and by the time the British bombing squadron had -finished its full design, all that remained of the fat captain’s -ammunition park were a few broken and shattered wagons, and a heap of -dead and dying men. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -A TIGHT CORNER - - - _Somewhere in France, - Friday._ - -The other day, yesterday afternoon to be exact, a most exciting -adventure befell me. I was detailed to take part in a bombing raid -at ----. We had not proceeded far beyond our own lines, after the -customary bombardment of anti-aircraft shells, when suddenly the -machine immediately in front of us rocked violently, and began to dive -towards the earth. “B----’s been hit,” my observer bawled into my ear. -I continued to watch the machine in its headlong descent. Alas, it was -only too true! There was no possible escape: after diving steeply six -hundred feet, the machine had begun to spin, and was now whirling round -and round like a humming-top, and hardly a minute after, had crashed -into the midst of a wood, from which there immediately came up a cloud -of gray smoke and a leaping tongue of flame. - -We had started out four strong; our mission being to raid M----, a -large German military center, containing a staff headquarters, an -ammunition park, and a large aerodrome. And now our machine was the -sole survivor, two having been shot down when crossing the lines. Alone -and single-handed, in a notoriously dangerous portion of the enemy’s -lines, every moment we were liable to be fired at from all quarters, -and attacked by enemy aircraft. - -I looked searchingly at my observer; it was his first trip across the -lines, and I had to admit to myself that never before, in my six months -of flying at the front, had I been in such a deucedly uncomfortable -position. How would he take it? I hesitated. Should we turn back -to safety, or should we continue on our way to what was almost -certain death? I glanced at his face, it was stern and set, with the -deliberation of the man who is willing to risk everything. With his -left hand he patted and fondled the deadly machine-gun. I determined to -go on. - -Then they opened fire on us again. Apparently for the last few minutes -they had all deserted their guns and had been busy gaping at the -remains of poor B----’s machine; but now, flushed with their recent -success, they commenced to fire with demoniacal fury. Shots burst -behind, before, above, below: one minute immediately over the nose, -the next immediately beneath the tail of the machine. To avoid them -we climbed, and dived, and banked in all directions, until her old -ribs began to groan and creak from sheer exertion, and she threatened -every moment to fly asunder in mid-air. At last we got clear of them, -and sighted our objective, just as the sun broke through the clouds, -and revealed to us a stretch of low, flat-lying country, dotted here -and there with villages and camps and ammunition bases. M---- showed -up easily, it was a moderate-sized town of ant-like pigmy dwellings, -little white and gray patches in the brilliant sunlight. A small -winding river skirted the town, looking for all the world against the -dark background like the vein in a man’s arm. North and south ran the -gleaming, glinting railway lines, and a large road led up from the town -to the firing line. This road was now converged with traffic of all -descriptions. We dropped a bomb, but it was very wide of the mark, and -it served to draw the enemy’s fire, which again broke out all round us -with renewed fury. M---- was better supplied with anti-aircraft guns -than any other position on the German front. Higher and yet higher we -climbed until we were well above the clouds, and the earth was almost -hidden from our sight. By this simple and expedient _ruse de guerre_ -we might be able to get over the city before the gunners were aware of -our existence. But alas for our well laid plans! We had not gone far -when we encountered a great double-engined Albatross, and there, with -the white billowy clouds stretching like waves of a gigantic sea in -all directions, we fought our battle of life and death. Fritz opened -the encounter by sweeping down upon us at top speed, pouring out a -steady stream of lead from the machine-gun in the nose of his machine. -To avoid this we climbed rapidly, and he flashed by, beneath us, at an -alarming rate. We attempted to bomb him, but it was futile, and the -bomb fell downwards to the earth below. - -We turned as soon as were able, and waited for the enemy to recommence -the attack. He was all out now, and putting on top speed bore down -upon us with the speed of an express train. Nearer and yet nearer he -drew. Thankfully I noticed that we were both at the same altitude. When -yet about a quarter of a mile distant, his observer opened fire, the -bullets flying all around us in a leaden stream, and still we did not -reply. I looked at my observer. He was bending over his gun, fumbling -about with some portion of the mechanism. There was no need to ask what -was the matter. Alas! I knew too well. The gun had jammed. Now followed -a ticklish time for both of us, for without the gun we were completely -unarmed, and Fritz was drawing nearer every second. Already I could -hear and feel his bullets singing past my head, occasionally chipping -portions of the machine. Now he was right level with us. What were we -to do? To remain in that same position would mean certain death. If -we climbed, he would climb faster, and would almost immediately be up -with us again. There was only one thing to be done--the unexpected! -So putting her nose-down, we dived towards the earth like a stone, -and had gone over a thousand feet before I could get her level again. -This maneuver so upset the calculations of the enemy, that he was now -about three-quarters of a mile distant. This gave us precious time to -prepare again for the attack. The observer was still working feverishly -away, when we commenced to climb. Fritz had already turned and was -coming down to meet us; but we had the advantage this time of having -the wind behind our backs. If only that infernal gun were ready! Up we -climbed, and down came Fritz; all the faster because he knew we were -comparatively unarmed. Now we were under half a mile distant, now only -a quarter, and now he had commenced to fire. Would we never reply? At -last! Brrr! Brrr! Brrr! yapped the gun in our bows. - -Fritz was so startled at this unexpected development that for a moment -he paused in his firing. This was our opportunity; taking steady aim -J---- put the whole drum of 47 cartridges into his back in three -bursts. He staggered and reeled, he was hit; I felt I wanted to cry out -for sheer joy, but my throat was parched and dry. Oh! the reaction -after that dreadful ten minutes. But although we had hit him, Fritz -was yet by no means out of running, that is if he elected to remain -and fight it out, which I doubted extremely; for the Hun is ever -super-courageous when he has an unarmed and helpless foe to deal with. -So throttling her down I watched him anxiously. Turning to the left he -started off at top speed in the direction of his own base. This I had -expected, and off we started in his trail with only another half-hour’s -petrol in our tanks. On and on he flew, over wood and town, and we -were close in the rear, both flying at top speed. Every moment he was -getting lower. I knew only too well what that meant. He was trying to -lead us into a trap, where we would make a set target for a ring of -his anti-aircraft guns. We must never let this happen or we should -be finished for a certainty. If we could only catch up with him; but -it was in vain we wished, for he was yet a quarter of a mile ahead, -when, as usual, the unexpected happened. He had engine trouble. Within -five minutes we were almost on top of him. He commenced to sink like a -stone. Now was our opportunity, an opportunity which our observer was -not slow to take advantage of. Right into the middle of his back flew -the steady stream of bullets. Again he reeled, and this time there was -that peculiar fluttering of the wings, which tells only too plainly -that an aeroplane is “out of control.” Like poor B---- he commenced to -whirl round like a humming-top, then with one long last plunge he had -crashed into one of his own encampments, and all was over. - -We were left to reach our own lines with twenty minutes’ petrol -remaining, and under a violent bombardment of the enemy “Archies.” - - * * * * * - -Again an interesting personal account, told in the words of the pilot -participating in a Zepp Strafe:-- - -The orderly from the telephone room brought the news. Zeppelins had -been sighted at ---- and were proceeding in a northerly direction. This -meant that they would be overhead at any moment. - -A few sharp orders and the station began to throb with life. - -Mechanics hurried hither and thither, some to the sheds to get out the -machine, others to fetch the bombs and a Véry’s pistol from the armory; -yet others to lay out the light flares across the aerodrome in order -that upon our return we might perchance be able to define the right -landing ground. - -Compasses, electric light torches and maps were dragged hurriedly from -their hiding-places in lockers. A general bearing was taken of the -enemy’s course, and we ran out on to the aerodrome, where a searchlight -had already begun to work, sending long, scintillating beams of light -across the dark night sky, turning and twisting, first in one quarter, -then in another, covering the heavens in the twinkling of an eye, but -never disclosing the true object of its search. - -At last there is a shout from one of the men by the light. He had -discovered the whereabouts of the Zeppelin. Yes! there she is! A long, -gray, cigar-shaped object far up in the clouds. - -We hurried across to the machine, and while I examined the bombs in the -bomb-rack beneath the fuselage (body), and attended to the fitting-in -of the Lewis-gun, the pilot tested the engine. And before five minutes -had elapsed since the first alarm we were off the ground. - -Who can well and truly describe the sensations of night flying? -Suddenly one is hurled from the ground into an unbounded space of -darkness at the rate of fifty miles an hour. It is like jumping off a -cliff on a dark night and plunging on and on, one knows not where. It -is impossible to see beyond one’s nose, and the only thing that seems -real and natural is the incessantly loud hum of the engine. It is a by -no means pleasant task. - -Leaving the ground we miss a roof-top by inches, and, feeling -considerably shaken, climb rapidly. At first it is dark, pitch dark. -We see nothing, we know not where we are. One would lose one’s reason -were it not for the hum of the racing engine. - -At last there breaks through the long shadows of darkness, beneath us, -a long, narrow, winding ribbon of shimmering gray. The young moon has -broken through the clouds and the reflection of its light upon the -water gives us the position of the river. On either side or moving -slowly along the surface are small pin-pricks of colored lights; I -switch on my electric light in front of the observer’s seat, glance at -the altimeter, and discover that we are already 500 feet up. - -The glare of that light, feeble though it be when contrasted with the -black darkness of the atmosphere around, has got into my eyes, and for -a moment or two I can distinguish absolutely nothing. Then lights begin -to make themselves visible. - -The street lamps can easily be distinguished; as being darkened at the -top the light is concentrated downwards in a circle onto the pavement -beneath, which serves the purpose of reflecting it heavenwards and -upwards. The main streets can be picked out by the two parallel lines -of colored lights; the windows of shops, the lights of which have been -covered with red and green shades. - -I have another look at the altimeter. Only a thousand, but still -climbing steadily. Into a dark bare patch of land far below there comes -rushing a flaring, glaring gleam of light, followed by a string of -smaller lights. I puzzle out what this strange apparition may be. It is -a railway train. - -As we mount yet higher we begin to lose all our bearings, and all sight -of the earth beneath. A much more beautiful earth when compared with -the dull, prosaic everyday affair, looking for all the world like a -huge garden decorated with a myriad of multi-colored lights. It is -difficult to realize that those few, straggling, irregular rows of -lamps encompass seven million living souls; that there far below us -sleepily blinking and twinkling is the greatest city of the world. - -The altimeter registers 5000 ft. Getting nearer to the Zepp altitude, -yet no sign! The anxiety of waiting and suspense is becoming -insufferable. Nothing but the incessant throb of the engine. But I have -spoken too soon! Out of the darkness and blackness there rushes past, -with the speed of an express train, a black unholy shape. - -Suddenly there is the most violent cannonade; a sure sign that the -anti-aircraft gunners have spotted