SAYING THE ROUNDS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16209, 11 May 1918, Page 4

SAYING THE ROUNDS.

(By Major C. J. C. Stuket, H.G.A., author of "With tho Guns.") Tho look-out man paced ®«owlv up and down the deserted streets of the town, thinking of tho comfort-able corner of tho billet that was hi* by inalienable right. It was qui to fine and warm, that was one consolation, but 'still, wandering about waiting for the ammunition column to arrive was not a very 'exhilarating business at this time of night. The town looked un-

utterably dismal, heaps of bricks and | rubbish cast great shadows across the 6trtoets; through gaps in oyery wall could be seen the stars on the purple background of the night. Nothing moved savo tho busy rate that ran across tho open spaces and scurried in the deeper blackness of tho shadows. Suddenly tho man stopped and listened. From far away upon tho main road that led into tho town cam© a steady rumbling, that in a few minutes resolved itself into the sound of the engines of many lorries. Ho waited for a little longer, until bo heard them turn into tho long boulevard in which be stood, then sot off at a run for tho battery, a couple of -hundred sards away. His sentries on tho guns, hearing the sound of his footsteps, passed tho word to the cellars that sheltered tho detachments, and in a very fow seconds tho mon woro standing in groups bofore each ammunition store, ready for the ''arrival of the lorries. The latter swung into the square, paused a moment for orders as to where to unload, then separated; two or threo to each group of men. who lined np round them and started to carry off their contents, each man bearing a shell or a box of cartridges upon his shoulder.

All at once the familiar song of a shell sounded through the summer night. Tho men paid no attention to it, but tho officor in charge started and listened intently. The Germans had a habit of searching and sweeping through the town, and he had no desire to be caught out in the oDen unloading lorries. The shell burst a good half mile away, with a crash that reverberated among the empty streets until it sounded like the explosion of a mine. A silence followed, broken shortly by another droning and a second crash in the 6ame direction, but somewhat nearer. The enemy was pursuing his usual tactics: it could be predicted that he would fire about fifty rounds at a minute's interval, sweeping through the town as he did so. Tho trouble was that it was impossible to say whether tho line of "his sweeping would pass through tho battery or not. , It very soon became apparent that it would, or that at all events it would pass unpleasantly close. After tho fourth or fifth round splinters began to whiiT across the square, striking the ground with an ugly thud. The officer called the sergeant-major to him.

"We'd better get out of this," ho said. 'Tell the lorries to get away down to the end <3f tho road. We'll unload them there and bring up tho ammunition in the trench-carts when this is over."

Tho drivers started up their engines, tho men 6wamed on to them over the lowered tail-boards, and they moved off into comparative safety*. Only two remained, the first to arrive at tho nearest ammunition store. The men had unloaded ono of thom, and wero busy filling it up again with empty cartridge and fuse boxes, for return to railhead. There were only half-a-dozen more to throw in. and the two lorries waited the couple of minutes necessary to finish the job'. But lust as they were about to move off. a

shell shrieked towards them. The men fell flat on their faces on the road, to bo dazed and deafened by a fearful crash. One or two cried out, startled rather than hurt by the impact of flying splinterg. One -lay limp and lifeless under the lorry where he had been blown by. the explosion. The remainder leapt to their feet, and the officer, who had rushed to the spot, took in the situation at ' a glance. The shell had apparently burst upon the lorry full of empties, for it had sunk upoii the ground in a mass of splintered woodwork and twisted steel. The full lorry just in from, of it had becomo entangled in the wreckage, and could not be moved. Worst of iill, a fire had started among the broken boxes, and was burning • merrily, spreading every second towards the explosives in,the laden lorry. The limber-gunner of the detachment had been blown on to the pavement bv the aide, of the road, but he was equal to the occasion. He dashed up to the wreckage, his clothes torn to ribbons and his face covered witli, blood, carrying a drag-rope., Tho men*, foreseeing his intentions, clustered round, while lie charged tnrough the burning boxes and clambered into the laden lorry. The <flames singed him as he went, but he managed to gee some shelter from them behind the tiit of the lorry, and made fast the hook of the drag-rope to the grummet of the first cartridge-box. They were the first things to save, the flames would probably not explode the shell unless the lorry itself caught fire. The men hauled on the rope, and the box l passed through the flames, smouldering but intact. They threw the hook back to him, and he repeated the process again and again until the boxes were all saved.

Meanwhile others had been clearing tho wreckage from the wheels of the lorry, and as the last box was hauled out they managed to pull it clear of the fire. Its tail-board was burning but the fire was smothered with a tarpaulin, and then the limber-gunner climbed down to ground again, exhausted and nearly suffocated by the smoke.

"Well done, Gunner Dav!" exclaimed the officer. "That's tlie finest bit of work I've seen!"

Gunner Day grinned through the grime and blood that covered his face..

"Had to save the rounds, sirl" no explained. "Our gun would have ha.l to go short in the shoqt to-morr<sw if they'd been lost."