The Boy Volunteers with the French Airmen Read online

  CHAPTER II

  IN THE AVIATION CAMP

  Once inside the ambulance the boys had an opportunity to watch thedoctors, as they removed the clothing from the men, and began a searchfor the location and nature of the injuries. It was a gratification tobe able to assist in this work. Jack's legs were both broken, and thelieutenant's chest, back and right arm were bruised and clotted withblood.

  "I think they are all right," said the doctor in charge.

  "But it's awfully hard breathing," said the lieutenant.

  "You must have had a pretty good weight on top of you," remarked thedoctor.

  "I should think so," said Ralph. "It was all we could do to lift up thecross piece of the frame from him."

  "We'll straighten you out in a few days," answered the doctor, "but yourcompanion didn't fare as well. Compound fracture of one leg; but he hasa good constitution; he's good for several trips yet."

  The gratitude of the lieutenant was plainly observable, and the doctorwas quick to notice it. "If these young men hadn't taken you out whenthey did it would have been all over with you, because the weightprevented you from breathing."

  The lieutenant tried to smile, as he gazed at the boys, and theyunderstood.

  When the ambulance reached the hospital there were fifty or moreaviators from the station, awaiting the news. The boys leaped out, theattendants were on hand with the stretchers, while the excited mencrowded around the boys to learn the details. It was not long before thestory of the rescue was known. The chief of the flying squadron came outof the hospital, and approached the boys. The latter straightened up andsaluted.

  "You should be commended for the prompt work you performed in rescuingthe lieutenant and his pilot. I understand you belong to the Belgianarmy; but you are not Belgians, are you?" he asked.

  "No, we are not," said Alfred, slightly embarrassed at the question.

  The Commandant smiled as he continued: "I take it that you areAmericans?"

  "Yes, Captain; you are right," replied Ralph. "We joined the Belgianarmy at Liege, and fought the enemy all the way to Antwerp, and we hadsome pretty hot times, too."

  This speech was applauded heartily, while a young man sprang forward,held out his hand and said: "And here's United States, too."

  "We are not with the army now," said Alfred, recovering; "we hope to goto Paris, if it is possible to get there."

  "The chances for that are not very good at present," observed theCommandant, "but in the meantime, if you are not attached, you must putup with us."

  "Thank you for the offer," said Ralph eagerly. "We want to get into theflying service; that will just suit us."

  "I am afraid that the army provisions would not permit you to join,"said the officer, and all noted the expressions of disappointment thatindicated the boys' feelings at this announcement.

  "Then I suppose we'll have to force our way in, just as we did inBelgium," said Alfred.

  This was greeted with a sally of laughter. The boys had made a hit withthe corps, and they accepted the offer of quarters for theiraccommodation in the firm belief that something would turn up to assistthem in their desires.

  Boys are really at a disadvantage sometimes. This story, as well as manyothers, shows that they are capable of doing things as well as men, andthat they can do some things better than most men; but in militarymatters the service seems to have been made for grown-up people on theprinciple that war is too barbarous a thing for young men until they aretwenty years of age.

  The boys, who were now in their glory, had a portion of a small room ina wooden building assigned to them. At this time there were fiftymachines of various types on the ground, the particular makes beingthe Bristol, the B. E., several Farman machines, and a half dozenSopworth tractors.

  Tom Walton, the young American who greeted them at the hospital, wasaccorded the privilege of escorting the boys and introducing them. Thatthey had been in the first battles of the war was sufficient to givethem a coveted place in that company of enthusiastic men, for there wassome glory in having been on a battlefield,--a thing which could havebeen said of only a few of those who entertained them that day.

  "I suppose you want to see the machines," said Tom.

  "Indeed, we do," said Alfred. "What is that big machine over there?"

  "That is a Bristol," answered Tom.

  "And there is another one," remarked Ralph, pointing to a machine, whichwas being drawn out of the hangar.

  "No, that's a B. E. biplane," answered Tom. "You will see the differenceby observing the shape of the planes. The Bristol has the ends of thewings rounded so that the forward corners are cut away to a greaterextent than the rear corners. In the B. E. the wings are cut to conformwith the well-known Wright type."

  "That's a Farman machine, I know," said Ralph, pointing to an aeroplanewhich had a huge revolving type of motor forward of the main planes.

  "Yes; but when that machine is high in the air it would be difficult torecognize it from that description," said Tom. "You will notice that thelower plane is much shorter than the upper plane, and that it has agreat spreading tail,--larger than any other machine now made."

  _Types of Allied Airplanes_]

  "Here is another kind, a little fellow. That certainly looks differentfrom all the others," said Alfred, as they stopped in front of a hangar.

  "That's the Sopworth tractor, a fine, speedy machine, with square endsto the planes, and a heart-shaped tail. It can be distinguished at anyaltitude," answered Tom.

