THE BATTLE OF FRANCE

the firing. If the data are correct the resolved
equation brings an aeroplane to earth. One's
thoughts dwelt inevitably on the contrast between
the prodigious ingenuity of this machine and the
primitive dens that house those who serve it. Man's
geometry can raise him up among the gods, if his
grossness does not cast him down to HelL

cOne of our difficulties/ the Lieutenant said, 'is
to distinguish between our own machines and the
enemy's. And the Germans themselves, on their
own admission, are continually making the same
mistakes/

Love of gunnery is a contagious passion. That
evening in the cantonment, the French liaison officer
and the padre, having acquired a matting target and
arrows, were practising indirect fire. They had set
up a screen between the marksman and the target.
An observer signalled where the arrows fell and the
marksman adjusted his aim accordingly. It is a
game for the intelligent.

The Guards
You may have seen them in London, in their red
tunics and great bearskins, mounting guard before
Buckingham Palace: you may have admired the
rigidity of their movements, the vigour with which
they handle their arms, the elegance of their officers
50