t this moment
his engine petered out, possibly on account of the enemy's fire,
and he had to descend.

By skillful planing he managed to descend about three quarters of
a mile away, in full view of the enemy. Instead of giving up the
ghost and at once firing his machine, this officer jumped out
and, utterly unperturbed by the German fire or by the Huns making
across country to take him prisoner, commenced to inspect the
engine. Luckily he found the cause of the trouble at once, put it
right,--it was only a trifling mishap,--adjusted the controls,
and swung the propeller.

The engine started, he jumped in, with the nearest Hun only a
hundred yards off, and opening the throttle raced over the ground
and into the air pursued by a futile fusillade of bullets. His
engine held out and he safely regained his aerodrome, after
having been reported missing by his comrades. For this escapade
he received the Military Cross--a well-earned reward.

When all the bombs have been dropped and the formation resumed
the machines head for home. It is on the homeward journey that
events may be expected, for time enough has elapsed for the Hun
to detail a squadron to intercept our returning machines and pick
off any stragglers that may fall behind.

It is a favourite Boche manoeuvre to detail some of his slow
machines to entice our fighters away from the main body, and when
this has been accomplished, to attack the remainder with Fokkers,
which dive from aloft onto the bombing machines. This trick is
now well-known and the fighters rarely leave their charges until
the latter are in comparative safety.

Sometimes a Hun of more sporting character than his brothers will
wait alone for the returning convoy, hiding himself thousands of
feet up in the clouds until he sees his moment. Then singling out
a machine he will dive at it, pouring out a stream of bullets as
he falls. Sometimes he achieves his object and a British machine
falls to earth, but whatever the result, the Hun does not alter
his tactics. He dives clean through the whole block of machines,
down many thousands of feet, only flattening out when close to
the ground.

The whole affair is so swift--just one lightning dive--that long
before a fighter can reach the Hun the latter is away thousand