WARNING
'Nobody—not a scratch. A few holes in the
wings. Come and meet N------/
N------was very young and fair, almost fragile: in
features rather like Pierre Fresnay. His modesty and
simplicity were immaculate.
* Could you be so good as to let me have your
impressions. Did you find it very exciting? Or was
it just so much shooting practice for you?'
'No, it was exciting/
He added, as if by way of apology:
'You must remember that it was my first scrap/
'And did you stick to the principles you were
taught during your training?'
'Oh yes. . . . And I found them good enough/
'How did you know the Germans were on their
way?*
'By telephone. I was in command of the watch
planes. I was told that two Germans might be
coming over. I sent two of our machines after one
of them. I chased the other myself/
'And what did you see?'
'First a black speck. I flew after him for a long
time. Eventually I got near enough to distinguish
the machine clearly. I let the German open fire first.
I saw the bullets running round the machine. . . .
Then I let fly and saw suddenly that he'd let down
his wheels and was falling/
'Why did he release his under-carriage? As a sign
of capitulation?'