The copper era and Morenci leader., 1918-02-08
ON WATCH FOR
 AIRPLANE SCOUT
Episode \ Illustrative of One of Many Diverse Phases
 of the War.
CLOSE VIGILANCE NECESSARY
Three Whistles; Presto, Battery Cam ouflaged!-In This Instance Ven turesome German Machine
 Plunged to Earth

Plunged to Earth
 London.-The -airpfane sentry sat on his solitary mound in the middle of the field in the hot sunshine. His busi- ness was to watch for hostile airpianes and warn the battery of their ap- proach. It does not sound very ardu- ous business, but it is one that requires considerable training if mistakes are to be avoided. Airplanes fly too high 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 so many different types of machine in the air this requires experience and q quick eye. ai'{0 2o
 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 Engiishman's' love of sport. The attitude of watcffulness seemed natural to him ass he sat with his glass slung round his neck, his eyes searching the skies aIf about him.
 A couple of hundred yards ;aways the battery was at the height of ftssm0Fn- ing toilet. The big guns were uncov- cred and the Hmber-gunners and their assistants were performing the morn ing solutions of their charges, washing out the bores and scrubbing them with the long-handfed piasaba brushes that take four men to push through. The artiflcer was testing air pressuress 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 ammunitioM column during the night The whole orchard was a scene Of ac- tivity, and concealment was sut ef the question while 1t lasted.
 Sudden Transformaticn.
 Suddenly the airplane sentry stood up, gazed at q distant speck in the sky through his glasses for few seconds. then blew three blasts upon his whfs- tie. Before the echoes had died away B furious scene-shffting began in the. battery. The cleaning squads put down their utensils and drew up the gun-covers, the artificer put his span ners in his pocket and sprang under the nearest tree where he was Joined oy the section officers and their assist ants. The shen numbers hastily cov-. cred their work with leaves, and brush wood, and hid themselves; under cover ] of the shed that acted ass am aInmuni' ,, tion store. In ten seconds, where all the activity had been the, sharpest eye ! would have seen nothing. but a compact orchard, with here and there a group of men sheltering. under trees; invisible from the air.
 The German airplane' made q wide sweep over the lines at a. great hsight, the nucleus of scattered pattern of shrapnel that burst alp around 1t, leaving puffs; of smolke. tnat hung like Icottonwood against the clear blue of the sky. Then, apparently not Aking the look of a couple of Hnftfsh fighters; that rose to, pursue if. 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 i terrupted work went Om again
 A Second lnvftatfon-
 ! But tile sentry redeubled his vigf- lance. Tine battery had made itself exceedingly unpopular with the Ger man; it had recently put several of his guns osnt of actien, besides account ing for ;D Nig minenwerfer that had an and ii was evident that he meant to d,scemax- it's position somehow. There vere several German balloons up as it was, though a fortunate. rise in the grestmil just hid the battery. from their view. Nor was it likely that on a day " t.n visibility was 90 good the enemy vnenj.l stop at one casual, airplene. It 'u1s far more likely that ha .w0hid send
 therr over at intervals throughout th<
 day.
 And so ft happened Before aa
 hour was past a second speek appeared | ia the sky apd again the. scene shifting
 tnok place on the. blast of the whistle
 This time the hostile, plane was shap
 ir q '.uurse. that would bring 1t very
 ,e:rlv oyer the battery, and the sentry
 --atchrtl it with some concern. On fl
 r1mr. the shFapnel bursting furiOusly
 round it, diving and wheeling to dis con..er, the gunners' aim. It swep } over the battery, went straight on for i '"w minutes, then turned and cam' ,ar!I :-"in. Had it seen anything sus picicu": The sentry scanned the or ,.ha-d sharply. Everything was in per feet order. not even a bully-beef til F. about to betray sign of human ,ocu,,a,ion; there were no tracks visi ,lc across the grass; every trifie wa 'lrcfully covered up. It is on detail e like this that the safety of a batter, b depends Upon the slightest hint tha anything is hidden in a particular spo