ng all over
the field. Suddenly he started in my direction as if the whole force
of his will was turned to the business of running me down. Luckily he
shut off his motor, and by the grace of the law of inertia came to a
halt when he was within a dozen paces of me.

We turned our machines tail to tail and started off in opposite
directions, but in a moment I was following hard after him. Almost it
seemed that those evil birds had wills of their own. Drew's turned as
though it were angry at the indignity of being pursued. We missed each
other, but it was a near thing, and, not being able to think fast
enough, I stalled my motor, and had to await helplessly the assistance
of a mechanic. Far away, at our starting-point, I could see the
Americans waving their arms and embracing each other in huge delight,
and then I realized why they had all been so eager to come with us to
the field. They had been through all this. Now they were having their
innings. I could hear them shouting, although their voices sounded
very thin and faint. "Why don't you come back?" they yelled. "This
way! Here we are! Here's your class!" They were having the time of
their vindictive lives, and knew very well that we would go back if we
could.

Finally we began to get the hang of it, and we did go back, although
by circuitous routes. But we got there, and the _moniteur_ explained
again what we were to do. We were to anticipate the turn of the
machine with the rudder, just as in sailing a boat. Then we
understood the difficulty. In my next sortie, I fixed my eye upon the
flag at the opposite side of the field, and reached it without a
single _cheval de bois_. I could have kissed the Annamite who was
stationed there to turn the machines which rarely came. I had mastered
the Penguin! I had forced my will upon it, compelled it to do my
bidding! Back across the field I went, keeping a direct course, and
thinking how they were all watching, the _moniteur_, doubtless, making
approving comments. I reduced the gas at the proper time, and taxied
triumphantly up to the starting-point.

But no one had seen my splendid sortie. Now that I had arrived, no one
paid the least attention to me. All eyes were turned upward, and
following them with my own, I saw an airplane outlined against a
heaped-up pile of snow-white cloud. It was moving at tremendous speed,
when suddenly it darted straight upward, wavered for a second or two,
turned slowly on one wing and fell, no