Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-11-18
BY H. G. WELLS

VINO DeSOt him snail deVOur him In
his turn.
Il was reused from these thoughts
by the sudden realization of the pres
ence Of Il squadron Of aeroplanes far
away to the northeast and very high
They looked like little black dashes
against the midnight blue. remem
Der that looked up ut them ut first
rather idly-as one might notice a
flight Of birds. Then ! perceived that
they were only the extreme wing Of a
great fleet that was advancing In a
long line very swiftly from the direc-
ton Of the frontier and my attention
frightened.
"Directly saw that fleet | was as.
tonished not to have seen it before.
IL stood up softly. industrious Of dis
turbing my companions but with my
heart beating now rather more rapidly
with surprise and excitement. strain
ed my ears for any sound of guns
along our front. Almost instinctively
turned about for protection to the
south and west and peered. and then
saw coming as fast and much nearer
to me. as if they had sprung out Of the
darkness. three banks of aeroplancs. a
group Of squadrons very high. a main
body at height perhaps Of one or two
thousand feet. and a doubtful number
flying low and very indistinct. The
middle ones were so thick they kept
putting out groups of stars. And l
realized that, after all, there was to
be fighting in the air.
There was something extraordinarily
strange in this swift. noiseless con-
vergence Of nearly invisible combat
ants above the sleeping hosts. Every
one about me was still unconscious
There was no sign as yet of any agita-
ton among the shipping on the main
canal. whose whole course. dotted
with unsuspicious lights and fringed
with fires. must have been clearly per
ceptible from above. Then long way
Off toward Alkmaar heard bugles.
and after that shots. and then wild
clamOr Of bells determined to let
my men sleep on for as long as they
could.
The battle was Joined with the
swiftness of drea ming. | do not think
it can have been five minutes from the
moment when first hecn aware of
the central European air feet to the
contact Of the two forces. l saw it
quite plainly in silhouette against the
luminous blue of the northern sky.
The allied aeroplanes-they were most
ly French-came pouring down like a
fierce shower upon the middle Of the
central European fleet. They looked
exactly like a cOarser sort of rain
There was cracking sound-the first
sound heard. 1t reminded one Of the
aurora bOrealis, and | suppose it was
an Interchange Of rifle shots. There
were flashes like summer lightning.
and then all the sky became q Whirl-
ing confusion Of battle that was still
largely noiseless. Some of the central
European aeroplanes were certainly
charged and overset; others seemed to
collapse and fall and then flare out
with so bright a light that it took the
edge off ones vision and made the rest
Of the battle disappear as though it
had been snatched back out of sight.
And then while still peered and
tried to shade these flames from my
eyes with my hand and while the men
about me were beginning to stir the
atomic bombs were thrown at the
bikes. They made mighty thunder
in the air and fell like Lucifer in the
picture, leaving a haring trail in the
sky. The night, which had been pei
lucid and detailed and eventful, seemed
to vanish, to be replaced abruptly by a
black background to these tremendous
pillars of fire.
Hard upon the sound of them came
a roaring wind, and the sky was filled
with Pickering lightnings and rushing
clouds.
'"There was something discontinuous
in this impact. At one moment was
a lonely watcher in a sleeping world;
the next saw every one about me afoot.
the whole world awake and amazed.
And then the wind had struck me
buffet, taken my helmet and swept
aside the summer house of Vreugde biz
vrede as a scythe sweeps away grass.
| saw the bombs fall and then watch
ed a great crimson flare leap respon-
sive to each impact and mountainous
masses of red lit steam and flying
fragments Chamber up toward the ze-
NTH. Against the glare | saw the
countryside for miles standing black
and clear. churches. trees, chimneys
And suddenly I understood. The cen
trail Europeans had burst the bikes
Those flares meant the bursting of the
dikes and in little while the sea
water would be upon u.s.
he goes on to tell with certain
prolixity OF the steps he took-and, all
things considered. they were very in
telligent steps-to meet this amazing
crisis. He got his men aboard and
hailed the adjacent barges; he got the
man who acted as barge engineer at
his post and the engines working: he
cast loose from his mornings Then
he bethought himself of food and con-
trived to land five men, get in few
dozen cheeses and ship his men again
before the inundatiOn reached them.
He is reasonably proud of this piece
OF GOODNESS. His idea was to take the
wave head-on and with his engines
full speed ahead. And all the while
he was thanking heaven he was not in
the jam Of traffic in the main canal
He rather, l think. overestimated the
probable rush Of waters; be dreaded
being swept away, he explains, and