Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1918-09-18

few, such as they were," and read
lily observing that nothing could be
done with what was left, made my
way back to infantry headquarters,
where I was able to telephone in a
report.
A little later one of our automo-
biles came out after me and took me
back to our airdrome. Most Of my
squadron thought was lost beyond
doubt, and never expected to see me
again; but my friend, Paul Raney, had
held out that I was all right, and as
I was afterwards told, said, Don't
send for another pilot; that Irishman
will be back. if he has to walk" And
he knew that the only thing that kept
me from walking was the fact that our
own automobile had been sent out to
bring me home.
| / had lots to think about that day,
and had learned many things; one
was not to have too much confidence
in my own ability. One of the men in
| the squadron told me that / had bet
ter not take those chances; that 1t
was going to be a long war and l
would have plenty of opportunities to
be killed without deliberately wishing
them on" myself. Later was to learn
the truth of his statement.
That night my "fiight"-each squad
ron is divided into three flights, con-
sisting of six men each-got ready to
go out again. AS I started to put on
my tunic I noticed that I was not
marked up for duty as usual.
I asked the commanding officer, a
major, what the reason for that was,
and he replied that he thought I had
done enough for one day. However,
knew that if I did not go, someone
else from another flight would have
to take my place, and insisted upon
going up with my patrol as usual, and
the major reluctantly consented. Had
he known what was in store for me, l
am sure he wouldn't have changed his
mind so readily.
AS it was we had only five machines
for this patrol, anyway, because as we
crossed the lines one Of them had to
drop out on account of motor trouble
Our patrol was up at 8 p. M, and up
to within ten minutes of that hour ii
had been entirely uneventful.
At 1850 o. M, however, while we
were flying at a height of 10000 feet
we observed three other English ma
chimes which were about 5000 feet
, below US pick a fight with nine Hur
machines,
knew right then that we were II
for it, because I could see over toward
the ocean a whole flock Of Hun ma
chimes which evidently had escaped
: the attention of our scrappy country
: men below us.
So we dove down on those nine
Huns.
/ At first the fight was fairly even
There were eight of us to nine Of them
: But soon the other machines which
had seen in the distance, and which
were flying even higher than we were
y arrived on the scene, and when they
: in turn, dove down on us, there wa
3 Just twenty Of them to our eight !!
Four Of them singled me out. wa
i diving, and they dived right down afte
y me, shooting as they came. Thei
J tracer bullets were coming closer t
i me every moment. These tracer bul
lets are balls of fire which enable tn
u shooter to follow the course his bu
/ lets are taking and to correct his air
L accordingly. They do no more harr
$ to a pilot if he is hit than an ordinar
bullet, but if they hit the petrol tanl
y good night! When machine catche
IL fire in flight there is no way of pu