their quarry. Searchlights from all -directions are in a second of time concentrated upon ourselves, while -they are endeavoring to get the range. This latter, much to the disgust -of the pilot, who, blinded by the glare, banks too steeply, just in -time saves her from a nose-dive, and consigns all anti-aircraft gunners -to a certain well-known locality possessed of a permanent and extremely -warm climate. - -We are in luck’s way, however; for presently the guns are all silenced. -The searchlights go out one by one. All becomes quiet and dark, -dismally dark. We cruise around for another ten minutes or so, then -descend cautiously and gradually. With one eye glued to the altimeter, -to make certain of the height, I peer over the side with the other to -pick up the first sign of lights or landmarks. - -Eight thousand feet! Seven thousand feet! Getting horribly cold! Six -thousand! Five thousand! Shall we never get down? Four thousand! Three -thousand! it seems like an age. Two thousand! One thousand! Cautiously -now or our necks will be broken! - -At last we are safe back on Mother Earth again, and very thankfully -seek the refuge of our beds! - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -AN AIR FIGHT WITH A HUN - - - _Somewhere in the North of France, - Saturday._ - -To-day our special delight has been a bombardment from enemy aeroplanes. - -They came over about noon and roused the fearful and subdued the proud -while we were all at lunch. They circled overhead for about five -minutes, dropped a dozen or so bombs, then cleared off hurriedly before -our own men had time to get away. - -One man here had a most ingenious “funkhole” for aerial bombardment. -He utilized a large stone drain-pipe for this purpose, and it was his -custom when enemy aircraft were reported to be in sight to crawl into -this thing, take a book with him, and calmly read until they had taken -their departure. He advertised this comic shelter one day as:-- - - “A novel bijou residence, completely detached, every - convenience, within easy reach of the firing line. Bullets and - bombs pass the door every few moments.” - -Figuratively speaking, our mission was target-registering. - -But having previously heard that the “mother” (naval 9:2-inch gun) with -which we were to have worked was incapacitated, and the afternoon being -fine and sunny, we determined to seek adventure further afield, and -turning her nose in a south-easterly direction kept straight on. - -“Am making for Dixmude to see if we can raise a Hun or two.” - -This latter by means of a note passed over my shoulder by the pilot. -And here let it be said that a proper understanding between pilot -and observer is one of the essential features of war flying. What -the latter misses the former often picks up, for when flying at high -altitudes of over 10,000 feet, field-glasses for observation purposes, -with the excessive vibration of the engine, are at first very difficult -to manipulate. - -Our machine, one of the latest scouting types, was a beauty. She -climbed rapidly and had a fast turn of speed through the air, -concerning which latter feature there always seems to exist in the lay -mind a deal of misapprehension, especially concerning the possibilities -and peculiarities of the various types. - -The aeroplane is a most curious and difficult machine to build up, -because so many different factors have to be taken into consideration -in the construction of it. If it be constructed for speed work, it -necessitates a large engine, and hence more weight, and with its -limited “lifting” capacity, some other feature has to be sacrificed, -very probably petrol-tanks, thus cutting down the possible duration of -flight. Similarly speed would have to be sacrificed for duration. - -Thus it will be seen that an aeroplane can only specialize in one -feature and cannot possess, at one and the same time, speed, lift, -safety, climbing power and long durability. - -The alpha and omega of the adventure was that we were within certain -limits free to do what we pleased. This added a certain amount of vim -and interest, especially so when compared with target-registering. - -As we sail along the blue sky over green fields and steepled city, my -eye constantly roams round in search of enemy aircraft, but thus far -with not much luck. - -The firing lines are now far behind us, and we are well over into the -enemy’s country. One would have thought that before now we should have -encountered a stray Aviatik or so, or a patrolling Albatross. - -At last! In the far distance and coming towards us at a great speed -“down-wind” is a white-nosed machine, which I distinguished as “Fritz,” -a single tractor biplane, a hybrid of the Albatross and Aviatik types, -fitted with a 225 h.p. Mercedes engine, that gives 90 miles per hour. -It has a range of ten hours’ flight, and carries two Maxim guns--one in -front, but only firing sideways, and one behind the pilot. - -Immediately thoughts of an aerial combat flash across my mind. I had -never taken part in one before, but had often watched them from the -comfortable security of _terra firma_: during that first moment I had a -bad attack of “cold feet.” - -A vision of many a hard-fought battle in mid-air came before my eyes. -With the opposing machines darting above and below one another like two -great birds, the sun glistening on the whitened planes as they turned -and twisted, while all around and silhouetted against the deep blue sky -were the little black and flame patches of the bursting shrapnel, it -was a gloriously fascinating sight. - -The uncertainty held one spellbound. Suddenly one of the machines would -put down her nose and descend like a stone to earth; for a moment one’s -heart was in one’s mouth until she would right herself and climb up -again into the fray. Sometimes these wonderful battles would last as -long as forty minutes or an hour, until one or the other would crash -down thousands of feet to the earth below. - -In a warfare of long-ranging artillery, and the scientific slaughter -of an invisible foe many miles away where hand-to-hand combat was -practically unknown, these duels in mid-air were a delight to friend -and foe alike, for they, and they alone, were favored with the old-time -romance of war, daring and adventure. - -Men in the trenches would leave their rifles, forget the enemy, and -gaze with wide-open eyes at what was going on overhead; drivers of -ammunition-wagons would pause on their way in the middle of the road -craning their necks, the while red-hatted staff-officers would order -their cars to be stopped until the fight was over. - -Those two little black specks, suspended thousands of feet above were -the cynosure of all eyes, and when the stricken machine came low enough -for her nationality to be distinguished, if it were a black cross on -either wing a shout of sheer joy would burst forth from many an anxious -heart; if on the other hand, it were the three circles of red, white, -and blue, a sigh would go down the lines like the rustle of the wind -through the trees. - -She is almost up to us by this time. I let fire with the machine-gun, -but she is still beyond range. Oh, those moments of expectation! Would -she fight or turn tail and run? - -She elected to do the former and climbed quickly above us. Her pilot -opened fire with his machine-gun. The bullets whizzed past our ears, -dangerously near. - -We climb in turn and lose sight of her for a moment or so. It is a -complicated game of blind-man’s buff. We got up with her at last and -both let off simultaneously. There is a language spoken in that act, a -language that has neither stops, commas, letters, characters, notes, -nor images. It is the language of unbounded hate. Hate to the death. -We got above her and “down-wind” this time. Luck is on our side. -Another tray of cartridges for the gun quickly! That’s got her. She -drops sharply. Her pilot must have been hit and lost control of his -“joy-stick.” We are right on top of her now and let the whole tray of -munitions off into her back. - -Suddenly down goes her nose. She rushes earthwards with a very fair -speed to waft her pilot to paradise. Faster and faster she travels. -Fainter, fainter does our view of her become! - -Down below the hundreds are waiting anxiously, already glorying in the -prize. She’s down at last! - -Most thankfully we turn home. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -A GREAT RAID - - - _Somewhere in the North of France, - Monday._ - -As I walked across the aerodrome, the feeble rays of the young -moon were dying in the west. It was 4.30 in the morning, with an -icy-cold nor’wester shrieking through the tree-tops, and I was -very thankful that I had taken the precaution of clothing myself -warmly in a wool-lined leather coat and trousers, a pair of long -gum boots--invaluable for keeping out wet and cold alike--a woolen -balaclava helmet under my leather aviation cap, and two pairs of gloves -to keep my hands from freezing. - -We had received our instructions the previous night. Ten bomb-dropping -aeroplanes were to be convoyed by two battle-planes. - -It may be mentioned that a bomb-dropping machine is usually of the -fast, scouting variety, with a speed of well over ninety miles per -hour, and is a single seater--that is to say, it carries no observer. -The reason for this is not very far to seek. With two men and a -machine-gun aboard, very little power remains for a supply of bombs; -without an observer and a machine-gun, the bomb supply may be doubled. -And the more bombs aboard the more damage can be done to the enemy. - -The battle-plane is either a “pusher” (with the propeller at the rear) -aeroplane, mounting a large gun at the prow, or a Caudron with two -engines. Its principal duty is to protect the bomb-dropping machine -from attack by enemy aircraft. - -The two battle-planes were the first to get away from the ground and -the others soon followed. When they had all reached an altitude of -5000 feet, they took up their pre-arranged formation with one of the -battle-planes on either wing; then turned their noses eastward towards -the sun, and set off in the direction of the enemy lines. - -Far away across the sand-dunes there came the first rays of the rising -sun, casting a thousand scintillating gleams across the sea. Out in -the channel was a fleet of fishing smacks, heedless of the drifting -mines, bowling along merrily before the breeze to their accustomed -fishing-ground. The dull gray lines and the smoke-belching funnels of a -British destroyer, full out at thirty knots showed as she churned the -seas into masses of white foam, leaving in her rear a long white wake. -Dotted here and there were small tramp-steamers and cargo-boats. By -the sand-dunes off the coast was a long dark shape, which might easily -have been mistaken for a whale, had it not been for that tell-tale -periscope. It was one of our own submarines. Away in the distance was -a dark irregular line, which later in the day and in a stronger light, -would reveal itself as the shores of old England. - -A glance at the altimeter--the instrument for registering the -height--revealed the fact that we were now 6000 feet. Still climbing, -the course was set further out to sea, to avoid as much as possible the -anti-aircraft guns at Westende and Middlekerke. - -Things ashore now began to brighten up. Along and behind the firing -line there was the occasional flash of a heavy gun, followed -almost immediately by dense clouds of white smoke. Along the roads -there crawled, ant-like, the long columns of supply and ammunition -wagons. Sometimes a big gun appeared, hauled along by a puffing -traction-engine; sometimes a battalion or company of infantry or a -squadron of cavalry moving up to the front line. - -Running south and east were the two dull gray straggling lines of -opposing trenches, so close together in places that they appeared to -run into one another. We were gradually drawing nearer to those much -dreaded lines where our real troubles were to begin. Already far up -along the coast, it was possible to distinguish Middlekerke and the -Ostend railway station. - -The first anti-aircraft shot! A long-drawn-out hiss and a violent -explosion in unpleasant proximity--a pretty enough exhibition to watch -from the safety of _terra firma_, but deucedly uncomfortable when one -is playing the leading part in the little drama. It is the first shot -that is always the most unpleasant and the most terrifying. - -For the next few moments there continues a fairly strenuous bombardment, -which necessitates rapid climbing and diving to continually alter the -range. Then the firing ceases for a short while, and all is normal again. - -From behind a small wood there comes floating gayly up aloft the long -and ugly shape of a “sausage” (captive balloon). Now is our chance -for a little just retribution. But, apparently the Germans have seen -us, for the “sausage” is being brought rapidly down towards the earth -again. The temptation is too strong for two of our men, who, despite -previous orders to the contrary, try their ’prentice hand with a few -bombs, without success. It is