ing about the winds and disputing one another's judgment about the
height of the clouds.

If you say to one of them, "Tell us something about the Great War," as
likely as not he will tell you a pleasant story enough. And the pity
of it will be that, hearing the tale, a young man will long for
another war. Then you must say to him, "But what about the shell fire?
Tell us something of machines falling in flames." Then, if he is an
honest old airman whose memory is still unimpaired, the young one who
has been listening will have sober second thoughts.

VI

A BALLOON ATTACK

"I'm looking for two balloonatics," said Talbott, as he came into the
messroom; "and I think I've found them."

Percy, Talbott's orderly, Tiffin the steward, Drew, and I were the
only occupants of the room. Percy is an old _legionnaire_, crippled
with rheumatism. His active service days are over. Tiffin's working
hours are filled with numberless duties. He makes the beds, and serves
food from three to five times daily to members of the Escadrille
Lafayette. These two being eliminated, the identity of the
balloonatics was plain.

"The orders have just come," Talbott added, "and I decided that the
first men I met after leaving the bureau would be balloonatics. Virtue
has gone into both of you. Now, if you can make fire come out of a
Boche sausage, you will have done all that is required. Listen. This
is interesting. The orders are in French, but I will translate as I
read:--

On the umteenth day of June, the escadrilles of Groupe de
Combat Blank [that's ours] will cooperate in an attack on
the German observation balloons along the sector extending
from X to Y. The patrols to be furnished are: (1) two
patrols of protection, of five _avions_ each, by the
escadrilles Spa. 87 and Spa. 12; (2) four patrols of attack,
of three _avions_ each, by the escadrilles Spa. 124 [that's
us], Spa. 93, Spa. 10, and Spa. 12.

The attack will be organized as follows: on the day set,
weather permitting, the two patrols of protection will leave
the field at 10.30 A.M. The patrol of Spa. 87 will
rendezvous over the village of N----. The patrol of
protection of Spa. 12 will rendezvous over the village of
C----. At 10.45, precisely, they will start for the lines,
crossing at an altitude of thirty-five hundred metres. The
patrol fur