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


With this reinforcement reducing
the odds against her to two to one, she
executed a maneuver which her su-
perior speed had made feasible through
giving her a tolerably long lead,
wheeled figuratively on her heel-that
is, in as narrow a circle as the biplane
could compass-and gave battle.'
Handling the machine gun emplaeed
beside her, the observer opened fire at
long range, as soon as he could bring
the weapon to bear, and scored first
blood by winglng one of their two
antagonists so severely that he was
forced to abandon the combat and de-
scend for repairs.
The other proved more elusive and
stout-hearted. Driven with superb
skin, it danced through the air with
apparently as little stability as a
nudge, making itself a target we'll
nigh as fugitive as a mote in sun
beam.
Belt after belt of ammunition was
fed by Patria's observer into his ma
chine gun and wasted on empty air,
thanks to the evasiveness of the jap
anese.
That the latter had no better luck
in scoring off Patria's plane was little
satisfaction. There was only room
for evaporation in the minds of the
Americans, that the end must be so
long delayed-aside from the settled
determination that weighed upon their
senses with the power Of obsession
that the duel could and should end
but one way-with the determination
of their opponent.
Providing that were accomplished,
and assuming that the other American
biplane was similarly successful in the
contest now raging between it and the
Japanese. something like a thousand
feet below them, the hostile air fleet
would be rather effectively crippled
judging by the number of planes
which it had thus far discovered-and
the disparity between the forces of
invasion and defense would, by that
much at least, be reduced.
And yet-moment after moment
passed without either side scoring a
Gripping hit. The planes of both
were fairly riddled by the streams of
bullets they exchanged; Patria's OBJ
server had suffered a slight flesh
wound in the shoulder. She herself had
repeatedly felt the wind of bullets
winging past her face-as though the
icy tongue of Death were licking it.
As for the other side, there was
reason to believe, from what they
could see. that the pilot was nursing a
wounded hand. But this had not served
to discourage him. He pursued his eff
forts to enable his observer to deal
Patria's craft a mortal blow with I'M
abated grimness, skill and cunning.
Then, of a sudden. it was mani
tested that the store of ammunition at
the command of the japanese had run
out. He fired one final gust of bullets,
then In twinkling abandoned the field,
dropping almost headlong from that
high level whereon they had fought.
With no more notion of mercy in
her humor than she would have felt
had the Japanese been a tiger-shark,
Patria tore down the air lanes in pur-
suit, the planes of her machine at
times so steeply inclined that they
seemed well-nigh vertical. Only the
most consummate mastery of the art
of flying could have made such feat
possible.
And then, in a twinkllng, 1t was all
over. They were dropping like twin
plummets, the japanese airplane some
two hundred feet below Patria's and
q little distance to one side. The OBJ
server, training his weapon with the
greatest GOODNESS, ran his last belt
of cartridges through the machine in
one last roaring hlast-and scored.
The Japanese plane seemed momell-
tarily TO be mysteriously checked in
midfiight. 1t hung for a little as if
checked by the grasp of some great,
| invisible hand. Then, as If that hand
were slowly closing upon it, the thing
crumpled like broken toy-crumpled
pitifully in upon itself and fell flutter-
ing aimlessly, turning over and over
Win ever lUCEtdSluS Idpluttss anu
throwing off two limp. sprawling
shapes of men that distanced it to the
earth, whirling horribly.
With a supreme effort Patria righted
her machine, brought it to an even
keel. and steadied it upon hOmeward
| course.
Only fixed refusal TO permit herself
to think of what had happened en-
abled her to accomplish this. She was
afflicted with violent inclination to
nausea. OF all forms of death, for the
time being, this seemed to her TIE
most terrible-this death of violence
in midair which she had savagely
dealt out to the enemies of her coun-
| try.
But what was needed to restore her
nerves to their normal steadiness was
presently accorded by the enemy him
self.