easy to see that this is their first time -across, for the “sausage” is the most difficult of all targets, and -very rarely hit. - -My map now reveals to me that we are over Ostend. More shrapnel flies -up, interspersed here and there with high-explosive shell. One can -feel a certain contempt for shrapnel in mid-air. The conditions are -entirely different when firing across the land, than when firing -straight up into the air. In the latter case the resistance is more -than treble, with the result that, by the time the shrapnel reaches -anything of an altitude, the best of its driving force has been -expended, and bullets rattle harmlessly against the wings of the -aeroplane. In fact, on one occasion a Royal Flying Corps pilot returned -from a reconnaissance trip with 365 bullet-holes in various parts of -his machine, which was still air-worthy. - -High explosive is another matter. If it bursts reasonably near the -machine, there is not the slightest chance of ever reaching the ground -again in a whole condition, and even when bursting at a distance it is -apt to give the aeroplane a nasty jar and sometimes upsets it entirely. - -One machine has had to drop out and has turned back towards the lines, -and now there are only eleven of us. More shrapnel and yet more; much -too near on the last occasion. We climb rapidly higher to 10,000 feet. -It is a fine, clear day, and everything beneath us is quite distinct. -Even so, it is a very difficult matter to maneuver the machine and to -use one’s glasses at the same time. - -One peculiarity in atmospherical conditions on the Continent is that -the weather is either too misty for flying, or so remarkably clear -that the airman can reconnoiter from much greater heights than in -England. For the first two hours after sunrise there is invariably a -heavy ground mist. Yet early morning and later afternoon are the more -favorable times for flying purposes. - -Ghistelles looms into view, far away to the south and bathed in a sea -of light mist. It is the great German aeronautical center in Belgium. -All the large enemy raids are organized and planned at this center. The -town itself is of no great size, but it has good lines of communication -by road and rail, both to the firing line and the distant bases in the -immediate neighborhood of Brussels. There are some forty hangars there, -and until quite recently there were two large sheds. Probably no other -spot within the German lines is so well and plentifully supplied with -anti-aircraft guns as is this place. - -Far away in the distance, and coming “down wind” at a very great pace, -is a minute black shape, at present no larger in size than a man’s hand. - -An enemy machine! Excitement rules high. He cannot have seen us, for -no Hun airman would dream of taking on so many of our machines single -handed. - -Nearer and yet nearer he draws. Suddenly he sees us. He turns quickly, -but is too late. Our battle-plane on the extreme right is after him. -The enemy skirts the fringe of the dark clouds that hang across the -horizon. After him goes our battle-plane. For a short space of time -both are hidden in its depths. Then, from the distant end, there -descends rapidly a small black object. - -Is it British or enemy? Down she goes; a steep volplane turning into a -spiral, and finally into a murderous-looking nose-dive. Thank Heaven, -it is the enemy machine. I have seen the black cross on the tail. Back -comes our machine triumphant, and we continue on our way to Ostend. - -There are various objectives of an offensive through the air. There is -the attack on enemy aircraft. This is hardly a matter for an organized -raid; it is rather the errand of a cruising battle-plane. Next there -comes the destruction of material; ammunition columns (usually situated -in woods), parks of transport, railways, and all appertaining to -them, and especially bridges and trains, stations and sidings, enemy -headquarters, aeroplane and airship sheds, petrol depots, and gas-works. - -Lastly, there is the bombing of troops. This is a comparatively simple -matter, the best occasion on which to attack them being when they are -crowded in roadways and similar areas. - -Zeebrugge was at last almost within reach. The place is recognizable -from the long jetty running in a large curve far out into the sea. -Proceeding in a westerly direction are numerous heavy troop-trains, and -standing in the sidings several locomotives with steam up, all of which -incidents point to the movement of a large number of troops. In the -harbor are four destroyers and three submarines. The more the merrier! - -Gradually we draw nearer. It is now possible to see something of the -panic in the streets and roadways. Motor-cars are darting out of the -city in all directions; the destroyers are hurriedly trying to make -for the open sea. The anti-aircraft guns begin to open fire from every -quarter. And then we commence to drop our bombs. Down they go, those -ministers of death and destruction, to their targets. Huge columns of -living flame leap up skywards hundreds of feet into the air. The din -of the engine resounds upon the ear-drums until we begin to wonder -if we shall ever be able to hear distinctly again. But down below, -where the guns still pound away unceasingly, the crash of the bursting -shells, the violent explosions of the dropping bombs; all are strangely -noiseless. It is a veritable inferno of death and destruction. - -The roof-tops of the city are covered with great rolling clouds of -thick black smoke. It is now almost impossible to distinguish any -landmark on the ground below. - -Two of our machines have already gone crashing down. The sight of them -falling is the greatest shock to the nerves imaginable; it is the true -test of bravery, for one always feels tempted to give up and follow -them, but only for the passing second. The lust of battle grows strong -again; more bombs and yet more are dropped onto the stricken city. The -flying of the machines is marvelous to behold. - -Another of our craft is hit, making number three; she, too, disappears -into the mist beneath. Our bombs are now all exhausted and we turn -thankfully homewards. Another machine drops out, to land safely on the -foreshore, and, as we afterwards learn, the pilot is made a prisoner. -Then we reach our own lines once more and are safe. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -A DAY-DREAM - - - _Somewhere in the North of France, - Saturday._ - -The other day I had a dream; at six o’clock in the morning, at 10,000 -feet up in the air, with the biting cold wind whistling by my ears. On -all sides stretched the air, a boundless infinity; beneath, a moving -panorama of wood, river, and hill, of men, guns and battle-field. -Far in the distance, the waters of the North Sea glinted blue in the -early morning sun; when suddenly the air became filled with a strange -purring sound, and from all sides came flying hundreds of aircraft of -varying shapes and sizes. Among them I noticed one, a leviathan. A -long cigar-shaped, silver-tinted, super-airship; beneath and swinging -easily in the breeze, the hull was in the shape of the old-fashioned -sea-going steamer. For’ard was a wide expanse of promenade deck, where -could plainly be distinguished the passengers walking to and fro. In -the center, on a raised dais, a band, resplendent in blue and gold, -were strumming some popular air. Amidships a great bridge, where the -officer of the watch and the quartermaster were directing her course. -Astern was another wide expanse of deck, but this apparently was -reserved for the crew. Now a large group of men were busily engaged -round a small, bullet-shaped aeroplane. With a whirr, she started off -across the wide deck, and a second later was gracefully clearing the -great ship’s side, and missing a green and white balloon buoy literally -by inches, sank rapidly in a southerly direction; and then our wireless -telephone rang. It was the big ship speaking us, “Had we seen anything -of the home-bound mail?” “No, we had not.” “Could we say what the -Siberian weather conditions had been the day previous?” “Well, nothing -extraordinary, slight haze over North China.” “Strange, the Menelaus -left Canton yesterday, should have reported Bombay this morning, Moscow -reports her two hours overdue.” “No, we have seen nothing of the -missing liner;” and, leaving the great pleasure ship miles in the rear, -we skim across the Carpathians, speaking two Serbian cruisers on patrol -duty along the Northern Frontier. From thence we run into a storm, -have to climb to 5000, and by the time the mist and darkness clears -away, the North Sea has loomed into view. Now we are more in the beaten -track, swarms of small pleasure craft go cruising by; the Paris-London -way is chock-a-block with traffic: cumbersome great four and eight -engined merchant vessels, slim graceful pleasure craft, Government -vessels, two giant American liners, and an Australian non-stop -mail-boat, some naval craft and small police patrol craft, endeavoring -to order the converging lines, and two military transports bringing -home leave men from Abyssinia. The Far East fleet, flying majestically -and impressively along with the flagship _Twentieth Century_ leading -the line, the hind portion tapering off gracefully and far into the -rear to the smaller aeroplane--torpedo craft. The air is full of the -crackling of the wireless, every master endeavoring at the same time -to engage a berth in either the London or Norwich aerodromes. Soon the -fleet makes a sharp turn to the left, the less important and smaller -craft scurrying hurriedly away to give her passage. The Home Fleet -looms into view, silent and majestic; in the dim distance the two units -sight each other, and after paying the usual compliments, pass on their -respective ways. Nearer the English coast the air swarms with pleasure -vessels, elegant and tiny airships float lazily in the air, their -occupants lolling idly in the sun. Over Dover can be seen the ugly form -of the new floating dock, said to be large enough to accommodate even -an air dreadnought. - -Strung across the North Sea; about 2000 feet up, and well below the -level of the trade routes, are the small gray ships of the Aerial -Sporting League. We speak one of them. There is to be an international -race this morning between London and Petrograd. Amused, we watch the -long gray line at the starting-post, among the green fields of Kent, -presently they are beneath us in a long extended line, two machines -of our own red, white and blue, well to the fore. We give our number -and business to the Patrol airship at the Nore, and come down slowly -to pick up our landing stage, somewhere east of Greenwich, when -suddenly the waters of the Thames below are cleft in twain, as if by an -earthquake, and from the disturbance there rises a squat, peculiarly -shaped craft, that commences to glide along the smooth surface of -the water towards Purfleet, where she climbs gently out onto the far -bank, into a wide gray slipway, some quarter of a mile in width. Still -crawling along on her belly, she reaches the Government repair works -where, taking fresh supplies aboard, she suddenly sprouts two wings -and commences climbing up into the air. Again there is an unpleasant -purring noise, and a yet more unpleasant concussion.... - -“Shrapnel,” my observer bawls into my ear, “better go higher,” and we -do. