ving on a Hun, I have never experienced this troubled sensation,
probably because it has been swamped under the high tension of readiness
for the task. All the faculties must be concentrated on opening the
attack, since an air duel is often decided in the first few seconds at
close quarters. What happens during these few seconds may depend on a
trifle, such as the position of the gun-mounting, an untried drum of
ammunition, a slight swerve, or firing a second too soon or too late. An
airman should regard his body as part of the machine when there is a
prospect of a fight, and his brain, which commands the machine, must be
instinctive with insight into what the enemy will attempt.

As we dived, then, I estimated the angle at which we might cross the
Boche trio, watched for a change of direction on their part, slewed
round the gun-mounting to the most effective setting for what would
probably be my arc of fire, and fingered the movable back-sight. At
first the Huns held to their course as though quite unconcerned. Later,
they began to lose height. Their downward line of flight became steeper
and steeper, and so did ours.

Just as our leading bus arrived within range and began to spit bullets
through the propeller, a signal rocket streaked from the first Boche
biplane, and the trio dived almost vertically, honking the while on
Klaxon horns. We were then at about 6000 feet.

We were expecting to see the Huns flatten out, when--"_Wouff!_ _wouff!_
_wouff!_ _wouff!_ _wouff!_" said Archie. The German birds were not hawks
at all; they were merely tame decoys used to entice us to a pre-arranged
spot, at a height well favoured by A.-A. gunners. The ugly puffs
encircled us, and it seemed unlikely that an aeroplane could get away
without being caught in a patch of hurtling high explosive. Yet nobody
was hit. The only redeeming feature of the villain Archibald is that his
deeds are less terrible than his noise, and even this is too flat to be
truly frightful. Although I was uncomfortable as we raced away, the
chorused _wouffs!_ reminded me of an epidemic of coughing I heard in
church one winter's Sunday, while a fatuous sermon was read by a
dull-voiced vicar.

Mingled with the many black bursts were a few green ones, probably gas
shells, for Archie had begun to experiment with the gas habit. Very
suddenly a line of fiery rectangles shot up and curved towards us when
they had reached three-quarters of their maximum height. They ros