Some rather exciting reconnaissances with Captain Simeon—­one day over Saint-Quentin they were attacked by a Fokker and, their machine-gun refusing to work, they were subjected to two hundred shots from the enemy at 100 meters, then at 50 meters, so that they were obliged to dive into a cloud, with one tire gone—­and a few bombardments of railway stations and goods depots did not assuage his fever for the chase.  Nothing sufficed him but to explore and rake the heavens.  On November 6, 3000 meters above Chaulnes, he waged an epic combat with an L.V.G. (Luft-Verkehr-Gesellschaft), 150 H.P.  Having succeeded in placing himself three meters under his enemy, he almost laughed with the surety he felt of forcing him down, when his machine-gun jammed.  He immediately banked, but he was so near the enemy that the machines interlocked.  Would he fall?  A bit of his canvas was torn off, but the airplane held its own.  As he drew away he saw the enormous enemy machine-gun aimed at him.  A bullet grazed his head.  He dived under the Boche, who retreated.  “All the same,” Guynemer added gaily, “if I ever get into a terrible financial fix and have to become a cab-driver, I shall have memories which are far from ordinary:  a tire exploding at 3400 meters, an interlocking at 3000 meters.  That rotten Boche only owed his life to a spring being slightly out of order, as was shown by the autopsy on the machine-gun.  For my eighth combat, this was decidedly annoying....”

It was annoying, but what could be done?  Nothing, in fact, but return to one’s apprenticeship.  He was perfectly satisfied with his work as a pilot, but it was necessary to avoid these too frequent jammings which saved the enemy.  At Stanislas College Guynemer was known as an excellent shot.  He began to practice again with his rifle, and with the machine-gun; above all, he carefully examined every part of this delicate weapon, taking it apart and putting it together, and increasing his practice.  He became a gunsmith.  And there lies the secret of his genius:  he never gave up anything, nor ever acknowledged himself beaten.  If he failed, he began all over again, but after having sought the cause of his failure in order to remedy it.  When he was asked one day to choose a device for himself, he adopted this, which completely expresses his character:  Faire face.  He always faced everything, not only the enemy, but every object which opposed his progress.  His determination compelled success.  In the career of Guynemer nothing was left to chance, and everything won by effort, pursuit, and implacable will.