  "I notice that that has different tails," said Ralph. "Does that makeany difference in the flying?"

  "Not in the least. Shape has nothing to do with it. Surface is all thatcounts. They are made with distinctive forms so that they may be easilydistinguished, one from the other."

  "We saw some German airplanes, several dozens of them, in Belgium, andthe only one I could recognize was the Taube, as they called it. Theyhave fan-shaped tails," said Alfred.

  "But here is the machine for business," said Tom, as they halted infront of a gaily decorated hangar, and pointed to a trim little machine,which was being overhauled.

  "I see you have the Stars and Stripes above the door," said Ralph.

  "Yes; and this is my machine; isn't it a beauty?" said Tom with aconsiderable show of pride.

  "What is it? I mean what make?" asked Alfred.

  "It is a French Morane; I have made many trips in it," said Tom, "andnow I am going to use it against the Dutchies."

  Thus they were conducted from place to place, visited the machine shop,which had been set up for repairs, and then inspected the landing field,which was designed to be illuminated for night work.

  "Do you mean to say that you use the flying machines at night?" askedRalph.

  "Why, certainly; that is going to be a great stunt," said Tom. "The onlytrouble is that where there are many lights about it is pretty hard fora pilot to hunt out the landing place, so the authorities have madespecial provision for returning aviators to enable them to land with asmuch safety as in the daytime."

  "How is it arranged so they can land without a mistake?" asked Alfred.

  _Airplanes of the Central Powers_]

  "Do you see that tall pylon, over there?" replied Tom. "That has on itthe pilot light, much more brilliant than anything in sight. Now, lookover to the left, nearly a quarter of a mile away; that pylon carries abrilliant red light. The other two pylons to the north and to the southhave blue lights. The aviator knows that the bright light is to the eastof the red light, and that he must make a landing somewhere between thebrilliant light and the red light, between the limits marked by the bluelights."

  "I should think that would be easy," said Ralph.

  "It is when the night is clear; but the trouble is that the fog from thechannel gives us considerable trouble, and then we have to glide backand forth very low to get our bearings, and that is dangerous businessin the night."

  The inspection raised the enthusiasm of the boys to the highest pitch.For the
m there was now no other life than flying, and, indeed, thingsseemed to be coming their way. They had learned more about machinesduring the two hours thus spent than they had acquired in all theirlives previous to that time.

  "I want to ask a favor of you," said Alfred, as they were returning totheir quarters.

  "Go ahead," said Tom.

  "I would like to go up in a machine with you," was the reply.

  Tom stopped, and looked at Alfred. "Do you really mean it?" he asked.

  "Of course I do," replied Alfred.

  "That's what I want to do, too," chimed in Ralph.

  "It's against the rules to take up any one but the observers duringpractice hours; but let me see,--we may be able to fix it up some othertime," said Tom.

  "Do you have to do much practicing?" asked Alfred.

  "Only from six to eight hours a day," answered Tom.

  "What! do you mean practice flying when you are not scouting?" askedRalph.

  "Well, I should say so," was the answer.

  "How long have you been flying?" asked Ralph.

  "About two years," said Tom.

  "And still they make you fly every day, for practice?" asked Alfred.

  "Of course," said Tom.

  "And what is that for?" asked Alfred.

  "Flying airplanes for war purposes is something different to ordinaryflying. The principal practice is to learn the methods of attack anddefense. But that is not all. The airplane is the eye of the army; theobserver must know how to observe. He must be able not only to see, butto put his knowledge into such form that it can be handed in in the formof a report. While he may get the information he must learn that theinformation is not for his own gratification, but for the use of the menin the field," said Tom.

  "Do all the machines carry a pilot and an observer?" asked Ralph.

  "Not by any means," answered Tom. "The first duty of a pilot is to learnhow to control his machine when approaching an enemy, and how to attackor to avoid him. For that purpose he has a machine gun which he uses inflying."

  "I had no idea that there was so much to do in the business," saidAlfred.

  "That is only part of the practice," continued Tom. "The mostinteresting part of the work is to practice flying in squadronformation, to observe the signals of the commanding officer and toexecute movements. For this purpose two squadrons oppose each other, andsally forth, the object being to judge the objects of an attacking forceand to devise means to repel the enemy."

  The boys sat on their improvised bunks until a late hour that night.They discussed the airplanes; the men they had met; their work inrescuing the fallen aviators, and the things they had learned in this,to them, the most eventful day.

  "I wonder what father would say if he knew we were going to join theaviation corps?" said Alfred.

  "Well, I wonder what he will say when he hears what we were doing inBelgium," replied Alfred.

  "He must have gotten our letters by this time," said Ralph.

  "Then why doesn't he answer our telegram?" asked Alfred.

  "Why, we forgot to go back to the city and inquire for it," said Ralph.

  "That's so; but we've been too busy for that; we must do that the firstthing in the morning," said Alfred.