such artillery as could be mounted on an ordinary airplane. Bullets
from the machine-guns were too small to make any rents in the
envelope that would affect its stability. Even if incendiary they
could not carry a sufficiently heavy charge to affect so large a
body. The skin of the "sausages," as the balloons were commonly
called from their shape, was too soft to offer sufficient resistance
to explode a shell of any size. The war was pretty well under way
before the precise weapon needed for their destruction was
discovered. This proved to be a large rocket of which eight were
carried on an airplane, four on each side. They were discharged by
powerful springs and a mechanism started which ignited them as soon
as they had left the airplane behind. The head of each rocket was of
pointed steel, very sharp and heavy enough to pierce the balloon
skin. Winslow was fortunate enough to be present when the first test
of this weapon was made. In his book, _With the French Flying
Corps_, he thus tells the story:

Swinging lazily above the field was a captive balloon. At one end
of Le Bourget was a line of waiting airplanes. "This is the
second; they have already brought down one balloon," remarked the
man at my elbow. The hum of a motor caused me to look up. A
wide-winged double motor, Caudron, had left the ground and was
mounting gracefully above us. Up and up it went, describing a
great circle, until it faced the balloon. Everyone caught his
breath. The Caudron was rushing straight at the balloon, diving
for the attack.

"Now!" cried the crowd. There was a loud crack, a flash, and
eight long rockets darted forth leaving behind a fiery trail. The
aviator's aim however was wide, and to the disappointment of
everyone the darts fell harmlessly to the ground.

Another motor roared far down the field, and a tiny _appareil de
chasse_ shot upward like a swallow. "A Nieuport," shouted the
crowd as one voice. Eager to atone for his _copain's_ failure,
and impatient at his delay in getting out of the way, the tiny
biplane tossed and tumbled about in the air like a clown in the
circus ring.

"Look! he's looping! he falls! he slips! no, he rights again!"
cried a hundred voices as the skilful pilot kept our nerves on
edge.

Suddenly he darted into position and for a second hovered
uncertain. Then with a dive like tha