An examination showed that not only was the control wire cut in two places, but the vertical plane had its pivot shot away, thus accounting for the peculiar action of the lever, which seemed to jam whenever an attempt was made to turn it to the right. Ralph did not know this, while seated astride the body and manipulating the plane, and it was obvious that even though he had succeeded in splicing the wire, it would have been impossible, with the rudder in that condition, to turn by means of the wire controls. Assisted by the machinist from the garage belonging to the owner of the school, they completed the repairs in an hour, and, hungry though they were, they again went aloft and sailed for their camp, which was reached after an absence of three hours. They thus had less than a hour to get a hurried meal and prepare to line up with the squadron, to carry out the orders for the movement to the north. They were now going to that section of the fighting line in France where the most intense struggles up to that time had taken place, and where, ever since the opening of the conflict the most stupendous operations were being carried out to gain the mastery. Imagine, if you can, the sight that met their gaze, as they took their place on the extreme right of the three squadrons, which were about to launch on this memorable occasion. They were about twenty miles south of the city of Verdun. The extreme northern aviation base was not more than eight miles southwest of the city, located on a level plain east of the forest of Argonne, and close to the Aire river, a tributary of the Aisne. The trip was a short one, as the actual flying distance was less than fifteen miles. Long before they reached the scene of the great camp, they could see the thousands of vehicles, and the hundreds of thousands of soldiers, on the highways, in the fields, and around the villages along the two main railways which threaded their way along the wide valleys between the Meuse and the Aire. During every mile of the trip they were under the constant vigilance of the officers, who moved them into echelon, formed them into squares, or caused them to trail in columns of two or three, the object being to accustom the pilots to obey and execute signals while in flight. CHAPTER XI A FIGHT AND A LANDING IN BELGIUM The day following their arrival at the field base, as it was called, they found a wonderful change in the order and arrangement of the place. Everything was done in the most systematic way. So many machines, from each squadron, were told off each morning for certain duties. Those duties were as follows: First, scouting. This meant ascertaining where the enemy was most active; where the batteries were located; noting the movement of troops, and their general character.