The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-21

commission. our observation balloon
had marked the shots that had done
the work and the battery was silenced
from that time or. but its position
behind a wooded rise of ground was
out OF the ken Of the balloon observer.
n 1t was up to us Ia verify the extent
OF the disaster and find out what the
inimy was dom to repair il.
w secuted round without success
for more han an hour. seem more
than We come to see. but not seem
that. Meanwhile the sun a disap-
peared and "A big black giant was
walkin' with tremendous strides over
the land, blottin' out with the bulk and
shadow of him the squares of the
chcckcrhoard on which the game Of
war was played and the crisscross
trenches that marked the moves of
the players.
Its gettin' dark | shouted to the
big shoulders in front Of me. my words
fight.n' through the wind We were
ploughin' out of a lea calm.
"'Divil a bit | care came back from
Spug. I'm goin' to locate that bat
terry If we've got TO stay up till
49, 81 "hN aAA ib'sATAll4tsSf
yell mind, but that was Spug's pecu-
liar TIM erament.
All of a sudden We heard a sound
comm along the air currents like the
sound of an approachin' railroad en-
gin when We put Yer ears To the rails.
We had our muller in. but even at
that We knew that to hear that sound
meant somethin' more powerful in the
fyin' line than any of the inimy's ships
that had been around before. 1t had
gradually been cloudin' 10 the east
and it was from the east the sound
came.
There's an Alhatross in the OFF,
ing, Branigan. Heave to- shouts
Spug.
"Ye should have seen the Thrush
come about. as ! climbed her up an air
lane another two thousand feet. An
Albatross, We remember. be!n' three
times as big a. the Thrush. armorcd
and mountin' machine guns. In the
dim light We watched that cloud bank
in the east as ye watch a curtain 60
up on a play. AT that We weren't
averse to eggin' the actor with a bomb
or two If We could get a nice little gall
lery seat above when the Albatross
came on the stage.
And that's why We didn't scurry
with our tail between our legs back
to where We could shut off the engine
and volplane to harbor in our own
lines. We hadn't seen an Aihatross he
fore, but we had heard about them al
nausea. as they say, and all about what
they could do. II surely would take
some wind u of their sails # our
little Thrush could put one of them
cut OF commission, sort Of unbe-
knownst to them.
When the curtain of cloud opened
and the pound of the railroad engine
ON the tracks became more like the
gentle murmur Of a boiler factory in
full blast, We saw three of the bloomin'
Mattresses steamin' or rather gaso-
enin' In our direction. Not one. mine
we, but three, and in a funny sort of
way | found meself admirln' them as
the hummin' bird must admire the
eagle?
"'Higher,' shouts Spug. They may
not have seen us. The darker ii gets
the better says he. Goo knows What
divil's business they'r" on n it's u
duty to do our damnedest,'
Twas afterward | learned the
business thai brought them wingin'
across that peaceful evenin' Sky. AHd
the devils business II was. when YOU
consider the women and childher that
paid for it. But that was afterward.
we mounted up the stairs to the
stars. il there had been any stars
shinin', but the clouds had come up
heavy out Of thu east and there was
no moon that would be comm to silver
'em. 1t was CROWN darker every
minute. The Albatrosses were about
five miles away when We first sighted
them. and about 5000 feet below us
as we made them out nearer, ugly
lookin' shadows in the shades o night,
We might have known that they
carried searchlights, but | didn't hin
If that until they began gropin' out
in the skies with their pointin', ac-
cusin' fins, RS of fire, and circlin'
around like lightnin' bugs, now Hash
in here, now there.
I'VE had this advantage, h a
though they might pick MS out. for we
were aware now that they knew we
were on the Job. in doin' so they would
disclose n, !r positions to us. and
havln' "a strategic upper hand in our
greater height, We might be lucky
enough to land "a bomb, AS yed drop a
bouquet from a balcony box. Even
o we could have gone to earth with
only a small chance Of gcttin' hurt, II
Spug Kennedy didn't have the heart
Of an eagle. As for meself. well. there