Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-05-10


planes to be coming back. The squad
ron commander was pacing up and
down the filed like u Gagged tiger. His
nerves were strained almost to the
breaking point, and he made no eff
fort to conceal it. His boys, the lads
whom he loved like brother, were
out there over the German guns. He
himself had spent many hotter days
and nights in fighting plane, and he
knew the hell the fight was going
through at the moment. And SO he
stamped about unhappily, with his
peerng eyes always on the eastern
horizon, watching for the twin stars
which would herald the return of at
least one of the wanderers.
Finally, set of lights appeared
and swung swiftly toward the west.
Clash, dot, dash, dash" went the
code.
"It's Brown and Little" sighed the
commander, and was off posthaste to-
ward the landing place. The machine
circied and pcrched.
"That You, Brown" the comman-
der demanded, anxiously. every
! thing all right"
! He didn't ask whether they had
reached their objective or whether
they had dropped their bombs. Were
his boys all right!
+ Brown and Little are all right,
Sir" came the reply.
/ Ten times more the same thing ha,,
pcned, the planes sometimes arriving
( in groups. One pilot and his observer
were still out. We waited long time
and they did not appear. The COM
/ mander took himself Off to be alone,
: and the other officers whispered quiet
/ ly among themselves. There was trag-
1 cdy in the air. Two of the finest
men in the service were still unac-
counted for.
Meanwhile this pilot and observer
were struggling to win hundred-to-
one chance against them, with death
as Tie penalty for failure. Out over
The German lines their engine went
dead, while they were at the height
of perhaps 1000 feet. They dropped
1000 feet and then spasmodically.
Up they crawlcd to their former al
titudc, with their nose towrd home.
and then the engine gave final gasp
and died
All the probabilities were that they
would crash and he shrnashed TO piec-
es. There WAS only one thing that
could possibly prevent it. and that
was an iron nerve in the pilots box.
lie cody started to coast westward.
On he came until his signal lights
showed clearly to the watchers in the
;Adomc. 1t was like the flight of a
phantom machine, with its soundless
engine. The pilot got near the air.
dome and then hcsitated. He was lost
ana was coming down rapidly. He
signalied wildly and ascore of answer
ing lights flashed back lie swcrved
and came swooping down into the air
dome, saved by few yards.
The men were all back, and we
went 10 the commanders Office to
hear them give their reports. They
entered in twos and thrces. their he'll
mets pushed back, but still wearing
their bulky garments that made them
look like arctic explorers or "tcddy
bears" But what achange in their
demeanor! They were no longer the
laughing. testing crowd of two hours
before. They were pale and haggard
and their eyes were strained and
brilliant. No need for them to say
what they had been through. Their
faces told the story
One by one they told briefly what
they had done. They had, or they had
not reached their objective. The Hun
hate? Very bad, indeed, but not a
subject for discussion. Their reports
were taken and they moved quietly
away. They wanted to be alone.
The Bostonian paused for mo-
ment by the Associated Press CORE
spondent. The big youth still wore a
smile, but he was subdued. The "chau-
ifetr' had had hard trip that night
lie pulled out his pipe and filled it,
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