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -A MID-AIR BATTLE - - - _Somewhere in France, - Friday._ - -It was a sleepy old-world town hidden away in the sunny hills of -Northern France, with a broad highway leading from the town in -either direction and easily distinguishable from the air as being -a first-class or main road, by its extraordinary width and the -superabundance of traffic passing to and fro. We were still flying low -and could easily distinguish the long strings of motor cars, convoys -of ambulance wagons, supply and ammunition columns. In one place a -battalion of reinforcements, marching up towards the firing line with -their transport wagons in the rear. Further up and nearer to the firing -line were a string of motor ’buses, crowded outside with Tommies, their -bayonets gleaming silver as they caught the rays of the early sun. In -another place a small traction-engine was hauling a chain of limbers, -on which were the parts of a “grandmother” (naval 15-inch gun) being -hurried up to take part in that murderous duel along the lines. - -We are now getting nearer the dreaded area, and for the sake of comfort -and safety have to climb higher. The surface of the earth, however, -still remains distinct. The long gray winding lines of trenches -stretch away to the north and south as far as the eye can reach. In -some places as much as half a mile divides them, in others they are so -close together, that from above they appear to “kiss.” But our happy -soliloquizing is broken by the burst of a shrapnel shell in the near -vicinity. No more time for thought now. - - -A SOFT JOB - -Diving, climbing, banking, anywhere to get away from those awful -shells, and who can give description to the dreadful sensations one -undergoes the first time under shrapnel fire in mid-air? Heaven and -earth seem to be rent in twain by those murderous little balls of smoke -and flame and lead. - -One’s past life rises before one’s eyes, sometimes most unpleasantly. -Shells burst all round, above, below, to the left, to the right. At -one moment over the nose of the machine, the next beneath the tail. -Once hit, and the aeroplane and its occupants will plunge down to an -agonizing death on the ground, many thousands of feet below. - -“And this,” once remarked a cynic of one of the flying Services, “is -what the men in the trenches call a soft job.” - -By the time we have the opportunity of looking over the side again, -we are well into the enemy’s country. In appearance this is an -almost absolute replica of the area behind our own lines. There are -the reserve trenches; there the big-gun emplacement and the advance -hospitals, battalion, brigade and divisional headquarters, and far, -very far, in the background, the German G. H. Q. - - -AN ENEMY MACHINE - -We keep a wary eye open for movements of troops or supplies, but there -is nothing doing. The enemy, like ourselves, is browsing on this -beautiful September morning. Again we are troubled with the bursting -“Archies,” and again we climb higher, this time above the clouds, that -stretch all round and beneath us in a billowy snow-white sea. Slowly we -creep round a big white fellow towards the sun, when out from a distant -corner, like a spider from his web, there darts an enemy machine. Has -he seen us? For a moment he keeps on his way, then suddenly round -goes his nose, and he comes towards us “down-wind” at a great pace. -As he draws near we discover that he is double-engined and mounts two -machine-guns. He has the advantage both in the matter of guns and -speed, which counts for a great deal in an aerial combat. With a faster -turn of speed and the wind at his back, a good pilot should be able to -overcome an enemy machine, however large and however heavily armed. - -While still about five hundred yards away, he opens fire, but without -effect, his bullets fly wide on either side of us. We reserve our fire. -Now he is almost on top of us, and in the upper berth, thus having a -great advantage. He is over us; the great shadow of his machine comes -between the sun and ourselves. All the time his observer is firing -wildly, some of his shots have punctured the wings, but thank God, none -came near the body. The danger is over. It has been a narrow escape. - - -CARRY ON - -We climb as fast as possible, then turn to find him coming to meet -us, almost on end. Another machine-gun duel between the observers. We -have got him this time; he is hit, he drops suddenly. A few more shots -from our gun and it will be all over with him. But our gun has jammed, -hastily the observer tries to remedy it. It is too late. We have -missed our opportunity. Nothing else for it but to put a new tray of -ammunition in the gun and have another go at him. How difficult this -is in mid-air! In the safety of _terra firma_ it is the easiest thing -in the world to take the gun to pieces, or to change the ammunition -tray, but here, in the confined space of an aeroplane up in mid-air it -is an entirely different matter. We are only just ready when he turns -to meet us. Another duel--he has passed by. - -Again we both wheel to the combat. This time he is on top of us. We -give up hope, and prepare for the worst. On the top of us again; his -shooting is bad, but he has got the observer in the arm. Turn round to -escape--no combat possible with the man at the gun _hors de combat_; -but the observer, plucky fellow! does not know the meaning of defeat. -He signals to his pilot to carry on. We turn again. The enemy is -confident that he has winged us. Too confident! We wait till he is -almost level with us before we fire. Then zipp, zipp, zipp, he is -hit. He plunges downward. We get on top of him. Another round of lead -into his back. It is all over, he plunges headlong to earth; and with -a feeling of regret for our gallant foe, who fought so well, we turn -homewards to earth, peace, and safety. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -A BATTLE FROM ABOVE - - - _Somewhere in the North of France, - Thursday._ - -Dawn--not as we imagine it; but a dawn with God’s clear Heaven filled -with every winged messenger of death. The very earth is shaken with -agony, and the face of the sun is blotted out by heavy, choking clouds -of picric smoke that hangs and hovers over the earth like a pall. - -Far in the background rises a battle aeroplane. Nearer and nearer -to the line it creeps, and without any attention from the enemy’s -anti-aircraft guns. The German artillery is too much engaged in work of -a more serious nature--the work of hurling back the irresistible lines -of British infantry. - -The frail craft passes over the lines, and meeting with no opposition -sinks lower in long, sweeping circles, and finally appears to hover, -as nearly as an aeroplane can hover, some two miles to the east and -well over the enemy’s country. Then it is bombarded on all sides -with “Archibalds,” now above, now below, now immediately in front, -now immediately behind, but the machine continues to maneuver as if -entirely oblivious of shell fire. Other swiftly moving shapes have now -crept out from the direction of the British base, and all are hovering -over different portions of the long line of muddy trenches, while the -battle rages in all its fury. - -All the varied operations of the extensive battle-field are as an open -book to the watch in that frail craft ... the battle swaying backward -and forward from trench to trench, the hand-to-hand combat in the -open, the ding-dong artillery duel, and the hurried rush of supports -and reinforcements. Nothing can be hidden from this peering eye above, -that transmits the news by wireless to the great guns far in the rear, -and to the headquarters, where the commander traces every movement -of the battle on his map, like a chess-player planning his moves and -counter-moves on a chessboard. - -The enemy’s country is more heavily wooded and more broken than our -own. Dotted here and there are small straggling villages. To the -north, on either side of the road, are two small villages, now a mass -of ruins. Between them is the tall chimney of a sugar factory, from -which the black smoke no longer rises; and behind it, nearer the firing -line, the long, ragged arms of a windmill move furtively in the slight -breeze. To the south, and immediately in the rear of another small -village, there is a large and straggling cemetery. - -Woods, farms, a broken and distorted railway line, another factory, -and a narrow winding stream, and the picture is complete. No! Not -quite complete. Standing far removed from the main road is a large -and densely wooded forest. The observer watches anxiously the stretch -of British trenches immediately facing the wood. Then the barren, -shell-swept land between the opposing trenches springs into life. Men -and more men come swarming across the trenches and make for the German -lines. - -The observer watches anxiously the stretch of British trenches -immediately facing the wood. There is a strange, unaccountable feeling -in the air that, were it not for the never-ceasing roar of the -aeroplane engine, would be hushed and silent as the moment prior to -the start of a horse-race, when an element of overstrung expectancy -pervades the human brain. Down below there, the lilliputian figures -crouch like ants behind the mudbank, waiting for the dread signal -when the race shall commence, the race of human life and death. The -booming of the great guns in the rear has long since ceased, and the -nebulous region of No-man’s-land, were it not for the battle-scarred -earth, would resemble an ordinary peaceful countryside, so quiet and -deserted has it become. The minutes tick slowly on and on. Now it must -be getting very near the appointed hour. Will it never come? Restless -movements are evidenced in the opposing trenches, where an occasional -bayonet glitters in the sun, or strange figures wander to and fro. At -last! With a shout and roar, they are over the top. The earth trembles. -Then the barren shell-swept land between the opposing trenches springs -into life. Men and more men come swarming across and make for the -German lines. The scene now baffles all description, it is like a -fleeting glimpse of Dante’s Inferno, as if all the hate and murder -and courage and strength of human existence had met in one protracted -struggle of life and death between savagery and civilization. The two -opposing masses intermingle, so that now it is no longer possible to -distinguish each from each. - -At last there comes a lull in the battle, and the aeroplane pilot, -his hazardous expedition concluded and at a sign from the observer, -thankfully turns for home, leaving behind him a scorched and scarred -earth from which the smoke rises continuously in curling white-gray -clouds. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -A TRUE STORY OF THE WAR - -(BEING PART OF THE DIARY OF AN INHABITANT) - - - _Somewhere in Belgium, - Sunday._ - -Sunday again, but hardly to be imagined in these troublous times and -places, with adventure for one’s bedfellow, war for one’s profession, -and bloodshed and horrors for one’s constant reflection. Despite all -this there exists, and must always exist in every war that peculiar -intermingling, that strange blend of horror and sentiment, hate and -romance, that mixture of dross and gold. The feelings and actions -that bring out all that is the most savage, the most primitive in -man’s nature, at the same time endowing him with the tenderness and -unselfishness of a woman, the courage of a hero, and the fortitude and -forbearance of a saint. Romance! I have a most charming instance to -give to you my dear M----. - -We met him first in December, 1914, in the little old-world town of -S----. In fact I had the good fortune to be billeted upon him. The -better class, or rather all those inhabitants who could afford it, -had fled from the town at the first advance of the Hun hordes. But he -had elected to risk his neck, and stay to comfort, and if possible -to protect, the women and children. He was a queer old character was -Père Dreyfus; he had lived in the little town now thirty years, since -he came there first as a stripling curate. His curling brown hair had -turned to an austere gray, his cheeks were hollow and shrunken, and -his old back was bent almost double with shouldering other people’s -burdens. By the general population he was almost idolized, men, women -and even small children brought their troubles to Père Dreyfus, and -they never went away without receiving the closest attention, and the -warmest sympathy. As they loved and idolized him, so he reciprocated -their feelings, and never tired of talking of them, in the long dark -evenings, when we had the pleasure of sharing his company over a glass -of old port, with Monsieur le Maire. He would relate vividly and with -force, how in the great advance, the Uhlan patrols had ridden into the -town, camped there for thirty-six hours, then returned the way they -had come without, strange to say, molesting any of the population. But -there was one thing that Père Dreyfus did not believe in, and that was -the air. - -“Bah,” he was wont to say, with a contemptuous snap of his bony -fingers; “mere playthings, toys, those air-machines, toys that will be -shot down before they have been in the air for half-an-hour on end.” He -had incidentally never seen an aeroplane in flight, and little did he -guess how those mere playthings were to affect his own life. - -The cold, dreary winter had blossomed forth into glorious spring-tide, -when again I came to S----. The old town had not changed much; if -anything it was sleepier and drearier than ever. My first visit was -to the little corner house by the great stone church; but the little -corner house was no more, in its place was a pile of shattered masonry. -With vague misgivings I sought M. le Maire, and found him in his -stuffy, dingy little office in the Hôtel de Ville. He was poring over -some musty documents as I entered, but immediately left them to shake -me effusively by the hand. “But where is Père Dreyfus?” I demanded of -him. Where? He gave that impressive shrug of the shoulders peculiar to -the Latin, and rolled his eyes meaningly towards the heavens. - -“Dead?” I exclaimed. “How did he die?” - -“Ze airplanes,” he replied; “how you call them? Ze flying machines come -one night, and drop a bomb. When I go search in ze morning, ze worthy -Father is no more.” - -Thus briefly, in as many words he recounted another tragedy of this -awful war. Fortune is, indeed, a fickle jade. It had been her will -that.... But there, the story is best told in the worthy Father’s own -words. I quote extracts from a little diary that it was his habit to -keep, and which was all that now remained to enable us to glean a true -glimpse of the old Father’s personal feelings in the matter. - - _Monday._--The incessant thunder