“I was out with an observer, a very good pal of mine, on a big pusher-plane that had one of the finest engines in it I had ever seen.  I don’t know why we haven’t had more of those out here.  Something to do with the plane itself, I think.  I understand the plane did not do so well as the engine, and they are getting out a new thruster to take that engine.  When it comes along it will be a daisy.  We had been doing what my observer called dog work.  By that he meant just plain reconnaissance.  We had taken in a given area, and followed all the roads to watch for traffic.  We had noted nothing of particular interest, and at last we turned for home.

“We had not gone far when right ahead came a Boche flier pounding for home himself, apparently.  It was a two-seater.  He evidently liked our looks but little, and started to climb for safety.  But we could climb, too.  He had never met one of that pusher type, I guess.  We kept on going up, getting higher and higher, and gaining on him all the time.  It must have been a big strain for the men in that enemy machine.

“I could imagine them discussing us.”

“What is it?” one may have asked.

“He will quit soon; we will be at twenty thousand feet before long,” the other may have replied.

“It was at just about twenty thousand feet that we at last got within range.  We had both been in chases before.  We were cool enough about this one, I think.  My observer was.  He sat there calmly enough waiting till I could get near enough for him to let fly.  I was too busy watching the fellow in front to think about much else.  I have always thought that he must have miscalculated the distance that I had gained.  Maybe something went a bit wrong with his engine that took his attention.  He was about as far up as he could get his bus.  Twenty thousand feet is nearly four miles, you know.  We are likely to forget that.  It is a long way up, even now, and it seemed further up then.

“I am afraid I am stringing the story out, rather, but it strung itself out that way.  It was ’most all climb, climb, climb, with an eye on the two men in the plane ahead.  Then I got him in range, and before I realized it.”  “Brrr-r-rr-rrr-rrrr!” started the quick-firer behind me.  That was the most exciting moment I have gone through out here.

“They moment the machine-gun started something truly extraordinary happened.  The Boche pilot, at the very first burst of fire from us, either jumped out of his seat or fell out.

“I could hardly believe my eyes.  Yet there could be no mistake.  He went over the side of his fuselage and dropped like a man who intended dropping just a few yards.  I could see that he fell feet first, head up, and arms stretched up above his head, holding his body rigidly straight.  Neither I nor my observer saw him the moment he left his seat, but both of us saw him leave the side of his machine and start down, down, down on that long four-mile drop.