ARTFUL ARTILLER.

Press, Volume L, Issue 15112, 30 October 1914, Page 5

ARTFUL ARTILLER.

BOER THICKS FOR GERMANS. Tales of tho trenches havo been told mc to-day by wounded men in the Hospital St. Louis et Nazareth, Boulogne, where they are being nursed by Sisters of Nazareth (says the London "I>aily Telegraph."). One British aviator was among them, -with both legs broken. "I shall bo ready for work again before the war is over," ho said, in reply to my enquiries. j In fact, that was his one anxiety. | Ono of our men told mo that wo played a trick on the Germans which the British learnt in tho Boer .war. The enemy, before sending on their infantry to attack the position, opened with a terrific artillery fire. This -was on Tuesday; our force was retiring—"by orders," empliasised my informant. "Well," he went on. "our artillery suddenly began to drop. Ono by ono tho guns gavo out barking. "What's up now " I said to -. i "A few more minutes of heavy firing from the other side, then their infantry came on in solid formation. "We receiv- | ed them with rifle iire. S-Lill they came on; still wo mowed them down. "They were getting closer; we could see the denso masses moving. "Then suddenly the whole of our artillery opened fire. You see, they had not Ceen silenced at all. It was a trick to draw tho Germans on. "They went down in whole fields, for our guns got them on the open ground, and, of course, they soon had enough. Jt'was impossible for those behind to come on past their dead. "Then the order came to fallback to another position. We don't like this falling back, but you can't get all you want in this world." 1 spoke to another of our men. He knew nothing. "All 1 know was dust, heat, sweat, and thunder." "What did you do?" I asked. "Oh, I just plugged in the cartridges and pumped them out into the Germans. . ' 'Tt was rather curious,"' he went on, wanning up to the tale; "you found yourself firing at. say, one man, and you *aw a hundred go down. You could not tell what you hit; but no one seemed to miss, judging by tho massacres that kept happening. "I got a slight wound, but- knew nothing about it—felt nothing.until a man to mo says, 'Don't give it all to mc, Fred.' . ~ ''Then I saw I was bleeding a bit. "What is the one dominant feeling the first time you aro under fire?" •'Mine was thirst/ he said simply, and 1 think that was general. "lon see. all them guns suck up the air. and . who is scientific, explained it to mo that the hot guns and the shells draw all the moisture out of the air, too. So it can't be helped," he added cheerfully.