of heavy artillery the whole - night long. Thus it has been for the past fourteen months, - night after night without a break. I notice it no longer; it - has become part and parcel of my everyday existence. Up at ---- - yesterday those devils shot Meurice. For what reason I have - not yet heard. I wonder what has become of his wife and two - children? God help them if they are in their hands! Yesterday - as I walked from ---- I noticed high up in the sky three black - specks coming over in a north-easterly direction. Our soldiers - said they were German aeroplanes, but they passed away again - without attempting to drop any bombs. It is not these things - that we fear, but those fiendish 17-inch shells, which come - over sometimes in the middle of the night and tear away a - street of houses, killing, wounding, maiming. Unhappy Belgium. - - _Wednesday._--No change! M. le Maire asked me if I would billet - two British soldiers to-day. I found them pleasant fellows - enough; young lieutenants of an infantry regiment. Such youths, - one of them cannot be more than eighteen years of age: a - handsome boy, with the deep blue eyes and fair curling hair, - typical of his race. They appear to regard the war more in the - light of a big picnic. But they have not yet been up to the - firing lines, nor seen the terrors of battle. Again to-day two - enemy air machines came over. They hit Laroche’s wine store - and killed him and his wife and children. Nevertheless, I - cannot help thinking that they are but of minor importance when - compared with those diabolical shells. - - _Thursday._--The two soldiers left again this afternoon, - smiling and joking as they came. All the afternoon and far - into the night the infantry have been marching past, along - the road, thousands of them, regiment after regiment, with - their bands playing gayly at their head. The men all happy and - contented, marching as if they were going on parade, instead - of up to the firing line, many of them never to return. They - have brave hearts these English! Many wagons of ammunition have - been placed in the wood behind this house. They call it an - ammunition park. Why, I know not. - - _Friday._--All to-day it rained and thundered. Thundered as - if God in His Heaven were venting His wrath on the warring - world below. For one long day there has been no booming of - those awful guns. The road has become bare and deserted. In - the evening came men into my house from the ammunition wagons - in the wood. They told me that they had caught a spy. I am not - surprised; this district swarms with them. But what otherwise - can be expected if, previous to the war, the entire business - relations of the neighborhood were conducted with the Germans? - Every purchasable article from a motor-car to a needle was - supplied from Berlin. This man was discovered in a deserted - part of the wood, sending messages on a telegraph key. A - sapper of the engineers saw the wire laid across the ground, - and curious to know whither it led followed it along until - he discovered this man. He will trouble us no more. But the - unhappy result of it is, they say he signaled the position to - the enemy, who will undoubtedly bombard us when the weather - becomes fine again. - - _Saturday._--A fine clear morning. I hoped that the words of - the sapper would prove themselves to be incorrect, and so they - were to a certain degree. Anxiously I awaited the bombardment, - and it must be confessed with a great misgiving in my heart. - Ten o’clock! Eleven o’clock! Twelve o’clock! And still they did - not open fire. But just before one a German Taube flew over. - Unlike the air machine in the previous visits it did not fly - away immediately, but came gradually lower in long sweeping - circles, until with my glasses I was able to distinguish the - two black crosses on the wings. Then the pom-poms began to bark - and screech, and the heavens all round were marked with small - white clouds of smoke no bigger than a man’s hand in size, and - fascinating to watch. He was a cool fellow, the pilot of that - air machine: undismayed by the bursting shrapnel he continued - to circle round overhead, as if taking the exact bearings of - the ammunition camp. - - _Monday._--I was roused from my bed by a series of violent - explosions. It is that infernal bombardment come at last, I - thought to myself. But no! The air above was filled with a - loud hum as of a hundred motors. I looked above me to find the - face of the sky darkened with aircraft, all of them with the - black cross on either wing; from all sides they appeared to be - circling in. And every moment there would be the unpleasant - rush of the falling bomb. A shattering explosion. A burst - of flame! And the yell or cry of the dead and dying, the - heartbreaking neigh of a wounded horse, the crash of falling - timber. The series of smaller explosions as the ammunition and - cartridges went off. For ten awful moments this continued, bomb - followed bomb, explosion followed explosion, shrieks, cries, - groans. It was a living hell. My God, these aircraft are more - to be feared than those infernal guns. I--I---- - -Here the old Father’s narrative ends, and across the page were two dull -brown splashes, that tell their story but too plainly. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -HEROISM IN THE AIR - - -Somebody censored was engaged in a long reconnaissance trip into the -enemy’s country, and had already turned home when a shrapnel shell -burst immediately beneath his aeroplane, smashed part of the body of -the machine, and shattered the pilot’s leg. Rendered unconscious, he -lost control, the aeroplane began to nose-dive to the earth, and fell -5000 feet. From this point the observer takes up the story:-- - - “I have given up all hope, the earth seemed rushing up to meet - us, and I prayed that our agony might not be prolonged. I - shut my eyes and waited for the final crash, when, wonder of - wonders, the machine began to right herself. Hardly daring to - believe my eyes, I looked to the pilot’s seat. The headlong - rush through the cool air must have brought him round, and he - was making strenuous efforts to regain control. - - “Luckily the enemy had given us up for lost, had ceased to - shoot, and we immediately began to climb again. Then the - Germans opened fire, and we only escaped with our lives through - the superb pilotage of L----, with one leg shattered and blood - flowing in streams. At 8000 feet he again seemed to be sinking. - I hastily scrawled a note urging him to descend. He read it, - shook his head decidedly, pointed to me with a smile on his - white drawn face, then pointed in the direction of our lines, - and carried on. - - “At times he would faint, and then, recovering himself, - redouble his efforts. At last we were over the lines, but it - seemed utterly impossible that he should be able to land the - machine in his condition. But he did. Choosing a large green - meadow about three miles behind the trenches, he landed as - gently and as easily as if he had only been up for a practice - flight, brought the machine to a stop, and fainted dead away.” - -This gallant pilot, as he lay mortally wounded in the field hospital, -and knowing that he was dying, thought only of the terrible time his -observer must have had. Thus he wrote to his mother in England:-- - - “MUMMY DEAR, - - “Don’t be alarmed at my little escapade; will be all right - again soon and be with you.... Poor P----, what an awful time - he must have had after I fainted and we were nose-diving - headlong for the ground! - - “P. S.--Please don’t go talking about this business to all the - old dowagers of your acquaintance.” - -Officer R---- M---- was on a bomb-dropping and reconnaissance -expedition in the neighborhood of Y---- in the late summer of 1915. -When twenty miles from our lines he was hit by shrapnel and mortally -wounded in the thigh, but making up his mind not to be taken prisoner, -he kept bravely on, crossed the lines, and disdaining to take advantage -of the cover thus afforded and land in the first available spot, kept -resolutely on to the aerodrome from which he had set out, though losing -blood rapidly and knowing he had not long to live. There he made a -beautiful landing, handed in his report, and fell unconscious, never to -come round again. - - * * * * * - -Early in the present year an air raid was organized to bomb a town not -far from Constantinople. The raid was duly carried out, but on the -journey home one of our aeroplanes was hit by a shell and forced to -come to earth in marsh lands beside a small river. Immediately a party -of Turkish infantry rushed up to take charge of the craft, but before -they could reach it another of our machines swooped down on the scene -and landed close by. The pilot jumped out, ran across a field swept by -Turkish rifle fire, picked up the wounded pilot, and placing him on his -back, staggered across to his own machine. Still subjected to a violent -fusillade, he unthrottled his engine, and with the wounded man carried -before him, bravely flew off and made his own base again. - - - - -PART III - -OTHER CRAFT AND THE FUTURE - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -THE EVOLUTION OF THE AIRSHIP - - -The airship is the aristocrat of the air. In jealousy and scorn the -aeroplane may refer to her as “gasbag,” “sausage”; may poke fun at -her by reason of her unwieldy size, and laugh at her lack of speed; -she still looks down on that craft with as much haughty disdain as a -duchess of royal blood would bestow on a _nouveau riche_. Has she not a -pedigree as long as may be forgotten? - -She may trace her genealogy back to the Greek mythology and may -number among her progenitors such men as Leonardo da Vinci, Cyrano de -Bergerac, Francisco de Lana, Joseph Montgolfier, Blanchard, Santos -Dumont and Count Zeppelin. The aeroplane is but an invention of the -Twentieth Century! - -Italy was the birthplace of the lighter-than-air craft; throughout -the interesting history of the airship the names of famous Italian -scientists predominate, and particularly those of the monastic order. -Perhaps it was that convent life was inducive to study; untrammeled -by the cares of the outside world, men turned their attention to the -sciences and developed their imaginations. Be that as it may, we find -that to-day the Italian airships are the finest in the world. - -But although Italy may have done more than the other nations, history -tells us that it was two Frenchmen, Stephen and Joseph Montgolfier, who -were the first to bring the lighter-than-air craft prominently before -the world. - -The story goes that while rowing, Stephen’s silk coat fell overboard -into the water. It was placed over a hot oven to dry, and watching it, -Joseph noticed that the hot air tended to make it rise. The upshot of -the affair was the Montgolfier balloon. - -Throughout history the lighter-than-air craft has figured prominently -in warfare. In the Franco-Prussian War, during the siege of Paris -alone, as many as 66 balloons left the stricken city, carrying 60 -pilots, 102 passengers, 409 carrier pigeons, 9 tons of letters and -telegrams, and 6 dogs. - -Gaston Tissandier went over the German lines and dropped 10,000 copies -of a proclamation addressed to the soldiers, asking for peace, yet -declaring that France would fight to the bitter end. - -In the American Civil War an aeronaut named La Fontaine went up in a -balloon over an enemy camp, made his observation, rose higher into the -air, and succeeded in getting into a cross-current, which carried him -back to his place of departure. - -The first cross-channel flight was made by balloon in 1785, by -Blanchard, who had with him an American doctor named Jefferies, -together with a large supply of provisions, ballast and oars. This -weighed the balloon down to such an extent that she almost sank into -the sea a few moments after starting. Ballast was thrown overboard, and -she rose, only to sink again. More ballast was dropped. Then they rose -into the air and eventually landed in safety on the hills behind Calais. - - * * * * * - -Having thus shortly outlined the development of the one, we will -endeavor to discover the fundamental difference between aeroplane and -airship. It is simply the matter of “lift” obtained in the case of the -latter from the property of being lighter than air, whereas the other -craft being heavier than air must obtain its “lift” by mechanical -propulsion. - -The airship is merely an improvement on the old-fashioned balloon: a -balloon to which mechanical propulsion has been applied. Different in -shape, indeed, and fitted out with many modern improvements, its flight -is still governed by the same laws of “aerostatics.” - -For practical purposes we will divide the airship into two portions: -the envelope or balloon, and the car. Atmospheric conditions influence -the envelope to no small degree. The effect of heat upon gas--with -which the envelope is filled--is to make it expand, and consequently -cause the craft to rise. Cold, on the other hand, causes the gas to -contract, and the craft to descend. Air