The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1917-08-25

With this reinforcement reducing
the odds against her to two 10 one, sIle
| executed maneuver which her SUI
ncriOr speed had made feasible through
giving her tolerably long lead /
wheeled tiguratively on her heel-that ,
is. in as narrow circle aS the biplane /
could compaSs-and gave battle.
Handling the machine gun eIuplaced /
beside her. the observer opened hre at
long range, as soon as he could bring !
the weapon TO bear. and scored nrSt
blood by winging 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
skill. it danced through the air with
apparently as little stability as
nudge. making itself target we'll
nigh as fugitive as mote In a sum
beam.
Belt after belt of ammunition was
fed by Patria's observer into his ma
chine gun and wasted on empty air.
thanks m the eyasiveneSs 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 charlottesville from the settled
determination that weighed upon their
;, senses with the power of obsesslon
that the duel could and should end
l. but one way-with the determination
{ of their opponent.
Providing that were accomplished
and assuming that the other American
> hiplane was similarly successful in the
contest now raging between IL ana the
u Japanese. something like a thousand
e feet below them, the hostile air fleet
: would be rather effectively crippled
II Judging by the number Of planes
II which ii had thus far discovered-anu
the disparity between the forces OF
'r invasion and defense would, by thai
III much at least, be reduced.
L And yet-mOment after moment
u passed without either side scoring
10 crippling hit. The planes of bot
he were fairly riddled by the streams o.
&c bullets they exchanged; Patrlas Cd
IL server had suffered a slight nesi
wound in the shoulder She herself hat
n repeatedly felt the wind of bullet
re winging past her face-as though IN
lev tongue of Death were licking it.
ne As for the other side, there wa
ne reason to believe. from what the
he could see. that the pilot was nursing
ed wounded hand But this had not serve
Df- 70 discourage him. He pursued his Of
ed forts 70 enable his observer to de;
Patria's craft a mortal blow with VI
ne abated grimness, skill and cunning.
re Then. of a sudden. Ii was man
lp- tested that the store Of ammunition
as the command of the japanese had ri
art out. He fired one final gust of bullet
or then in a twinkling abandoned the mel
1T dropping almost headlOng from IN;
he high level wherein they had fought.
Og- With no more notion of mercy
uc- her humor than she would have re
the had the Japanese been tiger-shar
IOTt utNu uiA
ELL suit. the planes Of her machine
its times so steeply inclined that th'
Tho seemed well-nigh vertical. Only Il
But most consummate mastery of the a
at of flving could have male such fe
Ia possible.
OBJ And then, in a twinkling. IL was {
ent over. They were dropping like tw
full plummets. the Japanese airplane son
h a two hundred feet below Patrias al
=. little distance to one side. The @
-ers server. training his weapon with Z
fire greatest GOODNESS, ran his last o.
rily of cartridges through the machine
sing one last roaring blast-and scored.
ant The Japanese plane seemed nome
tarily 70 be mysteriOusly checked
midfiight. II hung for a little as
checked by the grasp Of some gre
invisible hand. Then, as if that ha
were slowly closing upon ii. the TN
= crumpIed like O broken toy-crumpl
&Ml pitifully in upon itself and fell mutt
$s inc aimlessly. turning over and on
rs with ever increasing rapidlty' u
81 throwing off two limp, sprawl
M shones of men that distanced 1t to
- earth. whirling horribly.
With supreme effort Patria righ
s her machine, brought it TO an e'
"a keel. and steadied il upon homew;
- course.
SO Only fixed refusal TO permit herS
~ 70 think of what had happened
-; abled her to accomplish this. she
ss afflicted with violent inclination
49, nausea. OF all forms Of death. for
~ time being. this seemed to her
~ most terrible-this death OF viole
~ in midair which she had sava2
~ dealt out to the enemies of her co
:S try.
%ss But what was needed to restore
~ nerves to their normal steadiness
- presently accorded by the enemy
my. self.