Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1918-05-09

often happened. there were no witnesses and notn.
ing to confirm his success from official point OF
view. In the afternoon he went up again, ano,
by no means discouraged with his mornings ex-
perience he went to look for the enemy IN the
neighborhood Of the reservoir
He was not long In appearing. Soulier soon saw
in his path albatross biplane with three mi,
traeuses Following his usual tactics, Souhe-
dropped from the altitude in which he was ny
ing, always very high, and swiftly pursued the
enemy. The abatross sought to escape from at
tack but was overtaken by light charge, and
fell, spreading itself out on the earth and taking
fire. The deed was done, but again the pilot look
ed about him for spectators who might supply the
confirmation necessary to his official recognition.
Unfortunately again there was no one who had
seen his triumph.
soulier, however, hardly had time to indulge
In bitter reflections before new danger and
new opportunity presented itself.
Some kilometers further on he perceived q mag
nifcent observation balloon, lighted by the rays
Of the setting sun.
Where the Drachens there are also the
bursts of shrapnel, and toward TIE middle OF these
clouds of black smoke Soulier guided his machine,
carrying it through the marvellous evolutions OF
which he is master. Again fate was against him.
for as he fired his twentieth cartridge his NIL
+ro;llense stopped, and there was nothing for the
pilot to do but to return to his own camp.
Turning with the object Of making for home
mics.
Two thousand meters above his head four en-
envy airplanes circled.
One of them came on at full speed and at 200
meters opened fire on him.
1t is at such moments as these that the aero
hattie flyer finds himself at the height of his glory
With every nerve taut, with every bit Of skill
In play, he turns, twists and circles his
way out Of such difficulties, and when he
comes through them successfully tastes for
moment glory almost unknown to other men,
A slide down the wing, loop, then all the ga
NUT of beautifully executed maneuvers-whose
most valuable quality is their faculty of keeping
the enemy guessing where the machine will be In
the next secondhand Soulier had succeeded in
showing his heels to the enemy. Then, guiding
himself with one hand and repairing his mitra-
leuse with the other, while at the same time he
continued his series Of acrobatics, Soulier winged
his way to the French lines, succeeding in throw
ing off the first one and then another Of his adj
versaries.
To complete his mischance his motor weakened.
He had only one resource-to do the death drop.
He let himself fall in spirals, and the Bosches,
believing that he had been sent down, beat their
wings as If in dance of joy.
Then suddenly the "dead" French aviator right
ed himself, began to arm his mitralleuse,
and with a last shot at his enemy, regained his
lines, able at last to say "alone."
The tolls and dangers of this terrible day had
counted for nothing, however, on the official rec
ord Of the young aviator, but the following day.
although his activities were by no means SO con-
tinuous, was to bring him the substantial recogni-
ton that every aviator longs for
Ely the same bright star as that Of the day be-
fore he started morning flight, passing rapid
ly over the enemy trenches. Presently perceivng
D. r. w. scout machine, he attacked it vigor-
ously.
In these single combats in which only two ma
nj iYnr %olyn G<rI%
over. In three minutes the enemy had been heat
en-, the machine fell in flames and the two aya-
tors were crushed on the ground. On this occa-
sion observers in balloon and some infantry
troops had been able to follow the duel and re-
ported onlclal confirmation SO eagerly desired
That very night at the Bonne-Maison farm in n
friendly ceremony the new was baptized in
champagne.