"It is remarkable work," he commented warmly, "hazardous in the
extreme; and if anything goes wrong they cannot see where they are
coming down. Even when they alight in their own lines, landing safely
is difficult. They are apt to wreck their machines."
The mention of German aeroplanes reminded one of the officers of an
experience he had had just behind the firing line.
"I had been to the front," he said, "and a mile or so behind the line
a German aeroplane overtook the automobile. He flew low, with the
evident intention of dropping a bomb on us. The chauffeur, becoming
excited, stalled the engine. At that moment the aviator dropped the
first bomb, killing a sow and a litter of young pigs beside the car
and breaking all the glass. Cranking failed to start the car. It was
necessary, while the machine manoeuvred to get overhead again, to lift
the hood of the engine, examine a spark-plug and then crank the car.
He dropped a second bomb which fell behind the car and made a hole in
the road. Then at last the engine started, and it took us a very short
time to get out of that neighbourhood."
The car he spoke of was the car in which I had come out to the
station. I could testify that something had broken the glass!
One of the officers had just received what he said were official
percentages of casualties in killed, wounded and missing among the
Allies, to the first of February.
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