acefully to the music of the
guns. Conversation here was whispered, and even the illuminated faces
of our wrist watches were carefully concealed in our pockets. And
every man knew well the reason why.

The sergeant in charge had a "hunch" that Fritz was coming over at a
certain hour of the early morning. We knew that "dope" coming from
enemy sources is often misleading and decided not to wait for the
"party." The next day we learned that the "party" was not "pulled
off," and our return to camp gave us a few hours of perfectly good and
needed sleep.

AN AIR BATTLE

Boche planes overhead were so common as to excite little interest, but
when in the midst of a heavy anti-aircraft barrage, the French
children playing outside our garage excitedly announced "Trois Boche
avions," we left off "tuning up" our engines and went out to watch
them--three specks high overhead and out of range of our guns.
Suddenly, from somewhere in the sky above, two Allied planes shot
toward the German "birds," and a battle ensued which we could clearly
see, although they were too high for us to hear the sound of their
machine guns.

With terrific burst of speed one of our planes shot toward one of the
German planes and seemed almost to ride on top of it, all the while
pouring into it a stream of machine gun bullets, the smoke of which we
could see. When they separated, ours rose but the German shot
downward, evidently out of control, and we held our breath in anxious
joy as we watched him drop two thousand feet or more. Then as he came
through a cloud and was hidden from the view of our planes, he
suddenly righted and shot off toward the German lines.

The next day the same thrilling scene was staged a little to the south
of us. But this time there was no disappointment. The rapid
"pu-pu-pu-pu-pu" of the machine gun told us that our pilot's gun was
working perfectly, and a burst of flame from the enemy plane told also
how true was his aim.

There can be no more thrilling moments in life than when you are
watching bodies out of control hurtling through space and are
breathlessly anticipating the crash. Your heart suspends operation,
even for an enemy. Hun though he was, he was still a hero of the air,
and chivalry prompted a decent burial on the banks of the beautiful
Meurthe. The wrecked plane furnished souvenirs for the many who saw it
fall.

HAND GRENADES

The hand grenade is a mighty dangerous weapon, but also a most
effective o