pressure is another factor -which must be taken into account, and this is greatest at sea-level. -The greater the altitude, the less the pressure becomes, and the less -pressure on the outside surface of the envelope the easier it is for -the gas to expand; but this is compensated for by the fact that the -atmosphere is considerably cooler at a high altitude. - -There are three types of airship: the “non-rigid,” in which the two -portions, the car and the envelope, are entirely separate portions, -being held together by means of rigging; “semi-rigged,” in which the -car is partly attached to the envelope, a type greatly favored by -French and Italians; and the “rigid” airship, of which both car and -envelope are in the same framework. The Zeppelin is of the latter class. - -Like other great airships the Zeppelin does not rely on one single -balloon for “lift.” Instead, the envelope forms merely the outer -covering for eighteen balloonettes, which can be regulated in the -matter of expansion and contraction from the control-car of one of the -three gondolas below. - -We have by no means yet seen these wonderful craft at their deadliest; -the German pilots are extremely brave men, yet lack that initiative and -dash peculiar to the British Air Service. Were the position reversed, -one dreads to think what might happen to this country. - -The future is all with the airship, in the rôle of commerce-bearing -aircraft. The aeroplane and all heavier-than-air craft are of little -value save as units of war, and even then their uses are infinitesimal -when compared with those of the Zeppelin. And the secret of the success -of the Zeppelin is that she has the “lift,” double and treble the -lift of the aeroplane, and is developing beyond belief, whereas, in -proportion, the aeroplane develops little year by year. - -Taking everything into consideration we must have Zeppelins! It is -imperative for the future safety of our nation. The longer we submit -thus meekly to these aerial invasions, the longer will the war go on. -The German people in the past have been intoxicated with Zeppelins. -Weak, hungry and dispirited, their flagging spirits have again and -again been whipped up into martial ardor by the fantastic and bragging -reports issued by the General Staff in Berlin. One Zeppelin raid was of -more value to the moral of the German nation than two great victories -on the land. The giant craft to them is more than a mere engine of -warfare and destruction, it is a fetish, almost a religion; thus after -every raid the bells are rung. The streets are beflagged and decorated, -and the inhabitants become mad with joy. And we must not consider -the moral effects alone. From a military point of view, at the time -of writing the enemy air-raids necessitate the authorities retaining -numbers of valuable aircraft and many trained and expert pilots, not -to mention anti-aircraft guns and their crews, which would all be of -great value on the other side. Further, Germany defeated on land, and -deprived of her fleet at sea, but still in possession of her Zeppelins, -is a military power, and a very strong military power of the future. -We, in Great Britain, have lost for ever the natural advantage we once -possessed of being an island. Thanks to the vigilance and strength -of our Navy, we have held the narrow seas with a firm hold, that so -far no other nation has been able to overcome. Now we are always open -to invasion from the air; and the sea, which formerly afforded us -protection, is a serious disadvantage, in that invading aircraft can -creep over those broad lonely spaces, and come down upon us before we -are even aware of their proximity. - -How can airships’ raids be encountered? There are three methods. -The first is, by anti-aircraft artillery; secondly, by airship; and -lastly, by aeroplane. The first method--that of gun-fire--is extremely -unreliable. This is not the fault of the men so much, nor of the guns -with which they fire, but rather of the conditions under which they -work. Practice with anti-aircraft guns is rare and insufficient; and -the best part of the firing takes place at night at a rapidly moving -object, many thousands of feet up in the air. Aeroplanes are greatly -handicapped by want of “lift”--a quality which goes far to render -aircraft either useful or useless. To obtain “lift” the latter craft -relies solely on the high power of its engine, whereas, with the -Zeppelin, “lift” is obtained by two means: one by the envelope, which -contains gas several times lighter than air; and the other, as with the -aeroplane, by engine power. Thus we have double the lifting power with -a dirigible than with an aeroplane, and hence double, and in actual -fact treble, the war lift; and treble the amount of bombs, ammunition, -and machine-guns can be carried. - -The effect the enemy hopes to gain by his constant Zeppelin raids, is -partly moral, partly military. To achieve the latter it is necessary -that the enemy airman destroy some position or place of military -importance, as a powder-factory, an arsenal, a large camp, an important -railway junction, a munitions factory, a naval dockyard, an ordnance -factory, or a similar area. But in very few instances have the raiding -Zeppelins touched either of these places. Thus they have achieved -but little military result. The moral result attempted has been to -frighten and harass the inhabitants of this country until--Germany had -a mental vision--they would be groveling on their knees in the dust, -begging the Government to sue for peace. We have already dealt with -the moral effect these raids have on their own people. By aid of lying -and bombastic reports the enemy do not fail to impress--and greatly -impress--neutral countries. Some readers will perhaps remember it was -after a big Zeppelin raid on this country that Bulgaria joined the -Central Powers. The Germans know only too well that we do not possess -large airships of our own. Suppose we did; what would be the panic and -consternation caused in Berlin by the appearance over that city of a -squadron of British bomb-dropping Zeppelins, and how far would it go to -shorten the war? - -During the last few months we have seen the Zeppelin in a more useful -and more dangerous aspect, namely in the capacity of Naval Scout. Let -us consider what are the main duties of a light-cruiser fleet at sea; -they are of a very similar nature to those of the cavalry, namely to -form a protective screen to the main body, and to advance as nearly as -possible to the enemy to discover the exact disposition of his forces. -In one word, their main duty is scouting. In this respect the enemy -went one better than ourselves. He built Zeppelins, and succeeded in -accomplishing with a single Zeppelin that which in former days had -required a fleet of light cruisers. Without necessarily running any -risk, the giant airship at a height of 10,000 feet has a view extending -on a clear day to as much as thirty miles, and some three-hundred -square miles of sea surface. What cruiser look-out can claim a -perspective equal to that? At thirty miles, or twenty-five or even -twenty, the Zeppelin pilot is well out of range of the enemy shells, -and with his wireless instrument, which has another range of thirty -miles, can signal to the admiral of the fleet when the enemy is yet -sixty miles off. This view explains the fact why the two fleets have so -seldom been at grips in the two years of war. The enemy, by means of -his aerial scouts, must oft and again have been warned of the proximity -of the British Fleet. The official account of the Jutland battle stated -that the weather was dull and misty; hence the Zeppelins would have -been unable successfully to perform their usual duties. - -The extreme radius of Zeppelin activity is usually considered to be 600 -miles out, 600 miles home, and judged from the three principal Zeppelin -centers--Heligoland, Brussels and Friedrichshaven--embraces, with the -possible exception of a small and unimportant portion of the west -coast of Ireland and north coast of Scotland, every city, military -camp, munition factory, dockyard and industrial center in Great -Britain. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -LAWS OF THE AIR - - -At a recent coroner’s inquest on the death of a young Service pilot -in England, an instructor of the flying school at which he was being -trained, stated in the course of his evidence that if the pilots--there -had been a horrifying collision in mid-air--had only been familiar with -aerial rules and regulations, the accident would never have occurred. - -In this particular instance one machine had been coming down, while -another was just leaving the ground. Both of the pilots were aware of -the danger they were in, but neither knew the right course to pursue. -Result--collision and death. Had both of them carried out the Royal -Aero Club’s regulation: that an aeroplane passing another aeroplane -in mid-air must leave at least ten meters’ space between the extreme -wing-tips and always pass to the right of the approaching craft, both -of them would have been alive to-day. - -So very few of the public outside the flying world are aware that, as -navigation of the sea is ordered by the Navigation Act, so is the -navigation of the air by the Aerial Navigation Acts of 1911 and 1913, -and by the rules and regulations of the Royal Aero Club, which latter -organization previous to the war controlled all matters aeronautical -and still controls the granting of pilot’s certificates. - -Even in the ballooning days a charter was drawn up at a conference at -Brussels, which ordained that every private balloon--that is to say, -one not in the hands of the naval or military authorities--must be -registered and have a name and number, which should be printed in large -letters on the body of the balloon. The place of residence of the owner -must also be stated, and the number and the place of origin be printed -in red. Every ascent by a private person must be under the control -of a state official. Government balloons, on the other hand, are not -expected to carry papers, but private balloons must have a copy of the -official particulars and a list of the passengers. A balloon must be -identified in the same way as a ship, and must carry a flag, fastened -to the net half-way down the balloon, and this must be recognizable -both by its shape and coloring, and be properly mounted in position. A -journal must be kept and the man in charge must produce his certificate -on demand. - -These latter rules also apply to airships, but not to aeroplanes. -These types of aircraft are too numerous to be able to identify -singly, but there are many other rules to which they must submit. For -instance--flying over London and similar crowded areas is prohibited; -or, in the words of the R. A. C.: “Flying to the danger of the public -is prohibited, particularly unnecessary flights over towns, or thickly -populated areas, or over places where crouds are temporarily assembled, -or over public enclosures at aerodromes at such a height as to involve -danger to the public. Flying is also prohibited over River Regattas, -Race meetings, meetings for public games and sports, except flights -specifically arranged for in writing with the promoters of such -Regattas, Meetings, etc.” - -If he disregard any of these regulations, the airman is liable to a -fine not exceeding £20 and suspension of his flying certificate. - -The first Aerial Navigation Act of 1911 was not in reality a Navigation -Act at all, but although that was its title, it was described as “An -Act to provide for the protection of the public against dangers arising -from the Navigation of Aircraft.” The penalties attached thereto were -exceedingly heavy and provided that any airman disregarding the Act -would be liable after conviction on indictment or on summary conviction -to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to a fine not -exceeding £200, or to both such imprisonment and fine. - -The Act included various prohibited flying areas, mostly in the -neighborhood of arsenals, munition factories, and naval dockyards, or -similar military areas. - -Certain conditions were imposed on aircraft landing in this country -from abroad, as that the person in charge of the aircraft, before -commencing a voyage to the United Kingdom, must apply for a clearance -to a duly authorized British Consular Officer. He must make a written -application, which states clearly the name and registered number of the -craft; the type, the name, nationality, and the place of residence of -the owner or person in charge, and of every member of the crew; and the -name, profession, nationality and place of residence of every passenger -(if any), the nature of the cargo (if any), the approximate time of -departure, place of departure, the intended landing-place in the United -Kingdom, the proposed destination, and the object of the voyage. - -Having settled the matters of procedure, it was further added that -“no person in any aircraft entering the United Kingdom should carry, -or allow to be carried, in the aircraft, any goods, the importation -of which is prohibited by the laws relating to customs; any goods -chargeable upon importation into the United Kingdom with any duty or -customs, except such small quantities as have been placed on board -at the place of departure, as being necessary for the use during the -voyage of the persons conveyed therein, any photographic apparatus, -carrier or homing pigeons, explosives or firearms, or any mails.” - -On the return journey the aircraft is not permitted to leave unless -there be at least one British representative, approved by the -authorized officer, on board. No photographic or wireless apparatus, -etc., shall be carried, and no mails. - -Foreign, naval, or military aircraft must not pass over, nor land -within any port of the United Kingdom, nor the territorial waters -thereof, except on the express invitation, or with the express -permission, previously obtained, of His Majesty’s Government. - -None of the foregoing orders applies to naval or military aircraft, -belonging to, or employed in the service of His Majesty. