nd magnificent," says one officer, "and I was filled
with rapture at the spectacle of the first fight in the clouds. The
German maneuvered for position and prepared to attack, but our fellow
was too quick for him, and darted into a higher plane. The German tried
to circle round and follow, and so in short spurts they fought for
mastery, firing at each other all the time, the machines swaying and
oscillating violently. The British airman, however, well maintained his
ascendency. Then suddenly there was a pause, the German machine began to
reel, the wounded pilot had lost control, and with a dive the aeroplane
came to earth half a mile away. Our man hovered about for a time, and
then calmly glided away over the German lines to reconnoiter."

Nothing could excel the skill and daring shown by the men of the Royal
Flying Corps. They stop at nothing. Some of their machines have been so
badly damaged by rifle and shell fire that on descending they have had
to be destroyed.

"Fired at constantly both by friend and foe," Sir John French writes,
"and not hesitating to fly in every kind of weather, they have remained
undaunted throughout." The highest praise is bestowed upon
Brigadier-General Sir David Henderson, in command of the Corps, for the
high state of efficiency this young branch of the service has attained.
It has been on its trial, and has already covered itself with glory.
General Joffre, the French Commander-in-Chief, has sent a special
message singling out the British Flying Corps "most particularly" for
his highest eulogies. Several English airmen have already been made
Chevaliers of the Legion of Honor.

That the nervous strain of aerial warfare is severe is shown by
expression in several airmen's letters. Not only have they to fight
their man, but they have to manage their machines at the same time. This
means that if an airman ascends alone he is unable to use a rifle and
must depend for attack on revolver fire only. This is illustrated by a
passage in one of the official reports: "Unfortunately one of our
aviators, who has been particularly active in annoying the enemy by
dropping bombs, was wounded in a duel in the air. Being alone on a
single-seated monoplane, he was not able to use a rifle, and whilst
circling above a German two-seater in an endeavor to get within pistol
shot was hit by the observer of the latter, who was armed with a rifle.
He managed to fly back over our lines, and by great good luck desce