THE LAME DUCK

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 253, 13 July 1918, Page 8

THE LAME DUCK

ANXIOUS HOURS IN A SEAPLANE. The steady roar of tho engines suddenly dies away and becomes a spluttoring succession of pops and bangs, and the noise- of the seaplane at once begins to drop as the machino loses impetus. "Pump I" shouts tho pilot. The observer feverishly works the pressure pump at his side, but to no avail. The machine glides nearer and nearer to the sea, slowly flattens, out, hits the water with a long, running splash, loses momentum, and rests, floating, on the calm surface. The engine makes a few final noisy protests and stops. "No good! eays tho pilot as he climbs out of his seat on to the. long float, and walks towards tho nose of the machine. "I will try to swing her." Ho-does bo with difficulty from the front of the floats, but has no success. '"Fraid we're here for the night, or worse!" is his next cheerful commont. ("Wo had better fire a light." Climbing into his seat he gets a Verev pistol, and, slipping a cardboard cartridge into its squat brass barrel, he points it upwards and fires it. A ball of white fire shoots upwards, falls in a curve, and hisses into tho water. No response, alas! Meanwhile his mate, the observer, is standing in the float watching the great red eun dropping behind a bank of clouds. A cold night wind already whistles aoross the waters, which are beginning to grow shadowy in tho gathering dusk. No boat or ship is in sight, and the line of coast has vanished beyond the horizon now that they have descended to the surface of the sea. The water is lapping peacefully against the floats, and shoals of jellyfish float past. The pilot whistles cheerfully, but his gaiety soon dies away. Ho climbs to hia seat and fires another light, for it is now growing dark. . The sense of loneliness is oppressive. They begin to feel hungry. . Tho observer fetches from his seat the precious vacuum flask full of water, and tho inalt>ed milk tablets that contain suffioient nourishment for twenty-four hours, and sitting on the float with his back against a steel strut he begins to ohew one meditatively, «e ho looks along the dim and deserted sea levels. The prospect is' anxious. It is now nearly dark, and they are both chilly in their light clothes. The pilot fires a third light, and a few moments later sees, to his delight, a small red light moving across tho eea some distance away. As it draws nearer and nearer he fires light after light, in order to show his position, and soon he sees to his joy the outline of an English destroyer, which comes rushing towards tho machine, turns sharply twenty or thirty yards off, and stops. A boat is lowered and is rowed over to the slowly sinking' seaplnne, and takes the pilot and observer aboard. A hawser is tied' to tho floats, and soon the two airmen are eating a very unexpected dinner in the wardroom as they steam back to their port.