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -AERIAL COMBAT - - -With every combat in mid-air some new theory is set up, some new -conclusion arrived at, and as yet nothing can be definite. We may -say for practical purposes that the strategical work is confined -to seaplane and airship-scouting with the fleets at sea, and -long-distance aeroplane raids into the enemy’s country; tactical work -to reconnaissance trips over the neighborhood of the lines and the -direction of artillery fire. The battle formation of the aeroplane -squadron is now, and will in the future be similar to that of a fleet -at sea. Even now the two methods of battle are closely akin. - -There are three distinct phases of aerial combat to be -considered--aeroplane _versus_ aeroplane, airship against airship, and -aeroplane against airship. It is a difficult matter to decide which is -the more useful as a fighting unit, but thus far one is inclined to say -the light, high-powered aeroplane. Zeppelins and airships are for the -most part clumsy and unwieldly. Seaplanes, again, are usually heavy -and slow to answer to their controls. - -The important factors are the lifting power of the machine and weather -conditions. The property of “lift” is determined on the one hand by -mechanical devices, and on the other by the balloon portion of the -craft which is lighter than the air. Lift spells speed, endurance, and -climbing powers, and therefore the machine with the greater lift is the -better equipped for fighting purposes. - - -WIND AND CLOUD - -Next in order of importance is wind. The engine may be giving a speed -of sixty miles per hour, and the craft be flying in the teeth of a 20 -m.p.h. wind, thus its actual speed would be forty, not sixty, miles an -hour. Again, two enemy machines, A and B, are approaching one another -to give battle. Both have a speed of 60 m.p.h., but A is flying “down” -with a fifteen-mile wind at the back of him. Their relative speeds -would be: A seventy-five, B forty-five, or an advantage of thirty miles -an hour for A; but on the turn--the majority of aerial combats are -fought out on the principal of circling and wheeling--the advantage -would be transferred to B. Good pilotage is of extreme importance; the -pilot who is able to get the most out of his machine and knows it best -will almost invariably gain the day. - -Clouds are often made great use of by pilots. Almost every day we -read of a machine dashing out from behind a bank of cloud, and taking -another by surprise. On the other hand, clouds may prove disastrous -to both combatants, owing to the peculiar property they possess of -influencing the stability of the machine. - -Lift, however, is still the great factor, since the fight always -develops into a struggle for the upper berth, and is usually fought in -an upward direction. It is climb, climb, climb; then, with the wind -at his back, a last swoop down on the enemy--taking him in his most -vulnerable position--and the fight is over. Various expedients are made -use of to gain this end, such as getting between an opponent and the -sun, “diving” suddenly and “looping.” With either aeroplane or airship -it is the uppermost position that counts. - -The type of craft most useful for this work is the high-engined biplane -of the “tractor”--propeller to the fore--type, the machine-gun firing -through the blades of the propeller. The essentials of these machines -are speed and ability to climb quickly. The slower machines, with -greater powers of endurance, are more useful for bomb-raiding and -reconnaissance purposes. - - -“LIFT” THE FACTOR - -Airship combat has yet to materialize. Many opinions and theories, -often widely conflicting, have been put forward concerning the -possibilities and probabilities of such conflicts, but nothing -definite can be advanced until a battle between airships has taken -place. The opinion of the majority of the experts is that an airship -would be little better than useless to meet an airship, and for our -own particular requirements--that is, the repelling of Zeppelin -raids--aeroplanes are of more use; which brings us to the combat -between aeroplane and airship. - -Considering first their main qualities: the airship has great “lifting” -powers, is more heavily armed, can climb at a faster rate, and has -greater powers of endurance; whereas the aeroplane has greater speed, -is more easily maneuvered, and is less unwieldy. - -The tendency of the Zeppelin commanders is to increase rather than -decrease altitude with every raid, which renders attack by aeroplane -more difficult; but, on the other hand, aeroplanes are being built -which can develop so remarkable a speed that they will soon be able to -climb above Zeppelin altitude. When that occurs the Zeppelin menace -will end for ever. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -THE AIR--THE WAR--AND THE FUTURE - - -Had either Orville or Wilbur Wright, when they first glided down the -low sand-dunes of the Pacific shore on a frail, uncontrollable air -machine, in the earlier part of this century, or Count Zeppelin, as -he worked unceasingly on his giant airship, been blessed with the -imagination and the gifts of a seer--what remarkable vision would have -been theirs! - -To see that frail glider increase and grow into a motor-propelled, -double-winged aeroplane, darting through the air with the speed of a -cyclone: that unwieldy airship, capable at the most of remaining for -half-an-hour in the air at a time, develop into a craft, to which the -crossing and re-crossing of the wide expanse of the North Sea was an -everyday occurrence: to see the aeroplane climb up to 18,000 feet in -the sky, to attain a speed of over 100 miles per hour, and remain in -the air for hours on end.... - -The Zeppelin originally intended to be a peaceful carrier of the -commerce of the world, converted into a ship of war, with machine-guns -mounted fore and aft; and with a cargo on board deadly enough to wreck -the half of a city.... - -The far-flung battle-line of Flanders, over which there creep, like -great gray wasps, French, Belgian, German and British aeroplanes alike; -the elongated shapes of raiding Zeppelins, darting hither and thither -over a darkened London, among piercing searchlight rays and bursting -shrapnel! Yet a few years, and the shapes and structures may undergo -even more marvelous change; for every talent and accomplishment, -every art and science of modern civilization will be devoted to the -development of this new science of aeronautics. - - -THE WAR AND AVIATION - -One may say, without much fear of contradiction, that the war has done -more towards the development of aviation, and has rendered more things -possible to be done in two years than would have been accomplished in -ten years under pre-wartime conditions. - -It has necessitated the production of many thousands of craft of -varying degrees of size and shape, and the number of factories engaged -upon the production of aeroplanes, airships, and spare parts for the -respective craft has trebled. For one trained and experienced aviator, -in 1914, there are to-day at least ten, if anything more capable, and -certainly better experienced. - -As a test of the durability and the capabilities of aircraft, flying -under war conditions cannot be equaled, for various reasons. Firstly, -maneuvers, which in times of peace would be considered risky to life -and thus avoided, must be endured daily by pilots flying over the -battle area. Flying under shell-fire frequently necessitates maneuvers, -entirely unaccounted for by the constructors of the machine, which put -a very great strain on the framework, wings, struts, etc. To compensate -for such strain, every wire, strut, and part of the framework is -constructed of a strength at least eight times greater than that of -the actual strength required. Thus the weak points of the machine are -discovered, also the centers at which the greatest strain takes place. - - -FUTURE TYPES OF CRAFT - -The shape and general build of the aeroplane has not thus far changed -materially from the original models of Orville and Wilbur Wright, save -that the majority of the modern machines are tractors (_i. e._ with -the engine in front), whereas the older types were “pushers” (with -engine at the rear). The new principle has naturally both advantage and -disadvantage. With the tractor engine, the machine has a great speed, -and is able to climb at a much faster rate, but the inherent stability -of the craft is seriously affected--by shifting the engine 80 per -cent. of the total weight is moved from the center to the nose of the -aeroplane. To compensate for this the wings have had to be extended, -and this has added considerably to the weight in aggregate. But this -evil has again been remedied, by bringing the extreme ends further to -the rear, and slightly indenting each wing-tip: in a word, constructing -the aeroplane more and more after the fashion of a bird in flight. Such -is the peculiar working of the human mind, however, that when some new -theory or substance is evolved, similar to the one in question, it -is content to concentrate on the original formula, and develops that -rather than apply the same principles to an entirely new formula. Thus, -after some twelve years of flying, we have only four distinct types of -craft: the balloon, the airship, the aeroplane, and the seaplane--the -two former being very similar both in principle and shape, as also -the two latter. Exception cannot be made for the “triplane,” for that -machine, with three planes, has the same shape as the aeroplane. - -The principles of aero-statics, and aero-dynamics by no means confine -the constructor to these two standard forms; and in the near future -the aeroplane will be built on similar lines to the ocean-going liner, -and the airship very much on the same principle. - -Development in size and speed depend on future experimenting, and -flights have already been made both in France and Russia by giant -aeroplanes, in which, in one case nine, and in the other fifteen -passengers, exclusive of the pilot were carried at one time; while the -later Zeppelins are capable of lifting to a height of over 12,000 feet, -a crew of thirty odd, with a further weight of bombs and war material -aboard, and flying distances of over 800 miles. Again, there are the -orthropic and the ornithropic types of craft, which their inventors -claim to be capable of rising vertically from the ground to a height -of 10,000 feet. Combining these principles we ought within the space -of ten years to be in possession of aircraft capable of flying at -over 150 miles an hour, with a cargo of many hundred tons aboard, and -with a radius of over 3,000 miles, able to start and land with ease -in a confined space about the size of Leicester Square. The aerial -landing grounds will be the flat roofs of gigantic buildings specially -constructed in the center of London. Automatic lifts will convey the -passengers from the air level to the street level, where they will be -deposited in electric trains, running in all directions. Impracticable, -say the critics, but so they said when Count Zeppelin and the Wrights -first started their experiments. - - -PROPERTIES OF WAR AND PEACE MACHINES - -There is not, and there never was, on this earth a new idea so well -deserving of examination as the science of Aeronautics. The history of -that science deals with the most momentous invention in the history of -civilization. No other science allures the imagination so far forward -into the dim future, when the business of the world will be carried up -from the level of the sea and the land to that of mid-air, and when -travel will be so rapid and safe that space will almost cease to be an -obstacle to man’s communications. - -The proudest inventions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth -centuries are but of yesterday when compared with those of the -aeroplane and airship. