The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-01-18
Episode Illustrative Of One OF
Many Diverse Phases
Of the War.
CLOSE VIGILANCE NECESSARY
Three Whistles; Presto, Battery Cam.
ouha0ed!-In This Instance Ven
turesome German Machine
Plunged to Earth.

AA0SS WAS " WHICH 1OT uOStllc dlTpIducs
and warn the battery of their ap
prOach. 1t does not sound a very ardu
GUS business, but 1t is one that requires
considerable training If mistakes are
to be avoided. Airplanes fly too higf
nowadays for their distinguishing
marks to be discerned, even through
the best glasses. The sentry must be
able to detect the enemy as soon as he
comes In sight, at whatever angle he
may happen to be flying; and with sc
many different types Of machine in the
air this requires experience and 8
quick eye.
The experience he had gained by be
ing attached for some days to an anti.
aircraft battery whose business 1t was
to spot all hostile planes at once
quickness of vision was inbred In him
for he had an Englishman's love OF
sport. The attitude Of watchfulness
seemed natural to him as he sat with
his glass slung round his neck, his eyes
searching the skies all about him.
A couple of hundred yards away, the
battery was at the height Of its morn
ing toilet. The big guns were uncov.
cred and the limber-gunners and their
assistants were performing the morn.
Ing ablutions of their charges, washing
out the bores and scrubbing them with
the long-handled piasaba brushes that
take four men to push through. The
artif1cer was testing air pressures the
section officers and their layers were
busy with the sights. Behind the guns,
again, groups of men were laying shells
In rows, taking them from the heaps In
which they had been dumped by the
ammunition column during the night.
The whole orchard was a scene Of ac-
tivity, and concealment was out Of the
question while it lasted.
Sudden Transformation.
Suddenly the airplane sentry stood
up, gazed at distant speck tn the sky
through his glasses for a few seconds,
then blew three blasts upon his whis-
tie. Before the echoes had died away
furious scene-shifting began in the
battery. The cleaning squads put
down their utensils and drew up the
,gun-covers, the artifcer put his span
ners in his pocket and sprang under
the nearest tree, where he was joined
by the section officers ana their assist
ants. The shell numbers hastily COW
cred their work with leaves and brush
wood, and hid themselves under cover
of the shed that acted as an ammuni-
ton store. In ten seconds, where all
the activity had been the sharpest eye
would have seen nothing but compact
men sheltering under trees, invisible
from the air.
The German airplane made wide
sweep over the lines at a great height,
the nucleus Of a scattered pattern Of
shrapnel that burst all around it,
leaving puffs of smoke that hung like
cottonwood against the clear blue Of
the sky. Then, apparently not liking
the look Of a couple Of British fighters
that rose to pursue 1t, it made off,
without having been anywhere near
the battery. The airplane sentry blew
his whistle once more and the covers
were stripped off the guns and the in
terrupted work went on again.
A Second Invitation.
But the sentry redOubled his vigi-
lance. The battery had made itself
exceedingly unpopular with the Ger
man; it had recently put several Of
MS guns out Of action, besides account
ng for big minenwerfer that had an.
1oyed the infantry in the front line,
and 1t was evident that he meant to
discover its position somehow. There
we're several German balloons up as II
vas, though a fortunate rise in the
ground just hid the battery from their
view. Nor was it likely that on a day
When visibility was so good the enemy
would stop at one casual airplane. It
vas far more likely that he would send
hem over at intervals throughout the
ay.
And SO 1t happened. Before an
our.was past second speck appeared
4 the sky and again the scene shifting
ook place on the blast of the whistle.
his time the hostile plane was shap-
lg a course that would bring it very
early over the battery, and the sentry
,atched it with some concern. On 1t
anne, the shrapnel bursting furiously t
)und it, diving and wheeling to dis e
)ncert the gunners' aim. 1t swept d
yer the battery, went straight on for a t
wv minutes then turned and came c
ack again. Had it seen anything lsus- C
cfous? The sentry scanned the or p
lard sharply. Everything was In per-
ct order, not even bully-beef tin p
y about to betray sign Of human fl
there were no tracks WISH o.
e across the grass; every trifle was W
refully covered up. 1t is on details
Re this that the safety of a battery G
pends. Upon the slightest hint that tt
lything is hidden in particular spot Sc
e airplane calls up its guns and cl
nges on the place. And ever after m
ard one has the uncomfortable feel hi
~ fbot ono 10 c11cpootod on6 that of nc