He led the flotilla up the coast of Belgium until he came to the Schouen Bank buoy, with its red lattice-work top hamper surmounted by a ball. Here he turned west towards England, along the northern edge of one of our mine-fields. At half-past eight o'clock he touched the southern arm of the Spider Web.
Suddenly, in the mist, only a mile away, he saw, six hundred feet in the air, a black body with wings.
At the sharp word of command his gun crew raced along the narrow deck to the 22-pounder. The breach was snapped open, a shell shoved home, the gun elevated, and then its discharge shook the whole structure of the submarine, which had not been designed to take the recoil.
The shell burst just in front of the flying-boat.
As the gun flashed the Hun Commander saw a long narrow object detach itself from beneath a wing of the boat.
It began to fall.
It wabbled slightly at first, but steadied.
It was coming straight towards him on a slanting path. Its black nose was pointing downwards and it looked to be travelling sideways.
In a shattering roar his universe disintegrated.
Partially stunned, shaking, and bleeding from a long gash across his scalp, he stumbled to his feet.