"That was satisfactory to little Mattia. He was happy, for he was with the army, and that night the roar of the distant artillery lulled him to sleep. It was sweet music to him. 'Tomorrow I shall fight like the Frenchman I am,' he murmured as he dropped off to sleep. "It was many days later, however, before he got the chance to take part in actual fighting. Even that came about by chance. He had been sent back to carry a message to the lieutenant in a high-angle gun squad--" "What is that?" interjected Joe Funk. "I should have explained. That is what the outfit that handles the anti-aircraft guns, the men who stay on the ground and shoot at airplanes, is called. He was permitted to stand by and watch the operations of the squad. Pretty soon he was assisting them by running back and bringing up the long, slender projectiles that the gun, pointed toward the skies, fired. He enjoyed watching the kick of the piece and the way it ejected the case of the shell after the projectile had soared on its way to the clouds. "Mattia proved himself very useful that day and earned the thanks of the ammunition carriers for his help. He was quick and never stumbled or dropped a shell. "That night he slept on the ground near the gun, which was silent all through the night. Early in the morning he was awakened by the sharp report of the weapon. Quickly springing up, he saw, high in the air, a black speck which he knew to be an enemy airplane, because the gun squad was firing at it. "Once more Mattia took up his work of carrying ammunition. Something tremendous exploded not far from the squad. "'The Boches are bombing us,' cried a soldier. The lad knew from that that the airplane, so far above them, was dropping bombs to destroy the gun and its squad. The only effect of the bombing, however, was to knock down several men, Mattia among the number, by the shock of an exploding bomb. "'They're coming down!' yelled the lad as the airplane grew larger. "'It's a hit!' cried the lieutenant in command. "Mattia saw the airplane turning over and over, falling, soaring like a leaf from a tree in the fall. "'Di--did we hi--hit him?' questioned the lad. "'Of course we hit him,' answered a soldier. 'Don't you see him coming?' "For the first time the little French lad realized what war was. He knew there was one man, and perhaps two, in that falling machine, and that he was watching them falling to what would probably be death. "'It is for France,' he said to himself. 'If they are Boches they must die.' However, Mattia did not get the picture of that scene out of his mind for a long time. Later on he became used to it and did not even marvel.