nes, "to hear evil spoken of one while one is doing good." But
Guynemer never knew this royal enjoyment; he never even suspected that
well-wishers were plotting for his safety. He took his machine to the
works, supervised the repairs with his customary attention, and by
August 15 he was back again at his sport in Flanders.

* * * * *

Meanwhile his comrades had added to their laurels. Auger was dead, it is
true; but Captain Derode, Adjutant Fonck--a perfect Aymerillot, the
smallest and youngest of these knights-errant, Heurtaux, Deullin (both
wounded, and the latter now risen to a captaincy), Lieutenant Gorgeus
and Corporal Collins--all had done well. Besides them many, too many,
bombarding aviators ought to be mentioned, but we must limit ourselves
to those who are now laid low in Flemish graveyards: Lieutenant Mulard,
Sergeant Thabaud-Deshoulieres, _sous-lieutenant_ Bailliotz,
_sous-lieutenant_ Pelletier, who saved his airplane if he could not save
his own life, and was heard saying to himself before expiring: "For
France--I am happy...."; finally Lieutenant Ravarra, and Sergeant
Delaunay, who had specialized in night attacks and disappeared without
ever being heard of again.

Guynemer had reported at the camp on August 15. On the seventeenth, at
9.20 o'clock, he brought down a two-seated Albatros which fell in flames
at Wladsloo, and five minutes later a D.F.W. which collapsed, also in
flames, south of Dixmude. This double execution avenged the death of
Captain Auger and of another Stork, Sergeant Cornet, killed the day
before. On the eighteenth, Guynemer poured a broadside, at close
quarters, into a two-seated machine above Staden; and on the twentieth,
flying this time on his old _Vieux-Charles_, he destroyed a D.F.W. in a
quick fight above Poperinghe. This meant three undoubted victories in
four days under circumstances which the number of enemy machines and the
high altitude made more difficult than they had ever been. The weather
during this month of August was constantly stormy, and the Germans were
taking every precaution to avoid surprise; but Guynemer was quick as
lightning, took advantage of the shortest lulls, and baffled German
prudence.

The British or Belgian airmen of the neighborhood called on him, and he
liked to return their politeness. He loved to talk about his methods,
especially his shooting methods, for flying to him was only the means of
shooting, and once he