The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-08-07
A DAY AT CAMP AvoRD

(By W. II Meeker of the Vigilantes)
(The Vigilantes have adopted
Meeker, although he was unknown to
them until this article arrived. Ac-
cording to Gertrude Lynch, The Wig
ilantes' correspondent in France,
Meeker is a Harvard boy who sailed
on the Chicago in May for France
with the intention of driving an am
bulance He changed to flying when
he heard an Englishman say that
women drove the ambulances for
England. We believe that he will be
heard from further and we hasten
therefore to claim him for our own
Managing Editor Vigilantes)
Avord, France, July 1O.-Three-
thirty A. NJ is not time one would
ordinarily choose for getting up, but
when one is soldier of the Legion"
and French eleve pilote as well, it
must be done | sleepily opened my
eyes and saw the squat figure of a
swarthy Ananite standing at the foot
of my bunk and bearing steaming
can of black coffee. Coffee helps a lot
at that hour and | was soon wide
awake listening to the mingled
sounds around lie. It was quite dark
in the barracks, everything was in
sleepy confusion, till some thought.
full person turned on the electric
light. There followed groans, curses
and the sound of reluctant dressing
as twenty sons of Uncle Sam pre-
pared for the daily task of learning
to serve France.
The ponderous grey army tractor
which carried US to the piste (flyine
field was filled with giant Russians
dapper little Frenchmen, and two
Americans. AS it rambled alon,
over the dusty road the grey ligh
around us turned to pink and as W,
reached the Caudron hanger the RET
ball of the sun popped up above tn,
horizon. Tiny specks appeared il
the sky. which growing larger, W,
could see were areoplanes flying to
wards us from the fields beside tn
school. The Russians handed ou
bread and cheese which we munche,
hungrily as we watched the ar
preaching planes.
The Coudrons arrived in a few mir
utes volplaning down the Frightening
; sky to the dewy piste below. Their
were six of them piloted by monitors
the men who were to be my instrue
tors for many weeks to come. Onl
one of them could speak English an
to him had already been assigne,
the day before. He shook my ham
cordially when | wen up to speak i
him after the hospitable custom O
the French Then the motor wa
started, the huge propeller whirle
rapidly around and adjusting google
and Gather headgear, climbed int
the front seat for my first ride.
Last summer l trained in tn
States on a Thomas hydro. SO flvin
was not new sensation, but ther
was something different about this
Then was an American iving fo
fun, now | was at least half a French
man flying because | must The cor
trolls are different on a French ms
chine. In America we use a whee
and ailerons on our wings. On tn
Couldron, as on all French acre
planes, the machines are banked an
steadied by means of lever know
as the manche boloi. There are n
ailerons on Coudron. the Who'll
wing warps in obedience to tn
manche
We made three sorties that NOR,
ing, three trips around the field. thre
starts, three lands. Down below th
newly risen sun was already sprea,
ing heat upon the ground; up abov
it was always cool. Our rout
passed over hay field, where earl
morning workers waved at us as W
passed; over railroad tracy, wher
a toy train puffed pompously along
over the toy village of Sevigne. wit
its red tile roofs and beckonin
church steeple; over woods and cor
fields. and then down to the field.
the gesticulating Frenchmen and tn
stalwart Russes. At $3.50 we climbe
once more into the cannon and los
tied back to camp
The rest of the morning was spen
in making up my bed reading tn
orders of the day. and writing 10,