The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-08-21

ed, Perhaps because ! have had no
regular meals for three days. But as
soon as l started from Brighton for
Brookands the soft air revived me.
The end of my journey was in sight.
In large measure l attribute my
success to my familiarity with maps
and with the compass.
J. CONNEAU.
WHY LOST.
By Jules Vedrines.
have lost, but have lost zen beau
vaincu." How did l lose? Through
sheer ill-luck! l have lost, but | am not
vanquished, and would start again
at once and race over the same course
with the winner for the same sum
What days! l have only silent three
hours. Last night l was not vet in
bed at midnight. l was up at a quar-
! ter-past one. l have eaten nothing, or
| practically nothing. l had a flask of
whisky with me. That just sustained
me- True, at Brighton l ate two eggs
| Tuesday was much the hardest dav
Of the four days flying, and the Gar.
hsle-Manchester section was the hard
est part of it. What a storm l was
caught in! Beaumont" was mckier
He escaped the worst of it. It tbun.
Cered and lightened enormously.
The hailstones beat me in the face
and stung me-my face is still
red from it. That was after 1 left
Carlisle
Nearly Landed on a Cow.
But before that | had lost fifty min
utes at Glasgow because l could not
find the landing place. l had it
wrongly marked on my map. ] came
down in hurry in a meadow, and as
nearly as could be landed on the back
OF a COW. If it had not been for my
unnecessary descents l should have
won the race by ten minutes, for my
flying was the quickest and have
not had a breakdown-take special
note of that
When | was blinded by the storm
on the way to Manchester l came to
earth. 1t was at St. HeIens, it seems.
| asked where l was and l was told
twenty miles from Manchester"
Then I went on to Manchester
twenty minutes after Beaumont"
But notice that l never had break
down. am very proud of that.
More ill-luck at Bristol! There
again my MAP was to blame. The
landing place was marked on the right
of the railway. There l came to earth
but it appeared that the right place
was on the other side of the railway.
What frenzy I was I'M I had to 60
in a taXicab to find where the real
landing place was and then go and fly
to it. The bonfires, too, helped to
bewilder me. Instead of helping they
.hindered. There was not one or a
few, but hundreds of these discs of
ftre-at least three hundred! l could
see nothing but bonfires.
Wednesday passed off we'll except
for the mist. l have been flying in
some rain, too, but nothing to speak
of. But the mist in the west was so
thick early in the morning that l had
to steer entirely by means of the CON-
pass.
The Crowds.
Over Salisbury it was very bad. So
then l made south for the sea. in
order to judge my course by the coast
line. AT Southampton | found myself
flying only $50 feet above the houses.
| must say something about the
crowds. What crowds! Thousands
and thousands everywhere! And the
cheering! At Bristol l thought
should have been torn limb from limb.
/ have found that the English have a
habit of encouraging you by dealing
you blows on the shoulders and the
back I am sure I was punched and
beaten like that by 200 people at Bris-
tol. The police had to protect me!
No one in England is satisfied by see.
ing me. Everyone wants to touch
me!
! have lost, but do you think ! am
discouraged? I should like to start
all over again! DO you think | would
90 back to France by boat? Of course,
] shall fly! And I shall never give up
flying as long as I live Whenever
there is a big race or other flying con
test be sure ! shall be there.
Once more I say, what a fine race!
| have been beaten, but I made the
! fastest times, And for that matter