for Jimmy Hill, whether working or not, never failed to give Archie
a sort of resume of what he had picked up during the week.

One Thursday afternoon the colonel was making a round of the hangars.
Archie was on duty with him, accompanying him as a sort of extra
orderly, the soldier orderly having been sent to the town with a message.

As they passed down the front of the hangars the colonel turned to
watch one of the pupils trying his first "solo," or flight by himself,
not far away. "Handles her nicely," he said, half to himself. Then,
turning to Archie, he added: "How would you like to be up there in
that machine?"

To his surprise Archie looked very thoughtful and shook his head
soberly before he replied: "I hardly know, sir."

"What!" said the colonel. "Have I found one of you Brighton boys
that is not anxious to fly?"

"I am anxious enough to fly. It's the machine I was thinking about."

"What's the matter with the machine?"

"I don't know if anything is the matter with her, but that is the old
biplane they call the 'bad bus.' She has given more than one man a
spill, sir. Everything goes well with her for a while and then she
plays a trick on someone. Last time I saw her cutup she side-slipped
without any explanation for it. Some of us have got the idea that
she has always got to be watched for sideslip. I would not mind going
up in her after I had learned to fly, but she would not be my choice