Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-10-17

have been held only at a cost too high
for their value. AS they were emptied,
regiment after regiment of Japanese
infantry which had been waiting till
the batteries had prepared their way,
charged across the bridge with ire
sistible impetus and swept over the
trenches like a living wave.
Not, however, entirely without oppo-
sltion. One man had, for reasons of
he greeted the onslaught with ma
chine-gun fire. spraying death over the
bridge and its approaches. Dozens of
the charging troops fell before he ran
out of ammunition or was silenced by
shot well aimed; Patria never knew
how the fellow met his end. He was,
one minute, working his weapon Dusily
and methodfcally; the next, he was 81
| fenced; and his fate was masked by
the hordes that took possession of the
! trenches.
AS this happened, Patria's observer
touched her arm to draw her attention
| to their personal peril. So absorbed
had she been in the action beneath
her that she-and for that matter, her
observer as well-had altogether neg
lected to look after the safety of the
| biplane.
1t was now menaced by no less than
three japanese air scouts-llghtly
armored biplanes carrying two pas
sengers and equipped with machine
guns.
Soaring out over the battlefield at g
great height, these assassins of the air
had chosen shrewdly the right moment
to strike at Patria's plane. The latter
happened to occupy the lower levels
of the air alone, at that time; no other
machines of Patria's flying corps were
at hand; the two which had pursued
the first hostile airplane beyond the
border were lost to view in the heat
haze that yelled the south, their fate
a mystery; all others We're still in the
hangers or delayed by minor circum-
! stances at the aviation field.
Upon the lonely craft piloted by Pa
tria, then, the three japanese dropped
down from their high level with the
ferocity of hawks, opening fire with
their machine guns as soon as they got
within range, and attacking the de-
voted biplane from three sides.
Taken utterly by surpriSe-with no
more than the touch of her Observers
warning hand upon her arm by way
of preface to hailstorm of bullets
Patria did the only possible thing per-
mltted by the conditions. that is,
sought safety in fortnight flight. And
since she was hemmed in on the north.
east and west. she was obliged to drive
into the south.
For a few moments she expected
each breath to be her last. Bullets
whistled and sang between the planes
or tore their fiimsy surfaces or glanced
from twanging struts and cables like
sleet through the ribs of n coverless
umbrella. 1t seemed nothing short Of
miraculous that none found lodgment
in either Patria or the observer.
Then, however. the slightly superior
| speed of the American engines began
| to make itself felt. Patria drew Slight
| ~ ahead and at the same time tilted
the nose of her machine and began to
climb. Immediately the firing of the
machine guns ceased, and the three
japanese closed in behind and stretch
ed out in determined pursuit.
The four swept away into the south
ern skies like leaves whirling before
a squall.
! Climbing steadily, Patria gained the
| 5,000-foot level at a distance of some
miles within the Mexican side of the
border, her three pursuers outpaced
but undiscouraged lowering in the of
| fing like wolves that wait for winded
stag to fall.
And now fortune chose to favor the
| American for little. Out of the haze
| in the south a fifth aircraft was APP
preaching. For some time in doubt as
to whether it was another enemy craft
or possibly an American survivor of
that triangular duel which had result
ed from the first air skirmish Of the
day, Patria was quickly able to recog-
nize certain peculiarities of construc-
| ton which Enthusiastically identified the
!
newcomer as one of her own corps.
There was, however, no way of tell
/ ing how it was manned, whether by its
original crew or by the japanese who
might have captured the plane. But
all doubts as to this were soon set at
rest by the action of one of PatIia's
| pursuers in abandoning his first OBJ
| fectfve and sweeDinp off at q tangent
to engage the stranger-who cheerful
| ly greeted this new antagonist with a
whitening blast Of machine-gun fire.
| Circling warily, like prizefighters
sparring for an opening, splitting fire
and hatred, the two were temporarily
| forgotten by Patria, who had pressing
personal matters demanding instant
j attention.