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance that -we should consider how the development of aeronautics will affect -the future of the human race. Under the present war-time conditions, -there exists a grave danger that the aeroplane and the airship will -be developed too much for war purposes to the detriment of future -commercial uses. The qualities mainly required by the war machine, -speed, ability to climb quickly, and compactness, differ entirely from -those required by the peace time or commerce-bearing aircraft, which -have ability to remain in the air for a great space of time, and to -fly greater distances. The extra speed required by the war machine may -easily be dispensed with in the commerce-bearing machines, as also may -altitude, for whereas the war machine must fly at a height of over -12,000 feet, a height of between 2000 and 3000 will suffice under -ordinary conditions, and it will be at this altitude that the best part -of the flying will take place after the war. - - -FUTURE NAVIES AND ARMIES OF THE WORLD - -How will aviation affect warfare in the future? Will it abolish -entirely this undesirable condition of affairs, or will it serve to -provide added inducements? It is, indeed, a debatable point. If we -incline to the latter view, every known argument and theory points -to the fact that warfare of the future will be to all intents and -purposes instantaneous. There will be no preparatory delay caused -by the necessity of placing large armies in the field, of gradually -marching forward to establish contact with the enemy, and of carrying -out skirmishes which may be prolonged to weeks and months before the -actual battle takes place. The belligerent fleets will set off in the -dawn or in the darkness, as the case may be, and before twelve hours -have elapsed, after entering into the conflict, a definite decision -will have been reached. For the airman, there is no falling back to a -second line of trenches, to a natural position heavily defended, or to -a concrete fortress or emplacement, or to fight a rearguard action. The -fight in the air must be to the death, without quarter asked or given, -for no prisoners can be taken. The loss of men and material will be -tremendous. - -It is doubtful whether aviation will entirely do away with fighting on -land and sea, but it is very obvious that either fleet or army of one -belligerent nation, at the mercy of the air fleet of another nation, -will be in a very helpless position. Should the warfare in the air -be indecisive, were such a condition within the realm of reasonable -argument, it might be possible for the fleet or army to be brought into -action with advantage, but even this is doubtful. As regards our own -nation, before 1926, the Royal Naval Air Service will be the largest -and most important service in Great Britain. Possibly there will be a -single Air Service, and before ten years will have elapsed it will be -the most important of all the British services, and will be composed -both of aeroplanes and airships. The only other form of aircraft, the -seaplane, being too slow, too clumsy, and too costly, will long ago -have been abandoned. - - -PEACE AND WAR USES OF AIRCRAFT - -Before we enter upon the discussion which is the subject of this -paragraph we wish to guard ourselves against one misconception. It is -possible that readers of this chapter may already have come to the -conclusion that it is possible to develop aircraft for one purpose, -and one purpose only: that is, either for war or for commerce; and -impossible to develop them for both. This would be an entirely -erroneous idea. It is true that we have already laid stress upon -the fact that there is a very imminent danger that aircraft may be -developed too greatly for war purposes to the detriment of others, but -provided that the necessary precautions are taken, there is yet ample -time for the commerce-carrying machine to be developed at the same -time and in the same manner as the war machine. Within a very short -time we may find that the Super-Zeppelin of the air will have entirely -replaced not only the Dreadnought of the sea, but also the giant -passenger liners. Both the war and the peace craft will be considerably -larger in size than the 1916 type; the balloon portion of the Zeppelin -will have trebled itself in size; it will be, if anything, of greater -length and of slimmer formation, while the covering will be composed -of some light but durable metal, such as aluminium, to prevent the -possibility of explosion of gas caused by the firing of the guns. The -narrow gondola beneath will be wider, and will mount several guns of -4.7-inch or larger caliber: for although the Zeppelin of the future -will be a much more stable and airworthy craft, by reason of its -lateral stability it will never be possible to fire a gun of any size -from either bow or stern of an airship or a Zeppelin, without bringing -the whole craft canting over, and possibly breaking its back. Thus, -all Super-Zeppelins of the future will be heavily armed amidships, -that is to say, where the proportion of strain on the craft is least -felt. The passenger-carrying variety will differ very slightly from the -war machine, save that the gondola will be deeper, more graceful, and -more on the lines of the hull of the present-day ocean-going ship or -steamer. The Parseval and similar types of large airship will replace -the cruiser and the battle-cruiser; also the large cargo-bearing -steamers of to-day. - -With regard to the aeroplane, we are already in possession of -super-craft, some of double engine variety, the Sykorsky, the giant -Russian machine, and the triplane, or three-planed aeroplane; but it is -extremely doubtful whether it is possible for the aeroplane, being a -heavier type of aircraft, to develop into a much larger size than it is -to-day; the reason for this being the abnormal engine-power that would -be required to lift such a craft from the ground, and the fact that the -extra weight thus occasioned would render the whole craft unairworthy. -However, the aeroplane will fulfill in the future the uses of the -light-cruiser and the torpedo-boat, while a sort of seaplane submarine -will fulfill the double purpose of both over and under water work. - -As a commercial vessel the aeroplane will only be of use for the -conveyance of passengers and light cargoes on short voyages from Great -Britain to Ireland, Great Britain to France, Holland, Norway, or Russia. - - -THE BALANCE OF POWER - -The new method of warfare will not influence to any material extent the -present condition of international politics. Of all the Great Powers, -however, Great Britain will be more nearly affected. For many centuries -past we have relied upon our natural geographical position, as an -island, to protect us from all invasion. And to retain this insular and -impregnable position we have relied upon our glorious Navy, which is, -and always has been, mistress of the seas. But now we are no longer an -island; that is to say, we are no longer protected from the attacks of -an enemy merely because we are surrounded by sea, even although we -maintain the supremacy of our naval power. Another element has now to -be considered, namely, the air, and that, unfortunately, we do not hold -with the same mastery that we did the sea. It will be seen, therefore, -that for the safety of the Empire, we must immediately build up a great -air fleet, and gain the supremacy of the air. Germany has already shown -us the lead in this respect, and we must not be content to follow, but -to improve, greatly improve, upon that lead. One thing is certain, that -the mad extravagant race for armaments among the nations will continue, -but with this difference--that it will be for great fleets of the air, -as to-day it is for large armies and great sea fleets. - - -FUTURE INFLUENCES - -Thus far we have dealt solely with the influences of aviation upon -warfare and upon commerce; but such influences will by no means -be confined to these two phases; there are many other features in -international life that the development of aeronautics will influence -greatly. Foremost amongst them is that of travel. For the first few -years the cost of travel in the air will be appreciably greater than is -now the case. One of the leading aeronautical experts of the day has -computed that, to run a commercial service of aircraft, to cover the -heavy expenditure that will be incurred, and to allow for the wear and -tear of machines, it will be necessary to make a charge of 1½_d._ per -mile, or a 50 per cent. increase on the rates for present day travel by -steamer and railway. Once the project is in full swing, however, and -the initial outlay has been recovered, such charge will be reduced to -one halfpenny per mile, or 50 per cent. less than present conditions. - -In the matter of speed and time, there will be a remarkable advantage; -for example, some of the proposed air routes are London to New York in -18 hours, London to Capetown in 54, and London to Sydney (Australia) -in four days. This added economy and speed will tempt the traveling -public, and for that matter the non-traveling public further afield, -and will serve greatly to help on education and the rapid development -of the remotest of our colonies, thus drawing closer the bond of union -between the different portions of our great Empire. Countries and -tracts of land hitherto undeveloped and unknown will be opened up by -the aerial explorer, and whole continents will, with the greatest ease, -be policed by aeroplane and by airship. - - -A FUTURE WAR WITH GERMANY - -Will this war be followed by an aerial war between Germany and Great -Britain at a no distant date? This depends solely on the future course -and the conclusion of the present war. - -After some fourteen years’ experimenting, inventing and developing, -and the expenditure of several millions of money, Count Zeppelin, or -rather the very considerable staff of experts which he has at his -disposal, produced the modern Zeppelin: that is to say, the craft that -has been in use since the outbreak of the war. What Germany’s policy -was in constructing these huge craft it is not difficult to discover. -Previous to August, 1914, when her navy was inferior to only one other -in the world, and that our own, and she was gradually gaining upon us -both in the number of ships and _personnel_, very little was heard of -the airship program: the industry was given State encouragement; but -then, to our cost, we know that the enemy has always encouraged any -new enterprise that was likely to prove of value from a military point -of view. War was declared. Our gallant Fleet, by a series of brilliant -engagements, succeeded in driving the enemy shipping from the seas of -the world, and in bottling up the Kaiser’s grand fleet in the Kiel -Canal, where it has ever since remained. What effect did this have on -the aircraft, and more particularly the Zeppelin, industry in Germany? -Labor was instantly withdrawn from the shipbuilding yards, and turned -over to the construction of Zeppelins. In the early stages of the war -the output stood at approximately one a month; this soon crept up to a -couple a month, then to three, then to one a week, and now to-day they -claim that two Zeppelins per week are being turned out by the factories -that have sprung up in nearly every large town in the German Empire. -What do all these events portend? Those who know the German and his -characteristics intimately, tell us that at the back of every German -mind, the keenest of all desires is an invasion of England. The reason -for this bitter hatred is that the British Empire is on every hand an -obstacle to the development of Germany; we were their keenest trade -rivals, their most dangerous enemy in the matter of world supremacy, -and we were successful in establishing colonies, an ambition dear to -every German heart. - -There can only be two objects in view in the mind of the German -Imperial Staff: the one is a gigantic air raid on this country, as a -last resource during the present war; the other, a determination on the -part of Germany, after the present war is ended and forgotten, to gain -a considerable ascendancy in the air, and thus once more to take her -place as a martial power among the nations. To prevent this, it will be -necessary for us not only to destroy her armies on the land, and her -fleets at sea, but also her fleets of aircraft; for Germany, though -beaten by land and sea, and still in possession of her aircraft, will -remain for ever a menace to the civilized world. - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes: - - --Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). - - --Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected. - - --Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved. - - --Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved. - - --The Chapter titles in the CONTENTS were adjusted to match the titles - within the book's content for: Chapters XVII (THE GREAT RAID ON - ZEEBRUGGE -> A GREAT RAID) and XXVI (THE AIR--THE WAR--AND AFTER -> - THE AIR--THE WAR--AND THE FUTURE). - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Way of the Air, by Edgar C. 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