Part 15 (1/2)

”Yes; that's about one and a half inch in your measure,” answered the lieutenant.

Within an hour the reservoir was again in position, and there was no delay in again mounting into the air. ”We might take a little trip due east, as far as Toul, and north of that point we may have the privilege of seeing some of the enemy,” remarked the lieutenant, as they mounted the machine.

A beautiful silver thread now appeared on the landscape to the east, as they reached their greatest alt.i.tude. Looking back there was a smaller thread to the west, and, apparently, the same distance from their viewpoint. They thus had the opportunity of seeing, at one glance, two of the most noted rivers which figure in the great war,--the Meuse to the east, and the Marne in the west, these streams at this point being within thirty miles of each other.

It was, probably, imprudent for them to take an out-of-the-way course to reach their destination, but the temptation was very great. The sun was still s.h.i.+ning brightly when they started from Ligny-en-Barrois, but it was now growing dark from the overspreading clouds, and as soon as Toul was sighted the lieutenant turned the machine northward.

To the west it could now be seen that the threatening clouds were coming up, and they appeared to be sweeping toward the east with great speed, at right angles to the aviators' course.

”I wonder what the lieutenant will do?” queried Ralph half to himself, as he looked at the clouds, and then glanced back to the officer.

The lieutenant shook his head, and pointed the machine further to the left.

”Why, I believe he is going right into it!” remarked Alfred in amazement to Ralph.

But the officer now made a wide swinging turn. A view of the heavens indicated that the storm was an extensive one, and that the speed of the wind had increased most alarmingly, for, in looking down they seemed to stand still over the little hamlet beneath them. The wind, into which they were flying, was traveling at the same speed as the machine.

There was but one course to follow. They must return to the earth, otherwise they would be driven far over into the German lines. By setting the control lever so as to depress the nose of the machine they rapidly descended, the lever being intermittently drawn back to a normal position, so as to keep the s.h.i.+p on an even keel and prevent it from performing a loop in the air.

The landing was easily made, notwithstanding the wind, and they found they were near Commercy, west of the Meuse, about thirty-five miles south of Verdun. A terrific rainstorm then followed, which lasted more than an hour.

”Were you ever in a rainstorm while flying?”

”Never but once,” replied the lieutenant, ”and that was in thunder and lightning, too, which was the most terrific thing I ever went through.”

”Tell us about it!” said Alfred.

”I almost shudder at it when I stop to think of the hour when I faced the lightning right where it is made,” said the lieutenant. ”It was in the second week of the war, just east of Rheims, when the Germans were sweeping across the frontier and had pa.s.sed Charleville. I had a double-seated Nieuporte, with an a.s.sistant handling the machine, while I was making observations.

”Shortly after getting the first glimpse of the moving German columns I noticed that it was growing dark, but when you are aloft that is not noticed as quickly as when on terra firma. The great hosts of Germans interested me intensely, and we kept on until I estimated that we were fully ten miles behind the advance columns, when my a.s.sistant shouted through the tube: 'Look back; what are your orders?'

”I saw that to continue would be disastrous, so I gave the order to turn. This gave us the first opportunity to determine our speed, or, to state it more accurately, the speed of the wind, for you will recall that when we turned this afternoon, we seemed to stand still above the town.

”Within ten minutes of the time I turned the machine to the west the first heavy rolling clouds seemed to meet us. The earth was quickly blotted from sight, and heavy rumblings were heard, but no indications of lightning. I knew that heavy black clouds were dangerous, and they were so black that it was impossible to see my a.s.sistant, three feet distant.

”I could not decide what to do, so I finally shouted through the tube: 'keep on a straight course to the west,' for I knew that to land at that point would bring us right into the great German column. There was no rain falling at the time, but the cloud was like the densest mist. The machine was still moving,--that is, the engine was merrily humming, and my a.s.sistant's voice startled me as he shouted: 'There is something wrong; compa.s.s out of order.'

”During the flashes I could see him pointing to the compa.s.s, and I leaned over, and caught a glimpse of the dial. The pointer was swinging around violently. The lightning now seemed to be incessant, and the rumbling of the thunders was weird beyond description. Sometimes, immediately after a vivid flash, a thick spray would deluge our faces.”

”What were you thinking about while all this was happening?” asked Alfred.

”What impressed me most was the wonderful difference between the appearance of those electrical discharges when viewed in the usual way from the surface of the earth. I did not notice any forked lightning, nor did it show itself in streaks, darting hither and thither. It seemed to be more like b.a.l.l.s of fire, suddenly appearing here and there, and when each ball burst into flame, there would be a crackling sound, at any rate, so it seemed, for I dared not stop the engine.

”But the most remarkable thing was the odor which was present. It had a pungent smell, not at all unpleasant, but decidedly exhilarating in its effects. I suppose we were taking in ample doses of laughing gas, for I a.s.sure you that after the first experience, we had no particular sense of danger. It was most fascinating, and I felt as though I was being raised up on my seat. Occasionally I would try to figure out how this would end, but on the whole it was devoid of terror.”

”How long were you in the storm?” asked Ralph.

”Well, I was so fascinated that I had forgotten to look at the watch. I held it before me, and soon noticed that it was nearly five o'clock, so that we were over an hour and a half in the thick of it. During this experience what gave me the queerest feeling was the compa.s.s, the needle of which could not be seen, it swung around with such velocity. Were we going with the storm, or not? That was the thing uppermost in my mind.