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Perry, William B.

"Our Pilots in the Air"


"Look! Look!" called Andra. "He's falling -- ah-h-h!" This last word
was long drawn out during which, to her intense joy, Blaine had righted
himself and was behind and below the other plane. Now she could see
the spitting of lire as he plugged bullets and shrapnel into his
astonished opponent.
Scarcely did she breathe again before the Taube, its Death's Head Flag
collapsing about its staff, was tumbling down, almost over them. At
the same time one of the Huns battling with Bangs was hit in the tank
by a rain of bullets from Byers' machine which was striving to rise
above and behind the foe the captain had singled out for himself.
Down went this one of Buck's opponents in flames. Both planes fell
just without the grounds, while the battle above filtered away towards
the German front, the invaders evidently having gotten enough. Two
other enemy planes were retiring in a crippled condition, all pursued
by the Allies, who had so far lost only one machine.
The Senator, seeing little heed paid by his daughters to his commands,
was seized by the spirit of the combat and recklessly hurried off
towards the nearest wrecked plane that had fallen. The girls, with
others, followed.
It was a sad sight. This machine, the wings still burning, lay in a
confused huddle over a crushed human body that still gave signs of
life. It was the plane that Byers bad sent down in flames.


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